Northwest Missouri State's women on Thursday did something against first-round foe Missouri Southern that no other team has done this year.

The Bearcats overcame a halftime deficit to beat the Lions.

Southern had been 15-0 this season when holding a halftime lead, but on Thursday the Lions' 36-30 lead evaporated. That was a source of pride for Northwest coach Gene Steinmeyer.

“We just kept our composure, and we just kept pecking away and pecking away,” Steinmeyer said.

That hasn't been the case in the past week.

Northwest's ladies saw their offense completely evaporate in the past week, prompting Steinmeyer to say that it was conceivable that a junior high team could successfully defend the Bearcats.

Last week in the home finale, the Bearcats seemed content to chuck up 3-pointers incessantly, even when they weren't falling. This time they took the ball to the basket, fouling out Tynesha Pierce and getting Fatai Hala'Api'Api in early foul trouble.

And although the Bearcats' free throw percentage was forgettable, a fair percentage of 33 attempts can take a team a long way on the path to victory.

Both teams will likely live to play another day – Northwest in Saturday's semifinals and Southern in next week's South Central Regional. But Southern coach Maryann Mitts already sees a potential problem with her team's postseason aspirations. It was something very apparent as the teams headed into overtime on Thursday.

The Lions have struggled this season in handling adversity. Mitts said it appeared as though her players were just waiting for a break, instead of creating one.

“I think Northwest looked at the overtime and thought, 'Wow, what a great opportunity!' And our kids said, 'Ugh, another 5 minutes,” Mitts said.