The William Jewell women's basketball team fell to 2-2 overall on the season as they dropped a non-conference match up at Missouri Western 61-45 on Saturday evening in St. Joseph, Mo. 

Jewell fell behind early but managed to tie the game at 14 at the end of one quarter thanks to a 6-2 run to close the opener. At the start of the second frame, Adriana Rodriguez hit a jumper to pull the Cardinals ahead 17-16 before a nearly five minute minute scoring drought allowed the Griffons to open a four-point lead. Missouri Western began to pull away after an 8-0 run but Jewell responded. An Annemarie Boeh three-point shot sparked an 8-0 rally of their own and pulled the Cardinals within 31-27 at the break. 

The Griffons came out of the intermission with an 11-2 run to open a 42-29 advantage before Maddie Nelson stopped the bleeding, scoring four consecutive points. Rhyann Fisher hit a lay up at the buzzer to pull Jewell within nine at 48-39 heading into the final quarter of play. 

Down the stretch, the Griffons cashed in from the free throw line, scoring seven points, to put the game out of reach. 

The two teams shot nearly evenly throughout the night but the Cardinals struggled to take care of the basketball. A day after committing one of the lowest turnover marks in recent years, Jewell committed 25 against the Griffons. 

Nelson led Jewell with 12 points, while Kayla Harrell followed close behind with ten to go along with five rebounds. 

Next week, Jewell returns to the Mabee Center for the first time this season as they will open Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a tough test, playing host to Quincy on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. followed by Truman State on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.