The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team fell to Fort Hays State, 75-46, on Saturday afternoon at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kan.

– The Bearcats fall to 1-17 overall and 0-10 in MIAA play. The Tigers improve to 14-4 on the year and 5-4 in conference action.

– Kaylani Maiava scored a career-high 13 points and tied a career-best with nine rebounds, two coming on the offensive end. She added a steal and a block.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest hit 12-of-13 attempts from the free throw line.

– Kylie Coleman was 5-for-6 at the free throw line, finishing with seven points, two rebounds and two assists.

– Mele Tupouata had a season-high five points and grabbed four rebounds.

Up Next
– Northwest will host Missouri Western on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 1:30 p.m. at Bearcat Arena.

— Associated Press —

The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team fell to Nebraska-Kearney, 66-59, on Thursday at the UNK Sports and Health Center in Kearney, Neb.

– Northwest falls to 15-2 on the year and 7-2 in MIAA play. The Lopers improve to 7-10 overall and 3-5 in conference action.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest shot 15-of-19 from the free throw line (78.9 percent).

– The Bearcats outscored the Lopers in the paint, 30-22.

– Northwest forced 12 UNK turnovers, leading to 15 points.

– Justin Pitts scored 14 points with three rebounds and two assists. He had one steal and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

– Chris-Ebou Ndow had 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds. He added two steals and an assist.

– Brett Dougherty had 11 points with six rebounds and a blocked shot.

Up Next
– Northwest will head to Hays, Kan., to take on Fort Hays State on Saturday at 4 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team fell in double overtime to Nebraska-Kearney, 88-79, on Thursday at the UNK Sports and Health Center in Kearney, Neb.

– Northwest falls to 1-16 overall and 0-9 in MIAA play. The Lopers improve to 13-3 overall and 5-3 in conference action.

– Tanya Meyer finished with a team-high 27 points with 14 rebounds, marking her sixth double-double of the year.

– The overtime game marked the first under head coach Buck Scheel. The last Bearcat overtime game came back in 2015 against Missouri Southern on Feb. 11.

– The last double-overtime game Northwest played in was back on Feb. 8, 2010, against Pittsburg State.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest shot 43.5 percent from the field (30-69) and hit 12-of-33 three point attempts (36.5 percent).

– UNK shot 25-of-37 from the free throw line while Northwest was 7-for-10.

– For Meyer, she surpassed the 20 point barrier for the sixth time this season and 19th time in her career. It was also the seventh game this season she has had double-digit rebounds and the 19th time overall.

– Jaelyn Haggard set a career-high with six assists. She finished with 15 points, hitting three three-pointers.

– Mallory McAndrews hit four three pointers and finished with 12 points. She had a career-high six assists with a pair of rebounds.

– Mallory McConkey had 12 points, six rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal.

– Kaylani Maiava had a career-best nine rebounds to go along with four points and a blocked shot.

– Maria Dentlinger was 2-for-2 from the field, finishing with four points and four rebounds. She also added a block and an assist.

Up Next
– Northwest will head to Hays, Kan., to take on Fort Hays State on Saturday at 2 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defeated Central Missouri, 70-61, on Monday at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo.

– Northwest improves to 15-1 on the year and 7-1 in MIAA play. The Mules fall to 13-3 overall and 5-2 in conference action.

– Justin Pitts scored a game-high 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He hit six three pointers and added five assists. It was his fourth game this season scoring at least 30 points.

– Central Missouri led for a majority of the first half before Northwest took control and led for the entirety of the second half.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest shot 56.8 percent (25-44) from the field and hit on 12-of-27 (44.4 percent) from beyond the arc.

– The Bearcats forced 11 UCM turnovers and had three steals.

– Northwest got three offensive rebounds a converted all three chances in to baskets, outscoring the Mules, 7-0, in second chance points.

– Chris-Ebou Ndow grabbed a team-high six rebounds and scored 12 points, hitting a pair of three pointers.

– Brett Dougherty scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. He grabbed four rebounds and added three assists.

– Xavier Kurth was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field including a three pointer. He had seven points on the afternoon.

– Ryan Welty knocked down a pair of three-pointers and finished with six points and an assist.

Key Northwest Sequence
– Northwest took control of the game with a 13-0 run that started at the end of the first half and extended nearly three minutes into the second. After a Brett Dougherty layup that tied the game, the Bearcats got three points before halftime after a foul on UCM turned into a bench technical, making it 34-31 Northwest at the break.

Out of halftime, Kurth nailed a three pointer and Ndow hit another long range bomb to push the lead to 40-31. a pair of Pitts free throws capped the 13-point run as the Bearcat lead never dipped below six points for the remainder of the game.

Up Next
– Northwest heads to Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday, Jan. 18, to face the Lopers at 7:30 p.m. in Kearney, Neb.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team fell to Central Missouri, 74-58, on Monday at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo.

The Bearcats fall to 1-15 overall and 0-8 in MIAA play. The No.12 ranked Jennies improve to 13-1 overall and 7-0 in conference action.

Jaelyn Haggard scored a game high 21 points, with four rebounds and two assist for the Bearcats.

Key Northwest Statistics
– UCM held just a 34-31 advantage at the half. Northwest outscored Central Missouri, 15-12 in the second quarter.

– The Bearcats grabbed 15 offensive rebounds leading to 12 second chance points.

– Northwest out rebounded the Jennies 38 to 36.

– Tanya Meyer had a game high of 11 rebounds to go along with nine points and two steals.

– Kaylani Maiava grabbed seven rebounds and added eight points on 4-of-9 shooting. She had a steal and an assist.

– Mallory McConkey had four rebounds and added two assists with a blocked shot.

– Mallory McAndrews had a pair of three pointers and finished with a pair of assists.

Up Next
– Northwest heads to Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday, Jan. 18, to face the Lopers at 5:30 p.m. in Kearney, Neb.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defeated Southwest Baptist, 78-46, on Saturday at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo.

– Northwest improved to 14-1 overall and 6-1 in MIAA play. Southwest Baptist falls to 9-6 and 3-3 in conference action.

– Xavier Kurth tied a career-high with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He was a perfect 3-for-3 on three point attempts and added four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

– Northwest held SBU to just 15-of-39 shooting (38.5 percent) and forced 20 turnovers. Northwest held a 29-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest hit 47.4 percent of its field goal attempts (27-57) and hit 12-of-26 on three point attempts (46.2 percent).

– At halftime, Northwest led 40-21, and pushed its lead to 36 points late in the second half.

– Southwest Baptist never led and Northwest outscored SBU’s bench, 24-9.

– In the rebound battle, Northwest had 31 including 11 offensive boards to Southwest Baptist’s 29 rebounds.

– SBU committed 20 turnovers while Northwest had just eight turnovers on the day.

– Chris-Ebou Ndow had 13 points with two rebounds. He added a block and a steal.

– Joey Witthus nailed four three-pointers and finished the day with 12 points, three rebounds and one assist.

– For the third time in his career, Justin Pitts hit double-digits in assists, finishing with 1-0 and two rebounds.

– Brett Dougherty had nine points and seven rebounds, dishing off two assists with a steal.

Key Northwest Sequence
– Northwest jumped out to an early lead, scoring 21 of the game’s first 25 points. Kurth scored seven points in the stretch with two assists coming from Pitts. Ndow, Witthus and Kurth all connected from the outside as the lead grew to 21-4 with 11:52 to play. Southwest Baptist was never able to get on track, committing three turnovers while shooting 2-for-7 from the field.

Up Next
– Northwest will host Central Missouri in a rescheduled game on Monday, Jan. 15, at 3:30 p.m. at Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team fell to Southwest Baptist, 75-70, on Saturday at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo.

– Northwest falls to 1-14 overall and 0-7 in MIAA play. Southwest Baptist improves to 9-6 overall and 1-5 in conference play.

– Mallory McAndrews hit six three pointers and finished the day with 18 points and two rebounds.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest shot 45.5 percent from the field (25-55) and were 12-for-23 from beyond the arc (52.2 percent).

– Northwest held a 39-32 lead at halftime and led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter.

– Tanya Meyer had 14 points, five rebounds and two assists.

– Jaelyn Haggard had 12 points with four assists, three steals and two rebounds.

– Kylie Coleman came up one point short of her career high, scoring 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting. She added two rebounds and hit two three pointers.

– Zoie Hayward had seven points with five rebounds and two assists.

Up Next
– Northwest will host Central Missouri in a rescheduled game on Monday, Jan. 15, at 1:30 p.m. at Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University Director of Athletics, Mel Tjeerdsma, has been selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame by The National Football Foundation (NFF). Tjeerdsma is one of three coaches, along with 10 former players, in the 2018 class. The announcement was made by the NFF on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Monday morning.

“Being part of the 2018 class of the NFF College Football Hall of Fame is almost beyond my imagination,” said Tjeerdsma. “This honor is really made possible through the cumulative efforts of so many coaches and student athletes that have been a part of my career as well as the love and support of my family. I’m looking forward to this year and all of the events that go along with the award.”

Tjeerdsma started coaching football at Northwest in 1994 and led the team to 183 victories in 17 seasons. After retiring from coaching in 2010, he returned in April of 2013 as the Bearcats’ Director of Athletics.

