Kearney, Neb. - The Missouri Southern Women's Basketball team traveled to Nebraska to compete against the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers in a conference matchup. A dominant second quarter on both ends set the tone for the Lions to walk out of Nebraska with a 86-75 victory over the Lopers. The Lions advance to 19-6 (15-4 MIAA) on the season.

Kryslyn Jones got things started early for the Lions with two threes, but the Lions defense had a rough time slowing down the Lopers offense as they went on a 9-0 run to take a 13-6 lead with 4:56 remaining in the first quarter. Another Jones three and two buckets from Ryan Franklin brought the game back to even with 2:31 left in the quarter. It was a back-and-forth finish to the buzzer as Kaitlin Hunnicutt grabbed a defensive rebound with only seconds remaining and drilled a three pointer from beyond half court before the clock expired to give the Lions a 20-19 lead after 10 minutes of play. Kryslyn Jones was the Lions leading scorer in the first with nine points (3-3 3P). 

The Lions began to take control in the second quarter, beginning the game a perfect 3-3 from the field and not allowing a single Lopers field goal in return to take a 30-21 lead with six minutes until halftime. The Lions defense continued to dictate the second quarter, only allowing the Lopers to convert one field goal of their 10 attempts before the Lopers used a timeout with 3:15 remaining. The Lions went into the halftime locker room with a 44-31 lead after controlling both ends of the floor. Kaitlin Hunnicutt showed up big in the second quarter as she became the Lions leading scorer with 15 points (5-8 FG, 4-6 3P), three rebounds and two assists.

The Lopers held a slight scoring advantage throughout the third quarter, narrowing their deficit to seven with 2:45 left in the third. The Lions had a tough time getting rebounds in the third as the Lopers were nearly doubling the Lions in the statistic in the first seven minutes. The Lions fought back from a 7-0 Loper run that brought the game to within three to end the quarter with a 63-56 lead.

Neither team was able to start up a significant run on offense as the score remained within 10 through the first eight minutes of play as both teams were trading buckets. The Lions were moving the ball well in the fourth, assisting on the first six made baskets in the quarter. After a Ryan Franklin jumper gave the Lions a 79-70 lead, the Lopers were charged with back-to-back technical fouls which put Kryslyn Jones on the line as she sank all four free throws to give the Lions their largest lead of the game at 13. The game then went into fouling time for the Lopers as the Lions shot 3/6 from the stripe in the closing minute but defensively forced two Loper turnovers and only allowed them to convert one field goal as the Lions went on to win 86-75. 

Four Lions finished in double-digits in the win. Kryslyn Jones led the Lions with 23 points (8-12 FG, 3-6 3P), six rebounds and two assists. Ryan Franklin had a huge second half and finished with 20 points (9-13 FG), five rebounds and two assists. Kaitlin Hunnicutt posted 19 points (6-14 FG, 4-11 3P), three rebounds and three assists. Morgan Meyers finished with a career-high 10 points (3-8 FG, 2-4 3P), five assists and a steal. The Lions held a huge advantage in bench points over the Lopers with a 42-6 advantage.

The MSSU Women's Basketball team will be back on the road and travel to Hays, Kansas to take on Fort Hays State on Saturday, February 24 at 2:00 PM in the Gross Memorial Coliseum. 

The Missouri Southern women's basketball season is presented by People's Bank of Seneca, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics. Read Full Article