By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – So close. Northwest Missouri State’s women’s basketball team led most of the game against Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena. There were many positives in the Bearcats maintaining the advantage.

Northwest played great defense. Freshmen Jaelyn Haggard and Mallory McConkey hit a couple of clutch baskets late in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough. Northwest let the lead slip away in the final minute and fell 57-53.

However, the Bearcats walked off the court encouraged by the significant improvement they made from Thursday.

“I am really proud of the effort they put out there,” Northwest coach Buck Scheel said. “Like I told them in the locker room, it is disappointing to get beat, but I am not disappointed in them whatsoever. I thought we did a tremendous job carrying out our game plan.

“At the end of the day, a couple of their big shots went their way, but I am proud of the execution and effort of our players.”

Northwest held a 12-point lead at halftime and was still in front 42-35 entering the fourth quarter.

The Bronchos, which improved to 6-1, made a charge and closed to 47-45 and that was when Haggard drained a three-pointer to give Northwest a five-point lead with 3:13 left. Haggard finished with a game-high 19 points.

After Central Oklahoma scored, McConkey stepped up and knocked down a shot to put Northwest back in front by five at 52-47.

“It is great to see that,” Scheel said. “It shows me they are out there playing fearless. A lot of times that doesn’t happen until later in a player’s career.”

Northwest fell behind 53-52 with 1:20 left on a three-pointer and couldn’t put together a good offensive possession in the final 80 seconds and that cost the Bearcats the game.

“Young or old, every game is an opportunity to learn,” Scheel said. “It heightens even more in a close game, a conference game with a great crowd. I firmly believe this is something we will grow off of.”

McConkey also liked the growth the Bearcats showed from Thursday’s game.

“We have to keep on doing that,” McConkey said. “That is really important.”

In the first half, Northwest put together its best 20-minute stretch of the season against a quality team. The Bearcats took the lead late in the first quarter and used that momentum to go into halftime ahead 32-20.

“Coming out with a new defense we had, it put a little fire in us to try something different that nobody has seen before,” Haggard said. “I think we executed it really well.

“I think we saw a glimpse of how well we will get later this season.”

After giving up a game-opening three-pointer, the Bearcats locked down on defense and scored the next eight points. It started with a two-point field goal from Meyer followed by a three-pointer from her.

Leading 8-3 with 4:20 left in the first quarter, the Bearcats hit a cold stretch. Central Oklahoma scored the next six points for a 9-8 lead.

Showing a determined resolve, the Bearcats finished the quarter with a three-pointer from junior Mallory McAndrews, sending Northwest into the second quarter with an 11-9 lead.

Early in the second quarter, Northwest got a spark from junior Kaylani Maiava. She hit a three-pointer and on the next offensive possession made two free throws. Her five quick points extended Northwest’s lead to 21-12.

The Bearcats continued to attack on offense. Haggard hit a two pointer and then drilled a three-pointer, capping a 14-0 run that gave Northwest a 26-12 lead.

Northwest shot 57 percent from the field in the second quarter and outscored the Bronchos 21-11. Haggard and senior Tanya Meyer each scored 10 points in the first half. Meyer finished with 12.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – On the first possession of the game, the Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team forced Northeastern State into a shot-clock violation. It signaled just how locked in the Bearcats were for their MIAA opener Thursday evening.

Still, the RiverHawks weren’t prepared for what Northwest was about to unleash at Bearcat Arena in front of 1,305 fans. Northwest quickly got on the scoreboard on a basket from senior Chris-Ebou Ndow off an assist from senior Justin Pitts.

Later, Pitts put on shooting clinic that will be talked about for years or maybe until his next game. As spectacular as his night was, the teamwork by Northwest is the element that got the Bearcats off to such a great start.

Northwest followed the opening basket with a three-pointer from Ndow off an assist from Pitts and that set the pattern for a spectacular first half that saw Northwest score 63 points.

In-your-shirt defense, sharing the ball on offense and scorching hot outside shooting by the Bearcats basically put the game away in the opening 10 minutes. Northwest, ranked No. 1 the NABC coaches poll, took a 39-point lead into halftime and zoomed to an easy 99-56 victory.

“It was a lot of fun to have the fans into it,” Witthus said. “I think it started with our defense, and that is why we had so much confidence in our offense. We were getting stops and turnovers.

“This is what we have to build off of going forward. We have to come out with that mentality every game.”

