DII men's basketball: Northwest Missouri St. pulls out tight win in Central Region championship

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MARYVILLE, Mo. — Northwest Missouri State knows as well as any team in NCAA Division II just how hard it is to take that final step to the Elite Eight.

In three previous seasons, Northwest made it to the Central Region championship game before losing. Their opponent in the third round this year, Southwest Minnesota State, gave everything it had to make it four years in a row.

“It is one thing to get here one time and quite another to make it four times,” said Southwest Minnesota coach Brad Bigler said.

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Because of gritty defense played by Bigler’s team, shots weren’t falling for Northwest. The Bearcats went 1-for-15 on three-pointers. Northwest needed to scratch and claw to eke out a 55-52 victory Tuesday evening at Bearcat Arena.

“This means a lot because after last year’s loss, a lot of us stayed most of the summer and worked hard,” said Northwest junior guard Justin Pitts, who finished with 25 points. “We worked hard all preseason. This feels good. We have been so close the last three years. It feels special to finally get to the Elite Eight.”


@NWMOSTATE @NWbball: Congrats @CoachMcCollum @nw_ameyer @APBearcat on advancing to the Elite 8. #CultureWins pic.twitter.com/qsgSdSglsI
— Dr. John Jasinski (@presidentjazz) March 15, 2017

Northwest, 32-1, is making its first trip to the Elite Eight since 2004 and third in school history. Southwest Minnesota finished the season 28-6.

“You definitely want to compliment Northwest Missouri State,” Bigler said. “It was a heck of a game, back and forth. Both teams gave everything they had. Justin Pitts made a couple of plays in the end to give them that edge. You have to tip your hat to him.

“I am proud of our guys. They showed a lot of resiliency out there. I think that toughness in our team is ...

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