Missouri Western held Lincoln without a field goal for more than 16 minutes throughout the course of the game as the Griffons won 42-28 Wednesday night at MWSU Fieldhouse.
The 28 points given up by the Griffons were the third fewest in their history, and the fewest points given up in a conference game.
For most of the second half, the suspense of Missouri Western’s outcome was over with. The Blue Tigers didn’t score a basket from the 9:27 mark of the first half until the 13:23 mark of the final frame. As Lincoln guard Jennifer Rosado knocked down a jumper. The span helped the Griffons dominate throughout in their conference matchup.
Neither team could establish much offensively in the first few minutes as each team swapped three turnovers before Lincoln took a 2-0 lead. Quenisha Lockett added a layup for the 2-2 tie with 16:57 left in the opening half, and the tie was soon broken up by Tiara Hall’s layup. The Griffons continued on an 11-0 run with Sharniece Lewis’ back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 11-2.
The Griffons continued to take control in the half, grabbing a 22-9 lead with a Lewis jumper late in the half. Missouri Western led 22-12 at the half. The Blue Tigers didn’t help themselves, having as many turnovers, 12, as they did points in the first half.
Missouri Western didn’t let the game get any closer, jumping out to a 17-point lead after a layup by Lockett early in the second half. Lincoln pulled within 12 as it was 29-17, but that score was followed by four more Griffon points to establish another large lead. Lincoln finished with 24 turnovers, which was more than the Blue Tigers could score until Rosado knocked down a triple with less than a minute to play. Rosado added two more free throws to close the game 42-28 which kept them winless in the conference. The Blue Tigers are 3-15 overall. Missouri Western is now 8-10 overall and 3-8 in the MIAA.
The Griffons were led by JaQuitta Dever and Lewis, who each had 10 points. Dever also collected five steals. Jallisa Lewis added a game-high 11 rebounds. Rosado paced Lincoln with 13 points.
Missouri Western’s 42 points were the least amount of points scored in a victory in its history. Before that, the Griffons defeated Peru State 48-47 on December 3, 1991.
Next up for the Griffons is a Saturday matchup against Lindenwood at 1:30 p.m. and it’ll air on 680 KFEQ AM.
— MWSU Sports Information —