By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics
MARYVILLE, Mo. – Fresh off its first conference victory of the season, Northwest Missouri State’s women’s basketball team was determined to start a winning streak. Clinging to a one-point lead in the final two minutes, the Bearcats showed grit down the stretch.
And when junior Mallory McAndrews knocked down two free throws with 10 seconds remaining to give Northwest a three-point lead, the confident Bearcats knew they had the necessary cushion for a 61-60 victory over Lincoln University Thursday evening at Bearcat Arena.
“I am honestly proud of this team,” said freshman point guard Jaelyn Haggard, who finished with 11 points. “We are definitely improving. I see a lot of success coming in our future.”
The Bearcats want to keep rolling when they return to action 1:30 p.m. Saturday at home against Lindenwood. Northwest, Missouri Western, Lindenwood and Lincoln are all battling for the final two spots in the MIAA Tournament.
“We were able to build on the last win we had against Mo. West, and hopefully that will keep the energy going on Saturday,” said senior Tanya Meyer, who finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds.
“We want to compete with Lindenwood on Saturday. We are all fighting for the last two spots. Getting this win going into Saturday was big momentum boost for us.”
Northwest appeared to be in control midway through the fourth quarter Meyer hit a three-pointer followed by a two-point bucket by her that pushed the lead to 56-47 for the Bearcats.
In a move of desperation, Lincoln went to a full-court press and it worked. The Blue Tigers created numerous turnovers and turned them into points. Lincoln scored the next 11 and took a 58-56 lead with 3:35 left in the game.
Twenty seconds later, Northwest tied the game on two free throws by Meyer. Neither team could muster any offense in the final 3 minutes.
But Northwest regained the lead with 1:52 left on a three throw by junior Kaylani Maiava.
In the final 90 seconds, Northwest needed to play strong defense as the Blue Tigers had numerous opportunities to go ahead. One of those opportunities came with 28 seconds left. Northwest was clinging to a 59-58 lead. The Bearcats caused Lincoln to take a tough, contested shot in the paint.
The Blue Tigers missed. Maiava grabbed the rebound with 22 seconds left.
“We responded really well with good stops defensively,” Northwest coach Buck Scheel said. “The ball pressure is going to come against us. We just have to get better handling it and continue to go.”
An over-and-back call against Northwest with 20 seconds left forced the Bearcats to play defense one more time with a slim one-point lead.
And the Bearcats succeeded again, getting a steal with 14 seconds left. Four seconds later, McAndrews dropped in the game-winning free throws.
“I thought it was really important that we got stops on defense,” Haggard said. “It was really crucial, especially at the end of the game. The score was so close. Just to be able to come down on defense and hold them to shooting deep threes was really important for us.”
A hot start by Meyer, coupled with some clutching shooting in the second quarter, sent Northwest into halftime with a 37-28 lead.
Meyer scored the first seven points of the game, staking the Bearcats to a nice early lead. When Lincoln closed to 9-6, Northwest quickly regained command on consecutive three-pointers from McAndrews and Meyer.
The Blue Tigers chipped away again and trailed 20-16 after the first quarter. Lincoln tied the game at 22-22 early in the second quarter.
Northwest didn’t allow Lincoln to take a lead. The Bearcats built their lead to five on a basket by Haggard. A few minutes later, Haggard drilled a three-pointer, increasing Northwest’s lead to 33-24. The Bearcats maintained their nine-point advantage the rest of the second quarter.
Meyer led the way for Northwest in the first half, scoring 17 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Haggard added eight points as the Bearcats shot 47 percent from the field.
— Northwest Athletics —