By David Boyce

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – After missing the last two games with an injury, junior Tanya Meyer returned for the Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team and played well.

But Meyer’s game-high 22 points were not enough to counter the balanced scoring from the University of Central Missouri. Four players scored in double figures for the Jennies in their 66-42 win over Northwest Thursday evening at the Multipurpose Building.

“For her first game back after being out a week or so, you could tell she was a little rusty. But she was doing everything she could do, but she can’t do it by herself,” Northwest coach Buck Scheel said. “We talked about that in the locker room. Until everybody is on the same page and have that same drive and competitiveness across the board, we are not going to give ourselves a chance.”

Northwest will regroup Friday and then take on Southwest Baptist Saturday afternoon in Bolivar, Mo.

“They have to come out and compete,” Scheel said. “I feel like right now we are scared to lose. That is kind of how we play when we are out on the floor.”

Central Missouri was on top of its game, scoring inside and hitting three-pointers when they were available. The diverse offense helped the Jennies build a 60-35 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Bearcats didn’t quit. Despite the deficit, they kept battling and scored the next five points to make it 60-40.

Defensively, Northwest made it more difficult for Central Missouri to score, but the deficit was too much to overcome for the Bearcats.

“Nine losses in a row now, and we are playing like we are scared,” Scheel said. “You have to fight through that, and get through that adversity and want to compete.”

When Jasmin Howe’s three-point attempt bounced up and around the rim before falling in, it looked like a good sign for the Bearcats that fortune was on their side. The trey gave Northwest a 5-4 lead.

Unfortunately, the Bearcats never led again and went into halftime behind 36-21.

Offense was hard for Northwest to generate, particularly in the first quarter when it scored only nine points.

Meanwhile, Central had plenty of success driving to the basket and scoring. The Bearcats went into the second quarter trailing 19-9.

The only consistent offense for Northwest came from Meyer, who scored 12 of the Bearcats’ 21 points in the first half. In contrast, Central had four players who scored six or more points.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The first points of the game gave clear indication the mentality Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team was bringing into Saturday evening’s game against Pittsburg State at Bearcat Arena.

Xavier Kurth, a 6-foot-2 junior guard, attacked the offensive glass and put the ball back in for the score. After Pitt State tied the game, Northwest 6-7 junior forward Brett Dougherty, went strong to the basket to put the Bearcats back in front.

“It makes it a lot easier at the post when he (Dougherty) and D Mo (D’Vante Mosby) are attacking,” said Justin Pitts, who finished with a game-high 22 points. “It makes it a lot easier for everybody. It opens all the lanes up.”

Throughout the first half, Northwest attacked the basket to build a 15-point halftime lead. The Bearcats rode that comfortable cushion to a 77-50 victory. Northwest improved to 14-0 overall and 6-0 in the MIAA.

“Brett made some good plays early on and was finishing around the rim,” said Northwest associate head coach Austin Meyer said. “He was the one bright spot for us early.

“We eventually turned it around. We always say it starts with our defensive intensity. When we are getting after it and flying around, we are pretty good in all areas.”

The Gorillas played hard and they took an 8-6 lead less than 5 minutes into the game. It caused Northwest coach Ben McCollum to call timeout. The Bearcats responded by scoring the next eight points for a 14-8 lead. Northwest never trailed again.

“His message was we weren’t into the game,” Meyer said. “We flat out didn’t come out ready. He addressed that. He wanted to send that message you got to come ready to go every game no matter who it is.”

Northwest slowly increased its lead, going from a 21-15 advantage to 27-15 lead. None of the 27 points came on a three-pointer.

“We got stops,” Dougherty said. “Offensively, we didn’t have the flow we usually have. On the defensive end, we got it done that way.”

Near the end of the first half, Pitts put on a show, driving to the basket and scoring on a dazzling array of layups. Pitts, who is 5-9, was undaunted attacking opposing Pitt State players who were much taller than him.

One sequence in the closing minutes had Pitts scoring on two three-point plays. The only three-pointer in the entire first half came with just a minute left. The shock clock was near zero when the ball landed in Pitts hands 35 feet from the basket. He tossed in a high-arching three-pointer that made it 40-25. Pitts finished the first half with 20 points.

Kurth, stepping in for the injured Anthony Woods, played well the entire game. He finished 18 points and seven rebounds.

“I noticed Xavier started playing well in practice a couple of weeks ago,” Pitts said. “I knew with Anthony out, he was going to step up. He has been killing it the last two games. That is what we needed with Anthony out.”

