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By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. - Northwest Missouri State men's basketball team was in such control in the first half against rival Missouri Western that the standout play was a personal milestone.
 
The Bearcats pride themselves on unselfish play and team accomplishments. Those traits have allowed them to rise to No. 2 in the NABC top 25. It was also the engine that motored them to an easy 78-52 victory over Western Tuesday evening at Bearcat Arena.
 
"As a team, that is a big thing," said Justin Pitts about the Bearcats' ranking. "We just try to come out and get better every day and try to keep improving each game."
 
But a brief break from team recognition came midway through the first half when senior forward D'Vante Mosby floated outside and nailed a three-pointer that gave Northwest a 21-9 lead.
 
The significance of the three-pointer came a few seconds later when public address announcer Matt Gaarder announced to the 1,834 fans at Bearcat Arena that Mosby reached the 1,000-point mark in his college career, which started at William Jewell.
 
"It is pretty sweet," said Mosby, who scored 10 points. "It is a good accomplishment. Obviously, we can't do it as fast as Justin. You work to produce."
 
The fans applauded Mosby's milestone, and the Bearcats kept playing hard. Chris-Ebou Ndow followed with a basket and then a crowd-pleasing dunk that extended Northwest's lead 25-9.
 
Before going more into how Northwest built a commanding 35-17 halftime lead, the start by senior Anthony Woods must be noted. Woods scored the first nine points for the Bearcats, staking Northwest to a 9-4 lead. He started the game with a three-pointer and then drove to the basket for several layups.
 
"I was taking what the defense gave me," said Woods, who finished with a team-high 19 points. "My teammates always have confidence in me. I just try to go out and play with energy."
 
Western did a great job of shutting Woods down the rest of the half. He only scored two more points. But that didn't slow down Northwest. When senior Zach Schneider drilled a three-pointer late in the first half, Northwest held a 30-11 lead.
 
The Bearcats basically put the game away the first minute of the second half. A three-pointer by Schneider followed by a basket by Woods gave Northwest a 40-17 lead.
 
The Griffons kept playing hard and closed to 45-31. Northwest coach Ben McCollum called a timeout. The Bearcats refocused and the lead blossomed once again. Freshman Ryan Welty gave Northwest a 51-32 lead on three-pointer.
 
"It is game of runs," Mosby said. "You can expect that from any team. But we had past games where we haven't been locked in after halftime so it was a chip on our shoulders to come out ready."
 
Several minutes later, the Bearcats held a 59-37 lead after Schneider drained a three-pointer.
 
Truthfully, Northwest decided the game in the first half when it shot 52 percent from the field and held Western to eight field goals in 28 attempts for 28.6 percent.
 
"I thought we were locked in," Woods said. "Lately, in practice, we have been going through the process of doing the little things like throwing hands, talking and boxing out. We have really been focused on that."
 
Defense has been the stable for Northwest in its first eight games and why the Bearcats are 8-0 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA. Northwest currently ranks second in the MIAA in scoring defense. The Bearcats entered Tuesday's game allowing 64.6 points per game.
 
"We try to concentrate more and more each day," said Pitts, who finished with 18. "It makes it easier coming out concentrating for each game."