Northwest Missouri State volleyball signee Sarah Dannettell has received the CHAMP Heart of a Champion Senior Scholarship. Dannettell, who was a standout at Fossil Ridge High School, signed a letter of intent to play for the Bearcats in November. The scholarship is given once a year to one male and one female Fort Collins area athlete from all high schools and sports.

“When recruiting Sarah it was very evident that she had great character and leadership abilities,” said Northwest head coach Amy Woerth. “She is very deserving of this award and we’re very excited to welcome her to campus this fall.”

Commissioned in 2009, the CHAMP Heart of a Champion Senior Scholarship (CHCSS) program honors male and female graduating college-bound high school seniors who have been acknowledged by their coaches, teachers and peers as having exemplified the ultimate Athlete of Character during their high school athletic career. Winners of the scholarships have been nominated by coaches, teachers, friends, employers and others and evaluated by a CHAMP selection committee made up of community members.

The mission of CHAMP (Character in Athletics-Make it a Priority) is to be acatalyst in the educational and athletic community in the greater Fort Collins area; to deliver a character-focused athletic experience and reinforce a positive character foundation.

— Northwest Sports Information —

On Thursday morning Sam Houston State named former Delaware coach K.C. Keeler its 15th football coach in program history.

That’s good news for Northwest Missouri State. There was a LOT of speculation Bearcat legend Mel Tjeerdsma was the top contender for that job.

Keeler brings an overall record of 174 victories, 73 losses and one tie as a head coach to Huntsville. His 2003 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens squad won the FCS national championship in 2003. Delaware reached the FCS Championship Game in 2007 and 2010.

The night belonged to Northwest Missouri State senior point guard DeShaun Cooper.

The clock was ticking down to under five seconds. The Bearcats trailed by one. Cooper was one point off his career-high 31. Missouri Southern’s Lane Barlow was guarding Cooper closely.

Cooper, who used his quickness all game to drive to the basket, took one dribble in, stepped back one step and swished a 19-footer with three seconds left.

The amazingly clutch basket lifted Northwest to a heart-pumping, thrilling 79-78 victory over Southern Wednesday evening at Bearcat Arena.

“It feels great, especially when you have your family (Bearcat fans) right behind you the whole step of the way,” said Cooper, who finished with a game-high 32 points. “When you go through the things we went through and you can come back and pull games out like that, you are just proud to be a Bearcat.”

The come-from-behind win lifted Northwest to 14-5 overall and 9-1 in the MIAA.

For much of the game, it appeared Southern was going to move into first play. The Lions led by double digits in both halves. But their failure to hang on caused them to drop to 13-3 and 7-2.

The game started decently for Northwest. The Bearcats scored the first four points. Southern scored the next seven. It looked like it was going to be a game in which the two teams traded runs.

The Bearcats grabbed a 10-9 lead on a three-pointer by Cooper. The Lions answered with a layup from Slim Magee, a 6-foot-11 center who weighs only 205 pounds.

Northwest waited a few possessions to respond. It allowed Southern to build a 19-10 lead.

The Bearcats spent the rest of the first half trying to catch up and they failed. Northwest trailed 42-32 at halftime and allowed Southern to make 55 percent of its shots from the field.

“We weren’t tough enough,” said senior center Dillon Starzl. “Coach questioned our toughness at halftime and I think that really got into us. We came out and kind of played well towards the end of the second half and showed that we can play with them.

“We matched their intensity and came out with a victory.”

Initially, the second half looked more of the same. Every time the Bearcats made a push, Southern had an answer. Northwest trailed 59-48 with 12:15 left.

A pessimist might have thought this wasn’t going to be the Bearcats night, end of story.

But this is a different breed of Bearcat. The story was far from finished. With 10 minutes left, Northwest closed to 61-55 on two free throws by Cooper.

“We kept getting it to six and I was thinking we need to get a stop or something,” Starzl said. “They kept pushing it back to 10 and then we finally got the crowd into it.”

