ST. JOSEPH, Mo. —The No. 23-ranked Griffons scored 30 points off of turnovers on the way to a 73-55 victory against the Missouri Southern Lions at home on Saturday afternoon at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Griffon Women's Basketball (5-2, 1-1 MIAA) had three players score in double figures, led by Connie Clarke, who had a double-double with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. Jayme Jackson tacked on 13 points from the bench, and Brionna Budgetts chipped in as well with 11 points and two steals.

Missouri Western State shared the ball well in Saturday's game, racking up 17 assists on 26 made field goals. Individually, Johnni Gonzalez led the way for the Griffons with four assists.

Missouri Western forced 21 MSSU turnovers while committing 12 themselves in Saturday's game. The Griffons turned those takeaways into 30 points on the other end of the floor. Clarke's three steals led the way for Missouri Western State.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After falling behind 2-0, MWSU went on a 6-0 run with 7:19 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Jackson, to take a 6-2 lead. The Griffons then lost some of that lead but still entered the quarter break with a 13-11 advantage. Western relied on its 3-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 13 points.

Southern rallied to take a 26-22 lead before MWSU went on a 5-0 run starting at the 2:46 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Alyssa Bonilla, to take a 27-26 lead. The Griffons proceeded to tack on one point to that lead and enjoyed a 29-27 advantage heading into halftime. Western dominated in the paint, scoring 10 of its 16 points close to the basket.

Southern surrendered its halftime lead until, with the game tied at 32-32 they went on a 13-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Mary Fultz, to grab a 45-32 lead with 5:12 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Griffons added two points to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 57-42 edge. Missouri Western State took advantage of six MSSU turnovers in the quarter, scoring 13 points off of takeaways.

Western kept its lead intact before going on a 10-0 run, finished off by Fultz's three, to grow the lead to 73-50 with 1:55 to go in the contest. The Lions narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Griffons still cruised the rest of the way for the 73-55 win. The Griffs took advantage of five MSSU turnovers in the quarter, scoring five points off of those takeaways.

GAME NOTES

• Clarke's double-double is the 21st of her career.
• Western found success from 3-point land, knocking down nine treys in the game.
• The Griffons held the Lions to only 29.3% shooting from the field.
• Western tallied 17 total assists in the game.
• The MWSU bench came alive by scoring 38 points to its scoring output.
• The Griffons turned 21 turnovers into 30 points on the offensive end.
• Western had a 44-41 edge on the boards in the win.
• The MWSU defense forced 21 turnovers.
• Western cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 20 offensive boards in the game.
• Clarke led the Griffons with game-highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Griffons head north to take on Nebraska Kearney (7-1, 1-1 MIAA) this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Health & Sports Center in Kearney, Nebraska. The Lopers suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday, falling 74-71 on the road against Northeastern State.