Story Headlines- The Northwest Missouri State men's basketball team led wire-to-wire en route to a 67-57 victory over the Lincoln Blue Tigers Saturday afternoon in Joplin, Mo.
- Northwest improved its record to 15-5 on the season and 8-4 in the MIAA.
- The Bearcats hit 52 percent (23-of-44) of their shots in the contest, highlighted by a blistering 65 percent in the first half (15-of-23).
Northwest Highlights- Junior
Lyle Harris jumped out to an early start, scoring a team-high 10 points in the first half. The guard finished the contest with 13 points, two assists and a team-high seven rebounds.
- Forward
Grant Cozad hit 4-of-7 shots from the field and added both attempts from the charity stripe en route to his 14 points. The senior added four rebounds and one assist.
- Junior
Conner Crooker also scored in double-digits, tallying 11 points, two rebounds and two assists. The guard was a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the three-point arc.
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Matt Wallace played all 40 minutes for Northwest, scoring nine points and distributing five assists. The senior guard corralled three rebounds and made a season-high six steals on the defensive end.
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Zach Schneider and
Anthony Woods each contributed eight points for the Bearcats.
- The Bearcats forced 15 Lincoln turnovers, while committing just nine of their own.
- Northwest committed 12 fouls in the contest, compared to 21 for the Blue Tigers
Key Sequence- Leading 15-10 after the first eight minutes of play, Northwest went on a 15-4 run over the next four minutes to extend the lead to a game-high 16 points.
Lyle Harris answered a Blue Tiger three pointer with a trey of his own, followed by two free throws by senior
Grant Cozad.
Anthony Woods and Harris made layups on consecutive possessions for the Bearcats to stretch the lead to 24-12. Woods then made his fourth three-pointer of the season to give the Bearcats a 13 point advantage.
Lyle Harris finished the run by getting fouled after sinking a driving layup. He made the free throw to give Northwest a 30-14 lead with 7:01 to play in the first half.
Up Next- The Bearcats will make the short trip to St. Joseph, Mo. on Wednesday (Feb. 4) to take on the Missouri Western Griffons. First tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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