EVANSVILLE, Indiana - The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men's basketball team dialed it up defensively in a 76-53 triumph over Saint Anselm College to advance to the program's second NCAA Division II national championship game.The Bearcats (37-0 overall) limited the Hawks to 38.6 percent shooting from the field and held its second straight opponent to 53 points or less at the Elite Eight. Northwest came into the game ranked No. 3 in the nation in scoring defense at 62.1 points per game allowed (now 61.8 points per game allowed).Saint Anselm led 27-22 with 4:16 left in the half, when Bearcat redshirt freshmantook over. After scoring with 5:05 to play, Hudgins scored the next nine points for the Bearcats and gave them a 29-27 lead with :51 left in the half. The squads traded layups in the final minute and the Bearcats were able to take a 31-29 lead at the break on a bucket from juniorThe Bearcats continued their run into the second half and took a 45-34 lead with 11:40 to play on a basket by senior. The Witthus field goal concluded a 23-7 run that started that lasted 12:36 from the end of the first half into the second.Northwest held Saint Anselm to just two made field goals in the opening 8:20 of the second half. Saint Anselm made 10-of-28 shots in the second half, while Northwest drained 18-of-29 field goals. The Bearcats ended up shooting 53.3 percent from the field.Hudgins carved up the Hawks to the tune of 27 points to go along with six steals. Hudgins had 15 first-half points and ended the game going 12-of-24 from the field.Freshmanprovided a spark off the bench as he reached double figures in scoring at 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Bernard also corralled five rebounds and a resounding slam dunk in the second half to give Northwest a 65-45 lead with 4:30 to play in the game.Juniorregistered his 11th double-double this season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Hawkins posted three steals to give him 79 on the year, the third-most in a single season by a Bearcat.Witthus set the Bearcat single-season scoring mark with 13 points as he surpassed the record set by(754 points) in 2016-17. Witthus has scored 756 points this season.Northwest will take on the winner of the Point Loma vs. Southern Indiana national semifinal on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the NCAA Division II national championship game. The game will be shown live on CBS.Tickets for Saturday's NCAA Division II national championship are on sale at Ticketmaster.com as well as the Ford Center Box Office . General admission tickets on Ticketmaster.com are available for $16 each, plus fees. For more information on additional pricing, contact the Ford Center Box Office at 1-812-422-1515.NOTES: Northwest is 3-0 against ranked foes this year ... Northwest defeated No. 13 Ferris State (W, 100-86; Nov. 4), No. 13 Southern Nazarene (W, 70-59; March 17) and No. 20 Saint Anselm (W, 76-53; March 28) ... Northwest has won 31 consecutive games on neutral floors ... the Bearcats remain the nation's only undefeated team at 37-0 ... Northwest is looking to become the fifth undefeated national champion (Findlay - 2008-09; Fort Hays State - 1995-96; Cal State Bakersfield - 1992-93; Evansville - 1964-65) ... with its next win, Northwest would tie the NCAA Division II record for wins in a season (Ferris State won 38 in 2017-18) ... Northwest has shot 50 percent or better in 22 of its 37 games ... the Bearcats have shot 50 percent or better on six road courts and five neutral courts ... Northwest is 99-5 over the last three seasons ... the Bearcats's scoring margin is +21.1 this season and the MIAA record for scoring margin in a season is +22.3 set by Missouri State in 1959-60.