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By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. - A year ago, Northwest Missouri State men's basketball team went into the Christmas break with a victory. When it returned to action 14 days later, the Bearcats lost at home to Central Oklahoma.
 
Perhaps, a tune-up after Christmas break before heading into the meat of conference schedule would have helped Northwest last season.
 
Time will tell if a different approach worked.
 
 The Bearcats had their tune-up in the final few hours of 2014 when they took on Avila early Wednesday evening at Bearcat Arena.
 
Northwest showed rust on offense in the opening minutes, but found its rhythm midway through the first half, building a 14-point lead.
 
Despite a spirited effort from Avila, the Bearcats easily won 85-67. It was the perfect vehicle to carry Northwest, 9-2 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA, into the new year and a two-game Oklahoma road trip that begins Saturday at Central Oklahoma.
 
"I think this game will help us," said junior Conner Cooker, who finished with a game-high 21 points. "They are good, tough team. They press the whole game. They are relentless. This was a good game for us."
 
Northwest opened with a three-pointer from Zach Pitts. Sophomore Anthony Woods followed with a drive into the paint for a bucket for a 5-0 lead.
 
The Bearcats, though, started missing a few open three-pointers even though their lead slowly grew to 11-2.
 
A couple minutes later, Northwest found its stroke. On three straight offensive possessions, teammates found Crooker in the corner and he drilled three straight three-pointers, pushing Northwest's lead to 20-7.
 
"They help me a lot," Crooker said of his teammates. "They draw the double. I'm sitting there. They know where to find me. Matt Wallace is especially good at it. I think he got me the assist on all of them."
 
Once Crooker gained Avila's respect for his outside jumper, he decided to drive inside the arc. He made a couple of one-handed shots, driving to the basket.
 
It took sophomore Zach Schneider about 15 minutes to find the range, but when he did, it was impressive. He nailed a three-pointer and was fouled on the shot. He made the free throw. His four-point play gave Northwest a 35-21 lead.
 
Avila did not wilt, which was good for the Bearcats. The Eagles fought back and closed to 38-30.
 
Avila's mini run forced Northwest to make a play before the halftime buzzer sounded. The Bearcats worked the ball around. Senior Matt Wallace received the ball at the top of the key with 2 seconds left and hit a three-pointer, sending Northwest into halftime with a 41-30 lead.
 
Northwest wound up shooting 58 percent from the field in the first half and made nearly half its three-pointers, going seven for 15 from behind the arc.
 
Interestingly, the first basket in the second half was identical to the one that opened the game. Pitts made a three-pointer, starting another nice run for Northwest. The Bearcats lead grew to 61-41 7 minutes into the second half.
 
"It was good practice for us to work on what we need to work on, breaking the press and being able to handle the pressure," Crooker said.
 
The competition gets a lot tougher the rest of the way. The Bearcats will face a Central Oklahoma team Saturday afternoon that is 11-2 overall and 4-0 and in first place in the MIAA. On Monday, Northwest plays at Northeastern Oklahoma, which is struggling a little at 3-8 and 1-3.
 
"I think we are ready," Crooker said. "We have a pretty good record so far. We are going to build on that. We are going to fine tune everything and try to get better and execute a little better."