The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team fell to Oklahoma Christian, 3-1, on Friday afternoon at Dobson Field in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Bearcats are now 3-4 on the year while the Eagles improved to 5-4 on the year.

Nikko Pablo pitched 4.0 innings of relief, allowing just one hit and one walk with a strikeout.

Nick Gotta was 2-for-5 with a double and a stolen base, Kevin Handzlik was 1-for-3 with an RBI,

Anthony Caenepeel started for Northwest, going 4.0 innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts. He began the game by retiring the first seven batters.

James Holler and Handzlik came up with big two-out singles to put Northwest on the board in the second inning. Hrdlicka led off the inning with a walk but OCU got the next two batters out. Holler singled to right, advancing Hrdlicka to second. Handzlik came up with the RBI single to center, scoring Hrdlicka to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead.

Northwest continues its three-game series at Oklahoma Christian on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State softball team split a pair of contests on day one of the NSIC/MIAA Crossover Friday.

The Crossover, hosted by Winona State University, is being played inside the RCTC Dome on the campus of Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester, Minn.

Northwest dropped an extra inning pitchers’ duel to Northern State in the first game of the day, 2-1.

A pair of home runs helped the Bearcats take the nightcap from Upper Iowa, 6-4.

The Bearcats are now 5-1 on the season, while the Wolves improved to 1-0 and the Peacocks fell to 3-3.

Northwest Missouri State will continue play in the NSIC/MIAA Crossover with a rematch against Upper Iowa at 5 p.m. before a 7 p.m. contest against No. 10 Winona State Saturday in Rochester.

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State freshman Alexis Kelsey has been named the MIAA/AstroTurf Softball Hitter of the Week while senior Kendle Schieber earned Co-Pitcher of the Week honors, as announced by the league office Tuesday.

Kelsey opened here collegiate career with a stellar weekend at the Arkansas-Monticello 8-State Classic in Bentonville, Ark., crushing four home runs while driving in ten RBI and helping the Bearcats to a 4-0 record. The first baseman recorded hits in seven of her 12 at bats, clubbing five extra-base hits and accumulating a staggering .583/.688/1.667 slash line. She scored eight runs, tallied 20 total bases and drew four walks over the four games.

After driving a two-run double to center in her first action as a Bearcat against Rockhurst on Friday, the freshman crushed her first home run against Southern Nazarene, a deep shot to left. Kelsey followed with a three home run day Saturday, sending a pair of shots over the fence against Upper Iowa, tying the school record for deep shots in a single game. She drove in seven runs and scored four times in two games Saturday.

Schieber picked up two complete game victories in two starts and recorded saves in the other two contests last weekend, finishing with 15 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched. The pitcher recorded a WHIP of 1.06, surrendering just 17 hits and one walk. Schieber held Rockhurst to three runs on six hits while striking out eight Hawk batters in the season opener Friday. In two relief appearances, the senior gave up two hits while striking out four batters across three innings.

The Bearcats will return to the diamond Friday, Feb. 19 when they head to Rochester, Minn. for the NSIC/MIAA Crossover. First pitch against Northern State is scheduled for 9 a.m. before a 3 p.m. meeting with Upper Iowa.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – As postseason draws closer, Northwest Missouri State’s 73-66 victory over Northeastern State Saturday evening at NSU Event Center was the perfect-style game for the Bearcats.

With the MIAA conference title now locked up, Northwest needs games in which execution on both ends of the floor is vital. Blowouts are rare in the NCAA Division II tournament.

Northwest looked like it was on the way to a blowout when it held a 15-point lead midway through the first half. But Northeastern State fought back and created a tense atmosphere in the second half.

But en route to their ninth straight victory, the Bearcats never trailed in the second half and that was because they made plays when they absolutely needed them. Northwest improved to 19-5 overall and 16-3 in the MIAA. It is the third straight conference title for the Bearcats.

“It shows the toughness of our kids,” said Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “It also shows in a 14-team league with the quality of coaches and quality of players, these kids can maintain that consistency and be able to come out with wins.

“In basketball, the ball doesn’t always bounce your way. You have off nights. You may have injuries and things happen, but you have to be able to adapt to those things and continue to win and continue with the process. The kids did that and it shows what kind of kids we have and the kind of assistant coaches we have in this program.”

Northwest wraps up the regular season with their final three games at Bearcat Arena, starting at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 20 against rival Missouri Western.

Northwest started the second half with a four-point lead and it quickly dropped to 42-40. For the rest of the half, the Bearcats never built a double-digit lead. They led 59-58 with just under 5 minutes left

The Bearcats responded with a corner three-pointer from junior Zach Schneider, who finished with 23 points, going six for 12 from three-point range. His trey gave Northwest a 62-58 lead with 4:14 left.

“We were struggling with their pressure and all five of them were on the other side of the floor and Conner Crooker made a great skip pass and hit me right at my spot and I let it fly,” Schneider said.

Northwest increased its lead to 67-60, but the RiverHawks had one more run left in them. They closed to 67-64. With 36 seconds left, sophomore Xavier Kurth stepped to the line.

Kurth, who has been battling injuries all season, missed his first free throw. He made the second free throw, making it a two-possession game. Northeastern State couldn’t overcome it.

“Words can’t explain how happy I am to be back, playing basketball again,” said Kurth, who finished with six points. “I was missing so much time. To contribute to a big win like this and help us win conference outright is huge.”

Sophomore Justin Pitts finished with 18 points and Crooker added 12 points.

“We were on our heels the whole second half. When a team gets on their heels and they are able to still not make mistakes and just score enough, it is good. To be able to withstand that for 20 minutes against overwhelming pressure and take us completely out of everything we are doing shows the level of toughness our kids have.”

Although Northwest led most of the first half and took a 42-38 lead into halftime, give credit to Northeastern State for keeping the game close.

The Bearcats were sailing along midway through the first half, hitting three-pointers like they were layups. When Crooker made his one three-pointer in the first half, it gave the Bearcats a 31-16 lead. During that blistering hot start, Zach Schneider made four three-pointers.

Northeastern State didn’t allow that barrage of three-pointers knock it off its game. Instead, the RiverHawks picked up their defensive intensity and became more aggressive on their full court pressure. It knocked Northwest off its offensive rhythm.

As shots started to fall more frequently for Northeastern State, it became clear Northwest wasn’t going to have an easy blowout win. The RiverHawks closed to 38-31 late in the first half on a three-pointer by Kilven Samuel.

It appeared Northwest would take a seven-point lead into halftime when Justin Pitts made a field goal with under 10 seconds left, making it 42-35. But at this point, Northeastern State was hot. The RiverHawks got a trey from Trey Mohair with 2 seconds remaining in the first half.

“It is going to be like this in postseason tournament so this was good reps for that,” Schneider said. “We did a good job of handling pressure, which we will see in postseason, too.”

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – A four-point third quarter prevented Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team from picking up a road win at Northeastern State. The Bearcats lost 50-35 Saturday afternoon at NSU Event Center.

The cold-shooting quarter ruined a gritty effort by the Bearcats late in the second quarter that allowed Northwest to pull within three points at halftime.

Northeastern State scored the first six points in the third quarter and built a 29-20 lead. Two free throws by freshman Arbrie Benson put the Bearcats on the scoreboard in the second half.

The RiverHawks scored the next three. But Northwest was still in the game. The Bearcats went into the fourth quarter trailing 32-24.

Hopes of a road win were dashed in the first couple of minutes in the fourth when Northeastern State scored five straight points for a 37-24 lead. The Bearcats never scored more than 11 points in any of the four quarters.

It was just one of those games when the shots didn’t fall for Northwest.

“At the start the game we were getting any look we wanted to, but because the shots weren’t falling, that took them out of the game on the other end of the floor,” Northwest coach Buck Scheel said. “If one thing is going bad on one end of the floor, you can’t let it happen on the other end.”

Northwest now has a week between games. The Bearcats will conclude the regular season with three straight home games, starting 1:30 p.m. Feb. 20 against rival Missouri Western.

Northwest did a great job going into halftime trailing only 23-20. Throughout the first quarter and into the second quarter, the Bearcats put up good shots, but they kept rimming out.

The cold start allowed Northeastern State to build a 23-11 lead late in the second quarter. With a few minutes left until halftime, shot finally started falling for Northwest.

It started with a basket from senior Tember Schechinger followed by a strong drive to the basket for a layup from freshman Arbrie Benson. The second quarter concluded with another field goal from Schechinger and then a three-pointer from Schechinger. Schechinger finished with 13 points.

As it turned out, the first half was statistically the same for both teams. Northwest shot 32.1 percent from the field, going nine for 28. Northeastern State was nine for 29 from the field for 31.0 percent. On the boards, Northwest held the advantage, outrebounding the RiverHawks 24-17.

“I told them the biggest thing for us was it wasn’t necessarily just the missed shots, from the get go we had low energy, our effort wasn’t there across the board and our focus wasn’t there.

“I told them before the game that this was a game we had to get. Situations like that you have to have people step up, and we didn’t have anybody step up.”

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

EDMOND, Okla. – Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team was in such control of its road game at Central Oklahoma that it went 6 minutes without scoring in the second half and still held a 12-point lead.

The Bearcats prevailed, beating Central Oklahoma 77-61 Thursday evening at Hamilton Field House for their eighth straight victory. Northwest improved to 18-5 overall and 15-3 in the MIAA. The Bearcats have a three-game lead with four games remaining in the regular season.

“It starts with us playing with confidence and playing as a team,” said senior Conner Crooker on the winning streak. “Everybody knows their role, and we are playing to our strengths.

“This was definitely huge for us. We are one more game closer to our goal of a conference championship. We are really excited.”

Northwest concludes its two-game journey through Oklahoma at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Northeastern State. A team performance like the one against Central Oklahoma could give the Bearcats another win. Sophomore Justin Pitts led Northwest with 21 points, Crooker had 18 and junior Zach Schneider finished with 14.

In addition, sophomore Chris-Ebou Ndow had a solid game with 10 rebounds and nine points and junior D’Vante Mosby scored nine and possibly had the biggest basket of the game.

The Bearcats dominated the first half and then got hotter early in the second half. A three-pointer by Pitts with 15:51 left in the second half gave Northwest a 55-34 lead. About a minute later, Schneider drilled a trey, making it 58-34 with 14:55 left.

With the game seemingly in hand, Northwest became stagnant on offense. The Bearcats stopped moving around. Layups weren’t dropping. It added up to their large lead was sliced in half. The Bronchos scored the next 12 and trailed 58-46.

“They started denying a lot heavier,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said of Central Oklahoma’s defense. “We couldn’t move the ball and then our offense really got stuck. They did a good job on our ball screens.”

There was no panic from the Bearcats. The worked the ball inside and got it to Mosby, who powered the ball in the paint and scored. He was fouled and he made his free throw. Northwest’s lead shot up to 61-46 with 8:14 left.

“It was a pretty big play,” Mosby said. “If you are looking how long they sustained that run and how dry we were, just to put points on the board, anything was big.”

Any thoughts of a colossal collapses evaporated. Northwest maintained control the rest of the way.

“It is good to look at our coaching staff and they are not worried,” Mosby said. “Mac is a fiery guy, but you can count on good coaching and what they have to say is the best thing for us.”

As it turned out, the Bearcats held a double-digit lead the entire second half.

“We definitely didn’t panic,” Crooker said. “We were still up 10 or 12. We have the best play in the world, jet, where Pitts gets the ball screen. We have all the confidence in that. We weren’t really nervous.”

In the first half, Northwest played at a high level offensively. The Bearcats went 16 for 27 from the field for 59.3 percent and that was a big reason they went into half time ahead 40-27.

Central Oklahoma held only one lead and it came in the first minute on a three-pointer by Garen Wright, which gave the Bronchos a 4-2 lead.

The Bronchos were in no position to play the three-point game with Northwest. The Bearcats quickly responded with a trey from Schneider that put Northwest back in front 5-4 for good.

The three-pointer sparked a 10-0 run that concluded on a three-pointer by Pitts, giving Northwest a 12-4 lead.

Northwest’s next spurt came with a 19-14 lead. It started with a three-pointer from Ndow followed by a three-pointer from Crooker and then a three-point play by Crooker. This 10-0 run ended with a free throw from Pitts, making it 29-14.

The Bearcats easily maintained their double-digit lead the rest of the half. They were six for 12 from three-point range and held Central Oklahoma to two treys.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

EDMOND, Okla. – Senior Tember Schechinger went over 1,000 career points for Northwest Missouri State with her first three-pointer midway through the first quarter.

But the most impressive part for Schechinger occurred after Northwest suffered a 78-63 loss Thursday evening at Central Oklahoma.

Schechinger, who finished with 20 points, was unable to halt the emotion that welled up inside her. A few tears flowed when she talked about going over the 1,000-point mark.

Those tears showed just how much being part of the Northwest women’s basketball team means to her.

“It was one of the goals I had coming here as a freshman,” Schechinger said. “I knew if I worked hard, took my time and let my teammates help me, I knew I could get it.

“But I would trade the 1,000 points for a win tonight. I am really thankful my teammates were behind me and helped me.”

Schechinger took over in the third quarter when she swished four three-pointers and helped the Bearcats overcome a 17-point halftime deficit.

Northwest even tied the game at 50-50 with 9:12 left on a three-pointer by Jaylah Jackson and again 3 minutes later on a three-pointer by Jasmin Howe, making it 53-53.

“It shows that we want to fight and we want it,” Schechinger said. “We are going to carry this over into Saturday. We are going to get a win there. It shows no matter how far behind we are, we are going to keep fighting.”

The Bearcats couldn’t sustain the moment Thursday evening, giving up five straight free throws. The Bearcats never recovered.

But the fourth quarter fade doesn’t diminish the performance by Schechinger. She provided senior leadership in the third quarter when her team needed her.

Trailing 41-24 at halftime, Northwest was on the verge of getting blown out of Hamilton Field House. Schechinger gave the Bearcats a chance to win.

Northwest scored the first 10 points in the third quarter, six of them coming on two treys by Schechinger. Schechinger finished the third quarter with a three-pointer, which drew the Bearcats to within one at 48-47. Schechinger made her first six three-point attempts. The only shot she missed was a desperation half-court shot just before the third quarter buzzer.

“She has been a driving force for us, especially the second semester,” Northwest coach Buck Scheel said. “She really stepped things up and got things going, being really aggressive.

“We have girls who have been following her. For her to reach, the 1,000 mark is huge. It was one of her goals coming into the season and she didn’t do it in a selfish way.”

In the first half, Northwest quickly fell behind 10-2, fought back and closed to 26-24 midway through the second quarter and then didn’t score again for the rest of the half.

The long scoring drought allowed Central Oklahoma to scored 15 straight points and take a 41-24 lead into halftime.

Early foul trouble to Schechinger and Tanya Meyer hampered the offense for the Bearcats in the second quarter. Both players picked up their second foul in the second quarter and didn’t see the floor for the rest of the half. Meyer played eight minutes and Schechinger played seven minutes.

Schechinger got off to a good start. She hit both of her shots, which were three-pointers. Her first three-pointer helped Northwest close to 10-5 and the second one later in the first quarter made it 15-10.

The play of Shelby Mustain helped Northwest close in the second quarter. At one point, Mustain made four straight free throws that drew the Bearcats to within two at 26-24. Mustain scored eight points in the first half.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – All game long, nearly every shot Cory Arentsen put up for Lindenwood seemed to go in. So when he took a desperation three-pointer with .9 seconds left and his team trailing by two, a sick feeling probably hit a few Bearcat fans.

But this year belongs to the Bearcats. His shot banged off the rim and fell harmlessly to floor.

“I wanted to make it tough for him,” said Northwest sophomore Chris-Ebou Ndow, who guarded Arentsen on the final play. “I wanted to make the three hard for him. I felt like I did. He missed it luckily.

“It was pretty nerve wracking. It felt like it was in the air for five seconds. When he missed it, it was a huge relief.”

Northwest Missouri State pulled out the spine-tingling 75-73 victory over Lindenwood Saturday evening in front of 1,717 fans at Bearcat Arena. They witnessed a remarkable shooting performance from Arentsen, who finished with 46 points on the strength of eight three-pointers in 12 attempts.

“He got it going and it was hard to stop,” said Northwest sophomore Justin Pitts. “He was hitting insane shots, hands in his face and step backs. Today, he was just feeling it.

“On the offensive end, my teammates did a good job sitting screens for me and getting me open.”

Indeed. Pitts went 10 for 15 from the field and finished with 27 points. The difference for Northwest was it had four players finish in double figures compared to two for Lindenwood.

“I felt they played a pretty good game, obviously,” said Zach Schneider, who finished with 12 points. “They executed well offensively. They got the ball in his hands.”

It was an amazing win for the Bearcats, who improved to 17-5 overall and 14-3 in the MIAA. Northwest now has a three-game lead over second-place Lindenwood, which dropped to 15-8 and 11-6.

“I will have an adrenaline rush for a long time,” Schneider said. “That was one of the better, tough games I’ve played here.

“That was one of those games when the final buzzer sounds it is a load off your shoulders.”

The final 4 minutes was worth the price of admission. Northwest took a 66-60 lead on a basket by junior D’Vante Mosby. Arentsen answered with a basket. The Bearcats came right back with a score to put their lead back to six.

Arentsen drilled a three-pointer and the momentum was back with the Lions. Schneider turned momentum in the Bearcats’ favor with a three-pointer that made it 71-65.

Lindenwood came right back with a basket, and then Anthony Woods answered for Northwest with a field goal. But with just over 1 minute left, Arentsen drilled his seventh three-pointer of the game, making 73-70.

“Cory Arentsen is such a great competitor,” said Lindenwood coach Lance Randall. “He stepped up. He didn’t have one of his best games on Thursday. I knew he was going to be locked in and have a great game today. This was far above and beyond any coach’s expectation. He was virtually unstoppable.”

Mosby pushed Northwest’s lead back to five with a basket. Arentsen had more bullet left, hitting his eighth three-pointer, making it 75-73 with 30 seconds left.

Lindenwood stopped the Bearcats and then Northwest stopped the Lions with .9 seconds left and had the ball under Lindenwood’s basket. The in-bound pass down court didn’t make it down the court. It hit the scoreboard, giving Lindenwood the ball under its basket.

Northwest wanted to prevent Lindenwood from getting anything inside and that allowed Arentsen to curl off a screen. He received the ball near the corner and his high-arching shot hit the front of the rim and bounced off.

“It was fun until the last shot,” Pitts said. “My stomach really dropped. I thought for sure he was going to make it. Thankfully, he missed it. It was a great game by both teams.”

It was heart-stopping stuff and Division II basketball at its best. Both teams gave their best effort and that’s why the game wasn’t decided until the final buzzer.

In the first half, Northwest overcame 28 points from Arentsen and took a 43-40 lead into halftime. Normally, when a team goes 11 for 16 from three-point range in a half like Northwest did, its lead is bigger than three points.

But Arentsen was special in the first half. He made nine of 14 shots and helped the Lions shoot 64 percent from the field. Northwest was nearly as hot, shooting 58 percent. The biggest difference between the two teams was the more balanced approach by the Bearcats.

Pitts scored 14 and Schneider and Ndow each had nine and Conner Crooker chipped in seven.

Northwest never trailed in the first half. Pitts got the Bearcats off to a good start, opening the game with a three-pointer. A few minutes later, the Bearcats’ lead bloomed to 15-7 on a three-pointer by Schneider.

But every time Northwest got a little separation, Arentsen came back with a three-pointer or a two-point field goal. Arentsen even tied the game 34-34 late in the first half on a three-pointer.

Pitts answered with consecutive three-pointers to push Northwest’s lead to 40-34. Lindenwood called timeout and then Arentsen scored a two-point field goal.

Schneider hit a three-pointer to make it 43-36, but Arentsen had the final say in the first half, making the final two field goals of the half.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – For nearly the entire game, the Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team prevented Lindenwood junior Kassidy Gengenbacher from easy baskets Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena.

Because of that success and good offense, Northwest held double-digit leads at the end of each of the first three quarters. But it looked like Gengenbacher finally had an answer to the Northwest puzzle.

With 2 minutes remaining in the game, Gengenbacher stepped five feet beyond the three-point line and nailed a trey that gave Lindenwood its first lead of the game.

But Northwest simply refused to lose a heartbreaker in its Pink Zone game in which funds raised will go to help an individual in Maryville who is battling cancer. Thirty seconds after the three-pointer, sophomore Tanya Meyer calmly made two free throws.

Those free throws started a positive trend for the Bearcats. Junior Jasmin Howe followed with two free throws with 40 seconds left that gave Northwest a three-point lead.

Meyer wound up making six straight free throws in the final 90 seconds to help Northwest win 66-60, in what turned out to be a wild and thrilling second half.

“A lot of people would say there was a lot of pressure on me, but my teammates have trust in me and they know I can knock them down,” said Meyer, who finished with 14 points. “When the crowd gets into it, it makes it that much better of a feeling when you hit those shots.”

Afterwards, the Bearcats were all smiles. They battled through game adversity the way people diagnosed with cancer fight to beat that horrible disease.

“To have all the fans out here and giving them a good game like this, it feels great,” said senior Tember Schechinger of the Pink Zone game. “Supporting everybody and they come out and support us, it is a win-win for everybody.”

The Bearcats have now won two straight. All 10 players who saw action in the game contributed in some manner in the victory.

Howe, who finished with 19 points, was nearly perfect shooting the basketball. Schechinger scored 17 points in the third quarter when Northwest needed an offensive spark.

“It felt like I was actually playing,” said Schechinger, who finished with 19 points. “In the first half, I couldn’t buy a basket. My team kept pushing me. They had confidence in me.”

But what the box score won’t show was the stellar defense Taylor Shull played on Gengenbacher, one of the top scorers in the conference.

Shull only scored three points in the game, but without her defense on Gengenbacher, who knows what might have happened.

“She made me work,” Shull said. “It was not easy. To see that flicker of frustration gave me motivation to not take the next one off and keep pushing at her and not let her get what she wants.”

When the two teams met on Dec. 20 at Lindenwood, Gengenbacher made 8-of-13 shots and scored 24 points in the Lions’ 74-70 victory. And the last time the two teams played in the 2014-15 season, Gengenbacher scored 24 in a 73-67 win.

Shull made sure Gengenbacher never found a consistent offensive rhythm and that was a good thing because the Lions made a couple runs in the second half that significantly cut into double digit leads held by Northwest.

“She (Shull) was locked in today just like she was on Thursday,” Northwest coach Buck Scheel said. “She understood how we wanted to guard certain situations and she did a heck of a job all day. She made her work. She finished with 14, but we really made her work for those 14.”

The Bearcats started the third quarter with a 28-13 lead and then saw Lindenwood score 10 straight, closing to 28-23. Schechinger changed the momentum with two straight baskets. Northwest was back in control as its lead expanded to 47-32 when Howe made a three-pointer.

Northwest closed out the third quarter with a 51-39 lead. Once again, the Lions made it interesting. They scored the first 10 points to start the fourth quarter, closing to 51-49.

Schechinger came to the rescue again. Two free throws by her with 6 minutes left pushed Northwest’s lead to 53-49. Sophomore Bailey Smith followed with a smooth, driving layup, giving Northwest a six point lead.

Lindenwood fought back again and closed to 55-54 with 4 minutes left. Two minutes later, Gengenbacher finally hit a three-pointer that gave Lindenwood its only lead.

Northwest had the answer and won its second-straight MIAA game for the first time this season.

“To get these two at home before we go on a road trip was huge,” Scheel said. “They weathered the storm and powered through possession by possession. They locked in when they had to and stuck together and finished the game strong.”

The first quarter started with Northwest excelling in every phase. The defense held Lindenwood scoreless the first 4 minutes. The offense executed on an equally high level.

Meyer scored six of the first 12 points for the Bearcats, who opened the game with a 12-0 lead. Howe also hit a couple of buckets for Northwest.