The Bearcats came out in the second half and scored the first four points.

Defensively, Northwest was even better. The Bearcats limited Pitt State to one three-pointer in the first six minutes of the second half. It allowed Northwest to grow its lead to 48-28.

“That was huge,” Meyer said. “If we can come out with our foot on the throttle right out of the gates, it is big for us.”

Unlike some teams the Bearcats have faced this season, Pitt State didn’t wilt. The Gorillas continued to play hard on both ends of the floor and they were rewarded by closing to 48-32.

Northwest prevented a true shift in momentum when Zach Schneider drilled a three-pointer, pushing the Bearcats’ lead to 51-32. It was only the second three-pointer of the game for Northwest.

With 10 minutes left, Northwest led 58-36 and was making it awfully tough for Pitt State to get easy looks for baskets.

The Bearcats continued to play so well that with 5 minutes left, reserves Grant Graham, Tyler Dougherty, Kirk Finley and Dray Starzl were able to get playing time. And they sparked a 7-0 run.

“We told them this is your chance to be on the floor and have actual game film that we can go back and watch,” Meyer said. “That is going to be huge for those guys moving forward. Sometimes when teams put those guys in, it is fun time.

“We want it to be get-better time and give us good film for those guys who are going to continue to develop and get better throughout the year.”

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State’s women’s basketball team gave up the first 10 points to Pittsburg State and that was too many against the sixth-ranked team in the country.

The Bearcats spent the rest of the game trying to erase the early, 10-point deficit and never quite made it, falling 80-54 Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena.

“That wasn’t the team I coached last Thursday and it wasn’t the team I coached in practice yesterday. But it was the team at shoot around this morning,” Northwest coach Buck Scheel said. “We were very low energy and not dialed in, and that is unacceptable.

“After we played a tough game and really competed on Thursday night, we come in Saturday against a team like Pitt State and had nothing to lose, but you can’t just walk out on the floor.”

Once again, there were several bright spots for Northwest in its comeback attempt in the first half. A three-pointer by Macy Williams midway through the first quarter closed the gap to 10-6.

Later in the first quarter, Arbrie Benson made several drives for layups. Her last one in the first quarter made it 15-10 and prompted Pitt State coach Lane Lord to call timeout.

In the second quarter, Carlie Wilhelmi got hot, making three field goals in a 2-minute span. Her third one sliced a double-digit deficit back to single digits at 27-18.

Unfortunately, Northwest gave up the last six points in the second quarter and went into halftime trailing 35-20.

Even though Pitt State extended its lead in the second half, Northwest kept battling. Williams made aggressive drives to the basket and scored 18 points in the second half. She finished with 23.

“Tonight, I thought Macy Williams was the only one out there for the majority of the game that didn’t want to lose,” Scheel said. “You could just tell by how aggressive she was being. “She was out there ready to fight.”

Junior Caitlin Sudduth had her best half in a Bearcat uniform, scoring six points.

Pitt State, though, was too strong in the paint. Every time Northwest generated some momentum, the Gorillas came down and scored a layup.

“You got to be able to make those adjustments, and handle adversity,” Scheel said. “We have some kids who handle adversity well, and we have some kids who don’t handle adversity well.”

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce

MARYVLLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State’s men’s basketball team took sole possession of first place in the MIAA with an efficient, yet beautiful brand of basketball Thursday evening at Bearcat Arena.

Tied at 4-0 in conference with Missouri Southern, the Bearcats bolted to an 18-point halftime lead and methodically increased it to 26 with 8 minutes left on the way to an impressive 90-68 victory.

Northwest, ranked No. 1 in the NABC top 25, improved to 13-0 overall and 5-0 in the MIAA. Southern dropped to 10-4 and 4-1.

“It is unbelievable,” said junior Xavier Kurth. “At the beginning of the season it is what we strive for to be first in the country. To be first place in conference right now is huge for us.”

The Bearcats played without starting guard Anthony Woods who was nursing an injury. It didn’t matter. Kurth replaced Woods in the lineup and turned in career-highs in points with 15 and rebounds with 13.

In all, five Bearcats scored in double figures, led by Justin Pitts’ 24 points.

Kurth exemplified the strength of Northwest. The Bearcats are a team that plays together regardless of who is on the court.

“He was awesome,” Northwest associate head coach Austin Meyer said. “The job he did defensively and his rebounding was huge. He made solid plays. We are happy for him. With Woods out, this was his chance to shine, and he was awesome tonight.”