As a coach, Tjeerdsma captured three NCAA Division II National Championships (1998, 1999, 2009) and won 12 MIAA conference titles. He is a four-time American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year honoree and was named MIAA Coach of the Year 12 times. He was the 2009 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year and has been inducted into the Division II Football Hall of Fame, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame and the Northwest Missouri State M-Club Hall of Fame. In 2009, he was awarded the FCA Grant Teaff Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tjeerdsma’s teams featured seven academic All-Americans in his last seven years as coach and he had two Ken B. Jones Award winners in his last five years, recognizing the top male student-athlete in the MIAA, as well as one National Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In 2011, Tjeerdsma coached Team USA to a world championship at the International Federation of American Football World Cup in Austria.

As Director of Athletics, Tjeerdsma has overseen three NCAA Division II football national championships (2013, 2015, 2016) and the school’s first men’s basketball national championship (2017). The Bearcats became the first NCAA Division II school to capture both the football and men’s basketball national championship in the same academic year.

Tjeerdsma earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Southern (S.D.) State College in 1967 and a master’s degree from Northwest in 1977. He and his wife, Carol, have three married daughters and eight grandchildren.

The College Football Hall of Fame was established in 1951. Candidates who meet Hall of Fame criteria are nominated and confirmed by the District Screening Committee (DSC). From there, the top vote getters are forwarded to the National Football Foundation staff to be included in the national ballot. The ballot of players and coaches is mailed to all dues-paying members of The National Football Foundation for a member vote.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defeated Pittsburg State, 84-58, on Saturday at John Lance Arena in Pittsburg, Kan.

– The Bearcats move to 13-1 on the year and 5-1 in MIAA play. The Gorillas fall to 9-6 overall and 2-4 in conference action.

– Justin Pitts scored 23 points with eight assists, five rebounds and three steals.

– Joey Witthus tied a season-high with 18 points, hitting four times from beyond the arc.

– Brett Dougherty was 9-for-10 from the field with four rebounds, two assists and a steal, finishing with a career-high 19 points.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest shot an even 50 percent from the field, hitting 31-of-62 attempts. The Gorillas were held to just 19-for-54 (35.2 percent) from the field.
– The Bearcats trailed, 35-34 at halftime. In the second, Pittsburg State managed just 23 points on 9-of-30 shooting.
– The Bearcats forced 11 Pittsburg State turnovers and out-rebounded the Gorillas, 41-29, including at 12-7 advantage on the offensive boards.
– Seven different Northwest players scored at least two points and eight players had at least two rebounds.
– The eight assists by Pitts matches his second-highest performance this season.
– Northwest was 16-for-20 (80 percent) from the free throw line.
– Xavier Kurth grabbed six rebounds and added nine points on 4-of-6 shooting.
– Chris-Ebou Ndow grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, adding nine points. It marked his 13th career double-digit rebound performance and his fourth this year.
– Ryan Hawkins had four points, four rebounds and added an assist.
– Ryan Welty hit both of his free throw attempts and grabbed four rebounds to go along with an assist.

Key Northwest Sequence
– Holding just a one point lead early in the second half, Northwest went on 14-2 run to pull away from the Gorillas. In fact, Pittsburg State was held scoreless for over a five-minute stretch as the Bearcats built a double-digit lead. The Gorillas managed to get a bucket from Jabari Antwine with 9:48 left to halt the run momentarily. But after the teams traded baskets again, Northwest went on another 9-0 run to make it 65-45. For nearly 10 minutes midway through the second half, the Bearcats went on a 25-6 run, sparked by 11 points and three assists from Pitts.

Up Next
– The Bearcats will host Central Missouri on Thursday, Jan. 11, at 5:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team fell to Pittsburg State, 78-53, on Saturday at John Lance Arena in Pittsburg, Kan.

– Northwest falls to 1-13 on the year and 0-6 in MIAA play. The Gorillas improve to 11-4 overall and 4-2 in conference action.

– Tanya Meyer scored 14 points with eight rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats held a 19-12 lead after the first quarter and committed a season-low nine turnovers.
– Northwest hit 5-of-6 free throw attempts and hit six three pointers.
– Kaylani Maiava had 10 points and three rebounds. She also blocked a pair of shots.
– Jaelyn Haggard had nine points and one three pointer.
– Mallory McConkey had eight points and had a pair of rebounds.
– Macy Williams hit a pair of three pointers and finished with eight points. She had two rebounds and two assists.
– Mallory McAndrews had a team-high four assists.

Key Northwest Sequence
– Early in the first half, Pittsburg State jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead. But the Bearcats would go on a 16-5 run to take the lead, an advantage Northwest would hold for nearly 10 minutes in the first and second quarters. The Bearcats hit a pair of three pointers during the run and Meyer scored seven points. Northwest would lead by as many as seven, 23-16, early into the second quarter.

Up Next
– The Bearcats return home to host Central Missouri on Thursday, Jan. 11, at 5:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —