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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Lions fall 73-62 on
Senior Day to Northwest Missouri Joplin, Mo. - Mandi Schumacher scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats to a 73-62 win over the Missouri Southern Lions on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 23) at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Bearcats win means the two squads have split the season series, with the Lions winning the earlier meeting this season 65-64 (Jan. 16) in Maryville, Mo., however, coupled with a Missouri Western loss, both teams have clinched spots in the 2008 MIAA Tournament. The Bearcats led 37-33 at the half and never trailed in the second half. They stretched the lead to eight on consecutive layups from Schumacher and Lauren Williams to open the second half. After Kelli Nelson nailed a three to put the Bearcats up 46-37, the Lions scored eight straight to came within one as India Wood hit a trey that made it 46-45 with 12:22 left in the contest. The Lions trailed 56-51 when Meghan Brue scored five straight points to essentially put the game away and give the Bearcats a double-digit advantage with just 4:55 remaining. Southern failed to get closer than seven from that point. The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw six lead changes. Senior Robin Kantin gave the Lions (17-8, 8-8 MIAA) their last lead with a three-pointer that put Southern ahead 20-19 with 9:43 remaining in the opening half. With the game knotted at 30, Schumacher hit a layup to give the Bearcats (14-11, 9-7 MIAA) the lead for good with 2:47 left in the first half. Senior Tynesha Pierce was the lone Lion in double-figures with 16. Danielle DeVader and Wood each scored nine, while senior Fatai Hala'Api'Api contributed eight points. In addition to leading all scorers with 18, Schumacher also pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Brue scored 15 and had 10 boards. Jessica Burton added 10 for Northwest. The Bearcats enjoyed a huge advantage on the glass, out-rebounding the Lions 38-26. MSSU and NWMSU came into the game tied for the fourth spot in the MIAA with identical 8-7 conference records. The Bearcats now move into sole possession of fourth place with the victory. If the standings hold firm, the Lions and Bearcats would meet again in the 4-5 matchup at the MIAA Tournament on Mar. 6 in Kansas City, Mo. Southern will now hit the road for the final two games of the regular season, beginning with a matchup at Pittsburg State on Wednesday evening (Feb. 26) at 5:30 p.m.
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