MARYVILLE, Missouri - The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcat men's basketball team thumped the visiting Central Missouri Mules, 81-47.
The Bearcats won their 13th straight game and moved to 21-1 overall. The Bearcats are now 11-1 in MIAA and have won 46 of their last 47 home league contests. Central Missouri falls to 9-12 overall and 4-8 in MIAA play.
Northwest extended its home-court win streak to 29 in a row. Northwest has won 67 of its last 69 home games overall.
Northwest made seven of its first 10 three-pointers to build a comfortable 31-14 lead over Central Missouri. Redshirt freshman Luke Waters made his first four shots from the field and tallied 11 of Northwest's first 22 points. Waters would later find himself in foul trouble which limited him to only 13 points in 18 minutes of action.
The Bearcat scoring duo of junior Ryan Hawkins and sophomore Trevor Hudgins were spot on again. Hawkins collected his fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds. Hawkins went 11-of-15 from the field and was 5-of-8 from distance. Hudgins earned his 13th 20-point scoring contest on the season with 20 points and six assists. Hudgins sank 6-of-8 field goals - all from three-point land - in the 34-point triumph.
Northwest shot 60.5% from the field, which included 55.2% from three-point range. Northwest knocked in 16-of-29 three-pointers against the Mules. Northwest has drained at least 10 three-pointers in each of its last four games.
Northwest extended its defense in the second half and did not allow Central Missouri to score until a pair of free throws from Shae Wyatt with 11:18 remained on the second-half clock. UCM would not make a second-half field goal until 9:44 was left in the game.
Northwest will remain home and will take on the Lincoln Blue Tigers on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.
NOTES: UCM had won the earlier matchup between the two schools in Warrensburg, 72-60 ... Northwest has defeated UCM the last six times they have matched up in Bearcat Arena ... Diego Bernard tallied four points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals ... Northwest won the rebounding battle, 32-15 ... Northwest has compiled a home record of 121-9 since the start of the 2011-12 season ... Northwest is 12-0 at home this season ... Tyler Dougherty and Ryan Welty moved their Northwest records to 121-6 - moving within six victories of tying Dray Starzl's school record of 127 wins ... Hawkins becomes the seventh Bearcat to record 600 rebounds in his career (603).
--- Northwest Athletics ---