THE MISSOURI WESTERN GRIFFONS HOSTED THE NEBRASKA OMAHA MAVERICKS IN MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ACTION WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THE MAVERICKS PAINTED ST. JOE BLACK AND RED.
THE U-N-O WOMEN CAME AWAY WITH A BIG 58-55 WIN OVER THE LADY GIRFFONS WHILE THE MAVERICK MEN HAD LITTLE TROUBLE IN THEIR 90-74 WIN.
IN THE WOMEN'S GAME THE GRIFFONS HELD SECOND HALF LEAD OF NINE POINTS BUT WATCHED AS IT EVAPORATED AND LEFT THEM DOWN THREE WITH JUST SECONDS REMAINING.
A MISSED THREE POINTER LED TO A JUMP BALL AND ONE LAST CHANCE FOR THE GRIFFONS BUT A BUZZER BEAT ATTEMPT FROM BRITTANY CASSIDY MISSED AND THE GRIFFONS CHANCES OF MAKING THE MIAA TOURNAMENT TOOK A SERIOUS HIT.
THE LOSS LEAVES THE GRIFFONS THREE GAMES BACK OF THE NUMBER EIGHT AND FINAL SPOT TO GET INTO THE LEAGUE TOURNAMENT.
WESTERN WAS LED BY JESSICA KOCH WHO SCORED 19 TO GO WITH EIGHT REBOUNDS. COLLEN SCHNEIDER AND KAYLA VICE EACH SCORED TEN IN THE EFFORT.
ON THE MEN'S SIDE U-N-O'S OUTSIDE SHOOTING WAS THE STORY AS THE MAVERICKS HIT 12 OF 22 FOR 55 PERCENT OF THEIR THREE POINT ATTEMPTS WHILE WESTERN WAS JUST 7 OF 22 FOR 32 PERCENT.
U-N-O'S JEFF MARTIN HIT FOUR EARLY THREES AND SCORED 20 POINTS ON 6 OF 10 THREE POINT SHOOTING. MATT NEWMAN AND TYLER BULLOCK EACH ADD 15 POINTS AND TORRIAN HARRIS ADDED 13.
THE MAVERICKS LED BY TEN A THE BREAK AND NEVER LET THE GRIFFONS PULL BACK TO WITHIN SINGLE DIGITS.
MARCUS RHODES LED THE GRIFFONS WITH 19 POINTS AND JUSTIN TAYLOR HAD 15 POINTS.
THE LOSS DROPS THE GRIFFONS TO 9-7 IN THE LEAGUE A HALF GAME BACK OF U-N-O BUT THEY WERE SWEPT BY THE MAVERICKS IN THEIR TWO GAMES.
WESTERN WILL GO TO MARYVILLE ON SATURDAY TO FACE THE NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BEARCATS.
IN OTHER ACTION LAST NIGHT IN THE MIAA
WOMEN-
MISSOURI SOUTHERN 72
PITT STATE 57
WASHBURN 66
CENTRAL MISSOURI 54 OT
EMPORIA STATE 103
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST 90
MEN-
MISSOURI SOUTHERN 77
PITT STATE 51
CENTRAL MISSOURI 74
WASHBURN 64
EMPORIA STATE 100
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST 83
