The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats advanced to the NCAA Division II Central Region Final with a 70-59 win over Southern Nazarene University on Sunday in Maryville.

The Bearcats opened up an early 10 point lead in the game before the Crimson Storm rallied back to within 1 with about 4 minutes left in the first half. The Bearcats responded though with a 7-0 run and took a 36-28 lead into halftime. SNU would rally within 5 with just under four minutes left in the game but Northwest freshman Trevor Hudgins made some key plays down the stretch to lead the Bearcats to the win including two threes late in the game.

Hudgins tallied 16 points and 7 rebounds in the win. Senior Joey Witthus led all-scorers with 29 points on 10-16 shooting from the field.

Northwest remains unbeaten at 34-0 and will take on fellow MIAA Conference mate Missouri Southern in the Central Region Final on Tuesday night at 7:00pm. The winner will advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Evansville, IN on March 27-30.