Tahlequah, Okla. – The Missouri Southern Women's Basketball team traveled to Tahlequah, Okla. to take on the Northeastern State University Riverhawks in a conference matchup. A tight game throughout all four quarters ended in a win for the Riverhawks at home, 68-61.
Missouri Southern (14-9, 6-5 MIAA) vs. Northeastern State University (10-10, 6-5 MIAA)
Quarter 1: Missouri Southern 17 | Northeastern State 16
Mia Topping and
Reese Webb each scored a layup to open the game with a 4-0 Lions lead after two minutes of play. After the Riverhawks gained the lead with a 5-0 run,
Ryan Franklin (four points) sparked a 6-0 run to give the Lions a 10-5 lead with five minutes remaining in the first quarter. Northeastern State responded and tied the game at 10-10, but
Grace Frazier knocked down an open three-pointer to give Missouri Southern a 13-10 lead with four minutes remaining. Both teams traded baskets through the final minutes, and the Lions would hold onto a 17-16 after one quarter of play.
Quarter 2: Missouri Southern 30 | Northeastern State 32
Both teams continued to trade baskets in the second quarter, tying the game at 23-23 with 5:54 remaining in the quarter. After the Riverhawks took the lead with a 4-0 run,
Morgan Meyers drilled a three-pointer, assisted by
Grace Frazier, to cut the Lions deficit to 27-26 with 3:55 remaining in the second quarter. Neither team could pull ahead as the halftime buzzer sounded with the Riverhawks leading 32-30.
Quarter 3: Missouri Southern 44 | Northeastern State 48
Ryan Franklin scored Missouri Southern's first five points of the third quarter, but Northeastern State would slightly grow their lead to 39-35 with 5:40 remaining in the quarter. After two free throws from the Riverhawks,
Makenna Yokley and
Morgan Meyers each scored two points to cut the Lions deficit to 41-39 with 2:53 remaining in the third. The third quarter came to a close as the Lions trailed 48-44 heading into the final quarter.
Quarter 4: Missouri Southern 61 | Northeastern State 68
Grace Frazier ended a 5-0 Riverhawks run with a layup to bring the score to 53-46 with 5:52 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Kaitlin Hunnicutt found a rhythm knocking down two three-pointers which cut the Riverhawks lead to 57-52 with 3:41 remaining.
Ryan Franklin scored three of the Lions five points, countering the Riverhawks four points, that brought the score to 61-57 with one minute remaining. Northeastern State would hold onto their lead as they would win 68-61.
Missouri Southern Leaders:
Points: Ryan Franklin - 12
Rebounds: Reese Webb - 11
Assists: Grace Frazier - 4
Steals: Kaitlin Hunnicutt - 4
Blocks: Ryan Franklin - 4
Northeastern State Leaders:
Points: Brennan Kirchhoff / Alex Hill - 13
Rebounds: Courtney Lee - 9
Assists: Brennan Kirchhoff / Snowda Watie - 4
Steals: Snowda Watie - 3
Blocks: Deyanna Douglas - 2
Up Next:
Missouri Southern Women's Basketball will host the Newman University Jets on Thursday, February 6 in a conference matchup. Tip-Off is set for 5:30 PM in Leggett and Platt Athletic Center.
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