By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics
JOPLIN, Mo. – Sometimes a team needs a moral victory to build its morale. Northwest Missouri State women’s team got exactly that Wednesday evening against Missouri Southern at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
With 30 seconds left, the Bearcats had the ball trailing by three. A turnover 16 seconds later prevented Northwest from getting off a potential, game-tying three-pointer.
Despite the 48-43 loss, Northwest showed significant improvement from its performance Saturday at Central Missouri. The Bearcats lost to a team that improved to 8-1 overall and that one loss was by two points in overtime.
“We had to do some self-reflecting after Saturday’s game,” said junior guard Jasmin Howe. “We had this potential the entire time. We finally put it together. We just have to keep taking steps forward. That was a great game for us, a great first step for us.”
The Bearcats faced a breaking point early in the third quarter. They quickly fell behind 31-21. Because of gritty defense and determination, Northwest refused to give in. Two free throws by junior Shelby Mustain got the Bearcats on track.
Howe took over the rest of the third quarter, scoring 11 of her game-high 16 points in the period as Northwest closed to 36-33 entering the final frame.
“Defense for us is something we have to start relying on,” Howe said. “We played great today and we can do that. We have to bring that every single game.”
Northwest assistant coach Buck Scheel was proud of how hard the team played defense.
“That was the one thing that was going to keep them in the game,” Scheel said. “We talked about effort before the game. When you give effort, when you give 100 percent, the game pays you back. Our effort throughout the entire game was what helped us.”
Southern once again started hot at the beginning of the fourth quarter and built a 42-33 lead. The Bearcats once again fought back. A three-pointer by freshman guard Macy Williams helped Northwest close to 44-40 with 1 minute, 35 seconds left.
With a minute to go, Williams drilled another three-pointer, making it 46-43. Northwest used defense to get the ball back with 30 seconds to play, but its 23rd turnover of the game prevented the Bearcats from getting closer.
On the positive side, Northwest played a great second half. The Bearcats shot 56 percent from the field in the second half and held Southern to 24 percent.
“We have to do a better job of taking care of the ball,” Scheel said. “It was amazing we were in the game with 23 turnovers. I’m just proud of them for coming together and playing together.”
Howe said the Bearcats want to continue to take steps forward and show what they are capable of. Their next opportunity is 1:30 p.m. Sunday at home against Pittsburg State.
Northwest proved there is plenty of season left for it to make plenty of noise in the MIAA.
In the first half, Northwest played tough defense and that kept it somewhat close. The Bearcats trailed 27-18 at halftime.
Northwest started fast, getting a steal by senior Taylor Shull that quickly turned into a three-pointer by Howe for the first points of the game.
A minute later, sophomore Tanya Meyer scored two of her eight first-half points that gave the Bearcats a 5-2 lead.
Southern scored the next 10 points by consistently getting the ball inside. Trailing 12-5, the Bearcats worked to keep from falling behind by double digits. They were down 17-12 starting the second quarter.
Even though Northwest scored only six points in the second quarter, the Bearcats played very aggressive defense to stay within striking distance at halftime.
— Northwest Athletics —
