ST. JOSEPH – The No. 9-ranked Missouri Western Women’s Basketball team rebounded from a cold first quarter to dominate Lincoln for the next three on the way to an 82-51 win over the Blue Tigers Saturday in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

The Griffons shot little better than 20 percent from the field in the first quarter and went into the second tied at 14 with Griffon Hall of Famer Nicole Collier’s team. From there, Missouri Western turned on the after burners, outscoring Lincoln 26-11 in the second; 20-15 in the third; and 22-11 in the fourth. The Griffons finished with a 50.8 field goal shooting percentage on the night, including 62.5 percent from behind the arc. Missouri Western held Lincoln to a 29.4 field goal shooting percentage and forced 19 Lincoln turnovers.

Miliakere Koyamainavure led Missouri Western, scoring a career-high 22 points and pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds. Julia Torres also finished with a double-double, scoring 11 and adding 10 rebounds. LaQuinta Jefferson finished with 19 points and five rebounds. Chelsea Dewey finished with seven points, six assists and five rebounds.

The win moved Missouri Western to 21-1 on the season and 15-2 in the MIAA. It’s the most wins in a season for the program since going 21-9 in 2003-04. Next week Missouri Western heads to Oklahoma for rematches with Northeastern State on Feb. 11 and Central Oklahoma on Feb. 13. The Griffon defeated both teams in St. Joseph earlier this season.

— MWSU Athletics —