WARRENSBURG, Mo. — Griffon Women's Basketball held Central Missouri to just 15% from beyond the arc in a 3-for-20 shooting performance on the way to a 77-69 win against the No. 16-ranked Jennies on Saturday at the Multipurpose Building.

Matching a season high with their fifth straight win, the Griffons (15-4, 10-3 MIAA) had four players score in double figures, led by Connie Clarke, who secured a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Johnni Gonzalez added 10 points, Tiani Ellison tacked on 12 points off the bench and Brionna Budgetts helped out with 11 points, three steals and two blocks.

Missouri Western shared the ball well in Saturday's game, racking up 17 assists on 30 made field goals. Gonzalez's four assists led the Griffons, and Jordan Cunningham also added three assists of her own.

The Griffons did a great job disrupting Central Missouri (14-5, 8-5 MIAA) shots in the contest, coming away with seven blocks. Clarke's season-high three rejections led the way individually for the Griffons.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After falling behind 6-3, MWSU went on a 5-0 run with 8:28 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Gonzalez, to take an 8-6 lead. The Griffons then maintained that lead and entered the quarter-break with a 21-19 advantage. Western did most of its first-quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 21 points close to the basket.

The Griffons maintained their lead in the game's second frame and entered halftime with a 38-37 edge. Western dominated in the paint, scoring 10 of its 17 points close to the basket.

Following intermission, MWSU continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 47-45 before going on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Budgetts, to expand its lead further to 54-45 with 3:49 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Jennies had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Griffons still entered the fourth quarter with a 60-54 edge. Western took advantage of five UCM turnovers in the quarter, scoring eight points off of takeaways.

Western kept its lead intact before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by MacKenzie Hart's layup, to grow the lead to 75-68 with 37 seconds to go in the contest. The Griffons kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 77-69 win. Western got a boost from its bench in the period, with non-starters scoring 11 of its 17 total points.

GAME NOTES

• The Griffons are 2-0 vs. WBCA Top-25 teams this season, beating both opponents on the road. 
• Since 2019, the Griffons have beaten nine top-25 teams in the Candi Whitaker Era.
• Clarke notched her third double-double of the season and the 25th of her career. She led the Griffons with 13 points and 11 points.
• Western tallied 17 total assists in the game.
• The MWSU bench came alive by scoring 28 points to its scoring output.
• The Western defense forced 22 turnovers.
• The Griffons were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying a season-high seven blocks as a team for the second time this season.
• Western has beaten UCM in five straight meetings. This is MWSU's second straight win in Warrensburg, collecting back-to-back road wins against UCM for the first time since 2000-01. 

UP NEXT
The Griffons head home next week to take on Fort Hays State (16-3, 10-3 MIAA) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. back inside the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph. The Tigers have won four in a row, last beating Emporia State 72-63 on Saturday in Hays, Kansas.