ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Missouri Western got big-time production from the bench to help down the No. 22/24 Lopers of Nebraska-Kearney on Friday night at the MWSU Fieldhouse, 68-65.

The Griffons (7-3, 2-1 MIAA) faced a stout test against the nationally-ranked Lopers (9-2, 2-1 MIAA). Missouri Western hadn't beaten UNK in the regular season since 2018 and hadn't beaten the Lopers in St. Joseph since 2017. 

The bench was the key in the Griffon win on Friday, as MWSU outscored Nebraska-Kearney in bench points, 22-4. Cleao Murray was the biggest part of that, scoring 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. 

Jordan Cunningham led the Griffons with 14 points and eight rebounds, both team-highs. Brionna Budgetts added 13 points, and Trinity Knapp scored eight and grabbed six rebounds in her second start of the season. 

The Griffons jumped out to a six-point lead in the first quarter, leading 13-7 at the 4:23 mark. Kassandra Caron hit a three from 30 feet to go up four with 54 second left, but UNK cut the lead down, and the Griffs led by one at the first-quarter break, 20-19.

The second quarter was a defensive slugfest, with the two teams only combining for 20 total points. Budgetts had six of the Griffons' 11 points in the second, and the score at half was 31-28, Griffons. 

Missouri Western jumped out to a nine-point lead on two separate occasions in the third, aided by an eight-point run in the middle of the quarter. A late UNK five-point run cut the lead to just two points at the end of the third quarter. 

The fourth saw both teams explode offensively. The Griffons held the Lopers at arm's length for most of the quarter, keeping the lead between two and three possessions.  A five-point run that started with under three minutes to play brought UNK to within one point with under a minute to go. Missouri Western played the free-throw game down the stretch and closed the game out to win, 68-65.

NOTABLES

• Alyssa Bonilla found her 100th career assist as a Griffon.
• Eleven Griffons played in the game. 
• Missouri Western out-rebounded the Lopers, 29-28. 
• The Griffons made a living down low, outscoring the Lopers, 32-20, in the paint.
• As a team, the Griffons shot 41.7% from three.
• MWSU is 2-1 vs. ranked teams this season and 4-2 overall dating back to last season.

UP NEXT
The Griffons prepare for a rematch with last years Sweet 16 opponent, the Fort Hays State Tigers (6-3, 2-0). The Tigers most recently took down Rogers State, 84-42, on December 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.