Box Score
By David Boyce
The stage was set
for a special afternoon for Northwest Missouri State men's basketball program.
The school gave
out 2,000 T-shirts to fans arriving at Bearcat Arena Saturday. The game was
televised on MIAA TV, and the men's team entered the game with a share of first
place.
"We felt the hype
all week about this game," Northwest senior Jake Reinders said. "Coming out of
that tunnel just gave you chills seeing the crowd and they were loud. That
really helped us in our win tonight."
Once the game
started, the Bearcats delivered with an impressive 74-57 victory over Fort Hays
State in front of 2,146 boisterous fans.
"I was happy with
our execution," Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. "I thought we really focused
on what we needed to do offensively and defensively."
Senior Kyle Haake
got the festivities going with a three-pointer. A few minutes later Dillon
Starzl followed with an inside bucket, giving Northwest an early lead.
"We tried to
establish the low-post play early and that opens up a lot for the guards,"
Reinders said. "The guards made tremendous passes and that helped us underneath
the basket. It was a great job by the guards"
A little later,
junior Bryston Williams knocked down a trey to give the Bearcats an 8-2.
The game went so
well for the Bearcats that the first three scorers for them were not the
offensive stars. Those honors belonged to Reinders who finished with 16 and
junior Alex Sullivan, who came off the bench and scored 15.
"Alex plays with
a lot of heart and soul," Reinders said. "He is really passionate about the
game. We have a unique team. Anybody can step up on any night and have a big
game and Alex proved that tonight."
 In essence, the Bearcats turned in their
typical performance. They won as a team and it is why they are now 16-3 overall
and 10-3 in the MIAA and tied with Central Missouri, which also won Saturday
afternoon.
Northwest never
trailed against Fort Hays. The Bearcats went into halftime comfortably ahead
34-21.
"We maintained
our focus," Reinders said. "We wanted to keep them in front of us defensively.
We didn't let them have second-chance points."
Both Reinders and
Sullivan were on their way to solid games.
"This is probably
one of the most fun games I've played this year," Sullivan said. "I was laid
back. I didn't think too much. I just played the game and enjoyed it."
 Reinders was 3 for 4 from the field for 6
points and Sullivan hit both of his three-pointers and free throws for 8 points
in the first half
"Sullivan is just
a hustle guy. He just brings it," McCollum said. "He is so physical and so
tough that he changes the dynamic of our team when he comes on the floor.
"Him and DeAngelo
Hailey just bring instant energy. That's a great quality to have. We make huge
runs when those two players come in."
The Bearcats were
never threatened in the second half. They maintained a double-digit advantage
for most of the second half.
Fort Hays spent
the bulk of the second half firing three-pointers. The Tigers made a few.
Northwest
countered with Sullivan and Haake. It turned out the Bearcats were more
proficient behind the arc than Fort Hays. Northwest went 8 for 17 for 47.1
percent, and Fort Hays was 9 for 22 for 36.7 percent.
"I let the
offense come to me because we are a defensive oriented team," Sullivan said.
"Our offense comes from our defense. I learned this year you got to be really
unselfish to win games. That's something our team buys into.
Simply put, it
was a very good game for the Bearcats and concluded a great week for them. On
Wednesday, Northwest went on the road and won at Washburn, a team like Fort
Hays that was trying to catch the first-place Bearcats.
Northwest now has
six days off before returning to action next Saturday at Pittsburg State. The
Bearcats realize they have not hit their peak. There are things they need to
work on.
"We still got a
long ways to go as far as getting loose balls and just a few effort plays we
can improve on," McCollum said
Northwest Missouri State
UniversityÂ
 BEARCAT ATHLETICS NEWS RELEASE
Jan. 28, 2012
Northwest
stays perfect at home, whiteout Tigers
By David Boyce
The stage was set
for a special afternoon for Northwest Missouri State men's basketball program.
The school gave
out 2,000 T-shirts to fans arriving at Bearcat Arena Saturday. The game was
televised on MIAA TV, and the men's team entered the game with a share of first
place.
"We felt the hype
all week about this game," Northwest senior Jake Reinders said. "Coming out of
that tunnel just gave you chills seeing the crowd and they were loud. That
really helped us in our win tonight."
Once the game
started, the Bearcats delivered with an impressive 74-57 victory over Fort Hays
State in front of 2,146 boisterous fans.
"I was happy with
our execution," Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. "I thought we really focused
on what we needed to do offensively and defensively."
Senior Kyle Haake
got the festivities going with a three-pointer. A few minutes later Dillon
Starzl followed with an inside bucket, giving Northwest an early lead.
"We tried to
establish the low-post play early and that opens up a lot for the guards,"
Reinders said. "The guards made tremendous passes and that helped us underneath
the basket. It was a great job by the guards"
A little later,
junior Bryston Williams knocked down a trey to give the Bearcats an 8-2.
The game went so
well for the Bearcats that the first three scorers for them were not the
offensive stars. Those honors belonged to Reinders who finished with 16 and
junior Alex Sullivan, who came off the bench and scored 15.
"Alex plays with
a lot of heart and soul," Reinders said. "He is really passionate about the
game. We have a unique team. Anybody can step up on any night and have a big
game and Alex proved that tonight."
 In essence, the Bearcats turned in their
typical performance. They won as a team and it is why they are now 16-3 overall
and 10-3 in the MIAA and tied with Central Missouri, which also won Saturday
afternoon.
Northwest never
trailed against Fort Hays. The Bearcats went into halftime comfortably ahead
34-21.
"We maintained
our focus," Reinders said. "We wanted to keep them in front of us defensively.
We didn't let them have second-chance points."
Both Reinders and
Sullivan were on their way to solid games.
"This is probably
one of the most fun games I've played this year," Sullivan said. "I was laid
back. I didn't think too much. I just played the game and enjoyed it."
 Reinders was 3 for 4 from the field for 6
points and Sullivan hit both of his three-pointers and free throws for 8 points
in the first half
"Sullivan is just
a hustle guy. He just brings it," McCollum said. "He is so physical and so
tough that he changes the dynamic of our team when he comes on the floor.
"Him and DeAngelo
Hailey just bring instant energy. That's a great quality to have. We make huge
runs when those two players come in."
The Bearcats were
never threatened in the second half. They maintained a double-digit advantage
for most of the second half.
Fort Hays spent
the bulk of the second half firing three-pointers. The Tigers made a few.
Northwest
countered with Sullivan and Haake. It turned out the Bearcats were more
proficient behind the arc than Fort Hays. Northwest went 8 for 17 for 47.1
percent, and Fort Hays was 9 for 22 for 36.7 percent.
"I let the
offense come to me because we are a defensive oriented team," Sullivan said.
"Our offense comes from our defense. I learned this year you got to be really
unselfish to win games. That's something our team buys into.
Simply put, it
was a very good game for the Bearcats and concluded a great week for them. On
Wednesday, Northwest went on the road and won at Washburn, a team like Fort
Hays that was trying to catch the first-place Bearcats.
Northwest now has
six days off before returning to action next Saturday at Pittsburg State. The
Bearcats realize they have not hit their peak. There are things they need to
work on.
"We still got a
long ways to go as far as getting loose balls and just a few effort plays we
can improve on," McCollum said
#Â
For
this news release and a complete list of others, go to www.northwestbearcats.com
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