Pittsburg, Kan. - The 21st ranked Missouri Southern women's basketball program fell 74-64 tonight at John Lance Arena to rival Pittsburg State.
The Lions (21-5, 13-5 MIAA) were led by
Lacy Stokes with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Layne Skiles added 13 points while
Madi Stokes had an 11 points, 12 rebound double-double and three blocks.
Pittsburg State (19-5, 14-4 MIAA) was led by Tristan Gegg with 14 points.
Southern jumped out to a 7-0 lead before a 7-2 run by the Gorillas made it 9-7 with 5:12 left in the quarter,
Layne Skiles would respond with 3:55 left with her 166th three to move past Sonya Harlin (93-95) for the fourth most three's made in a career in program history and make it a 12-7 game. Pittsburg State would close out the last minute of the quarter with two deep three's by Gegg to tie it up 17-17 heading to the second quarter.
In the second quarter the Lions got an early three point lead, 22-19 thanks to a
Madi Stokes layup with 7:44 remaining but a 6-0 Gorilla run made it a 25-22 deficit. Skiles would tie it up 25-25 on the ensuing possession with a three but Pittsburg State would hold onto a 38-30 lead going into the half.
Madi Stokes would score the first points of the third quarter but an 8-0 run by the Gorillas made it 46-32 with 6:58 remaining. In the last two minutes the Lions used a 9-2 run capped off by a
Lacy Stokes three to cut it to 13, 60-47 heading to the fourth quarter.Â
The Lions used an 11-2 run to cut the lead down to six, 64-58 with 3:52 left thanks to a
Madi Stokes layup with
Kaitlin Hunnicutt picking up the assist. Southern would get to within six two more times in the final minutes of the game but couldn't pull of the comeback.
Up next for the Lions will be Nebraska - Kearney and Fort Hays State next week in Joplin. The Lions will host the Lopers on Thursday in the annual Pink Game with tip off set for 5:30pm and will honor the three seniors on Senior Day against the Tigers on Saturday with tip set for 1:30pm inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.Â
The Missouri Southern women's basketball season is presented by People's Bank of Seneca, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.