Northwest, 7-0, returns to action at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Bearcat Arena against Central Oklahoma. The Bearcats probably already realize their next game won’t be as easy. Thursday night was one of those rare occasion when everything went perfectly for Northwest in the first 20 minutes.

“From here on out, conference games are going to be tough,” Pitts said. “Central Oklahoma is a great team. We will have to come prepared on defense and be ready from the start.”

While it was still a game, Ndow, who finished with 16, increased Northwest’s early lead to 8-2 on a three-pointer. A few minutes later, Witthus joined the three-point party with two straight treys to give Northwest a 19-7 lead. Witthus scored 13 points.

“On this team, no one cares about stats,” Witthus said. “Everyone plays together so well that one person may go off one night and another person will go off another night. That is what makes it so much fun. It is truly a family.”

After a traditional three-point play by Northeastern State, the Bearcats went to a ridiculous high level of play. It started with Ndow passing to Witthus who drained his third three-pointer to make it 22-10.

And that set the stage for Mr. Pitts, the reigning national Division II player of the year, to perform like he was auditioning to play Steph Curry in a movie. Pitts nailed four straight three-pointers to push Northwest’s lead to 34-10.

Remember, Northwest was playing defense just as well as offense so the run wasn’t over. The Bearcats scored 10 more points before their 25-0 run ended with them leading 44-10 with 9 minutes left in the first half.

Northwest allowed fans to catch their breath before Pitts put together a first-half closing that left you saying wow. First, he hit his ninth three-pointer of the half and then he closed the half out with a driving, circus layup that dropped through the nets at the buzzer to give Northwest a 63-25 halftime lead.

Pitts trotted into the locker room with 30 points, going 9 for 11 from beyond the arc. The nine three-pointers tied a school record held by sophomore Ryan Welty and current graduate assistant coach Zach Schneider.

In the opening minute of the second half, the single-game record belonged to Pitts when he made his 10th three-pointer.

“I am sure Zach is not going to like that,” said Pitts, who scored 35 points on 11-for-15 shooting from the field, including 10-of-13 from beyond the arc.

“It was fun. I couldn’t do it without my teammates. They get me open and trust me to do the right things. I hit the first couple. Everybody was hitting shots. It was a fun night.”

Northwest continued to play tough defense in the second half. The Bearcats outscored Northeastern State 14-2 in the first 7 minutes of the second half for a 77-27 lead.

The huge lead allowed Northwest coach Ben McCollum to sit his starters the final 10 minutes and that opened the door for players like junior Dray Starzl, sophomores Tyler Dougherty, Kirk Finley and freshmen Ryan Hawkins and Daric Laing to see significant playing time in the second half. Hawkins scored 11, Dougherty had five and Finley chipped in four.

An example of why Northwest plays at such a high level occurred about 20 minutes after the game. When most of players were milling around on the court, talking with family and friends, sophomore Ryan Welty spent five minutes shooting baskets. He missed a couple of shots during the game. Welty was doing early prep work for Saturday’s game.

“Every day in practice we got to keep bringing it,” Pitts said. “We have a great coaching staff who holds us accountable to bring it every day. If we don’t, we will end up losing. I don’t think any of us want that.”

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – A little under five minutes remained when Northwest Missouri State’s women’s basketball team put a scare into Northeastern State Thursday evening at Bearcat Arena.

Senior Tanya Meyer grabbed an offensive rebound and scored, helping Northwest close to four points in the MIAA opener for both teams.

Charged up by the narrow deficit, Northwest continued to play tough defense that helped the Bearcats erase most of an 11-point deficit early in the fourth quarter. Strong defense led to a possession that gave Northwest an opportunity to pull within two or one.

It was not meant to be for the Bearcats. The RiverHakws scored the next six points for a 10-point lead and went on to win 68-57.

Despite the loss, there were some encouraging signs for Northwest. Meyer had a stellar game, scoring 22 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Freshman point guard Jaelyn Haggard showed she has the court vision, ball-handling skill and energy to consistently put a charge in the offense. Haggard finished with 12 points.

Northwest returns to action 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Bearcat Arena against Central Oklahoma.

In the first half, Northwest put together a couple of nice runs in each quarter that helped it go into halftime down only 35-30.

The Bearcats started slowly and quickly fell behind 8-2. A three-pointer by freshman Mallory McConkey and a three-pointer by junior Mallory McAndrews pulled Northwest into an 8-8 tie.

Northwest wasn’t done. A basket by Haggard gave the Bearcats a 10-8 lead. Unfortunately, Northwest was unable to extend its hot streak. Northeastern State closed out the first quarter with nine straight points for a 17-10 lead.

