MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Missouri Western men's basketball team's upset bid at No. 3 Northwest Missouri State Saturday came up short as they fell to the Bearcats, 70-64. MWSU drops its fourth straight game as they fall to 8-5 this season.
Neither team led by more than four points over the first 16 minutes of the basketball game until the Griffons used a 9-2 run to build a nine-point lead late in the half and Western led Northwest at the break, 37-30.
Will Eames started the second half with a three-pointer to put the Griffs up 40-30, but then the 3
rd-ranked team in the country started to look like it as they went on a 23-5 run to take an eight-point lead, 53-45, midway through the second half.
After some back-and-forth and still down eight points, Missouri Western made one last run as they used a 12-3 run to take a 60-59 lead with just under four minutes left in regulation. The game was tied 61-61, but the Bearcats outscored the Griffons 9-3 to end the game.
Eames and
Reese Glover led Missouri Western with 13 points each, while
Tyrell Carroll and
Q Mays added 10 points apiece. The Griffons shot 46.0% (23-50) from the field, 38.9% (7-18) from three and just 57.9% (11-19) from the free throw line, and they were outrebounded 32-20.
Missouri Western forced Northwest into a season-high 19 turnovers, including 15 steals by MWSU. The Bearcats finished the game 48.8% (21-43) from the floor, 45.0% (9-20) from the three-point line and 95.0% (19-20) from the foul line.
With his 10 points in the game,
Tyrell Carroll moved into eight place all-time in scoring in MWSU history with 1161 points. He passed Mike Cornelious on Saturday. And
Reese Glover has now made 109 career three-pointers as moved into a tie for sixth all-time at Western with Lamont Thomas.
UP NEXT
Missouri Western will have a short turn around as they return home Sunday to host Central Oklahoma at 2:30 p.m. inside the MWSU Fieldhouse. The game will air on the Griffon Sports Network (680 AM / 95.3 FM) and the MIAA Network.
