By David Boyce
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State quest to finish first in the MIAA in men’s basketball is still alive thanks to a stellar, under pressure performance Wednesday evening at Hyland Arena.
The Bearcats faced a Lindenwood team filled with emotion in its final home game of the season. Before tipoff, the Lions honored four seniors. A crowd of nearly 2,000 fans, many of whom were Lindenwood students, were into it from start to finish. This season, they had watched the Lions win every home conference game.
None of that bothered the cagey Bearcats. Even when Northwest faced a one-point deficit with less than 90 seconds left, the Bearcats calmly went about their business as they have all season.
And then, came the shot that staggered Lindenwood. With the shot clock winding down, junior Conner Crooker knocked down a NBA-range three-pointer, giving Northwest a two-point lead with 1:12 left.
“My man was pulling off on me,” said Crooker, who finished with a team-high 18 points. “I was pretty confident in my shot at that point. I hit one earlier. I heard Zach Schneider in the corner and he yelled hit it and that gave me the confidence to throw it up and it went in. It was nice.”
After a defensive stop, Crooker drove inside the arc and delivered a gut blow to the Lions with a 10-foot runner that pushed Northwest’s lead to four with 27 seconds left.
“I think it was a pretty big shot,” Crooker said. “I didn’t really think about it at the time. I saw a little opening and figured I could do one of my pull ups and it managed to go in.”
Senior Matt Wallace finished off the Lions with four free throws in the final 22 seconds to lift Northwest to a thrilling 69-65 victory.
Why the boxing references for this MIAA basketball game? Because both teams battled back and forth like two heavyweight champions going after a world title.
“That is what it felt like,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “I knew they would punch us back and they did. They played well in the second half. We played well enough and hit enough shots to close it out.
“These are the games you coach. These are the reasons you play basketball. Anybody who says otherwise is crazy. It was a fun, all-around game for our kids.”
The Bearcats still have work to do to win the MIAA crown, but they definitely helped their cause with the win. They leave St. Charles with a 19-5 overall record and 12-4 in the MIAA. Lindenwood dropped to 16-10 and 11-6.
“It is pretty awesome, but it is also emotionally draining,” Crooker said. “We had to fight every possession. They are undefeated in conference at home. We knew it was going to be a battle.
“At the start of the second half, they started hitting shot after shot so we knew it was going to be a battle until the very end.”
The level of play in the second half by both teams was incredible. Northwest started the half with a 32-26 lead. Five minutes into the second half, Lindenwood tied the game at 38-38 and then took a 40-38 lead.
Northwest went right back in front with a three-pointer by freshman Justin Pitts. Lindenwood quickly responded with a three-pointer to reclaim the lead, 43-41.
The Lions had all the emotion when LJ McIntosh hit a three-pointer and trotted down court raising three fingers while shouting. He was thrilled the Lions held a 49-45 lead.
It didn’t bother Northwest.
“We are so even keel throughout everything we go through,” Wallace said. “Nobody gets down. We are just on to the next play. If somebody messes up, we still have five minutes left in the game.”
The Bearcats scored the next eight points and took a 53-49 lead. The last five points came on a three-pointer by Schneider followed by a bucket by Crooker.
The Lions still had plenty of fight left in them. They regained the lead at 59-58 and stretched it to 61-58.
But there was no panic in the Bearcats. Northwest closed to one on a basket by senior Grant Cozad and then took a 63-61 lead on Crooker’s clutch three-pointer with 1:12 left.
“He grew up right before our eyes again,” McCollum said. “He has been great for us all year. That kind of confidence to hit those big shots was huge.”
Crooker’s next basket nearly sealed the game and Wallace’s free throws finished the job in an amazing win by the Bearcats.
As usual, it was a team effort by Northwest. All five starters scored in double figures.
“This is why you play the game,” said Schneider, who finished with 12 points. “I couldn’t tell you any of the possessions right now. Those were two big shots by Conner plus big free throws by Matt. I am just blessed to walk out of here with a win.”
In an energetic environment that was nearly 100 percent behind Lindenwood, the Bearcats took a 32-26 lead into halftime. It could have been a bit more if it weren’t for a prayer three-pointer that was banked in with 4 seconds left in the half.
Lindenwood needed the five three-pointers in the first half to prevent facing a double-digit deficit at half. The Bearcats executed that well on offense. They made 14-of-24 field goals for a blistering 58 percent while holding Lindenwood to 36 percent from the field.
“It was intense, very intense,” said Wallace, who finished with 10 points. “You couldn’t let down for a second. It is really fun to play in games like that, especially coming out with a win.”
— Northwest Sports Information —