The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defeated Lindenwood University, 78-58, on Saturday at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo.
– Northwest improves to 19-2 overall and 11-2 in MIAA play. The Lions fall to 14-9 overall and 6-8 in conference action.
– With the win, the Bearcats set the MIAA record with their 48th straight home victory, dating back to Jan. 14, 2015.
– The previous mark of 47 straight home victories was held by Central Missouri from Nov. 20, 1982 until Feb. 16, 1985.
– Joey Witthus surpassed 1,000 career points early in the second half. Witthus scored 782 points in two seasons at Minnesota State and now has 229 points this season.
Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats shot 59.6 percent from the field (31-52) and hit 8-of-19 (42.1 percent) three point field goal attempts.
– Northwest outrebounded the Lions, 37-26, and held a 40-22 advantage in points in the paint.
– Brett Dougherty had a team-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting. The senior forward added three rebounds and three assists.
– Witthus did not miss a shot, scoring 16 points on 5-of-5 shooting. He hit all three of his three-point attempts and was 3-for-3 at the charity stripe. He had eight rebounds and a blocked shot.
– Justin Pitts scored 13 points with three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
– Ryan Hawkins reached double figures for the second-straight game, recording 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting. He hit two three pointers, grabbed five rebounds and added an assist.
– Chris-Ebou Ndow had nine points with five rebounds and an assist.
Key Northwest Sequence
– Lindenwood held the lead for the first 20 second of the game, hitting the game’s first shot. Northwest promptly responded by scoring 11 of the next 13 points to take hold of a lead it would not relinquish.
– Late in the first half, Northwest held a 14 point lead but added an exclamation point in the final four minutes by going on a 13-0 run. Brett Dougherty hit back-to-back shots to push the lead to 36-18. Ndow would connect on a three pointer with 2:32 to play. After Dougherty hit a layup to push the lead to 23, Witthus got off a last second shot that dropped to give the Bearcats a 43-18 lead at halftime. Out of the break, Pitts converted a back-door layup off a feed from Dougherty to give Northwest a 27 point lead, 45-18.
Up Next
– Northwest will head to Emporia State on Wednesday, Feb. 7, for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff against the Hornets.
— Northwest Athletics —