Northwest Missouri State Men's Basketball Game Notes (PDF) | Complete Stat Book

Thursday, Nov. 21 | 7:30 p.m. | Bearcat Arena | Maryville, Mo.
William Jewell at No. 1 Northwest Missouri State
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NORTHWEST BACK AT IT THURSDAY WITH WILLIAM JEWELL
The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men's basketball team (5-0 overall) will play host to William Jewell College (3-1 overall) on Thursday.
    Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena following the Northwest women's contest against Nebraska Christian that will get underway at 5:30 p.m.

MATCHUP NOTES
Northwest owns a 26-15 lead in the all-time series vs. William Jewell. The teams have not met since Nov. 21, 2014, when the Bearcats posted a 91-85 win over the Cardinals. Northwest has won six straight matchups with William Jewell.

'CATS SET MIAA CONSECUTIVE WIN STREAK AT 43
Northwest set its school record the MIAA mark for consecutive wins with its 43rd straight win on Thursday vs. Saint Mary. The previous mark of 42 in a row was set under head coach Henry "Hank" Iba in 1929-30 and 1930-31. Northwest went 31-0 in 1929-30 and then won its first 11 games of the 1930-31 season. The Bearcats went 38-0 in 2018-19 and captured the program's second NCAA Division II national title. The Bearcats are 5-0 this season.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Northwest has compiled a home mark of 110-9. Northwest tallied a 92-40 triumph over Saint Mary in the home opener on Thursday night.

Year        Bearcat Arena Record
2011-12    12-1
2012-13    12-3
2013-14    12-1
2014-15    13-2
2015-16    13-0
2016-17    18-0
2017-18    12-2
2018-19    17-0
2019-20    1-0

CARDINALS TAKE DOWN TWO MIAA FOES
William Jewell is 3-1 on the season with two of its wins coming against MIAA foes Central Oklahoma and Central Missouri.
    The Cardinals scored a 71-63 victory over Central Oklahoma this past Saturday in Warrensburg.
    WJC then posted a 56-53 triumph over the Mules on Sunday.

GOLIGHTLY, ZIMMERMAN RETURN TO MARYVILLE
William Jewell's roster features a pair of natives of Maryville in  junior Jackson Golightly and sophomore John Zimmerman.
    Golightly has played in all four games this season, drawing two starts for the Cardinals. He is averaging 10.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He scored a season-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting against Central Oklahoma.
    Zimmerman has played in all four games and is averaging 4.3 minutes per game. Zimmerman has scored two points in his four appearances.

NOVEMBER BRINGS WINS
Northwest has won its last 27 straight games it has played in the month of November. The Bearcats are 5-0 in November this season.
    The Bearcats went 7-0 in November in 2018-19. 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.

DIEGO GOES ALL IN
Sophomore guard Diego Bernard was simply on when he went for 20 points, 10 rebounds, six steals, five assists and a blocked shot in Northwest's 92-40 win over Saint Mary (Nov. 14).
    Bernard was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-3 from three-point range against the Spires.

MATCHING DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Diego Bernard and Ryan Hawkins each posted double-doubles against Saint Mary.
    Bernard had 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Hawkins went for 19 points and 10 rebounds.
    It was Bernard's second career double-double.
    It was Hawkins's 13th double-double of his collegiate career.

BENCH POURS IN POINTS
Northwest's bench scored 30 points in its 92-40 win over Saint Mary (Nov. 14).
    In its previous four games, the Northwest bench produced 25 points total.

WATERS SPLASHES FOR 13
Redshirt freshman Luke Waters scored his first collegiate points with a 13-point output against the Saint Mary Spires.

NO. 3 IN POINTS SCORED
Junior Ryan Hawkins ranks No. 3 in the nation in points scored (130).
    Hawkins is averaging 26.0 points per game and his shooting 54.3 percent from the field.

NCAA Div. II Total Points Scored
1. Jhonathan Dunn (Southern Naz.)    174
2. Andrew Sischo (Daemen)        151
3. Ryan Hawkins (Northwest)    130
4. Walt Kelser (Ferris State)        129
5. Pat Dembley (Tex. Perm. Basin)    123

SIX SHOOTING .500+
Northwest has six players shooting .500 or better from the field through the first five games of the season.
    As a squad, the Bearcats are shooting 53.7 percent from the field, 44.5 percent from 3-point range and 81.7 percent from the free throw line.

Name        FG%    3FG%    FT%
Hawkins    54.3    50.0    92.3
Hudgins    50.0    42.3    91.3
Bernard    58.9    45.5    62.5
Welty        52.0    52.6    100.0
Dreamer    57.1    28.6    66.7
Dougherty    57.1    0.0    50.0

HIGH PERCENTAGE PLAYS
Northwest has shot 55.6 percent or better in four of its first five games this season.

