By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State’s men’s basketball team entered the final 4 minutes of its game against Nebraska-Kearney trailing by four points. The Bearcats needed to execute their offense to perfection in their final few possessions to pull out the win.

Northwest made each of those possessions count and came away with a thrilling 83-78 victory Thursday evening in front of 1,738 fans at Bearcat Arena.

“We made big plays and finally playing at home with the crowd here, it was fun going out playing for them,” said sophomore Justin Pitts, who scored a team-high 23 points. “It was a fun environment.”

The win lifted Northwest to 12-5 overall and 9-3 and in first place in the MIAA.

It looked a bit bleak for the Bearcats when they faced a 74-70 deficit. The Lopers were riding the energy of their leading scorer, senior forward Connor Beranek, who entered the game averaging 24.9 points per game.

At times, he was unstoppable inside and other times he was finding an open teammate who knocked down the shot. Beranek finished with 32 and senior forward Ethan Brozek added 23.

“He (Beranek) is really good,” said Northwest junior Zach Schneider. “He’s the player of the year coming back. He didn’t have a great game last year coming here. We knew coming in he was going to be a problem.

“Brozek is a first team All-MIAA. He is playing at that level this year. Their front line is tough. They are all really good. We obviously got to work on guarding guys like that because we are going to see other players like him down the stretch. I have nothing but respect for him. He is an awesome player.”

Junior Anthony Woods started the final 4-minute comeback with a tip in off a missed shot, making it 74-72.

After a stop, Schneider hit perhaps the biggest shot of the game for the Bearcats. He received a pass from Pitts behind the arc and drilled a three-pointer that gave Northwest a 75-74 lead with 1:47 remaining in the game.

“We went with a jet screen with J.P and me and they were having trouble switching that and that’s when I got wide open on that three and luckily I knocked it down,” said Schneider, who finished with 17 points, going five for six from behind the three-point arc.

“I haven’t been shooting it great this year. That was all the emotion coming out when I hit that shot. It was the biggest shot I hit in awhile. I can’t tell you how good that felt.”

Northwest solidified its lead with another basket by Woods, giving the Bearcats a three-point lead with 1:12 left.

“Woods had a huge cut to the middle and had a great finish,” Schneider said.

Nebraska-Kearney pulled to within one on two free throws by Beranek.

Senior Connor Crooker answered for Northwest with a basket, pushing the Bearcats’ lead back to three at 79-76 with 34 seconds remaining. Twenty seconds later, Crooker made two free throws to give Northwest an 81-76 lead.

“We just trusted each other,” Schneider said. “This game was awesome. You are out there and you have nothing but respect for them, but you want to beat their butts, also. That was one of the most fun games I’ve played this year.

“Our mental toughness was what came out. We kept grinding and kept grinding and we finally got those two big stops at the end and got that score. That is what it is all about.”

Northwest led nearly the entire first half, but the Bearcats had to fight hard to stay ahead. They went into halftime with a slim 35-32 lead.

For most of the half, Northwest held either a two or a three-point lead. The Bearcats had one spurt, which was fueled by a three-pointer from Schneider, that gave the Bearcats a 30-23 lead.

Northwest’s lead increased to eight at 31-23 when Beranek fired up his team with some quick points and provided emotional energy. In a blink of eye, the Lopers were down just one at 31-30.

The Bearcats scored the next four points late in the first half, which allowed them to go into halftime ahead.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – One play that exemplified the unified effort by Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team occurred with 4:08 left in the third quarter.

Junior guard Jaylah Jackson found junior forward Shelby Mustain cutting to the basket. Jackson threw a perfect pass that led to a wide-open layup by Mustain. The play gave Northwest a 21-point lead Thursday evening at Bearcat Arena.

Northwest coach Scheel didn’t remember the play nor did senior Tember Schechinger. But Mustain, who was the recipient of several great passes, sure did.