Another example of that team trait occurred early in the second half when freshman forward Ryan Welty picked up his fourth foul. Welty scored 11 points in the first half and has quickly become a key component in the Bearcats’ attack.

When Welty left the game, Northwest’s lead had slipped to 52-38 and the offense was a just a little off. Instead of relying on the outside shot, the Bearcats started making cuts to the basket. Kurth scored a couple of layups to increase the lead to 58-40. Pitts followed with a layup to make it 60-40.

“A lot of what coach Mac (Ben McCollum) preaches is don’t do anything outside yourself,” Kurth said. “Do you, but do you a little bit better then you have before. That is what I tried to focus on tonight.”

Northwest kept attacking the basket and making layups, which prevented Southern from cutting into the lead.

“We knew they were going to deny our passes the whole game,” Meyer said. “We knew every pass was going to be tough. Anytime we make a pass, shorten the pass and take care of it. It kind of turned into a drive game and that was the plan.”

For the game, the Bearcats shot 55 percent from the field and showed one of the top teams in the MIAA that they can score just as easily inside as they can outside.

“We had some really good practices coming into this game,” Welty said. “We knew they were going to pressure us. We did a really good job of handling their pressure. Our defense was unbelievable. Chris-Ebou Ndow did a really great job on their point guard. It was a team effort.”

The Bearcats put together offensive stretches in the first half to build a 50-32 halftime lead that were simply scintillating. Northwest quickly raced to a 16-7 lead thanks to some daring drives to the baskets for layups from Pitts.

“Justin set the tempo early with all those easy baskets,” Meyer said. “We knew that was going to be available.”

The action really became fun to watch after the initial burst.

Welty dropped in a three-pointer to make it 19-10. Welty is currently making three-pointers appear as easy as layups. His first trey Thursday night gave him a MIAA-record 16 of straight made three-pointers.

“It is just a record, but I don’t really care about the record,” said Welty, who finished with 13 points. “I am here to win games and win national championships. That is all that matters to me.”

Meyer, who was once the standard bearer for three-point shooting at Northwest, is able to appreciate what Welty has already accomplished.

“It is unbelievable,” Meyer said. “We knew he was a shooter. He works at it.”

D’Vonte Mosby followed Welty’s three-pointer with a traditional three-point play grew Northwest’s lead to 22-10. Northwest added four more points to increase its lead to 26-10.

A little later in the first half, Northwest put together a play that truly demonstrated its unselfish play. Pitts drove by his man, passed to junior forward Brett Dougherty inside who then kicked it to Welty on the wing. Welty drained the three-pointer to make it 36-22.

The Bearcats went 20 for 34 from the field for 59 percent. They only had two turnovers while creating 10 turnovers for Southern.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce

MARYVLLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State’s women’s basketball team scored the first field goal in the fourth quarter and trailed by only two points against Missouri Southern.

In the next few possessions, the Bearcats turned the ball over. Southern took advantage and expanded its lead to eight. Northwest never recovered, falling 86-76 to the Lions Thursday evening at Bearcat Arena.

“Turnovers are an issue we have been fighting all year,” Northwest coach Buck Scheel said. “It is going to happen. We just can’t let them pile up.

“We battled throughout the whole game. Just a few breakdowns here and there caught up to us.”

Northwest returns to action 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Bearcat Arena against Pittsburg State.

“We are working hard. I feel like we are right there,” said senior Jasmin Howe.

Offensively, Northwest did a lot of things right. The Bearcats recognized who had the hot hand and got her the ball. In the first two quarters, it meant feeding Howe.

In the second half, it was sophomore Arbrie Benson who drove to the basket for layups. It was her layup at the start of the fourth quarter that pulled the Bearcats to within two at 61-59.

Northwest, though, failed to value each possession in the final quarter and that caused the Bearcats to fall behind 69-61. Northwest spent the rest of the fourth quarter trying to wipe out the deficit.

An injury to starting forward Tanya Meyer forced the Bearcats to play without their regular rotation.

“There were some different lineups out there with Tanya being out,” Scheel said.

The outcome put a bit of a damper on good offensive games from Howe, Benson and sophomore Mallory McAndrews. Howe finished with 33 points, McAndrews scored 14 and Benson added 13.

“We had to space things out in the second half and that really opened up opportunities for her (Benson) to get to the basket,” Scheel said. “Through rotation, we were able to get some good looks.