56.6% vs. Daemen (Nov. 1)
58.7% vs. Southern Nazarene (Nov. 2)
55.6% vs. MSU Moorhead (Nov. 9)
55.6% vs. Saint Mary (Nov. 14)
    
NO. 7 IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
The Bearcats have made 53.7 percent of their field goal attempts in 2019-20, which ranks No. 7 in the nation.

NCAA Div. II Team Field Goal% Leaders
1.     Nova Southeastern    62.3%
2.     Bemidji State    60.5%
3.     Bellarmine    55.9%
4.     Jefferson    54.9%
5.     Walsh    54.8%
6.     Southern Indiana    54.1%
7.     Northwest Missouri St.    53.7%
8.     Johnson C. Smith    53.4%
9.     Newman    53.4%
10.    Lee    53.3%

IRON MEN
Northwest has four players averaging 34.4 minutes or more per game through the first five contests.

Player            Minutes Per Game
Trevor Hudgins    38.2
Ryan Hawkins    37.4
Ryan Welty        35.6
Diego Bernard    34.4

FULL 40 MINUTES
Northwest has had eight instances this season of a player going the full 40 minutes.
    Trevor Hudgins has played the entire 40 minutes of three of the first four games.
    Ryan Welty played the full 40 minutes against Minnesota-Crookston and vs. Southern Nazarene.
    Diego Bernard played all 80 minutes against MSU Moorhead and Minnesota-Crookston.
    Ryan Hawkins played the entire 40 minutes vs. Southern Nazarene.
    
40-Minute Men
Diego Bernard vs. MSU Moorhead
Diego Bernard vs. Crookston
Ryan Welty vs. Crookston
Trevor Hudgins vs. Crookston
Trevor Hudgins vs. Southern Nazarene
Ryan Welty vs. Southern Nazarene
Ryan Hawkins vs. Southern Nazarene
Trevor Hudgins vs. Daemen

CHARITY STRIPE ADVANTAGE
Northwest has made 76-of-93 free throws this season, while the opposition has only shot 59 free throws.

THIEVERY
The Bearcats have posted 45 steals through the first five games. Northwest has allowed only 20 steals this season.

HAWKINS NAMED MIAA MBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior forward Ryan Hawkins was named the MIAA men's basketball player of the week.
    In four games, Hawkins averaged 27.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.3 steals, while shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 53.6 from three-point range.
    Hawkins made 36-of-64 field goals and was 15-of-28 from three-point range in the four wins. Hawkins was nearly automatic at the free throw line as he sank 24-of-26 (92.3 percent) of his foul shots over the four-game stretch.

DIEGO GOES FOR 24
Sophomore guard Diego Bernard scored a career-high 24 points in Northwest's 92-71 win over MSU Moorhead in St. Joseph.
    Bernard is averaging 15.3 points per game and ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.8).

HAWKINS SETS SINGLE-GAME SCORING MARK
Junior Ryan Hawkins scored a school-record 44 points in Northwest's 100-88 win over No. 9 Southern Nazarene (Nov. 2).
    Hawkins broke the previous mark of 43 set by Ed Maxwell vs. Southeast Missouri State in the 1963-64 season.
    Hawkins is only the third Northwest player to score 40 or more points in a single game.

Northwest Single-Game Scoring Records
1. Ryan Hawkins, Southern Nazarene (11/2/19) - 44
2. Ed Maxwell, SE Missouri State (1963-64) - 43
3. David Alvey, William Jewell (Mo.) (12/1/75) - 42
4. Joey Witthus, Minnesota State (3/16/19) - 39
5. Glenn Phillips vs. Missouri Western (12/3/85) - 38
    Darrell Foster vs. Olathe Clippers (2/22/44) - 38
    Justin Pitts vs. Minnesota State (3/13/16) - 38
8. Justin Pitts vs. UNK (1/19/17) - 37
9. David Alvey, SE Missouri State (1/1 /76) - 36
    David Alvey, Central Missouri (1/25/75) - 36
    Joey Witthus, Pittsburg State (1/31/19) - 36

44 OR MORE POINTS THIS SEASON
Ryan Hawkins is one of four NCAA players to score 44 or more points in a single game this season.
    He owns the highest scoring single game in Div. II in 2019-20 with his 44-point performance vs. Southern Nazarene.

Most Points Scored in a Game in 2019-20 - All NCAA Divisions
1. Christian Lutete, UMass-Lowell vs. LIU (11/8/19) - 51 points
2. Tharon Suggs, Lynchburg vs. Pfeiffer (11/16/19) - 50 points
3. Matt Cappelletti, North Central vs. Greenville (11/15/19) - 47 points
4. Ryan Hawkins, Northwest Mo. St. vs. Southern Nazarene (11/2/19) - 44 points

WELTY'S THREE-POINT PRECISION
Ryan Welty is the nation's active career leader in three-point field goal percentage. Welty has made 50.9 percent of his three-point shots (194-of-381).
    Teammate Trevor Hudgins ranks No. 5 for active career three-point shooting accuracy at 45.4 percent. Hudgins has drained 83-of-183 of his three-point shots in his two seasons with the Bearcats.
    Welty ranks No. 3 among three-point accuracy shooters in all NCAA Divisions trailing Alex Jacovides (Suffolk; NCAA Div. III), who has made 51.6 percent of his career threes (82-of-159) and Nick Penny (Carroll, Wis.; NCAA Div. III), who has made 51.4 percent of his career three-point shots (127-247).

NCAA II Active Career Leaders - 3-Point FG Pct.
1. Ryan Welty (Northwest Missouri St.)    .509
2. Dan Largey (Stonehill)            .473
3. Larenz Thurman (Notre Dame, Ohio)    .461
4. Jareese Williams (Upper Iowa)        .454
5. Trevor Hudgins (Northwest Missouri St.)    .454
Minimium 80 3-pt FGs made

WELTY CLIMBS NORTHWEST'S 3-POINT CHART
Ryan Welty has made 194 career 3-pointers to rank No. 5 on Northwest's all-time 3-pointers made chart.

Northwest 3-Pointers Made in a Career
1.     Zach Schneider (2013-17)        370
2.    Justin Pitts (2014-18)        271
3.    Austin Meyer (2003-06)        215
4.    Conner Crooker (2013-16)        205
5.    Ryan Welty (2016-pres.)        194
6.    Scott Fleming (2000-03)        173
7.    Joey Witthus (2017-19)        172
8.    DeShaun Cooper (2009-14)    170
9.    Louis Jones (1987-89)        156
10.    Kelvin Parker (2001-04)        148

HAWKINS EARNS MVP HONOR
For the second straight year a Bearcat captured the MVP honor as the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.
    Junior Ryan Hawkins averaged 34.0 points and shot 68.6 percent from the field - including 70.0 percent from three-point range.
    Last year, Trevor Hudgins was named the MVP of the event.

TRIO NAMED TO ALL-TOURNEY TEAM AT SCB HOF CLASSIC
Ryan Hawkins, Diego Bernard and Trevor Hudgins were named to the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic All-Tournament Team.
    Hawkins earned tourney MVP honors after scoring a SCB Classic record 44 points against No. 9-ranked Southern Nazarene.
    Bernard averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists, while he shot 66.7 percent from the field.
    Hudgins averaged 21.5 points, 8.0 assists with a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Hudgins was also a perfect 13-of-13 at the free throw line.

NEUTRAL COURT WIN STREAK
Northwest has won 35 straight games on neutral floors. It is the longest active win streak among all NCAA Div. I, II and III schools.
    All four of Northwest's wins this season came at Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Missouri.
    Northwest's last loss on a neutral floor came Nov. 13, 2015, vs. Upper Iowa (L, 76-72).

100-POINT MARK
Northwest has scored 100 or more points 11 times under head coach Ben McCollum.
    The Bearcats scored a 100-88 victory over No. 9 Southern Nazarene on Nov. 2 at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at Civic Arena.

100-Point Games under McCollum
105-55 vs. Manhattan Christian (11/16/09)
104-67 vs. Graceland (11/28/09)
105-59 vs. Waldorf (12/16/13)
104-69 at Southwest Baptist (1/16/14)
103-58 vs. Missouri Valley (12/13/16)
100-86 vs. Ferris State (11/3/18)
100-66 vs. Midland (12/1/18)
108-58 vs. Simpson (12/30/18)
105-70 at Northeastern State (1/3/19)
111-83 vs. Pittsburg State (1/31/19)
100-88 vs. Southern Nazarene (11/2/19)

FOR OPENERS
Northwest has produced an 8-3 mark in season openers for head coach Ben McCollum.
    The Bearcats have won their last four season openers.

Season Openers Since 2009-10
W, 85-65 vs. Daemen (11/1/19)
W, 72-70 OT vs. Northern State (11/3/18)
W, 89-65 vs. Upper Iowa (11/10/17)
W, 87-52 vs. Upper Iowa (11/11/16)
L, 76-72 vs. Upper Iowa (11/13/15)
L, 75-66 vs. MSU-Moorhead (11/14/14)
W, 91-78 vs. Upper Iowa (11/9/13)
W, 86-65 vs. Graceland (11/11/12)
W, 66-62 at UMKC (11/11/11)
L, 72-67 vs. SW Minnesota St. (11/14/10)
W, 105-55 vs. Manhattan Christian (11/16/09)

PRESEASON NO. 1
Defending national champion Northwest Missouri State is atop the NABC/Division II pre-season for the second time in three years. Northwest is the only school to hold the top ranking in the pre-season poll after winning a national title over the last eight years.

