Northwest knocked off Missouri Southern for the third time this season 78-76 to claim the MIAA Tournament Championship Sunday afternoon.
The Bearcats (31-1) led by as many as 15 points late in the first half, but the Lions clawed back to tie it 67-67 with 3:06 remaining in the game.
Sophomore guard Trevor Hudgins responded scoring the next nine points for Northwest to go in front 76-71 with 22 seconds left.
Hudgins was named MIAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player as he finished the title game with 31 points and six assists.
Diego Bernard contributed a double-double for the second straight night with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
Wes Dreamer came off the bench to spark the Bearcats with 18 points on 7-14 shooting.
Hudgins, Bernard, Ryan Hawkins and Ryan Welty played all 40 minutes of the championship game.
Northwest advances to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the Central Region.