Story Highlights- The Northwest Missouri State University men's basketball team beat Lincoln University on Saturday afternoon in Bearcat Arena, 77-67.
- The Bearcats improved to 17-5 on the year and 10-4 in MIAA play. Lincoln drops to 4-19 overall and 1-13 in conference action.
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Conner Crooker had a game-high 21 points to lead Northwest.
Key Northwest Statistics- Crooker hit 7-of-11 field goals including three three-pointers to net his fifth 20+ point performance of the season. He also grabbed a team-high six rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.
- In his first game since Jan. 17,
Justin Pitts seemed to pick up right where he left off, scoring 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He was a perfect 3-for-3 from long range and had a pair of assists, two rebounds and a steal.
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Zach Schneider got free and nailed four three pointers and finished the day with 15 points. He had two rebounds and a steal while going 3-for-3 from the charity stripe.
- Schneider has now made 75 three pointers on the year, ranking third in Bearcat single season history.
- Despite not attempting a shot all game,
Matt Wallace put together a solid game, dishing our a team-best four assists with two rebounds and a steal.
- Northwest shot 57.5 percent from the field (23-for-40) for the game to Lincoln's 46.5 (20-for-43).
- Lincoln committed 12 turnovers in the game but outrebounded the Bearcats, 24-23.
- Northwest had 33 points off the bench to the Blue Tigers' five. Despite giving up five offensive boards, the Bearcats did not allow any second chance points.
- The Bearcats held a 39-30 lead at halftime and outscored Lincoln, 38-37, in the second half.
Key Sequence- Despite leading for over half an hour in the game, Lincoln remained close throught the contest. With 15:04 left in the second half, the Blue Tigers' Aaron Spudich hit a layup to pull Lincoln to within two, 42-40. After the under 15 minute media timeout, Northwest went on a quick 8-0 run sparked by a pair of Schneider three pointers.
Anthony Woods found Schneider for a quick three and on the ensuing posession, Lincoln missed a three which Woods turned into a layup, giving the Bearcats a 47-40 lead.
Grant Cozad came up with a steal the next time down and Wallace found Schneider for another three pointer to stretch the lead to 50-40.
Up Next- Northwest will host Missouri Southern on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.