NORTHWEST GOES TOE TO TOE WITH DUKE BLUE DEVILS
The defending NCAA Division II national champions gave the Duke Blue Devils everything they could and delighted the Bearcat contingent who trekked to Cameron Indoor Stadium with a strong finish in a 69-63 exhibition game loss.

HUDGINS BUSTS OUT FOR 27
Trevor Hudgins scored a game-high 27 points against the No. 4-ranked Duke Blue Devils.
    Hudgins went 9-of-18 from the floor, including 7-of-13 from three-point range against Duke. He also handed out a team-high four assists.

HAWK HANGS WITH DUKE
Junior forward Ryan Hawkins put up 16 points and nine rebounds against the Duke Blue Devils. He also caught the eye of Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
    "The kid, Hawkins is a good player too," Krzyzewski said in the postgame press press conference.

THREE-BALL
Northwest drained 15-of-34 three-point shots against Duke. Meanwhile, the Bearcats limited the Blue Devils to 2-of-16 shooting from beyond the three-point arc.

105 WINS OVER LAST FOUR SEASONS
Northwest has been playing on a different level the last four seasons. The Bearcats have posted a record of 105-5 since the start of the 2016-17 season. Northwest went 35-1 in 2016-17 and won the national title. The Bearcats went 27-4 in 2017-18, before going 38-0 and winning their second national crown in 2018-19.

20+ WINS IN 8 STRAIGHT SEASONS
Northwest is one of five NCAA Division II teams in the nation to have won 20 or more games in eight consecutive seasons. Northwest (8), Bellarmine (11), Indiana Pa. (11), Lincoln Memorial (10) and West Liberty (15) have each surpassed the 20-win mark in at least eight straight seasons.

19 NCAA TOURNAMENTS
Northwest has earned 19 NCAA Tournament appearances with a recod of 29-20. Northwest has served as the NCAA Central Region host in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19.
    Northwest has made four Elite Eight appearances (2001-02, 2003-04, 2016-17, 2018-19).

MIAA REIGN CONTINUES
In 2018-19, Northwest became the first school in MIAA history to win six consecutive MIAA regular season titles. The Bearcats also became the first MIAA program to win four consecutive league tournament titles in 2018-19.

PRESEASON POLLS
Northwest has been picked to win the preseason MIAA coaches and media polls.

2019-20 MIAA Media Poll
1.     Northwest Missouri (19) - 279
2.     Missouri Southern (1) - 259
3.     Washburn - 238
4.     Fort Hays State - 198
5.     Pittsburg State - 183
6.     Lincoln - 156
7.     Central Missouri - 140
8.     Emporia State - 123
9.     Missouri Western - 120
10.    Newman - 103
11.    Rogers State - 102
12.    Northeastern State - 88
13.     Nebraska-Kearney - 64
14.    Central Oklahoma - 46

2019-20 MIAA Coaches Poll
1.     Northwest Missouri (13) - 169
2.     Missouri Southern (1) - 157
3.     Washburn - 131
4.     Fort Hays State - 124
5.     Northeastern State - 99
6.     Central Missouri - 96
7.     Lincoln - 93
8.       Pittsburg State - 92
9.    Rogers State - 68
10.    Emporia State - 66
11.    Newman - 61
12.     Missouri Western - 58
13.     Central Oklahoma - 44
14.    Nebraska-Kearney - 16

MCCOLLUM RANKS NO. 6 IN WIN PERCENTAGE
Northwest head coach Ben McCollum ranks No. 6 among active NCAA Division II coaches in winning percentage with a minimum of 10 years as a head coach.
    McCollum has guided the Bearcats to a mark of 246-75 (.766 winning percentage) in his 11th season at the helm of the Northwest program.

NCAA Div. II Head Coach Win Percentage (Min. 10 yrs.)
1. Jim Crutchfield (Nova Southeastern)    .844 (407-75, 16 yrs.)
2. Josh Schertz (Lincoln Memorial)    .817 (290-65, 12 yrs.)
3. Scott Davenport (Bellarmine)    .776 (347-101, 14 yrs.)
4. Burt Paddock (Davenport)    .770 (291-87, 12 yrs.)
5. Jeff Young (Walsh)    .768 (360-109, 17 yrs.)
6. Ben McCollum (Northwest Mo. St.)    .766 (246-75, 11 yrs.)
7. Rodney Watson (Southern Indiana)    .758 (232-74, 11 yrs.)
8. Mike Jones (Mississippi College)    .758 (332-106, 17 yrs.)
9. Ken Ammann (Concordia, Calif.)    .755 (469-151, 19 yrs.)
10. Joe Lombardi (Indiana, Pa.)    .755 (308-100, 14 yrs.)
Source: NCAA Statistics

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.