DeAngelo Hailey drove down the right side of the lane for a short jumper as Northwest Missouri State grabbed a 69-68 overtime win against Missouri Southern Thursday night in MIAA play.
The Bearcats improved to 10-2 on the season and stayed perfect in league play at 3-0. The Lions saw their four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 6-4 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA.
A game that came down to the wire last year, needed an extra five minutes of action to decide a winner Thursday night at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. A back-and-forth game saw 10 ties and 16 lead changes with the Bearcats eventually coming from behind in overtime for the win.
After battling 11 lead changes in the second half alone, junior Bryston Williams hit two free-throws with 22 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
In overtime Missouri Southern raced out to a six point lead, 66-60, aided by a trio of Bearcat turnovers.
However, with 2:58 left in overtime and after carrying the Bearcats much of the game, Dillon Starzl hit a jumper for Northwest’s first points in the extra period. The jumper gave the junior post a team high 20 points and sparked a 7-0 run for the Bearcats.
Grant Cozad would then hit one of two free throws as Northwest grabbed the rebound and gave him a second chance. This time Cozad hit both free throws with 1:33 left in the period putting Northwest ahead 67-66.
After Marquis Addison hit two free throws to give Missouri Southern the lead, the Bearcats would have the ball with eight seconds left setting up the final play.
The Lions had one final heave on a full court pass to Addison, but the guard was double teamed and the shot fell short at the buzzer.
For fourth-year Head Coach Ben McCollum it was his first win at Missouri Southern and just second against the Lions. His first came last year in the regular season finale at Bearcat Arena in a win that gave Northwest a share of the regular season title.
The Bearcats continue their January road swing with a quick turnaround on Saturday at Pittsburg State. Tipoff from John Lance Arena is set for 1:30 p.m. following the women’s game. The game is part of the CBS Sports Network NCAA Division II Game of the Week.
— NWMSU Sports Information —