By David Boyce
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Other than junior Chris-Ebou Ndow missing the opener because of sickness, the Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team were healthy, wealthy with made baskets and wise with its suffocating defense.
While not perfect, the Bearcats bolted to a 24-point halftime lead late Friday afternoon against Upper Iowa in the 25th annual Hillyard Tip-Off Classic at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
Northwest rode its comfortable halftime lead to an 87-52 victory and very much looked like the team deserving of its No. 6 ranking in the NABC preseason basketball poll. A year ago, Northwest lost 76-72 to Upper Iowa.
“This was a good start for us,” said Northwest junior forward Brett Dougherty, who finished with eight points and six rebounds. “It was kind of a revenge game because we lost to them last year. In the past, we kind of had some slow starts to the season.”
The Bearcats scored the first five points in the first half and never trailed, taking a commanding 46-22 lead into halftime.
Stifling defense was the key reason Northwest built a double-digit lead, particularly in the opening 10 minutes when only Pitts managed to knock down shots.
While the Bearcats were working on their offensive rhythm, they completely stopped Upper Iowa on the other end of the court. The Peacocks went 8 for 25 from the field in the first half for 32 percent.
“I thought we played pretty well on defense, especially the first half,” Dougherty said. “We did a good job on ball screen and coverage. In the second half, we didn’t have as much energy but I thought we played pretty well.”
Defense allowed Northwest to turn a 5-3 lead to 18-7 advantage. Offensively, Pitts was on fire from the outside, knocking down four three-pointers and scoring 16 of the first 18 points.
Amazingly, Pitts, who finished with a game-high 31 points, entered MWSU Fieldhouse wondering about his shot.
“I was a little nervous,” said Pitts, who went 11 for 16 from the field. “All week I don’t think I made a three, maybe even a shot in practice so coming into this game, I was nervous. But I hit the first couple of shots and I felt comfortable after that.”
As the first half progressed, more Bearcats found their offensive mojo, particularly Dougherty. Back-to-back baskets in the paint by Dougherty helped Northwest extend its lead to 25-13.
With 2:44 left in the first half, another notable moment occurred for Northwest. Freshman forward Ryan Welty, a graduate of Park Hill South in Kansas City, scored his first points in a Bearcat jersey. It was a three-pointer that increased Northwest’s lead to 37-17.
“I had some butterflies going in, but the coaches and players really helped me out during the week, and they did a really good job of getting me prepared for the game,” said Welty, who finished with 12 points.
“It felt good when I finally put it through the hoop because I missed the first two and I don’t like to miss three in a row.”
Less than a minute later, senior Zach Schneider pulled out his specialty, the four-point play. The three-pointer plus the made free throw off the foul by Schneider put Northwest up 41-19.
Northwest finished the half making 16 of 33 shots for 48.5 percent. The Bearcats were even hotter from behind the arc, making nine of 17 for 52.9 percent.
“We really executed our game plan, No. 1 and No. 2, I thought our rotations were good on defense and we guarded the ball,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “We got deflections. Defense I thought was the key to the game.”
The Bearcats continued to play well in the second half. One play that stood out was a steal followed by a fast break that was pass driven between Pitts and Woods and it led to a layup by Woods plus a foul shot. The successful three-point play gave Northwest a 71-42 lead with 8:21 left in the game. Woods finished with 16 points.
Even with a big lead, the Bearcats continued to hustle, getting back to disrupt a fast break opportunity by Upper Iowa. Northwest rewarded itself by turning that defensive stand into a three-point bucket by Welty, his fourth of the game. It gave Northwest a 76-43 lead with under 6 minutes remaining.
“He played really well,” Dougherty said of Welty. “Ryan does the right things. He plays hard and plays his role. We do a good job of finding shooters and he can definitely shoot it.”
It was an eventful first game for Welty, who fouled out of his first game with 4 minutes left.
“That is something different for me,” Welty said. “I am not used to fouling out.”
Overall, Northwest played so well that the reserve players were able to play the final 5 minutes of the game and they made plays. Sophomore Dray Starzl knocked down a three-pointer with 3 minutes left that gave Northwest an 81-47 lead.
— Northwest Athletics —