The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team couldn’t find its offensive rhythm Saturday evening in Topeka, Kan., losing to Washburn, 60-43.

The Bearcats fall to 2-15 overall and 0-11 against conference opponents, while the Ichabods improved their record to 11-6 and 7-4 in the MIAA.

Tember Schechinger tallied her fifth double-double this season, totaling 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bearcats closed the game on a 9-2 run. Taylor Shull opened the run when she knocked down a 15-foot jumper, closing the gap to 58-36. After the Ichabods hit a layup with 4:24 to play, Northwest held them scoreless for the rest of the night. Shelby Mustain dropped in an easy layup off a nice pass from Macy Williams before Tember Schechinger made a driving layup and-one. Schechinger closed the scoring on the next possession after a nifty pass from Shull.

The Bearcats will open a three-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 21 when Nebraska-Kearney comes to town. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

EMPORIA, Kan. – A lack of a killer instinct cost Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball Wednesday evening against Emporia State at White Auditorium.

The Bearcats were in the process of taking control of the game 8 minutes into the second half. They built an eight-point lead and appeared to have the sub .500 Hornets on the ropes.

All of sudden, shots stopped falling for Northwest. Emporia State scored the next 11 points for a three-point lead and never allowed the Bearcats to go ahead again. The result was a 70-63 loss, which dropped Northwest to 10-5 overall and 7-3 in the MIAA. Emporia State improved to 7-9 and 4-6.

Northwest will have to quickly regroup. The Bearcats return to the road for their next game, facing Washburn at Lee Arena in Topeka.

“We have to get stops,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “We didn’t get stops down the stretch.”

In previous games when Northwest allowed second half leads to disappear, the Bearcats battled back and won in the closing minutes. It didn’t happen this time. Through most of the final 12 minutes, Northwest stayed within two points. The Bearcats trailed 61-59 with about a 2 minutes.

A long three-pointer by junior Jay Temaat gave Emporia State a five-point lead and knocked the Bearcats off balanced. The Bearcats never regained traction to make one final run.

“We gave up a huge three,” McCollum said. “The guy was stopped. He was at the free throw line and then for some reason, we left their best shooter out there. It kind of broke our backs.

“But it didn’t come down to one play. It came down to us not getting it done down the stretch.”

As it turned out, Northwest was outscored 30-15 the final 12:04 after taking a 48-40 lead. A big part of the problem for the Bearcats was their cold shooting in the second half. They went nine for 30 from the field for 30 percent.

The usual balanced scoring didn’t happen Wednesday night for Northwest. Justin Pitts finished with 26 points, but needed to take 23 shots. The only other player in double figures was Chris-Ebou Ndow, who finished with 10.

“I think we need to make sure we don’t hide on offense,” McCollum said. “We rely heavily on Justin and as soon as he gets all that attention, the other guys need to stop hiding and sit in the corner. It is what we are suppose to do somewhat, but they need to be ready to go and drive and not hide.

“Maybe I haven’t done a good enough job of getting them in situations where they can drive. That’s what we need to improve on.”

Northwest won the first half battle of runs and went into halftime ahead 39-34.

The Bearcats started strong, taking a 13-6 lead. Pitts showed early that he was in for a hot first half. His first basket was a three-pointer that gave Northwest a 3-2 lead. He made another trey that helped Northwest build an early seven-point lead.

Emporia State, behind the play of Terrence Moore, scored the next nine points for a 15-13 lead. The Hornets increased their lead to 21-16 when Northwest scored the next six points for a one-point lead.

Over the next couple of minutes, Emporia State held a slim lead. The Bearcats’ last spurt came when they trailed 28-24. They scored 15 of the next 21 points for the five-point halftime lead.

Once again, it was Pitts who sparked Northwest. On this occasion, Pitts did his damage driving to the basket. He made seven of 11 field goals in the first half for 18 points.

Junior Zach Schneider helped opening some lanes for Pitts by drilling three, three-pointers in the first half.

Both teams shot the ball well from the field in the first 20 minutes. Northwest hit 55 percent of its shots and the Hornets made 54 percent of their shots.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team fell to Emporia State, 96-54, on Wednesday evening at White Auditorium in Emporia, Kan.

The Bearcats fall to 2-14 overall and 0-10 in MIAA play. The Hornets improved to 14-2 overall and 8-2 in conference action.

Tember Schechinger led Northwest with 12 points and five rebounds. It was her 11th game this season and 44th of her career scoring in double figures.

Jaylah Jackson scored 11 points, marking the third time this season she’s reached double-figures.  Tanya Meyer grabbed seven rebounds, one off her career-high of eight earlier this season vs. Quincy.

Northwest shot 41.5 percent from the field (22-of-53) and hit 3-of-9 three pointers (33.3 percent).  Nine different Bearcats scored in the game while seven different players grabbed rebounds.

The Bearcats head to Washburn on Saturday for a 5 p.m. MIAA contest against the Ichabods in Topeka, Kan.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northeastern State entered Bearcat Arena Monday evening with two wins and a spot at the bottom of the MIAA. None of that mattered. The RiverHawks played a man’s game on the boards.

The relentless effort by Northeastern forced Northwest Missouri State to make some clutch baskets by Justin Pitts and a few critical free throws by Pitts, D’Vante Mosby and Anthony Woods in the closing minutes.

And those plays only mattered because of the three-point shooting by Conner Crooker and Zach Schneider kept the Bearcats in striking distance. Crooker and Schneider each made four three-pointers.

Northwest needed every ounce of energy from every player that stepped on the court in the second half to pull out a 78-74 win against the RiverHawks.

“Personally, I thought it was fun, but we have to buckle down, play more defense and buy into what coach Mac (head coach Ben McCollum) says,” said Pitts of the back and forth nature of the final 2 minutes. “We have to start getting stops and boxing out because we can’t keep going into games like that.”

The Bearcats, 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the MIAA, now have five days to work on a few things before playing at rival Missouri Western at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Against the RiverHawks, Northwest could never put the game away against a team that dropped to 2-9 and 1-6. There were 12 lead changes in the second half. Northwest seemingly took control with 3:25 left when Mosby hit two free throws to give the Bearcats a 68-63 lead.

“It is nice to know we have a lot of options and Pitts going off the screen is just go-to, and he can make plays,” said Crooker, who finished with 16 points. “And Zach can stretch it out and shoot threes. We are pretty confident that we can score at the end of the game.”

The Bearcats definitely needed that confidence late in the game because of the way the RiverHawks played down the stretch.

Northeastern State scored nine of the next 11 points and grabbed a 72-70 lead with about 1:30 left. Northwest tied the game at 72-72 on a driving layup by Pitts.

The RiverHawks didn’t back down and scored the next basket. The Bearcats came right back. A basket plus the foul shot by Woods gave Northwest 75-74 lead with 41 seconds left. Northwest increased the lead by one more point when Mosby made one of two free throws with 13.8 seconds left. With 2 seconds left, Pitts sealed the game with two more free throws. Pitts finished with 21 points.

Northwest had a strange first half and when halftime arrived, the Bearcats were locked in a 38-38 tie.

The Bearcats got off to a slow start in the first half and trailed 16-12 midway through the first half. Over the next 5 minutes, Northwest played like one of the top teams in the MIAA, scoring the next 14 points for a 26-16 lead.

It appeared the Bearcats had taken control of the game. For the rest of the first half, the RiverHawks played like a team battling for first. They fought for rebounds, dove for loose balls and hustled their way back into the game.

“We just lost focus,” Pitts said. “We kind of went away from the things that we did to get those stops. We have to buckle down, play D and box out.”

A three-point play by senior Dakota Caudill late in the first half gave Northeastern a 36-35 lead. Caudill finished with a game-high 24 points. Northwest went right back in front on a three-pointer by Crooker.

The RiverHawks dominated the boards, pulling down 25 rebounds compared to just 12 from Northwest. In fact, the 12 offensive rebounds for Northeastern matched the rebound total for Northwest.

“That was definitely a big issue,” Crooker said. “I think once we got our lead we got kind of complacent and thought it was going to come to us, but they are not going to stop competing. They out-hustled us and made us look kind of soft.”

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Despite Northeastern State knocking down four three-pointers in the opening minutes of the third quarter, Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball played with fire out of halftime. It was something the Bearcats were looking to do.

The Bearcats weathered the three-point barrage that put them down eight points, fought back and even took a slim lead midway through the third quarter.

Unfortunately, Northwest couldn’t sustain the momentum. The Bearcats went into the fourth quarter trailing by one and then gave up the first seven points. Northwest never recovered from the eight-point deficit and lost 66-60 Monday evening at Bearcat Arena.

“I told the girls after the game that we pretty much lost the game right at the tipoff,” Northwest interim head coach Buck Scheel said. “Defensively and offensively, we came out with no energy. That is not the team that I’ve been coaching and the team I’ve been dealing with every day in practice. After these close games we have had, they come in the next day ready to work and look forward to the next game.

“As soon as we started the game today, we were just flat. I don’t know if they are thinking about it too much, about how bad we need a win. We have to get it figured out. I’m running out of moral victory speeches. It is time to buy into yourself and into each other and go out and take care of it or it is not going to happen.”

Late in the second quarter and again in the third quarter, Northwest proved it had the offense and the character to overcome an adverse situation in a game.

The RiverHawks had a couple of stretches in the game when they were making three-pointers like they were layups. Leading 31-29 in the third, Northeastern got a three-pointer from junior Mary Jane Buschmann. Freshman Kylie Looney followed with a three, giving the RiverHawks a 37-29 lead.

Senior Tember Schechinger got the Bearcats rolling with a three-pointer. The RiverHawks answered with another three-pointer. Schechinger came right back with a three-pointer and then a two-point field goal, helping Northwest close to 40-37.

“We’ve been stressing on being positive and taking that step,” said Schechinger, who set a career-high in three-pointers with five and finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, her third double-double this season. “I’m a senior on the team and that starts with me. I had to come in with some momentum.”

Sophomore Tanya Meyer, who scored 19 points, made a field goal and suddenly Northwest trailed by just one point.

Meyer wasn’t done. She hit a three-pointer with 4:28 left in the third quarter that gave Northwest a 42-40 lead. But this was Northeastern’s night from the outside. Looney hit a three-pointer that put the RiverHawks ahead at 43-42.

“One thing we talked about the last few days was their ability to shoot the ball,” Scheel said. “As basketball players, you have to make those adjustments even more when they are getting hot and getting deeper and deeper. You have to close out that much harder.”

Northeastern took back the lead, 48-45, when freshman Cailyn Long hit another three-pointer for the RiverHawks. They entered the fourth quarter ahead 48-47. The Bearcats, though, outscored Northeastern 25-22 in the third quarter.

The Bearcats just couldn’t overcome two hot stretches from Northeastern from behind the arc.

“It is frustrating,” Schechinger said of the RiverHawks making so many three-pointers. “We just know we have to get out there no matter how deep they are. We knew they could shoot. Our coaches stressed that. We needed to get out there with high hands.”

Northwest showed its character by going into halftime down only 26-23. It could have been much worse.

The Bearcats struggled on offense through much of the first half. Two days ago, Northwest scored 21 points in the first quarter. On Monday, the Bearcats had 18 points late in the second quarter and needed a spurt to get there.

Northwest did finish strong. The Bearcats trailed 26-13 when they finally found an offensive rhythm.

A 10-0 run to end the second quarter started on a three-pointer by Schechinger with 2:17 left before halftime. Freshman Arbrie Benson followed with a strong drive to the basket for a layup.

Junior Jaylah Jackson finished the run with a 15-foot jumper followed by a three-point play.

“I was very happy about that and thought that could really push us through the third quarter,” Scheel said.

— Northwest Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball senior guard Conner Crooker was named the MIAA’s co-Athlete of the Week on Monday. He shared the honor with Missouri Southern’s Taevaunn Prince. Crooker averaged 22.5 points in two games last week, including tying a career-high 27 against Central Oklahoma on Saturday. The Overland Park, Kan., native shot 70.8 percent from the field (17-of-24) and hit 60 percent of his long range attempts in two games (9-of-15).

Crooker has now scored 1,093 points for his career. He is Northwest’s career leader in free throw percentage at 85.5 percent (183-of-214) and is second in three point field goal percentage at 44.4 percent (174-of-214). His 174 career three pointers ranks third all time in Bearcat history.

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University head volleyball coach Amy Woerth has announced the additions of five incoming student-athletes to the Bearcats 2016 roster. The latest recruiting class includes Sydney Burton (South Lyon, Mich.), Briley Fisher (Nashua, Iowa), Taylor Linenberger (Garden City, Kan.), Katelyn McKinnis (Harrisonville, Mo.) and Jordyn Musselman (Topeka, Kan.).

“We are very excited about our 2016 class,” said Woerth. “Each player brings a high skill set, superb academics, and high character. As we continue to build a championship culture, I see each of these players fit into our system very well.”

Burton led Father Gabriel Richard High School to the 2015 Michigan Class B State title and a perfect 42-0 record. The Mayssa Bazzi coach team did not drop a set in the last eight matches of the season, en route to earning a No. 3 national rank by the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Volleyball poll. A member of the National Honor Society, Burton was a first team All-Catholic High School League, all region and second team all-state performer. She also was named All-State Academic and was given the FGR Coaches Leadership Award. Burton tallied 247 kills and 124 blocks as a senior. She also led her club team to a ninth place finish at AAU Nationals – open division in 2013.

“Sydney is a hard worker who wants to get the job done,” Worth said. “She is a selfless teammate and will bring in great leadership experience. Her abilities will allow her to play middle hitter and also right side during her career. We look forward to watching her determination and hard work pay off during her four years.”

Fisher won three Cornbowl league titles and was a three-time first team all conference performer at Nashua-Plainfield Senior High School. A four time honor roll student, Fisher tallied 1,097 kills, 480 digs, 216 blocks and 145 service aces for her career. A four sport athlete, Fisher earned all conference honors in basketball, garnered honorable mention all-conference accolades in softball and has qualified for the state track and field championships three times in five events.

“Briley is a gifted and natural athlete who has the ability to play in the middle or pin positions,” said Woerth. “She is a hard worker who brings a lot of energy and competitiveness to the court. Briley’s best volleyball is still ahead of her as we are excited to see her grow over her four years.”

Linenberger joins the Bearcats after a two-year career at Garden City Community College. The 5-11 outside hitter was a second team All-KJCCC performer during her freshman and sophomore seasons. As a freshman, she was voted the GCCC Female Athlete of the Year and the team’s Freshman Player of the Year. As a senior, she had 11 double-doubles, registering 396 kills and 333 total digs. While at GCCC, she was named to the President’s honor roll and the KJCCC Academic All-Conference team. She was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and was given the Academic Excellence Award. A standout at Garden City High School, Linenberger led her team to a pair of WAC titles and a 6A Sub-State runner-up finish. She also lettered in track and basketball, earning medalist honors in the triple jump and 4×400 relay.

“Taylor brings in two years’ experience where she was her team’s leader and go-to,” Woerth commented. “Her understanding of those roles will allow her to mix in nicely with our team. Taylor is a great athlete with a high ceiling and she’s ready to work hard to take her game to the next level. Her athletic abilities give her the potential to play primarily on the pins and we look forward to watching her develop and blossom these next two years.”

A two time team captain at Harrisonville High School, Katelyn McKinnis joins the Bearcats after playing for coach Megan Bathgate. McKinnis earned first team All-Missouri River Valley West honors as a junior and earned second team honors during her freshman, sophomore and senior seasons. She is also a three-time second team all-district performer. In the classroom, McKinnis is a member of the National Honor Society and Principal’s honor roll. She has been given the Academic Excellence Award and was named Academic All-Conference and Academic All-State for volleyball.

“Katelyn is an all-around skilled athlete with a great volleyball IQ,” said Woerth. “She brings great athleticism to the court and will help us with her ball control and defense. Like her other classmates, Katelyn is determined to win which will make her successful at the next level.”

Musselman has led Washburn Rural High School to a pair of Kansas 6A State Tournament appearances, playing for coach Kevin Bordewick. She has earned all-league and all-city honors three times in her career. As a junior she was a second team All-6A State Team selection and has been named to a pair of 6A State Tournament teams. The setter is a three time KVA All-Academic Team honoree and is a member of the National Technical Honor Society.

“Jordyn’s athleticism and energy were what impressed us the first time we watched her play,” Woerth said. “Although she’s a terrific setter who can run an efficient offense, she can also block and play defense at a high level. Having a solid all-around setter in this conference will be key to our success and I feel like Jordyn brings that to our squad. She has the ability and experience to make a big impact over her career.”

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The first nine three-pointers Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team fired up were blanks. And when the Bearcats drove inside, Lindenwood’s 7-foot-1 center Stanislas Heili was there to block or alter the shot. Heili finished with seven blocks.

That combination spelled doom for Northwest Sunday afternoon at Hyland Arena. The Bearcats dropped their second straight MIAA game, falling 68-52 to Lindenwood.

“With this team right now, we don’t have a lot of hunger,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “We beat Southern at Southern. We beat Central at Central, and then you get that sense of accomplishment when you don’t realize it is a 22-game (conference) season.

“Everybody that plays us, it is there biggest game. They are going to hit shots they might not normally make.”

Northwest heads into Christmas break with a 6-4 record overall and 4-2 in the MIAA. Lindenwood, improving to 8-3 overall, moves in front of the Bearcats in conference with a 4-1 record.

The game at Lindenwood concluded a tough stretch for Northwest to start play in the MIAA. The Bearcats played five of their first six conference games on the road.

“I don’t think it was much of a factor,” McCollum said. “It has more to do with our mental toughness. We are not mentally tough now.”

It is hard to blame road weariness on the double-digit loss. Lindenwood played well offensively and defensively.

Northwest trailed by seven points at halftime and never found a spark in the second half. Lindenwood opened the second half scoring five straight points for a 36-24 lead. The Bearcats were chasing the rest of the way.

For a brief moment, it looked like the Bearcats were ready to make that run to catch the Lions. Junior Zach Schneider nailed Northwest’s first three-pointer to make it 36-27. A couple of minutes later, sophomore Justin Pitts made Northwest’s second straight three-pointer, helping the Bearcats close to 40-33.

Northwest, though, never found an offensive rhythm and that hurt since Lindenwood senior Cory Arentsen was making three-pointers, free throws and 15-foot jumpers.

The fall-away, 15-foot jumper by Arentsen to make it 56-39 proved that it was simply Lindenwood’s day. Arentsen finished with 23 points and Heili added 12 for the Lions, who shot 64 percent from the field for the game. In the second half, the Lions went 13 for 18 for 72.2 percent.

“We didn’t guard a lot of people and we didn’t score,” McCollum said.

Pitts was the only player to have offensive success for Northwest. He finished with 25, but as a team, Northwest shot 33.9 percent and was four for 19 beyond the arc for 21 percent.

“I haven’t been able to get it out of this group,” McCollum said. “I will have to look in the mirror and figure out why that is and what I am doing wrong and got to fix it.”

The first half was almost as dismal for Northwest.

In a very strange half of runs, Northwest was on the bad end of one late in the first half and went into halftime trailing 31-24.

The Bearcats started slow and fell behind 9-4. But a little after the first media timeout, Northwest started to click on offense and built a 20-13 lead.

Seemingly in control, the Bearcats went ice cold the last 5 minutes and Lindenwood got hot. The Lions concluded the first half on an 18-4 run.

One nice thing that did occur for Northwest was the public address announcer mentioning that Northwest won the NCAA Division II football title on Saturday.

On the basketball court, few things went right for the Bearcats except for one stretch midway in the first half.

