The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team picked up a 76-58 win over Wayne State University on Sunday in St. Joseph, Mo.

– The No. 6 ranked Bearcats improved to 2-0 on the year while the Wildcats fall to 1-1.

– Xavier Kurth recorded his first career double-double, grabbing 11 rebounds while scoring 10 points. He added two assists and a pair of blocks.

– Justin Pitts had 21 points, hitting 8-of-12 field goal attempts. He had seven rebounds, a team-high six assists and a pair of steals.

– Anthony Woods had 20 points, connecting on 7-of-9 shooting. He had four rebounds, two steals, an assist and a blocked shot.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats shot 52.1 percent from the field (24-58) while holding Wayne State to just 35.3 percent shooting (18-51).

– Northwest led by as many as 22 and never trailed.

– The Bearcats led 45-27 at halftime.

– Down low, the Bearcats had 32 points in the paint compared to just 20 for the Wildcats.

– Zach Schneider had nine points, hitting a pair of three pointers. He added an assist and a steal in the effort.

– Brett Dougherty grabbed seven rebounds, scoring six points with a blocked shot.

Key Northwest Sequences
– The Bearcats started the game on an 18-3 run. Pitts scored 19 seconds into the game and Northwest never looked back. Woods scored seven points in just over a three minute span. Brett Dougherty capped the run with a layup off an assist from Woods for his sixth point of the game with 11:53 to go in the opening half.

– At the end of the first half, the Bearcats got a layup from Pitts to go up 39-22 with 2:44 left. After Wayne State failed to convert a foul shot, Schneider was fouled on a three-point attempt and calmly knocked down all three foul shots go go up by 20, 42-22. The Wildcats missed a three pointer on the other end and Woods hit a jumper with 1:15 left for his 11th point of the half, doubling the score, 44-22.

Up Next
– Northwest will host defending national champion Augustana on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —