The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team led wire-to-wire en route to a 67-57 victory over the Lincoln Blue Tigers Saturday afternoon in Jefferson City.

Northwest improves its record to 15-5 on the season and 8-4 in the MIAA.

The Bearcats hit 52 percent (23-of-44) of their shots in the contest, highlighted by a blistering 65 percent in the first half (15-of-23).

Junior Lyle Harris finished the contest with 13 points, two assists and a team-high seven rebounds, while Grant Cozad hit 4-of-7 shots from the field and added both attempts from the charity stripe en route to his 14 points. The senior added four rebounds and one assist.

Leading 15-10 after the first eight minutes of play, Northwest went on a 15-4 run over the next four minutes to extend the lead to a game-high 16 points. Lyle Harris answered a Blue Tiger three pointer with a trey of his own, followed by two free throws by senior Grant Cozad. Anthony Woods and Harris made layups on consecutive possessions for the Bearcats to stretch the lead to 24-12. Woods then made his fourth three-pointer of the season to give the Bearcats a 13 point advantage. Lyle Harris finished the run by getting fouled after sinking a driving layup. He made the free throw to give Northwest a 30-14 lead with 7:01 to play in the first half.

The Bearcats will make the short trip to St. Joseph, Mo. on Wednesday to take on the Missouri Western Griffons. The tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team rallied late but ended up just short, losing to Lincoln, 66-56, Saturday afternoon in Jefferson City.

After trailing by as many as 16 points midway through the second half, the Bearcats put together a 25-11 run over a stretch of 11 minutes to close the gap to two with 2:48 to play.

Ariel Easton led the Bearcats with 19 points and six rebounds, while freshman Tanya Meyer scored 15 points in the contest, all of which came in the final 13 minutes of play.

The Bearcats found themselves behind by 16 when Kelsey Williams hit a short range jumper for the Blue Tigers. After Coach Michael Smith called a timeout to rally the troops, Tanya Meyer went on a shooting spree. Morgan Walker found Meyer underneath for an easy layup. Meyer then hit an 18-footer from the top of the key two possessions later. Alexandria Blaurock made a layup and the ensuing free throw to close the gap to 47-36. Meyer then scored the next six points for the Bearcats, seemingly scoring at will in the paint. Ariel Easton drove to the rim and hit contested layups on the next two Bearcat possessions to make the score 50-46 with five minutes to play. A three-pointer from the corner by Tember Schechinger decresed the deficit to two, but the Blue Tigers hit 7-of-10 free throws down the strech to seal the victory.

The Bearcats will look to return to the victory column when they head to St. Joseph, Mo. on Wednesday to play the Griffons of Missouri Western. The women’s game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

MARYVILLE, Mo. -The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team entered Wednesday night’s game at Bearcat Arena against Lindenwood needing a win.

But the Bearcats faced a difficult task trying to break a modest two-game losing streak. They were facing the first place team in the MIAA and were playing without freshman point guard Justin Pitts, who missed his second straight game because of an ankle injury.

Overcoming adversity in a season builds character. The 2014-15 Bearcats proved once again that they have plenty of it. Northwest picked up a much-needed victory, beating Lindenwood 74-61.

“It was really important,” Grant Cozad said of the win. “We were on a two-game losing streak. To be home with the home crowd helped us. To get that monkey off our backs and get our confidence back is big to go on the road to Lincoln.”

Northwest improved to 14-5 overall and 7-4 in the MIAA, and Lindenwood dropped to 8-3 and 13-7.

“We wanted to play with emotion from the start and I think we did,” Cozad said. “Playing the number one team in conference definitely helps. It brings out the fire in you.”

Going without Pitts, who leads the Bearcats in scoring with a 16.1 points per game average, Northwest needed contributions from everybody. The Bearcats got it.

Cozad, a 6-foot-8 senior center, played a man’s game in the paint against Lindenwood’s 6-9 center Sam Mader. Cozad finished with 22, hard-earned points.

“I started off a little slow, trying to get the feel for it,” said Cozad, who had nine rebounds. “I kind of stepped up there and took it to them. I was ready for it. I had a couple of bad games leading up to this one. I needed to have a good one. I felt like I did. I played physical with him down low. I had fun. I like it physical. It was a fun game.”

Sophomore wing man Zach Schneider made sure the inside didn’t get clogged up by drilling seven three-pointers and finishing with 21 points.

“I could feel it in warm ups,” Schneider said. “I knew it was going to be a good game. I knew I was going to get open looks tonight.”

And junior Lyle Harris, filling in for Pitts, played a steady game at point, making several nice passes to Cozad and doing a great job driving to the basket for layups. Harris finished with a career-high 15 points.

“I just got to do my job,” Harris said. “Basically, that is it. I have to make sure my teammates believe in me and I believe in them.”

Most impressively, Northwest maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half.

A basket by Harris to start the second half, gave Northwest a 41-27 lead. The Bearcats’ advantage eventually grew to 50-32.

Lindenwood fought back, but needed a lot of time to close to 60-51 on a three-pointer by Darris Smith with about 6 minutes left.

Northwest quickly responded with a basket in the paint from Cozad and a three-pointer by Schneider with 4:32 left pushed the Bearcats’ lead to 65-51. Lindenwood never threatened again.

“Coming off those two losses, we got back to work,” Schneider said. “We had tough practices. This was our biggest rebounding margin this year, 32-18. That is the stat that sticks out to me.”

In the first 5 minutes of the game there were eight lead changes. The final one, a three-pointer by Harris propelled Northwest to a 10-8 lead that quickly grew to 15-10 thanks to a three-pointer by Schneider.

Northwest, particularly Schneider, remained hot from behind the arc and went into halftime with a 39-27 lead.

Schneider was on fire in the first half. He knocked down five three-pointers in eight attempts for 15 points.

The Bearcats also played strong inside behind Cozad and freshman Brett Dougherty. Cozad scored 10 points, going 4 for 5 from the field. Dougherty added five, including a three-point play that staked Northwest to an 18-12 lead.

From start to finish, Northwest proved it could play winning basketball while dealing with injuries.

“We have four injuries right now,” Schneider said. “We knew we were going to play a tight rotation with seven guys. Lyle stepped up big time and everyone else did, also. Anthony Woods and Brett gave us big minutes, too so it was good.”

— David Boyce, Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State senior Ariel Easton matched her career-high 30 points against Lindenwood with 18 minutes, 14 seconds remaining in the second half Wednesday evening at Bearcat Arena.

Easton didn’t break her scoring record until 3:50 remained. Her scoring drought was good for the Bearcats on two fronts.

It showed Easton played team basketball and didn’t force up shots when Lindenwood made a conscious effort to shut her down.

The other positive point was the rest of the Bearcats stepped up and made baskets. It was an overall team effort that led Northwest to an 81-72 comeback victory.

“Our kids responded in the second half,” Northwest coach Michael Smith said. “I challenged them at halftime. I told them we needed some other people to step up.

“Obviously, Ariel was having a career night, but we knew in the second half they would try to make some adjustments. More importantly, Ariel played with poise in the second half. She didn’t try to do too much and allowed her teammates to get involved.”

After three straight nail biters in which the final outcome was twice decided by one point and the other by two points, the nine-point win was far more comfortable.

“It felt great,” said Easton, who finished with a career-high 34 points. “With four minutes left, I kind of thought about that. We need to play defense and play composed like we did tonight.

“We are learning from our mistakes. Last week we let one get away because of that.”

Statistically, the Bearcats played at a very high level in the second half. They shot a blistering 57 percent from the field and committed only six turnovers. They also caused Lindenwood to shoot 29 percent from the field.

