By David Boyce

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Like a hit-selling rock-and-roll band coming to town, Northwest Missouri State’s men’s basketball team entered a packed arena as the star attraction.

OK, Jason Gym is not Madison Square Garden. But Northwest performed like a band hitting all the right notes in its 80-75 victory over Lincoln University Thursday evening to remain undefeated at 20-0 overall and 12-0 in the MIAA.

“It was tough,” said Northwest junior Chris-Ebou Ndow. “They had a really good home crowd and their band was pretty cool, too. It makes everything a little tougher, a different challenge, a little adversity. We overcame it and came away with a win.”

Yes, there actually was a band in the house. Lincoln’s pep band was energized throughout the game and kept playing 15 minutes after the game.

“It was crazy,” said freshman Ryan Welty, experiencing his first game at Lincoln. “It was a lot of fun to be part of it.”

A 50-point performance by Lincoln senior Anthony Virdure forced the Bearcats to play with high intensity for 40 minutes.

“He was tough,” Ndow said. “He is a really good player. He put the team on his shoulder and almost got them a win. The main thing is we stopped all the other ones. Nobody else really got in the rhythm.”

Northwest had a more balanced attack with four players scoring in double figures, led by junior Justin Pitts with 20 and junior Xavier Kurth with 15. Brett Dougherty scored 12 and Anthony Woods added 10.

In the final 9 minutes, Northwest showed why it is ranked No. 1 in the NABC top 25. Holding a narrow 47-45 lead, Ndow powered inside for a basket with 8:40 left.

After a stop, Ndow got the ball again in the paint and converted, giving Northwest a 51-45 lead with 8 minutes remaining.

“It was important,” Ndow said. “At that point we needed a spark. I felt there was a long stretch we couldn’t make a run. That was kind of what we needed at that point. I was glad I was able to do that.”

The Bearcats maintained a 5-to-7-point cushion until Virdure made a three-point play that pulled Lincoln to within four at 56-52.

With just under 5 minutes left, Northwest came up with two clutch, long-range bombs. The first came when Welty came off the screen and was ready to shoot when Pitts passed him the ball. Welty drilled the three-pointer.

“Coach always tells me to be ready to shoot,” Welty said. “I got open. He threw it to me, and I knocked it down. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.”

Thirty seconds later, Pitts found himself open from NBA three-point range and knocked down a three-pointer that increased the Bearcats’ lead to 62-52 with 4:15 left. It was the first double-digit lead of the game for Northwest.

“That sequence was pretty good because Virdure played a heck of a game,” Pitts said. “I had to get more aggressive. I think that lead was what won the game.”

The Bearcats eventually built a 70-56 lead with under 3 minutes left. The rest of the game was Lincoln firing three-pointers and Northwest shooting free throws. The Tigers drew a little closer, but the 14-point deficit was too much for them to overcome.

“The 10-point lead helped in the end with Virdure going off,” Welty said. “That stretch there helped us.”

When the first half ended, something unusual happened to Northwest. The Bearcats went into halftime trailing 31-30. A free three by Virdure with 0.7 seconds left put Northwest behind the first time in the half.

Northwest scored the first four points to start the game, but it was obvious from the tipoff the Bearcats were in for a battle. Lincoln came out playing aggressive defense, especially on Northwest outsider shooters.

The game was tied 6-6 when Northwest managed a small cushion on a three-pointer by Ndow and two free throws from Anthony Woods.

The biggest lead by Northwest was 17-10 after D’Vante Mosby scored. Lincoln fought back and scored the next seven points and tied the game.

Powered by two strong buckets in the paint by Dougherty and another basket by Woods, Northwest built a 23-16 lead. Late in the first half, Northwest still had a six-point advantage at 28-22.

A few sloppy possessions by Northwest in the final 2 minutes allowed Lincoln to take a slim, 1-point lead into halftime. But the Bearcats didn’t allow the halftime deficit nor a boisterous crowd prevent them from having an end-of-the-game celebration.

The loss, though, didn’t stop the Lincoln pep band. The band played on.

“I always love coming here because the band and the crowd are crazy,” Pitts said. “It is something I never witnessed before.”

— Northwest Athletics —