Box Score
MARYVILLE, Mo.-Northwest Missouri State jumped out to a 21-2 lead, led by 29 points at halftime and cruised to an 89-46 win against Truman Wednesday at Bearcat Arena. It''s the fourth win in a row for the Bearcats (9-14, 7-12 MIAA), who remain in the hunt for an MIAA tournament bid.
Northwest avenged a 73-58 loss to Truman in Kirksville back on Jan. 8. The Bearcats reached 50 points in the first half Wednesday and beat the Bulldogs in Maryville for the 13th time in the team''s last 14 meetings.
The Bearcats made 10 of their first 12 shots and got three 3-pointers from Kyle Haake to build a 19-point lead less than six minutes into the contest. Haake finished 4-for-4 from behind the arc which accounted for all of his 12 points.
Truman (6-17, 4-15) scored eight points in the game''s first 10 minutes and had 21 points in the first half. That was four points more than Northwest point guard DeShaun Cooper, who scored 17 of his game-high 21 points before the break. Elijah Allen added 17 points for the Bearcats - 13 in the first half.
Northwest shot 57 percent from the field and was 9-for-18 from 3-point range. Truman finished 2-for-15 from behind the arc.
Ethan Freeman was three points shy of a triple-double in the earlier meeting against Northwest this season. The league''s leading rebounder, Freeman had one field goal, six points and four boards Wednesday. Alex Henderson led Truman with 11 points and was the only Bulldog in double figures.
Northwest stands in 10th place with three games remaining in the regular season. The top eight teams qualify for the MIAA tournament, which begins March 3 in Kansas City. Northwest trails Southwest Baptist by one game and three teams - Pittsburg State, Emporia State and Missouri Western - by two in the standings.
