Northwest Missouri State wins 2021 DII men's basketball championship
Northwest Missouri State wins 2021 DII men's basketball championship
It was a familiar end to the most unfamiliar season in recent memory.
No. 2 Northwest Missouri State dominated No. 1 West Texas A&M, 80-54, to win the 2021 DII men's basketball championship on Saturday afternoon. It's the second-consecutive title for the Bearcats, and their third in the last five years.
Ryan Hawkins led all scorers with 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting and grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds. He was one of four Bearcats that scored in double figures. Northwest Missouri State shot 50 percent (27-of-54) from the floor and 47 percent (7-of-15) from beyond the arc.
Hawkins was unstoppable, using a variety of post moves and outside shooting to exploit every matchup the Buffaloes threw at him. Teammate Wes Dreamer chipped in 19 points and 11 rebounds.
West Texas A&M was led by Qua Grant's 20 points and six rebounds. The Buffaloes shot just 31.3 percent on 20-of-64 shooting.
CHAMPIONS AGAIN. @NWBearcatMBB captures the @NCAADII Men's Basketball National Championship. pic.twitter.com/TuClZ1MT34
— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) March 27, 2021
Below are the final stats for each team.
Northwest Missouri State
West Texas A&M
2ND 11:31 — Northwest Missouri State 62, West Texas A&M 37
Bench players haven't scored any points in this game. Meanwhile, four Bearcats starters have combined for 62.
HALF — Northwest Missouri State 48, West Texas A&M 29
Ryan Hawkins and Trevor Hudgins combined to score the first 19 points for the Bearcats. They both have 15 at the break. Qua Grant leads West Texas A&M with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
Northwest Missouri State's size advantage was apparent. The Bearcats constantly fed Hawkins in the post and the forward took care of the rest. Wes Dreamer also got in on the action, and posted up Buffaloes guard Zach Touissiant on a mismatch. He backed his way into the paint and banked in a hook shot.
The Bearcats scored 20 points in the paint, while the Buffaloes managed 16. Northwest Missouri State closed the half on a 14-4 run.
This is a ball movement clinic by @NWBearcatMBB. pic.twitter.com/jBqnp2oX6O
— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) March 27, 2021
Below are each team's stats after 20 minutes of play.
Northwest Missouri State 48
West Texas A&M 29
1ST 13:46 — Northwest Missouri State 13, West Texas A&M 11
Foul trouble has defined the opening minutes of the game. Joel Murray of West Texas A&M and Diego Bernard of Northwest Missouri State each have two fouls and made an early trip to the bench.
Bearcats guard Trevor Hudgins leads all scorers with seven points on 3-of-3 shooting.
2021 DII men's basketball championship: Preview, how to watch
No. 1 seed West Texas A&M can win its first-ever DII basketball title today.
We started with 48 teams and are down to two. By the end of the day, either West Texas A&M or Northwest Missouri State will be crowned DII men's basketball champions.
The top two seeds in this year's tournament will take the floor today with a chance to make history. No. 1 West Texas A&M, fresh off a game-winning buzzer beater in the semifinals, could win its first-ever DII men's basketball title. As for the second-seeded Bearcats, no team has gone back-to-back in DII men's basketball since Cal State Bakersfield in 1993-94.
How to watch
No. 1 seed West Texas A&M vs. No. 2 seed Northwest Missouri State | 12 p.m. ET | CBS
Tipoff is at noon ET on CBS. Stick around here for in-game updates.
2021 DII men's basketball championship game set
The 2021 DII men's basketball championship continued with the semifinals tonight. Below are the results from the two games.
- No. 1 seed West Texas A&M 87, No. 4 seed Lincoln Memorial 86
- No. 2 seed Northwest Missouri State 77, vs. No. 3 seed Flagler 46
A season unlike any other will conclude on Saturday, March 27, with the 2021 DII men's basketball championship game. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m ET on CBS.
To view the complete interactive bracket, click here.
