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March 17, 2019Game | Basketball

Northwest 70, Southern Nazarene 59

(Photo courtesy Todd Weddle, Northwest Missouri State University)

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Northwest Missouri State University punched its ticket to the NCAA Central Region Championship with a 70-59 win over Southern Nazarene Sunday night.

The Bearcats (34-0) are back in the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in the last six years. Northwest will host Missouri Southern at 7pm Tuesday for the right to move onto the Elite Eight in Evansville, Indiana.

Southern Nazarene scored the first bucket of the game, but that was the last lead they held all night.

Despite playing from in front for most of the night, the Bearcats couldn't shake the Crimson Storm. Northwest's largest lead came in the second half when a Tyler Dougherty layup put the 'Cats in front 54-41.

SNU battled back to cut the deficit to just six points twice, the second time coming on a Jhonathan Dunn jumper with 1:38 remaining in the game.

Trevor Hudgins responded with the biggest shot of the night. Hudgins took a pass from Ryan Welty with the shot clock running out. The redshirt freshman knocked down a deep three-pointer in front of the Bearcat bench extending the lead to nine and sealing the game.

Joey Witthus led Northwest in scoring with 29 points.

Hudgins finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Diego Bernard added 10 points and six rebounds.

Pregame for Tuesday night's region championship between Northwest and Missouri Southern will start at 6:40pm on KXCV 90.5 and KRNW 88.9, followed by the opening tip at 7pm.