Joplin, Mo. – The fifth ranked Missouri Southern women's basketball program showed some real defense limiting Northwest Missouri to a series low 37 points today in the 52-37 win to begin MIAA action inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
For Southern (8-0, 1-0 MIAA) Lacy Stokes led the way with her first career game making five or more threes going five-of-eight from deep while having 18 points and five assists. Amaya Johns was the other player in the game to reach double figures with the senior scoring 12 and grabbing give rebounds. Madi Stokes had a game to remember with six blocks for her fifth career game with five or more blocks and had the second most swats by a junior in program history for a single-game.
Northwest Missouri (4-2, 0-1 MIAA) was led by Evelyn Vazquez and Molly Hartnett with nine points each with Vazquez coming away with four steals and two assists to lead the Bearcats. Kelsey Fields was the top rebounder for the team with seven while Jayna Green scored eight points.
The Lions opened the game on an 11-0 run capped off by a Johns three with Lacy Stokes picking up the assist with 5:53 left before a Bearcat response stopped the early scoring run. A 7-2 run by Southern capped off by a Layne Skiles layup at 1:40 in the first quarter helped lead the way for the Lions to own a dominate 20-6 lead that would not be relinquished.
In the second quarter the Bearcats got out to a 8-2 run to cut the lead down to nine (23-14) with 6:03 left following a pair of free throws. Skiles would open her account from deep at 5:21 to jump a 6-2 run by the Lions that paved the way for a 31-21 halftime lead.
Following a pair of Northwest Missouri baskets the Lions went on an 11-0 run from 7:08-to-3:16 capped off by a Kryslyn Jones pull up jumper to make it 42-25. A back-and-forth last three minutes saw the Southern lead increase to 16 heading to the fourth quarter up 46-30.
The fourth quarter was where both teams scoring was scare with a Lacy Stokes three from Skiles at 9:01 and a Lacy step back jumper at 8:04 being the only points of the quarter for the Lions. For the Bearcats they would get baskets at 8:44, 6:19 and finally 3:27 to close the game out with a 52-37 score line and the Lions first MIAA win of the season.
As a team the Lions won the battle in field goal percentage (34.6-26.9), three point percentage (33.3-26.7), threes made (8-4), free throws made (8-5), assists (10-6), blocks (8-0), fast break points (5-2), points off turnovers (19-10), second chance points (10-1), forced 19 turnovers for a team that coming in was averaging 9.8 and had the lead for 38:47 of the game.
This win moves the record on the season to 8-0 for the eighth time in program history and first since the 2014-15 season. Layne Skiles became the career games played leader passing Pam Brisby (1978-82) who played in 119 games during her time as a Lion and also made her 86thcareer start as well. The senior for Purdy, Mo. is now two made threes away from passing Jolea Apon (2008-10) for sixth in career made threes in program history with Apon finish with 142 makes.
Up next for the Lions will be Missouri Western who is coming off a 80-74 overtime win over Pittsburg State today to begin MIAA play, tip-off from the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center is set for 1:30pm on Saturday to conclude the week for both programs.
The Missouri Southern women's basketball season is presented by People's Bank of Seneca, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.