“We got to continue to do what is working and make the adjustments and not beat ourselves. The past couple of games we have let things stack up and stack up.”

In the first half, Northwest shot the ball as well or better than it has all season long. The Bearcats made 14 of 23 shots for 61 percent. Unfortunately, Southern was a tad hotter and took a 43-39 lead into halftime.

Howe put together one of her best half of basketball in a Bearcat uniform. She went 6-for-7 from three-point range and 8-for-10 overall for 22 points. Her blistering shooting kept Northwest in striking distance and even gave the Bearcats several leads in the first half.

“Props to my teammates for getting me the ball,” Howe said.

The game started with a basket by Howe. Southern scored the next seven points, but a couple of minutes later, Northwest went back in front 12-11 on a three-pointer by Howe.

Northwest ended the first quarter with a three-pointer by McAndrews, giving the Bearcats a 21-17 lead.

The Lions opened the second quarter by scoring eight straight points for a 25-21 lead. Northwest regrouped and went back in front 29-27 on a three-pointer by Howe.

Northwest was unable to hold the lead and eventually fell behind 37-32. A step-in 17-foot jumper by Howe pulled Northwest to within three at 37-34 and a minute later she hit her sixth three-pointer of the half, helping the Bearcats close to 39-37.

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University freshman Ryan Welty has been named the MIAA men’s basketball Athlete of the Week. Welty tied a Northwest single-game record by going 9-for-9 from three point territory in a 96-63 win at Northeastern State. He finished with a career-high 29 points.

In addition to his single-game mark, Welty set an MIAA record for most consecutive three-pointers made. He has now connected on his last 14 three-point attempts, spanning three games. The previous mark was 11 set back in 2004 by Thomas Vincent of Emporia State.

Northwest will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 31, at 2 p.m. against Simpson College at Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University has named Rich Wright as the 20th head coach of Bearcat football. Wright was officially introduced during a press conference on Monday afternoon at the J.W. Student Union on the Northwest campus. Wright takes over for Adam Dorrel, who was announced Monday morning as the new head coach at Abilene Christian University.

“Number one, Rich Wright is a teacher,” said Director of Athletics Mel Tjeerdsma. “He is always very well organized, he is very passionate, very personable and definitely a motivator. He really has a great football mind more than anything else.”

Wright, a native of Hamilton, N.Y., has been a member of the Bearcat coaching staff since 2004, serving as the program’s defensive coordinator and assistant head coach the past six seasons. Since the 2004 season, Northwest is 163-22 overall and 119-10 in MIAA play. He has helped lead Northwest to eight NCAA title games, capturing four championship trophies.

The Bearcats have led the nation the past three seasons in total defense, allowing just 240.9 yards per game in 2016. Northwest was also the NCAA’s top rushing defense and scoring defense the past two seasons. Wright has twice been named the ProGrass Division II Coordinator of the Year, winning the award following the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Three former players have been on NFL rosters, Longacre, Dave Tollefson and Steve Williams. Each have spent time with the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots. Tollefson is a two-time Super Bowl Champion, earning his first ring with the New York Giants in 2007 and again following the 2011 season.

Wright earned his master’s degree from Northwest in 1996 and received his undergraduate degree from Dana College in 1995. After serving two years as a Northwest graduate assistant during the 1995 and 1996 seasons, he coached at Dakota State in 1997 and Central Methodist in 1998. Wright spent the 1999 season at William Penn University before taking a job at St. Ambrose University where he worked for four years from 2000-03. He is married to Sarah Wright, also a Northwest alum, and their two daughters, Grace and Katie.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defeated Northeastern State, 96-63, on Saturday afternoon at the NSU Event Center in Tahlequah, Okla.

– Top ranked Northwest moves to 11-0 on the year and 4-0 in conference play. The RiverHawks fall to 2-9 and 1-3 in MIAA action.

– Freshman Ryan Welty tied a Bearcat single-game record with nine three-pointers, going 9-of-9. He finished the game with a career-high 29 points.

– He has now made 14 consecutive three-pointers which is an MIAA record. The previous mark was set back in 2004 at 11 consecutive makes.

– Justin Pitts scored 18 points with a career-high 12 rebounds for his first career double-double. Pitts added four rebounds and a steal.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats shot 58.7 percent from the field (27-46) and hit 18-of-34 long range attempts (52.9 percent).

– Northwest outrebounded the RiverHawks, 28-19.

– Zach Schneider was 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, bringing his career total to 298 makes, two away from the MIAA record. Schneider added three rebounds.

– Chris-Ebou Ndow had 11 points in the game and Anthony Woods added nine.

– Woods grabbed a game-best seven rebounds while Brett Dougherty had six boards.

Key Northwest Sequence
– Northwest pulled away with a 13-0 run early in the second half, taking a commanding 63-44 lead with 13:59 left to play. Doughery started the run with a layup off a Pitts assist. Ndow converted a layup and then hit a pair of free throws to make it a 12-point game, 56-44. Schneider knocked down his third three-pointer of the contest to make it 59-44. Ndow added a free throw in the run and Welty nailed a long range bomb with 13:59 left to put the Bearcats up, 63-44.

Up Next
– Northwest will host Simpson College on Saturday, Dec. 31, against Simpson College at 2 p.m. before returning to MIAA play on Thursday, Jan. 5, at 7:30 p.m. against Missouri Southern at Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team fell to Northeastern State, 72-58, on Saturday at the NSU Event Center in Tahlequah, Okla.

– The Bearcats fall to 5-6 on the year and 0-4 in MIAA play. The RiverHawks improve to 4-6 overall and 1-4 in conference action.

– Jasmin Howe scored a game-high 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting. She was 3-of-8 from long range and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. She added five rebounds and an assist.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest shot 33 percent (18-54) for the game from the field and hit 7-of-28 three point attempts (25 percent).

– The Bearcats out-rebounded the RiverHawks, 33-31.

– Macy Williams had 10 points and a team-high four assists.

– Tanya Meyer had 10 points and six rebounds. She added a blocked shot and a steal.

– Taryne Shull recorded a game-high 10 rebounds. It was her second double-digit rebound performance of the year.

Key Northwest Sequence
– Northwest cut into the RiverHawk lead at the end of the first half and into the start of the third. Carlie Wilhelmi hit a layup with 40 seconds to play in the second quarter to cut the NSU advantage to 28-24. At the start of the third quarter, Meyer hit a layup and was fouled. She hit the free throw to make the score 28-27 just 20 second in.

Up Next
– Northwest will return from holiday break on Thursday, Jan. 5, at 5:30 p.m. against Missouri Southern at Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Athletics —

The No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team beat Missouri Valley College, 103-58, on Tuesday evening at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo.

– The Bearcats move to a perfect 10-0 on the year. The game was counted as an exhibition contest for the Vikings.

– All 12 Northwest players who saw action in the contest scored at least two points in the game.

– Earlier in the day, the Bearcats were ranked first by the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC).

– The last time Northwest was ranked No. 1 by the NABC was on Jan. 13, 2004.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats shot 60.6 percent from the field, connecting on 40-of-66 shots and 11-of-24 from beyond the arc (45.8 percent)

– Zach Schneider hit five three pointers to finish with 15 points, three rebounds, an assists and a steal.

– Freshman Tyler Dougherty matched Schneider’s game-high with a career-best 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He had three rebounds in the game as well.

– Chris-Ebou Ndow had 12 points and seven rebounds. Ndow had two assists and a pair of steals.

– Anthony Woods had a game-high seven assists to go along with nine points and a pair of steals.

– Dray Starzl and Grant Graham each scored career-highs with nine points and eight points, respectively. Starzl was 3-of-4 from long range.

– The team’s 15 steals was the most since Nov. 20, 2013 against Baker University (17 steals).

– Tuesday’s game marked the fifth time a Ben McCollum coached Northwest team has surpassed 100 points.

– The 45 point margin of victory is the second largest under McCollum. Northwest beat Manhattan Christian, 105-55, back on Nov. 16, 2009.

Key Northwest Sequence
– The Bearcats went on a 15-0 run late in the second half to take a commanding 27 point lead into the break. With six minutes to go, Schneider knocked down a three to put Northwest up, 36-20. The next trip down, Mosby drew a foul and hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 18. Woods took a defensive rebound the length of the floor and finished the layup to give the Bearcats a 40-20 lead. Graham and Mosby each added layups to push the lead to 24. Pitts then came up with a steal and on a fast break, lobbed an alley-oop to Ndow who slammed the finish for a 46-20 lead. Mosby added another layup the next time down to put Northwest up by 28, 48-20, with 1:58 to play in the first half.

Up Next
– Northwest’s men’s and women’s teams return to MIAA play on Saturday, Dec. 17, against Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla. The Bearcat women will start at 1:30 p.m. followed by the men at 3:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —