The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team set a season high in first half points with 54 as the Bearcats defeated Southwest Baptist on Thursday, 104-69.

Northwest jumped out of the gate on an offensive tear with a 19-4 run. The defense also stepped up in the first half, holding SBU to 32 points on just 35% field goal shooting as they went into halftime with a 54-32 lead.

DeShaun Cooper led the Bearcats in scoring in the first half with 15 points as he was 8-for-8 from the free throw line. As a team, Northwest was 17-of-20 from the line.

The offense did not slow down in the second half as they added another 50 points to their totals for a final score of 104-69 in the victory.

The Bearcats had six players finish with double figures. Cooper led the way with 22 points on the night followed by Bryston Williams who had 18.

Zach Schneider followed up is 19 point performance against Northeastern with 16 points, while pulling down eight rebounds. Conner Crooker, Grant Cozad and Dillon Starzl finished with 15 points, 13 points and 12 points, respectively.

Northwest moves to 12-5 overall and leads the MIAA at 7-1 on the year. The Bearcats will be in action Saturday, at home, as they take on Central Missouri with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —