The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defeated Northeastern State, 96-63, on Saturday afternoon at the NSU Event Center in Tahlequah, Okla.

– Top ranked Northwest moves to 11-0 on the year and 4-0 in conference play. The RiverHawks fall to 2-9 and 1-3 in MIAA action.

– Freshman Ryan Welty tied a Bearcat single-game record with nine three-pointers, going 9-of-9. He finished the game with a career-high 29 points.

– He has now made 14 consecutive three-pointers which is an MIAA record. The previous mark was set back in 2004 at 11 consecutive makes.

– Justin Pitts scored 18 points with a career-high 12 rebounds for his first career double-double. Pitts added four rebounds and a steal.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats shot 58.7 percent from the field (27-46) and hit 18-of-34 long range attempts (52.9 percent).

– Northwest outrebounded the RiverHawks, 28-19.

– Zach Schneider was 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, bringing his career total to 298 makes, two away from the MIAA record. Schneider added three rebounds.

– Chris-Ebou Ndow had 11 points in the game and Anthony Woods added nine.

– Woods grabbed a game-best seven rebounds while Brett Dougherty had six boards.

Key Northwest Sequence
– Northwest pulled away with a 13-0 run early in the second half, taking a commanding 63-44 lead with 13:59 left to play. Doughery started the run with a layup off a Pitts assist. Ndow converted a layup and then hit a pair of free throws to make it a 12-point game, 56-44. Schneider knocked down his third three-pointer of the contest to make it 59-44. Ndow added a free throw in the run and Welty nailed a long range bomb with 13:59 left to put the Bearcats up, 63-44.

Up Next
– Northwest will host Simpson College on Saturday, Dec. 31, against Simpson College at 2 p.m. before returning to MIAA play on Thursday, Jan. 5, at 7:30 p.m. against Missouri Southern at Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Athletics —