ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- All five Pitt State starters scored in double figures as the Gorilla women charged to a 95-80 win over Lindenwood on Thursday (Dec. 8) night in Hyland Arena. The Gorillas improve to 10-0 on the season and 3-0 in MIAA play.

Pitt State's 95 points were the most scored by the Gorillas in a game this season. The team shot 54.1 (33-61) overall for the game, also a season-best. 

Sophomore Madison Northcutt led Pitt State with a career-high 24 points, 18 of which came in the first half. She added six rebounds, all off the offensive glass. Mikaela Burgess added 16 points, nine of which she scored in the fourth quarter. She also lead the team with seven rebounds and three steals. Shelby Lopez scored 15 points, making her first start of the season.Nine of her points came from the three-point line. Paige Lungwitz and Hadyn Herlocker each scored 12 points. Herlocker led the team with seven assists, while Lungwitz added six. 

Northcutt got started quick, scoring the first nine points for the Gorillas. Pitt State led only by two, 11-9, with just under five minutes left in the first quarter, but Herlocker, Brenlee McPherson and Meghan Maher hit three consecutive threes to take the lead to 20-9. The Lions came back a bit, but the first quarter ended with a 22-16 Pitt State lead. 

Pitt State went up by nine, 33-24, with 7:39 to go in the second quarter. That was their last score for nearly five minutes, allowing Lindenwood a 10-0 run for the lead. From there, there were four lead changes and two ties before the first half ended in a 40-40 tie. 

Herlocker scored the first points of the second half, but Pitt State couldn't get more than a three-point lead. There were two more ties before Burgess hit a three with 6:00 left in the third quarter to give the Gorillas the lead for good. PSU used an 8-0 run from 3:43 to 2:55, capped by a Lopez three to take its first double digit lead of the second half. Lindenwood cut that lead again and the Gorillas led by eight, 71-63, heading into the final 10 minutes.

After allowing Lindenwood as close as four with just over eight minutes left in the game, the Gorillas offense turned up the heat. A 13-2 run pushed Pitt State to a 86-71 lead and they never led by less than 13 from that point on. A Northcutt free throw gave Pitt State its largest lead of the game, 18 points at 93-75. McPherson scored the last points of the game for the Gorillas with 37 seconds left. The Lions scored the final three points of the game for the final 95-80 score.

The Gorillas travel to Jefferson City on Saturday (Dec. 10) to face the Lincoln Blue Tigers (1-6, 0-1 MIAA) at 1:30 p.m. in Jason Gym.