Northwest Missouri State wins 2021 NCAA DII championship again

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 various 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.