The RiverHawks continued to roll in the second quarter, scoring basket after basket in the paint. Northeastern State stretched its lead to 30-15.

Down 33-23, Northwest heated up in the last two minutes of the second quarter. The Bearcats outscored Northeastern State 7-2 and narrowed the margin to five.

It was a gritty effort by the Bearcats to stay within striking distance. Northwest shot just 27 percent from the field in the first quarter compared to 62 percent for the RiverHawks. But the Bearcats didn’t allow the discrepancy in shooting percentage to discourage them.

— Northwest Athletics —

– The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defeated Missouri Valley, 83-48, on Saturday at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo.
– Northwest improves to 6-0 with the victory. The contest was counted as an exhibition for Missouri Valley, 6-2.
– Justin Pitts scored 21 points in just 27 minutes of action. He had four assists and three rebounds.
– Northwest has now won 40 straight games at home, dating back to the 2014-15 season.
– View the photo album on Facebook.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats shot 48.4 percent (30-62) from the field, hitting on 18-of-31 attempts (58.1 percent) in the first half.
– Northwest committed just six turnovers while Missouri Valley had 22.
– Defensively, the Bearcats had nine steals and held the Vikings to just 17-of-44 (38.6 percent) shooting with just five three pointers.
– Joey Witthus hit three baskets from beyond the arc, finishing with 10 points and two assists.
– Chris-Ebou Ndow grabbed five rebounds and finished with seven points and a pair of steals.
– Ryan Welty hit three three-pointers and had nine points with a steal.
– Tyler Dougherty scored eight points and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. He tied for the team-high with five rebounds, four coming on the offensive end.
– Xavier Kurth grabbed three offensive rebounds, four total rebounds, six points and four assists.

Key Northwest Sequences
– Early in the first half, Northwest took control quickly with an 8-0 run. Witthus hit back-to-back three pointers and Brett Dougherty added a jumper to give the Bearcats an early 13-4 lead.

– With time winding down in the first half, Northwest again used the three-point attack to expand its lead. Pitts hit back-to-back three pointers and Welty drained one from beyond the arc with eight seconds left to play to give the Bearcats a 27 point lead at the break, 52-25.

Up Next
– Northwest will begin MIAA play on Thursday, Nov. 30, as the Bearcats host Northeastern State at 7:30 p.m. in Maryville, Mo.

— MWSU Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team fell to the University of Saint Mary, 81-74, on Saturday at the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph, Mo.
– The game was played as part of the Fairfield Inn & Suites Thanksgiving Classic.
– The Bearcats fall to 1-4 on the season with the loss while the Spires move to 4-4.
– Tanya Meyer scored a season-high 29 points with 11 rebounds. She had a pair of steals and grabbed four offensive rebounds.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The game was tied at 25-25 at halftime.
– Northwest hit 10 three pointers and went 14-of-18 from the charity stripe.
– The Bearcats out rebounded USM, 39-36. Northwest had 14 offensive rebounds and converted those into 18 second chance points.
– The Spires had 15 turnovers with the Bearcats tallying seven steals. Northwest scored 21 points off turnovers.
– Jaelyn Haggard hit four three pointers and finished with 19 points. She had a pair of assists and two rebounds.
– Mallory McConkey blocked three shots defensively. She finished with eight points, five assists and three rebounds.
– Mia Stillman and Mele Tupouata each grabbed five rebounds in the contest.
– Kaylani Maiava had four rebound, two blocked shots and a steal.

Key Northwest Sequence
– The Bearcats jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, going on a 12-2 run. With the game tied, 6-6, McConkey hit a layup and Meyer nailed a jumper to make it 10-6. McConkey would hit another jumper and Meyer added a three pointer with 5:30 left to play in the opening quarter to make it 13-6 Bearcats. After a Spire layup, Mallory McAndrews hit a three off an assist from McConkey to make it 16-8 Northwest.

Up Next
– Northwest will begin MIAA play on Thursday, Nov. 30, as the Bearcats host Northeastern State at 5:30 p.m. in Maryville, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defeated Washburn, 86-78, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday night.

The Bearcats move to 5-0 on the year with the win while Washburn falls to 2-3. The game was counted as a non-MIAA contest.

Justin Pitts led all scorers with 22 points and a season-high nine assists. He added two steals and two rebounds while going 9-of-11 from the free throw line.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats shot 56.6 percent (26-of-46) from the field and hit on 14-of-25 (56 percent) from beyond the arc.

