Missouri Western women’s basketball falls in NCAA Division II Elite Eight opener
Missouri Western’s first trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in 27 years ended with a quarterfinal-round women’s basketball loss on Monday.
Grand Valley State defeated the Griffons 67-44 in Birmingham, Alabama.
Missouri Western trailed by 11 at halftime and chipped the deficit to nine points, 39-30, early in the third quarter. But the Lakers created distance with a 12-0 run.
Alyssa Bonilla ended the rut with a three-point play, but the margin remained in double digits.
It’s was quite a ride for the Griffons, picked to finish eighth in the MIAA after posting a 6-16 record in 2021. Under third-year coach Candi Whitaker — formerly the head coach at Texas Tech and UMKC — Missouri Western took a 21-9 record into the Central Regional as the No. 7 seed.
The Griffons rolled through the event, defeating top-seeded Fort Hays State in Hays, Kansas for the championship, overcoming a 21-point deficit at one point. Missouri Western’s offense hummed during the regional, but on Monday, against the nation’s top-ranked defense, the Griffons were held to a season-low output.
Missouri Western finished the season 24-10.
▪ On Tuesday, the Northwest Missouri State men’s team opens the Elite Eight against Bentley at noon in Evansville, Indiana.
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Missouri Western women’s basketball falls in NCAA Division II Elite Eight opener."