LIBERTY, Mo. — Missouri Western won in convincing fashion on Monday night, taking down the Cardinals of William Jewell College.105-61.
The Griffons (4-2) were led by
Connie Clarke, whose 21 points and 12 rebounds granted her a third double-double of the season.
Brionna Budgetts finished with 19 points, and
Cleao Murray and
Alyssa Bonilla added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The game didn't start the way the Griffons would have expected, with the Cardinals (1-4) keeping things tight. Missouri Western jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but the Cardinals kept things close and were only down five at the first break after six MWSU turnovers.
The same story continued for the first half of the second quarter, with a Bree Shannon jumper cut the Griffon lead back to five at the media timeout in the second quarter. Murray scored out of the timeout, and the Griffons shifted into a whole new gear. Including the layup, Murray scored six-straight points, and Missouri Western went on a 15-2 run to close the half out, giving the Griffons a 50-30 lead at the break.
The third quarter was more of the same, as the Griffons extended the lead to 30 by the 4:16 mark of the quarter. The quarter finished with Missouri Western leading, 73-45.
The Griffons used nearly the whole bench in the fourth quarter, but it didn't matter, with the Griffons scoring 32 points in the final period.
NOTABLES
- The Griffons shot 27-of-31 from the free-throw line.
- Twelve Griffons got on the score sheet, and 13 played.
- The 105 points marks the second-highest total the Griffons have ever scored against a Division II team, and the most since beating Southwest Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament in March. It's the sixth-highest scoring effort in Griffon Women's Basketball history.
- This is the fourth time the Griffons have scored 100 points in the Candi Whitaker Era. They are 4-0 in those games.
- The Griffons out-rebounded the Cardinals, 47-23.
- Missouri Western took care of the ball extremely well in the second half, only turning it over three times.
UP NEXT
The Griffons host Avila (1-5) from the NAIA this Saturday. The Eagles lost to Bethany last time out on Saturday, 89-39, in Lindsborg, Kansas. Tip-off is slated for 1:30 p.m. at the MWSU Fieldhouse.