KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men's basketball team used an 8-0 run in the final two minutes to secure a 61-53 victory over the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos in the title game of the 2023 MIAA Tournament held at Municipal Auditorium.

Northwest (30-2 overall) claimed the program's 11th MIAA Tournament championship in its 18th trip to the finals. UCO (26-5 overall) dropped its second MIAA Tournament title game in its program history.

The Bearcats had to rally from a five-point second-half deficit to claim its seventh MIAA tournament crown in the last eight years. UCO overcame a 35-27 halftime lead by Northwest to take a 43-38 advantage with 10:39 left in the title game.

Northwest answered with a 10-0 spurt that included eight points from junior Wes Dreamer and an emphatic dunk by freshman Bennett Stirtz to give the Bearcats a 48-43 lead with 7:19 to play.

UCO knotted the game at 51-51 on a triple from Danquez Dawsey, one of four three-pointers he made on the day, with 3:36 on the clock. Stirtz came back with a bucket at 3:16 to retake the lead at 53-51. UCO's Curtis Haywood II leveled the game at 53-53 on a basket with 3:05 left.

MIAA Tournament MVP Diego Bernard calmly sank two free throws with 1:51 to give Northwest the lead for good. On UCO's ensuing possession, Cam Givens missed on the front end of a 1-and-1. Bernard knifed to the bucket and scored a twisting layup with 1:12 left to give Northwest a four-point advantage. After another Bearcat stop on the defensive end, Bernard drained two more free throws with :43.5 ticks remaining. UCO misfired and Stirtz claimed the rebound and was fouled with :23.1 to play. Stirtz sank both shots to give Northwest a final eight-point margin, 61-53.

Stirtz scored a game-high 20 points, only his second 20-point game of the season. Stirtz went 7-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 at the foul line. Stirtz was credited with five rebounds, three assists and two steals to earn a spot on the MIAA All-Tournament team.

Dreamer buried four three-pointers, including two in a crucial 10-point second-half run. Dreamer tallied 14 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

Bernard accounted for 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Bernard only made 2-of-6 shots from the floor, but knocked in 9-of-10 at the charity stripe.

The Bearcats earned the MIAA's automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The selection show will be shown Sunday at 10 p.m. on NCAA.com.

NOTES: Northwest is 54-26 all-time in MIAA tourney games ... Northwest won the program's 11th MIAA Tournament title ... it is the seventh MIAA tournament title won by head coach Ben McCollum, the most in league history ... McCollum is 29-5 in MIAA tourney history, which includes a mark of 7-2 in title games ... McCollum's 29 wins ranks second in league history to Washburn's Bob Chipman's total of 34 MIAA tourney wins ... Diego Bernard is 31-1 in MIAA and NCAA postseason play in his collegiate career ... Northwest is 21-5 as the No. 1 seed in the MIAA Tournament ... Bernard tallied 196 points in MIAA Tournament play to rank No. 3 behind only Trevor Hudgins (261) and Justin Pitts (242) ... Bernard holds the MIAA Tournament record for career rebounds (107) ... Bernard is tied for No. 6 in league history with 49 career assists in MIAA tourney action ... Bernard holds the MIAA tourney career record for steals (30) ... Bernard has played in more MIAA Tournament games than anyone in league history (15) ... Bernard joins Ryan Welty and Tyler Dougherty as the only MIAA players to win four MIAA Tournament championships ... Bernard and Welty are the only two to have played in and won four championships in MIAA history ... Dougherty did not play in the 2020 championship game won by Northwest ... Northwest has won 21 straight MIAA Tournament games in Municipal Auditorium ... Northwest has won 17 straight neutral court games, tied for the best active mark in the nation among all NCAA divisions ... the Bearcats have won 62 of their last 63 neutral court games ... Northwest has reached the 30-win mark for the seventh time in program history and for the fifth time in sevn seasons ... Northwest is 161-10 over the past five seasons ... Northwest is 223-15 over the last seven seasons ... Northwest is 171-5 when holding an opponent to 59 points or less under the direction of head coach Ben McCollum ... Northwest has limited 22 opponents to 59 points or less this year.