BOX SCORE (PDF)

MARYVILLE, Missouri - The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men's basketball team held on in the final minute for a thrilling triumph over the visiting Missouri Western State Griffons on Tuesday in Bearcat Arena, 70-68.

The Bearcats remained perfect on the season at 28-0 and improved to 18-0 in the MIAA, while the Griffons dropped to 12-17 overall and 6-12 in league play.

Senior Joey Witthus carried the offensive load with a game-high 29 points, while freshman Diego Bernard secured his first double-double with 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

The Griffons led by as many as four points at 18-14 in the first half. Northwest used a 9-0 run to take a 23-18 lead with 5:57 before the break. A Ryan Hawkins three-point play upped the Bearcat margin to seven at 26-19 with 4:26 on the clock. Northwest would lead by six at the intermission, 29-23.

A 6-2 spurt by the Griffons to start the second half pulled them to within two at 34-32 with 14:43. The last two points came via a technical foul on Northwest head coach Ben McCollum, whose clipboard bore the brunt of some frustration. A 7-2 mini-run by Northwest was capped by a Witthus three to give the Bearcats a 41-34 advantage with 12:25 to play.

Northwest extended the lead to 16 at 60-44 on a pair of free throws by Witthus with 5:24 to play. However, Missouri Western did not yield and began to chip away at the margin. Lavon Hightower poured in 16 points in the final 4:38 as he willed the Griffons back into the contest. Hightower's layup with 3:32 left cut the lead to single digits at 62-53. Another Hightower triple with 1:48 trimmed the Northwest lead to 64-60. Bernard drained a three-pointer on the ensuing Bearcat possession to stem the tide. 

Hightower cut it to five on a pair of free throws with 52 seconds left. Bearcat redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins missed two free throws with 41 seconds left and the Griffons pounced on the opportunity. Hightower drained a three-pointer and was fouled by Ryan Hawkins with 29 seconds left. After Hightower hit the free throw, Northwest's lead was down to one at 67-66.

Junior Kirk Finley split a pair at the line to give Northwest a 68-66 lead. The Griffons went to Hightower again as the clock wound down but this time his triple missed and Ryan Welty secured the rebound. Welty sank two free throws with six seconds left to ice the win. A Tyrell Carroll layup at the buzzer allowed Northwest to escape with a two-point victory.

Northwest will close out the regular season Thursday at Washburn. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. in Topeka, Kansas.

NOTES: Northwest extended the nation's longest win streak to 28 in a row ... Northwest is the only the fifth team in MIAA history to record 18 league wins in a season ... Northwest has won 18 or more league games in three years (2015-16, 2016-17, 2018-19) ... Northwest is 14-0 at home this season ... the Bearcats have won 20 straight MIAA contests.