MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team fell to Southwest Baptist 73-54 at Bearcat Arena Saturday.

Northwest was down only one point at half, then allowed 30 points in the third quarter to lead toward the eventual 19 point loss. Poor shooting was another key factor in the loss for Northwest. They shot 36.7% from the field and only 11.8% from the three point line.

Kendey Eaton led the Bearcats with 20 points and Mallory McConkey added 14. Kaylani Maiava led the team with 9 rebounds. They went 16-18 from the charity stripe, including 9-10 from Eaton. They outscored Southwest Baptist in the paint 28-26.

Caylee Richardson led Southwest Baptist in scoring with 22. Laura Vierkant added 13 and Regan Tibbits had 10 points. Richardson also led Southwest in rebounds with 11 to give her a double-double. The team shot 50 percent from the field and went 11-19 from the three-point line, including 8-10, in their 30 point third quarter.

Northwest will be back in action on the road this Thursday, to take on Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Mo., at 5:30.

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Small College Basketball has narrowed down its Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award of 2019 to 50 of the finest men’s basketball players in the country who compete in the affiliations of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, USCAA and NCCAA.

Northwest Missouri State senior Joey Witthus and redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins are both named on the top 50 watch list. Witthus and Hudgins have led the Bearcats to a No. 1 ranking in NCAA Div. II basketball and the only undefeated mark in all of NCAA basketball. Witthus is averaging a team-best 21.4 points per game. Witthus leads the MIAA in three-pointers made (77) and three-point field goal percentage (47.5 percent). Hudgins is the top scoring freshman in the nation at 18.9 points per game. Hudgins leads the MIAA in assists (5.7 apg).

This marks the fourth season of the Bevo Francis Award, as the award was previously given to Dominez Burnett of Davenport (Mich.) in 2016, Justin Pitts of Northwest Missouri State in 2017 and Emanuel Terry of Lincoln Memorial last season.

“This process is very challenging, as there are so many good players that are having excellent seasons,” said SCB Founder John McCarthy. “It’s really difficult to narrow this list to 50 players. As such, we continued to go back to our specific criteria for the Bevo Francis Award. We’ve considered individual achievements, season statistics, awards, milestones, and team achievement.

“As we move further into this process, personal character will become increasingly important. Bevo Francis was very focused on team success, so we emphasize a player’s contributions to team success during this process. As such, while this is an individual award, team success is an important consideration. I sincerely congratulate every single member of this list. It’s an incredible honor to be listed amount the nation’s elite at the small college level. Importantly, I thank all of our committee members that have taken the time to provide a tremendous amount of information.”

Members of the Bevo Francis Award committee include the following coaches: Tobin Anderson – St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.), Gerald Holmes – Bloomfield (N.J.), Gary Stewart – Stevenson (Md.), Arlen Galloway – Wentworth (Mass.), Chris Briggs – Georgetown (Ky.), Bill Dreikosen – Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Klint Pleasant – Rochester (Mich.), Ryan Kane – Ripon (Wisc.), Mark Berokoff – Hillsdale Baptist (Okla.), Mike Donnelly – Florida Southern, Rhett Soliday – Vanguard (Calif.), Sam Hargraves – Alma (Mich.) and Ryan Looney – Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.).

The committee chose this elite group from over 1,100 colleges and universities and took into consideration individual statistics, previous awards, milestones and team success.

The list will be narrowed down to 25 players in a Watch List published on March 15. The finalists will be announced in a highlight video that will be released on April 6.

The 2019 Bevo Francis Award winner will be announced on April 8. The award will be presented to the award winner on May 11 at the SCB National Awards Show in conjunction with the SCB Alumni Association’s Celebration of the Game event at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

Small College Basketball is very grateful to the University of Rio Grande and Sheward-Fulks Insurance for their sponsorship and support of the Bevo Francis award.

— Northwest Athletics —

JOPLIN, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team split a pair of games on day two of the MIAA/GLVC Crossover.

Northwest tallied an 8-2 triumph over Rockhurst before falling to Missouri Southern in the nightcap, 12-5.

Game One vs. Rockhurst
The first three innings at Warren Turner Field were quiet as neither team could get the on the scoreboard.

This was until the Bearcats struck first in the top of the fourth inning, prompted by a lead off hit to center by senior catcher Alixon Herrera. Herrera advanced to second base after junior first baseman Connor Quick drew a walk. Herrera and Quick moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore infielder Peter Carlson. Northwest got the opening run on the scoreboard after Herrera scored from third on a sacrifice fly to right from junior infielder Calvin Rudolph. Quick also advanced to third on the play. The second run of the inning came when Rockhurst pitcher Jack Eisenbarger committed an error, allowing Quick to score.

