ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon Football (1-6, 0-5 MIAA) battled hard for three quarters, but No. 12 Pittsburg State (6-2, 5-1 MIAA) rushed for 264 yards and put it away late in a 44-20 tilt at Spratt Stadium on Saturday night.

In a game that featured a 51-minute rain delay early in the first quarter, MoWest took the lead 7-3 with 9:49 to go in the second quarter on a 16-yard touchdown from Kane Donovan to Bryce Marcus III.

Pitt, however, scored 17 unanswered points from that point on, leading 13-7 at half and then 20-7 with 10:45 left in the third.

MoWest, after turning the ball over on downs on the first drive of the second half, had an eventual response, as Donovan connected with Marcus III on a 46-yard touchdown catch, making it 20-14 with 8:27 remaining in the third.

Marcus, who had missed the previous three games with injury, finished with a career-best 96 yards and two touchdown grabs.

Trailing 30-14 entering the fourth quarter, MoWest scored on a two-yard touchdown run from Evan Williams, but the ensuing point-after try missed following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Pitt State put it away for good after that with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock, leading 37-20 with 7:07 to go. The Gorillas added one more TD with about four minutes left.

MoWest lost two fumbles in the second half, which both led to Gorilla touchdowns. Pittsburg State had three drives that started in Griffon territory in the second half, and the Gorillas scored touchdowns on all three of them.

Pittsburg State turned the ball over three times, all in the first half, but the Griffons were unable to score points on any of them.

Donovan was 13-of-34 for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Brandon Hall had 82 yards rushing on 20 carries. TreVon Holmes finished with a career-high 14 tackles to lead the defense. Logan Clark had an interception, while Grant Finley and Kameron Neal had a fumble recovery.

MoWest is back on the road this Saturday to face Missouri Southern. Kickoff from Fred G. Hughes Stadium in Joplin is set for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (GoGriffons.com/listen, Varsity Network App) and on the MIAA Network.