By David Boyce

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State quest to finish first in the MIAA in men’s basketball is still alive thanks to a stellar, under pressure performance Wednesday evening at Hyland Arena.

The Bearcats faced a Lindenwood team filled with emotion in its final home game of the season. Before tipoff, the Lions honored four seniors. A crowd of nearly 2,000 fans, many of whom were Lindenwood students, were into it from start to finish. This season, they had watched the Lions win every home conference game.

None of that bothered the cagey Bearcats. Even when Northwest faced a one-point deficit with less than 90 seconds left, the Bearcats calmly went about their business as they have all season.

And then, came the shot that staggered Lindenwood. With the shot clock winding down, junior Conner Crooker knocked down a NBA-range three-pointer, giving Northwest a two-point lead with 1:12 left.

“My man was pulling off on me,” said Crooker, who finished with a team-high 18 points. “I was pretty confident in my shot at that point. I hit one earlier. I heard Zach Schneider in the corner and he yelled hit it and that gave me the confidence to throw it up and it went in. It was nice.”

After a defensive stop, Crooker drove inside the arc and delivered a gut blow to the Lions with a 10-foot runner that pushed Northwest’s lead to four with 27 seconds left.

“I think it was a pretty big shot,” Crooker said. “I didn’t really think about it at the time. I saw a little opening and figured I could do one of my pull ups and it managed to go in.”

Senior Matt Wallace finished off the Lions with four free throws in the final 22 seconds to lift Northwest to a thrilling 69-65 victory.

Why the boxing references for this MIAA basketball game? Because both teams battled back and forth like two heavyweight champions going after a world title.

“That is what it felt like,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “I knew they would punch us back and they did. They played well in the second half. We played well enough and hit enough shots to close it out.

“These are the games you coach. These are the reasons you play basketball. Anybody who says otherwise is crazy. It was a fun, all-around game for our kids.”

The Bearcats still have work to do to win the MIAA crown, but they definitely helped their cause with the win. They leave St. Charles with a 19-5 overall record and 12-4 in the MIAA. Lindenwood dropped to 16-10 and 11-6.

“It is pretty awesome, but it is also emotionally draining,” Crooker said. “We had to fight every possession. They are undefeated in conference at home. We knew it was going to be a battle.

“At the start of the second half, they started hitting shot after shot so we knew it was going to be a battle until the very end.”

The level of play in the second half by both teams was incredible. Northwest started the half with a 32-26 lead. Five minutes into the second half, Lindenwood tied the game at 38-38 and then took a 40-38 lead.

Northwest went right back in front with a three-pointer by freshman Justin Pitts. Lindenwood quickly responded with a three-pointer to reclaim the lead, 43-41.

The Lions had all the emotion when LJ McIntosh hit a three-pointer and trotted down court raising three fingers while shouting. He was thrilled the Lions held a 49-45 lead.

It didn’t bother Northwest.

“We are so even keel throughout everything we go through,” Wallace said. “Nobody gets down. We are just on to the next play. If somebody messes up, we still have five minutes left in the game.”

The Bearcats scored the next eight points and took a 53-49 lead. The last five points came on a three-pointer by Schneider followed by a bucket by Crooker.

The Lions still had plenty of fight left in them. They regained the lead at 59-58 and stretched it to 61-58.

But there was no panic in the Bearcats. Northwest closed to one on a basket by senior Grant Cozad and then took a 63-61 lead on Crooker’s clutch three-pointer with 1:12 left.

“He grew up right before our eyes again,” McCollum said. “He has been great for us all year. That kind of confidence to hit those big shots was huge.”

Crooker’s next basket nearly sealed the game and Wallace’s free throws finished the job in an amazing win by the Bearcats.

As usual, it was a team effort by Northwest. All five starters scored in double figures.

“This is why you play the game,” said Schneider, who finished with 12 points. “I couldn’t tell you any of the possessions right now. Those were two big shots by Conner plus big free throws by Matt. I am just blessed to walk out of here with a win.”

