Midway through the first half, Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team built a 10-point lead against Saint Mary and then saw it shrink to one.

A basket by freshman Elizabeth Finn got the Bearcats rolling and rolling and rolling to an impressive 78-33 victory Tuesday evening at Bearcat Arena.

“We talked about doing our job, everybody stepping up and doing their job and people not trying to do other people’s job,” Northwest coach Michael Smith said. “Tonight was about us. It wasn’t about our opponent.

“In the first half, we played pretty timid. The second half opened my eyes up a lot as far as getting up and down the floor and pushing it.”

From the tail end of the first half through the first 6 minutes of the second half, Northwest scored 23 straight points, turning a 19-18 advantage to an insurmountable 42-18 lead.

The Bearcats continued to pour it on over the next 10 minutes, winning their second game of the season over the Spires from Leavenworth, Kan.

Northwest’s other win this season came against Saint Mary from Nebraska.

The impressive thing about Tuesday’s victory was the way the Bearcats executed on offense once St. Mary challenged them.

Northwest did nothing special to methodically build a 16-6 lead at the start of the game. A lack of execution on offense allowed St. Mary to close to 19-18.

“At that 4 minute timeout, we came out with a lot of energy,” said senior guard Ariel Easton. “We came out and brought energy from every aspect.”

In the last 4 minutes of the first half, the offense clicked for the Bearcats. Good ball movement created open shots. After Finn’s basket, junior guard Taylor Shull made a basket.

A few seconds later, sophomore forward Ashley Guenther hit a 5-foot, baseline jumper and then Easton drained a three-pointer. The half ended with a three-pointer by Shull, making it 31-18.

Northwest continued its strong offensive play at the start of the second half. The scoring started with a bucket from junior center Maggie Marnin.

“Looking into the post is something we need to do,” Easton said. “We did it tonight and we got to continue to carry on with it throughout the season.”

In all, five different players scored for the Bearcats in their 11-0 spurt to start the second half.

It is significant that Marnin had two baskets during that run. Marnin is playing her way back into game shape after missing the entire season last year because of an ACL injury.

“It felt good getting back,” Marnin said. “Coach pulled me aside and told me I was the biggest girl on the floor. Most girls won’t take that so well. I saw that as his confidence in me and wanting me to step up and help the team win.”

The huge lead allowed Smith to use his entire bench. Every player played at least 8 minutes and 11 players scored, led by 15 from junior Tember Schechinger and 12 from Easton. Sophomore center Shelby Mustain also scored in double figures, finishing with 10.

“I thought it was a well-balanced offense in the second half,” Smith said.

Schechinger tied a career-high in three pointers, making three in five attempts.

“She has been struggling from the confidence standpoint, too,” Smith said. “She went three for five for threes and she hadn’t attempted a three in our first five games and she had the same type looks. She didn’t feel as much pressure.

Northwest returns to action 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Bearcat Arena against Rogers State (Okla.).

“Hopefully, we can maintain this when we come back after we eat a bunch of turkey and see if we can keep the same type of intensity,” Smith said.

— David Boyce, Northwest Athletics —

Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball head coach Michael Smith has announced four additions to the Bearcats’ 2015-16 roster. Macy Williams (Tabor, Iowa), Maria Dentlinger (Arcadia, Iowa), Ashley Nelson (LaVista, Neb.) and Elexis Martinez (Omaha, Neb.) have all committed to playing for the Bearcats.

“All four of these young ladies are exceptional people and are a great fit for Northwest both academically and athletically,” said Smith. “Coach (Buck) Scheel did a great job heading up our recruiting and evaluating of these student athletes and I can’t wait for them to arrive on campus next fall.”

Williams was a second team all-state performer for Fremont-Mills High School. She was a first team all-conference, all-district and all-regional performer while earning first team honors from the Omaha World Herald. Williams is averaging 19 points, 7.0 assists and is shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc. To date, she has scored over 1,200 points in her prep career.

“Macy brings all the tangibles to our program, her work ethic is second to none,” Smith said. “She will be able to play the 1 or 2 position for us with her ability to shoot the ball so well.”

Dentlinger was an all-conference and all-district forward for Kuemper Catholic High School. She was named a second-team performer by the Omaha World Herald. She has averaged 14 points, 6.0 rebounds and shot 37 percent from three point range in her career.

“Maria is our ideal stretch 4 position and a nightmare matchup for most coaches,” said Smith. “Her versatility will be big bonus for our system as she has the ability to post you up or knock down the three from the perimeter.”

Nelson earned all-state honorable mention accolades at Papillion LaVista High School. She has averaged 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals during her high school career. She will play her senior season at Fremont High School.

“The first thing that attracted me to Ashley was her toughness on the floor,” Smith commented. “As a coach you always look for that player that will do the little things and that is Ashley. She can play numerous positions on the floor and has a great basketball IQ.”

