November 27, 2004

Turnovers Doom Women’s Basketball in Loss

Modlin Goes Over 1,000 

            Kearney, Neb. – The Missouri State Western College Griffons forced 27 turnovers in an 82-64 victory over the Nebraska-Kearney women’s basketball team Saturday night in St. Joseph, Mo.

            Western improves to 2-0 on the year while UNK drops to 1-3.

            Down to just seven players due to injury, UNK trailed by only a 37-32 mark at the break. However, Western out scored the Lopers 8-1 in the first two minutes of the second half to get its lead in double digits and they held the margin the rest of the night.

            Western scored 29 points off the 27 Loper miscues and also out scored the depleted UNK bench, 25-7. The Griffons also won the war on the glass, 42-32.

            Junior center Kalee Modlin (Knoxville, Ia.) had 10 points and six boards in the second half before fouling out. She finished the night with a double double (18 points, 10 rebounds) and, thus, becomes the 15th player in Loper lore to reach the 1,000-career point plateau (1,002).

            Fellow junior Anne Manning (North Platte) had 10 points and four rebounds while sophomore guard Liz Fischer (Leigh) had 13 points on 4 of 4 shooting from the field.

            Four Griffons were in double digits, led by senior guard Eldra Paixao, who had 16 points. The MIAA Defensive Player of the Year last season, Paixao also had eight steals and seven rebounds.

            Also, forward Selma Barbosa, a 1^st-team All-RMAC pick at Fort Hays State in 2002, had 14 points and six rebounds for MWSC.

            UNK has three more road games next week, beginning Tuesday night at Wayne State.