The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team powered past Wayne State Saturday evening in St. Joseph, Mo., winning 89-52.
This was the third of four scheduled games in the 24th annual Hillyard Tip-off Classic. With the win, Northwest moves to 1-1 on the young season. The Wildcats are now 0-2 this year.
Brett Dougherty led all scorers with 18 points, a new career high. The sophomore hit 7-of-8 shots from the field and added five rebounds and two assists.
D’Vante Mosby recorded a double-double in just his second game as a Bearcat, tallying 17 points and 12 rebounds. The junior transfer was perfect from the field, knocking down all six shot attempts.
Justin Pitts added 14 points for the Bearcats, seven of which came from the charity stripe. The sophomore added two assists and one steal.
Conner Crooker drilled both of his attempts from behind the three-point line, finishing with 13 points and two dimes.
Xavier Kurth scored in double-figures for just the second time in his career, contributing 11 points, two assists and one steal.
The Bearcats won the opening tip and took an immediate lead when Brett Dougherty made a layup and the ensuing free throw. After Wayne State missed a trey, Justin Pitts dropped in a driving layup to give the Bearcats a 5-0 lead one minute into the contest. The Northwest advantage wouldn’t dip below three the rest of the night.
– With the Wildcats hanging around, trailing by 11 late in the first half, Northwest scored the final six points of the period and outscored Wayne State 11-2 coming out of the break to put the game on ice. Conner Crooker drained a three with just over two minutes remaining in the first half before D’Vante Mosby connected on a shot from close range 33 seconds later. A free throw from Justin Pitts put the Bearcats ahead 50-33 as the teams headed towards the locker room. Wayne State scored first in the second half, but 11 straight points for the Bearcats gave them a 61-35 advantage with just under 14 minutes to play. Northwest hit four straight shots during that span.
Northwest will travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. on Thursday, Nov. 19 for an early season test against Augustana. First tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
— Northwest Athletics —