Keeping the Hawks scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, Northwest added another run in the fifth inning, thanks to an RBI double by senior catcher Jay Hrdlicka that plated senior infielder Mondesi Gutierrez.

Rockhurst tallied two runs in the bottom of the fifth to trim the Northwest lead to 3-2.

The Bearcat pitching duo of junior Joe Funkhouser and freshman Gibson Brown kept the Hawks in check. Funkhouser drew the start and went six innings allowing four hits and two runs while striking out nine. Gibson came on in the seventh and earend his first collegiate save. Gibson tossed three innings of one-hit relief.

Northwest’s offense provided some much needed cushion in the top of the ninth as the Bearcats put a five-spot on the board to increase the lead to 8-2. Hrdlicka added his second RBI double of the game, while junior Connor Quick provided an RBI single. Ryan Koski drew a bases loaded walk for the third run of the inning. Gutierrez ripped a two-RBI single to center to close out the scoring.

Northwest improved to 4-5 on the season heading into the matchup with Missouri Southern.

NOTES: Funkhouser got his first win of the season (1-1) … Hrdlicka and Hussey had team-high three hits – Hussey’s fifth multi-hit game of the season.

Game Two vs. Missouri Southern
Northwest jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning following a leadoff double from Gutierrez to open the contest. Hussey walked to give Northwest runners on first and second. Hrdlicka grounded out to first base, moving the base runners to second and third. Alixon Herrera drove in Gutierrez and Hussey with a double to right center.

Missouri Southern evened the matchup at 2-2 in the bottom of the third.

Quick homered to right field to open up the top of the fourth to give Northwest a one run lead at 3-2. Logan Rycraft served up two-out RBI single to left field that scored Rudolph. Rycraft would complete his journey around the base paths on another two-out RBI single from Gutierrez.

After posting five runs in the first four innings against the Lions, the Bearcat offense would go dormant and the home squad tallied 10 unanswered runs to take it 12-5. Northwest had six hits in the opening four innings and was limited two three hits in the final five innings of action.

Missouri Southern went on to score two in the fourth, took the lead with two more in the fifth and added a six-run sixth to give the Lions a seven-run lead.

Six pitchers made an appearance for the Bearcats during the outing. Sophomore Max Spitzmiller got the start on the mound, going 4 2/3 innings while giving up six runs on six hits and recording five strikeouts.

Northwest fell to 4-6 on the season, while Missouri Southern improves to 7-3.

NOTES: Herrera is riding a seven-game hitting streak…Gutierrez, Hussey, Hrdlicka and Quick extended their on-base streaks to ten games…Quick-18, Hussey-17, Hrdlicka-16, Herrera-14 and Gutierrez-13 are all ranked in the top-10 in the MIAA in hits.

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Missouri – The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team overcame a halftime deficit for only the second time this season and scored a 67-50 win over the visiting University of Central Missouri Mules in Bearcat Arena.

The Bearcats improved to 24-0 and matched the second-best start to a season in program history. Only the 1929-30 Bearcat squad under the direction of then first-year head coach Henry Iba got off to a better start with a perfect 31-0 season. Central Missouri fell to 12-11 overall and 5-9 in MIAA. Northwest has won eight straight games in the series vs. UCM.

Senior Joey Witthus paced the Bearcat offense with 19 points and junior Ryan Welty did damage from deep as he drained five three-pointers in seven attempts to score 15 points.

The Mules led by as many as eight points in the first half when the built a 28-20 lead with 2:19 left on the clock. However, Northwest then used an 18-0 run over the final two minutes of the first half and the opening five minutes of the second half to overtake the visitors and take a 38-30 lead. The Mules closed back to within five points at 44-39 with 9:45 remaining in the game, but another 7-0 spurt by the Bearcats turned it back into a double-digit affair.

