Northwest men keep up road success at SBU

Northwest Missouri State put together another dominant performance on the road to beat Southwest Baptist 70-51 Tuesday at the Meyer Sports Center.

It was Northwest's first win in Bolivar since Dec. 9, 2006.

Northwest was in total control throughout, playing with the lead for all but the first 1:51.

The Bearcats took a 36-24 lead to the half and grew it to 23 within the first eight minutes of the second half.

Northwest improved to 13-4 on the season and 6-2 in the MIAA to pull just a half a game behind league-leading Central Missouri. SBU fell to 5-11 overall and 3-5 in league play.

The Bearcats were at their most efficient on offense, shooting 50 percent in both halves, 8-18 (.444) from three and 14-19 (.737) at the foul line.

They also turned it over just nine times, marking only the second time all year they've committed under 10. This led to a 20-2 advantage in points off turnovers.

SBU had a terrible time of it offensively, going just 15-41 (.366) overall and 5-18 (.278) from three against the league's top defensive team. This was Northwest's second straight game scoring 70 points and holding an opponent under 60.

Using the same lineup it did Saturday in a 71-57 win over Central Oklahoma, Northwest produced three double-figure scorers. Junior center Dillon Starzl netted a team-high 16 points on 6-8 shooting and 4-5 at the foul line. He also had six rebounds.

Alex Sullivan went 4-8 from three to finish with 12 points. Bryston Williams finished with 11 points and made two three's.

Grant Cozad delivered nine points off the bench. DeAngelo Hailey added seven.

SBU's top scorers were Jayon'e Troutman with 12 points and Damion Hooks with 10.

Point guard Preston Guiot went just 1-10 with three points.

SBU gained its only lead of the night on a dunk by Troutman.

Hailey answered with a three-pointer, giving Northwest a lead it never gave back.

Northwest closes its three-game road swing Saturday at Central Missouri in what likely could be a battle for first place in the MIAA.

The Bearcats will also be looking to snap a five-game losing streak to the Mules. Tipoff from the Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg is set for 3:30 p.m.