Pittsburg, Kan. - The Missouri Southern Women's Basketball traveled to Pittsburg, Kansas on Saturday, January 6, to take on the #13 Gorillas of Pittsburg State in a conference rival matchup. A close game on both ends finished in favor of the Lions as they won their sixth-straight game, third nationally-ranked victory in the last four games, 71-65 over the Gorillas. The Lions advance to 9-4 (5-2 MIAA) on the season.
Despite an early 5-2 Gorillas lead, the Lions had control of the first, finishing the quarter on a 17-7 run, taking a 19-12 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. The Lions held the Gorillas to 30.8 percent shooting from the field in the first compared to the Lions near 43 percent shooting performance.
Mia Topping,
Brandi Hudson and
Maggie Sockey all finished the first quarter with a team high four points.
The Gorillas began the second quarter on a 13-6 run, tying the game at 25-25 halfway through the second quarter. It was a back-and-forth finish to the halftime buzzer, but it was the Lions coming away with a 34-29 lead.
Brandi Hudson led the Lions in the first half with 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-2 FT), six rebounds and two assists.
Ryan Franklin finished the half with six points (3-6 FG), two rebounds and two blocks.
Reese Webb posted five points (2-4 FG, 1-1 FT) and two rebounds.
Despite
Mira Khan getting the first bucket of the third, the Gorillas went on a quick 8-0 run and took their first lead since early in the first quarter. A
Reese Webb three pointer and two free throws from the Gorillas brought the game to a 39-39 tie at the 5:00 media timeout. The Lions finished the third with a 12-7 scoring advantage, giving the Lions a 51-46 lead at the end of the third.
Reese Webb finished the third with a team leading and new career-high 14 points (5-7, 2-3 3P) and two rebounds.
Pittsburg State was not going out without a fight, going on a 5-1 run to begin the final quarter and bringing the game to a 52-51 lead for the Lions. The Lions returned with a 9-3 run to take a 61-54 lead with 2:43 remaining in the game. The Gorillas then returned with a 5-0 run to lower their deficit to 61-59 with only 1:40 remaining before Lions coach
Ronnie Ressel called a timeout. The Lions took advantage of the late must-foul situation for the Gorillas and won their sixth-straight game over the #13 Gorillas, 71-65.
Four Lions finished in double-digits in the upset.
Reese Webb led the Lions with a career-high 15 points (5-8 FG, 2-3 3P), three rebounds and two steals.
Brandi Hudson finished with 14 points (5-10 FG, 4-6 FT), eight rebounds, 5 assists and two steals.
Ryan Franklin posted 12 points (6-12 FG), six rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Mia Topping rounded out the double-digit scoring with 11 points (2-8 FG, 7-8 FT) and four rebounds.
The MSSU Women's Basketball team will travel back to Joplin on Thursday, January 11, to host a conference matchup with the #10 Tigers of Fort Hays State in Joplin, Missouri at 5:30 PM in Leggett and Platt Athletic Center in their fourth nationally-ranked matchup in the last month.
The Missouri Southern women's basketball season is presented by People's Bank of Seneca, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.