– Northwest had 23 rebounds with two coming on the offensive end.

– Each team committed 12 turnovers.

– The Bearcats blocked four shots and held the Ichabods to just 6-of-20 (30 percent) from three point territory.

– Chris-Ebou Ndow scored 19 points with a team-high seven rebounds. He had a block and an assist.

– Ryan Welty hit all five of his three-point attempts, finishing with 15 points. He had a pair of rebounds.

– Joey Witthus had 13 points with a pair of rebounds and two blocked shots. He was 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

– Ryan Hawkins had five rebounds and added a blocked shot.

Key Northwest Sequence
– Midway through the first half, Washburn took an eight point lead, 29-21, on a jumper by Tyler Geiman. But Northwest responded with a 13-0 run. Witthus started the rally with a layup and then drew a foul the next time down and hit both free throws. After a Washburn turnover, Welty knocked down a three off a feed from Pitts. The Ichabods would turn the ball over again as Northwest regained possession with 5:34 left, trailing 29-28. Kirk Finley missed a bucket inside but Welty tracked down the offensive board and hit a three from the corner to give Northwest the lead, 31-29. Washburn would misfire the next time down and facing a 2-3 zone, Pitts knocked down a three from the top of the arc to put the Bearcats up, 34-29.

Up Next
– Northwest will host Missouri Valley College on Saturday, Nov. 25, at 1 p.m. at Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team fell to Maryville University, 83-63, on Monday evening at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo.

Northwest falls to 1-3 overall while the Saints improve to 3-1.

Tanya Meyer scored 16 points and had a game-high nine rebounds.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats outrebounded Maryville, 35-34. Northwest had 10 offensive rebounds and came away with four steals.

– Jaelyn Haggard added 11 points, going 6-of-7 from the charity stripe.

– Mallory McConkey had 10 points with six rebounds. She also added a pair of assists.

– Arbrie Benson had eight points with three assists.

– Kaylani Maiava had eight points with five rebounds and a blocked shot. She was 4-for-5 on free throw attempts.

– Zoie Hayward was a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.

Up Next
– Northwest will head to St. Joseph, Mo., for a pair of games this weekend. The Bearcats will face Rockhurst at 5:30 p.m. on Friday followed by a 3 p.m. game Saturday against the University of Saint Mary (Kan.).

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University football team fell to Ashland University, 21-18, on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs at Jack Miller Stadium in Ashland, Ohio.

– The Bearcats finish the season with a 9-3 overall record while Ashland (11-1) advances and will host Harding next Saturday.

– Northwest is now 47-16 all time in NCAA playoff games, making 22 total appearances all time.

Key Northwest Defensive Statistics
– For the 12th time this season, the Bearcat defense did not allow an individual runner to go over 100 yards or score a rushing touchdown.

– The Eagles were forced into five turnovers, three coming by way of interception.

– Ashland was just 3-for-13 on third down attempts and 0-for-2 on fourth down.

– Ben Althoff set a career-high with 15 tackles.

– Caleb Mather blocked two punts. He blocked and recovered a ball in the second quarter at the Ashland 36 yard line. He also altered a fourth-quarter punt that traveled just 14 yards.

– Chance Hall had two interceptions on the day and Najeem Hosein had one pick.

– Blake Bayer had nine tackles and Caleb Mather added eight with 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack.

– Linebacker Jarrod Bishop had six tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack.

– Nick Hess had seven tackles with a forced fumble.

Key Northwest Offensive Statistics
– Jonathan Baker ran for a second quarter score and finished the day with 57 passing yards.

– Emanuel Jones had 40 yards of rushing on a team-high 16 attempts.

– Jordan Grove caught three passes for 38 yards with a touchdown from Zach Martin in the fourth quarter.

– Quincy Woods caught four passes for 33 yards.

Northwest Scoring Drives
– Northwest’s first score came on a 22 yard field goal by Parker Sampson. Hall’s first interception of the day gave the Bearcats the ball on their own 47 yard line after Ashland was driving. The drive was helped by a pass interference call on the Eagles that moved the ball down to the Ashland 32 yard line.

– On the ensuing drive, Marcus Jones forced a fumble that Ben Spaeth was able to recover for Northwest at the Eagles’ 17 yard line. four plays later, Baker called his own number and ran in the score from three yards out to make it 10-7 Bearcats in the second quarter.

