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Author: Dave Riggert

MWSU’s Smith to be inducted into Valpo Hall of Fame

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Missouri Western Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tom Smith will add another impressive honor to his resume as he will be inducted into the Valparaiso University Athletics Hall of Fame as part ceremonies taking place this Saturday, February 4th on the Valparaiso campus.

During his playing days at Valpo, he was an Associated Press Little All-American in 1966, the same season he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player.  He also served as the captain of the 65-66 team and helped guide the Cursaders to the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament under legendary coach, the late Gene Bartow.

Smith took over the head coaching duties of the Valpo program in 1980 and held that role until coming to Missouri Western for the 1988-89 season.

This will be the third Hall of Fame induction for Coach Smith as he is also a member of the Missouri Western State University Athletics Hall of Fame and the Missouri Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.

The formal induction will take place this Saturday in the Community Room of the Christopher Center on the Valparaiso campus at 3:30 PM.  Smith along with the other inductees will be honored at halftime of the men’s basketball game that evening against Wright State which tips off at 7:05 PM.

Other inductees include; former men’s basketball coach Homer Drew, volleyball player Katie (Bova) Hoffman 2002-2005, former team physician & football player Dr. James Malayter and volleyball player Lauren Marshall.

As a result of the induction, Smith will not coach the Griffon Basketball game at Missouri Southern this Saturday night as assistant coach Mike Nicholson will assume the duties.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest men ranked again at No. 22

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Northwest Missouri State returned to the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 released Tuesday standing at No. 22 in the latest rankings.

The Bearcats enter their bye week at 16-3 on the season and are coming off a 75-57 win over then-No. 23 Fort Hays State. Northwest sits tied atop the MIAA standings with Central Missouri at 10-3 with a game and a half separating second-place Washburn.

After receiving votes in last week’s poll, Northwest is the highest ranked MIAA team in the NABC Top 25.

Bellamine (Ky.) remains at No. 1 followed by West Liberty (W. Va.) at No. 2.

South Central Region foe, Tarleton State climbs to No. 3 with Winona State at No. 4 and Colorado School of Mines rounding out the top five.

Other region opponents in the top 25 include Midwestern State at No. 11 and Missouri Southern at No. 23.

The Bearcats return to the hardwood Saturday as they travel to Pittsburg State for a 3:30 p.m. tipoff from John Lance Arena.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Griffons let 11-point second half lead slip away and lose to Fort Hays

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The Missouri Western men (7-13, 2-12) took No. 23 Fort Hays (14-5, 8-5) down to the wire, but a slow second half kept the Griffons from upsetting the Tigers for a third straight year at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Western held Hays to 25 percent shooting in the first half on the way to creating a 10-point halftime lead, but fell 62-58.

Thanks in large part to two Moses Dayee three-pointers from the corner, Western couldn’t claw close enough, and missed some key free-throws down the stretch. Dayee finished 14 points to lead the Tigers on 4-11 shooting from behind the arc.

Lavonte Douglas paced the Griffons with 16 and six rebounds. Reed Mells continued his impressive late season run with 13 points, including a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. James Harris also finished with 13 for Western and added five assists. Western shot 38.5 percent from the field in the second after shooting 47.6 percent in the first.

The Griffons out rebounded the Tigers 38-30 and scored six more points in the paint. The Hays bench outscored Western’s 34-5. The teams were close to even in almost every statistical category, but it was a tale of two halves that ended on Hays’ half.

The Griffons were led by Mells’ 11 first half points. TJ Johnson paced Western with eight rebounds in the first frame to go along with four points. The Griffons held the Tigers to just 25 percent from the field; 15 percent from behind the arc. Western also out rebounded the Tigers 22-14, and took a 10-point lead to the locker room, 31-21.

The Griffons travel to Joplin, Mo., to take on Missouri Southern this Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Dixon hits game-winner as Mizzou beats Texas 67-66

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Michael Dixon scored 21 points, including the game-winning layup with 31 seconds left, as No. 4 Missouri beat Texas 67-66 on Monday night.

Ricardo Ratliffe and Phil Pressey added 13 points each for Missouri (20-2, 7-2 Big 12).

J’Covan Brown scored 20 for Texas (13-9, 3-6), which lost for the fifth time in six games, all to ranked teams. Two of those defeats were to the Tigers.

Dixon’s winning shot came seconds after Brown had given Texas its first lead since the opening minutes.

Freshman Myck Kabongo had a chance to win it in the final seconds for the Longhorns, but he short-armed a baseline jumper and Missouri’s Marcus Denmon grabbed the rebound.

Dixon’s heroics came after he nearly cost his team the game.

Texas had rallied from 13 down early in the second half to pull to 65-62. Dribbling the ball at midcourt, Dixon was whistled for a flagrant foul when he swung an elbow and hit Julien Lewis in the face. Lewis made both free throws to cut the lead to one and Brown’s leaning bank shot put Texas up 66-65.

Dixon then did what Missouri had done all game: He drove at the basket and his high, banking layup over Jaylen Bond dropped in to put Missouri on top.

After working the ball upcourt, Texas tossed the ball around the perimeter but chose to go to Kabongo instead of Brown — their leading scorer who scored 34 points the last time these teams met Jan. 14 — for the final shot.

Kabongo finished with 10 points and Lewis had 12 for the Longhorns. Texas outrebounded Missouri 38-26, but a ragged offense didn’t have an assist on offense in the first half and the Longhorns were just 2 of 12 on 3-pointers.

Missouri seemed to have the game in control when it opened the second half with a flurry. Dixon was the catalyst, making three straight baskets over Brown and Kim English made a 3-pointer to push the Tigers’ lead to 36-29.

Brown, who has struggled badly shooting at home, started finding his touch and kept Mizzou from pulling away. Brown and Pressey matched each other’s 3s and Brown added a driving layup and a free throw cut the Tigers’ lead to 46-43 with just under 11 minutes to play.

The Longhorns trailed 50-48 with a chance tie or take the lead when Pressey picked the ball from Kabongo, who had opted not to shoot an open 3-pointer and then was whistled for a flagrant foul. Pressey made both free throws.

Missouri had another chance to slam the door on Texas but couldn’t. Ratliffe made a tough layup, then finished a three-point play after a steal by English. A 3-pointer by English with 4:43 to play put the Tigers ahead 63-53 before Texas rallied again behind Brown and Kabongo.

The Tigers gave first-year coach Frank Haith a win in his first trip to Austin since his days as Texas assistant from 2002-2004. The Longhorns twice advanced to the NCAA tournament round of 16 and made the Final Four in 2003 in that span and the home crowd gave Haith an enthusiastic round of applause when he was introduced before the game.

— Associated Press —

Western women use big second half to snap 5-game skid

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The Missouri Western women (6-13, 4-10) shot a blistering, season high, 58.9 percent from the field on the way to a 90-78 win over Fort Hays (15-6, 7-6) at the MWSU Fieldhouse Monday (Jan. 30). The win snapped a five game skid for the Griffons and marked numerous season and career marks for the team and its players.

Charlonda Bozeman (10) and Kallie Schoonover (9) recorded season highs for points scored and Emily Romdenne’s seven points were a career high for the freshman guard. Jessica Koch extended her double-digit scoring streak to 29 games with 21 points and nine rebounds. Ashleigh Curry led the Griffons, scoring 24 off of the bench. Western’s bench outscored the Lady Tigers reserves, 48-19.

Koch and the Griffons came out of the break on a mission, scoring four quick points to put the Griffons in front, 37-33 and prompt a Fort Hays timeout less than two minutes into the second half. Romdenne tied a career-high with her seventh point that put Western up by nine. Western shot 72.4 percent from the field after the break.

Koch had a chance to give the Griffons the halftime lead but her half court heave that found nothing but net, was a split-second after the buzzer. Western trailed by one 32-33 on 44 percent shooting from the field at the half. Western held the Lady Tigers to 30 percent from the field, but 13 turnovers hurt the Griffons. Romdenne scored five first half points and was a perfect, three for three from the field with one triple. Western’s bench outscored Fort Hays’ 19-0 in the first frame.

The Griffons head south later this week, starting with a trip to Joplin to face Missouri Southern on Saturday, Feb. 4 before traveling to Russellville, Ark. to play traditional DII power Arkansas Tech. The Griffons will face the Golden Suns at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 6.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Atchison native Downing earns MVC weekly honor

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Missouri State junior guard Anthony Downing (Atchison, Kan.), a transfer from Independence (Kan.) Community College, is this week’s Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week, the league announced Monday (Jan. 30).

This is the third time Downing has been recognized with the honor this season and the sixth time the Bears have received the award in 2011-12.  Downing also received the distinction on Nov. 14 and Jan. 2.

He averaged 12.5 points per game on the week, including 16 points in Saturday’s home win over UNI. He registered 3 three-pointers, all in the second half, and was 3-for-3 at the free throw line against the Panthers to help MSU post its first-ever win over UNI at The Q. With that win, MSU improved to 4-1 when Downing scores 16 or more points. He finished the week with 5 three-pointers.

Downing returned to the starting lineup on Jan. 18 and is averaging 11.3 points and 3.3 assists in the four games since. For the season, he is averaging 11.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists while ranking second on the club in three-pointers (32) and free throw percentage (.814).

Since the inception of the MVC Newcomer of the Week award in 2003-04, only three schools have had more than six honorees in a single season — Creighton (10) in 2007-08, Illinois State (7) in 2006-07 and Creighton (7) in 2010-11. The only other MSU player to earn the award three times in a single season was Adam Leonard in 2009-10.

Downing and the Bears are 13-10 overall and tied for third in the MVC at 6-5 headed into Wednesday’s 7:05 p.m. clash with rival Wichita State at JQH Arena.

— MSU Sports Information —

Griffons suffer loss at home to Washburn

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Will McNeill scored 10 of Washburn’s (14-6, 8-4)last 13 points and put the game out of reach for the Missouri Western (7-12, 2-11) men, who fell 64-55 Saturday (Jan. 28) at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Reed Mells paced Western with a career high, 17 points. Lavonte Douglas just missed his fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds. McNeill led all scorers with 26 for the Ichabods.

Western trailed by one with 2:55 remaining, but McNeill put it away for Washburn and ended the Bods’ four game losing streak at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

A Mitchell Martin jumper gave the Ichabods a 32-21 lead going into the break. The Griffons shot 48 percent from the field and were led by Douglas’ 10 points. Reed Mells chipped in nine first half points and TJ Johnson had seven.

Western athletics honored 150 student-athletes at halftime for their academic achievements. Western hosts #23 Fort Hays at the fieldhouse Monday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcats roll to big win over Fort Hays State

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The stage was set for a special afternoon for Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball program.

The school gave out 2,000 T-shirts to fans arriving at Bearcat Arena Saturday. The game was televised on MIAA TV, and the men’s team entered the game with a share of first place.

“We felt the hype all week about this game,” Northwest senior Jake Reinders said. “Coming out of that tunnel just gave you chills seeing the crowd and they were loud. That really helped us in our win tonight.”

Once the game started, the Bearcats delivered with an impressive 74-57 victory over Fort Hays State in front of 2,146 boisterous fans.

“I was happy with our execution,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “I thought we really focused on what we needed to do offensively and defensively.”

Senior Kyle Haake got the festivities going with a three-pointer. A few minutes later Dillon Starzl followed with an inside bucket, giving Northwest an early lead.

“We tried to establish the low-post play early and that opens up a lot for the guards,” Reinders said. “The guards made tremendous passes and that helped us underneath the basket. It was a great job by the guards”

A little later, junior Bryston Williams knocked down a trey to give the Bearcats an 8-2.

The game went so well for the Bearcats that the first three scorers for them were not the offensive stars. Those honors belonged to Reinders who finished with 16 and junior Alex Sullivan, who came off the bench and scored 15.

“Alex plays with a lot of heart and soul,” Reinders said. “He is really passionate about the game. We have a unique team. Anybody can step up on any night and have a big game and Alex proved that tonight.”

In essence, the Bearcats turned in their typical performance. They won as a team and it is why they are now 16-3 overall and 10-3 in the MIAA and tied with Central Missouri, which also won Saturday afternoon.

Northwest never trailed against Fort Hays. The Bearcats went into halftime comfortably ahead 34-21.