Martinez was an honorable mention all-state performer for Central High School. For her prep career, she has averaged 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds.

“Martinez is a tremendous athlete with a big upside,” Smith said. “Her length will cause perimeter players problems and I can’t wait to get her in our system and watch her game elevate to the next level.”

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State head baseball coach Darin Loe has announced the signings of three student athletes to the 2016 Bearcat roster. Andrew “AJ” Nitzchke (Lawton, Iowa), Mitchell Worthington (Maryville, Mo.) and Ryan Laddish (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) all committed to playing with the Bearcats.

“I am excited about these three individuals joing the Bearcat baseball team,” said Loe. “All three are top level players that fulfill the current needs of our program. They are all talented, great students and high character individuals.”

Worthington earned first team all-district honors and second team All-MEC accolades as a junior for Maryville High School. The 6-3 pitcher helped lead the Spoofhounds to a district and sectional championship in 2012. Worthington also excelled in soccer, earning all-state, all-district and All-MEC honors as a midfielder.

Nitzschke was a first team All-Western Valley Conference as a junior after earning second team honors as a freshman and as a sophomore at Lawton-Bronson High School. He was named first team all-district as a junior and earned all-state honorable mention accolades as a sophomore. He helped lead his team to a 2013 district and conference championship. Nitzchke is a member of the Principal Cabinet, an A Honor Roll recipient and earned all-confernece and all-state honors in speech.

A first baseman and pitcher for Lee’s Summit High School, Laddish was an All-Suburban Big 6 honorable mention performer as a junior. Over the summer he hit .347 with five triples, eight doubles and 29 RBI. On the mound, he went 4-1 with a 2.30 ERA and held opponents to a .176 average in just over 21 innings of work. He is a member of the honor roll and has lettered four times in baseball and three times in football.

Northwest Missouri State University head softball coach Ryan Anderson has announced the signings of three student-athletes to the 2016 Bearcat softball roster. Kiana Baderdeen (Gardner, Kan.), Rachel Smith (Kimbalton, Iowa) and Alexis Kelsey (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) all signed National Letters of Intent with the Bearcats.

“We are looking for all three indvidiuals to step in and contribute immediately,” said Anderson. “Kiana and Alexis both bring bats that we hope can impact the lineup. We’ve seen Rachel quite a bit the past couple of years. She has put up good numbers and we hope she can step in and replace our outgoing seniors next season. We are excited to get all three student-athletes here.”

Smith has compiled over 1,200 strikeouts in her career at Exira-EHK High School, winning 83 games with a 0.66 ERA. She is a three-time All-Rolling Valley Conference and all-district performer. She has twice earned first team all-state honors from the Omaha World Herald. She was a third team all-state performer as a sophomore. She has led her team to three regional final apperances. Smith has also earned all-state, all-conference and all district honors in basketball. She is a member of the National Honor Society and is a three time honor roll recipient.

Kelsey is a two-time all-conference performer for Linn-Mar High School. She holds the program record with a .947 slugging percentage. The infielder was also named all-metro twice, earning honors during her freshman and sophomore seasons.

A 5-6 infielder from Gardner Edgerton High School, Baderdeen earned first team all-district honors last season as a junior after earning second team honors as a freshman. Baderdeen also earned first team All-EOC honors as a freshman.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri have both earned spots in the NCAA Division II Football Championship announced on Sunday.

Pittsburg State will face off with Harding at 1 p.m. in the opening round on Nov. 22 from Pittsburg, Kan. Northwest Missouri will go on the road to Minnesota Duluth where they will face off with the Bulldogs on Nov. 22 from Duluth, Minn. at a time to be announced later.

The Pittsburg State/Harding winner will face off with second seed Minnesota State and the Northwest Missouri/Duluth winner will travel to Ouachita Baptist in the second round.

Super Region 3 Field
1. Ouachita Baptist (Bye)
2. Minnesota State (Bye)
3. Pittsburg State
4. Minnesota Duluth
5. Northwest Missouri
6. Harding

— MIAA Press Release —

Northwest Missouri State kept its composure and relied on teamwork to withstand the barrage of three-pointers unleashed by Upper Iowa midway through the second half.

The Peacocks, who were ice cold in the first half on three-pointers, started knocking down one trey after another. They closed to six points.

Undaunted, Northwest stayed with its offense. The Bearcats made a few three-pointers, scored a few more field goals inside the arc and stayed aggressive and that led to free throws.

The lead grew back to double digits and ended with Northwest capturing its first victory of the season, beating the Peacocks 91-83 Saturday evening at Bearcat Arena.

“It is definitely a relief to get the first win,” said sophomore forward Zach Schneider. “We had a shot at it last night. We didn’t pull it out.

“Our guards did a really good job of getting everyone open looks. Tonight we knocked them done a lot better and that was good.”