– Midway through the fourth quarter, Hess was able to force a fumble that Edward Richey recovered at the Ashland 37. Two plays later, Martin found Grove on a 35 yard touchdown strike to make it 21-16. The Bearcats decided to go for two and after the first play was negated due to a penalty, Baker ran the ball in from the one, making the score 21-18 Ashland.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State’s men’s basketball team stared at a seven-point deficit early in the first half. No problem. The Bearcats unleashed their most potent offensive attack so far in this young season.

Northwest zoomed past Truman State midway through the first half, increased its lead to 21 early in the second half and cruised to a 90-70 victory Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena. Northwest, ranked No. 1 in Division II, improved to 4-0.

“A lot of times when we start off slow, it is our defense,” said senior Xavier Kurth, who finished with 14 points. “Our offense is really not a problem. We might miss a couple of shots, but it really starts for us on defense.

“Our job is to provide that spark on defense. I tried my best to shut down their leading scorer and cause some chaos.”

Everybody who stepped on the court for Northwest contributed on offense. One of the Bearcats finding his scoring mojo was Kurth, who also sparkled on defense. His most notable play came with 10 minutes left in the game. Northwest held a 73-54 lead and was in complete control. Northwest missed a shot and Truman State grabbed the rebound under the basket.

Kurth didn’t give up on the possession. He ripped the ball out of the Truman State player’s hands and kicked the ball back outside. Kurth got the ball back and scored, making it 75-54.

Another player who rose up and had his best game in a Bearcat uniform was junior Joey Witthus. He made four three-pointers in the first half that contributed to the comeback and finished with 18 points.

“It felt great,” Witthus said. “I give credit to my teammates. They continue to put their trust in me that I am going to hit the open shot when I am open. They found me when I was open. I give all the credit to them.”

And then there was senior Chris-Ebou Ndow. Truman State needed some Duke players to show up at Bearcat Arena to stop him. Ndow drilled three-pointers and drove strong to the basket for points in the paint. Ndow finished with 14 points.

“We are starting to learn each other’s strengths,” Kurth said. “We have a lot of new guys getting into the rotation this year. We are learning how to play together. I’m excited to see what this year brings for us.”

From the start of the second half, it was obvious Truman State didn’t have a chance. Northwest took at 47-36 lead into halftime, and the program’s all-time leading scorer, Justin Pitts, only had four points. Pitts, though, finished with 20 points.

“We have so many weapons that it could be him (Pitts) one night,” Witthus said. “It could be Chris another night and Xavier another night. There are so many weapons we have on offense that nobody worries about getting theirs because we all trust in each other to score on offense.”

The Bearcats got Pitts involved early in the second half. A backdoor cut by Pitts and a perfect bounce pass from senior Brett Dougherty led to an easy layup that made it 49-36.

After Truman State scored, Pitts drilled a three-pointer and Witthus followed with a three-pointer, making it 55-38. Northwest held a double-digit lead the rest of the game.

“Joey is big for us,” Kurth said. “He can set screens and can drive and he can pop them if you leave him open.”

The first half started with Northwest briefly stunned by the seven straight shots Truman State knocked down that put the Bearcats in a 15-8 hole.

The aggressive play by Kurth helped the Bearcats quickly climb above the break-even point. His strong moves to the basket awakened the Bearcats on both ends of the floor.

One of the strong moves by Kurth led to two free throws, which he made. It help Northwest close to 17-14. The Bearcats tied the game at 17-17 on the next possession on a three-pointer by freshman Ryan Hawkins with 13:14 left in the first half.

Three minutes later, Northwest took its first lead at 24-21 on three-pointer by Witthus. The Bearcats then had a 4-minutes stretch in which they hit three-pointer after three-pointer. Ndow had two. Witthus added his fourth three-pointer of the half that increased Northwest’s lead to 35-26 with 6:25 remaining.

Northwest stayed hot and built a 47-31 lead late in the first half. Truman State closed out the half by scoring the last five points, but the Bulldogs still went into halftime down double-digits.

Defensively, the Bearcats struggled some. But give credit to Truman State for knocking down shot after shot. The Bulldogs went 15 for 23 from the field in the first half for a blistering 65.2 percent.

Northwest was nearly as good on offense, going 16 for 28 from the field for 57.1 percent, and that included eight for 14 from beyond the arc.

It was a well-rounded offensive attack for the Bearcats. Kurth and Dougherty provided the offense in the paint with strong moves to the class. Witthus, Ndow, Hawkins and sophomore Ryan Welty drilled shots on the outside.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Two hours before tipoff for Northwest Missouri State’s home-opener at Bearcat Arena, men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum stood in the tunnel and remarked how Metro State’s pressing zone defense will pose some problems for his squad.

McCollum’s words weren’t coach speak. He knows he has a good squad. After all, the Bearcats, the defending national champions with three returning starters, won their first two games.

But McCollum realized it was going to take a while for his squad to figure out the Roadrunners’ defense that at times was as tricky as solving a Rubik’s Cube. For millennials, the Rubik’s Cube was a toy that became hugely popular in the early 1980’s.

As it turns out, seniors Justin Pitts and Chris-Ebou Ndow and sophomore Ryan Welty all know about the Rubik’s Cube, which probably shouldn’t be surprising in the Google world we live in. However, two of the players admitted they don’t know how to solve it.

Oh, back to the home-opener Friday evening. Northwest solved the defensive puzzle applied by Metro State and overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to win 69-58.

“You have to compete to win,” McCollum said. “We didn’t have a great week of practice. We weren’t locked in. You could see that tonight when we got beat on some back cuts. It was just a lot of little things we didn’t do. We did get a lot tougher in the second half, defensively in particular, getting rebounds and finishing plays.”

Behind their salty defense, the Bearcats improved their efficiency on offense in the second half to put the Roadrunners away. The second-half comeback started immediately with two free throws by Welty.

After Metro State scored, Pitts answered with a basket. He finished with 20 points and became the first player in the program’s history to score 2,000 points.

“It mean’s a lot,” Pitts said. “I never thought I could do something like this coming out of high school. I have been surrounded by such great teammates and coaches that give me the confidence. I am sure I will enjoy it a lot more after the season.”

As nice as that accolade was for Pitts, he knows that the success of Northwest is built on team play.

“It helps us a lot,” Pitts said of team play. “Coach gets on us a lot in practice that we have to be together the whole game or we will end up losing. They (Roadrunners) came out hard and played us tough every minute.”

Team play and a couple of three-point daggers by Welty turned the momentum in Northwest’s favor. Welty’s second trey closed the gap to 43-41 with 16:28 left.

“He is a big-time three-maker,” Pitts said. “He always hits them at the right time.”

Two minutes later, Northwest took the lead for good at 46-45 on a three-pointer by freshman Ryan Hawkins.

Metro State managed to stay close over the next six minutes. Northwest started to build separation on a three-point play by Pitts that made it 55-51 with 8 minutes left. Ndow followed with two free throws.

“We started to be more aggressive,” said Ndow, who finished with 19 points. “Obviously, against a press team, you kind of get on your heels a little bit. We have a lot of new guys who are not used to it.

“Coming out in the second half and attacking the press meant we were going to get a lot of open shots. We knocked them down in the second half.”

With 3 minutes left, Ndow hit a three-pointer that gave Northwest a 62-53 lead. And the game was safely in the Bearcats’ hands when Pitts hit a three-pointer with 2:25 remaining that made it 65-55.

“We started slowing it down; we actually started getting a lot of stops and that helped our offense,” said Welty, who finished with 12 points. “This was big. “It is always good to overcome adversity. It was a good win for us.”

The combination of hot shooting from Cameron Williams and a full court, trapping zone defense by Metro State sent Northwest into halftime behind 39-31.

The Bearcats started well, getting three-pointers from senior Ndow and junior Joey Witthus for an early 6-2 lead.

A three-point play by senior Brett Dougherty kept Northwest ahead. The lead blossomed to 13-7. From that point on, Northwest struggled to find an offensive rhythm. Three-pointers rimmed out for the Bearcats. Other times, Northwest turned the ball over.

Metro State took advantaged and scored the next eight points for a 15-13 lead. It looked like momentum was going to switch back to Northwest’s side when Welty dunked to tie the game at 19-19 with 8:30 left in the first half.

Northwest, though, never took off. Later in the first half, Williams drilled a couple of three-pointers. His second one extended the Roadrunners lead to 35-26. Williams scored 15 points in the first half, going six for 10 from the field. He finished with a game-high 21 points.

Ndow provided consistent offense for Northwest, making four of seven shots from the field for 12 points.

The big difference in the first half was Metro State going six for nine from beyond the arc while Northwest was four for 13 and had seven turnovers. The Bearcats turned the ball over only three times in the second half.

“In the second half, we just knew we had to play Bearcat basketball,” Ndow said.

— Northwest Athletics —