Northwest finished the first quarter ahead 19-6. The Bearcats didn’t have as much success offensively in the second quarter, but the still played stellar defense. Junior Carlie Wilhelmi came off the bench and had a block, as did Shelby Mustain, who became the third Bearcat all-time to reach 100 career blocks.

Despite a few struggles on offense, Northwest still won the quarter, outscoring Lindenwood 9-7 and taking a 28-13 lead into halftime.

Lindenwood made only four field goals in the first half and shot a woeful 13.8 percent from the field (4-for-29).

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – In Northwest Missouri State’s impressive 86-61 victory over Lincoln University Thursday evening, there were so many jaw-dropping moments that it was impossible to pick one.

Some of the 1,005 fans who left Bearcat Arena might talk about the numerous nifty drives by sophomore Justin Pitts that led to layups. He finished with 18 points.

Others could speak about the beautiful team basketball by Northwest that led to open shots. The Bearcats had 14 assists compared to just five for Lincoln.

“I think it pays off from practice because in practice we try so hard to be perfect,” Pitts said. “It carries over to the game and today it showed.”

But since the basketball world currently revolves around Stephen Curry, the sharp shooting guard of the Golden State Warriors, the highlight moment for Northwest belonged to junior Zach Schneider.

Even though Northwest was well on its way to its sixth straight victory, what Schneider did with 13 minutes left brought a loud roar from the crowd and a timeout from Lincoln.

Leading 51-36, Schneider hit a long three-pointer. The Bearcats got a stop, raced down court and senior Conner Crooker delivered a perfect pass to Schneider for a three-pointer. Boom, boom, the long-range bombing by Schneider gave Northwest a commanding 57-36 lead.

“It is a pretty good feeling,” said Schneider, who went six for eight on three-pointers and finished with 18 points. “I was letting it fly and not even thinking about it. That is when I am at my best.

“It is nice to force the other team to call timeout. That is when the crowd gets into it.”

From that moment on, it was obvious Northwest was going to avenge its 79-74 loss at Lincoln on Dec. 18.

“Pretty much everything was different, our defense, our offense, and we played with more energy,” Schneider said. “We hit shots tonight. It was a completely different game. We feel we are a lot better team now.”

With the victory, the Bearcats maintain their firm grip on first place in the MIAA. They improved to 16-5 overall and 13-3 in conference. Northwest returns to action 3:30 p.m. Saturday at home against second-place Lindenwood.

From the outset, the Bearcats made sure Lincoln knew it had no chance of winning. The closest Lincoln got to Northwest in the second half was 12 points and that didn’t last long.

Ahead 43-31, Crooker drilled a three-pointer to make it 46-31. Cooker, though, did his damage distributing the basketball. He had a career-high eight assists.

“He was good today,” Schneider said of Crooker’s assists. “Teams have to bring two players to him sometimes and he is good at finding us.”

After Crooker’s trey, Schneider followed with a three-pointer, pushing Northwest’s lead to 49-31. The game was basically over, but there was still the Schneider back-to-back trey moment.

In the first half, Northwest played so well at the start that freshman forward Dray Starzl and sophomore guard Xavier Kurth saw significant minutes. Starzl responded by making both his field goal attempts and did his part to help the Bearcats go into halftime ahead 36-20.

“It is nice to come in and get more minutes,” Starzl said. “Coaches are trusting me. It is good to give Zach and Brett Dougherty and D’Vante Mosby a little breather. Keeping them fresh is a big thing.

“These games are crucial for me to grow as a player. If I am needed because we are in foul trouble, I will be ready to go. I feel like I am.”

Kurth, who has missed much of the season due to an injury, showed some rust. This was only the sixth game he has played in this season. Part of the reason Kurth saw 11 minutes of action in the first half was because of an injury to junior Anthony Woods, who was in street clothes for the game.

The Bearcats started the game on fire. Dougherty scored the first basket of the game. Crooker followed with a three-pointer. Before the Tigers knew what hit them, they were looking at a 13-1 deficit that bloomed to 19-3.

Northwest made sure Lincoln never made a dent in the lead the rest of the first half. The Bearcats shot 42 percent from the field and held Lincoln to five of 23 shooting from the field for a dismal 21.7 shooting percentage.

— Northwest Athletics —