ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Wayne State College Wildcats scored a 75-64 victory over the No. 20-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men's basketball team Sunday afternoon in the Hillyard Classic at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

The Bearcats fell to 0-2 overall, while the Wildcats moved to 2-0 on the young season.

Wayne State led by as many as nine points at 19-10 in the first half. The Wildcat led 37-31 in the closing seconds of the first half when Spencer Schomers hit a 3/4-court shot to trim the WSC lead to 37-34 at the break.

Northwest continued its run to start the second half and took a 43-39 lead. The Bearcats used a 12-2 spurt to turn the 37-31 deficit into a 43-39 lead with 15:50 to play in the game. WSC retook the lead at 44-43 less than minute later. Luke Moustakas buried a triple to give the lead back to Northwest at 46-44 with 14:28 to play. 

Emorie Knox knocked in a triple with 10:13 left to level the score at 51-51. Jack Ratigan would draw the 'Cats even at 53-53 off a lob pass from Schomers with 9:07 left in the game. WSC stretched the margin back to six at 62-56, but a Schomers three-pointer cut the lead in half with 5:44 remaining. 

Wayne State built another six-point bulge at 67-61 only to have Padraig Gallagher sink a three-pointer with 2:40 to go to get the 'Cats within three. But the Bearcats would get no closer as the Wildcats made all six of their 1-and-1 opportunities in the final minute.

Knox led the 'Cats in scoring with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor. Knox connected on a trio of three-point shots and dished out a team-best five assists in 35 minutes of action. Schomers tallied 13 points and made three 3-pointers in the contest. Moustakas reached double-figure scoring for the second straight game with 12 points. Trey Moala collected a team-high eight rebounds. Jack Ratigan secured seven rebounds, including a pair of offensive boards.

Northwest shot 43.4% from the floor (23-of-53). Wayne State made 49.1% of its field goals (26-of-57). Northwest made nine three-pointers, while Wayne State made eight from distance. 

The Bearcats will be back in action later this week at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Northwest will take on Chadron State (Thursday, 5 p.m.) and UC Colorado Springs (Friday, 5 p.m.).