Northwest, 1-1, returns to action at 5 p.m. on Friday against William Jewell at Missouri Western.

Northwest appeared in complete control when Grant Cozad made a field goal, giving the Bearcats a 65-50 lead with 8:47 left.

“I thought defensively we executed, especially early in the game,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “Offensively, the first half we were a little rough, missing layups and missing wide-open threes. I think that is more of an inexperienced thing than anything else. We are starting to gain some experience and confidence. We are a work in progress.”

Northwest showed they can handle a run late in the second half.

Back-to-back treys by Upper Iowa sliced Northwest’s lead to 65-56. After a basket by Cozad, the Peacocks made another three-pointer. Upper Iowa closed to 70-64 on another three-pointer.

“I feel like they hit seven or eight in a row there,” Schneider said. “We made a few mistakes. We didn’t get out their shooters. But we built enough of a lead that we could afford to make a few mistakes.”

Northwest junior Conner Crooker hit a three-pointer, putting the Bearcats up nine at 73-64, and Upper Iowa quickly answered with a three-pointer.

The Bearcats finally regained control when Matt Wallace drilled a three-pointer and followed that several seconds later with two free throws that gave Northwest a 78-67 lead.

The Peacocks never threatened again.

“I thought we responded well, especially for a young team,” McCollum said. “Throughout the game we didn’t respond as well as I would like. If we missed a layup, we were frustrated all the way down to the other end rather than turn around and figure it out and get the stop.”

Offensively, it was a team effort for Northwest. Led by 20 from Crooker, all five starters scored in double figures. Schneider tied his career-high with 19, freshman point guard Justin Pitts scored 16, Wallace had 12 and Cozad finished with 11.

Northwest went into halftime with a 40-33 lead because of one statistic. The Bearcats went 6-for-12 from behind the three-point arc while Upper Iowa hit just one of its 12 three-point attempts.

It was near the end of the first half that Northwest found its form on the long-range shots. A three-pointer by Crooker gave the Bearcats a 29-28 lead.

Schneider, who was 4-for-7 on three-points in the opening 20 minutes, solidified Northwest’s lead with a three-pointer that made it 32-28.

“I think our jitters carried over a little from last night,” Schneider said. “Once we got settled in, we are pretty tough to stop, especially with Pitts. He is pretty quick. He finds everyone who is open.”

Northwest concluded the first half with Schneider and Crooker each making a three-pointer.

Freshman forward Brett Dougherty came off the bench and provided a spark inside the paint during the midway point in the first when Northwest was struggling on offense.

Dougherty made three buckets in the paint and added a free throw for seven points in only 8 minutes of action.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Due to an unforeseen chain of inclement weather events expected to take place in Kansas City, Saturday’s Fall Classic has been relocated to Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo., from Arrowhead Stadium.

After consulting with the National Football League office and a thorough review of the weather forecast, our grounds crew strongly suggested eliminating any activity on the field prior to the game on Sunday. Due to the potential combination of wet snow conditions followed by below freezing temperatures, it has been recommended that the field remain covered during the forecasted precipitation on Saturday.

“We would like to express our thanks to Mel Tjeerdsma, Loren Ferré and both universities for their understanding and working with us to find a solution to this unpredictable situation,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said.

All tickets for Saturday’s scheduled game at Arrowhead will be refunded in full at the original point of purchase. Tickets will be available at the Northwest Missouri State University Ticket Office. Ticket information for Saturday’s game will be available on both Northwest Missouri State and Washburn University’s websites later this afternoon. Kickoff time has also been changed to 1 p.m.

Any ticket-related questions for the Chiefs can be directed to (816) 920-4237.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

Northwest Missouri State head men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum announced the additions of Grant Graham and Tyler Dougherty to the 2015-16 roster. Graham, from Eldridge, Iowa, was a standout guard at North Scott High School while Dougherty is a 6-6 forward from Papillion-LaVista High School in LaVista, Neb.

“Both of these kids really wanted to be at Northwest,” said McCollum. “They fit our culture and we think it’s extremely important having kids that want to be in our program. We are very excited about having these two young men join our basketball family.”

Graham was a second team All-Mississippi Athletic Conference performer as a junior, earning third team accolades as a freshman and honorable mention honors as a sophomore. In three seasons, Graham has compiled 622 points, 150 assists, 221 rebounds, 68 steals and eight blocked shots. He has a single game high of 26 points. North Scott has advanced to the sub-state finals all three seasons. Graham maintaines a 3.87 GPA, is a member of the National Honor Society and has earned All-MAC academic team honors all three seasons.

“Grant is a very tough and heady guard,” McCollum said. “We were impressed with his ability to always make the right play on offense. He is a very good defender, one of the best we saw in high school last year. Grant’s North Scott team is 40-6 the last two seasons and that’s one of the first things we look at when recruiting a kid. Grant will do his job in the classroom and will be a great kid in the community.”

Dougherty has helped lead the Papillion-LaVista Monarchs to a pair of Nebraska Final Four appearances. As a junior, he averaged 14 points and seven rebounds. Last season, he scored a career-best 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds against Omaha Westside. Dougherty is an all-state scholar athlete, earning all-state honorable mention honors and all-area first team accolades. He played club basketball for Omaha Sports Academy and helped lead the team to the Mullens High Profile Tournament titel in 2014 in St. Louis. A three sport standout in football and soccer in addition to basketball, Dougherty is also an honor roll student and is a member of the National Honor Society. He is the younger brother of current Bearcat redshirt freshman Brett Dougherty.

“Tyler is a strong and tough kid,” said McCollum. “He is very good at attacking the basket and finishing around the rim. He has been a part of some very successful teams at Papillion LaVista and with his AAU team the Omaha Crusaders. Tyler is a fantastic kid and comes from a great family that we already know very well through his brother Brett.”

— Northwest Sports Information —

For the third time in school history, the Northwest Missouri State University football team opens the season as the American Football Coaches Association’s (AFCA) preseason favorite to win a national title. The Bearcats earned 31 of the 32 possible first place votes in the first AFCA poll of the season and held a 799-725 edge in points over No. 2 ranked Grand Valley State.

The MIAA had two other teams represented in the poll as Pittsburg State checked in at No. 9 and Emporia State was tied for No. 22. Central Missouri, Missouri Western and Washburn all received votes. Northwest begins the season on Thursday, Sept. 4, against Nebraska-Kearney at 7 p.m. at Bearcat Stadium. Single game tickets are now on sale for the season opener and the 2014 Fall Classic on Nov. 15 against Washburn at Arrowhead Stadium.

Click here to view the entire AFCA Top 25 release.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State head soccer coach Tracy Hoza has announced the addition of six student-athletes to the 2014 roster. The latest additions to the roster are Hannah Goetz (Ankeny, Iowa), Danielle Wolfe (Olathe, Kan.), Ashley Malloy (Omaha, Neb.), Sarah Porter (Sioux City, Iowa), Jessica Spradley (Raytown, Mo.) and Cassidy Holtman (Maryville, Mo.).

“All players comse from solid high school and coaching backgrounds,” said Hoza. “They will bring a wealth of skill and technical ability along with fantastic work ethic. We are looing forward to this recruiting class to enhance our roster. “

Hannah Goetz was a member of the 2013 Iowa state championship team for Ankeny High School. She was an Iowa state cup champion for three years. Goetz received all conference second team honors and all district second team honors as a senior. She played club for Iowa Rush.

Danielle Wolfe earned HM all-conference as a freshman and second team all-conference honors as a senior after scoring 18 goals. Wolfeearned offensive MVP three years in a row and the team MVP as a senior for Olathe North High School. She played club soccer for Sporting Blue Valley.

Ashley Malloy helped Skutt Catholic High School to two Class B state championships (2011 and 2013) and a second place finish in 2012. Malloy, who has 43 career shutouts, received Nebraska Class B all-state honors for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. She also received honorable mention all-state honors in 2011 and 2012 and was named to the 2014 Nebraska all-state second team. She was a member of the US Youth Soccer National Championship Toro/EGA Bravo in 2008 and 2013.

Prior to arriving at Northwest, Sarah Porter attended Iowa Central Community College where she earned second team all-conference. Porter was a second team all-conference performer for West High School in Sioux City, Iowa.

Jessica Spradley helped Raytown High School to a conference championship during her sophomore season. As a freshman, she earned second team all-conference honors. During her junior and senior seasons, Spradley earned first team all-conference honors. She was an all-district performer her freshman and junior seasons. Spradley played club soccer for Sporting Blue Valley.

Cassidy Holtman earned first team all-state honors herjunior year and second team all-state honors her senior year. She helped Maryville High School to two district championships in 2012 and 2013 and one sectional championship in 2013. She earned all-district first team all four years andall-region her sophomore, junior and senior years. Holtman played club soccer for the Maryville Twisters.

2014 Roster Additions
Hannah Goetz  –  D  –  5-6 –  Ankeny, Iowa (Ankeny HS)
Danielle Wolfe  –  M  –  5-8  –  Olathe, Kan. (Olathe North HS)
Ashley Malloy  –  GK  –  5-6  –  Omaha, Neb. (Skutt Catholic HS)
Sarah Porter  –  D  –  5-6  –  Sioux City, Iowa (Iowa Central CC/West HS)
Jessica Spradley  –  M  –  5-3  –  Raytown, Mo. (Raytown HS)
Cassidy Holtman  –  M  –  5-0  –  Maryville, Mo. (Maryville HS)

— Northwest Sports Information —