KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team became the first MIAA school to win four consecutive tournament championship titles with an 82-53 triumph over Washburn University.

The 29-point margin is the largest ever in an MIAA Tournament championship game. The previous largest margin of victory in a title contest was a 26-point win by Pittsburg State over Missouri Southern in 2015 (91-65).

Northwest (32-0 overall) shot 50.9 percent from the field and made 14 three-pointers en route to the crown. Redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins scored a game-high 27 points and dished out eight assists.

Senior Joey Witthus tallied 25 points and became a member of Northwest’s 1,000-point scoring club. Witthus has recorded 1,019 points in two seasons as a Bearcat. Witthus did a lot of the heaving lifting in the opening half as he poured in 18 points in the opening 20 minutes.

“I think it’s extremely special,” head coach Ben McCollum said. “When you are 32-0 and now you’ve won four straight tournaments with six straight regular season – it’s unheard of. Being 32-0 with younger kids and a group that didn’t have a lot of experience that says a lot about the kids in our program their mental toughness. The reason it’s so difficult, because human nature sets in. It is so difficult to fight human nature with youth.”

Northwest led 39-25 at the break. The Bearcats led by as many as 34 points in the second half.

NOTES: Northwest has won 29 consecutive neutral floor games … Northwest has won eight MIAA Tournament titles overall – the most in the league’s history … Joey Witthus was named the tournament MVP … Trevor Hudgins earned a spot on the all-tournament team.

— Northwest Athletics —