No. 1 Bearcats head to KC for MIAA Tournament

Thurs., March 7, 12 p.m.No. 1 Northwest vs. No. 8 Emporia StateNO. 1 BEARCATS HEAD TO KC FOR MIAA TOURNAMENTThe No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State men's basketball team (29-0 overall, 19-0 MIAA) will head to Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City for the 2019 MIAA Tournament.WHAT AWAITSNorthwest will take No. 8 Emporia State on Thursday at 12 p.m. in the first of four quarterfinal matchups. Northwest is 2-0 all-time vs. Emporia State in the MIAA Tournament. Northwest owns a 79-59 win over Emporia State this season.The semifinal is set for Saturday at noon. The title game will be played Sunday at 1 p.m.FIRST TO WIN FOUR STRAIGHT?Under the direction of 10th-year head coach, the Bearcats have won three straight MIAA tournament championships.Southeast Missouri State also won three consecutive MIAA tournament titles in 1985, 1986 and 1987. No MIAA school has ever won four straight tourney crowns.BEARCATS IN MIAA TOURNEYAll-Time - MIAA TournamentOverall - 40-25First Round - 1-0Quarterfinals - 19-7Semifinals - 13-12Championships - 7-6Overtime Games - 0-4Northwest Record When Seeded:No. 1 - 10-4No. 2 - 14-4No. 3 - 9-8No. 4 - 1-1No. 5 - 2-3No. 6 - 0-1No. 7 - 0-0No. 8 - 0-3Northwest Record Against:Central Missouri - 4-5Central Oklahoma - 1-0Emporia State - 2-0Fort Hays State - 2-0Lincoln (Mo.) - 2-0Lindenwood - 1-0Missouri-Rolla - 1-0Missouri Southern - 4-2Missouri-St. Louis - 1-1Missouri Western - 5-4Nebraska-Kearney - 1-0Northeastern State - 1-0Pittsburg State - 6-4Southeast Missouri State - 1-1Southwest Baptist - 1-3Truman - 1-2Washburn - 6-3MAC IN QUARTERFINALSBearcat head coachhas guided Northwest to a perfect 7-0 mark in MIAA quarterfinal games.Overall, McCollum is 15-4 in the MIAA Tournament. He has guided the Bearcats to four appearances in the finals with three tournament championships.26 IN A ROW ON NEUTRAL COURTSNorthwest has won 26 straight games on neutral floors. It is the longest active win streak among all NCAA Div. I, II and III schools.Villanova (Div. I) has won 19 straight, while WashU (Div. III) has won 15 consecutive contests on neutral courts.Northwest's last loss on a neutral floor came Nov. 13, 2015, vs. Upper Iowa (L, 76-72).Current Neutral Win Streaks (DII)1. Northwest Missouri State 262. Adelphi 73. Alabama-Huntsville 64. West Texas A&M 5Colorado Mesa 5Rogers State 5SIX STRAIGHT MIAA CROWNSNorthwest became the first school in MIAA history to win six consecutive MIAA regular season titles.The Bearcats were a perfect 19-0 in MIAA games this season, becoming the first league school to finish undefeated since the 1966-67 Missouri State Bears went 10-0.The Bearcats have won 19 MIAA regular season crowns.MIAA Regular Season TitlesCentral Missouri - 21Southwest Missouri State - 19Northwest Missouri State - 19Southeast Missouri State - 12Washburn - 10Truman State - 9Missouri Western - 5Lincoln - 4Southwest Baptist - 4Missouri S&T - 2Missouri Southern - 2Fort Hays State - 1Pittsburg State - 1PERFECT MIAA SEASONNorthwest is the first MIAA school to ever complete the league season 19-0. The 1929-30 Northwest squad finished its MIAA slate at 16-0.Only nine times in the MIAA's history have teams completed a perfect mark in league play.Perfect MIAA SeasonsNorthwest Mo. St. (2018-19) 19-0Northwest Mo. St. (1929-30) 16-0Central Missouri (1937-38) 10-0Northwest Mo. St. (1939-40) 10-0Southeast Mo. St. (1942-43) 8-0Truman State (1947-48) 10-0Missouri State (1951-52) 10-0Missouri State (1965-66) 10-0Missouri State (1966-67) 10-019 WINS IN MIAA PLAYNorthwest matched the MIAA record for wins in a season with its perfect 19-0 league mark.Missouri Southern (2010-11) and Northwest (2015-16) each won 19 MIAA games to