The Lindenwood women's basketball team fell 66-60 on Saturday afternoon to Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo.
 
The Lady Lions struggled to get going in the first half by scoring just six points in the first quarter and seven points in the second quarter.  Lindenwood did not score until the 3:18 mark in the first quarter after the Bearcats went on a 12-0 run to begin the game.  Bri Wilber scored the first three points for the Lady Lions, while Kylie Ferguson scored the next three to total the six first-quarter points.  The Lady Lions shot 2-of-16 from the field, while the Bearcats shot 8-of-13 in the first quarter to take a 19-6 lead over Lindenwood.
 
Jenny Rocha made a free throw to open the second-quarter scoring for Lindenwood and Wilber knocked down a three-pointer to make in a 21-10 game with over eight minutes to go in the half.  The scoring was dry for the Lady Lions as they did not score again until 39 seconds left in the first half after Charisse Williams scored a layup and knocked down the free throw.  The Lady Lions went into the break down 28-13 while shooting under 14 percent from the field and just 1-for-4 from three-point range.
 
Head Coach Tony Francis was frustrated with the missed attempts in the first half.
 
"We missed some easy looks early in the game and we got inside our own heads," said Francis.  The Lady Lions gathered themselves at halftime, and it showed in the second half.  "As has been the case all year, they displayed their character by storming back in the second half," added Francis.
 
Lindenwood had its foot on the pedal from the very start of the second half by going on a 10-0 run in the first three minutes to cut the deficit down to five points.  Ferguson scored six points in the opening run, but Northwest Missouri quickly put an end to the momentum shift.  The Bearcats went on a 9-0 run, and by the 1:41 mark in the third quarter, they held a 17-point lead.  The Lady Lions were able to chip away for the remainder of the third frame, and Northwest Missouri held a 51-39 lead heading into the final quarter of play. 
 
Lindenwood scored 18 points in the paint and had 15 points from the bench in the third quarter.  Kassidy Gengenbacher scored just one point in the third quarter for her first points of the game.  Ferguson rallied for 11 points in the opening quarter of the second half, but the Lady Lions still trailed by a marginal score.
 
Wilber opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a clutch three-pointer that rallied Gengenbacher to a layup and the free throw to quickly pull Lindenwood within six.  Gengenbacher scored another bucket and Rocha dropped two free throws to bring the Lady Lions within one possession and over six minutes to go in the game.  The Bearcats went on a small run, but the Lady Lions fought back with key free throws and a Gengenbacher three-pointer gave Lindenwood its first lead of the game at 57-55 with 2:37 remaining.
 
The Lady Lions had another tough run of just three points for the remainder of the game, while the Bearcats scored nine points to take the lead an eventual 66-60 win over Lindenwood.  Gengenbacher had a healthy fourth quarter with 13 points, and helped Lindenwood produce 15 points off of turnovers, but it was too little, too late.
 
Ferguson and Gengenbacher scored 14 points each, while Wilber had a big game with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and three rebounds.  Lindenwood did a better job of protecting the ball in the game with just 11 turnovers, but the 33.3 percent shooting hindered the Lady Lions' offensive production.
 
The loss sets Lindenwood back to 7-16 on the year and 3-14 in the MIAA.  The Lady Lions will return home on February 13 for senior night in St. Charles, Mo. when they host Washburn at 1 p.m. in Hyland Arena.