The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defeated Lincoln, 73-55, on Saturday afternoon at Jason Gym in Jefferson City, Mo.
With the win, the Bearcats claimed the outright MIAA regular season title.
The victory was also head coach Ben McCollum’s 200th win, all coming at Northwest.
The Bearcats finished the regular season with a 24-3 overall mark and a 16-3 MIAA record. The Blue Tigers fall to 15-13 overall and 9-10 in conference action.
Joey Witthus tied his season-high with 22 points, knocking down four three pointers. He had five rebounds, five assists and was 4-for-4 at the free throw line.
Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the field and were 13-for-25 (52 percent) from beyond the arc.
– Witthus’ four free throws were the only trips to the charity stripe for the Bearcats during the game.
– Northwest out rebounded the Blue Tigers, 28-26, and never trailed in the game.
– Xavier Kurth hit a career-high four three pointers, finishing with 14 points. He grabbed seven rebounds and added two assists.
– Justin Pitts scored 13 points, dishing out seven assists and grabbing two rebounds.
– Brett Dougherty had 10 points, three rebounds and an assist, going 5-for-10 from the field.
– Ryan Welty and Ryan Hawkins each had scored six points. Welty had five rebounds and Hawkins added four.
Key Northwest Sequence
– The Bearcats had maintained a double-digit lead for most of the game. Late in the second half with around five minutes to play, Northwest stretched the lead into the 20s for the first time. Kurth nailed a three pointer to make it 62-47 with 5:32 to play off a pass from Witthus. After a missed three by the Blue Tigers, Pitts hit a three from just in front of the Bearcat bench to make it 65-47. Another Lincoln missed three gave possession back to Northwest and this time it was Kurth again hitting a long range bomb off an assist from Pitts to make it a 21-point lead, 68-47.
Up Next
– Northwest will now face the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 seed at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday, March 2, at 6 p.m.
— Northwest Athletics —