EVANSVILLE, Indiana – The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team dialed it up defensively in a 76-53 triumph over Saint Anselm College to advance to the program’s second NCAA Division II national championship game.

The Bearcats (37-0 overall) limited the Hawks to 38.6 percent shooting from the field and held its second straight opponent to 53 points or less at the Elite Eight. Northwest came into the game ranked No. 3 in the nation in scoring defense at 62.1 points per game allowed (now 61.8 points per game allowed).

Saint Anselm led 27-22 with 4:16 left in the half, when Bearcat redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins took over. After scoring with 5:05 to play, Hudgins scored the next nine points for the Bearcats and gave them a 29-27 lead with :51 left in the half. The squads traded layups in the final minute and the Bearcats were able to take a 31-29 lead at the break on a bucket from junior Kirk Finley.

The Bearcats continued their run into the second half and took a 45-34 lead with 11:40 to play on a basket by senior Joey Witthus. The Witthus field goal concluded a 23-7 run that started that lasted 12:36 from the end of the first half into the second.

Northwest held Saint Anselm to just two made field goals in the opening 8:20 of the second half. Saint Anselm made 10-of-28 shots in the second half, while Northwest drained 18-of-29 field goals. The Bearcats ended up shooting 53.3 percent from the field.

Hudgins carved up the Hawks to the tune of 27 points to go along with six steals. Hudgins had 15 first-half points and ended the game going 12-of-24 from the field.

Freshman Diego Bernard provided a spark off the bench as he reached double figures in scoring at 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Bernard also corralled five rebounds and a resounding slam dunk in the second half to give Northwest a 65-45 lead with 4:30 to play in the game.

Junior Ryan Hawkins registered his 11th double-double this season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Hawkins posted three steals to give him 79 on the year, the third-most in a single season by a Bearcat.

Witthus set the Bearcat single-season scoring mark with 13 points as he surpassed the record set by Justin Pitts (754 points) in 2016-17. Witthus has scored 756 points this season.

Northwest will take on the winner of the Point Loma vs. Southern Indiana national semifinal on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the NCAA Division II national championship game. The game will be shown live on CBS.

Tickets for Saturday’s NCAA Division II national championship are on sale at Ticketmaster.com as well as the Ford Center Box Office. General admission tickets on Ticketmaster.com are available for $16 each, plus fees. For more information on additional pricing, contact the Ford Center Box Office at 1-812-422-1515.

NOTES: Northwest is 3-0 against ranked foes this year … Northwest defeated No. 13 Ferris State (W, 100-86; Nov. 4), No. 13 Southern Nazarene (W, 70-59; March 17) and No. 20 Saint Anselm (W, 76-53; March 28) … Northwest has won 31 consecutive games on neutral floors … the Bearcats remain the nation’s only undefeated team at 37-0 … Northwest is looking to become the fifth undefeated national champion (Findlay – 2008-09; Fort Hays State – 1995-96; Cal State Bakersfield – 1992-93; Evansville – 1964-65) … with its next win, Northwest would tie the NCAA Division II record for wins in a season (Ferris State won 38 in 2017-18) … Northwest has shot 50 percent or better in 22 of its 37 games … the Bearcats have shot 50 percent or better on six road courts and five neutral courts … Northwest is 99-5 over the last three seasons … the Bearcats’s scoring margin is +21.1 this season and the MIAA record for scoring margin in a season is +22.3 set by Missouri State in 1959-60.

— Northwest Athletics —

EVANSVILLE, Indiana – The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team advanced to the national semifinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament with a 55-51 victory over the Mercyhurst University Lakers.

Northwest (36-0 overall) advanced to the program’s second ever national semifinal appearance behind a game-high 20 points from redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins. As the closing second of the first half wound down, Hudgins had three points. However, he drove the length of the floor after a Mercyhurst bucket tied the game at 22 and sank a leaner at the buzzer to give Northwest a 24-22 lead at the break.

The Bearcats largest run of the game continued as the second half got underway. Northwest scored the first five points of the second half and opened up a 29-22 lead to close out the 7-0 spurt. Hudgins made a layup with 10:26 to play to give Northwest its biggest lead of the game at 43-32.

Mercyhurst cut the lead to three at 49-46 on a conventional three-point play from MiyKah McIntosh with :57 seconds left in the game. Following a miss on the front end of a 1-and-1 by Hudgins, Mercyhurst’s Zach McIntire missed a game-tying triple from the corner and Northwest’s Ryan Hawkins secured the rebound with :27 ticks to play. Hudgins was fouled again but he hit a pair to extend the lead back to five at 51-46 with :17 left.

Tyler Dougherty stepped up and swished two free throws with :11 remaining to give Northwest a seven-point cushion at 53-46. Mercyhurst’s Derrick Ellis Jr. drove for a layup and then Northwest’s Xavier Rhodes answered with a layup of his own before the Lakers’s Ellis buried a triple at the buzzer to give Northwest the 55-51 triumph.

Northwest will play St. Anselm in the national semifinals on Thursday at 6 p.m. St. Anselm scored a 91-81 win over Nova Southeastern in the first quarterfinal.

NOTES: Northwest has won 30 consecutive games on neutral floors … Northwest extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 36 in a row … Northwest set a school record and an MIAA record with 36 wins this season – besting the previous mark of 35 set the by 2016-17 Bearcats … Joey Witthus set the Northwest single-season three-point record with 109 – surging past Zach Schneider’s mark of 108 set in 2016-17 … Witthus has scored 743 points this season – only 11 shy of Justin Pitts’s school record of 754 points set in 2016-17.

— Northwest Athletics —

ROLLA, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State University softball team split a doubleheader with Missouri S&T on Thursday.

Game One
In the first inning, Olivia Daugherty scored on an RBI from Kaitlyn Weis to put the Bearcats up 1-0.

Missouri S&T answered in the bottom of the first also from an RBI tying the game 1-1.

Erin Keeney blasted a two-run homer in the top of the fourth to extend the Bearcat lead 3-1.
Daugherty laced an RBI single to center field allowing Jacee Winn to score in the top of the fifth pushing the lead 4-1.

Missouri S&T scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, but it wasn’t enough to catch up to the Bearcats as Weis homered to center field in the top of the seventh. The Bearcats clinched game one, 5-3.

Game Two
Kaitlyn Weis started things off hot for the Bearcats with a three-run homer in the first inning to get an early 3-0 lead.

Missouri S&T scored one run in the bottom of the second and the bottom of the third, cutting the Bearcat lead to 3-2.

Erin Keeney had an RBI in the top of the fifth allowing Weis to score to push the lead to 4-2.

Missouri S&T answered in the bottom of the fifth scoring two runs to tie the game at 4-4.
The game remained tied, pushing into extra innings. Missouri S&T scored on a bases loaded walk to get the win, 5-4.

The Bearcats move to 5-14 overall. They will return home for MIAA doubleheaders Sunday and Monday in Maryville. Northwest will take on Lincoln Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. The Bearcats will then match up with Lindenwood Monday at 1 p.m. and finish up with a non-conference matchup with Rockhurst Tuesday starting at 1 p.m.

NOTES: Kaitlyn Weis leads the squad with a batting average of .431, 23 RBI and 6 home runs.

— Northwest Athletics —