A couple of minutes later, the Bearcats drew closer on two more free throws by Cooper, making it 63-59.

Two minutes later, Northwest was within one at 66-65 on a layup by Bryston Williams.

A minute after that, Northwest took its first lead since 10-9 on a layup by Cooper, making it 67-66 with 5:13 left in the game. The 1,945 fans were into it. A fantastic finish was inevitable regardless of the winner.

“We love our fan base,” said junior forward Grant Cozad. “They have believed in us during the 6-0 stretch we have had at home. We are glad they come out and support us. There is a lot of positive energy going around.”

Both teams made plays in the final five minutes. A three-pointer by Cooper gave Northwest a 75-73 lead with 2:28 left. Barlow responded with a three-point play that put Southern back up.

With 58 seconds left, Southern took a 78-77 lead on two free throws by Jordan Talbert.

Each team had a possession and then came Cooper’s heroics. Starzl grabbed a rebound with 10 seconds left, passed the ball to Cooper and Cooper finished with a beautiful, fade-away jumper with 3 seconds left.

“I first thought he (Coach Ben McCollum) was going to call timeout,” Cooper said. “I said, yes, he didn’t call timeout. When I saw him (Barlow) on his heels, I stepped back and hit the shot.”

A shot the Cooper will remember forever.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team played much better offensively in the second half.

The Bearcats limited their turnovers, passed the ball better and attacked the basket with a purpose.

Unfortunately for Northwest, it had no answer for the inside play of Missouri Southern 6-foot-2 center Shonte Clay and 6-1 center Dominique Mosley. The two players combined for 26, second-half points, leading the Lions to an 80-74 victory over Northwest Wednesday evening at Bearcat Arena.

The loss dropped Northwest to 5-12 overall and 2-8 in the MIAA. Southern improved to 13-3 and 7-2.

Northwest coach Michael Smith was disappointed in what he saw from the Bearcats Wednesday evening.

“It started before tonight,” he said. “Unfortunately, our first 10 minutes of this game was our two hour practice (Tuesday) night. It was one of those things we didn’t have the energy we needed.

“Obviously, our focus wasn’t there. We were running plays I have never seen before in the first half. It was a shame because I have been bragging on them a lot lately because of how we’ve been playing.”

Northwest is now in must-win mode if it wants to reach the MIAA Tournament. The Bearcats have a week of practice ahead of them before they return to action Jan. 30 at Lindenwood.

“I really hope so and believe so,” Northwest guard Ariel Easton said about playing with a sense of urgency the rest of the way. “I have said from the beginning that I believe in our team. I know we all have to come together this weekend and put some things together.

“This gives us a chance to regroup and get some new things going. I really think we will come out strong.”

Southern started the second half well, breaking a halftime tie and quickly building a 40-34 lead.

Northwest fought back and actually took a 42-41 lead with 14:42 left on a three-pointer by sophomore Tember Schechinger. The Lions went back in front on an inside basket by Mosley.

Schechinger answered again with a three-pointer that put the Bearcats back in front 45-43 with 14:12 left. It was that last lead for the Bearcats. A three-point play by Southern guard Sharese Jones gave the Lions the lead for good at 46-45.

Northwest stayed within one over the next 5 minutes until the deficit grew to six at 64-58. The Bearcats never got closer than four points the rest of the way.

“Both teams played pretty poorly in the first half,” Easton said. “We came out pretty sluggish and couldn’t create or finish plays.

“The second half we came out and tried to put some more energy into it. It took us awhile to get going.”

Northwest made only six baskets and shot 29 percent from the field but went into halftime tied 29-29.

The Bearcats came up with their best offensive play in the first half in the closing seconds. Ashleigh Nelson drove to the basket and kicked it out to Monique Stevens who made a three-pointer with 1 second left, tying the game.

