JOPLIN – The Missouri Southern women’s basketball team hung tough with fourth-ranked Nebraska-Kearney, but the Lopers used a fourth-quarter run to pull ahead and claim a 65-57 win over the Lions today inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
Southern (4-8, 4-8 MIAA) was led offensively by Carley Turnbull who scored 18 points and added seven rebounds and three assists. Madi Stokes had 14 points and eight rebounds, while Megan Jackson scored eight.
UNK (12-0, 12-0 MIAA) was led by 21 points from Elisa Backes and ten from Shiloh McCool.
A jumper from Stokes with 6:10 left in the 1st quarter put the Lions up 7-4 early on and a jumper from Turnbull with 3:28 to go made the Southern lead 11-7. The Lopers tied it at 11 with 2:34 left in the quarter, but a three from Biance Stocks with 51 seconds left put the Lions up 14-11. A late bucket from the Lopers made the score 14-13 after one.
A pair of buckets from Stokes to open the second quarter put the Lions up 18-13 and five-straight points from Turnbull, the last coming at 5:26 pushed the Southern lead to eight (25-17). The Lopers, however, went on a 10-0 run to go up 27-25, before the Lions would close out the half with five-straight of their own to lead 30-27 at the break.
A jumper from Stokes with 6:20 left in the third gave the Lions a 35-34 lead and a three-point play from Jackson pushed the score to 38-34 with 5:24 to go. Southern led 40-37 with 4:23 to go, but the Lopers went on a 6-2 run to end the quarter and give UNK a 43-42 lead afer three.
Southern got within one (45-44) after a layup from Stokes two minutes into the fourth, but an 11-2 run over the next five minutes put the Lopers up ten (56-46). The Lions scored eight points in the final minute, but couldn’t chip away at the lead.
The Lions. 40 percent from the field and 90 percent (9-of-10) from the free throw line in the game.
Southern will be back in action on Jan. 28 when the Lions travel to Rogers State. Tip off is slated for 7:30 pm.
Source: https://mssulions.com/news/2021/1/23/womens-basketball-lions-hang-tough-with-no-4-lopers