In an energetic environment that was nearly 100 percent behind Lindenwood, the Bearcats took a 32-26 lead into halftime. It could have been a bit more if it weren’t for a prayer three-pointer that was banked in with 4 seconds left in the half.

Lindenwood needed the five three-pointers in the first half to prevent facing a double-digit deficit at half. The Bearcats executed that well on offense. They made 14-of-24 field goals for a blistering 58 percent while holding Lindenwood to 36 percent from the field.

“It was intense, very intense,” said Wallace, who finished with 10 points. “You couldn’t let down for a second. It is really fun to play in games like that, especially coming out with a win.”

— Northwest Sports Information —

By David Boyce

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team put itself in a tough spot to reach the MIAA Tournament by falling 73-67 to Lindenwood Wednesday evening at Hyland Arena.

The Bearcats, which beat Lindenwood earlier this season, could have all but knocked the Lions out of contention for the final spot in the MIAA Tournament by winning.

Instead, Northwest, 8-17 overall and 4-12 in the MIAA, needs to win two of its next three games to have an opportunity to secure a place in the conference tournament. Lindenwood, which improved to 11-13 and 4-13, still has hope.

The Bearcats started the second half with a one-point lead, but saw it evaporate on Lindenwood’s first possession. The Lady Lions knocked down a three-pointer for a 35-33 lead and never trailed again.

It was a bad sign for the Bearcats. Lindenwood knocked down six three-pointers in the second half and that went a long way in determining the outcome.

Northwest, though, did manage to tie the game at 35-35 on a basket by Taylor Shull. But when Lindenwood sophomore Kassidy Gengenbacher drilled a three-point to give the Lady Lions a 42-36 lead, Northwest was playing catch-up the rest of the way.

With just over 10 minutes left, it looked bleak for the Bearcats, who stared at a 54-46 deficit. Northwest battled back and closed to 56-53 on two free throws by Morgan Walker with 8:52 left.

Lindenwood put together another spurt fueled by a three-pointer by Gengenbacher that pushed the Lady Lions’ lead to 63-55.

Once again, Northwest fought back and closed to 63-60 with 4:55 left on a basket by Tember Schechinger, and when Northwest trailed 69-62, Schechinger made a three-point play to pull the Bearcats to within four.

With 20 seconds left, a basket by Shull pulled Northwest to within three at 70-67. It was a one-possession game. The Bearcats got that possession 5 seconds later.

But the one bug that has pestered the Bearcats all season bit them once again. Northwest turned the ball over and was then forced to foul, hoping Lindenwood would miss free throws. The Lady Lions didn’t, dashing the comeback bid by Northwest.

Still, Northwest had several notable performances. Senior Ariel Easton finished with a team-high 20 points and Tanya Meyer continued to show improvement in her freshman season. She was the Bearcats most versatile scorer, hitting outside shots and in the paint. Meyer finished with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

Sophomore Shelby Mustain, who was hampered with foul trouble, made all four of her field goal attempts and finished with eight points.

During long stretches in the first half, Northwest offense hummed like a well-oiled machine. The outsides shots were falling and when the Lions guarded the perimeter, Northwest dumped the ball inside.

The efficient offense allowed the Bearcats to shoot 48 percent from the field. The main reason Northwest went into halftime with a slim 33-32 lead was because of some unforced turnovers.

Early on, Northwest took a 14-9 lead. Sparking them to the quick advantage was Meyer, who scored all seven on her first-half points in the opening four minutes.

Lindenwood fought back and briefly took a 17-16 lead. It lasted less than a minute. The Bearcats went back ahead on a jumper by Shull and they solidified the lead with a bucket by Easton.

Easton hit a hot streak and helped Northwest increase its lead to 28-21 with less than 5 minutes left in the first half. Lindenwood slowly closed ground.

It appeared all the momentum was with Northwest when Shull drilled a high-arching three-pointer that made it 33-29.

