The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team led wire-to-wire en route to a 67-57 victory over the Lincoln Blue Tigers Saturday afternoon in Jefferson City.

Northwest improves its record to 15-5 on the season and 8-4 in the MIAA.

The Bearcats hit 52 percent (23-of-44) of their shots in the contest, highlighted by a blistering 65 percent in the first half (15-of-23).

Junior Lyle Harris finished the contest with 13 points, two assists and a team-high seven rebounds, while Grant Cozad hit 4-of-7 shots from the field and added both attempts from the charity stripe en route to his 14 points. The senior added four rebounds and one assist.

Leading 15-10 after the first eight minutes of play, Northwest went on a 15-4 run over the next four minutes to extend the lead to a game-high 16 points. Lyle Harris answered a Blue Tiger three pointer with a trey of his own, followed by two free throws by senior Grant Cozad. Anthony Woods and Harris made layups on consecutive possessions for the Bearcats to stretch the lead to 24-12. Woods then made his fourth three-pointer of the season to give the Bearcats a 13 point advantage. Lyle Harris finished the run by getting fouled after sinking a driving layup. He made the free throw to give Northwest a 30-14 lead with 7:01 to play in the first half.

The Bearcats will make the short trip to St. Joseph, Mo. on Wednesday to take on the Missouri Western Griffons. The tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —