KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University sophomore Justin Pitts was named the MIAA’s Co-Athlete of the Week following his performances against Emporia State and Southwest Baptist. Pitts shared the honor with Lindenwood’s Cory Arentsen and Missouri Southern’s Taevaunn Prince. It was the second time a Bearcat has garnered the honor as senior Conner Crooker took the award back on Jan. 4.

Pitts averaged 22.5 points in two MIAA victories last week. He shot 65.4 percent from the field (17-26) and was 60 percent from beyond the arc (6-10). He dished off 6.0 assists per game, 1.5 steals and played 67 total minutes (33.5 mpg). Pitts has now surpassed 20 points in 16 of the 26 games in he has played, reaching double figures in all 26.

Northwest has now won 12 straight games and will face the winner of Lindenwood and Pittsburg State in the second round of the MIAA Tournament on Friday, March 4, at 6 p.m. at Municipal Auditiorium in Kansas City, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team fell to Northeastern State, 9-2, on Sunday afternoon at Bearcat Field.

Northwest falls to 7-5 overall and is now 2-1 in MIAA play. The RiverHawks improved to 7-5 and 1-2 in conference action.

The Bearcats won the series, 2-1, after taking Friday’s and Saturday’s games in walk off fashion.

Northeastern State’s starter Zach Parish went 8.0 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out 13 batters and walked one.

Northwest scored two runs on eight hits. The Bearcats got single runs int he first and fifth innings.

Northeastern State scored nine runs on 13 hits. The RiverHawks scored two in the first, four in the fifth and three in the eighth.

Nick Gotta was 2-for-3 on the day with an RBI and a walk.

Kolby Greenslade and Garrett Fort each went 1-for-4 with a run scored.

Ozzie Adams, Nick Howard, Dane Appel and Kevin Handzlik all picked up hits for the Bearcats.

Appel’s hit in the eighth inning came in his first collegiate at bat after pinch hitting for Howard.

Gotta and Greenslade each recorded stolen bases.

Brad Roberts got the start on the mound, going 4.0 innings. He allowed four runs on six hits. He struck out three and walked three.

Carson Smith got the final four outs for Northwest. He pitched a perfect ninth inning.

Northwest answered Northeastern State’s two-run first inning by getting a run back in the home half. Fort led off by getting hit by a pitch and moved to second on a wild pitch. Adams reached on a fielder’s choice on a grounder to short. The short stop tried to get Fort at third but the throw was late. Gotta came up with an RBI single to right, scoring Fort.

With one out in the fifth, Greenslade hit an infield single to second. After another out, Greenslade stole a base and then scored on Adams’ single to right field.

The Bearcats head to St. Charles, Mo., for a three game series with Lindenwood beginning on Friday, March 4.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State softball team won its final two non-conference matchups Sunday before conference play opens next weekend.

The games wrapped up the Teri Mathis-Zenner Memorial Tournament, hosted by Missouri Southern State University at the Joplin Athletic Complex in Joplin, Mo.

Sarah Baldwin set a career mark in strikeouts in the opening win over McKendree, 6-0.

The Bearcats wrapped up a perfect 4-0 weekend with a 5-1 victory over Sioux Falls in game two.

Northwest is now 10-2 on the season, tied for the fewest games needed to reach 10 wins in school history (1975 and 1976). McKendree falls to 5-10 overall while Sioux Falls dips to 6-2 this season.

The Bearcats will open conference play next weekend when they play host to Central Oklahoma Friday, March 4 at Bearcat field. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – More than 10 minutes remained in the first half and Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team already made eight three-pointers, held a 20-point lead and caused Southwest Baptist to call two timeouts.

Lone Northwest senior Conner Crooker couldn’t have asked for a better start Saturday afternoon in his final home game at Bearcat Arena.

“It wasn’t perfect,” Crooker said. “I fouled out, but it was a nice way to go out, especially with the win, going undefeated at home and everything we accomplished. It was pretty nice.”

The hot start never left a doubt about the outcome. The Bearcats rolled to their 12th straight victory, winning 87-63 and improving to 22-5 overall and 19-3 in MIAA. Northwest finished five games ahead of the second-place team.

“We have to keep working,” said Crooker, who finished with 17 points. “Coach does a good job of having us work hard every day no matter what the situation is or if we are on a win streak or anything like that. We are going to keep doing what we are doing.

“We haven’t won the MIAA Tournament in a while. We are going down there to win it.”

Next for the Bearcats is their quarterfinal game in the MIAA Tournament. Northwest will play at 6 p.m. Friday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

“We definitely have a lot of confidence,” said junior Zach Schneider, who made six three-pointers and finished with 18 points. “We did a better job in the second half than we did in previous games. Against Emporia State, we didn’t do very well in that aspect. We finished the game like we wanted to.”

The game started with sophomore Justin Pitts swishing a three for the first points of the game.

A minute later, Schneider nailed a three-pointer that gave Northwest an 8-2 lead. At this point, Southwest Baptist needed to call the fire department because the Bearcats had ignited a three-point blaze.

Pitts, who finished with 24 points, made a three-pointer and then Crooker got in the act with his first three-pointer, giving Northwest a 14-2 lead.

“We knew if our guards were able to penetrate and dish, we were going to get good looks,” Schneider said. “We were definitely ready for it.”

After a few harmless baskets by Southwest Baptist, the Bearcats turned a blaze into an inferno. Crooker became the main culprit. Back-to-back treys by him gave Northwest a 26-6 lead. That’s when Southwest Baptist called its second timeout.

But Northwest stayed hot. A three-pointer by Schneider made it 31-10. Northwest was nine for 10 on three-pointers at that point. And when the Bearcats started missing a few threes, they started hitting two-point field goals. They expanded their lead to 50-22 late in the first half.

“Their game plan allowed us to shoot all those three,” Crooker said. “We were going to keep doing what we were doing. We are confident in our shooters. We were going to knock down shots.”

When halftime arrived, Northwest held a 52-26 lead. The shooting percentages were simply unbelievable. The Bearcats were 12 for 17 in three-point shots for 70.6 percent. Overall, Northwest was 20 for 29 for 69 percent.

The Bearcats also played stellar defense, limiting Southwest Baptist to 10 field goals in 27 attempts for 37 percent.

It was the type of first half Crooker will always remember. He went 4 for 7 on three-point shots and scored 14 points. Schneider was even better going 5 for 6 from three-point range for 15 points.

No drama existed in the second half. Northwest held a 63-32 lead with 15 minutes left. The only mystery left was whether Northwest could break its single-game three-point record of 20.

Eight minutes into the second half, Northwest was at 13 three-pointers. The Bearcats were attacking the basket more. Schneider made the 14th three-pointer for Northwest with 11:33 left, giving Northwest a 68-40 lead. Northwest finished with 16 three-pointers.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The storybook ending for the Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team was coming into sharp focus. Senior Taylor Shull, playing her last game for the Bearcats, scored her team’s first seven points to start the fourth.

Three of those points came on an improbable layup followed by a made free throw on the and-1 play. Shull’s offensive outburst staked Northwest to a three-point lead in the fourth quarter against Southwest Baptist Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena.

Everything was set for seniors Shull, Tember Schechinger and Shelby Mustain to win their final game in a Northwest uniform.

Unfortunately, real life doesn’t always play along with a nice written script. Northwest started missing shots. Southwest Baptist started making them. Southwest Baptist scored the next 13 points for a 10-point lead and that carried it to a 57-49 victory.

“Throughout the game we were struggling to get a run going and to maintain a run,” Northwest coach Buck Scheel said. “Once it was stretched out, I knew it was going to be a major, uphill climb.”

Shull ended Southwest Baptist’s 13-0 run with a field goal, which gave her 18 points, a career-high for her.

“I honestly had no idea how many points I had,” Shull said. “We were down and we needed to put up points. It was our last game. We wanted to go out strong.”

Despite the loss, Northwest once again played hard throughout the game. The Bearcats held leads in each quarter.

“Our motto the whole season was energy, effort and attitude and what you can control,” Mustain said. “In the back of our minds, we knew this was our last go-around so we were going to leave it all on the court.”

Northwest played well enough to win a few more games if a few breaks would have gone its way. Just about every time the Bearcats stepped on the court, they played hard, and the main reason why was because of the leadership provided by Schechinger, Mustain and Shull.

“The effort and the attitude has been there all year, even more so after I took over” Scheel said. “These three bought in right away, and that gave all the other girls no choice but to buy in. There were days here and there when people weren’t on board and one of these three usually let them know.

“Everybody who has seen us play has watched us compete. That was the one thing about these three players was they never gave up on themselves and they never gave up on their teammates.”

They showed that spirit in the first half.

Northwest overcame at 9-0 run early in the second quarter and took a 21-19 lead into halftime.

The Bearcats started the second quarter with a three-pointer from Jasmine Howe for a 12-7 lead and then had trouble making a basket. Southwest Baptist took advantage of the offensive drought by Northwest and scored the next nine points for an 18-12 lead.

It was the only time that Southwest Baptist had any sustained success on offense. An inside basket by Mustain got the Bearcats back on track. Shull followed with a three-pointer and Schechinger put Northwest back in front 19-18 with two free throws. Northwest concluded a 9-0 run with a basket from Mustain.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State baseball team got a walk off single from Kevin Handzlik in the bottom of the ninth to beat Northeastern State, 5-4, on Friday afternoon at Bearcat Field.

The Bearcats moved to 6-4 and 1-0 in MIAA play. The RiverHawks fall to 6-4 overall and are 0-1 in conference action.

Northeastern State scored three runs in the top of the eighth to take a 4-3 lead but Northwest got two runs in the bottom of the ninth for the win.

Bryce Shea pitched 1.1 innings of relief for the win. He retired the last four batters of the game for Northwest with a strikeout.

Northwest scored five runs on nine hits. The Bearcats got two runs in the third, one in the seventh and two in the ninth.  The RiverHawks scored one in the first and three in the eighth and finished with three hits. Neither team had an error.

Ozzie Adams was 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI.  Nick Gotta drew a pair of walks and got two RBI, including a walk to score the tying run in the ninth.

Derek Meyer was 2-for-3 as was Kolby Greenslade, who also scored a run, while Garrett Fort was 1-for-5 with a pair of runs scored.

Jay Hrdlicka was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk. Handzlik was 1-for-1 with the ninth inning walk off single.  Aaron Barratt scored a run as a pinch runner in the seventh.

Joseph Hietpas started and went 7.0 innings, allowing two runs on two hits. Only one of the runs was earned. He had eight strikeouts and walked two.

The Bearcats got on the board in the third as Fort singled to lead off. Fort went to third on an Adams single, who went to second on the throw. Gotta hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Fort to tie it, 1-1. Adams moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a Hrdlicka single to right, giving Northwest a 2-1 lead.

Meyer led off the seventh with an infield single and Barratt came in to pinch run. Greenslade laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Barratt to second and he went to third on a Fort ground out. With two down, Adams singled to left, giving Northwest a 3-1 lead.

Down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Zachary Douglas led off by getting hit by a pitch. After working a full count, Greenslade lined a ball at the third baseman who was playing in for the bunt. The ball got away for a single, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Fort reached on a fielder’s choice on a bunt back to the pitcher who threw to third to get Douglas out. With one down, Adams was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Gotta then drew a walk to tie the game, 4-4. Handzlik, who entered the game earlier as a pinch runner, laced a ball between short and third to drive in Fort for the winning run.

The Bearcats and the RiverHawks continue the three-game series on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – On a night Northwest Missouri State honored 110 of the 155 student-athletes who obtained a 3.2 GPA or higher in the fall semester, the men’s basketball team needed to execute at an A level down the stretch.

Because Northwest made all the necessary plays in the final 2 minutes, it pulled out a 77-74 victory over Emporia State Wednesday evening in front of 1,189 fans at Bearcat Arena.

“We have to stay focused,” said sophomore Justine Pitts, who finished with 21 points. “Coming out in the second half, we really didn’t do the things that we did in the first half, like our defensive rotation.”

But they mad enough defensive plays to secure the win. And Northwest definitely did A work at the free throw line, going 26 for 28 for 92.9 percent, an A in just about any professor’s class.

The Bearcats head into their final home game of the season at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, riding an 11-game win streak. Northwest is 21-5 overall, 18-3 in the MIAA and a perfect 12-0 at home.

At halftime, it looked like Northwest was well on the way to an easy victory. The Bearcats held a 13-point lead and the crowd was charged up.

During the halftime festivities, 110 student-athletes walked out on the court and were handed certificates for their academic success in the classroom.

When the Bearcats returned to the court, some of that electricity was turned off. It took Northwest nearly 5 minutes to score and by that time, Emporia State had closed to 38-33.

“We kind of had a lack of focus,” said senior Conner Crooker, who finished with 10 points. “We need to realize when we have a decent lead we need to focus because everybody is trying to beat us.”

Northwest junior D’Vante Mosby stopped the 8-0 run with a power move inside. But the Hornets kept on buzzing and eventually grabbed a 46-45 lead. The lead changed hands two more times and then Northwest took the lead for good at 51-50 on a three-point play by sophomore Chris-Ebou Ndow.

Mosby solidified Northwest’s advantage with a basket, giving the Bearcats a 53-50 lead. Northwest’s lead eventually grew to 68-59 and then Emporia State made one more push. The Hornets closed to 71-70 with less than 2 minutes left.

In those final 120 seconds, Northwest needed to execute at a high level the rest of the way, and the Bearcats did. With 1:20 left, Mosby made a strong move in the paint for a basket, pushing Northwest’s lead to 73-70.

After Emporia State scored, Pitts made a basket, giving Northwest a three-point advantage again. The basket also put Pitts over the 1,000 career points.

“It feels great to do it in only two seasons,” Pitts said. “I don’t think I scored a thousand points in high school. It is a big accomplishment for me, and I am grateful for it.”

Obviously, the game wasn’t stopped to honor Pitts, and the Hornets probably didn’t care. They were looking to knock off the conference champions. Emporia State answered Pitts’ milestone basket with a tip-in bucket to make it a one-point game again.

With 20 seconds left, Mosby responded again. He stepped the free throw line and calmly drained two free throws, pushing Northwest’s lead to three. The Bearcats then played great defense the final 18 seconds for the win.

“Coach always says do your 1/5th and give all you have,” said Mosby, who finished with 16 points. “When they called my number, I am just glad it worked out.”

Northwest scored the first six points of the game and continued to play solid offense and defense throughout the first half, taking a 38-25 lead into halftime.

The Bearcats didn’t waste time opening up a double-digit lead at 16-6. Emporia State made a small run and closed to 22-17. Northwest answered with a three-point play from Pitts. Mosby followed with a basket and the lead was back to 10.

Except for one brief moment, Northwest maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the first half. The Bearcats shot 56.5 percent from the field and held Emporia State to 35.7 percent. Northwest also dominated the boards, outrebounding Emporia State 19-11.

“We came out a little more aggressive on offense and defense,” Pitts said. “In the second half, we got away from it.”

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State’s women’s basketball team pushed No. 22 Emporia State to the final minute of the game.

The Bearcats took their first lead in the second half with 4:44 left on a basket by senior Taylor Shull. Northwest even went up by three points before falling behind again.

Undaunted, Northwest went back ahead with 2:04 left on a basket by senior Tember Schechinger.

Unfortunately, Emporia State showed why it has been one of the top women’s basketball teams in Division II for over 15 years. The Hornets made a couple of key defensive stops and were nearly flawless from the free throw.

Emporia State went 9-for-10 from the line in the final 1:48 and came away with a 69-63 victory Wednesday evening at Bearcat Arena. For the game, the Hornets were 25-for-29 from the line.

“For us to be in the game when the free throw margin is 29 to five was very impressive,” Northwest coach Buck Scheel said. “I felt these kids did everything they could tonight.”

Trailing 51-42 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, the Bearcats put together one of their best stretches of basketball against a high-quality team. Sophomore Tanya Meyer was one reason Northwest was able to close to 54-53 with 5 minutes left. Meyer was finishing every attempt in the paint.

When Northwest took the lead on Shull’s basket, making it 55-54 with 4:46 left it appeared momentum was on the Bearcats’ side, especially when they moved their lead to 57-54.

“It showed that this team isn’t going to quit,” Scheel said. “They are not ready to be done. They are going to battle it out to the end.

“To do that against a team like this, one of the most prominent programs in the country year in and year out, it showed the tough kids we have.”

Despite giving up the lead in the final 90 seconds, the Bearcats never gave up. Meyer equaled her career-high 22 points. Junior Jasmine Howe added 13 points, Shull had 10 and Schechinger finished with eight.

“I felt on tonight,” Meyer said. “I don’t know what it was about it. I put shots up and they were going in. Tember kept saying, ‘You got to keep shooting. They are not letting me do anything.’ I kept shooting. I felt I definitely had to do something to help us get back in the game.”

Northwest went into halftime trailing 36-27, but the Bearcats showed a lot of fight to keep it under double-digits.

“I am real proud of the girls,” Schechinger said. “For us to go into the game tonight with nothing to gain from it except a win, having the young girls play hard and fight to the end, shows that we are all sticking together.”

Emporia State used its quickness to attack the basket and get several easy layups through the first half. Those layups helped the Hornets build a 33-18 lead late in the second quarter.

The Bearcats fought back. Consecutive field goals in the paint by Meyer, followed by a three-pointer from Howe helped Northwest close to 33-25, and the Bearcats weren’t done. Schechinger added a basket, making it 33-27. Emporia State ended the half with a three-pointer.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team beat Oklahoma Christian, 5-4, on Sunday afternoon in 11 innings at Dobson Field in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Bearcats move above .500 at 5-4 on the year while the Eagles fall to 5-6.

Carson Smith pitched 3.0 innings of one-hit relief ball for the win. He did not walk a batter and worked perfect ninth and 10th innings.

Nick Gotta was 2-for-4 on the day with a pair of walks. He delivered the go-ahead RBI in the 11th on a double.

Northwest scored two runs in the third, two in the seventh and one in the 11th. The Bearcats finished with 12 hits and did not commit an error.

Aaron Barratt led off the third with a double down the left field line and scored on a Kolby Greenslade RBI single to center. After Greenslade stole second, he scored on Garrett Fort’s RBI single to right, making it 2-0 Northwest.

Greenslade got things going for Northwest in the seventh with a leadoff infield single. Fort reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to second on an error. Ozzie Adams singled to center, driving in Fort to tie the game, 3-3. After Gotta was intentionally walked, Jay Hrdlicka reached on a fielder’s choice but Adams scored on a throwing error by the second baseman to give the Bearcats a 4-3 lead.

With two outs in the 11th inning, Adams singled to right field. Gotta delivered the go-ahead RBI on a double down the left field line, scoring Adams from first to give Northwest the lead, 4-3.

Smith gave up a one out single in the bottom of the 11th but then got a flyout to center for the second out. With two down, Adams ran down a blooping fly to short right center to end the game.

MIAA play begins for the Bearcats in their home opener on Friday, Feb. 26, at 2 p.m. against Northeastern State.

— Northwest Athletics —