Missouri Western women fall at Washburn 78-68

TOPEKA, Kan. – Missouri Western Women’s Basketball (13-15, 8-11 MIAA) outscored Washburn (19-9, 14-5 MIAA) by eight in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome an 18-point first-half deficit, as the Ichabods beat the Griffons 78-68 on Saturday afternoon.

NOTABLES

Washburn held a five-point lead after a low-scoring first quarter that featured just two made baskets in the final four minutes of the quarter.
The second quarter proved to be the most costly for the Griffons, as the Ichabods closed the half on a 21-5 run to take a 40-22 lead at the half.
Katrina Roenfeldt paced the Missouri Western offense with 10 points in the first half.
Missouri Western used an 11-3 run to open the fourth quarter, cutting the Washburn deficit to just nine points with seven minutes left to play.
After Washburn stretched its lead back to 14 points in the final quarter, the Griffons fought back again to trail 70-62 with just over two minutes remaining.
Washburn made all six of their free throws in the final two minutes to pull away for the 10-point win.
The Griffons shot 46 percent in the second half compared to just 30 percent before halftime.
Washburn’s offensive ball movement resulted in 21 team assists.
The Griffons had the advantage in turnovers, forcing 18 in the game.

LEADERS

Roenfeldt finished the game with a team-high 15 points.
Jessica Davies scored 14 points with 11 of those coming in the second half.
Anastacia Johnson pulled down a career-high eight rebounds.

UP NEXT

Griffon Women’s Basketball will open play in the MIAA Championships on Wednesday, March 6 against Nebraska-Kearney. The Griffons are the No. 9 seed and Nebraska-Kearney is the No. 8 seed.
The game will tip-off at 6 p.m. in historic Municipal Auditorium. It will be the second consecutive year the two teams meet in the opening round of the MIAA’s postseason tournament. Missouri Western made history as the first-ever No. 12 seed to win a game in the MIAA Championships with a 60-57 win over the No. 5-seeded Lopers. Nebraska-Kearney won the only meeting this season, 62-53 on Jan. 26 in Kearney.

Tickets are available now at the Missouri Western ticket office. All-session pass tickets, which include all 18 games, are on sale for $50. Adult single session tickets are available for $20 with student tickets priced at $5. Tickets purchased in advance through the Griffon Ticket Office are cheaper than those sold at the tournament gate. To purchase tickets, call 816-271-4481 or visit the lobby of the Griffon Indoor Sports Complex.

— MWSU Athletics —