PITTSBURG --  The Pittsburg State women's basketball team overcame a 15-point Northwest Missouri third-quarter lead to win 74-66 on Saturday (Jan. 30). Pitt State is now 17-4 on the season and 11-4 in MIAA play.

Mikaela Burgess led the Gorillas with 18 points. Kylie Gafford wasn't far behind with 16 points and seven rebounds. Hadyn Herlocker went 5-12 from the field, scoring 12 points. She was just three rebounds shy of marking a triple-double for the night, pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. Cathy Brugman and Shelby Lopez each contributed six points.

The Gorillas finally found their spark at the end of the third after a Lopez three. Trailing 57-42, Pitt State exploded on a 16-2 run up until the media timeout, cutting the Bearcat lead to one. Five different Gorillas scored during the run, including six points from Gafford.

The Bearcats responded with a long three, but that was no match for the Gorilla offensive effort. After three lead changes and a tie ball game, the Gorillas grabbed the lead at 3:24 for good following two Gafford free throws. The game ended on a 12-2 Pitt State run, with eight of those points by Burgess.

The Gorillas held a tenuous lead early in the game and ended the first quarter up 22-16. A 15-3 Northwest Missouri run ended the first half with the Gorillas trailing, 36-31.
The third quarter didn't get much better, as Northwest Missouri didn't seem to miss a shot. The Bearcats earned their first double-digit lead of the game with 5:47 left on free throws by Jasmin Howe. The largest lead of the game came on Tember Schechinger free throws with 1:11 remaining in the third quarter.

Schechinger led all players with 24 points.

Pitt State has no time to rest, as the Gorillas will travel to Topeka to take on the Ichabods Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m., followed by a Saturday road trip to face the No. 11 Lady Hornets in Emporia.