Pittsburg, Kan. – The Missouri Southern Women's Basketball team traveled to take on the Pittsburg State University Gorillas. The Lions and Gorillas traded blows throughout the game, with
Kennady Roach and
Ryan Franklin leading Southern's offense. Pittsburg State gained the upper hand and held on to secure the victory.
Missouri Southern (11-6, 3-2 MIAA) vs. Pittsburg State (13-2, 5-0 MIAA)
Quarter 1: Missouri Southern 21 | Pittsburg State 18
The game began with both teams trading baskets before the Lions took the lead with a three-pointer from
Kennady Roach. Roach extended the advantage to three points (9-6) with a layup. The Gorillas responded, cutting the lead to one point with two made free throws (9-8). Pittsburg tied the game at 11-11 with just under four minutes remaining.
The Lions sparked a 6-0 run with layups from
Veonce Powell,
Grace Frazier, and
Morgan Meyers, taking a 17-13 lead. In the final minute,
Ryan Franklin and Frazier added four points to secure a 21-18 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Quarter 2: Missouri Southern 42 | Pittsburg State 36
Pittsburg State went on a 10-2 run to take a 29-24 lead. Southern answered with free throws from
Kaitlin Hunnicutt and a jumper by
Mackenzie Hart, trimming the deficit to 33-30 with 4:23 left. The Gorillas responded with a 9-3 run to extend their lead to 42-33, but
Kennady Roach hit a three-pointer to cut the margin to six points at halftime, 42-36.
Quarter 3: Missouri Southern 50 | Pittsburg State 56
Kennady Roach opened the third quarter with a layup and a free throw, cutting the Lions deficit to four points.
Ryan Franklin ended the two-minute scoring drought with a layup as the Lions narrowed the gap to 44-41 (6:51 on the clock).
With 5:06 remaining,
Makenna Yokley sank a layup to put the score at 48-46.
Mackenzie Hart followed with a jumper to tie the game at 48-48 with 4:00 on the clock. Pittsburg State answered with back-to-back three-pointers, building a six-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Quarter 4: Missouri Southern 72 | Pittsburg State 84
Both teams came out swinging, exchanging baskets in a back-and-forth battle. The Gorillas went on a 13-2 run to build a 69-54 lead. The Lions responded with a 7-2 spurt to cut the deficit to nine points with 1:52 remaining.
Kennady Roach nailed a three-pointer off a steal by
Kaitlin Hunnicutt. Pittsburg State held firm for a 84-72 victory.
Missouri Southern Leaders:
Points: Kennady Roach – 20
Rebounds: Kennady Roach – 5
Assists: Mackenzie Hart /
Veonce Powell – 3
Steals: Mackenzie Hart - 3
Blocks: Ryan Franklin /
Kennady Roach / Makenna Yokley - 1
Pittsburg State Leaders:
Points: Karenna Gerber – 22
Rebounds: Karenna Gerber – 11
Assists: Harper Schreiner – 7
Steals: Harper Schreiner – 2
Blocks: Savannah Campbell – 1
Up Next:
Missouri Southern Women's Basketball will be back on Saturday, January 11 when they travel to take on the Newman University Jets. Tip-off is set for 1:30 PM.
-Lions-
