Northwest charged to an early lead and held Missouri Southern at bay en route to a 84-74 win Tuesday night.
The Bearcats (13-1) raced to a 19-6 advantage in the opening minutes, but the Lions countered with a 16-3 run to tie the game. Southern tied it at 24-24 again, but a Diego Bernard three-pointer on the following possession gave Northwest the lead for good.
The 'Cats were in front by 16 midway through the second half, but the Lions battled back once again. They cut the deficit to five points with 2:02 remaining, but Northwest sealed with a steal and a layup from Diego Bernard and hitting five of six free throws in the final minutes.
Ryan Hawkins led all scorers with 33 points and seven rebounds.
Bernard followed up Hawkins with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Trevor Hudgins put up 16 points and six assists.
Northwest is back home Saturday against Missouri Western. Game time is 3:30pm. Pregame on KXCV 90.5 and KRNW 88.9 begins at 3pm.