Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team stayed in the locker room at halftime until about 30 seconds remained.

Coach Ben McCollum had plenty to say to his first-place Bearcats, who faced a 14-point deficit at Missouri Southern.

The Bearcats came out with renewed energy and quickly closed to seven points before the first media timeout. In fact, Southern was forced to call a timeout to stem the momentum the Bearcats were riding.

Ultimately, Wednesday evening belonged to Southern. Northwest saw its 10-game winning streak end with an 82-68 loss at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

“They came out ready to play,” said Northwest senior DeShaun Cooper, who finished with 22 points. “We came out lackadaisical and weren’t ready at all. They just outplayed us, out toughed us. They were the better team today as you can tell by the score.”

However, Northwest, 18-6 overall, remains in first place in the MIAA with an impressive 13-2 record. It was the Bearcats first road loss in conference play.

Northwest has a week to prepare for its next game, a home contest against Lindenwood on Feb. 19.

“We have to get each other tougher and come at each other tomorrow and man-up,” Cooper said.

The Bearcats showed plenty of fight early in the second half after Southern opened with a three-pointer that increased its lead to 43-26.

Northwest went on a 10-0 run, getting six points from center Dillon Starzl. The Bearcats were back in the game, trailing 43-36.

“We needed to look inside ourselves and toughen up, which we did at the start of the second half,” said Starzl, who finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. “I thought we were making a good push and then it went down again.

“And then we stopped getting stops. We stopped getting offensive rebounds. We stopped boxing out on the defensive end. They got a lot of offensive rebounds and put backs. That’s why we lost the game.”

Southern, which improved to 16-5 and 10-4, showed the poise of a team fighting for one of the top four seeds in the conference tournament.

A long three-pointer by Austin Wright pushed the Lions lead to 46-36. Northwest answered with a three-pointer from freshman Zach Schneider.

The Bearcats just couldn’t generate enough offense to keep pace with Southern. Back-to-back three-point plays from Lane Barlow and Marquis Addison gave Southern a 52-39 lead.

Northwest faced a double-digit deficit the rest of the way. The dagger came with 7:05 left when Addison hit a three-pointer for a 61-45 lead for the Lions. Twenty seconds later, Addison added a field goal, making it 63-45.

Northwest played one of those first halves when very little went right as the 40-26 halftime deficit proved.

“At the beginning of the game, we were not focused,” Starzl said. “I don’t know what it was. I don’t know if we were scared of Southern because we knew they were going to come out ready for us because we beat them at home.”

The shooting stats bear out the one-sided nature of the first half. The Bearcats made only nine of 29 from the field for 31 percent compared to 53 percent for Southern.

The only lead Northwest held in the game was 2-0. Southern, though, quickly built a 14-5 lead and maintained control throughout the first half.

Only Cooper found some success for Northwest in the first half. He was 3-for-5 from the field and scored seven points in the first half. But Cooper picked up his third foul with 6 seconds left in the first half, putting him in a bind for the second half.

Nobody else for the Bearcats made more than one field goal.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The four-game winning streak by Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team came to a screeching halt because the Bearcats surrendered too many offensive rebounds.

The 19 offensive boards by Missouri Southern gave the Lions enough second-chance points to pull out a 64-60 overtime victory over Northwest evening at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

“It came down to rebounding,” Northwest coach Michael Smith said. “We knew that was going to be the difference. The last three games they (Lions) lost, the team that led in second-chance points was the team that won.”

Northwest was outscored 19-5 in second chance points so it was amazing they took the game to overtime and even held a four-point lead late in overtime.

The loss dropped Northwest to 9-13 overall and 6-9 in the MIAA, but Smith and the Bearcats leave Joplin encouraged. They nearly pulled out an upset road win against the fifth place team in the MIAA.

“For us to come on the road and play a team like that, give up 19 offensive rebounds and have 23 turnovers and take them to overtime, say a lot about our kids’ heart and fight,” Smith said. “We have some kids who are really starting to play well for us.

“I told our kids now we start a new streak.”

Fatigue played a part in the Bearcats sluggish second half.

“We are playing with a pretty short rotation right now,” Smith said. “We got away from our defensive game plan a little bit.”

Northwest made just five of 25 shots from the field in the second half. Still, the Bearcats led most of the second half until Southern went in front 51-50 with just over a minute left.

Northwest regained the lead with 33 seconds left on a 15-foot jumper by freshman Shelby Mustain. Mustain finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

“She stepped up and made some big baskets for us,” Smith said.

Southern made one free throw to tie the game. Northwest failed to convert in the final play of regulation.

The Bearcats appeared to be in control in overtime when Ariel Easton made a three-pointer with 1:14 left, giving Northwest a 60-56 lead.

Northwest played in a panic mode the rest of the way. The Bearcats committed a couple of turnovers and failed to run the offensive plays Smith called.

The Bearcats finished the game with 23 turnovers. In the second half and overtime, Northwest was six for 31 from the field.

“We had some crucial turnovers at costly times,” Smith said,

Northwest, though, played as a team as four players scored in double figures. Junior Annie Mathews finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.

The way the Bearcats played in the second half was in sharp contrast to the beautiful brand of offensive basketball they put on display in the first half.

Senior Meridee Scott already scored a season-high 10 points in the first half, propelling the Bearcats to a 33-28 halftime lead.

In the first 10 minutes, there were four lead changes. Northwest took the lead for good at 12-10 on two free throws by Ashleigh Nelson. It was part of a 12-0 run, which saw the Bearcats go from a 10-7 deficit to a 19-10 lead. During the run, Scott scored a couple of baskets.

