The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defeated Washburn, 86-78, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday night.
The Bearcats move to 5-0 on the year with the win while Washburn falls to 2-3. The game was counted as a non-MIAA contest.
Justin Pitts led all scorers with 22 points and a season-high nine assists. He added two steals and two rebounds while going 9-of-11 from the free throw line.
Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats shot 56.6 percent (26-of-46) from the field and hit on 14-of-25 (56 percent) from beyond the arc.
– Northwest had 23 rebounds with two coming on the offensive end.
– Each team committed 12 turnovers.
– The Bearcats blocked four shots and held the Ichabods to just 6-of-20 (30 percent) from three point territory.
– Chris-Ebou Ndow scored 19 points with a team-high seven rebounds. He had a block and an assist.
– Ryan Welty hit all five of his three-point attempts, finishing with 15 points. He had a pair of rebounds.
– Joey Witthus had 13 points with a pair of rebounds and two blocked shots. He was 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
– Ryan Hawkins had five rebounds and added a blocked shot.
Key Northwest Sequence
– Midway through the first half, Washburn took an eight point lead, 29-21, on a jumper by Tyler Geiman. But Northwest responded with a 13-0 run. Witthus started the rally with a layup and then drew a foul the next time down and hit both free throws. After a Washburn turnover, Welty knocked down a three off a feed from Pitts. The Ichabods would turn the ball over again as Northwest regained possession with 5:34 left, trailing 29-28. Kirk Finley missed a bucket inside but Welty tracked down the offensive board and hit a three from the corner to give Northwest the lead, 31-29. Washburn would misfire the next time down and facing a 2-3 zone, Pitts knocked down a three from the top of the arc to put the Bearcats up, 34-29.
Up Next
– Northwest will host Missouri Valley College on Saturday, Nov. 25, at 1 p.m. at Bearcat Arena.
— Northwest Athletics —