The rest of the first half was a struggle for the Bearcats. Shots refused to go in. A few traveling calls took away possessions.

Despite the miscues, Northwest managed to stay close because of strong defense and solid free throw shooting.

The only time it appeared the game was slipping away from the Bearcats occurred midway through the first half when they fell behind 17-11.

Northwest slowly clawed its way back and closed to 21-20. It stayed close the rest of the first half. But close is no longer good enough.

“I am absolutely frustrated,” Smith said. “This was the most disappointing loss of our 12 losses just because I felt we had turned the corner both offensively and defensively and that did not show tonight.

“We didn’t play as a team and we didn’t communicate as a team. I think it is time for a little shake up. Next practice we are going to try some new things and go from there.”

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team had five players reach double-figures in an 80-68 victory over Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena. The Bearcats increased their lead in the MIAA standings, improving to 8-1 in league play and 13-5 overall. UCM drops to 14-4 and 6-3 in conference action.

DeShaun Cooper had a team-best 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He had five rebounds to go along with five assists. Dillon Starzl shook of a slow start and finished with 15 points and six rebounds. Conner Crooker and Zach Schneider each had 14 points and Grant Cozad added 10 points off the bench. Cozad finished with a game-high seven rebounds.

Northwest shot 53.3 percent from the field (24-for-45) and hit 8-of-16 from beyond the arc. The Bearcats also converted 24-of-32 times from the line.

UCM tied the game twice in the opening minutes of the game but never again came within striking distance of Northwest. The Bearcats would lead by as many as 19 with 2:36 left in the first half. Northwest lead 39-27 at the break.

In the second half, UCM pulled to within six, 41-35, as Jon Gilliam hit a three pointer. But the Bearcats would respond, pushing the lead back out to double-digits. The win was Northwest’s first victory over UCM since Jan. 14, 2009, when the Bearcats won at home 61-57.

Up next, Northwest will host Missouri Southern on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team fell short in their upset bid over No. 8 Central Missouri Saturday as they fell 67-62.

The Bearcats came out on fire in the first half jumping out to a 14-9 lead in the first five minutes. UCM went on top with 12 minutes to play and went into halftime holding a slim three point lead, 38-35.

Ariel Easton led all scorers in the first half with 12 points as she went 4 for 5 from behind the three point line. Northwest as team shot 58% from three point land as they went 7 for 12.

The UCM defense held the Bearcats to only two points in the first nine minutes of the second half, but Northwest refused to go away and tied it up 47-47 with 7:30 left to play.

It was a back and forth battle in the final minutes of the contest, as the Bearcats took a 54-52 lead with five minutes to play. A lead changed with 3:02 on the clock put UCM back up by two.

Ashleigh Nelson was able to get her team back to within one as she knocked home two foul shots with 1:27 remaining. That was as close as Northwest would get as UCM pulled away in the final minute to claim the 67-62 victory.

Easton would finish with a game high 22 points as she added two rebounds and two steals to her totals.

Annie Mathews and Ashleigh Nelson finished with 14 points and 11 points respectively. Monique Stevens posted nine points to go along with four rebounds and a team high five assists.

The Bearcats move to 5-11, 2-7 on the season and will play host to Missouri Southern Wednesday. Tip-off at Bearcat Arena is scheduled for 5:30 pm.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team set a season high in first half points with 54 as the Bearcats defeated Southwest Baptist on Thursday, 104-69.

Northwest jumped out of the gate on an offensive tear with a 19-4 run. The defense also stepped up in the first half, holding SBU to 32 points on just 35% field goal shooting as they went into halftime with a 54-32 lead.

DeShaun Cooper led the Bearcats in scoring in the first half with 15 points as he was 8-for-8 from the free throw line. As a team, Northwest was 17-of-20 from the line.

The offense did not slow down in the second half as they added another 50 points to their totals for a final score of 104-69 in the victory.

