March 3, 2007
Bearcats Get Pushed Out of MIAA Tournament With 76-70 Loss to Pittsburg State
KANSAS CITY – (stats) No. 5 seed Pittsburg State used a +16 rebounding advantage and solid free-throw shooting down the stretch to take out No. 1 seed Northwest Missouri State 76-70 in the semifinals of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Men’s Basketball Tournament this afternoon at Municipal Auditorium. In the three games against Northwest this season, PSU has held a +52 edge on the glass.
The Bearcats, who fell to 23-6 overall, will await their NCAA playoff schedule as the selection show takes place at 9:30 p.m. CST on Sunday. The show will be broadcast on broadband via www.NCAAsports.com/dii. Northwest entered the MIAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South Central region – the top eight teams advance to regional play March 10-11 & 13.
“We got beat by a good basketball team,” said head coach Steve Tappmeyer. “We didn’t play perfect, but we played hard. I don’t think we gave ourselves enough opportunities to win today.”
PSU, who finished 29-of-38 from the free throw line, used inside muscle to set a Northwest opponent season-high for free throws and attempts. During one stretch in the second half, Pitt State converted 13 straight free throws and finished the game’s final five minutes 10-of-14.
The game was close in the early-going with six ties and eight lead changes as PSU held on to a 37-34 halftime lead. Seven points from sophomore Hunter Henry handed Northwest a 18-11 first-half lead at the 10:43 mark. However, the upset-minded Gorillas went into the locker room holding an 11-4 edge in second-chance points thanks to seven offensive rebounds.
Pitt State limited Northwest to just two free throws and a jumper in the first five-plus minutes of the second stanza and pushed its lead to 46-36. Northwest was able to shrink to deficit to five points on six occasions, the last coming after a free throw shot by freshman Mike Larsen with :15 seconds remaining. But, the PSU lead was too much to overcome in the final stages.
PSU allowed Northwest a season-low 20 rebounds in eliminating the No. 1 seed prior to the Championship for the first time since 1999.
Henry went for his 12th game over 20 points leading all scorers with 21 and a team-best eight rebounds. Freshman Lance Sullivan contributed 16 points and four assists while junior Andy Peterson went for his sixth straight contest of double-digit scoring with 10 points. Cory Abercrombie, a game removed from scoring 36 points in the upset win in the opening round, led the Gorillas with 18 points and 10 caroms.
PSU shot 49 percent overall and a solid 54 percent (7-of-13) beyond the arc. Conversely, Northwest hit on 43 percent of its shots but just 29 percent (5-of-17) from 3-point land.
Northwest vs. Pittsburg State – March 3, 2007 (Semifinals)
Northwest Team Tournament Notes:
• …Northwest falls to 22-21 overall; 8-9 in Semifinal games
• …playing in 24th Tournament; 16th straight
• …is 4-2 against Pittsburg State with the lone loss coming in 1996
• …1st meeting against Pittsburg State since 95-73 win in 2003 (first round)
• …ranked No. 2 in the South Central Region (Feb. 28) – behind Central Missouri
• …is 20-14 under coach Tappmeyer
• …is 1-3 as the No. 1 seed; losing 1st-round games back in 1996 and 1987
• …is 6-4 at Municipal Auditorium.
• …is 7-6 when trailing at the half.
• …gone 15 straight games with even or fewer turnovers than opposition
• …averaged 9.0 turnovers in last eight games.
• …1st time a No. 1 seed did not make the Championship since Missouri Western lost to Northwest in the 1999 semifinal round.
Northwest Individual Tournament Notes:
• Hunter Henry …
o Stretched 10+ scoring streak to 25 straight games.
o 12th game this year with 20+ points; 5th in last 6 games.
o With 1-of-1 FT’s today, has now hit 17 straight spanning 4 games
• Andy Peterson …
o 15th game over 10 points this year; 6th straight
• Lance Sullivan …
o 1st 10+ point game in four contests
o 16 points is most since 24 against Central Missouri, Feb. 3.
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