MSSU women fall to Washburn 90-59

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern women's basketball team got a career-high 23 points from Destiny Cozart, but the Lions couldn't stop a hot shooting Washburn squad as Southern fell 90-59 tonight on Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

Southern (11-8, 3-6 MIAA) was led by Cozart's effort off the bench, going 5-of-8 from long-range. Chelsey Henry scored 10 points and added six rebounds, while Laure Assena scored six and picked up six boards, as well.

Washburn (12-5, 7-1 MIAA) had two score in double-figures, led by 22 points from Taylor Blue, while Regan Phelan scored 20.

The game was tied at six with 6:58 left in the first quarter, before a three from Washburn broke the tie and started a run for the Ichabods that reached 14-4 when a bucket gave Washburn a 20-10 lead with two minutes to go in the quarter. The run reached 18-4 as Washburn led 24-10 after one.

Washburn led 30-12 in the second with 7:23 on the clock before a three from Henry with 6:16 to go cut the lead in half. A layup from Henry with 4:20 to go made the score 35-20, while a bucket from Brooke Stauffer with 1:47 to go in the quarter made the Washburn lead 44-25. A late free throw from the Ichabods made the halftime score 48-28.

A three from Cozart with 7:10 left in the third made the score 60-34, while a pair of freebies from Laure Assena put the score at 60-36. Back-to-back threes from Cozart made the score 66-45 with 3:20 to go in the third, while another three from Cozart made the score 68-48 with 2:45 to go in the quarter. A three from Morgan Brightwell with under a minute cut the score to 68-51, which would prove to be the score at the end of three. The Lions finished the quarter on a 12-2 run.

Brightwell hit a bucket to start the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 15 (68-53), but that would be as close as the Lions would get.

Southern shot 39 percent from the floor, but the Lions had a strong third quarter where they shot 64 percent from the field and 83 percent from both long-range and the free throw line.

The Lions will be back in action this Saturday as Southern plays host to Emporia State Tipoff is slated for 1:30 pm.