Unfortunately, Gengenbacher found an open spot and answered Shull’s three-pointer with a trey. The sharp-shooting sophomore finished with a game-high 24 points.

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The hottest team in the MIAA remains Northwest Missouri State. Needing a win to own at least a share of first place, the Bearcats scored an impressive 80-68 victory over Missouri Southern Wednesday evening at Bearcat Arena.

By avenging a loss to Southern on Jan. 21, the Bearcats improved to 18-5 overall and 11-4 in the MIAA. Southern dropped to 14-9 and 8-6. It was a dominating performance by Northwest, which has now won five in a row.

“We went back to the basics,” said Northwest senior Grant Cozad. “When we had those two tough losses in a row, we went back to what we were doing at the beginning of the season, just toughness and getting after it. I think that showed tonight. We just need to keep it rolling into next week against Lindenwood.”

The Bearcats took the lead midway through the first half and never trailed again. In fact, most of the second half Northwest led by double digits. Southern made the first bucket in the second half and closed to 45-36. The Bearcats scored next eight points for a commanding 53-38 lead.

“We executed offensively and defensively and we were getting everything we wanted,” said Northwest junior Conner Crooker.

But there was a lot of game left. Southern first-year coach Jeff Boschee, a former University of Kansas basketball star, has the Jayhawk pedigree. It didn’t matter to the Bearcats.

“I grew up watching Boschee, and I was a big fan,” Crooker said. “I didn’t think about it much, but it was a little weird.”

Plus, the Bearcats didn’t have to guard Boschee. He was on the bench coaching. He saw 5 minutes into the second half one of his player let frustration get the best of him. The player was whistled for two technicals and was thrown out of the game. Crooker made three of four free throws, giving Northwest a 60-38 lead.

“I am going to give the credit to Zach Schneider because he was frustrating him down there and staying straight up with him,” Cozad said. “I think Zach got a little emotional and started clapping.

“He was complaining about the calls all night. The refs had enough and kicked him out.”

Southern never really threatened the rest of the second half. The hot, three-point shooting of junior Blaine Miller allowed the Lions to close to 63-50.

The Bearcats, though, have several players who can also drain the three-pointer. On this occasion, it was Schneider who knocked down the trey that increased Northwest’s lead to 66-50.

Freshman point guard Justin Pitts followed with four straight free throws, giving the Bearcats a 70-50 lead with 7:01 left.

Once again, it was a team effort by the Bearcats. Crooker led Northwest with 16 points, senior Grant Cozad scored 14, Schneider had 13 and Pitts finished with 12

Northwest also received strong minutes from the bench. Freshman Brett Dougherty had nine points and four rebounds and sophomore Anthony Woods chipped in seven points.

In the first half, both teams shot the ball extremely well. The main reason Northwest went into halftime ahead 45-34 was because it had just three turnovers compared to nine for Southern.

Those extra meant Northwest took seven more shots and that made a difference. The Bearcats went 18 for 31 from the field for 58.1 percent. Southern was 14 for 24 from the field for 58.3 percent.

Through the first 10 minutes, the lead changed six times. The Bearcats scored four straight points to turn a 12-11 deficit into a 15-12 lead. Southern tied it at 21-21. The game remained close until the last four minutes when Northwest slowly gained some separation.

— David Boyce, Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – A turnover that led to a layup with 3.3 seconds left doomed the Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team to a tough 73-71 overtime loss to Missouri Southern Wednesday evening at Bearcat Arena.

The Bearcats were in position to win. They had the ball with the game tied. Northwest coach Michael Smith believed in the play that was called. Northwest got the ball in the paint, but a tip of the cap goes to Missouri Southern.

Alexis Fitzpatrick stole the ball and made a perfect outlet pass to Nicole Hartzog, who was in full stride when she got the ball and then laid it in.

Northwest, which has four conference victories, is fighting to reach the MIAA Tournament. A win would have put them in a great position to nab one of the final three spots.

“It was tough,” Smith said. “But this was the hardest that our team has fought. I am extremely proud of the group we had in the game. I am extremely proud of the group that finished the basketball game.”

With four conference games left, Smith is confident his team will not only play in the conference tournament, but make it to Kansas City for the quarterfinals. He is basing his belief on what he saw from his squad in the second half.

“We showed tonight a lot of resiliency, a lot of toughness,” Smith said. “More importantly, I hope it continues to challenge our players. We have a lot of basketball left to play. We fight like this, there is no doubt we will be playing in Kansas City. That is our ultimate goal. We have to keep fighting.”

The game was going perfectly for Northwest early in the second half. The Bearcats built a 47-34 lead with 15:25 left in the game. Northwest then went cold. The Bearcats gave up the next 18 points and found themselves down 52-47.

During the first month of conference play, the Bearcats allowed those runs to grow into a double-digit deficit and they game was over.

A lot has changed since January. Northwest fought back and went ahead 64-63 on two free throws by freshman Tanya Meyer with 3:02 left.

“This team has taken huge strides from when we first started,” said sophomore Shelby Mustain. “We realize teams are going to go on runs, but we can make our own runs as well. We can stop their runs and go on a run and take control of the game.”

Northwest showed the same fight in overtime. The Bearcats trailed 69-66 and then Ariel Easton drilled a three-pointer that tied the game at 69-69.

The game came down to Southern just making one more play at the end. The Bearcats, though, were making plenty of plays during the game to force the Lions to make a great play at the end.

Easton finished with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. Shelby Mustain had a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Meyer scored 17 points and junior Tember Schechinger added 13points and five rebounds.

Throughout the first half, Northwest completely controlled the action. The only reason the Bearcats’ 37-28 halftime lead wasn’t bigger was because of the three-pointers by Southern.

Northwest bolted to a quick 9-3 lead thanks to five points from Easton. Southern roared back on two straight three-pointers that tied the game, plus another basket which gave the Lions its only lead of the first half at 11-9.

The Bearcats went right back on five points by Tember Schechinger, giving Northwest a 14-11 lead. Northwest stretched its lead to 29-17. Southern tossed in three straight three-pointers and closed to 29-26.

After that flurry, Northwest went right back to the things that gave it the double-digit lead. The Bearcats played solid defense and on offense, they moved the ball around for high-percentage shots.

Northwest went on a 8-2 run and closed out the first half with a nine-point lead. For the half, Northwest shot 57 percent from the field while causing Southern to shooting 39 percent.

— David Boyce, Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team beat Lincoln University on Saturday afternoon in Bearcat Arena, 77-67.

The Bearcats improved to 17-5 on the year and 10-4 in MIAA play. Lincoln drops to 4-19 overall and 1-13 in conference action.

Conner Crooker had a game-high 21 points to lead Northwest.  Crooker hit 7-of-11 field goals including three three-pointers to net his fifth 20+ point performance of the season. He also grabbed a team-high six rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.

In his first game since Jan. 17, Justin Pitts seemed to pick up right where he left off, scoring 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He was a perfect 3-for-3 from long range and had a pair of assists, two rebounds and a steal.

Northwest shot 57.5 percent from the field (23-for-40) for the game to Lincoln’s 46.5 (20-for-43).

Lincoln committed 12 turnovers in the game but outrebounded the Bearcats, 24-23.

Northwest had 33 points off the bench to the Blue Tigers’ five. Despite giving up five offensive boards, the Bearcats did not allow any second chance points.

Northwest will host Missouri Southern on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team clawed its way to a 63-59 victory over Lincoln Saturday afternoon in Bearcat Arena.

The win improves the Bearcats’ record to 8-15 on the year and 4-10 in the MIAA, while the Blue Tigers fell to 10-10 overall and 5-9 in the conference.

Tanya Meyer led Northwest with 17 points, a new career high for the freshman.

