MARYVILLE, Mo. – Griffon Women's Basketball (6-14, 2-9 MIAA) suffered a 75-66 loss to Northwest Missouri State (11-10, 4-7 MIAA) in Saturday's Battle of Highway 71 at Bearcat Arena.

The Griffons got off to a strong start in the first quarter, trailing only briefly after falling behind 2–0 in the opening seconds before holding on to a 19–15 lead at the end of the period.

A three-pointer from Nakiya Harris gave MoWest its largest lead of the game at nine, pushing the advantage to 25–17 with 8:02 remaining in the second quarter. Northwest responded with a run of its own, and after trading baskets down the stretch, the Bearcats carried a slim 33–31 lead into halftime.

Northwest gained separation in the third quarter building momentum early. MoWest's five turnovers in the period led to added scoring chances for the Bearcats. Northwest took a 54–46 lead into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, the Griffons trimmed the deficit to three points with 7:37 remaining. The margin shrank to two at the 1:54 mark following a free throw from Ana Oliveira Dias, making it 66–64 in favor of Northwest. The Bearcats sealed the game by knocking down five free throws over the final two minutes, holding off a late Griffon push for a 75–66 win at Bearcat Arena.

Mia Morel led all scorers with 29 points in 38 minutes, shooting 10-of-17 from the floor, 3-of-7 from three-point range, and 6-of-8 at the free-throw line. She added four rebounds, two assists, and three steals.

Dias finished with 14 points in 35 minutes, going 4-of-11 from the field and 6-of-9 at the line. She contributed four rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

Nakiya Harris added 12 points in 28 minutes, shooting 4-of-12 overall and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, while pulling down eight rebounds and recording one assist.

MoWest connected on 40.7 percent of their shots (22-of-54), knocked down 33.3 percent from three-point range (5-of-15), and went 17-of-32 (53.1 percent) at the line.

The Bearcats shot 43.3 percent from the field (26-of-60), 29.6 percent from three-point range (8-of-27), and 78.9 percent at the free-throw line (15-of-19).

What's Next
Griffon Women's Basketball returns home after a three-game road trip to host Rogers State on Thursday, February 5, with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m. at the Looney Complex.