The Bearcats will be back in action Saturday against Southwest Baptist. Stay tuned to www.BearcatSports.com for the latest game time information for Saturday’s contest because of impending inclement weather. Northwest is scheduled to play Southwest Baptist in a women’s/men’s doubleheader beginning at 1:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

NOTES: Trevor Hudgins was 2-of-2 at the line to extend his consecutive free throws made streak to 33 in a row … Ryan Hawkins ripped down a game-high 12 rebounds and tallied four steals … Northwest extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 14 in a row … Northwest is 86-5 over the past three seasons … the Bearcats are a perfect 12-0 at home this season and the 12-game home win streak is the fifth-longest active streak in the nation … the Bearcats have won 19 consecutive MIAA contests … in fact, Northwest has won 76 of its last 83 MIAA games, including 40 of its last 41 league games in Bearcat Arena … Northwest was held to a season-low 67 points – its previous low this year was 72 in its season-opening 72-70 overtime victory over Northern State on Nov. 3 … Northwest has won its last 15 games by double figures.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team dropped a close game Wednesday night to Central Missouri 78-67 at Bearcat Arena.

Northwest fell behind 17-2, then clawed their way back to be down 33-29 at the half. Kylie Coleman hit a three pointer to bring the game within three at 62-59 with 7:44 left in the game, Central then went on a 9-0 run and never looked back.

Kendey Eaton scored a career high 37 points, which is tied for third in Northwest history for points in a game. Mallory McConkey added 10. The Bearcats shot 50% from the floor and 37.5% from the three-point line. The Bearcats won the turnover margin 12-11.

The Jennies had all five starters score in double figures led by Morgan Fleming with 20 points, Fleming also led the team in rebounds with 9. Central outrebounded Northwest 35-22. They had 13 offensive rebounds.

Northwest plays again on Saturday against Southwest Baptist at 1:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Athletics —

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri – The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team overcame a six-point first-half deficit and remained perfect on the season with a 75-57 road triumph over the Lincoln Blue Tigers on Saturday in Jason Gymnasium.

Senior Joey Witthus and fedshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins paved the way. Witthus tallied a game-high 30 points, while Hudgins chipped in with 24. Hudgins scored 16 of his in the opening half.

Lincoln led 22-16 with 9:29 remaining in the opening half. Northwest would close the half on a 20-6 run to hold a 36-28 advantage at the break.

Northwest extended its run into the second half and built a 48-30 lead with 17:02 to go in the game.

The Bearcats committed only one turnover in the game – a shot clock violation with 1:50 left in the game.

The Bearcats drained 22-of-26 at the free throw line, while the Blue Tigers made 5-of-8 at the free throw stripe. Northwest out-rebounded Lincoln, 34-31.

Northwest (23-0 overall, 13-0 MIAA) secured its 12th straight road victory and 23rd straight MIAA win. Lincoln suffered its sixth loss this year and only its fourth setback in MIAA play.

Northwest will be back in action in Bearcat Arena on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. against Central Missouri.

NOTES: Hudgins made four more free throws to extend his consecutive free throws made streak to 31 in a row … Kelvin Parker holds the Northwest record for consecutive free throws made with 35 … Central Missouri’s Reggie Soward holds the MIAA record with 36 consecutive made free throws from Dec 12, 2004-Jan. 29, 2005.

— Northwest Athletics —

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team lost at Lincoln Saturday in Jefferson City 64-51.

The Blue Tigers led by as many as 13 points in the opening 20 minutes and led 34-24 at the break.

The Bearcats pulled to within five at 44-39 with 4:13 left in the third quarter on a three-pointer from Jaelyn Haggard. However, Lincoln closed the quarter on a 6-0 run to extend the margin back to double figures.

Haggard scored a team-high 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-8 from three-point range. Mallory McConkey was the only other Bearcat in double-figure scoring with 11 points. Kaylani Maiava recorded a team-best 10 rebounds.

Lincoln’s Zhanehsa Dickerson poured in a game-high 25 points and added 11 rebounds for a double-double.

The Bearcats fall to 7-15 overall and 3-10 in MIAA play, while Lincoln moves to 10-12 overall and 2-11 in league action.

Northwest will be back in action in Bearcat Arena on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. against Central Missouri.

— Northwest Athletics —

ARKADELPHIA, Arkansas – The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team toppled Southern Arkansas in a slugfest Friday, 16-13.

Northwest captured its second win of the season. The Bearcats tallied 16 hits and had six players record multi-hit efforts against the Muleriders. Eight of the Bearcats’s nine starters scored a run and eight different Northwest starters secured an RBI.

It looked like the Bearcats would cruise to the victory after batting around in the bottom half of the first. Northwest plated eight runs as leadoff batter Mondesi Gutierrez secured two hits in the inning. The Bearcats sent 12 men to the plate and secured six hits in opening up an 8-1 advantage.

