ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Griffon Women's Basketball got a 35-point showing from the bench on the way to an 80-60 win against the Emporia State Hornets at home on Thursday night at Civic Arena.

The Griffons (7-3, 3-2 MIAA) had four players score in double figures, led by Connie Clarke, who had 17 points, nine rebounds, a season-high five assists and another season-high five steals. Tiani Ellison added 12 points and a career-high three blocks off the bench, and Mary Fultz helped out with a season-high 10 points.

Clarke pulled down six offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second-chance opportunities for Missouri Western State, grabbing 19 boards and turning them into 16 second-chance points.

Missouri Western State did a great job disrupting Emporia State (5-4, 3-1 MIAA) shots in the contest, coming away with seven blocks. Ellison's three rejections led the way individually for the Griffons.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After falling behind 10-8, Missouri Western went on an 8-0 run with 6:49 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Ellison, to take a 16-10 lead. The Griffons then added one point to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with a 23-16 advantage. Western capitalized on six Emporia turnovers in the period, turning them into seven points on the other end of the floor.

The Griffons could not maintain their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 39-36. Western came out of halftime rallying and had constructed a 51-47 lead before going on a 7-0 run to expand its lead further to 58-47 with 1:57 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Griffons added one point to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 60-48 edge. Western knocked down four 3-pointers in the quarter to score 12 of its 24 total points.

Western kept its lead intact before going on an 11-0 run, finished off by MacKenzie Hart's layup, to grow the lead to 76-53 with 5:51 to go in the contest. The Hornets narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Griffons still cruised the rest of the way for the 80-60 win. Western took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 20 points in the paint.

GAME NOTES

• Western lit it up from beyond the arc, knocking down 10 treys in the game.
• This marks the end of ESU's four-game winning streak and first lost in MIAA play.
• This is MWSU's first pair of back-to-back wins against MIAA teams this season.
• The Griffons shared the ball well, recording an assist on 72% of made field goals.
• Western's total of 21 assists was three shy of a season-high.
• The Western bench made an impact by scoring 35 points to its scoring output.
• Ellison and Alyssa Bonilla came off the bench to score 12 and 10 points, respectively.
• Western had a 47-27 edge on the boards in the win.
• The Griffon defense forced 16 turnovers.
• The Griffons were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording seven blocks as a team.
• Western cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 19 offensive boards in the game.
• The Griffs are 3-1 at home this season.
• Clarke is four points shy of hitting 1,000 in her career.

UP NEXT
Western takes on Washburn (7-2, 2-1 MIAA) this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. back inside Civic Arena. The Ichabods knocked off No. 23-ranked Northwest Missouri State 66-64 on Wednesday in Maryville, Missouri, tallying their second win in a row.