EMPORIA, Ks. — Missouri Western Women's Basketball took down the Emporia State Hornets on Monday afternoon, 82-74 at White Auditorium.
The Griffons (9-4, 4-2 MIAA) were led by a number of notable performers.
Brionna Budgetts led the Griffons with 24 points and eight rebounds.
Connie Clarke added 19 and eight rebounds, while
Trinity Knapp scored a career-high 17 points and snagged a season-high six rebounds. Also of note was
Meredith Rieker, who scored a career-high nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
Quarter one was a close affair. The Griffons jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead but Emporia State (8-2, 4-1 MIAA) responded quickly, bringing the score back to within two possessions. One of the largest leads of the game from either team came at the 3:53 mark of the quarter when Clarke made a layup to extend the lead to 18-7. ESU brought the score back in a late flurry of points, and the Griffons led by one point at the end of the quarter, 18-17.
Missouri Western jumped back out to a big lead early in the second quarter thanks to three 3-pointers from Rieker in the first two minutes of the period. The Griffon lead grew to 33-19, but the Hornets narrowed the lead back down to just one before Budgets nailed a three at the buzzer to preserve the Griffons' halftime lead, 40-36.
Emporia State took over in the third quarter, coming back and grabbing the lead with just under four minutes to go in the quarter. The team battled, but the Hornets won quarter by seven, taking the lead into the fourth quarter, 59-56.
Missouri Western hit the accelerator in the final quarter of action. A Budgetts jumper gave the Griffons the lead at the 8:51 mark of the quarter, and the Griffs led all the way through to the end.
NOTABLES
- Budgetts' six made 3-pointers puts her tied for second all-time in a game.
- Johnni Gonzalez finished with a career-high eight assists, and Clarke finished with a career-high six assists.
- Four Griffons played 30+ minutes.
UP NEXT
Missouri Western heads home for the Christmas break before returning to action vs. St. Mary (8-5, 4-4 KCAC). Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28, at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
