By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum always says winning the first game of a postseason tournament is difficult.
Five minutes into the second half, it looked like the Bearcats were going to prove him wrong. They held a 14-point lead against Lindenwood Friday evening in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament.
McCollum, though, earned his third MIAA coach of the year award for having insight. He was right again.
“Postseason is so difficult, and Lindenwood is really good,” McCollum said. “A ninth seed? Come on. Those guys are good. We knew they would stick around. They are well-coached. They have tough kids.”
After Lindenwood senior Cory Arentsen scored his 34th point, Northwest held a slim one-point lead with 45 seconds left in the game.
Ten seconds later, sophomore Justin Pitts showed why he was selected MIAA Player of the Year. Pitts drove into the paint and made a layup.
“We were trying to go 2-for-1,” said Pitts, who finished with 22 points. “With 45 seconds left, coach Mac told me to get a good shot. We had Zach set a ball screen and I went to score.”
The Bearcats then played tough defense on Arentsen, forcing a turnover that sophomore Chris-Ebou Ndow retrieved and called timeout.
Two free throws by junior Zach Schneider with 22 seconds left sealed Northwest’s 62-57 victory. The Bearcats, 23-5 and winners of their last 13 games, return to action 8:15 p.m. Saturday in the semifinals.
“I have kind of learned with this team that when we get a 14-point lead and I think this is going to be a nice, comfortable win, the team makes darn sure they put me through pain. I think they talk in the huddle, ‘Watch coach Mac, this is going to be fun when we let them back in the game.’ No. Our kids did a good job.”
With 14:39 left, Northwest was cruising along after Ndow hit back-to-back three-pointers, increasing the Bearcats’ lead to 44-30.
“I thought they were at a breaking point and I was hoping that it wouldn’t tighten up,” McCollum said.
Ndow knew the game wasn’t over.
“Cory is a really good player and the first half he had was unbelievable,” Ndow said. “For him to have 21 in the first half is crazy so no, I didn’t think the game was over.”
Lindenwood called timeout. It worked. The Lions went on a 17-4 run and closed to 49-47.
“We gave up a big offensive rebound and then somebody hit a three off that and that kind of changed the momentum back in their favor,” McCollum said.
Northwest maintained a two-to-five point lead until 45 seconds remained when Arentsen made his final basket of the game, pulling the Lions to within one at 58-57.
“This guy (Arentsen) was a monster,” Lindenwood coach Lance Randall said. “I don’t know if I ever coached a player with the combination of heart and talent. His will to win is beyond reproach.
“Credit to Northwest. They are a heck of an offensive team and I thought defensively, they made it difficult for us to score. They came up with some big plays at crucial times. There is a reason Pitts is the player of the year.”
Arentsen came out on fire for Linwood, picking up where he left off when he scored 46 points at Northwest February 6. At one point in the first half, Arentsen had 17 points and Northwest had 14.
“I try to be the best player I can every night,” Arentsen said. “I rise to the occasion for the bigger games. I know teammates are going to ride on me. I accept that challenge.
“Their (Bearcats) defense was pretty good on me and played me tough. It is something about the big game I really enjoy.”
The one problem for the Lions with Arentsen’s hot start was nobody else was scoring or even putting up a shot.
“Chasing him around took every bit of energy I had,” Ndow said. “Trying to play offense after that was tough. I tried to calm down a little bit.”
Northwest kept its composure, weathered Arentsen making his first eight shots and responded to a 19-12 deficit. Led by the playing making ability of Pitts, the Bearcats went on a 14-2 run and took a 26-21 lead.
The Bearcats maintained the five-point advantage the rest of the first half and went into halftime ahead 30-25.
Still, it was an amazing first-half performance by Arentsen, who went 9 for 12 from the field and scored 21 points. His teammates only added four more points.
“That Arentsen kid is pretty good,” McCollum said. “We had a tough time stopping him.”
In stark contrast, Northwest had four players score at least four points, led by Pitts with 10.
Rebounding was the key to the Bearcats taking a halftime lead. Northwest pulled down eight more boards and that help contribute to taking nine more shots.
“I didn’t think we were clicking offensively, but what we did do is increase our possessions with turnovers and offensive rebounds,” McCollum said. “We did an excellent job of that and then we just toughed it out.”
— Northwest Athletics —
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The tone was set early and it didn’t change. The top-seeded Missouri Western women’s basketball team struggled through foul trouble from start to finish, falling 85-74 to fourth seeded Emporia State in the MIAA Tournament semifinals.
