A cold stretch in the first half and another one with 10 minutes remaining in the game put an end to the Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball season.
Northwest lost 47-42 to Northeastern State Monday evening at Bearcat Arena in the first round of the MIAA Tournament. Northwest finished the season 10-17 overall and 7-12 in conference.
“It is a tough one, really hard to swallow,” said Northwest senior point guard Monique Stevens. “You really want your last game to be your best game. We just couldn’t find the rim tonight. That is what hurt us the most.”
As it turned out, it was a season of adjustments for the Bearcats. Most of the juniors were playing for their third coach in three seasons and that is difficult.
The Bearcats, though, put up a fight to continue their season. Even when shots weren’t falling, they were playing hard on defense.
“Our defense was pretty good throughout the game,” said junior Ashleigh Nelson, who went 5-for-9 from three-point range and finished with 18 points. “We let them shoot way too high percentage from the three-point line in the first half.”
For the most part, Northwest shut that down in the second half and played solid defense to stay close. They tied the game at 34-34 and 36-36, both times on baskets by Annie Mathews.
After those field goals, it was a struggle for the Bearcats on the offensive end. Northwest only made five field goals the entire second half. Still, with 6 minutes left, Northwest trailed only 40-37.
But then Northeastern junior Fontana Tate, a three-point specialist, drove into the lane for a 10-footer. On the next possession, Tate made her fourth three-pointer of the game, giving the RiverHawks a 45-37 lead with 4:50 left.
“Monique did a pretty good job guarding her throughout the night, but if she got her feet set and had a split second to get a look at the basket, it was pretty much going in,” Nelson said.
Northeastern went the next 3 minutes, 30 seconds without scoring. The Bearcats scored just three points over that period, closing to 45-40 with 1:20 left.
The Bearcats were forced to foul, hoping Northeastern would miss its free throw shots. The first time it worked. Northeastern made one free throw. The Bearcats quickly capitalized with a basket in the paint by Ariel Easton, pulling Northwest to within four at 46-42 with 1:10 left.
Northwest got the ball back on a jump ball four seconds later but failed to take advantage of the opportunity. The turnover bug that has haunted the Bearcats all season, bit them again.
The Bearcats still had a chance. Northeastern missed the front end of a 1-and-1 two times in a row. The Bearcats simply couldn’t make a basket to pull closer despite the RiverHawks missing five straight free throws.
“We were given every opportunity,” Stevens said. “They missed so many free throws at the end. It was like all we had to do was get a basket and a stop. It was right at our finger tips.”
Late in the first half, Northwest was in trouble. The Bearcats trailed 26-16 and saw Northeastern make six three-pointers.
The Bearcats couldn’t afford to let their deficit grow and they didn’t. A three-pointer by Nelson sparked a 10-0 run that tied the game at 26-26.
Northeastern went into halftime with a three-point lead because the RiverHawks made one a more trey and this was near NBA range from Chelsey Beathard.
Considering the way the Bearcats played midway through the first half, they were fortunate to be down by only three at halftime.
— Northwest Sports Information —
