By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Northwest Missouri State went into halftime with a 10-point lead against Ouachita Baptist and in the second half, the Bearcats surgically took apart the Tigers.
Postseason games aren’t usually one-sided affairs. Northwest, though, turned the quarterfinals of the Central Regional in the NCAA Division II Tournament into a 78-53 rout Saturday afternoon at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
It was the largest margin of victory for Northwest in a NCAA Division II Tournament game.
“Personally, it is kind of relaxing because I get a little bit of a break before the next game,” said sophomore Justin Pitts on playing with a big lead in the second half. “But in these types of games, you never want to get relaxed.”
Northwest, the No. 2 seed, will take its 16-game winning streak into the semifinals against Minnesota State-Mankato, 22-9, at 5 p.m. Sunday. Mankato beat No. 3 seed Minnesota State-Moorhead 85-81.
“It doesn’t matter this time of the year who we play,” said Northwest coach Ben McCollum. “Mankato is playing really well. They played well today. They got after it and were hungry. I don’t think I ever like our matchup against anybody in this deal. It is going to be tough regardless.”
The closest Ouachita got in the second half was on the opening possession when 6-foot-6 forward Tirrell Brown scored, making it 38-30.
Pitts hit a three-pointer to push the Bearcats’ lead back to double digits at 41-30.
Several minutes later, the Bearcats put the game away when they held a 48-39 lead. It started with a basket by junior Anthony Woods. Woods later made a free throw and then in the next possession made two free throws.
“I try to bring energy and play defense and try to help out the team,” Woods said. “The guys have confidence in me. The coach does, too. I try to come out and play hard.”
The run continued with a basket by junior D’Vante Mosby that made it 55-39 with 11:10 left in the game. The Bearcats weren’t done. A minute later, Pitts drilled another three-pointer, concluding a 13-0 run that gave Northwest a 61-39 lead with 10:10 left.
The icing came with 4:05 left when junior Zach Schneider knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the game and was fouled. He made the free throw, completing a four-point play that gave Northwest a 76-48 lead.
Schneider led five Bearcats in double figures with 18 points. Pitts scored 16, Woods had 13, Mosby finished with 11 and senior Conner Crooker scored 10.
“I thought in the second half, we buckled down and were us again,” McCollum said. “It is good to get that first win out of the way.”
Northwest was still pretty darn good in the first half.
Fueled by a ball-hawking defense, Northwest went into halftime ahead 38-28. The Bearcats managed to build a double-digit lead despite Pitts and Schneider spending a few minutes on the bench with two fouls.
The game started with Schneider hitting a three-pointer. It then took both teams a few minutes to settle down from postseason jitters. Northwest found its offensive stride first. A floater by Pitts gave Northwest a 7-3 lead and he followed that with a three-pointer, making it 10-3.
Over the next eight minutes, the Bearcats maintained a four-to-eight point lead until the Tigers made a run and closed to 19-17.
“I thought defensively Ouachita was excellent,” McCollum said. “They really competed. They are a good basketball team. They are real physical.”
Northwest answered Ouachita’s spurt with a rare, two-point field goal by Schneider. It was almost a three-pointer except he had a foot on the line. Crooker followed with a two-point field goal, as did Pitts.
The 12-0 run concluded with back-to-back three-pointers from Pitts and Schneider, pushing the Bearcats’ lead to 31-17. After Schneider’s trey, Ouachita called timeout with 3:45 left in the first half to try to regain the momentum.
Sophomore Lakee Westbrook helped bring the Tigers back. He scored after the timeout and moments later knocked down a three-pointer, helping Ouachita close to 33-24.
A rare three-pointer by Woods with the shot clocking winding down gave Northwest a double-digit lead again at 36-24. It was just Woods’ seventh three-point attempt of the season and his third make. But McCollum, Pitts and Woods laughed at the question of giving Woods the green light to shoot threes.
“Woods, you want to answer that one,” McCollum asked.
Woods answer was nope, he doesn’t have the green light.
McCollum added that Woods should have back cut on that play anyway. After joking, McCollum turned serious on what Woods provides to the Bearcats.
“Woods, from when he came here, has grown as a basketball player,” McCollum said. “He is like the rest of our kids. He is unselfish. He doesn’t need everyone to know he is on the floor. He wants to make sure we win.”
— Northwest Athletics —