set the league standard.Missouri Southern went 19-3 under head coach Robert Korn in 2010-11.Northwest went 19-3 under head coachin 2015-16.MIAA Record for Wins19, Missouri Southern (2010-11)19, Northwest Mo. St. (2015-16)19, Northwest Mo. St. (2018-19)18, Central Missouri (2009-10)18, Northwest Mo. St. (2016-17)17, Southwest Baptist (2008-09)ONLY REMAINING UNDEFEATED IN THE NATIONNorthwest is the only remaining undefeated team in the nation at 29-0 overall. In fact, Northwest is the only undefeated men's basketball program in all of NCAA Division I, II and III.The Bearcats also own the nation's longest active winning streak at 29 in a row.Current Overall Win Streaks (DII)1. Northwest Missouri State 292. Oakland City (Ind.) 163. West Texas A&M 13Dixie State 135. Cal Poly Pomona 12BEST STARTS IN PROGRAM HISTORYNorthwest's 29-0 mark to begin the season is the second-best start to a season in program history.Henry Iba guided Northwest to a perfect 31-0 record in 1929-30 to set the Bearcat standard for best starts to a season.Best Starts in School History31-0 - 1929-3029-0 - 2018-1924-0 - 2016-1720-0 - 1931-3220-0 - 1939-40MIAA RECORD BOOKNorthwest is looking to challenge one of the oldest records in the MIAA.The Bearcats have a +22.4 scoring margin this season. The MIAA record for scoring margin in a season was set by MIssouri State in the 1959-60 season at +22.3.3-POINT SCHOOL RECORDNorthwest has broken the single-season school record for three-pointers made with 326 made triples this year.The previous mark of 313 was set in the 2016-17 season.Southwest Baptist set the MIAA record for three-pointers in a season with 335 in both 2004-05 and 2008-09.BEST IN THE NATIONNorthwest ranks No. 1 in the nation in three stat categories: assist-to-turnover ratio (1.89), scoring margin (+22.4) and turnovers per game (7.8).The Bearcats rank No. 3 in the nation field goal percentage (51.9 percent) and in three-point field goal percentage (41.5).DOUBLE-FIGURE WINS IN MIAA PLAYNorthwest won by double figures in 16 of its 19 MIAA games. The three times Northwest won by single digits in league play came against Lincoln (W, 85-75 - Dec. 6), against Washburn (W, 83-75 - Jan. 12) and vs. Missouri Western (W, 70-68 - Feb. 26).In MIAA play, Northwest had a +19.7 scoring margin. The Bearcats scored 81.7 ppg and gave up 62.0 ppg in MIAA games.EIGHT STRAIGHT 20-WIN YEARSNorthwest is one of five NCAA Division II programs to have reached the 20-win mark for the eighth straight season. Northwest, Bellarmine, Indiana (Pa.), Lincoln Memorial and West Liberty all have won 20 or more games in eight consecutive seasons.It marks the 25th 20-win season in program history.Northwest Coaching 20-Win SeasonsSteve Tappmeyer - 10- 8Hank Iba - 3Lionel Sinn - 3Sparky Stalcup - 1BEARCATS WIN AT A HIGH RATENorthwest has posted a remarkable record of 91-5 (.948 win percentage) over the past three seasons. Northwest went 35-1 in 2016-17, 27-4 in 2017-18 and is 29-0 in 2018-19.HOME-COURT ADVANTAGENorthwest has enjoyed a tremendous home-court advantage in the last six-plus seasons in Bearcat Arena. Northwest has put together a mark of 87-5 in Bearcat Arena over its last 92 home games. The Bearcats are 14-0 at home this year.Northwest's current 14-game home-court win streak ranks as the fifth-longest active current streak in NCAA Division II basketball.Northwest in Bearcat Arena (since 2012-13)2012-13 - 12-32013-14 - 12-12014-15 - 13-22015-16 - 13-02016-17 - 18-02017-18 - 12-22018-19 - 14-0Current Home-Court Win Streaks1. West Texas A&M - 232. Missouri Southern - 17Colorado School of Mines - 174. Oakland City - 165. Northwest Missouri State - 14BEARCATS ON THE ROADNorthwest finished a perfect 10-0 on the road in 2018-19 and extended its road win streak to 