The Bearcats have now won three of their last four games. They continue to show growth as they move out of the basement of the MIAA and start their climb up the standings.

“I think our kids pressed in the first half,” Smith said. “They knew what was at stake as far as two teams battling to move up in the rankings.”

When Easton scored her 30th point, Northwest trailed just 41-40. But one player wasn’t going to beat Lindenwood. Although the Bearcats stayed close in the first half because of Easton, they needed a couple of other players to find their shot.

It finally happened when the Bearcats were down 47-43. A 13-0 run by Northwest started with a mid-range jumper from Taylor Shull, who struggled with her shot against Lindenwood.

Northwest tied the game at 47-47 on a bucket by freshman Samantha Hurst and took the lead for good on a basket by freshman Bailey Smith.

Freshman Tanya Meyer made back-to-back buckets and junior Tember Schechinger drilled a three-pointer, giving Northwest a 56-47 lead.

“It gave me confidence in them,” said Schechinger of the freshmen. “It helps me trust them a lot more. It helps everybody trust them more.

“When your offensive game is going that means your defensive game will probably step up a little. It just helps that you can trust your teammates. It is great to see them come off the bench and be ready. They were ready to play tonight.”

The trey by Schechinger triggered a hot streak from her. She made a couple more long three-pointers. Her third of the game gave the Bearcats a 68-58 lead with 5:20 left. She finished with 15 points.

“It does a lot for us,” Easton said of Schechinger’s three-pointers.

Easton finally broke her career-high with a basket with 3:50 left, helping Northwest maintain a double-digit lead at 72-62.

The first half was the Ariel Easton show.

If only someone else other than Easton could have scored in the first half, Northwest would have gone into halftime with a lead instead of a 39-35 deficit.

Easton was hitting shots all over the court. She scored 27 points in the first half. The only other player to notch more than two points was forward Shelby Mustain, who had four.

Foul trouble hurt Mustain. She saw just three minutes of action.

Despite the scoring troubles for the rest of the Bearcats, the game remained close and would have been closer if not for a ridiculous three-pointer by Kassidy Gengenbacher late in the first half that banked high off the backboard, which gave the Lions the four-point advantage.

— David Boyce, Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team lost at Missouri Southern Wednesday night, 77-65.

It’s the second straight loss for the Bearcats and they’ve now dropped three of their last four games.  Northwest is now 13-5 on the season and 6-4 in the MIAA, while the Lions improved to 12-6 and 6-3.

Conner Crooker led the Bearcats with 15 points, while Brett Dougherty scored 12 points and corralled seven rebounds.  Lyle Harris added a career-high 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.

After trailing from the start, Zach Schneider drilled a three pointer to give the Bearcats a 15-14 lead with 8:25 left in the first half. Conner Crooker made a jumper after a Missouri Southern turnover, then hit a trey of his own to hand Northwest a 20-15 advantage.

After Cameron Cornelius hit a layup and the ensuing free throw to close the gap to two, Anthony Woods layed in an offensive rebound to put the Bearcats back up by four. Moments later Brett Dougherty added a layup of his own to give the Bearcats a six point lead. The Lions then went on a 13-2 run to close out the period, heading into the break with a 31-26 lead.

Northwest Missouri State will return to action next Wednesday (Jan. 28) when Lindenwood makes the trip to Maryville. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 following the women’s matchup.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team came up short Wednesday night at Joplin, falling to Missouri Southern 60-59.

The Bearcats’ two-game winning streak comes to an end as they fall to 6-13 overall and 2-8 in the MIAA.  The Lions improve their record to 12-5 and 6-3.

Ariel Easton led all scorers with 27 points, while Tember Schechinger recorded her second double-double of the season, accumulating 10 points and 10 rebounds.

After Missouri Southern scored 11 straight points midway through the second half, Taylor Shull drained a 18-foot jump shot to give the Bearcats a 55-52 advantage. Ariel Easton hit a 10-foot jumper to push the lead to five points.

