The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team led wire-to-wire in an 83-60 win against Peru State on Tuesday night in Bearcat Arena. Northwest moves to 4-2 on the season with the win. The game was played as an exhibition for Peru State.

Northwest lead by as many as 30 points late in the second half, shooting 47.2 percent from the field for the game. The Bearcats made 27-of-38 free throws(71.1%) and forced 26 Bobcat turnovers with 11 steals and six blocked shots.

Dillon Starzl had a game-high 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting as 11 different Bearcats recorded points on the evening. Starzl also had a team-best eight rebounds. Conner Crooker had 12 points and Bryston Williams added 11 points. Kyle Schlake had a career-best four blocked shots. Williams had a game-high three steals.

Late in the first half, Peru State closed the margin to within 11 with 4:45left on a pair of free throws, 31-20. But a trio of timely threes from Jordan Ashton and Zach Schneider pushed the lead out to 20, 47-27, as Northwest closed the half on a 16-7 run.

Peru State would stage an early second half push, going on a 10-0 run to pull within 14 at 56-40, with 11:08 to go in the game. But Northwest responded with a 19-5 run to build the lead to 30 with 5:42 left, 75-45. The lead would never dip back under 21 points.

The Bearcats will head to Springfield, Mo., for the Comfort Inn/Drury Thanksgiving Classic, beginning on Friday afternoon. Northwest will play host Drury on Friday at 3:30 p.m. followed by a neutral site game against Truman State on Saturday at 1 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State head women’s basketball coach Michael Smith has announced the signings of four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The signing class includes Raven Bunn, Elizabeth Finn, Tanya Meyer and Bailey Smith. All four signees will be freshmen starting in the fall of 2014.

“I’m excited with this early signing class,” said Smith. “Our staff did a great job evaluating and building a relationship with these student-athletes. We’ve addressed some key positions with this class. Both of the point guards havegrown up around the game as they are coaches kids. Both Raven and Tanya bring us athleticism and versatility to our program.”

Raven Bunn is a 5-10 wing player from Fort Osage High School in Independence, Mo. She averaged 15 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game and was a first-team all conference and all district performer.

“I first watched Raven during our team camp and the two qualities that stood out was her work ethic and her personality, both things I want to be around on a daily basis,” Smith said. “She is someone that wants the ball when the game is on the line and we are excited to have her.”

Elizabeth Finn is a 5-7 point guard from Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, Iowa. Last season she earned second-team all conference and all area honors. She averaged 13 points, 3.0 assists and 4.0 steals per game.

“Liz is a deceivingly quick left-handed point guard that has great floor vision that allows her to make things happen on the offensive end,” said Smith. “There is no doubt her best basketball is yet to come.”

Tanya Meyer averaged 20 points and 8.0 rebounds per game for Sioux City West High School in Sioux City, Iowa, last season. She was a first-team all conference performer and earned third-team all state accolades.

“We are really excited about Tanya’s signing,” said Smith. “As the second leading scorer in class 5A last season, she brings toughness and versatility to our program.”

Bailey Smith was a first-team all conference and all area performer at Columbus High School in Columbus, Neb. She averaged 7.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. The 5-6 point guard was also and honorable mention all state performer.

“Bailey comes in as a blue-collar type point guard, that does a good job putting her team in a position to win,” said Smith. “She brings a refuse to lose mentality and we are excited to watch her mature as a Bearcat.”

— Northwest Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State University head tennis coach Mark Rosewell has announced the singings of two incoming student–athletes for the 2014-15 academic year. The signing class includes Rachel Dibbins (Oceanside, Calif.) and Vilune Sestokaite (Kaunas, Lithuania). Both will be freshmen starting in the fall of 2014.

At Vista High School, Dibbins received tennis varsity letters as a sophomore and junior. As a senior she decided to focus on club tennis and passed on playing for the Vista High School team. In club competition during high school she was champion in four tournaments and runner up in six tournaments. As a junior at Vista High School, Dibbins qualified for the doubles California Interscholastic Federation tournament. She also received all-academic honors three years inhigh school.

“Rachel is a powerful player who comes from a great tennis area,” Rosewell said. “Growing up in San Diego, she was exposed to great competition every day. This experience will help her greatly when she faces college-level competition”.

Led by head coach and Northwest alum Stu Reece, Sestokaite was a member of the state champion team at Lee’s Summit North High School. She received all-conference honors for singles and doubles in three years. Sestokaite qualified for sectionals twice. She has received four varsity letters at Lee’s Summit North.

“Vilune is a great Kansas City area prospect who has already experienced a lot of success,” said Rosewell. “Her high school team, Lee’s Summit North, was recently crowned state champions this fall. This taste of success will helpVilune contribute to the Bearcat tennis family in our drive towards success”.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State head volleyball coach Amy Woerth has announced the signings of three incoming student-athletes for the 2014-15 academic year. The signing class includes Alexis Williams (Blue Springs, Mo.), Bristol Lewis (Stilwell, Kan.) and Sarah Dannettell (Windsor, Colo.). All three players will be freshmen starting in the fall, 2014.

“All three of these players have the potential to do great things within this program,” said Woerth. “We are looking forward to developing their talents even further.”

Williams is a 5-10 middle who played at Blue Springs High School for coach Katie Grusing. A two-time letter winner, Williams was a Missouri all-star and earned second-team all conference honors. This season, she has recorded over 200 kills, 93 blocks and 30 service aces for the Wildcats. She played club volleyball for the Asics Mavs and coach Debbie Lepley.

“Alexis brings quickness and athleticism to our front row,” explained Woerth. “I like that she has played high level club volleyball and she will add a lot of value to our team both offensively and defensively.”

Lewis played for head coach Nancy Dorsey at St. James Academy, one of the premier high school programs in the Midwest. This year, the Thunder successfully defended the 2013 Kansas 5A state title, finishing a perfect 27-0. Lewis, also an accomplished track and field athlete, won the state title in the 4×400 and took second in the 4×100 as a junior. She has qualified for the state track and field championships three times.

“Bristol played for one of the best high schools in the nation (St.James Academy) and being a state champion not only in volleyball but also track showed us that she’s a winner,” Woerth said. “Her athleticism and winning experiences will be a great addition to our team.”

Dannettell was an all-conference setter for head coach Paul Schimek at Fossil Ridge High School. She earned all-state academic honors as a junior and was a two-time team captain. Dannettell also served as team captain on her club team, Norco 18 Black, where she played for Jarred Ruideger. During her time at Fossil Ridge, she has lettered in volleyball four times, track and field three times and has served two years on the student council executive board.

“When looking for a setter, I wanted to find a player who is a great leader, a hard worker, a competitor and someone who has high character,” said Woerth. “I feel like Sarah embodies all those characteristics very well and she truly understands the responsibilities the setter position requires. I’m excited to see her development and leadership influences on this program.”

— Northwest Sports Information —