EDMOND, Okla. — Griffon Women's Basketball took down Central Oklahoma, 71-55, on Saturday at Hamilton Field House to extend its winning streak to eight games and move into a tie for second place in the MIAA.
Brionna Budgetts connected on three 3-pointers to lead the Griffons with 20 points.
Connie Clarke ripped down 12 rebounds to go with 12 points for her eighth double-double of the season. Meanwhile,
Mary Fultz and
Trinity Knapp both hit double figures, as Fultz scored 12 and Knapp scored 10 in the win.
The Griffons (15-4, 9-2 MIAA) started the game on fire. Missouri Western jumped out to a 10-2 lead over the Bronchos (6-10, 3-9 MIAA) led by seven fast points from Budgetts. The lead was pushed all the way up to 16 with 1:33 left in the quarter thanks a
Cleao Murray 3-pointer, and the Griffons won the quarter, 23-8.
Central Oklahoma did not go away quietly. The Bronchos quickly cut the Griffon lead down to just nine points in the second quarter, but MWSU pushed the lead back up to as much as 16 again. The Griffons took a 36-25 halftime lead.
Quarter three looked like it could be the turning point of the game, as UCO cut the Griffon lead all the way down to just four points with 1:38 remaining in the period. The Griffons rattled off a quick 6-0 run to close the quarter out and lead by 10 going into the fourth quarter.
The score lingered around that margin for the majority of the fourth quarter, but the Griffons pulled away in the last few minutes of the game. Missouri Western extended the lead to 16 in the final two minutes, and the Griffons took home a 71-55 win.
NOTABLES
- Budgetts eclipsed 900 career points in the win, giving her 906.
- Head Coach Candi Whitaker is just three wins from 200 total career coaching wins.
- Despite turning the ball over more, the Griffons dominated transition points, outscoring the Bronchos, 15-1.
UP NEXT
The Griffons are back at the MWSU Fieldhouse for a showdown with Lincoln (5-11, 3-7 MIAA) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and No. 5/2 Central Missouri (15-0, 11-0 MIAA) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Lincoln scored a road win over Northeastern State on Saturday, 61-57, while the Jennies took down Rogers State in a home win, 81-58.
