MARYVILLE, Mo. - Senior Alyssa Bonilla's first career double-double helped lead Missouri Western women's basketball to a 57-48 upset over No. 9 Northwest Missouri State in the MIAA opener on Tuesday night.
 
MWSU improved to 5-3 (1-0), extending its winning streak to three games in head coach Ashton Feldhaus's first career conference victory. NWMSU fell to 7-2 (0-1 MIAA) and dropped its sixth straight game to Western.
 
The Griffons shot out of a cannon against the Bearcats, quickly establishing a commanding 22-4 lead in the opening quarter. MWSU shot 9-for-14 (64%), which included a strong 3-for-4 (75%) from beyond the arch.
 
Northwest found a rhythm in the second quarter, narrowing the Griffons' lead with an 11-2 run just four minutes into the period. However, Bonilla's 10 points, which matched her career-high of 21 for the half, helped propel Western to a commanding 34-21 lead at halftime.
 
MWSU struggled to find consistency in the third, as they were outscored 15-7 and had the lead cut to just five points heading into the final quarter of action. All seven of their points came from the bench, with Meredith Rieker leading the way with seven points on a 2-for-3 shooting effort.
 
The Griffons responded strongly in the fourth quarter with 16 points, including eight points in the paint. Bonilla established a new career-high in scoring in the quarter with seven points to bring her total to 28 for the night while also adding a pair of rebounds to secure her first career double-double.
 
Marie Sepp also shined for the Griffons with 10 points. The junior was nearly perfect from the free-throw line, shooting an efficient 6-for-7. Jessica Ford (8) and Kassandra Caron (6) each contributed to the strong rebounding performance, and Jaidyn Schomp led the game with a trio of blocks.
 
Missouri Western led for 39:00 minutes and did not trail once in the contest. They outshot Northwest 30-22 in the paint and capitalized on seven second-chance opportunities. Rebounding was also a strong suit for the Griffs, who outrebounded the Bearcats 37-32.
 
Western will return to action from the MIAA home opener against Emporia State this Saturday. Action from the MWSU Fieldhouse is slated for a 5:30 start.