The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defeated Lindenwood University, 67-60, on Thursday evening at Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
The Bearcats claimed at least a share of the MIAA regular season title with the win. It is the program’s fifth-straight regular season title, tying the mark set by Southwest Missouri State University from 1966-1970.
Northwest is now 23-3 overall and 15-3 in MIAA play. The Lions fall to 15-12 overall and 7-11 in conference action.
Joey Witthus led Northwest with 19 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest shot 53.2 percent (25-of-47) from the field and hit 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) from beyond the arc.
– The Bearcats outrebounded the Lions, 26-23, and outscored Lindenwood, 44-32, in the paint.
– Northwest went 14-for-22 (63.6 percent) from the free throw line, going 10-for-16 in the second half.
– Justin Pitts scored 18 points with three assists, two rebounds and one steal.
– Xavier Kurth finished with 10 points and three rebounds in 39 minutes of play.
– Brett Dougherty shot 3-for-4 from the field and hit four free throws, finishing with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.
– Tyler Dougherty scored six points with a rebound and an assist in seven minutes of action.
– Ryan Hawkins grabbed six rebounds including a pair of key offensive rebounds, finishing the night with two points and two steals.
– Ryan Welty grabbed five rebounds and also added a steal.
Key Northwest Sequence
– Early in the first half, Northwest found itself down, 4-2, but quickly responded with a 12-3 run. Pitts got things started with a three pointer to give the Bearcats the lead, 5-4. After a missed Lindenwood three, Witthus knocked down a three pointer off a feed from Brett Dougherty. Northwest’s defense forced a missed Lion layup the next time down. Brett Dougherty missed a layup but made a heads-up play to collect his own rebound and converted an uncontested layup to make it a 10-4 lead. Lindenwood would temporarily halt the run with a three-pointer but Kurth would draw a foul the next time down and converted both free throw attempts. Lindenwood again was unsuccessful on a three point attempt and Pitts found Tyler Dougherty for a layup to make it a 14-7 Northwest lead.
– Down the stretch with the score tied, 52-52, Northwest outscored Lindenwood, 15-8, in the final seven minutes of the game. The Bearcats were 7-of-13 from the free throw line and were 4-of-6 from the field. The Lions were held to just 4-of-10 in that stretch, going 1-for-3 from long range. Northwest forced a pair of turnovers on the defensive end.
Up Next
– Northwest concludes the 2017-18 regular season at Lincoln University on Saturday, Feb. 24, in Jefferson City at 3:30 p.m.
— Northwest Athletics —