Box Score

HONOLULU, HI – SHIMEEK JOHNSON led all scorers with 18, as St. Edward's defeated NW Missouri State, 59-50 on Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats are ranked #10 nationally.
 
St. Edward's (7-6) started the game off with a quick 8-0 lead thanks to the terrific guard play of JEFF CAMPBELL and FRANKIE MGBOLU. Campbell connected on back-to-back buckets from beyond the arc and Mgbolu added a lay-up.
 
NW Missouri State (8-1) went on a small run to cut the lead to one point, 8-7. Johnson and ZILIJAN JONES connected from three-point land extending the St. Edward's lead, 16-7. The Hilltoppers made 4-of-5 from beyond the arc during the first ten minutes of play.
 
St. Edward's controlled the pace of the play for the remainder of the first half courtesy of Johnson and CHRIS WACKER.  Both players combined for 10 Hilltopper points over a five minute stretch that helped St. Edward's keep its 11-point lead, 26-15. The Hilltoppers and Bearcats traded baskets throughout the last five minutes of the half and St. Edward's went into the half with a comfortable 34-22 lead.
 
JAMES STUKES opened up the scoring for the Hilltoppers at the 17:49 mark of the second half. Johnson again caught fire and score seven straight points for the Hilltoppers. St. Edward's had a 10-point lead with 14:22 remaining in the contest. It was at that point where the Hilltoppers would see their double-digit lead trickle down to just six with just fewer than 13 minutes remaining.
 
JOHN RUTHERFORD stopped the Bearcat run with a three-point basket and Wacker added a trey of his own to give the Hilltoppers another 10-point lead, 49-39. NW Missouri State took advantage of another poor shooting stretch by the Hilltoppers and cut the lead to 51-46 with 7:06 remaining.
 
Stukes knocked down a three-point shot to extend the lead to eight, but two Bearcat free throws would keep the game in reach. Neither team would score from the 5:00 to 2:08 mark. It was at that time that Jones would score a lay-up and seal the win for the Hilltoppers. St. Edward's dealt the Bearcats their first loss of the season.
 
Johnson finished as the games leading scorer with 18 points. He also secured four rebounds and two assists. Stukes and Jones would also score in double figures with 13 and 10 points. HARLEY NUSSMAN continues to be dominant on the board as he finished with nine on the afternoon.  The Hilltopper defense held the Bearcats to only one player scoring in double-figures.
 
Head Coach Andre Cook commented after the game, “Obviously beating a team that is ranked in the top 10 in the country is a great accomplishment. I'm proud of the guys of how they came out to play and I'm thrilled for them that they get to enjoy this one.”
 
The Hilltoppers will remain in Honolulu on Monday when they take on Harding at 5:00 P.M. at Kalani High School. St. Edward's looks to avenge the 79-62 loss it suffered to Harding at the beginning of the season. Live stats will be available through the Hilltopper website.