MARYVILLE, Missouri - The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State men's basketball team reached the MIAA Tournament championship game with a 104-72 rout of No. 5-seeded Central Oklahoma at Bearcat Arena.

Northwest (23-1 overall) won its 18th straight game overall. The Bearcats also won their 17th consecutive MIAA Tournament game and have reached the program's 16th MIAA championship game.

Senior Ryan Hawkins recorded the tournament's first-ever triple-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Junior Trevor Hudgins dropped in 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. 

The Bearcats shot 60.0% for the game - marking the fourth straight game they have shot 60% or better.

Eerily similar to its start Wednesday night against Emporia State in the MIAA quarterfinal matchup, Northwest took control of the contest early. The Bearcats bounced out to a 15-4 lead at the first media timeout having drained their first three triples of the contest. Northwest buried its first eight three-point shots and took a commanding 46-18 lead. Overall, Northwest made 17 of its first 22 shots. Northwest took a comfortable 58-26 lead at the half. Hudgins tallied 20 first-half points on 7-of-10 shooting that included 4-of-6 from deep.

Central Oklahoma came out strong in the second half with an 18-5 run that cut the Northwest lead to 19 at 63-44. However, UCO could get no closer than 19 and Northwest pushed the lead back to 30 at 85-55 with 8:15 to play. Northwest cruised to a 104-72 victory.

Northwest will play Washburn for the MIAA tournament title Saturday at 6 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

NOTES: Northwest eclipsed the 100-point mark in its second straight MIAA tourney game and finished with 104 ... Northwest is the first league team to ever record back-to-back 100-point games in the MIAA Tournament ... Northwest is 52-0 when scoring 90 or more points under head coach Ben McCollum ... Northwest is 115-2 in games decided by 20 points or more under McCollum ... Northwest has won 113 consecutive games when the scoring margin is 20 or more points ... Northwest is the first MIAA school to play in 16 MIAA championship games ... UCM ranks second with 15 title game appearances ... Hawkins became the MIAA's all-time tournament leader in rebounds with 74 ... Hawkins passed Washburn's Clarence Tyson, who posted 71 from 1993-94 ... Hudgins moved to second in MIAA tournament history in points scored with 183 through eight tourney games ... Hudgins trails only Northwest's Justin Pitts total of 242 from 2015-18 in 11 tourney games Hudgins ranks No. 2 in MIAA tournament history with 29 made three-pointers - trailing only Northwest's Ryan Welty, who set the mark last season with 30 ... Northwest's Diego Bernard ranks No. 4 in MIAA tournament history in rebounds with 68 in eight career games ... Hawkins is tied for No. 3 in MIAA tourney history for games played with 11 ... Hawkins will tie Northwest's Ryan Welty and Washburn's Jordan Canfield for the tournament record for games played with 12 in Saturday's title game. 

MIAA Basketball Tournament Records
100-Point Games 
Men
1. 112, MWSU vs. NWMSU (73), 2-27-95 (Q).
    112, UMR vs. WU (104), 2-27-96 (Q).
3. 105, WU vs. MWSU (99), 3-3-94 (S). – Semifinal record
4. 104, WU vs. UMR (112), 2-27-96 (Q).
    104, NWMSU vs. UCM (72), 3-5-21 (S).
6. 103, UCM vs. ESU (70), 2-24-97 (Q).
    103, UCM vs. MSSU (86), 3-6-05 (C). – Championship record
    103, FHSU vs. MSSU (102), 3-2-12 (Q) [OT].
    103, UCO vs. SBU (89), 3-4-13 (FR). – First Round record
10. 102, MSSU vs. FHSU (103), 3-2-12 (Q) [OT].
11. 101, PSU vs. NWMSU (98), 2-27-96 (Q) [OT].
      101, MSSU vs. SBU (94), 3-3-11 (Q).
      101, WU vs. MWSU (72), 3-5-21 (S).
14. 100, MSSU vs. ESU (75), 3-2-93 (Q).
      100, NWMSU vs. UCM (51), 2-26-02 (Q).
      100, NWMSU vs. ESU (61), 3-3-21 (Q).