Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Nov. 19 - Illinois-Springfield vs. No. 2 Northwest Missouri State, 8 p.m. (Municipal Auditorium - Kansas City, Mo.)
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MIAA BASKETBALL CHALLENGE
The second annual MIAA Men's Basketball Challenge will be held Monday, November 19 with four games matching MIAA teams against opponents from two other NCAA DII conferences, the Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) and the Northern Sun (NSIC).
    The games will be held at historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, home to the MIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships.  There will be a strong local connection to the event as the rosters of the MIAA teams include 18 players from the Kansas City area.
Schedule of Games

Missouri S&T v. Lincoln, 2 p.m.
Sioux Falls (SD) v. Central Missouri, 4 p.m.
Maryville (MO) v. Pittsburg State, 6 p.m.
Illinois-Springfield v. Northwest, 8 p.m.

MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM
Historic Municipal Auditorium has a rich history in College Basketball and has served as the home of the MIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships since 2003.   Over 80 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament games have been played in the arena including 9 Final Fours, which is more than any facility in the country.  Municipal Auditorium is located at 301 W. 13th Street, Kanas City, Missouri 64105.  Click here for directions.

TICKET INFO
All tickets are general admission and are good for all 4 contests.  Ticket prices are $12 for adults, $7 for students (with student ID) and children 6 & under are admitted free.  Tickets are on sale now at the Municipal Auditorium Box Office or through Ticketmaster.

MAC IS 8-2 IN HOME OPENERS
Northwest scored an 87-60 win over Truman State in Friday in the Bearcats's season opener. Northwest has won its last four home openers in Bearcat Arena. Head coach Ben McCollum is 8-2 in home openers.

THE OPPOSITION
Northwest and Illinois-Springfield will be meeting for the first time on Monday. Illinois-Springfield is a member of the GLVC.

BEARCATS MOVE TO NO. 2
Northwest moved up three slots in the D2SIDA Top 25 poll to No. 2. The Bearcats also received a pair of first-place votes. Bellarmine holds down the top spot with 11 first-place votes.

NEUTRAL SITE STREAK IS ALIVE AND WELL
Northwest has won 25 straight games at neutral sites. Northwest opened this season with four neutral site wins at the Civic Arena in St. Joseph. The Bearcats were 7-0 in 2017-18 and 8-0 in 2016-17 on neutral site courts. The Bearcats won their final six neutral site games in 2015-16 following a season-opening 76-72 loss to Upper Iowa in St. Joseph on Nov. 13, 2015.

NOVEMBER BRINGS WINS
Northwest has won its last 20 straight games it has played in the month of November. Northwest was a 7-0 in the month of November in 2017-18. The Bearcats were a perfect 7-0 in November in its run to the national championship in the 2016-17 season.
    Northwest's last loss in November came Nov. 19, 2015 at Augustana. The Vikings scored a 79-77 win over the Bearcats in Sioux Falls, S.D.

WITTHUS IN THE ZONE
Senior Joey Witthus scored a career-high 26 points and shot 90 percent from the field (9-of-10) to go along with five assists and three rebounds in an 87-60 win over Truman State.
    Witthus buried both of his three-point attempts and was a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line as the No. 2-ranked Bearcats moved to 5-0 on the season.
    Witthus ranks second on the squad in scoring at 18.2 points per game. Witthus is shooting 50-percent from beyon the three-point arc (14-of-28).

HUDG IS HOT
Redshirt freshman guard Trevor Hudgins leads the MIAA in field goals made (46). Hudgins is also shooting 54.1 percent from the field (46-of-85). Hudgins ranks third in the MIAA in scoring (24.4 ppg).
    Hudgins has scored 20 or more four times this season, including a career-high 28 points in the victory over Truman State.

TREVOR WITH THE DISH
Trevor Hudgins handed out a career-high 11 assists in Northwest's 84-59 win over Winona State.
    It marked the first time since Justin Pitts handed out 10 assists vs. Southwest Baptist on Jan. 13, 2018, that a Beracat reached double figures in assists.

HAWKINS LOCKED IN
Sophomore Ryan Hawkins has buried a team-best 17 three-pointers and is shooting 48.6 percent from beyond the arc. Hawkins is averaging 14.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
    Hawkins snared a career-high 13 rebounds in Northwest's 87-60 win over Truman State.
    Hawkins has tallied two double-doubles this season and three in his career.

REBOUNDING WARS
Northwest has won the rebounding battle in each of its five wins this season.

vs. Northern State - 46/41 (+5)
vs. Ferris State - 33/22 (+11)
vs. Upper Iowa - 36/29 (+7)
vs. Winona State - 28/26 (+2)
vs. Truman State - 30/29 (+1)

HUDGINS TAKES MVP HONORS
Redshirt freshman guard Trevor Hudgins (Manhattan, Kansas) earned MVP honors after leading the Bearcats to a pair of wins over Northern State and No. 13 Ferris State in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Hudgins averaged 25.5 points, 5.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in the two games.

CENTURY MARK
Northwest tallied a 100-86 win over No. 13 Ferris State. It marks the first time reaching the century mark since scoring 103 points vs. Missouri Valley on Dec. 13, 2016.

CAREER-HIGHS ALL AROUND
A trio of Bearcats scored career highs in the victory over Ferris State.
    Junior Kirk Finley posted the first double-figure scoring game of his career with 17 points on the strength of five three-pointers.
    Sophomore Ryan Hawkins notched his first career 20-point game against Ferris State. Hawkins was 8-of-13 from the field, including 4-of-7 from deep.
    Redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins upped his career mark by one point as he went for 26 against the Bulldogs. Hudgins was 7-of-11 from the floor and 10-of-13 from the free throw line.

CAN'T MISS 'CATS
Northwest began the Ferris State contest by making its first 10 three-point field goals. The Bearcats finished the game having drained 14 triples against the Bulldogs.

GETTING TO THE LINE
Northwest made 20 free throws in each of its first two games this season.
    The Bearcats went 20-of-28 against Northern State. Northwest followed that up with 20-of-23 at the line vs. Ferris State.

BRING ON THE BEST
The Bearcats began this season with wins over both teams that took part in the 2018 NCAA Division II national championship. Ferris State defeated Northern State in the title game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Ferris State had won 27 consecutive games before falling to Northwest.

WORKING OVERTIME
Northwest opened the season with a 72-70 overtime win over Northern State. The Bearcats are 7-3 all-time under head coach Ben McCollum in overtime games.

20 OR MORE WINS IN 7 STRAIGHT SEASONS
Northwest is one of five teams in the nation to have won 20 or more games in seven consecutive seasons. Northwest, Bellarmine, Indiana (Pa.), Lincoln Memorial and West Liberty have each surpassed the 20-win mark in each of the last seven years.

MIAA TITLE DEFENSE
Northwest has won five consecutive MIAA regular season titles under 10th-year head coach Ben McCollum. Missouri State under the direction of head coach Bill Thomas is the only other program to have won five straight MIAA regular titles (1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970).
    McCollum has also guided the Bearcats to three straight MIAA tournament championships. Southeast Missouri State also won three consecutive MIAA tournament titles in 1985, 1986 and 1987. No MIAA school has ever won four straight tourney crowns.

PRESEASON POLLS
Northwest was tabbed to win the preseason MIAA poll by the members of the media. The coaches MIAA preseason poll had Northwest in the No. 2 spot behind Missouri Southern.

2018-19 MIAA Media Poll
1.     Northwest Missouri (6) - 262
2.     Missouri Southern (10) - 261
3.     Washburn (3) - 237
4.     Central Missouri - 225
5.     Pittsburg State (1) - 212
6.     Fort Hays State (1) - 208
7.     Central Oklahoma - 163
8.     Lindenwood - 150
9.     Nebraska Kearney - 123
10.     Lincoln - 119
11.     Emporia State - 79
12.     Missouri Western - 66
    Southwest Baptist - 66
14.     Northeastern State - 35

2018-19 MIAA Coaches Poll
1.     Missouri Southern (6) - 157
2.     Northwest Missouri (7) - 155
3.     Washburn (1) - 132
4.     Central Missouri - 128
5.     Central Oklahoma - 118
        Pittsburg State - 118
7.     Fort Hays State - 104
8.     Lindenwood - 87
9.     Lincoln - 68
10.     Nebraska Kearney - 66
11.     Emporia State - 47
12.     Northeastern State - 40
13.     Southwest Baptist - 30
14.     Missouri Western - 24

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE, LIMITED MISCUES
Last season, Northwest Missouri State ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense by limiting opponents to 59.8 points per game. Northwest also ranked No. 1 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game in 2017-18. Northwest averaged 8.7 turnovers game last season.

18 NCAA TOURNAMENTS
Northwest has earned 18 NCAA Tournament appearances with a recod of 23-20. Northwest has served as the NCAA Central Region host in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
    Northwest has made three Elite Eight appearances (2001-02, 2003-04, 2016-17).
    The Bearcats captured the program's first national championships in the 2016-17 season.

2019 MIAA TOURNAMENT
The MIAA Basketball post-season tournament will be held in Kansas City for the 17th consecutive season. For the first time, the field in Kansas City will include 10 men's and 10 women's teams and will be played over 5 days, March 6-10, 2019.  The winners of both the men's and women's tournament will receive the automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament.

PRESS CONFERENCE TUESDAY AT PIZZA RANCH
Northwest head coach Ben McCollum will be available each Tuesday from Noon - 1 p.m. for a press conference at the Maryville Pizza Ranch.