The Griffon News

Forward Jill Johnson sunk two needed free throws with 14 seconds left in the game, to seal the victory for Missouri Western 77-69 against Pittsburg State Wednesday night.

Western came out strong with a 15-8 run within the first six minutes of the game. Ashleigh Curry was on fire for Western leading with 12 of her 20 team high points in the first half, and a shooting percentage of 78 percent.

This was Curry’s first start of the year due to the injury of Tera Petersen on Feb. 5 in Western’s game against Morningside.

“Tera Petersen was out with an ankle injury, and Ashleigh really stepped it up coming off the bench,” Coach Josh Keister said. “We moved the ball well offensively and got some great shots.”

Western’s man-to-man defense shut down most of Pitt State’s players, but one player snuck through. Janelle Klein scored 12 of the first 14 points for Pitt State in the first half, shooting 9-13 from the field.

Pitt State shot 41.7 percent from the field against Western’s 53.4 percent. Western’s shooting percentage and teamwork is what really helped keep their lead to 10 most of the second half. The women really hit each other with some great passes as guard Tiffany Davis lead with seven assists.

Johnson thought Western’s teamwork was great tonight and a real confidence booster after their first season loss to Emporia State on Feb. 3.

“Our loss from Emporia had us down, but we knew we needed to just come out and play hard,” Johnson said. “We got everybody involved. I think four out of five people were in double digits.”

Yanique Javois also felt that after Emporia there was a weight that was lifted.

“Emporia killed everyone’s confidence. I think everyone’s back, and we’re playing unselfish,” Javois said.

Western continued to keep their solid lead. Their offense was running smoothly as four out of their five starters scored in doubled digits. They also controlled the boards, both offensive and defensive, with 37 total rebounds against Pitt State’s 30. Inga Buzoka led Western’s team with 10 rebounds.

Then the 4:00 marker hit. Six three-pointers in a row from Pitt State led to an upset Western coach and timeout. Keister felt he needed to remind his women to communicate.

“We had a little confusion on our team, coming out of a few timeouts whether we were in man or zone; that was a communication issue,” Keister said.

With less than a minute to go, Pitt State started to come back in the game with a 9-0 run. Then Pitt State’s fouling began. Western’s Johnson stepped it up for a 1-1 and sank both free throws.

Then Pitt State took possession with 14 seconds left to play, only to have it stolen away by Tiffany Davis for a fast break to finish the game with a lay-up.

Keister felt that the girls played a solid game, and he was happy to add on another win.

“It felt good to get back on the win column, and play well tonight,” Keister said. “Hopefully we can keep it going now.”

Pitt State walked out of the game with a 4-9 MIAA record, and a 9-12 overall. This was their second loss to Western this season.

Western women are to take on Fort Hays State on Feb. 10. Tip-off from MWSU Fieldhouse is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.