Tiani Bell 2024 Hays
Arianne Boma
Tiani Ellison rings the bell after helping the Griffs improve to 9-1 at home.
66
Fort Hays St. FHSU 16-4,10-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate
68
Winner Missouri Western MW 16-4,11-3 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Fort Hays St. FHSU
16-4,10-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate
66
Final
68
Missouri Western MW
16-4,11-3 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Fort Hays St. FHSU 21 13 14 18 66
Missouri Western MW 10 11 16 31 68

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | MWSU Media Relations

Furious 15-point comeback leads Griffon WBB over No. 15 Fort Hays

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Once facing a 15-point deficit, Griffon Women's Basketball came back from the brink to beat No. 15 Fort Hays State 68-66 Thursday night at the MWSU Fieldhouse, winning their sixth straight game overall.

The Griffons (16-4, 11-3 MIAA) had three players score in double figures, led by Connie Clarke, who had 20 points and seven rebounds. Johnni Gonzalez added a season-high 12 points and seven rebounds, and Tiani Ellison helped out with 10 points off of the bench.

Missouri Western collected 37 rebounds in Thursday's game compared to Fort Hays' 29, led by Clarke's seven boards.

The Griffons did a great job disrupting the Fort Hays (16-4, 10-4 MIAA) in the contest, coming away with seven blocks. Jordan Cunningham led the way individually for the Griffons with a career-high four rejections.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Western struggled out of the gate, falling behind 21-10 at the end of the first quarter. Hays kept adding to that lead, building a 30-15 advantage before MWSU went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Lajahda Boyland, to narrow its deficit to 30-21. Hays responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Griffons trailing 34-21 heading into halftime.

Hays continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 36-21 advantage before Missouri Western State went on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Clarke, to trim its deficit to 36-29 with 5:40 to go in the third. Hays countered and stretched its lead to 48-37 heading into the fourth. Western played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 16 points in the paint.

The Griffons narrowed their deficit to 57-54 before going on a 7-0 run to seize a 61-57 lead with 2:14 to go in the contest, taking a definite lead with 3:08 to go thanks to back-to-back jumpers by Mackenzie Hart. The Tigers narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Griffons still held on for the 68-66 win. Western got a boost from its bench in the period, with non-starters scoring 12 of its 31 total points.

GAME NOTES

  • The Griffons rallied from an 11-point 48-37 third-quarter deficit to pick up the win.
  • Western rallied from a 13-point 34-21 halftime deficit to pick up the win.
  • The Griffons held the Tigers to only 40% shooting from the field.
  • The MWSU bench made an impact by scoring 23 points to its scoring output.
  • Western had a 37-29 edge on the boards in the win.
  • The Griffon defense forced 13 turnovers.
  • Western was active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording seven blocks as a team.
  • The Griffons' six-game winning streak is the second-longest active streak in the MIAA. Missouri Southern has won 13 straight.
  • This is the team's first regular-season sweep of Hays since 2006-07.
  • Western is now in sole possession of second place in the MIAA.
  • The Griffons have won eight straight games in St. Joseph, the second-longest streak under Head Coach Candi Whitaker.
  • This is the 10th win over a ranked team since Whitaker took over in 2019, and it moves MWSU to 3-0 vs. WBCA Top-25 teams this season. Western just beat No. 16 Central Missouri last Saturday.

UP NEXT
The Griffons dial it back up again to take on Nebraska Kearney (15-5, 9-5 MIAA) this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. back inside the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Lopers have won three in a row, last defeating Northwest Missouri State 68-57 this Thursday on the road.

-30-

Print Friendly Version