KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Northwest Missouri men captured the program's 12th all-time MIAA Tournament championship with a 78-65 victory over the Pittsburg State Gorillas on Sunday, March 10, in Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium.
 
Sunday, March 10 marked the first time Northwest Missouri and Pittsburg State met in the MIAA championship game for the first time in tournament history.

Northwest extended its winning streak this season to 16 in a row with today’s championship win over Pitt State. The Bearcats have now won 24 consecutive MIAA Tournament games played at Municipal Auditorium. Led by Head Coach Ben McCollum, the Bearcats have won eight of the last nine MIAA postseason tournaments.

Against the No. 3-seeded Pitt State, the top-seeded Bearcats broke out to a 14-2 lead in the title game and never looked back. Northwest led by as many as 17 points in the first half and led 36-21 at the break.
 
Pitt State put up a fight in the second half with 44 points on 52 percent shooting (13-of-25) while also knocking down 17-of-19 at the foul line in the final 20 minutes.
 
Regional ranked MIAA teams will await the NCAA selection show Sunday night, March 10, at 10 p.m. on NCAA.com for a chance to join the Bearcats in the Division II postseason.