Iowa Western Women’s Basketball Falls in Fifth Place Tournament Game

(Joplin, MO) – Iowa Western had a chance to earn fifth place in the finals but came out with a loss to Morton 75-67.

The Reivers were not able to hold through after the third quarter even after bringing the game to a tight 46-45 deficit. Both teams battled back and forth with one another until Morton was able to continue hitting the three-ball and was able to take the reigns on the game.

Leading in the game for Morton was Nariah Clay who knocked down 18 points while shooting 6-12 from the field and had four rebounds and four steals. Shanihya Brown knocked in 12 points and dished out two assists while coming off the bench for Iowa Western. Brynne Katcher shot just 3-10 from the field but finished with nine points and 10 rebounds, just short of a double-double. The last top scorer was Caroline Clemmer with nine points in the game.

For Iowa Western, McKenna Minter led in scoring with a game-high 21 points, eight rebounds, and whipped out six assists. Caleigh Rose-West came up in the high-scoring end with 12 points while also hauling in 11 boards for a double-double on the night. DaNiya Warren-McClure finished off the top scorers with 11 points and eight rebounds, all on the defensive end.

The Reivers shot better from the field at 43.5%, but Morton was able to prevail with their three-pointers, shooting 34.2% from the field and also shot 14-15 at the charity stripe.

Caleigh-Rose West set a new record for Iowa Western for rebounds in a single season with a total of 298. McKenna Minter also set a record for the number of assists in a single season with 208 assists.

Iowa Western finished the season 33-4, one of the best records since the 2014-15 season.