Feb. 7, 2008
Strong Second Half Not Enough in Loss to No. 22 ESU
EMPORIA, Kan. -- A strong second half by the Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team was not enough in a 86-67 loss to No. 22 Emporia State. The Bearcats outscored Emporia 47-38 in the second half and got within 11 points twice, but could not overcome a 24-point halftime deficit.
The loss drops the Bearcats to 11-9 (6-5 MIAA).
The Lady Hornets broke a 6-6 tie with a 10-0 run early in the ball game. Northwest struggled to score for more than five minutes late in the half and Emporia posted a 16-0 run to give the Bearcats their biggest first-half deficit, 38-12. Northwest headed into the break down 44-20.
Northwest forced 18 Emporia turnovers in the first half and grabbed 10 offensive boards. The Hornets hit 16-of-16 from the charity stripe in the first half, while Northwest attempted just five free-throws.
A 9-0 run, capped with a Jessica Burton layup, got Northwest within 11 points, 63-52, with 7:26 remaining. The Bearcats forced a turnover from nearly every Hornet player and forced nine TO's from All-American forward Michelle Stueve.
Northwest forced a season-high 31 turnovers and scored 13 points off the Hornets' miscues. April Miller led the defensive charge with five steals and Kelli Nelson swiped four. Mandi Schumacher led all Bearcats with 17 points and six rebounds. Jessica Burton contributed 12 points and Nelson added 10.
Emporia State's Michelle Stueve became the MIAA's all-time scoring leader after finishing with a game-high 27 points. Stueve surpassed Missouri Western's Becky Reichard and now has scored 2,161 career points.
UP NEXT: Northwest travels to Warrensburg, Mo., to matchup with Central Missouri at 1:30 p.m.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Micaela Uriell started the first game of her career game.
- Jessica Burton started for the first time this season.
- Kelli Nelson did not hit a 3-pointer for the first time in seven games.
- Meghan Brue extended her consecutive free-throw streak to 17 straight.
- Kelli Nelson all of her 10 points in the second half and now needs just 10 more to break 1,000 career points.
TEAM NOTES
- Northwest has lost nine straight to the Hornets.
- The Bearcats hit their first three-pointer with 12:47 left in the second half.
- It's the third straight loss for Northwest.
- Northwest's only lead was 4-2 early in the game.
- The 31 turnover's is the most since Northwest forced 30 against Missouri Southern on Jan. 10, 2007.
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