“They were doing a great job,” said Mustain, who went six for eight from the field for 13 points. “We were patient. That was the biggest thing for us. We didn’t need to come down with 25 seconds on the clock and try to get a quick score.

“The guards were moving the ball and looking for their shots, too. I would step in or any post would step in and they were finding us and we were putting it in the basket.”

The Jackson-to-Mustain play caused Nebraska-Kearney to call timeout. But nothing was going to slow Northwest down from grabbing its first MIAA conference win of the season. In dominating fashion, Northwest beat Nebraska-Kearney 62-32 at Bearcat Arena. It was the fewest points Northwest has allowed since Nov. 11, 1998 (81-30 vs. William Penn).

“It feels great,” Mustain said. “Obviously, we had some dogfights earlier. It is nice to come in front of our fans and get a big win in conference. I don’t care what team it is, in the MIAA it is going to be tough.”

After the timeout, Northwest responded with a three-pointer from freshman Macy Williams. Williams showed hard work pays off. Two hours before the game, Williams was alone on the court, working on her dribbling and shooting. Williams, who scored the first basket for Northwest, ignited a 15-0 run in the first quarter.

“I’ve always done that since I was younger,” said Williams, who made both her shot attempts. “I like to get in there and get a feel for the gym and the atmosphere. It is different from practice. The bleachers are out. I try to get my mind right and focused.”

The victory by the Bearcats was truly a team effort. After Williams’ three-pointer that increased Northwest’s lead to 44-20, Mustain and sophomore Tanya Meyer each scored, putting Northwest ahead 48-20.

Williams said the Bearcats expected to win, just like all their other games.

“We were really excited after the game,” Williams said. “Losing is like a dagger in the heart. It is not like we stumbled upon and won. We have been expecting to win every single game. To finally get it is a totally different type of satisfaction.”

The Bearcats went into the final quarter with a 48-23 lead. They didn’t have to worry about last minute execution because they won the game by the way they played in the first three quarters.

Schechinger delivered the exclamation point on the victory when she hit a three-pointer with 44 seconds left for the final points of the game.

“I’m just extremely proud of the girls for carrying out the game plan and taking care of what we needed to do,” Scheel said. “I felt our past two or three days of practice were really good.

“I knew prepping for Kearney they (Lopers) were going to have a tough time playing with us with just how our presence in practice was carrying over day by day. I knew offensively we would be able to get good looks. Our guards did a great job of getting it in the post.”

Now the goal for Northwest is to bottle up this performance and unleash it again Saturday afternoon when Fort Hays State, one of the top teams in the MIAA, plays at Bearcat Arena. Tipoff is at 1:30 p.m.

“We have to have the same focus and not get comfortable,” said Schechinger, who finished with a game-high 20 points. “We have to keep taking steps. Like coach said in the locker room, this is the start of our climb. I really think we can carry this momentum over to practice tomorrow and bring that energy to Saturday and really give Fort Hays a tough time.”

Northwest gave up the first four points of the game, went on a 15-0 run and cruised into halftime with a commanding 29-12 lead.

The Bearcats were tough on defense in both quarters, allowing just six points to the Nebraska-Kearney in each 10-minute period. It was the fewest points Northwest gave up in a quarter and a half this season. The Lopers were four for 21 from the field for 19 percent.

“We were just working hard,” Schechinger said. “We wanted them to fight for anything they were going to get. We knew that our defense would lead to our offense so we wanted to focus on that.”

The good times started rolling for Northwest when Meyer hit a three-pointer as the shot clock was winding down. The trey gave the Bearcats a 5-4 lead. Senior Taylor Shull made a basket followed by a field goal from Jackson, making it 9-4.

When Schechinger hit a three-pointer, she became the fourth different player to score during the run. The run concluded with a three-pointer by Jackson.

Northwest took a 15-6 lead into the second quarter and proceeded to duplicate the first quarter, outscoring the Lopers 14-6. Seven of the eight players who saw action for Northwest in the first half scored.

— Northwest Athletics —