Northwest Missouri State opened its second weekend of the season with a 71-65 win over St. Cloud State in the Hillyard Tip-Off Classic from St. Joseph.
The Bearcats (2-1) came out of the gates knocking down shots on the way to hitting 57% of their attempts in the first half. The advantage over the Huskies was 43-34 at halftime.
Northwest cooled off in the final 20 minutes, but the defense held strong. St. Cloud State was limited to 2-10 shooting from three-point range in the second half.
The Bearcats built an 11-point lead, but the Huskies battled back to cut it down to two with 1:32 remaining. Northwest was a perfect 6-6 at the free throw line in the final minute to seal the win.
Jack Ratigan and Royce Williams finished with 16 points apiece in the win.
Trey Moala chipped in with 10.
The Bearcats are back on the hardwood Saturday, November 15 at 4pm against Augustana.