The Bearcats had six players finish with double figures. Cooper led the way with 22 points on the night followed by Bryston Williams who had 18.

Zach Schneider followed up is 19 point performance against Northeastern with 16 points, while pulling down eight rebounds. Conner Crooker, Grant Cozad and Dillon Starzl finished with 15 points, 13 points and 12 points, respectively.

Northwest moves to 12-5 overall and leads the MIAA at 7-1 on the year. The Bearcats will be in action Saturday, at home, as they take on Central Missouri with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team could not complete the comeback as the Bearcats fell to MIAA foe Southwest Baptist on Thursday, 84-72.

SBU started the game by not missing a shot and pulled out to an early 21-5 lead in the first eight minutes of the contest. From then on Northwest was battling to get back in the game.

Northwest shot 41% in the first half compared to SBU who had shot a season high 68% from the floor and headed into halftime with a 16 point lead, 46-30.

Ariel Easton finished the first half leading the Bearcats in scoring with 10 points.

Northwest worked hard in the second half to claw their way back into the game. At one point in the first half the Bearcats were down 23, but with under two minutes to play, Annie Mathews had a steal which led to Ashleigh Nelson scoring on a layup. The lead was cut to five, 73-68.

The Bearcats were unable to pull off the comeback as they fell to SBU 84-72.

Annie Mathews finished one rebound shy of a double-double as she led the team in scoring with 20 points. Easton had 19 points, seven assists and added four rebounds.

Northwest falls to 5-10 overall and 2-6 in MIAA action. The Bearcats will be back in action in Bearcat Arena Saturday as they take on No. 8 Central Missouri with tip-off scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Students returned from Christmas break so the Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team decided to entertain its peers with an upper-level brand of ball that Northeastern State was not prepared to deal with.

Northwest made the RiverHawks look like they went into 600-level course with basketball 101-skills.

What was supposed to have been an early-season, first-place showdown turned into an easy 85-65 rout by Northwest Monday night at Bearcat Arena.

“It definitely feels good to be playing in front of a lot of people and your fellow students and they are pretty loud,” said sophomore Conner Crooker, who finished with a game-high 20 points. “It definitely changes the environment of the game and gives us home court advantage.”

The Bearcats improved to 11-5 overall and 6-1 in the MIAA. Northeastern dropped to 10-4 and 5-2.

Much of the first half, the game was as close as the records indicated it would be. But the Bearcats got hot at the end.

Northwest finished the first half strong. The game was tied 24-24 when Northwest went on a 9-0 run and took a 33-24 lead into halftime.

Cooper made four free throws during the run and freshman Zach Schneider also hit a three-pointer.

“I think the first half we were getting the same shots as the second half, but just weren’t knocking them down,” said Schneider, who finished with 19 points. “We started making the run when we were hitting open shots.”

The first 10 minutes of the second half was basketball at its best for Northwest. It was beautiful, the way the game is meant to be played.

Northwest made the extra pass that led to wide open shots inside and out.

The blowout began with an inside bucket by Dillon Starzl that gave the Bearcats a 36-25 lead. A minute later, sophomore Connor Crooker took advantage of a nice pass and drained a three-pointer to make it 39-25.

After a three-point play by Northeastern, Crooker drilled another three-pointer.

The two teams traded points over the next few minutes and then the Bearcats exploded offensively. They were scoring points in every manner.

The capper came with 13 minutes left when Crooker drove to the hole, passed it to Matt Wallace, who then slipped a pass to Grant Cozad, who laid it in to give Northwest a 57-35 lead.

“That is when we are at our best when we get the ball moving,” said Cozad, who finished with 11 points and five rebounds.

With the big lead, Northwest never let up. The Bearcats kept fighting for offensive rebounds and attacking the basket. It was an amazing performance by the Bearcats.

“We did play pretty well, but I think we can always improve,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “The coach in me says that we can. There were some missed layups and a few turnovers and a few missed rotations.