FINAL: Northwest Missouri State 77, Flagler 46
No. 2 Northwest Missouri State put an end to No. 3 Flagler's Cinderella season on Thursday night. The Bearcats, who led wire-to-wire, pulled away in the first half and never looked back. Forward Ryan Hawkins scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting while adding 11 rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal.
Northwest Missouri State advances to the championship to face West Texas A&M on Saturday, March 26. The Bearcats are technically the defending champions, having won the sport's last title in 2019.
Below are the final stats for each team.
Northwest Missouri State 77
Flagler 46
HALF — Northwest Missouri State 40, Flagler 24
The Bearcats made their first three field-goal attempts and jumped out to a 7-0 lead. But Flagler was able to settle in after two quick buckets from Jaizec Lottie (six points, two assists).
Northwest Missouri State went on an 11-0 run midway through the first to grab a 28-14 advantage. The spurt was part of a larger 21-2 tear that spanned just over seven minutes. Ryan Hawkins leads all scorers with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
The Saints trailed by as many as 22, but closed the half on an 8-2 run to make it a 40-24 deficit. Below are each team's stats at the break.
Northwest Missouri State 40
Flagler 24
WATCH: West Texas A&M wins on a buzzer-beating triple from Zach Toussaint
FINAL: WT 87, LMU 86
Zach Toussaint hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to give No. 1 West Texas A&M an 87-86 victory over No. 4 Lincoln Memorial on Thursday. It was the Buffaloes' first lead since two minutes into the game. Watch Toussaint's shot below.
WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.@WestTXD2Hoops NAILS the three as time expired and they are moving on to the @NCAADII National Championship. pic.twitter.com/3QSASXRSPT
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) March 26, 2021
West Texas A&M advances to the championship game, where they'll play the winner of tonight's semifinal between No. 2 Northwest Missouri State and No. 3 Flagler.
2ND 12:41 — LMU 62, WT 56
The Buffaloes picked up where they left off to begin the second half, and pulled within four points less than two minutes in. But Lincoln Memorial found its footing and quickly regained a double-digit lead on a Devin Whitfield free throw at 17:10.
The Railsplitters, who are shooting 66.7 percent, currently lead 62-56 with 12:41 remaining. Joel Murray and Qua Grant each have 21 points to lead all scorers.
HALF: LMU 44, WT 35
After leading by as many as 16, the Railsplitters have a 44-35 advantage over West Texas A&M at the break. The Buffaloes closed the first half on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to single digits.
Joel Murray (18 points, two assists) and Qua Grant (11 points, four rebounds) scored all but six of West Texas A&M's 35 points. Lincoln Memorial center Jordan Guest has 14 points, seven boards, two assists and two blocks after playing the entire first half.
Below are each team's stats after one half of play.
Lincoln Memorial 44
West Texas A&M 35
1ST 7:56 — LMU 29, WT 21
It's a battle of guard play here between the Railsplitters and Buffaloes. West Texas A&M's Joel Murray has a game-high 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting, while Lincoln Memorial's Julius Brown has a team-high 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
1ST 15:58 — LMU 9, WT 7
Lincoln Memorial holds an early 9-7 with 15:58 to play in the first half. Jordan Guest has five points, one assist and one rebound. Guest broke free off a pick-and-roll and finished with an uncontested dunk.
Early game flushes are always nice. @LMURailsplitter | @NCAADII pic.twitter.com/jaqYILskDP
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) March 25, 2021
2021 DII men's basketball championship semifinals happening tonight
The 2021 DII men's basketball championship continues tonight with the semifinals. Two games will be played, with the winners advancing to the title game on Saturday, March 26. Tonight's schedule is listed below.
- No. 1 seed West Texas A&M 87, No. 4 seed Lincoln Memorial 86
- No. 2 seed Northwest Missouri State 77, vs. No. 3 seed Flagler 46
Both games will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Live updates will be published here throughout the night.
To view the complete interactive bracket, click here.