Story by Tommy Rezac
Stjosephpost.com

PITTSBURG, KS - Missouri Western's women's basketball led by 13 points in the first half and withstood a second half push from Pittsburg State in a 68-61 win over the Gorillas at John Lance Arena in Pittsburg, KS Saturday.

The No. 19 Griffons (24-4, 19-3 MIAA) led by 10 at halftime and only trailed for 15 seconds of the contest. Pitt State (21-7, 15-7 MIAA) outscored Western in the third period, 16-9, and got to within two points at 54-52 with 9:17 to play.

The Gorillas went cold in the fourth quarter, however, making only 4-of-13 field goal attempts over the final 10 minutes.

Two Missouri Western seniors, Brionna Budgets and Johnni Gonzalez, closed the door with huge shots in the waning minutes. Leading 58-55 with 3:44 to play, Budgets and Gonzalez each hit monster three-pointers inside the final three minutes to push the lead to three possessions.

In fact, Budgets and Gonzalez combined for 10 points in the last three minutes alone. Budgets finished with a game-high 20 points on a 4-of-7 effort from three. Gonzalez scored 12 points to go with five rebounds and a game-high five assists.

Western held Pitt State, the No. 1 field goal shooting team in the MIAA, to a meager 34.9% from the field (22-of-63), including 6-of-24 from three. The Griffons have held their last nine opponents to sub 40-percent shooting.

Missouri Western ended the regular season on a 14-game winning streak. The Griffons are the No. 1 seed in the MIAA tournament and will play on Thursday in the quarterfinal round at noon at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. That game is on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3, 680kfeq.com, KFEQ app).

The Griffons will face the winner of Northeastern State (14-14) and Emporia State (13-15). The Hornets and Riverhawks play on Wednesday at noon