15 in a row - the longest active streak in the nation.Current Road Win Streaks1. Northwest Missouri State - 152. Queens - 143. Augusta - 104. Findlay - 8West Liberty - 8CONFERENCE WIN STREAKNorthwest has won 21 consecutive MIAA games dating back to the 2017-18 season. It is the nation's longest active conference winning streak.Northwest set the MIAA record with 28 consecutive league victories from Jan. 13, 2016 through Feb. 23, 2017.Current Conference Win Streaks1. Northwest Missouri State - 212. West Texas A&M - 13Dixie State - 134. Cal Poly Pomona - 125. Augusta - 11LAST 88 MIAA GAMESNorthwest is 81-7 in its last 88 MIAA games, dating back to the middle of the 2014-15 season, with six of those setbacks coming on the road.In that stretch, Northwest is 42-1 in Bearcat Arena in MIAA matchups with the only setback coming last year against Missouri Southern.NORTHWEST AT NO. 42 IN MASSEY RATINGSNorthwest is ranked No. 42 among all NCAA collegiate basketball teams in the the Massey Ratings (www.MasseyRatings.com as of March 1).Northwest is the highest rated NCAA Div. II team.TWO 500-POINT SCORERSSeniorand redshirt freshmanhave each surpassed the 500-point scoring mark this season. Witthus has scored a team-best 574 points, which ranks as the fifth-best single-season total in school history. Hudgins has posted 534 points.Northwest Points in a Season1.(2017) 7542.(2016) 6933. Kelvin Parker (2004) 6204. Glenn Phillips (1986) 5995.(2019) 5746. David Alvey (1976) 5717. DeShaun Cooper (2014) 5638. Glenn Phillips (1987) 548Vic Coleman (1984) 54810. Hunter Henry (2007) 546David Alvey (1977) 546TREV TOPS BEARCAT FROSH SCORING LISTRedshirt freshman point guardhas scored more points as a freshman than any previous freshman player in the history of Bearcat basketball.Hudgins has scored 534 points, besting the previous freshman mark of 482 points byin the 2014-15 season.HUDGINS ONE OF D-II'S TOP FRESHMANHudgins ranks No. 3 in the nation among freshmen scorers (18.4 ppg). Hudgins trails Walsh's J.T. Shumate (19.0 ppg) and Holy Family's Patrick Robinson in freshmen scoring.Hudgins also ranks No. 3 in the nation among freshmen in assists per game (5.2).He has scored 20 or more points in 15 games this season.Hudgins dished out a career-high 12 assists and scored 21 points in a 111-83 win over Pitt State.He ranks No. 3 in the MIAA and No. 13 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.02).HUDGINS'S TIES MIAA CONSECUTIVE FT MARKRedshirt freshmanset the Northwest school record for consecutive free throw makes and tied the all-time MIAA mark with 36.Kelvin Parker held the Northwest record at 35, prior to Hudgins hitting 36 in a row.Hudgins missed his 37th free throw at Central Missouri on Thursday. Hudgins is tied with UCM's Reggie Soward. Soward also made 36 consecutive made free throws from Dec 12, 2004-Jan. 29, 2005.Northern Kentucky's Paul Cluxton holds the NCAA Div. II record with 98 consecutive free throws made in 1997.TREVOR IS DISHING HIS WAY TO TOP 10has dished out a team-best 151 assists on the season to rank tied for the fourth-best single-season mark in Bearcat history.Northwest Assists in a Season1.(2017) 1832. Kelvin Parker (2004) 1743.(2016) 1604.(2016) 151(2019) 1516. James Williams (1984) 1447. Mark Yager (1980) 1438.(2018) 1409. Victor Coleman (1982) 136DeShaun Cooper (2011) 136WITTHUS FINDS HIS GROOVESeniorleads Northwest in scoring (20.5 ppg), three-pointers made (90) and free throws made (108). Witthus tops the MIAA in three-pointers made.TRIPLE THREAT OF 30-POINT GAMESNorthwest has had three different players score at least 30 points in a game this season.Seniorhas reached the 30-point mark in five games this season. Witthus posted a career-high 36 points vs. Pittsburg State (Jan. 31).The last Bearcat to score 30 or more points five times in a season wasin the 2016-17 season, which saw Northwest crowned national champs.Northwest's 30-Point Games in 2018-1936,vs. Pittsburg State (1/31/19)34,at Central Oklahoma (1/5/19)33,vs. Ill.-Springfield (11/19/18)32,vs. Emporia State (1/9/18)31,at Northeastern State (1/3/19)30,at Fort Hays State (1/26/19)30,at Lincoln (2/9/19)WITTHUS FILLS IT UP FROM DEEPSeniorhas connected on 90 three-pointers this season to ranks as the fifth-best single-season mark in Bearcat history.Northwest 3-Point Field Goals in a Season1.(2017) 1082.(2015) 1013.(2016) 91Louis Jones (1989) 915.(2019) 906. Alex Sullivan (2013) 847.(2016) 80(2018) 809. DeShaun Cooper (2014) 72(2015) 7237+ 3-POINTERS FOR NORTHWEST STARTERSEach of the five starters in the Bearcat lineup has drained at least 37 three-pointers this season.(90),(67),(62),(53) and(37) have all drained at least 37 or more three-pointers this year.HAWKINS DOUBLES UPSophomore forwardhas collected an MIAA-best nine double-doubles. Hawkins has reached double figures in rebounds in 12 games. Hawkins holds the MIAA single-game lead in rebounds (18).HAWK TOPS MIAA IN STEALSHawkins leads the MIAA in steals (67). His 67 steals rank No. 18 in the nation and is tied for the eighth-best single-season total in Bearcat history.Northwest Steals in a Season1. Scott Fleming (2001) 972. Benji Burke (1990) 803. Scott Fleming (2002) 784. Scott Fleming (2000) 745. Gerald Harris (1988) 706. Mose Howard (2006) 69Kelvin Parker (2006) 698. Shakey Harrington (1998) 67(2019) 6710. Orlando Johnson (1993) 66HAWKS ON THE BOARDS TOOHawkins ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in rebounding (9.1 rpg). He ranks No. 18 in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (7.28).He ranks No. 18 in the nation in total rebounds (264). His 264 rebounds rank as the third-best single-season total in Northwest history.Northwest Rebounds in a Season1. Don Sears (1968) 3052. Byron Jackson (2004) 2723.(2019) 2644. Russ Miller (1980) 2485. Joe Hurst (1986) 2466. Joe Hurst (1984) 2387. Hunter Henry (2009) 2358. Hunter Henry (2007) 2349. Hunter Henry (2008) 23310. Bo Pitts (1990) 225DIEGO OFF THE BENCHFreshman guardhas provided a spark off the bench. Bernard is averaging 11.8 points per game and has reached double-figure scoring in 22 of his last 25 contests.Bernard tallied a career-high 21 points at Nebraska-Kearney, then followed that up by scoring all 13 of his points in the final 8:07 against Fort Hays State (Jan. 26).He recorded his first collegiate double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds in a 70-68 win over Missouri Western (Feb. 26).Bernard snatched a team-best 10 rebounds in Northwest's 72-49 win at Washburn (Feb. 28) - his second straight double-figure rebouding contest.A PAIR OF NO. 1 RANKED TEAMSThe Bernard family of St. Joseph, Missouri, boasts of two No. 1-ranked teams in NCAA Division II basketball. Diego is a freshman guard on the No. 1-ranked men's basketball team at Northwest Missouri State. His sister, Daejah, is a guard on the No. 1-ranked women's basketball team at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. Drury is 28-0 on the season.ALWAYS DEFENSIVENorthwest ranks No. 1 in the MIAA in scoring defense by giving up 61.8 points per game. The Bearcats rank No. 4 in the nation in scoring defense.SHOOTING IT WELLThe Bearcats are shooting 51.7 percent from the floor, which ranks No. 4 in the nation. Northwest has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 18 of its 29 games. Northwest has also shot 50 percent or better in six road games and on two neutral courts.WITTHUS FOR THREESeniorhas drained 285 career three-pointers to rank No. 7 among the Division II active career leaders.Witthus made 137 three-pointers in his first two collegiate seasons at Minnesota State, Mankato. Witthus has made 148 triples in time at Northwest.NCAA Active Career Leaders - 3-Pointers1. Jarrett Brodbeck (Regis) 3692. Jack Laffey (Adelphi) 3373. Jason Jolly (Fairmont State) 3184. Sawyer Glick (Emporia State) 3005. Jonathan Lawton (Fla. Southern) 2906. Ryan Boulter (Merrimack) 285(Northwest Mo.) 2858. Kenny Hairston (Limestone) 2849. Elyjah Clark (Missouri Southern) 27910. Levi Holmes III (St. Michael's) 278WELTY'S THREE-POINT PRECISIONJunioris the nation's active career leader in three-point field goal percentage. Welty has made 52.5 percent of his three-point shots (169-of-322).NCAA Active Career Leaders - 3-Point FG Pct.1.(Northwest Missouri) .5252. Mikkel Kolstand (Nova Southeastern) .4933. Miguel Arnold (Augusta) .4834. Dan Largey (Stonehill) .4765. Mason Baker (Colorado School of Mines) .475WELTY CLIMBS NORTHWEST'S 3-POINT CHARTJuniorhas sank 169 career 3-pointers to ranks No. 7 on Northwest's all-time 3-pointers made chart.has drained 148 from distance to tie for No. 9 on Northwest's career list.Northwest 3-Pointers Made in a Career1.(2013-17) 3702.(2014-18) 2713.(2003-06) 2154.(2013-16) 2055. Scott Fleming (2000-03) 1736. DeShaun Cooper (2009-14) 1707.(2016-pres.) 1698. Louis Jones (1987-89) 1569. Kelvin Parker (2001-04) 148(2017-pres.) 148MCCOLLUM RANKS NO. 8 IN WIN PERCENTAGENorthwest head coachranks No. 8 among active NCAA Division II coaches in winning percentage with a minimum of 10 years as a head coach.McCollum has guided the Bearcats to a mark of 232-75 (.756 winning percentage) in his 10th season at the helm of the program.NCAA Div. II Head Coach Win Percentage (Min. 10 yrs.)1. Jim Crutchfield (Nova Southeastern) .846 (400-73, 15 yrs.)2. Josh Schertz (Lincoln Memorial) .819 (286-63, 11 yrs.)3. Scott Davenport (Bellarmine) .772 (339-100, 14 yrs.)4. Burt Paddock (Davenport) .770 (284-85, 11 yrs.)5. Jeff Young (Walsh) .766 (353-108, 18 yrs.)6. Ken Ammann (Concordia, Calif.) .761 (464-146, 18 yrs.)7. Rodney Watson (Southern Indiana) .757 (224-72, 10 yrs.)8.(Northwest Mo. St.) .756 (232-75, 10 yrs.)9. Joe Lombardi (Indiana, Pa.) .753 (301-99, 13 yrs.)10. Steve Hesser (Drury) .721 (321-124 15 yrs.)NO. 1 IN THE NATIONNorthwest is ranked No. 1 in the nation in this week's NABC Division II Top 25 Poll.It is the third straight season that Northwest is ranked No. 1 in the nation.It marks the 22nd time in school history that Northwest has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in the NABC poll.Northwest was first ranked No. 1 on Jan. 13, 2004.The Bearcats were ranked No. 1 for nine weeks during the 2016-17 season, which saw Northwest finish 35-1 and capture the program's first national title.Northwest was ranked No. 1 in the opening six weeks of the 2017-18 season.Weeks Ranked No. 1 (NABC Top 25)Jan. 13, 2004Dec. 13, 2016Dec. 27, 2016Jan. 3, 2017Jan. 10, 2017Jan. 17, 2017Jan. 24, 2017Jan. 31, 2017Feb. 7, 2017Feb. 14, 2017March 7, 2017Nov. 21, 2017Nov. 28, 2017Dec. 5, 2017Dec. 12, 2017Dec. 26, 2017Jan. 2, 2018Feb. 5, 2019Feb. 12, 2019Feb. 19, 2019Feb. 26, 2019March 5, 2019CENTRAL REGION RANKINGSThe second NCAA Division II men's basketball regional rankings were released Feb. 27 and the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats remained in the top spot in the central region.The top eight teams in each region will qualify for the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament. Northwest has served as the central region host in each of the previous two seasons.NCAA CENTRAL REGION (Feb. 27)1. Northwest Missouri State2. Washburn3. Northern State4. St. Cloud State5. Missouri Southern6. Southern Nazarene7. Minnesota State, Mankato8. Minnesota-Duluth9. Augustana10. Southeastern Oklahoma StateD2SIDA CENTRAL REGION (Feb. 24)1. Northwest Missouri State2. Southern Nazarene3. Northern State4. Missouri SouthernWashburn6. St. Cloud State7. Southeastern Oklahoma StateWayne State8. Minnesota State, Mankato10. Minnesota-Duluth100-POINT MARKNorthwest has reached 100 points five times this season - the most times the Bearcats have reached 100 points in a single season.Northwest has scored 100 or more points 10 times under head coachThe 111-point output is the most scored by a Northwest team since the Bearcats posted a 111-36 win over Principia College on Dec. 2, 2006.100-Point Games under McCollum105-55 vs. Manhattan Christian (11/16/09)104-67 vs. Graceland (11/28/09)105-59 vs. Waldord (12/16/13)104-69 at Southwest Baptist (1/16/14)103-58 vs. Missouri Valley (12/13/16)100-86 vs. Ferris State (11/3/18)100-66 vs. Midland (12/1/18)108-58 vs. Simpson (12/30/18)105-70 at Northeastern State (1/3/19)111-83 vs. Pittsburg State (1/31/19)WITTHUS EARNS 2ND MIAA PLAYER OF WEEKSeniorwas named the MIAA player of the week for the second time this season after he averaged 32.0 points per game and 7.0 rebounds. He shot 63.9 percent from the field and 64.3 percent from three-point range in leading Northwest to a pair of home MIAA victories.Witthus went for a career-high 36 points in Northwest's 111-83 win over Pittsburg State. Witthus buried 13-of-19 field goals, including 8-of-13 from three-point land vs. the Gorillas. Witthus grabbed four rebounds and handed out an assist vs. PSU.Witthus tied his career-high with 10 rebounds and scored a game-high 28 points in Northwest's 82-62 win over Missouri Southern. Witthus was 10-of-17 from the field and knocked in his only three-point attempt. Witthus also sank 7-of-8 free throws. He handed out two assists and secured two steals vs. the Lions.TWO BEARCATS NAMED TO BEVO FRANCIS TOP 50 WATCH LISTSmall College Basketball has narrowed down its Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award of 2019 to 50 of the finest men's basketball players in the country who compete in the affiliations of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, USCAA and NCCAA.Northwest Missouri State seniorand redshirt freshmanare both named on the top 50 watch list. Witthus and Hudgins have led the Bearcats to a No. 1 ranking in NCAA Div. II basketball and the only undefeated mark in all of NCAA basketball. Witthus is averaging a team-best 21.4 points per game. Witthus leads the MIAA in three-pointers made (77) and three-point field goal percentage (47.5 percent). Hudgins is the top scoring freshman in the nation at 18.9 points per game. Hudgins leads the MIAA in assists (5.7 apg).This marks the fourth season of the Bevo Francis Award, as the award was previously given to Dominez Burnett of Davenport (Mich.) in 2016,of Northwest Missouri State in 2017 and Emanuel Terry of Lincoln Memorial last season.WITTHUS EARNS MIAA PLAYER OF WEEKhas been named the MIAA men's basketball player of the week.Witthus averaged 29.0 points per game, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in leading Northwest to a pair of home wins over Emporia State and nationally-ranked Washburn.Against Emporia State, Witthus notched his third 30-point game of the season with 32 points. Witthus scored 16 consecutive points in the second half to turn a six-point game into a 15-point advantage for the Bearcats. Witthus went 11-of-22 from the field and drained five triples to go along with three rebounds, three assists and a steal. Witthus went 5-of-5 from the free throw stripe.On Saturday against Washburn, Witthus scored a game-high 26 points. Witthus was 7-of-15 from the field that included four buried treys. Witthus was 8-of-9 at the free throw line. He added five rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win to push the Bearcats win streak to 16 in a row.Witthus shot 48.6 percent from the field, 40.9 percent from three-point range and 92.9 percent from the free throw line.HAWKINS NAMED MIAA PLAYER OF THE WEEKNorthwest Missouri State University sophomorehas been named the MIAA co-player of the week. Hawkins shared the honor with Lincoln's Terrance Smith.Hawkins (Atlantic, Iowa) averaged 26.0 points per game, 4.3 steals per game and shot 66.7 percent from the field (including 52.2 percent from 3-point range) in a trio of Northwest Missouri State victories.Hawkins went for a career-high 31 points on 10-of-13 shooting (5-of-7 3-point FGs) in a 105-70 win at Northeastern State. Hawkins added five steals and a block while also draining all six of his free throw attempts in the Bearcats's road victory.He scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting and chipped in with eight rebounds and two steals in a 78-67 road triumph at Central Oklahoma.Hawkins posted a then-career-high 29 points, eight rebounds, six steals and a block in a 108-58 victory over Simpson on Dec. 30. Hawkins went 11-of-16 from the field, including 5-of-8 from three-point range against the Storm.NORTHWEST WITH 25 ASSISTS VS DUSTDEVILSNorthwest was credited with 25 assists in its 85-46 win over Texas A&M-International. It was the most assists by a Bearcat team since it put up 25 assists vs. Baker on Nov. 24, 2009.25+ Assists since 200027 vs. Manhattan Christian (Dec. 8, 2001)27 vs. Central Missouri (Feb. 6, 2002)27 vs. University of Saint Mary (Nov. 15, 2005)26 vs. Calvary Bible College (Dec. 5, 2002)25 vs. William Woods (Dec. 17, 2008)25 vs. Baker (Nov. 24, 2009)25 vs. Texas A&M-International (Dec. 18, 2018)HUDGINS TAKES MVP HONORSRedshirt freshman guard(Manhattan, Kansas) earned MVP honors after leading the Bearcats to a pair of wins over Northern State and No. 13 Ferris State in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Hudgins averaged 25.5 points, 5.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in the two games.CAN'T MISS 'CATSNorthwest began the Ferris State contest by making its first 10 three-point field goals. The Bearcats finished the game having drained 14 triples against the Bulldogs.BRING ON THE BESTThe Bearcats began this season with wins over both teams that took part in the 2018 NCAA Division II national championship. Ferris State defeated Northern State in the title game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Ferris State had won 27 consecutive games before falling to Northwest.WORKING OVERTIMENorthwest opened the season with a 72-70 overtime win over Northern State. The Bearcats are 7-3 all-time under head coachin overtime games.NEUTRAL SITE STREAK IS ALIVE AND WELLNorthwest has won 26 straight games at neutral sites, including this past Monday's 85-66 win over Illinois-Springfield.Northwest has opened this season with five neutral site wins.The Bearcats were 7-0 in 2017-18 and 8-0 in 2016-17 on neutral site courts. The Bearcats won their final six neutral site games in 2015-16 following a season-opening 76-72 loss to Upper Iowa in St. Joseph on Nov. 13, 2015.NOVEMBER BRINGS WINSNorthwest has won its last 22 straight games it has played in the month of November. Northwest was a 7-0 in the month of November in 2017-18. The Bearcats were a perfect 7-0 in November in its run to the national championship in the 2016-17 season.Northwest's last loss in November came Nov. 19, 2015 at Augustana. The Vikings scored a 79-77 win over the Bearcats in Sioux Falls, S.D.PRESEASON POLLSNorthwest was tabbed to win the preseason MIAA poll by the members of the media. The coaches MIAA preseason poll had Northwest in the No. 2 spot behind Missouri Southern.2018-19 MIAA