This website is best viewed in a browser that supports web standards.

Skip to content or, if you would rather, Skip to navigation.

Listen Live
Donate
MARYVILLE

KXCV-KRNW


Local Sports

March 19, 2019Game | Basketball

Northwest 82, Missouri Southern 70

(Photo courtesy Todd Weddle, Northwest Missouri State University)

Download .mp3

Northwest Missouri State men's basketball punched its ticket to the Elite Eight for the fourth time in program history with a 82-70 win over Missouri Southern in the NCAA Central Region Championship Tuesday night.

The Bearcats (35-0) advance to the national quarterfinal round Wednesday, March 27, in Evansville, Indiana.

Northwest's second Sweet 16 victory in the last three years didn't come easy, though.

The Lions (25-8) led the Bearcats 18-11 with 11:36 remaining in the first half. Northwest struggled to get shots to fall, and, outside of Ryan Hawkins, the team started the game 0-6 from three-point range.

But Hawkins kept Northwest in the game.

The sophomore from Atlantic, IA scored the first 13 points of the game for the 'Cats.

From there, Ryan Welty caught fire.

Welty scored 12 of the next 15 points for Northwest as they went on a 22-6 run to end the first half.

At the break, the Bearcats held a 33-24 advantage.

The lead ballooned to 18 points in favor of the home team with just over six minutes remaining, but Missouri Southern made a push to get back in it.

An 11-2 run brought the Lions within nine points with 2:30 left in the game, but the Bearcats sank 13 of 14 free throw attempts in the final 80 seconds to seal the victory.

Hawkins led Northwest with 28 points and nine rebounds.

Trevor Hudgins hit all 12 of his free throw attempts on the way to a 22-point outing that included seven assists, two steals and no turnovers.

Joey Witthus scored 14 points, pulled in three rebounds and dished three assists, and Welty scored 12 points, all in the first half, on 3-4 shooting and 3-3 from the free throw line.

The win sends Northwest to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2017 when they completed a 35-1 campaign with a national championship.

The Bearcats were ranked number one of the final eight teams still standing, and will see eight-seed Mercyhurst in the national quarterfinal game on March 27 at 2:30pm. Pregame on KXCV 90.5 and KRNW 88.9 will begin at 2pm, and a special extended Bearcat pregame show featuring former players and coaches will air at 1:06pm that afternoon prior to the game broadcast.