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Northwest preps for Final Four battle against Flagler after big win over West Liberty

Sports

March 25th, 2021 by admin

The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team will play in the Division II Final Four tonight after a big win on Wednesday over West Liberty. The Bearcats took down the Hilltoppers 98-77 at the Ford Center in Evansville.

Atlantic native Ryan Hawkins had a monster night with 32 points on 11 of 14 shooting and 6 of 8 from three point range. He also pulled down six rebounds in the win and Trevor Hudgins finished with 23 points and five assists.

The Bearcats improved to 26-2 on the year and will now take on the Flagler College Saints (18-2) in the Semifinals tonight. The Saints advanced with a dramatic 70-69 win over Truman State on a pair of free throws from Chris Metzger with 10 seconds left. The Saints will be participating in their first Final Four in school history.

The Bearcats and Saints will be the second game of the night with an 8:45 p.m. CT tipoff. Top seed West Texas A&M will take on the 4-seed Lincoln Memorial in the other Semifinal at 6:00 p.m. CT. Both games are played at the Ford Center in Evansville, IN and both will be televised on CBS Sports Network.