The Lions proceeded to take their first lead since the first three minutes of the game when Kenya Brown knocked down a trey with 1:57 remaining. On the ensuing possession, Easton drove into the lane and hit a layup to put the Bearcats back on top, 59-58.

Tember Schechinger blocked a shot on the defensive end, but Northwest was unable to capitalize on offense. Nicole Hartzog made two free throws with 28 seconds left for the final points of the contest.

Northwest will take the weekend off and return to action next Thursday (Jan. 28) when they host the Lindenwood Lions. The women’s game will begin at 5:30 followed by the men’s game at 7:30.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Former Northwest Missouri State running back James Franklin has died according to the Olathe Police Department.

A spokesman for the department said officers found Franklin, 23, dead after responding to a call Monday morning at The Edge apartment complex at 12200 S. Strang Line Rd. in Olathe.  He also says that Franklin’s death “looks to be a suicide.”

Franklin stared at Olathe North high school and led them to undefeated season and the Kansas Class 6A state championship in 2009, when the Eagles defeated Wichita Heights.

He ran for 2,803 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior and broke Darren Sproles’ single-season rushing record, earning the Simone Award as the Kansas City area’s top player.

Franklin signed with the University of Nebraska-Omaha out of high school and rushed for 766 yards and 10 touchdown in 11 games as a freshman.

The Mavericks then dismantled their football program and Franklin transferred to Northwest Missouri State.

He led the Bearcats with 1,247 yards and 25 touchdowns as a sophomore and also led Northwest as a junior with 733 yards and 12 touchdowns, but was ruled academically ineligible before his senior season in 2013.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. ­- In a game that rapidly turned into a defensive battle in the second half, Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team lost one key component to combat that style of play.

Freshman point guard Justin Pitts hurt his right ankle with about 17 minutes left in the game. The Bearcats lost a player who could break down a defense with his quickness and dribble and keep the defense honest with a three-pointer.

Northwest continued to battle and even took several leads throughout the remainder of the game, but couldn’t sustain it, falling 66-61 to Central Missouri Saturday afternoon at the Multipurpose Building.

“I still think we had a chance to win the game regardless,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “If we just didn’t make so many mental errors, letting kids out of our ball screen coverage. We had a turnover that led to a layup.

“Just so many mistakes you can’t have on the road, especially without Justin. We didn’t have him, but that is no excuse to lose.”

The loss dropped the Bearcats to 13-4 overall and 6-3 in the MIAA. Central Missouri improved to 15-3 and 6-3.

The outcome makes it clear that it will be a dogfight for first place in MIAA. At the start of action Saturday, eight teams in the MIAA had two or three losses in conference.

A dogfight is the best way to describe Saturday’s game between Northwest and Central Missouri.

When Pitts left the game, Northwest trailed 41-38. Pitts, who finished with 16 points, re-entered the game, but the ankle injury was too painful for him to stay in.

“He was rolling,” McCollum said of Pitts. “They had no answer for him.”

Still, the Bearcats fought back and took a 44-43 lead on two free throws by Conner Crooker with 11:52 left.

The Bearcats clung to a slim lead for the next several minutes until Central Missouri went back in front 50-48. Northwest went right back in front 51-50 on a three-pointer by Zach Schneider.

Northwest’s last lead was 55-54 on two free throws by Grant Cozad. Central Missouri senior Rakeem Dickerson took over. A driving basket gave the Mules a 56-55 lead. TJ White followed with a basket and then Dickerson put the game away with a steal and a layup that gave Central Missouri a 60-55 lead.

The first half was close throughout. Central’s biggest lead came early at 9-4. Northwest’s biggest advantage came late at 33-28 and that allowed the Bearcats to take a slim 36-35 lead into halftime.

The play of Pitts and Crooker was important for the Bearcats. They combined to score 24 points.