“For the most part, we played at a high level. Our energy was good. Our concentration was good. We were into the game. It was just a good game.”

There was not much to say about the play of Northeastern. And because this is a website devoted to focusing on the positive aspects of collegiate athletics, no comments will be made about the nearly all black jersey of the RiverHawks.

The Bearcats deserved all the attention Monday night. They shot 60 percent from the field in the second half. Overall, Northwest was 11 for 23 from three-point range.

It was a dominating performance as five Bearcats scored in double figures.

“We have the potential to be a great team,” Cozad said. “We have to find that chemistry with each other. We have it. We show great moments sometimes. We have to keep it consistent.”

— Northwest Sports Information —

The miscues caused Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball coach Michael Smith to walk behind the bench, then to the end of the bench and finally to the water jug.

Smith drank a lot of water in the second half.

But ultimately, the last gulp was sweet because the Bearcats pulled out a 57-51 overtime victory over Northeastern State Monday evening a Bearcat Arena.

“I am ringing wet underneath this jacket right now,” Smith said. “You look at that group we had on the floor the last 10 minutes, they were core kids whohave played together. That was the key thing that I was looking at when things were getting tight at the end of the game. Those kids read each other. Theyknew how to play.

“We had some crucial turnovers at the end, but we also had some big stops and big rebounds as well.”

It was the second conference win of the season for Northwest, which improved to 5-9 overall and 2-5 in the MIAA.

“We knew this was a big game,” Smith said. “I thought it was a must win for our program because we were home, we knew we were going to have the students back. We had a great crowd. I am happy we were able to get this win for them.”

The Bearcats led all but one possession in the first half and maintained a lead in the second half until Northeastern took a 44-43 with 6:35 left on a three-point play by Jamie Jackson.

Like in the first half, Northwest quickly responded and went right back in front on a basket by Ashleigh Nelson. The Bearcats slowly grew their lead to 48-44 with about 2 minutes left.

In the final 2 minutes, Northwest failed to solidify their lead because of a few turnovers. It allowed the RiverHawks to regain the lead on a driving layup by Jackson with 10 seconds left.

To the Bearcats credit, they didn’t panic. They quickly raced down the court. Senior Monique Stevens was fouled on the shot with six seconds left. She made one of two free throws and that sent the game into overtime.

“There are always nerves when the game comes down to you making them or missing them,” said Stevens, who finished with 14 points. “I missed the first one and kind of freaked myself out a little bit. He (Northeastern coach Randy Gipson) called a timeout and I was able to compose myself. I shoot them every day. I went back out a lot calmer and confident that I could hit that shot and get the game into overtime.”

It was all Northwest in the overtime period. Nelson gave Northwest the lead at 51-49.

“We just really believed in each other at the end,” said Nelson, who finished with 14 points and five assists. “We came together and told ourselves we can do it. We been in an overtime situation and the outcome was different. I thinkthis time we were a lot more composed as a team. Even with all our turnovers, we didn’t freak out.”

Annie Mathews, who finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, followed up with a basket to increase the Bearcats lead to four.

Defensively, the Bearcats limited Northeastern to just two points in overtime.

“We had a lot of kids who played who gave us good positive minutes,” Smith said. “And more importantly, I felt our energy near the end of the game from our crowd and from our bench kept us going.”

The RiverHawks only lead in the first half came on a high-arching three-pointer by Fontana Tate to make it 17-16.

The Bearcats scored the next four points, but Tate struck again with her third, three-pointer of the half. Her try tied the game 20-20.

A few minutes later, Stevens matched Tate with her third, three-pointer, which increased Northwest lead to 25-22. Another three-pointer by Ashleigh Nelsonwith 25 seconds left in the first half gave Northwest its biggest lead of the half at 28-22.

Northwest played great defense in the first half, holding the RiverHawks to 25 percent from the field.

— Northwest Sports Information —