Story by Tommy Rezac
stjosephpost.com

Maryville - The Missouri Western men got down 8-0 in the first 4.5 minutes at Bearcat Arena, and at the moment, it seemed like it could be a long day.

The Griffons responded, taking a one-point lead with 7:15 left in the first half, and trailing by only a point, 26-25, at the break.

No. 7 Northwest (22-4, 18-2 MIAA) never trailed in the second half, led by as many as 12 and held on for a 65-57 win over the Griffons in Maryville Saturday in front of a packed house.

The Griffons (15-11, 9-11) played a stellar first half defensively, holding the sharp shooting 'Cats to just 7-of-19 shooting in the first half.

Northwest was solid in the second half, hitting 14-of-23 from the field, including 4-of-9 from deep.

Missouri Western, who was without starting forward, lead rebounder and second best scorer Taye Fields last Saturday against Rogers State, got Fields back in the lineup, and he added eight points, seven boards, four assists, three blocks and two steals off the bench.

Zion Swader had his best scoring day since January 18, leading the Griffons with 14 points. JaRon Thames had 13. Justin Bubak added 10.

Missouri Western shot 40.8% (20-of-49) on the day, and were a solid 12-of-14 at the free throw line, but were held to 5-of-19 from three.

Despite the losing skid, Missouri Western has clinched a spot in the MIAA tournament with Central Missouri losing to Washburn Saturday, 68-49.

Northwest, who on Thursday clinched its 11th straight regular season MIAA title with Fort Hays State's loss to Pittsburg State, has now won 11 straight games since losing at MWSU, 76-70, on January 13. Despite the loss, the Griffons clinched a berth in the MIAA Tournament. 

Missouri Western ends the regular season on the road this week, first facing Newman on Thursday. The women tip at 5:30, the men at 7:30. Both games are on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3, 680kfeq.com, KFEQ app).

Both Griffon teams are then at Pittsburg State Saturday for 1:30 and 3:30 games.