Ndow’s marksmanship sparks Bearcats in 2nd half
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Northwest sophomore Brett Dougherty puts home a dunk against rival Missouri Western during Saturday’s 75-56 victory over the rival Griffons.
The offense was dragging, the defense was slipping, and it looked like No. 19 Northwest would have problems closing against rival Missouri Western on Saturday.
Then Chris-Ebou Ndow found his stroke.
With 14:04 to play in Saturday’s rivalry matchup between the Bearcats and Griffons at Bearcat Arena and Northwest leading by just one, Ndow rose and buried a three-pointer from the left corner that sparked a fine display over the next several minutes. With Ndow leading the way, the Bearcats put Missouri Western away in the second half for a 75-56 victory.
“They left (Ndow) open. My guess is that they were trying to make him beat them,” Bearcats head coach Ben McCollum said. “He just happened to be the guy that was open. The thing with him that’s changed throughout the year is he’s really adjusted to his role, really bought into that role. He continues to grow in that role. When kids find their strengths and play to their strengths and just stick to those, they’re so much better than when they’re trying to bounce around.”
Sophomore guard Justin Pitts and junior forward Zach Schneider put the finishing touches on a 9-0 run early in the first half by each drilling a three-pointer, giving the Bearcats an 11-4 advantage.
But just six minutes later, Missouri Western rebounded to close the gap to 18-6 on a layup from Kevin Thomas, not allowing the Bearcats to so easily run away in the first half.
“It’s a rivalry game,” Ndow said. “We knew from the start this is a rivalry game. The record goes out the book. They’re going to be ready to play, we’re going to be ready to play. We knew we weren’t going to win easy. … We did a good job of maintaining our calmness and got the win.”
In the final few minutes of the opening half, seven straight points for Northwest increased the lead back to 31-20. The final pair of points in the run were free throws from senior guard Conner Crooker following a technical foul assessed to Griffons forward Currie Byrd for a two-handed hack on Bearcats junior Anthony Woods.
With the late spurt, Northwest was able to mount a 33-24 lead at halftime behind a 5-of-11 mark from deep in the opening half. Pitts and Schneider each accounted for a pair of triples in the first 20 minutes of play, while Ndow led the team with eight first-half points.
Ndow would finish the day with a season-high 26 points, including his string of second-half three-pointers to kick the Bearcats into gear.
“I’ve struggled a little bit through the season with my shot, and it kind of came a little bit each game,” Ndow said. “Today, I just didn’t think about it. I just shoot it because my team gave me confidence. Today was one of those days where it worked out for me.”
Missouri Western stepped on the gas early in the second half, piecing together a 7-0 run to claw back. Thomas buried a pair of free throws to cap the run, bringing the Griffons to within one at 39-38. The spurt ended on a triple from Ndow.
Ndow’s three was the first in a series of downtown fireworks for the Bearcats, the beginning of a 9-2 flurry to reconstruct the lead to 48-40.
After Aaron Emmanuel finished a layup for the Griffons to momentarily stop Northwest’s run, Ndow and Crooker found net from deep on back-to-back possessions. Those three-pointers started yet another run for the Bearcats, this an 8-0 burst to net the Bearcats a 56-42 lead at the under-10 media timeout.
“I’ve always said shooters won the war,” McCollum said. “That’s what we’ve recruited is guys who can shoot the basketball, space the defense. Once you start to get one going, especially here at home, it’s just such a mental game to defend us. There are so many shooters out there, and then you’ve got to deal with Justin coming down the gut.”
With 4:04 to play, Ndow reached a new season high in scoring with a triple from the right corner for his 23rd point, surpassing the 21 points he scored against Avila on Dec. 31, 2015. Ndow shot 9-of-15 from the field and 6-of-9 from deep.
“With Chris playing so well, we kind of fed off him tonight,” Pitts said. “He was ready from the start. He was making shots and driving, getting people open and rebounding. In the second half, when he was making shots, it got us going a little bit.”
Northwest shot 55.3 percent from the floor and 54.2 percent from beyond the arc, sinking 13 of its 24 three-point attempts.
Behind Ndow’s 26 points, Pitts finished with 14 and Schneider with 12.
The Bearcats (20-5, 17-3) with their MIAA championship already in hand will look to continue a 10-game win streak at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against Emporia State at Bearcat Arena.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Junior forward Zach Schneider, left, and sophomore guard Justin Pitts celebrate during the Bearcats’ 75-56 victory against Missouri Western on Saturday.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Bearcats sophomore Chris-Ebou Ndow finished Saturday’s 75-56 win over Missouri Western with a season-high 26 points, including hitting six three-pointers.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
The Northwest men’s basketball team, after clinching its third straight MIAA championship a week ago, celebrated the accomplishment after Saturday’s 75-56 win over rival Missouri Western at Bearcat Arena.
