Northwest Missouri State got back on track with an 85-65 win over UNO to recover from their loss to Fort Hayes. The game was moved back to Thursday because of the record blizzard; Washburn did not play Truman because of the weather and fell 1/2 game behind Northwest after catching them with the Bearcat loss to Hayes. That game will be played on the 14th. Northwest built up a double digit lead in the first half again and Gabby Curtis would not let them lose this time as she took over the game with 35 points, 4 steals, 4 assists, and 4 blocks, going to the basket at will despite UNO playing zone the whole game to try and stop both Northwest's post game and their drives.
The game and the Pitt State game were the two most physical games that Northwest played all year. Despite the referees allowing UNO players to maul Northwest players at will, the Bearcats were able to get a productive offensive outing on offense and shut them down on defense. As two examples of the kind of permissive officiating that prevailed Thursday, a UNO player poked Kyla Roehrig in the eye without a foul call, limiting her minutes in the second half. Another UNO player hit Gentry Dietz in the face on a play that required three stitches afterwards, but once again the referees refused to call anything. However, the permissive officiating worked to Northwest's advantage as well in some areas as they blocked nine shots on the evening.
UNO, which has a lot of players over six feet, successfully shut down Northwest's post players but that allowed Northwest's guards to get open and create at will all night; it also allowed Tara Roach to roam at will and hit her deadly 15-footer as well. Gabby Curtis was open on some 3-pointers early and that allowed her to drive to the basket later on. And Abby Henry, who had come tantalizingly close to double doubles in points and assists in a few games this year, did it Thursday, getting 11 points and 11 assists as she was able to find the open player all night long.
The lid was on the basket early for both teams, but then Abby Henry found Gabby Curtis open for 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to make it 6-0 with 16:31 left. Jamie Nash's putback made it 6-3 with 16:02 left but then Gabby Curtis found Tara Roach open on the right wing off a drive and the Abby Henry found her open for a 3-pointer in transition to make it 11-3.
Jessica Zarubahit a 3-pointer to spark a 7-3 UNO run as UNO went to their backdoor game but then Kyla Roehrig cleaned up on a missed 3-pointer at the free throw line and then Abby Henry got a steal and drive to make it 18-10. Following another turnover, Northwest missed a 3-pointer but Ashley Thayer was there for the offensive board and hit both free throws to make it 20-10 at the 11: 54 mark.
UNO went to a half court trap for the rest of the game to try and speed Northwest up and get them out of control, but that played right into their hands as Abby Henry hit Gabby Curtis on the top of the key for a 3-pointer after Amanda Woodring's jumper had cut it to 20-12. Northwest burned the trap again as Tara Roach passed it out of the trap to a cutting Abby Henry to make it 25-12. On the next possession, Roach made one of her hustle plays as she nearly did the splits going after a defensive board but somehow managed to tip it to Henry. Gabby Curtis' 3-pointer off a pass from Shelly Martin made it 28-12 with 7:54 left.
Jordan Spencer slipped inside for UNO to spark a 9-0 run that was capped with a 3-pointer from Heather Pohl to make it 28-21 with 6:01 left. UNO had chances to cut it to five but a turnover foiled one scoring attempt and Gentry Dietz blocked consecutive shots by Heather Pohl on another attempt. Roach rebounded the second attempt and then ran the floor and cleaned up a miss on the ensuing possession. Roach was not done as she played the role of point guard and yanked the ball away from Amanda Woodring at half court on the ensuing possession and went in for a layup to make it 32-21. Monai Douglass took a charge on defense and then Abby Henry hit Shelly Martin on the right wing, who did a perfect head fake on a defender and buried a 3-pointer to make it 35-21 with 3:30 left.
Gabby Curtis lobbed it into Kyla Roehrig for a layup but shortly afterwards, Kyla was poked in the eye, no foul was called, and Kyla had to come out of the game. Abby Henry found Shelly Martin found Shelly Martin on the left side against the trap, but UNO took advantage of the absence of Roehrig by closing to within 42-29 at the half.
The 13-point margin seemed ominous given the previous game in which Northwest could not hold a 13-point lead at Hayes, but Kyla was well enough to start the second half and Gabby Curtis opened the scoring with a drive and fadeaway in the paint. Abby Henry then found her open on the left side to make it 47-29 with 18:53 left. Jamie Nash tried to spark UNO with a 3-pointer and the Mavericks closed to within 49-37 off a pair of Katie Kane free throws, but then Gabby Curtis got a drive and fed Kyla in the paint and then added a shot on the left wing off a stop and go move. Northwest then got point production from an unlikely source as Curtis found Monai Douglass, normally a defensive stopper, open from the top of the key for a 3-pointer. Heather Pohl hit a 3-pointer to answer, but Tara Roach lobbed it into Gentry Dietz and then Shelly Martin hit Monai again at the top of the key for another 3-pointer to make it 61-40.
UNO extended their pressure with some success as they used a steal from Sara Reeves to close to within 17 at the 11:03 mark. Northwest kept hitting as Abby Henry scored off a drive into the paint and found Tara Roach open from the left side, but Katie Kaine scored off a backdoor layup, Carly Cator came off the bench to get a steal and a pair of free throws, and Kaine got a putback to make it 67-54 with 6:25 left.
But then Abby Henry got her 10th assist of the night and it couldn't have come at a more important moment as she found Gabby Curtis open for a 3-pointer from the left wing despite the officials allowing a UNO player to clobber Gentry Dietz who was trying to set a screen without a call; Dietz required three stitches after the game. Paige Frauendorfer scored off a drive but Shelly Martin found Abby Henry open for a 3-pointer to make it 73-56 and Northwest was off to the races again. Abby Henry got a steal and fed Curtis for a pair of free throws to make it 75-56. Katie Kaine connected for UNO, but then Shelly Martin, who had just lost the ball, stole it back and put a spin move on a defender for a layup. Gabby Curtis took over from there, looking off a defender and then going to the rim for one layup and then going straight down the middle two more times to get to her career high of 35 points.
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