The 14th-ranked Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team came up just short in Friday’s season opener against Upper Iowa, falling 76-72.
The game was played in front of 371 fans inside MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph, Mo as a part of the 24th annual Hillyard Tip-off Classic.
With the win, Upper Iowa moves to 1-3 this season. The Peacocks opened the season two weeks early when they played in an exempt tournament in Anaheim, Calif.
Sophomore Justin Pitts led all scorers with 22 points. The guard also dished out seven assists and made three steals.
Northwest forced 18 Upper Iowa turnovers, while committing just eight turnovers itself.
D’Vante Mosby opened his Bearcat career with an impressive outing, nailing six-of-eight shots from the field, totaling 18 points. The junior also led the Bearcats with eight rebounds. Mosby threw down a two-handed dunk late in the second half to give the Bearcats a momentary one point lead, 58-57.
Conner Crooker contributed 12 points and three rebounds. Seven of the senior’s points came in the second half when he made five-of-six free throws.
After Upper Iowa hit a pair of free throws, Northwest trailed 33-24 with 3:47 left before halftime. Zach Schneider knocked down his first trey of the game two possessions later, closing the gap to 33-27. The Peacocks missed a pair of free throws, allowing Chris-Ebou Ndow to hit a three-pointer of his own on a pass from Justin Pitts. Pitts made a driving layup 40 seconds later to make it a one point game. Following a sixth straight miss from Upper Iowa, Xavier Kurth was fouled. The sophomore knocked down one-of-two free throws, ending a Bearcat 9-0 run and tying the score at 33 going into the break.
Following an eight-point run from the Peacocks, Northwest went on another big run to tie the score at 47. After a foul, Conner Crooker stepped to the stripe and dropped in the first free throw. The second shot rimmed out, but D’Vante Mosby grabbed the offensive board and laid it back in. Another Peacock foul allowed Pitts to drill two free throws, narrowing the deficit to 47-45. Anthony Woods hit a layup two possessions later to finish the Bearcat rally.
Northwest Missouri State will continue play in the Hillyard Tip-off Classic when they take on Wayne State in St. Joseph, Mo. Saturday afternoon at 5:30.
— Northwest Athletics —