Coming up big for Central Missouri was forward Brennen Hughes, who scored11 points in the first half on 5 of 6 shooting from the field.

— David Boyce, Northwest Athletics —

WARRENSBURG, Mo. ­- Junior Taylor Shull stepped to the line for Northwest Missouri State with 7.4 seconds remaining and the Bearcats trailing by one at Central Missouri.

The way Shull stared at the basket before taking a shot left no doubt the moment was right for her. But Shull admitted she was nervous.

“A couple of the girls came up to me and they were like, ‘Taylor, we believe in you. We know you can hit these.'” Shull said.

Shull drilled the first free throw. Central Missouri called timeout to ice Shull.

It didn’t bother her. Shull made the second one. Northwest then played great defense, getting two blocks and then watched a desperation three-pointer go wide left.

Northwest came away with a thrilling 61-60 victory over the Jennies Saturday afternoon at the Multipurpose Building. It was the second straight nail-biting win for the Bearcats.

“From the start, our kids executed our game plan to a tee,” Northwest coach Michael Smith said. “They were a driving team and we knew it so we tried to limit their opportunities to get drives.

“Our kids are starting to believe. You can see that in their eyes. This is a big win for us on the road. Anytime you can get a win on the road in the MIAA it says a lot. I am really proud of our kids right now.”

On Wednesday, Northwest beat Southwest Baptist on a buzzer beater by sophomore Shelby Mustain.

The win Saturday afternoon was more significant. It was on against a team that has five MIAA wins and was picked to finish fifth in conference.

“This is huge,” Shull said of the back-to-back wins. “We started the season a little slow. These two wins are confidence boosters. We got to keep going and keep building off of it.”

The Jennies showed their will to win when they fell behind 35-30 at the start of the second half and responded by taking a 40-37 lead a few minutes later.

Northwest didn’t back down. The Bearcats went back in front 41-40 on a basket by Ariel Easton, who finished with a game-high 17 points.

Central Missouri had a small spurt and took a 44-43 lead. Northwest bounced right back with its best run of the second half. Fueled by consecutive three-pointers by freshman Bailey Smith, Northwest built a 51-44 lead with 9:26 left.

“Those were really big, but I could not have done that without my teammates because they gave me the confidence to hit those threes,” Bailey Smith said. “I lost confidence here lately. Just getting it back feels great.”

The Bearcats struggled to score the rest of the way, but they continued to battle and fight for each point even when they trailed 57-53 with 4:56 remaining. Northwest scored the next four, which included a basket by junior Tember Schechinger that tied the game 57-57 with 4:06 left.

But once again Northwest faced a deficit. The Bearcats trailed 60-57 with 1:54 left. Northwest didn’t give up another point the rest of the way.

With a 1:09 left, Northwest closed to one on a layup by Mustain. And that set the stage for Shull’s clutch free throws.

It was another team effort by the Bearcats. Schechinger finished with 12. Freshman Tanya Meyer came off the bench and scored 11 and Smith added 10 off the bench.

“We had some early foul trouble and we had some kids step in and play,” Michael Smith said. “Tanya Meyer came in and gave us some big minutes. Another freshman, Bailey Smith hit three big threes. I am very proud of her. She has been struggling a little bit, but the kid has been in the gym everyday shooting.”

In the first half, Northwest continued to show growth. The Bearcats fell behind 19-10 midway through the half, but went into halftime with a 33-30 lead.

The Bearcats played solid zone defense in the last 10 minutes and the offense got on track. They made a quick spurt to close to 19-16.

“After our first MIAA win, we know we don’t have to give up when we are down,” Shull said. “We can keep fighting back. We realized that. There is never a time to give up. We can keep coming back.”

Northwest stayed within three and four points over the next 5 minutes and then took a 25-24 lead on a three-pointer by Meyer with 5:05 left.

Central Missouri regained the lead. Northwest came right back with a three-pointer by Smith, giving the Bearcats a 28-26 lead.

