MARYVILLE, Missouri – The No. 3-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team won its 10th straight game with an 87-75 home victory over the Pittsburg State University Gorillas.

The Bearcats (16-1 overall) used a late 12-4 run to put some distance between the Gorillas to secure the triumph.

Northwest’s offensive attack was led by Trevor Hudgins, who poured in his sixth career 30-point game, and Ryan Hawkins, who added 22 points, seven steals, six rebounds and five assists.

Northwest built an early 12-3 advantage as Hawkins scored eight points in the opening five minutes. The Gorillas countered with a 11-2 run to even the contest at 14-14. PSU took a four-point lead at 29-25 with 6:50 to play in the opening half. The Bearcats used a 16-2 run capped by a Diego Bernard dunk that gave the home squad a double-digit lead at 41-31 with 2:35 to play. However, the Gorillas locked in and closed the half on a 8-3 run to trim the Bearcat halftime lead to 44-39.

PSU’s Martin Vogts nailed a three-pointer to open the second half to get the Gorillas to within 44-42. Northwest extended the margin back to 10 at 57-47 on a layup from Hudgins with 16:10 to play in the game. Northwest would eventually push the lead to 15 on a triple of Hudgins with 10:32 remaining. However, the Gorillas would not go away quietly and snuck back into the contest. PSU cut Northwest’s lead to four at 75-71 following a three-point play from Ethan Holloway with 4:09 to play in the game.

The Bearcats then put away the Gorillas for good with a 10-0 spurt that included a tip-in by Bernard to help secure the 87-75 triumph.

Northwest will return to Bearcat Arena at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against the visiting Missouri Southern Lions. Missouri Southern scored a 103-94 win over Missouri Western in St. Joseph on Thursday night. Northwest will honor its women’s and men’s basketball seniors on Saturday between two contests.