KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The top-two seeds in the tournament, Missouri Southern and Fort Hays State, both advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 MIAA Basketball Championships presented by Citizens Bank & Trust.
Top-seeded Missouri Southern defeated No.9 Washburn and No.2 seed Fort Hays State trumped No.7 Central Oklahoma. Below are game recaps from Thursday’s women’s session.
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No.1 Missouri Southern 62, No.9 Washburn 54 – Box Score
The No.1 seeded-Missouri Southern Lions defeated the No. 9 seeded-Washburn Ichabods 62-54 in the first quarterfinal match of the 2022 MIAA Women's Basketball Championship presented by Citizens Bank & Trust.
The Lions shot 35.7 percent (20-56) from the floor, 30.0 percent (6-20) from the three-point range and 66.7 percent (16-24) from the free-throw line. The Ichabods hit 37.9 percent (22-58) from the field, 20.0 percent (3-15) from the behind the arc and 58.3 percent (7-12) at the foul line.
The 2022 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year Lacy Stokes led all scorers with 22 points, hitting 8-16 overall, 1-4 from the three and 5-8 from the line. Stokes also recorded a game-high five assists. All-MIAA selection Madi Stokes posted a double-double for the Lions with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Brooke Stauffer and Amaya Johns each finished with nine points apiece.
Hunter Bentley led the Ichabods offense with 18 points. The All-MIAA selected went 7-15 from the field and 4-4 at the free-throw line. Also scoring in double figures was Nuria Barrientos with 14 points. Barrientos also led the Washburn defense with eight boards.
Missouri Southern will face the winners of Friday’s quarterfinal match up featuring No.4 seed Central Missouri and No.5 seed Missouri Western in the tournament semifinals on Saturday, March 5 at 12 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium.
No.2 Fort Hays State 71, No.7 Central Oklahoma 63 – Box Score
Second-seeded Fort Hays State Tigers defeat No.7 seeded-Central Oklahoma Bronchos 71-63 in the quarterfinals of the 2022 MIAA Women's Basketball Championship presented by Citizens Bank & Trust.
The Tigers shot 40.7 percent (22-54) from the field, hitting 28.6 percent (4-14) from the three and 88.5 percent (23-26) from the foul line. The Bronchos also shot 40 percent (23-57) from the floor and knocked down 21.4 percent (3-14) from behind the arc and 82.4 percent (14-17) at the free-throw line.
Fort Hays State’s offense was led by a duo of All-MIAA selections as Whitney Randall finished with 17 and Jaden Hobbs added 15. Katie Wagner, also an All-MIAA honoree, led the Tigers defense with seven rebounds while also tailing eight points.
Central Oklahoma was led by All-MIAA selection Kelsey Johnson with 29 points and 13 rebounds. Also a member of the 2022 All-Defensive team, Johnson knocked down 12-18 from the field, 1-2 from the three and 4-6 at the line. She also recorded a game-high two blocks. Another All-MIAA honoree Brooke Rayner finished with 14 points while Alayzha Knapp totaled nine.
The Tigers will face the winners of Friday’s quarterfinal match up featuring No.3 seed Nebraska Kearney and No.6 seed Northwest Missouri in the tournament semifinals on Saturday, March 5 at 2:15 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium.