By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Faced with a 12-point halftime deficit on the road, Northwest Missouri State’s women’s basketball team needed to get off to a strong start in the third quarter.

It didn’t happen. The Bearcats were outscored 11-2 at the start of the second half. It was too much of a hole for Northwest to climb out. The Bearcats dropped their MIAA opener, falling to Southwest Baptist 62-38 Thursday evening at Meyer Sports Center.

The problem for the Bearcats against Baptist was an inability to score consistently. Senior guard Taylor Shull was the only Northwest player who shot the ball without fear.

Shull, though, believes in her teammates and knows they can make shots if they take them.

“It is communicating and letting them know that I have trust in them,” Shull said. “Being a senior, I can’t be the only out there doing something. We can’t win if it is 1-on-5 or 2-on-5. It is the whole team looking for its shot. They are here for a reason, to play as basketball players who have confidence in themselves.”

Shull scored 9, but that wasn’t near enough to keep pace with Baptist freshman Caylee Richardson, who finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. And when she cooled down in the second half, Dilonna Johnson, Alex Botkin and Megan Rosenbohm stepped up.

Northwest never got closer than 14 the rest of the way.

The good news for Northwest is it has plenty of conference games coming up to find its rhythm on offense. But the Bearcats will face another stern test Saturday afternoon when they play at Central Missouri.

The key, Shull said, is to stay upbeat.

“We need positivity from everyone, from the bench to the court,” Shull said. “We just have to stick together. Yes, this is only the first conference game. Yes, we don’t want to start the conference season this way, but there is a lot more ahead, a lot more to learn from.

“It is a learning process. We have to take things from this game that might not went the way we wanted to, learn from it and bounce back.”

Two factors played into why Northwest went into halftime trailing 32-20. Northwest missed too many baskets in the paint and it allowed Richardson to go 6-for-7 from the field and score 14 points in the first half.

Despite the troubles in the paint, Northwest managed to take a 6-2 lead in the first quarter on a three-pointer by sophomore Tanya Meyer and junior Jasmin Howe.

Baptist moved ahead 10-8 late in the first quarter and went into the second quarter ahead 12-10.

A three-pointer by freshman Taylor Jackson at the start of the second quarter extended Baptist’s lead to 15-10.

An 8-0 run by Baptist really put Northwest in a difficult spot. The run gave Baptist a 27-15 lead. Northwest was never able to cut into that lead the rest of the quarter.

Northwest finished the first half 7-for-25 from the field for 28 percent. Meanwhile, Baptist shot nearly 50 percent, making 14-of-31 shots.

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team picked up its second straight victory Monday evening in Maryville, dispatching of the Saint Mary Spires, 67-35.

Northwest improved its record to 2-4 with the win.

Tember Schechinger recorded her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds while dishing out three assists and making three steals. The senior hit 6-of-14 shots from the field.

Senior Taylor Shull made four steals in the contest. The guard added seven points and three assists.  Tanya Meyer dropped in 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. Jasmin Howe hit two second half treys en route to 10 points while distributing two assists and corralling four rebounds.

Northwest forced 25 Saint Mary turnovers while committing just 13.  The Bearcats hit 47.5 percent of their shots in the game (29-for-61), but hit nearly 60 percent in the second half (16-of-27).  Northwest dominated in the paint, outscoring the Spires, 38-18.

After falling behind by three in the first minute, 5-2, the Bearcats used an 11-0 run to set the tone for the rest of the game. Taylor Shull hit a three-pointer on a pass from Tember Schechinger to tie the score at five. Northwest forced two turnovers before Jasmin Howe handed the Bearcats their first lead on a driving layup three minutes into the game. Northwest would not trail the rest of the night. Howe made another steal, leading to Schechinger putting in a layup off her own miss. The intensity remained high on the defensive end when Shull and Schechinger made two steals each on four of the next five Spire possessions. Schechinger laid in another offensive rebound in the midst of that run to put the Bearcats in front, 11-5. The Bearcat run ended when Macy Williams found Shelby Mustain under the basket for an easy layup.

Leading 42-28 after three quarters of play, the Bearcats scored the first 14 points of the final period to seal the victory. Mustain made a block on the defensive end and dropped in a layup after a perfect pass from Jasmin Howe. After a shot clock violation, Jasmin Howe poured in a three pointer from the left side. Mustain hit a short range jumper on a pass from Shull to extend the lead to 49-28. Schechinger made layups on consecutive possessions before finding Mallory McAndrews at the top of the key, who knocked down a three-pointer to put the Bearcats in front by 28.

The Bearcats will open MIAA play when they travel to Bolivar, Mo. on Thursday, Dec. 3 to face off with Southwest Baptist. First tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team defeated Central Methodist, 83-72, on Tuesday evening at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo.

Tuesday’s game was the home opener for the Bearcats, who improved to 2-2 overall.

Five Bearcats reached double figures, led by D’Vante Mosby’s second double-double of the season, scoring a season-high 20 points with 12 rebounds.

Justin Pitts had a game-high 22 points and hit a career-high six three pointers. He also had four assists and four steals. Conner Crooker hit four three pointers and a pair of free throws, finishing with a season-high 14 points.  Anthony Woods scored 10 points off the bench, tying a season-high with four rebounds. He was 4-of-6 from the field.  Chris-Ebou Ndow added 11 points with a six rebounds. He hit a season-best two long range jumpers.

Central Methodist climbed back from an eight-point deficit to tie the game at 26-26 with 3:27 left in the first half. Northwest responded with back-to-back three pointers from Pitts and Crooker. After an Eagles jumper fell, Ndow hit a three off a feed from Pitts to give the Bearcats a seven point lead at 35-28. Central Methodist tried to respond with a three but missed. After a failed putback, Northwest closed the half with another three pointer by Pitts off a feed from Dougherty to take a 38-28 lead into the half.

Central Methodist pulled to within four, 41-37, with 16:43 left in the second half. Mosby missed a layup on the next possession but got his own rebound and finished to put Northwest up, 43-37. After a Pitts Steal, Woods scored and was fouled on the fast break on a feed from Crooker. He hit the free throw to give Northwest a nine point lead, 46-37. After another steal by Pitts, Woods drew another foul and hit 1-of-2 to put the Bearcats up, 47-37. The Eagles hit a layup on the next possession but Mosby cleaned up a missed three pointer from Pitts to keep Northwest up, 49-39. After another turnover, Mosby again hit the offensive boards, rebounding a Dougherty missed layup for another easy two points. The Northwest lead would not fall under double-digits for the remainder of the game.

Northwest returns to Bearcat Arena for a Black Friday matchup with Kansas Wesleyan at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to knock off Missouri Valley Tuesday night in Maryville, 71-61.

With the win, the Bearcats move to 1-4 on the season.

Three Bearcats scored in double figures, led by Tanya Meyer with 18.

After going scoreless before the break, Meyer went off after halftime, hitting 5-of-5 shots in the half. The sophomore grabbed five boards and added a block.

Jasmin Howe followed up Saturday’s 18-point performance with 17 on Tuesday, hitting 6-of-10 shots from the field. The junior transfer hit a season-best five three-pointers.

Freshman Macy Williams hit three shots from behind the arc, leading to 15 points while dishing out three assists. The Tabor, Iowa native had yet to score more than four points in a game this season.

Northwest outrebounded the Vikings, 30-25. Fourteen Bearcat rebounds came on the offensive end leading to eight second chance points.  The Bearcats hit 47.3 percent from the field (26-for-55) and 47.8 percent from behind the arc (11-for-23).  Northwest dominated in the paint, outscoring the Vikings 22-8.

The Bearcats are scheduled to host the University of Saint Mary on Monday, Nov. 30. First tip with the Spires is scheduled for 6 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team lost to Rockhurst Saturday afternoon in Kansas City, Mo., 64-49.

The Bearcats are now 0-4 on the year, while the Hawks improve to 3-0 overall.

Jasmin Howe was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, the most baskets a Northwest player has made without a miss since 2002 (Kristin Anderson, 7-for-7 at UCM, 2/20/02).  Four of Howe’s baskets were from behind the three-point arc, giving her a team-best 18 points.

Tember Schechinger recorded the first Bearcat double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 boards.  Shelby Mustain came off the bench to corral seven rebounds and score five points while blocking three shots on the defensive end.

After trailing by 14 at the end of the first quarter, 27-13, Northwest held the Hawks scoreless over the first seven minutes, 20 seconds in the second quarter. The Bearcats used a 10-0 run over that span to narrow the deficit to four, 27-23. Jasmin Howe opened the period with a three pointer from the right wing. Two minutes later, Tember Schechinger closed the gap to nine when she poured in a turn-around layup on a pass from Alexa Schaaf. Shelby Mustain blocked a shot on the defensive end followed by another trey for Howe, this time from the top of the key after a dish from Jaylah Jackson. Howe then knocked down a jumper from the top of the key after a seventh straight Hawk miss to complete the Bearcat run.

Up Next, the Bearcats will host Missouri Valley in the first basketball doubleheader of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 24th at 5:30. Afterward, the men will play Central Methodist at 7:30.

— Northwest Athletics —

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A 25-foot three-pointer by Augustana senior Daniel Jansen with .5 seconds left prevented Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team from pulling off a thrilling comeback victory over the No. 1 ranked team in Division II.

It appeared Northwest might get an improbable win when sophomore Justin Pitts stole the ball and made a layup with 25 seconds left, which gave the Bearcats a one-point lead in a game they trailed by 15 points early in the second half.

The Vikings brought the ball up and then called timeout with 13 seconds left. Northwest played great defense, disrupting the planned play by Augustana. With time winding down to under 3 seconds, Jansen got the ball and was forced to shoot.

Jansen drilled the three-pointer, giving Augustana a 79-77 victory.

“I thought my shot was enough, but he is one of the best players I’ve seen in Division II,” Pitts said. “It was a nice shot.”

The loss dropped Northwest to 1-2, but the Bearcats left Sioux Falls Arena Thursday evening knowing it can play with anybody in the country.

“The first half we weren’t focused in on defense,” Pitts said. “The second half we came out to play. We just locked in and got stops and made it the game that it was.”

Northwest coach Ben McCollum said he wants the Northwest team that showed up in the second half to travel back to Maryville, Mo. The Bearcats can win with that team. He wants the first-half Bearcats to get lost.

“What I told them after the game was the first half team and the team that showed up against Upper Iowa, that team needs to stay in Sioux Falls and just disappear,” McCollum said. “Right now, we have to grow up and be that second half team. We need to understand we are not the talent team, the 14th ranked team. That is not us.

“We are a grind-it-out, hard-nosed, fight you team. We drank some of the poison and thought we were the talent team. That is not our style. But I couldn’t be prouder the way our team competed in the second half.”

McCollum’s assessment basically describes the two halves. Northwest fell behind big in the first half and faced a 59-44 deficit with 15:07 left in the game. At that point, the gritty Bearcats took over and fought for every loose ball and found a way to score even when shots weren’t falling.

The Bearcats helped them close to 68-64 with 7:39 left on a three-pointer by Pitts. Pitts was unstoppable in the second half, making five three-pointers. He scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half.

Northwest tied the game at 71-71 with 2:57 left on a free throw by Pitts. The Bearcats took its first lead since it was 3-1 on a layup by Pitts with 1:36 left, making it 75-74.

“It was good to see what we can do,” Pitts said.

Augustana went back ahead on a layup by Jansen. Pitts eventually answered Jansen with a layup, but it was not quite enough. Jansen hit the clutch three-pointer, sealing the win for the Vikings.

“It was a learning experience,” Northwest junior D’Vante Mosby, who finished with 13 points. “It was also disheartening because we did all the work to get back into the game. We did everything we could to get back. They had a little magic up here. We will live to see another day.”

There were many bright spots, particularly from the bench. Woods, Anthony Woods and Chris-Ebou Ndow came off the bench and combined for 37 points, going 12 for 17 from the field.

“It is good to see us all do well, especially against a great team on a big stage,” Mosby said. “It is good to see us all come together. It goes back to coach Mac. It’s everybody else before yourself or you won’t play and that is a good thing.”

The best things for Northwest in the first half was it kept its composure, hit its free throws and made a few baskets in the final 5 minutes to go into halftime trailing 47-38.

The Bearcats struggled on the defensive end throughout the first 20 minutes. They didn’t have an answer for Jensen and Casey Schilling. Jensen, in particular, posed a matchup problem. The 6-foot-9 center was a force in the paint and he also floated outside to make a couple of three-pointers.

Schilling was equaling effective outside and inside. Schilling and Jensen each scored 13 points in the first half. They were the key reasons how the Vikings built a 38-22 lead.

Northwest was definitely in trouble at that point. But the Bearcats never showed panic. Woods calmly sank free throw after free throw. One set of free throws stopped a run by Augustana and made it 38-24. Sophomore Xavier Kurth followed with a three-pointer, closing the gap to 38-27.

From that point on, the Bearcats not only stuck with Augustana, they moved closer. Late in the first half, Northwest pulled to within seven at 45-38 on Pitts first basket of the game.

“It is very encouraging we can come back and that all goes back to coach Mac,” Pitts said. “He keeps us calm.”

Augustana won the first half on its offensive execution. The Vikings were 17 for 33 from the field for 51.5 percent. Northwest was also efficient on offense, going 13 for 28 from the field for 46.4 percent.

Leading the way for the Bearcats in the first half was Woods, who came off the bench and scored 10 points. He was six for seven from the free throw line.

— David Boyce, Northwest Athletics —

Although it held Quincy to 34 percent shooting from the field, the Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team fell to the Lady Hawks Wednesday evening in Maryville, 58-44.

The loss moves the Bearcats to 0-3 this season, while the Lady Hawks improve to 3-0 overall.

Tember Schechinger led the Bearcats with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, her second double-digit performance this season. The senior guard also grabbed four rebounds and made three steals.

Tanya Meyer led the team with eight boards while scoring eight points, all in the second half. Defensively, the Sioux City, Iowa native swatted two blocks and made one steal.  Shelby Mustain came off the bench to score nine points for Northwest, seven of which came in the third quarter. After sinking 4-of-5 shots from the field Wednesday, the junior now leads the team in shooting percentage this season (11-for-18, 61.1 percent).

Following a Quincy layup off an offensive rebound, the Bearcats found themselves trailing by 15, 30-15, four minutes into the second half. Tember Schechinger hit a layup on a nice pass from Shelby Mustain and drilled a trey off a pass from Bailey Smith after a Lady Hawk missed a shot from close range, making the score 30-20. Quincy responded with a triple of its own, sparking a big Northwest run. Mustain dropped in layups on consecutive possessions, first with her right hand on an over-the-top pass from Macy Williams and then with the right on a dish from Maria Dentlinger. The junior sunk a free throw after being fouled on the second shot to narrow the deficit to 33-25. Another defensive stand allowed Williams to drain a 10-foot jumper, forcing a Lady Hawk timeout and completing a 7-0 Bearcat rally.

The Bearcats will return to action Saturday when they travel to Kansas City, Mo. for a meeting with Rockhurst. The tip is scheduled for 1 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Maryville, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State softball head coach Ryan Anderson has announced five additions to the 2017 Bearcat softball squad. Karli Allen (Arnold, Mo.), Cailin Edwards (Iberia, Mo.), Skylar Huls (Beatrice, Neb.), Kailey Siemonsma (Fort Calhoun, Neb.) and Kaitlyn Weis (Omaha, Neb.) all signed National Letters of Intent to play at Northwest.

“One thing that stands out about this group is the experience they will bring with them,” coach Anderson said. “Their athleticism and determination will be tremendous additions to our team. As a whole, they bring in a very diverse set of skills. We see them stepping in right away and filling the gaps left by outgoing seniors. These five players will be great additions to the Bearcat family and we can’t wait to get them on campus.”

Karli Allen totaled 107 career hits at Fox High School. Allen drove in 39 RBI and clubbed eight home runs during her senior season, earning her All-Conference, All-District and All-Region honors. In total, Allen was named first team All-Conference three times and first team All-Region twice. She was listed on the B honor roll three times and is a member of the A+ program. During her senior season, her team advanced to the state tournament, finishing third.