Meyer scored her 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. The Sioux City, Iowa native was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. She added four rebounds and one block.

Tember Schechinger scored the final four points for Northwest to seal the victory. The junior guard finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist.

Sophomore Shelby Mustain added 14 points, hitting 6-of-11 attempts in the contest. She came away with six boards and added one block on defense.

After Kate Frazier hit her second straight layup for the Blue Tigers, the Bearcats found themselves behind, 56-52, with just over four minutes to play. Ariel Easton knocked down her only three-pointer of the day to close the gap to one followed by a quick timeout by coach Michael Smith. After the defense forced a shot clock violation on the next possession, Shelby Mustain knocked down two free throws to give the Bearcats a one point lead.

Lincoln answered with two free throws of their own, making the score 58-57 with 1:47 remaining. Taylor Shull helped the Bearcats regain the lead on their next possession, knocking down a 10-foot jumper. Tember Schechinger added a short range jumper after a defensive stop to increse the Northwest lead to three. After Kelsey Williams hit one of two free throws for the Blue Tigers, Schechinger hit two of her own from the charity stripe to seal the victory for Northwest.

Northwest will host Missouri Southern on Wednesday (Feb. 11). The game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team fell to Northwestern Oklahoma State in the 2015 season opener on Friday, 12-11, in Alva, Okla.

The Bearcats trailed 10-4 at one point but clawed back with seven runs in the final three innings.

Northwest is now 0-1 on the season while the Rangers improved to 4-0 on the year.

Sophomore right fielder Austin Wulff got the Bearcats on the board in the top of the second with a solo shot on a 2-1 count. He finished the day 2-for-3 with a walk.

Shortstop Nick Gotta had a pair of hits, scored two runs and had an RBI in his Bearcat debut.

Kolby Greenslade had a pair of RBI, and scored two runs while going 2-for-5.

Steven Garber had  a pair of hits and drove in a run in the third inning.

Catcher Blake Hardegree had a pair of hits, scored two runs, drew a walk and threw out a base stealer in the third.

Northwest used five pitchers. Kole Klocko started but after being hit by a line drive, left after two-thirds of an inning.

Hondo Pearcy pitched 2.1 innings, Austin Battaglia pitched 3.2 innings, Jacob Wagner got the final out of the seventh inning and Patrick Brady pitched the eighth inning.

The Bearcats will face Regis College (Colo.) in a neutral site game tomorrow at noon followed by a rematch with Northwestern Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. Both games will take place in Alva, Okla.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State soccer coach Tracy Hoza has announced two signees for the 2015 Bearcat soccer team. Payton McGee (Greeley, Colo.) and Ashton Reuter (Maryville, Mo.) have each committed to play for the Bearcats.

McGee has recorded 16 goals and 30 assists in the first three years of her career at Greeley West High School. The 5-foot-4-inch midfielder was the captain of the soccer team for two years and has been in the starting lineup throughout her high school tenure. She has been coached by Mike Lordemann (Greeley West) and Daniel Clitnovici (Bootleggers club team).

“Payton is an incredibly hard worker in the center midfield,” Coach Hoza said. “She is strong, aggressive and always has a positive attitude. She will bring plenty of energy to our squad.”

Reuter attends Maryville High School, where she has tallied 147 goals in three seasons, averaging nearly 2.5 goals per game. She has been listed on the All-District and All-Region teams the last three years as well as being named first team All-State during her junior year. In addition, Reuter was a state finalist for the 2014 Wendy’s High School Heisman. The 5-foot-7-inch forward has also excelled in the classroom where she has been listed on the academic All-State team, among other honors. Her high school coach is her father, Dale Reuter, and she has previously played for Dr. Cleo Samudzi, Dr. Bayo Joachim and Stuart Collins.

“Ashton is a student of the game,” Hoza said. “She is a humble and hard-working athlete. She consistently finds a way to score and we look forward to adding that aspect of her game to our team.”

— Northwest Sports Information —