MOUNSEY'S RECORD 37 POINTS NOT ENOUGH AS LADY HORNETS FALL IN MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

March 8, 2020-Co-Most Outstanding Player Mollie Mounsey scored an MIAA Tournament Championship game record 37 points but it was not enough as #15 Central Missouri defeated the Lady Hornets 82-75 on Sunday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
 
There were several big swings in the game as the Jennies took a 22-13 lead with 44 seconds left in the first quarter.  A Morgan Fleming three-point play with 9:13 left gave Central Missouri a 29-17 lead in the second quarter.  Mounsey hit back to back three-pointers to cut the lead back to six points with 7:06 left.  The Lady Hornets cut it to two points on a Mounsey fast break with 52 seconds left to give her 21 points in the half before Nija Collier converted an old fashioned three-point play to give UCM a 45-40 lead at the break.
 
Tre'Zure Jobe scored the first six points of the second half for the Lady Hornets and Mounsey hit back to back three-pointers to cap a 12-2 run and give Emporia State a 52-47 lead with 6:49 remaining in the third.  Mounsey scored and got the and one with 1:42 left in the period as the Lady Hornets took a 59-52 lead. Collier answered with a three-pointer with 31 seconds left before Mounsey nailed a three-pointer with 14 seconds left to break the championship game scoring record and give the Lady Hornets a 62-55 lead going to the fourth quarter.
 
Megan Skaggs had a steal and layup with 5:40 left that cut the Emporia State lead to 65-63 and forced the Lady Hornets into a timeout.  Morgan Laudan hit a three pointer out of the timeout to push the lead back to five points.  Skaggs and Fleming exchanged buckets and assists for the next four points to bring UCM within a point with 4:29 remaining.  Laudan answered again with another three-pointer to give Emporia State a 71-67 lead with 4:04 left.  The Jennies then went on an 11-2 run to take the lead for good.  After a Daley Handy layup for Emporia State, Skaggs tied the score at 73 on a three pointer with 2:40 left and Flemming gave the Jennies the lead on a jumper just outside the paint with 2:03 remaining.
 
Mounsey would hit two free throws with 22.0 seconds left to get the Lady Hornets within 78-75 but the Jennies would hit four straight free throws in the final 19 seconds to ice the victory and their first MIAA Tournament Championship since 1990.
 
Mollie Mounsey ended the day with 37 points and seven rebounds. Morgan Laudan was the only other Lady Hornet in double figures, finishing with ten points, seven rebounds and three steals.
 
Emporia State will find out their NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. with the NCAA Division II Selection Show on ncaa.com.  The Lady Hornets were ranked fourth in the region entering the MIAA Tournament. The NCAA Central Regional will begin on Friday, March 13.
 
NOTES
Mollie Mounsey's 37 points broke the tournament championship game record of 33 points by Washburn's Jennifer Harris against Central Missouri on March 5, 2006. It is tied for the best single game scoring mark in MIAA Tournament history behind Arriana Walker of Lincoln's 39 against Pittsburg State in the 2012 quarterfinals and tied with Amber Wheeler's 37 points for Southwest Baptist against Emporia State in the 2004 quarterfinals.
Mollie Mounsey's 37 points are the most by a Lady Hornet since Michelle Stueve scored 40 against American International in the Elite Eight on March 22, 2006.
Mollie Mounsey's 87 points in the tournament broke the MIAA tournament record of 76 set by Emporia State's Emily Bloss in 2001.
Mollie Mounsey was named the Co-Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, the first time in tournament history there have been co-MOP's selected and the first time a player from a non-championship team has been so honored. 
Tre'Zure Jobe was named to the All-Tournament team and becomes just the sixth freshman to earn all-tournament honors.  Five of the six freshmen honorees have been Lady Hornets as she joins Lindenwood's Lindsay Medlen (2017) and Lady Hornets Kelly Moten (2014), Kelsey Balcom (2011), Michelle Stueve (2005), and Casey Henningsen (2004) in earning all-tourney honors in their first year.
Jessica Wayne scored three points to give her 1,037 points as she passed Kathryn Flott (1,034 points from 2011-17) to move into 28^th place on the Lady Hornets career scoring list.
Mollie Mounsey had seven three-pointers to give her 94 for the season and move past Cassondra Boston (89 3GM in 2009-10) and Laura Patrick (92 3FGM in 2013-14) into third on the Lady Hornets single season list.