By David Boyce
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State should have had only two concerns Thursday afternoon when it faced Washburn in the quarterfinals of MIAA tournament at historic Municipal Auditorium.
The Bearcats, seeded No. 1, were coming off an emotional victory over Central Missouri just five days ago. Would Northwest experience a letdown?
“We knew what was at stake,” said Northwest senior Matt Wallace, who went five for seven from the field and finished with 12 points. “We were ready to go.”
Northwest also might have had a bit of doubt facing the No. 8 seed. Washburn was the only conference team to beat Northwest in Bearcat Arena this season.
As it turned out, there was no need to worry. Northwest scored the first five points of the game. And even though the Bearcats briefly faced a 1-point deficit midway through the first half, Northwest had no problem beating Washburn 71-61.
Northwest, 23-5, moves on to the semifinals and will play at noon Saturday.
“It is pretty exciting to get the first win,” Wallace said. “Coach Mac (Ben McCollum) always says the first win is the hardest. It was against a really good Washburn team. We knew we weren’t going to blow them out. They fight too hard and are coached too well. To be able to get that win and do things right was great for us. We are excited for Saturday.”
The thing that has made the Bearcats so good all season is their focus. The only time they lost it was late in the first half and into the second half against Washburn on Jan. 10.
The Ichabods faced a different Northwest team this time around. The game started with a basket by senior Grant Cozad followed by a three-pointer from freshman Justin Pitts, giving Northwest a quick 5-0 lead. It was a nice way to shake off any tournament jitters.
Northwest pushed its lead to 12-5 when it suffered its only lull in the game when the outcome was in doubt. A couple of three-pointers by Washburn allowed the Ichabods to briefly take a 15-14 lead.
A three-point play by Pitts gave Northwest the lead for good at 18-15. Sophomore Zach Schneider took over, unleashing a couple of three-point bombs that helped the Bearcats extend their lead to 24-17.
Northwest went into halftime ahead 34-27 and then took complete control in the first five minutes of the second half. The Bearcats held Washburn to 30 percent shooting from the field while making 54 percent of their shots.
“We really locked in and played good defense,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “We were really focused.”
Washburn opened the second half with a bucket. Northwest answered with a basket by Cozad, followed by one from Pitts and then a three-pointer by Schneider. Schneider concluded a 12-0 run with a three-pointer, giving Northwest a 46-29 lead.
“Justin driving off the ball screen was huge for us,” Wallace said. “If he is being aggressive, they have to help more and that gets everybody else open. That is always big for us.”
The Bearcats maintained a double-digit lead for nearly the rest of the game. In the final 2 minutes, Northwest missed several free throws that allowed Washburn to close to within seven.
“All in all I was pleased with the effort, to fight through it and get the win,” McCollum said.
As always, it was another solid team effort. Four of the five starters scored in double figures.
Pitts, a graduate of Blue Springs South, had a nice game in his return to Kansas City. Pitts finished with 25 points, going nine for 12 from the field, including four of five from three-point range.
“It is a great feeling being back at home, and playing in front of my friends and family who came out to watch me,” Pitts said. “It was a great feeling all around.”
— Northwest Sports Information —