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – With 13 seconds left, Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team had the ball under its goal with a chance to tie with a two-point basket. A shot in the paint missed with 6.5 seconds left.

Lindenwood junior sharpshooter Kassidy Gengenbacher went to the line and calmly made both free throw shots, giving the Bearcats an agonizing 74-70 loss Sunday afternoon at Hyland Arena.

“Our attitude is still good. We are still making big steps,” said Northwest senior Tember Schechinger, who scored a team-high 17 points on seven of 10 shooting from the field.

“Since the Central Missouri game _ and it has only been two weeks _ there has been a tremendous amount of improvement. We just want to win. We know we have two months left. We are going to come back in full swing. Teams can’t take us lightly anymore.”

Despite the loss, there were many encouraging signs for the Bearcats, who just completed a stretch of playing five of their first six conference games on the road.

“I want it really bad for them because they deserve it,” interim head coach Buck Scheel said of getting a conference win. “They have been playing and practicing hard the past couple of weeks. They deserve that feeling.

“They have really come together and are starting to play for each other and starting to take ownership for themselves and for their teammates.”

Northwest started the fourth quarter with plenty of energy because of a three-pointer by sophomore Tanya Meyer at the third quarter buzzer that gave the Bearcats a 56-55 lead.

The fourth quarter started with a three-pointer by Schechinger, which gave Northwest its biggest lead of the game at 59-55.

Gengenbacher answered with a three-pointer. She finished with 24 points, going eight for 13 from the field. The Lady Lions eventually went ahead 62-59. Schechinger forged a 62-62 tie with a three-point play.

Lindenwood then put together an 8-0 run, creating a 70-62 lead. But like they did in the first half, the Bearcats refused to wilt, closing to 72-70 with 1:17 left on a basket in the paint by Schechinger.

“It means we are making strides,” Schechinger said of fighting back from a deficit. “We used to get down and down. Now we pick ourselves up. It is nice to see nobody is giving up.”

The Bearcats stopped Lindenwood on offense and had an opportunity to tie, but couldn’t get the shot to fall.

Even though Northwest lost, it heads into Christmas break upbeat about the way it has played the last two weeks. After Christmas break, Northwest will play its next two MIAA games at home. The Bearcats face Central Oklahoma on Jan. 2 and Northeastern Oklahoma on Jan. 4.

“It is going to be amazing,” Schechinger said. “It is insane to start out in the MIAA with five out of six games on the road. Knowing that we battled in those games, I am confident that we are going to come home with our fans there, and we are going to get wins.”

When Northwest returns to Bearcat Arena, fans will see a team that is playing with more confidence and an offense that is executing at a higher level.

Northwest went 27 for 54 from the field for 50 percent against Lindenwood. Senior Taylor Shull finished with 13 points, junior Shelby Mustain came off the bench and scored 10 and Meyer added nine.

Several scoring options allowed the Bearcats to battle back. Late in the second quarter, Northwest was on the verge of dealing with an insurmountable deficit for the second half. Lindenwood built a 32-23 lead and was rolling.

Northwest went on a 14-2 run to close out the second quarter. The Bearcats took a 37-34 lead into halftime.

“They stayed patient and they stayed hungry,” Scheel said. “That is one of the biggest things I have been trying teach them lately. You have to play aggressive, but on the other hand you have to patient. You can’t force things. Our toughness to get over that hump at that time was really big going into half.”

Twice in the first half, Northwest made nice runs after a deficit. Lindenwood started the game by scoring 10 of the first 12 points. Junior Jaylah Jackson came off the bench and provided a spark for Northwest.

Thanks to eight points by Jackson in the first quarter, Northwest actually took an 18-15 lead. Lindenwood, though, scored the final six points in the first quarter for a 21-18 lead.

The Lady Lions stayed hot at the start of the second quarter and increased their lead to 29-21. Schechinger and Shull got Northwest back on track and they helped orchestrate the offensive surge late in the second quarter.

Both teams shot the ball well in the first half. Northwest was 14 for 27 from the field for 51.9 percent and Lindenwood was 13 for 25 for 52 percent.