Media Poll1. Northwest Missouri (6) - 2622. Missouri Southern (10) - 2613. Washburn (3) - 2374. Central Missouri - 2255. Pittsburg State (1) - 2126. Fort Hays State (1) - 2087. Central Oklahoma - 1638. Lindenwood - 1509. Nebraska Kearney - 12310. Lincoln - 11911. Emporia State - 7912. Missouri Western - 66Southwest Baptist - 6614. Northeastern State - 352018-19 MIAA Coaches Poll1. Missouri Southern (6) - 1572. Northwest Missouri (7) - 1553. Washburn (1) - 1324. Central Missouri - 1285. Central Oklahoma - 118Pittsburg State - 1187. Fort Hays State - 1048. Lindenwood - 879. Lincoln - 6810. Nebraska Kearney - 6611. Emporia State - 4712. Northeastern State - 4013. Southwest Baptist - 3014. Missouri Western - 2418 NCAA TOURNAMENTSNorthwest has earned 18 NCAA Tournament appearances with a record of 23-20. Northwest has served as the NCAA Central Region host in 2016-17 and 2017-18.Northwest has made three Elite Eight appearances (2001-02, 2003-04, 2016-17).The Bearcats captured the program's first national championships in the 2016-17 season.2019 MIAA TOURNAMENTThe MIAA Basketball post-season tournament will be held in Kansas City for the 17th consecutive season. For the first time, the field in Kansas City will include 10 men's and 10 women's teams and will be played over five days, March 6-10, 2019. The winners of both the men's and women's tournament will receive the automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament.PRESS CONFERENCE TUESDAY AT PIZZA RANCHNorthwest head coachwill be available each Tuesday from Noon - 1 p.m. for a press conference at the Maryville Pizza Ranch.NORTHWEST ATHLETICS APP AVAILABLENorthwest Missouri State athletics is partnering with From Now On and is introducing a new Bearcat athletics app.The Bearcat athletics app is available for download from the App Store or Google Play.The Bearcat app will provide a landing spot for all fans including students, alumni, Bearcat Booster Club members, season ticket holders and Bearcat Buddies. The app offers live stats, season stats, push notifications with score updates, information on Bearcat teams, rosters and schedules as well as marketing/promotional tools, fan guides, merchandise, maps of home venues and a rewards feature. The rewards feature allows fans to check-in at games and events, receive points and later use the points for prizes and game day experiences.MIAA TOURNAMENT TICKETS AVAILABLETickets to the 2019 MIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships at Municipal Auditorium are available for sale. Fans can purchase tickets at the Municipal Box office or through Ticketmaster. Tickets can also be purchased on the campuses of all fourteen-member institutions of the MIAA.This year will mark the 17th consecutive year the event has been held at historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City. For the first time, the 2019 championships will see the tournament field expand to 10 men's and 10 women's teams and will be held over five days beginning on Wednesday, March 6 concluding with the championship games on Sunday, March 10.Also new in 2019 is that both men's and women's game will be held during all five days of the event. The men's games will be played during the day sessions and the women's games will be held during the evening session.TICKET PRICES (all tickets are General Admission):$75 All-Tournament Ticket (includes all 18 games over 5 days)Discount price of $50 if purchased at one of the MIAA schoolsSingle Session Tickets (two games per session)$20 Adults$5 Students (with school ID)Children 6 & under are admitted at no chargeFor more information about the 2019 MIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships visit Championship Central or call the MIAA at (816) 421-6422.