Griffons hold off Jennies, 76-69

          An 18-3 Griffon run midway through the second half proved to be the difference as Missouri Western grabbed a 76-68 win over the Central Missouri State Jennies Saturday night in St. Joseph.

           In the opening period, MWSU (12-2, 3-1 MIAA) jumped out to an early lead but CMSU (9-5, 2-2 MIAA) stayed close thanks to four three-pointers from Lindsey Maple. Tiffany Vincent also chipped in with nine points in the half while the Griffons were led by point guard Tiffany Davis with 14. Maple finished the period with 12 points (4-of-7 from beyond the arc) and three assists. The Jens fought back and led 36-34 with less than a minute to play but Davis hit a jumper with 46 seconds on the clock followed by a Renata de Almeida free throw with two seconds left to give the Griffons a one-point halftime lead.

           The Jennies opened the second stanza on an 8-2 run and had their biggest lead of the game at seven with 16:58 remaining. The lead wouldn’t last long though, Missouri Western started its big run two minutes later to grab the advantage for good. CMSU cut the score to 72-68 with only 36 seconds left but MWSU hit its free throws to seal the win. Both teams shot 42 percent from the floor but the Griffons out-rebounded the Jens 45-33.

           Vincent finished the night with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting while Maple had career highs in points, with 22, and three pointers, hitting 5-of-10.

           For the Griffons, Davis put up 25 and five assists while Brandi Rodgers hit for 18. Chemia Woods also went into double-figures with 11.