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By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. - A championship-caliber basketball team needs players to come off the bench and contribute. Senior D'Vante Mosby demonstrated Saturday evening that Northwest Missouri State definitely has a go-to player when a starter needs a rest.
 
Mosby was unstoppable in the first half. He helped the Bearcats build a 25-point halftime lead on the way to an 89-55 victory over Concordia (Neb.) at Bearcat Arena. Northwest, ranked No. 3 in the NABC top 25, improved to 6-0.
 
"There is never too much pressure on one person's shoulders because we have teammates who do what they do and what they are good at for the sake of the team" said Mosby, who finished with a game-high 23 points. "That is what I try to do whether I start, play 2 minutes or I play a whole game."
 
With Mosby on the bench to start the game, Northwest had no trouble building a 13-5 lead. Mosby, a 6-foot-5 forward, simply revved up the Bearcat scoring machine to another level. Back-to-back buckets by Mosby in the paint increased the lead to 17-5.
 
After a basket by the Bulldogs, Northwest scored the next nine. The last two came on a field goal by Mosby that made it 26-7.
 
"I am just trying to be me," Mosby said. "Coach has been reminding me to be myself. I have been watching Brett's (Dougherty) moves."
 
Mosby was so hot inside that he briefly took his act outside the three-point arc and he made it late in the first half, giving Northwest a 50-22 lead. Mosby went 6 for 8 from the field in the first half and scored 15 points in 13 minutes of action.
 
The Bearcats took a commanding 54-29 lead into halftime. The challenge for them was starting the second half with the same intensity. In a couple of games this season, Northwest squandered a huge lead in the second half.
 
Most recently on Wednesday, Northwest held a 49-34 halftime lead over Lake Superior State and found itself behind 66-65 with 9 minutes left.
 
Northwest made sure there was no slippage Saturday evening. The second half started with a steal from Justin Pitts that led to an emphatic dunk by junior Chris-Ebou Ndow, who made all four of his shots in the first half, including three, three-pointers.
 
After Ndow's dunk, Pitts, who was held scoreless in the first half, drilled a three-pointer and then he hit a two-point field goal, putting Northwest up 61-29.
 
"It was very important," Mosby said of playing a strong second half. "Coach has been emphasizing that. He reminds us that it is a process to get where we are, and it takes all of our effort to get there."
 
The Bulldogs made two free throws and then Northwest went on another run, scoring the next 10 points. Mosby had four of the points, which helped the Bearcats increase their advantage to 71-31.
 
With an insurmountable lead, Northwest was able to dig further on the bench and give some playing time to freshmen Grant Graham and Kirk Finley. Graham made his first basket in a Bearcat uniform with just over 8 minutes left. His three-pointer made it 76-38.
 
In the first half, freshman Tyler Dougherty, the younger brother of Brett Dougherty, played 5 minutes and scored four points and pulled down four rebounds.
 
"It was nice because you don't always get the opportunity to get in in the closer games," said Dougherty, who finished with a career-high nine points. "Coach trust the older guys. "It was nice to get in and get some experience."
 
As it turned out, every player who got in the game for Northwest scored at least two points.
 
"This really helps," Dougherty said about the younger players getting playing time. "Later in the season, if somebody goes down or somebody gets tired and you need a guy who has been in there, you won't lose anything if he goes in there. Whenever you get in there, you try to gain some experience. They want you to play your hardest and make the best out of your time in there."