Scott followed with two more field goals, helping Northwest build a 23-12 lead. The Bearcats appeared in complete control until a few unforced turnovers allowed Southern to close to 23-21. Northwest stopped Southern’s 9-0 run on a basket by Monique Stevens.

Offensively, the Bearcats were very good from the field, making 13 of 23 shots for a blistering 57 percent.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State football team has released its 2014 schedule. Northwest will have six designated home contests and five road games.

The 2015 schedule will keep the same order of opponents but will just switch home/away field designations. Game times and promotions for the 2014 seasonalong with the dates for the 2015 schedule will be released at a later date.

Northwest will open the 2014 season at Bearcat Stadium against Nebraska-Kearney on either Sept. 4 or 6. The team will open its road schedule the following weekend at Missouri Southern on Sept. 11. The remainder of the home slate includes Central Missouri (9/20), Northeastern State (10/4), Pittsburg State (10/18), Missouri Western (11/1) and Washburn (11/15). The Bearcats will travel to Central Oklahoma (9/27), Lindenwood (10/11), Fort Hays State (10/25) andEmporia State (11/8).

2014 Homecoming has been set for October 18, when Northwest will host Pittsburg State at Bearcat Stadium. The matchup between the two programs has been held at Arrowhead Stadium for the past 12 seasons but will return to campus sites beginning in 2014. Northwest will play in Pittsburg, Kan., during
the 2015 slate.

“Our 2014 schedule features some outstanding home games highlighted by the Homecoming match with Pittsburg State,” said director of athletics Mel Tjeerdsma. “Obviously, we will miss the opportunity of having this game at Arrowhead Stadium. The Fall Classic was a great game held in an outstanding venue, featuring two of the top programs in Division II football. It was a great partnership between the Chiefs, Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri.

“After considerable thought and discussion, we mutually agreed to move the game back to campus. We want to thank the Chiefs organization for their enthusiastic support of this great rivalry. They have helped provide many cherished memories for the student-athletes, coaches and fans of both Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri. We would also like to thank the loyal fans of both schools for their support in making the Fall Classic a success.”

Game times and additional promotions for the 2014 season will be released at a later date. Northwest has set the 2014 Spring Game for Saturday, Apr. 12, at 11 a.m. in Bearcat Stadium.

Sept. 4 or 6 vs. Nebraska-Kearney
Sept. 11 @ Missouri Southern
Sept. 20 vs. Central Missouri
Sept. 27 @ Central Oklahoma
Oct. 4 vs. Northeastern State
Oct. 11 @ Lindenwood
Oct. 18 vs. Pittsburg State
Oct. 25 @ Fort Hays State
Nov. 1 vs. Missouri Western
Nov. 8 @ Emporia State
Nov. 15 vs. Washburn

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State baseball team opened the 2014 season with a double header split against Northwestern Oklahoma State on Monday. Northwest won the first game, 17-2, but fell in the nightcap, 3-1. The games were each seven innings and were played at West Texas A&M’s Wilder Park due to weather conditions at Northwestern Oklahoma State. The Bearcats are now 1-1 on the season while NW Oklahoma State moved to 4-1.

Game 1

Northwest wasted no time getting on the board early, scoring five first inning runs while batting around. With the bases loaded, Jon Pomatto singled, scoring Brandon Huske and Paul Johnson. Steve Garber singled in Ryan Abernathy one batter later. Blake Hardegree had a two-out single, scoring Garrett Fort and Garber. In the second, Fort and Hardegree each drew bases loaded walks to push Northwest’s lead to seven.

In the third, Eric McGlauflin had a sacrifice fly to score Huske. Garber drew another bases loaded walk to score Johnson. Fort reached on a fielder’s choice as Pomatto and Abernathy scored on the play.

Northwest would score again in the fourth, adding six runs. McGlauflin tripled to score Abernathy and Huskey. Hardegree picked up his RBI number five on asingle that scored Pomatto and McGlauflin. With the bases loaded, Huske was hit by a pitch and Johnson walked.

Huske and Johnson each scored three runs for Northwest. Hardgree had five RBI, followed by McGlauflin and Fort with three each. On the mound, Ryker Fox went four innings with six strikeouts. Kole Klocko picked up the win after pitching the fifth for the Bearcats.

Game 2

Northwestern Oklahoma scored two first inning runs and added another one in the third to win the second game of the day, 3-1. Austin Warren started and pitched four innings for the Bearcats, striking out three while allowing three runs. Northwest’s lone run came in the third inning as Huske grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Fort who had singled to start the inning.

Up next, Northwest will head to Lawton, Okla., to play at Cameron University in a two-game series starting on Friday, Feb. 14.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball senior DeShaun Cooper was named the MIAA Athlete of the Week on Monday in an announcement made from the conference office on Monday. It is the second time this season that Cooper has earned conference honors this season.

In games against Missouri Western and Lincoln, Cooper averaged 29 points per game, leading the Bearcats to a pair of victories. Against Missouri Western, Cooper hit four three pointers and scored 23 points to go along with three assists. On Saturday against Lincoln, Cooper scored a career-high 35 points on 13-for-20 shooting, hitting three three-pointers and grabbing six rebounds.Cooper is now just eight points shy (1,492) from hitting the 1,500 career point mark.

Cooper was named the MIAA Athlete of the Week on Jan. 27, following a 35 point performance against Missouri Southern.

Northwest has already clinched a berth in the 2013-14 MIAA Tournament and currently leads the conference with a 13-1 record (18-5 overall). The Bearcats will play Missouri Southern on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Joplin, Mo.

— Northwest Sports Information —