By David Boyce

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Other than junior Chris-Ebou Ndow missing the opener because of sickness, the Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team were healthy, wealthy with made baskets and wise with its suffocating defense.

While not perfect, the Bearcats bolted to a 24-point halftime lead late Friday afternoon against Upper Iowa in the 25th annual Hillyard Tip-Off Classic at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Northwest rode its comfortable halftime lead to an 87-52 victory and very much looked like the team deserving of its No. 6 ranking in the NABC preseason basketball poll. A year ago, Northwest lost 76-72 to Upper Iowa.

“This was a good start for us,” said Northwest junior forward Brett Dougherty, who finished with eight points and six rebounds. “It was kind of a revenge game because we lost to them last year. In the past, we kind of had some slow starts to the season.”

The Bearcats scored the first five points in the first half and never trailed, taking a commanding 46-22 lead into halftime.

Stifling defense was the key reason Northwest built a double-digit lead, particularly in the opening 10 minutes when only Pitts managed to knock down shots.

While the Bearcats were working on their offensive rhythm, they completely stopped Upper Iowa on the other end of the court. The Peacocks went 8 for 25 from the field in the first half for 32 percent.

“I thought we played pretty well on defense, especially the first half,” Dougherty said. “We did a good job on ball screen and coverage. In the second half, we didn’t have as much energy but I thought we played pretty well.”

Defense allowed Northwest to turn a 5-3 lead to 18-7 advantage. Offensively, Pitts was on fire from the outside, knocking down four three-pointers and scoring 16 of the first 18 points.

Amazingly, Pitts, who finished with a game-high 31 points, entered MWSU Fieldhouse wondering about his shot.

“I was a little nervous,” said Pitts, who went 11 for 16 from the field. “All week I don’t think I made a three, maybe even a shot in practice so coming into this game, I was nervous. But I hit the first couple of shots and I felt comfortable after that.”

As the first half progressed, more Bearcats found their offensive mojo, particularly Dougherty. Back-to-back baskets in the paint by Dougherty helped Northwest extend its lead to 25-13.

With 2:44 left in the first half, another notable moment occurred for Northwest. Freshman forward Ryan Welty, a graduate of Park Hill South in Kansas City, scored his first points in a Bearcat jersey. It was a three-pointer that increased Northwest’s lead to 37-17.

“I had some butterflies going in, but the coaches and players really helped me out during the week, and they did a really good job of getting me prepared for the game,” said Welty, who finished with 12 points.

“It felt good when I finally put it through the hoop because I missed the first two and I don’t like to miss three in a row.”

Less than a minute later, senior Zach Schneider pulled out his specialty, the four-point play. The three-pointer plus the made free throw off the foul by Schneider put Northwest up 41-19.

Northwest finished the half making 16 of 33 shots for 48.5 percent. The Bearcats were even hotter from behind the arc, making nine of 17 for 52.9 percent.

“We really executed our game plan, No. 1 and No. 2, I thought our rotations were good on defense and we guarded the ball,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “We got deflections. Defense I thought was the key to the game.”

The Bearcats continued to play well in the second half. One play that stood out was a steal followed by a fast break that was pass driven between Pitts and Woods and it led to a layup by Woods plus a foul shot. The successful three-point play gave Northwest a 71-42 lead with 8:21 left in the game. Woods finished with 16 points.

Even with a big lead, the Bearcats continued to hustle, getting back to disrupt a fast break opportunity by Upper Iowa. Northwest rewarded itself by turning that defensive stand into a three-point bucket by Welty, his fourth of the game. It gave Northwest a 76-43 lead with under 6 minutes remaining.

“He played really well,” Dougherty said of Welty. “Ryan does the right things. He plays hard and plays his role. We do a good job of finding shooters and he can definitely shoot it.”

It was an eventful first game for Welty, who fouled out of his first game with 4 minutes left.

“That is something different for me,” Welty said. “I am not used to fouling out.”

Overall, Northwest played so well that the reserve players were able to play the final 5 minutes of the game and they made plays. Sophomore Dray Starzl knocked down a three-pointer with 3 minutes left that gave Northwest an 81-47 lead.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team picked up a 78-70 season opening win over Ouachita Baptist on Friday night at the Meyer Sports Center in Bolivar, Mo.

– The game was the season opener for both programs. It was also the first all-time meeting between the two programs from the MIAA and the GAC.

– Junior Tanya Meyer set career highs with 31 points, 11 made field goals and six three-pointers made. She also grabbed five rebounds, two coming on the offensive end.

– Taryne Shull had a career-high 11 rebounds for Northwest, four of the offensive variety. She added five points in 35 minutes of work with a steal.

– Northwest outrebounded Ouachita Baptist, 35-24, and had 16 total assists.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats shot 46.4 percent (26-56) from the field and hit 11 three pointers. Northwest was 15-of-17 at the charity stripe, hitting at an 88.2 percent clip.

– Northwest grabbed 12 offensive rebounds which turned into 11 second-chance points. The Tigers only managed four second-chance points.

– Jasmin Howe knocked down three long range jumpers, finishing the night with 17 points, two rebounds and two assists.

– Macy Williams scored 12 points in 39 minutes. She tied a career-high with six assists and did not commit a foul. She set a career-high with seven made free throws.

– Alexa Schaaf also set a career-high with six assists in the game. She grabbed a pair of rebounds with a steal.

Key Northwest Sequences
– The Bearcats got off to a quick start, beginning the game with a 7-0 run. Meyer hit a three-pointer off an assist from Williams just 38 seconds into the game for a 3-0 lead. Half a minute later, Howe made a layup to push the lead to 5-0. After a second missed Tiger three pointer, Meyer hit a jumper to put Northwest up, 7-0.

– At the end of the first quarter, Northwest got five quick points as Meyer hit a three pointer to put the Bearcats up by eight, 21-13. A missed jumper by Ouachita Baptist led to a Northwest possession with 45 seconds left. Meyer would miss a three but Shull picked up the offensive board and hit a layup to put the Bearcats up, 25-13 to end the first quarter.

– The Tigers tied things up 44-44 early in the third quarter but Northwest went on a 14-6 run to pull ahead by eight. Williams broke the tie at the 7:20 mark with a three pointer. Meyer hit a jumper to make it a five-point lead, 49-44. Ouachita answered back with a jumper but Meyer converted an conventional three-point play, making the layup and drawing a foul to push the lead up to 52-46. After a miss by the Tigers, Benson drew a foul and hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 54-46. Ouachita Baptist got a layup to cut the lad to 54-48 but Williams knocked down a pair of free throws and Carlie Willhelmi converted a layup to put the Bearcats up by eight, 58-50, with 3:01 left in the third quarter.

Up Next
– Northwest will face off with Henderson State on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 8:15 p.m. in Bolivar, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —