No. 1 seed Northwest Missouri State used a game-high 25 points from Justin Pitts and held off a final second 3-point field goal attempt by No. 2 seed Southwest Minnesota State to earn a 55-52 victory in the championship game of the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament.
Northwest, 32-1 overall and ranked No. 1 in the latest NABC Top 25 poll, advances to the NCAA Elite Eight at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on March 22-23, 25.
SMSU ends its season with a record of 28-6, tying a school record for victories in a season set previous by the 2000-01 and 2008-09 squads.
The NAIA national basketball tourneys wrapped up Tuesday night with champions crowned. The women’s final in Sioux City saw Marian of Indiana defeat St. Xavier of Illinois 66-53. The men’s title in Point Lookout, Missouri, goes to Union of Kentucky over Cornerstone of Michigan 72-69.
