Northwest Holds on to Advance to MIAA Tournament Semifinals
By: Justin Sampson
Updated: March 7, 2013
(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) Northwest took their rubber match with Missouri Western Monday to hit the second round of the MIAA Tournament.
They took one step further on Thursday with a 69-65 victory over fourth-seeded Northeastern State at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
A back-and-forth battle through the first 20 minutes saw a flurry of buckets from Bryton Hobbs, who led the Riverhawks with 23 points.
DeAngelo Hailey got the last laugh before the break, however, hitting a three to give the Bearcats a 39-36 advantage.
The early going of the second half belonged to Northwest, whose lead grew by as many as 13. Dillon Starzl fueled the effort with a career-high 25 points.
The Riverhawks stormed back to tie it 62-62 with 4:47 left and grabbed a one-point lead 93 seconds later.
The Bearcats then scored the final five points of the game as Hailey and Starzl hit five straight free throws.
Northwest will battle top-seeded Fort Hays State in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals Saturday at 6 p.m.