“We maintained our focus,” Reinders said. “We wanted to keep them in front of us defensively. We didn’t let them have second-chance points.”

Both Reinders and Sullivan were on their way to solid games.

“This is probably one of the most fun games I’ve played this year,” Sullivan said. “I was laid back. I didn’t think too much. I just played the game and enjoyed it.”

Reinders was 3 for 4 from the field for 6 points and Sullivan hit both of his three-pointers and free throws for 8 points in the first half

“Sullivan is just a hustle guy. He just brings it,” McCollum said. “He is so physical and so tough that he changes the dynamic of our team when he comes on the floor.

“Him and DeAngelo Hailey just bring instant energy. That’s a great quality to have. We make huge runs when those two players come in.”

The Bearcats were never threatened in the second half. They maintained a double-digit advantage for most of the second half.

Fort Hays spent the bulk of the second half firing three-pointers. The Tigers made a few.

Northwest countered with Sullivan and Haake. It turned out the Bearcats were more proficient behind the arc than Fort Hays. Northwest went 8 for 17 for 47.1 percent, and Fort Hays was 9 for 22 for 36.7 percent.

“I let the offense come to me because we are a defensive oriented team,” Sullivan said. “Our offense comes from our defense. I learned this year you got to be really unselfish to win games. That’s something our team buys into.

Simply put, it was a very good game for the Bearcats and concluded a great week for them. On Wednesday, Northwest went on the road and won at Washburn, a team like Fort Hays that was trying to catch the first-place Bearcats.

Northwest now has six days off before returning to action next Saturday at Pittsburg State. The Bearcats realize they have not hit their peak. There are things they need to work on.

“We still got a long ways to go as far as getting loose balls and just a few effort plays we can improve on,” McCollum said

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Ravens snap 3-game skid with last second win over Evangel

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For the second time this season, the Raven men’s basketball team was forced to wait along with the Raven faithful inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium on officials to review game footage at the conclusion of a game.

Benedictine (11-10, 6-4) snapped a three-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon, knocking off conference No. 2 Evangel University (16-7, 7-3 HAAC), 63-62 in overtime.

With less than three seconds left in the overtime, guard Quaran Johnson (Sr., Philadelphia) knocked in a 3-pointer from deep in the corner right by the Ravens bench.

As the crowd and bench erupted in celebration, the officials met at center court to discuss the play. The ruling on the floor was that Johnson had converted a 3-pointer but the officials decided to review the shot. After review, the shot was confirmed but the officials put one-second back on the clock to give Evangel one last chance.

A full-court pass was knocked away and the Nolan Gymnasium crowd and Raven bench were finally able to celebrate Johnson’s last-second heroics.

It was the second time this season that the end of a Raven game was delayed because of an official review. Back on Jan. 7, the final of the Ravens 71-70 win over MNU was delayed until after officials could review film to determine if time expired before a foul was called against Benedictine.

Benedictine started the game off on a 12-2 run and pushed their lead to as much as 14 points before Evangel closed within single digits by the midpoint of the half.

Baskets by forward Steve O’Brien (Soph., Warragul, Aus.), guard Elgin Caldwell (Sr., Tempe, Ariz.) and forward Charlie Wallrapp (Soph., Omaha) pushed Benedictine back up by double figures.

Benedictine led by 10 at the break after holding Evangel to just five first-half field goals.

The Ravens pushed their lead to 17 points by the midpoint of the second half.

Evangel outscored Benedictine 31-14 over the final 10 minutes of regulation to force overtime.

The Crusaders kept the momentum into the overtime pushing ahead by three points.

Wallrapp and Johnson pulled the Ravens even with a jumper and free-throw respectively before Johnson scored Benedictine’s final five points, which included the last-second 3-pointer.

Wallrapp led the Ravens with a game-high 22 points followed by Johnson with 13 points.

Evangel was led by the 22-point effort of Cale Ramsey.

The win for Benedictine over Evangel snapped a six-year drought against the Crusaders as Benedictine last beat Evangel in December of 2006.

The Ravens return to the road on Saturday as they travel to Marshall, Mo., to take on Missouri Valley College. Tip-off with the Vikings is set for 4 p.m.

— BC Sports Information —

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