By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – With 13 seconds left, Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team had the ball under its goal with a chance to tie with a two-point basket. A shot in the paint missed with 6.5 seconds left.
Lindenwood junior sharpshooter Kassidy Gengenbacher went to the line and calmly made both free throw shots, giving the Bearcats an agonizing 74-70 loss Sunday afternoon at Hyland Arena.
“Our attitude is still good. We are still making big steps,” said Northwest senior Tember Schechinger, who scored a team-high 17 points on seven of 10 shooting from the field.
“Since the Central Missouri game _ and it has only been two weeks _ there has been a tremendous amount of improvement. We just want to win. We know we have two months left. We are going to come back in full swing. Teams can’t take us lightly anymore.”
Despite the loss, there were many encouraging signs for the Bearcats, who just completed a stretch of playing five of their first six conference games on the road.
“I want it really bad for them because they deserve it,” interim head coach Buck Scheel said of getting a conference win. “They have been playing and practicing hard the past couple of weeks. They deserve that feeling.
“They have really come together and are starting to play for each other and starting to take ownership for themselves and for their teammates.”
Northwest started the fourth quarter with plenty of energy because of a three-pointer by sophomore Tanya Meyer at the third quarter buzzer that gave the Bearcats a 56-55 lead.
The fourth quarter started with a three-pointer by Schechinger, which gave Northwest its biggest lead of the game at 59-55.
Gengenbacher answered with a three-pointer. She finished with 24 points, going eight for 13 from the field. The Lady Lions eventually went ahead 62-59. Schechinger forged a 62-62 tie with a three-point play.
Lindenwood then put together an 8-0 run, creating a 70-62 lead. But like they did in the first half, the Bearcats refused to wilt, closing to 72-70 with 1:17 left on a basket in the paint by Schechinger.
“It means we are making strides,” Schechinger said of fighting back from a deficit. “We used to get down and down. Now we pick ourselves up. It is nice to see nobody is giving up.”
The Bearcats stopped Lindenwood on offense and had an opportunity to tie, but couldn’t get the shot to fall.
Even though Northwest lost, it heads into Christmas break upbeat about the way it has played the last two weeks. After Christmas break, Northwest will play its next two MIAA games at home. The Bearcats face Central Oklahoma on Jan. 2 and Northeastern Oklahoma on Jan. 4.
“It is going to be amazing,” Schechinger said. “It is insane to start out in the MIAA with five out of six games on the road. Knowing that we battled in those games, I am confident that we are going to come home with our fans there, and we are going to get wins.”
When Northwest returns to Bearcat Arena, fans will see a team that is playing with more confidence and an offense that is executing at a higher level.
Northwest went 27 for 54 from the field for 50 percent against Lindenwood. Senior Taylor Shull finished with 13 points, junior Shelby Mustain came off the bench and scored 10 and Meyer added nine.
Several scoring options allowed the Bearcats to battle back. Late in the second quarter, Northwest was on the verge of dealing with an insurmountable deficit for the second half. Lindenwood built a 32-23 lead and was rolling.
Northwest went on a 14-2 run to close out the second quarter. The Bearcats took a 37-34 lead into halftime.
“They stayed patient and they stayed hungry,” Scheel said. “That is one of the biggest things I have been trying teach them lately. You have to play aggressive, but on the other hand you have to patient. You can’t force things. Our toughness to get over that hump at that time was really big going into half.”
Twice in the first half, Northwest made nice runs after a deficit. Lindenwood started the game by scoring 10 of the first 12 points. Junior Jaylah Jackson came off the bench and provided a spark for Northwest.
Thanks to eight points by Jackson in the first quarter, Northwest actually took an 18-15 lead. Lindenwood, though, scored the final six points in the first quarter for a 21-18 lead.
The Lady Lions stayed hot at the start of the second quarter and increased their lead to 29-21. Schechinger and Shull got Northwest back on track and they helped orchestrate the offensive surge late in the second quarter.
Both teams shot the ball well in the first half. Northwest was 14 for 27 from the field for 51.9 percent and Lindenwood was 13 for 25 for 52 percent.