SAU whittled away at the lead by scoring two runs in the second and three more in the third. Northwest did not allow SAU to score in the fourth and the Bearcats took advantage by adding a pair of runs. Gutierrez doubled to left for his third hit in three at-bats. Gutierrez’s knock scored Logan Rycraft to give Northwest a 9-6 lead. Gutierrez advanced to third on a groundout and scored an error by SAU catcher Zach Muldoon to give Northwest a 10-6 lead.

However, the four-run cushion was short-lived as the Muleriders knotted the matchup at 10-10 in the top of the fifth. The Muleriders scored four runs on four hits but also benefited from a Northwest error and balk in the inning.

Northwest took an 11-10 lead in the bottom of the sixth. Connor Quick led off with a triple to left. Quick finished his circuit in the base paths when Peter Carlson followed with an RBI single to right. Northwest could not add to the one-run cushion as SAU threw out Enrique Gonzalez attempting to steal second for the final out of the inning.

SAU found themselves in the lead in the seventh. The key hit in the inning came on a two-round RBI triple to right field by Brett McGee that gave the Muleridgers a 13-11 advantage.

But the Bearcats refused to yield as they batted around for the second time in the contest and scored five runs in the eighth. Jay Hrdlicka began the rally with a leadoff walk and moved to third on a single by Quick. Carlson walked to load the bases. Alixon Herrera came through in the clutch with a two-RBI double to left center to even the game at 13-13. Calvin Rudolph kept the merry-go-round spinning with an RBI single to right that plated Carlson. Gonzalez singled down the left field line to score Herrera and up the margin to 15-13. Derek Hussey reached on an error that allowed Gonzalez to score and give the Bearcats a three-run lead at 16-13.

Reliever Trevor Dudar came in to close out the victory. Dudar struck out two and induced a lineout to right field for the final out. It was Dudar’s first save of the season after capturing 14 a season ago.

Gibson Brown earned the victory as he pitched 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief with two strikeouts and a walk.

Northwest will wrap up its trip to Arkansas on Saturday with its finale at 1:30 p.m. against Ouachita Baptist.

NOTES: Connor Quick recorded his first four-hit game of the season … Quick has begun the season with a six-game hitting streak and has four multi-hit games … Quick is hitting .481 on the year with 13 hits in 27 at-bats … Quick has also scored a team-best eight runs in 2019 … Peter Carlson extended his hit streak to five in a row.

— Northwest Athletics —

ST. CHARLES, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defended its No. 1 national ranking on Thursday with a 72-41 victory over the Lindenwood Lions at Hyland Arena.

Northwest (22-0 overall, 12-0 MIAA) used hot shooting (57.4 percent) and stifling defense by limiting Lindenwood to 30.4 percent from the floor. Lindenwood falls to 11-13 overall and 4-8 in the MIAA.

Northwest scored the game’s first seven points and never trailed. The Bearcats shot a sizzling 60 percent from the field in the first half on 15-of-25 shooting.

Senior Joey Witthus scored a game-high 18 points. Witthus was 7-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. Redshirt freshman Trevor Hudginstallied 17 points and handed out three assists.

The Bearcats will be back in action Saturday at Lincoln. Tip is set for 3 p.m. in Jefferson City, Missouri.

NOTES: Northwest extended the nation’s longest win streak to 22 in a row … the Bearcats have won 17 consecutive MIAA games as well … Northwest won for the 11^th straight time on the road … the Bearcats are 74-7 in their last 81 MIAA games … sophomore Ryan Hawkins collected his team-leading ninth double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds … Hawkins, the MIAA leader in steals added two more to give him 54 on the season … Hudgins was 4-for-4 at the free throw line and has now connected on 25 consecutive free throws.

— Northwest Athletics —

St. Charles, Mo. — The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team fell to Lindenwood 71-55 in their road contest Thursday night. The Bearcats got off to a slow start to both halves, losing the first quarter 19-8 and the third quarter 20-9. They shot 40.4% from the field and 46.7% from the three-point line. Lindenwood shot 53.8% from the field.

Northwest was led in scoring by Kylie Coleman who posted a career high 18 points on 7-9 from the field and 4-5 from the three-point line. Mallory McConkey had 13 points and a team high 6 rebounds and 4 assists. The Bearcats shot 6-8 from the free throw line on the night.

Lindenwood was led in scoring by Lexie Moe who had 14. Lindsay Medlen had 12 points and Kallie Bildner had 11 points. Bildner also led the Lions in rebounds with 12 to give her a double-double. The Lions outrebounded the Bearcats 37-23 and outscored them in the paint 38-20.

Northwest will play again on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Lincoln in Jefferson City.

— Northwest Athletics —