The Bearcats nearly shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, going 13 for 28. They also held Central Missouri to 33 percent.

— David Boyce, Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – In front of a boisterous student section at Bearcat Arena Wednesday evening, the Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team delivered an impressive gut-check 77-73 overtime victory over Southwest Baptist.

“It feels pretty good afterwards, but it was pretty tiring,” said senior Matt Wallace, who for the third straight game scored a career-high in points, finishing with 19.

“It was big for us, going down the stretch, getting down two and everybody wondering if we can do it. But we came back and won it. We will have that in the back of our heads for the rest of the season.”

Sure, the Bearcats blowout wins at Central Oklahoma, at Northeastern State and at home against Nebraska-Kearney were works of art. But it is easy to look good when the ball is dropping.

What the Bearcats pulled off Wednesday was probably more meaningful.

“This game can benefit us a lot more because those games you are not improving much and you are on a feel-good,” Wallace said. “You are not going to have a feel-good during tourney time. You usually are not playing your greatest and shots are not going down so you got to be able to grind out and get the win like we did tonight.”

Against Southwest Baptist, the Bearcats held a five-point lead with only 35 seconds left. It appeared Wallace sealed the victory when he stole the ball and raced down the court for a layup, which put the Bearcats up 64-59.

“I honestly was thinking we were kind of set,” Wallace said. “But that was dumb of me to do.”

Southwest Baptist responded by scoring the final five points in regulation, all coming on the hot hand of senior Menas Stephens.

Overtime, though, was not foreign territory for the Bearcats. They pulled out a 74-66 overtime win against Fort Hays State on Dec. 20 at Bearcat Arena.

The big difference this time was Northwest immediately fell behind Southwest Baptist in overtime. Against Fort Hays State, the Bearcats quickly jumped to a lead in overtime.

Southwest Baptist held a 69-67 lead when freshman Justin Pitts drove for a layup. Southwest Baptist went back in front 70-69 with 1:10 left on free throw by Stephens.

Northwest battled back and grabbed the lead with 57 seconds left on a three-pointer by sophomore Zach Schneider. The lead grew to 74-70 on two free throws by Pitts with 36 seconds left.

This time, the Bearcats didn’t allow Southwest Baptist to tie, but it wasn’t easy. A three-pointer by David Gabrovsek with 22 seconds left allowed Southwest Baptist to close to one at 74-73.

Three seconds later, junior Conner Crooker made both free throws, pushing Northwest’s lead back to three.

Those four straight free throws were key in the Bearcats securing the win. If Northwest were better at the line during regulation, the game probably wouldn’t have went to overtime. For the game, Northwest went 15 for 31 from the line for 48 percent, although in overtime the Bearcats were six for eight.

Northwest was also hurt on the boards. Southwest Baptist pulled down 20 more rebounds than the Bearcats.

Still, Northwest found a way to win. The Bearcats improved to 13-3 overall and 6-2 in the MIAA. Northwest hits the road for their next game, playing at Central Missouri on Saturday.

Picking up the 13th victory, though, was definitely tiring.

“We are getting used to it,” said Crooker, who finished with 27 points and a career-high nine rebounds. “The past few games have been a grind. This was a big one tonight. I don’t think I have been more tired in a game in my life.

“They were just fighting and getting after the o-boards. It was a tough, fought battle. It was good to come out with a win.”

Northwest led for all but a couple of possession in the first half, but the slim 30-29 lead at halftime signified just how close the game was the first 20 minutes.

Each time the Bearcats built a six-point lead, Southwest Baptist charged right back.

For the most part, Northwest only had two sources of offense in the first half. Matt Wallace scored 11 and Conner Crooker had 10.

The Bearcats shot an uncharacteristically low 41 percent from the field and was 4-for-12 from the free throw line for 33 percent.

— David Boyce, Northwest Athletics —