Northwest Missouri State struggled offensively in the opening 10 minutes and could never dig their way out as Missouri Western claimed a 67-44 victory.
The Bearcats (20-6, 14-6 MIAA) shot just 2-13 from the floor in the first quarter and trailed 16-2 early. A 10-0 run for the Griffons extended the lead to 26-5 in the second.
For the game, Northwest made just 28-percent of their shot attempts and scored a season-low 44 points.
Molly Hartnett scored a team-high 16 points. Evelyn Vazquez put up 10 points.
Northwest faces Central Oklahoma on the road Thursday at 5:30pm. Pregame on KXCV 90.5/KRNW 88.9 begins at 5pm.