Cailin Edwards was a four-time All-District performer at Iberia High School, where her team was the first female team to make it past sectionals. Edwards collected a career .563 average at the plate and stole 38 bases. She was named first team All-Region three times, was on the All-State second team after her junior year and also received the KRCG Athlete of the week award. In the classroom, Cailin was listed on the A/B honor roll and named on the All-State academic softball team three times.

A pitcher/utility player, Skylar Huls recorded the most wins in state history as a four year varsity starter for Beatrice High School. Huls was named All-State honorable mention three times and first team All-State after her junior year. In addition, she was first team All-Conference all four years. She led Beatrice to three state tournament appearances, including a third place finish in 2014. A Renaissance Award winner, Skylar was listed on the honor roll four times, while being named academic All-Conference three times.

Kailey Siemonsma left her mark at Blair High School, setting single season school records in batting average (.529), on base percentage, and RBI (49). As a pitcher, Kailey earned 61 career wins. Siemonsma climbed her way from honorable mention All-State as a freshman, to second team as a sophomore and finally first team All-State as a junior. A member of the National Honor Society, Kailey was named academic All-State all four seasons and first team academic All-Conference as a junior and senior.

Kaitlyn Weis played for the 2013 Class B state champion Skutt Catholic Skyhawks. Career accolades include first team All-Conference her senior year, second team All-Class B and All-Omaha honors.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team fell to No. 13 ranked Central Missouri, 3-0, on Tuesday evening at the Multi in Warrensburg, Mo.

The match was a first round pairing of the 2015 MIAA Tournament. The Bearcats were the No. 7 seed while the Jennies were the No. 2 seed.

Northwest finishes the season at 15-14 overall. UCM improves to 28-4 overall and will advance to the second round of the MIAA Tournament on Friday.

Northwest’s Jackie Becker had a team-high nine kills for Northwest, hitting .231 with three blocks and three digs.  Maddy Bruder added seven kills with 12 digs.  Sarah Dannettell had 15 assists with six digs and a block. She also added a pair of kills.

The Bearcats had four total team blocks on the evening.  Northwest hit .080 for the match while UCM hit .268.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team powered past Wayne State Saturday evening in St. Joseph, Mo., winning 89-52.

This was the third of four scheduled games in the 24th annual Hillyard Tip-off Classic.  With the win, Northwest moves to 1-1 on the young season. The Wildcats are now 0-2 this year.

Brett Dougherty led all scorers with 18 points, a new career high. The sophomore hit 7-of-8 shots from the field and added five rebounds and two assists.

D’Vante Mosby recorded a double-double in just his second game as a Bearcat, tallying 17 points and 12 rebounds. The junior transfer was perfect from the field, knocking down all six shot attempts.

Justin Pitts added 14 points for the Bearcats, seven of which came from the charity stripe. The sophomore added two assists and one steal.

Conner Crooker drilled both of his attempts from behind the three-point line, finishing with 13 points and two dimes.

Xavier Kurth scored in double-figures for just the second time in his career, contributing 11 points, two assists and one steal.

The Bearcats won the opening tip and took an immediate lead when Brett Dougherty made a layup and the ensuing free throw. After Wayne State missed a trey, Justin Pitts dropped in a driving layup to give the Bearcats a 5-0 lead one minute into the contest. The Northwest advantage wouldn’t dip below three the rest of the night.

– With the Wildcats hanging around, trailing by 11 late in the first half, Northwest scored the final six points of the period and outscored Wayne State 11-2 coming out of the break to put the game on ice. Conner Crooker drained a three with just over two minutes remaining in the first half before D’Vante Mosby connected on a shot from close range 33 seconds later. A free throw from Justin Pitts put the Bearcats ahead 50-33 as the teams headed towards the locker room. Wayne State scored first in the second half, but 11 straight points for the Bearcats gave them a 61-35 advantage with just under 14 minutes to play. Northwest hit four straight shots during that span.

Northwest will travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. on Thursday, Nov. 19 for an early season test against Augustana. First tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —