Northwest Missouri State avenged two previous losses this season to Pittsburg State on Thursday afternoon in the first round of the MIAA Tournament. Northwest defeated the Gorillas 75-71 on the strength of Abby Henry’s game-high 25 points and seven assists. Henry also added seven rebounds and two steals in the victory.
Northwest shot nearly 41 percent from the floor and hit 5-of-13 from three-point land (38.5 percent). Pittsburg State shot 35 percent for the game and went 3-of-21 (14.3 percent) from deep. After being out-rebounded badly in their first two meetings this season with Pittsburg State, the Bearcats won the rebounding margin 45-41. The Bearcats forced 18 Gorilla turnovers and also dished out 18 assists in the win.
Northwest (14-14) will play its semifinal contest at noon Saturday against the top-seeced Washburn. The Lady Blues defeated Southwest Baptist 80-60 in the first game of the tournament.
The Jennies picked up their first win in the MIAA Post-Season Tournament since 2006 on Thursday night, posting a 77-67 first-round victory over Missouri Southern. The win at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., was the sixth straight for the Jennies, and sends them to a semi-final round match-up against Emporia State on Saturday afternoon at 2:15 p.m.
Kara Fleming posted a career-high 26 points to lead the way for UCM, with three other players also scoring in double figures. Becca Roberts netted 11 points, while Meghan Waggoner and Danielle Shows finished with 10 points each.
The Jennies, ranked eighth in the latest NCAA-II South Central Regional Rankings, enhanced their chances to make the NCAA-II Post-Season with the opening round win Thursday evening as they see their record climb to 18-10.
After pulling off one of the greatest turnarounds in MIAA history to make the conference tournament, the SBU Bearcats ran into a hotter team. The top-seeded Washburn Lady Blues won their 11th straight game, taking the first round MIAA Tournament matchup with the Bearcats, 80-60.
Freddie Sims led the Bearcats with 14 points, while Ashleigh Gallio had 11 points and five steals. In her final game with SBU, Rachel Graves had 10 points, four rebounds and two steals. Kourtni Williams had seven points and six rebounds. The Bearcats finish the season at 10-18.