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Author: Dave Riggert

126 Western Student-Athletes receive fall 2011 Honor Roll distinction

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One Hundred Twenty Six Missouri Western State University student-athletes have been selected to the President’s, Dean’s and Athletics Director’s Academic Honor Roll for their work in the classroom during the Fall 2011 semester as announced by the University.  To qualify for the President’s Honor Roll, students must earn a semester cumulative GPA of 4.0.  Student’s qualifying for the Dean’s Honor Roll must earn a semester cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and students qualifying for the Athletics Directors Honor Roll earned cumulative semester GPA’s of 3.0 or higher.  Griffon Athletics will recognize all of these individuals as part of the annual student-athlete honor’s day during halftime of this Saturday, January 28th’s men’s basketball game as the Griffons take on Washburn in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

PRESIDENT’S HONOR ROLL RECIPIENTS (SEMESTER CUMULATIVE GPA OF 4.0)
Alexa Adams – Soccer                    Andrew Molloy – Football
Natalie Bird – Golf                    Teresa Offerman – Soccer
Amanda Boender – Volleyball                Allie Powers – Soccer
Kayla Dysert – Tennis                    Kelly Scannell – Volleyball
Sarah Elliott – Softball                James Schoonover – Football
Sarah Faubel – Volleyball                Teddi Serna – Soccer
Michael Hollander – Baseball                Nathan Shores – Baseball
Nicole Kerr – Tennis                    Blair Stalder – Softball
Dalton Krysa – Football                    Abby Stone – Basketball
Sarah Logsdon – Softball                Leonard Wester – Football
Keri Lorbert – Softball                    Michael Yardley – Football

DEAN’S HONOR ROLL RECIPIENTS (SEMESTER CUMULATIVE GPA OF 3.5 OR HIGHER)
Taylor Anderson – Football                Jesscia Koch – Basketball
Taylor Anding – Softball                Chris Kottwitz – Football
Yomi Alli – Football                    Cody Kremer – Football
David Bass – Football                    Paul Krogmeier – Football
Matt Bergin – Baseball                    Torey Lyman – Volleyball
Brody Berrie – Football                    Justin Middleton – Football
Caera Boldridge – Tennis                Emily Moe – Softball
Harrison Cobb – Baseball                Seth Morton – Football
Isaac Collins – Football                Jordan Nicholas – Football
Brooke English – Soccer                    Jordan Nubine – Football
Alek Ferbet – Football                    James O’Brien – Golf
Grant Fink – Baseball                    Lindsay Partridge – Volleyball
Bre Fleschner – Softball                Kip Peters – Football
Tyler Gast – Golf                    KC Ramsell – Soccer
Mitch Giger – Football                    Dylan Roades – Baseball
Brittany Griswold – Basketball                Maegan Roemmich – Softball
Lauryn Huske-Davies – Golf                Kallie Schoonover – Basketball
Ben Jackson – Football                    Scott Sheldon – Golf
Alecia Jenkins – Tennis                    William Ward – Baseball
Chris Jimenez – Football                Erin Widrig – Soccer
Kyle Knox – Football

ATHLETICS DIRECTORS HONOR ROLL RECIPIENTS (SEMESTER CUMULATIVE GPA OF 3.0 OR HIGHER)
Macon Allan – Football                    Reed Mells – Basketball
Chris Allen – Baseball                    Kaitlyn Mercer – Basketball
Nick Anderson – Football                Alex Molloy – Football
Jarad Bell – Baseball                    Charles Mollus – Football
Matthew Buford – Football                Jack Munford – Golf
Jerico Burasco – Baseball                Britni Nikes – Golf
Sarah Campbell – Golf                    Alex Noble – Basketball
Ashlyn Castillo – Soccer                Nathan O’Neill – Football
Shelby Corkill – Volleyball                Kyle Peterson – Baseball
Brooke Cousino – Volleyball                Mason Queen – Baseball
Zach Dotson – Baseball                    Dan Ritter – Football
Shawn Egge – Baseball                    Kim Robinson – Softball
Katie Field – Tennis                    Emily Romdenne – Basketball
David Fowler – Football                    Spencer Shockley – Baseball
Tiffany Gillaspy – Softball                James Smelcer – Baseball
Jake Graham – Baseball                    Darcy Smith – Golf
Kaite Guinn – Tennis                    Connor Stanley – Football
Kyle Hallowell – Baseball                Katherine Steponovich – Softball
Stephanie Hattey – Volleyball                Michelle Stevenson – Softball
Audrey Henderson – Soccer                Andy Stewart – Baseball
Evan Hill – Football                    Kenny Stone – Golf
Logan Hollingsworth – Baseball                Shelby Stone – Golf
Emily Hoffman – Soccer                    Dominic Thomas – Football
Jennifer House – Volleyball                Alex Tuluka Mfumupembe – Basketball
Oliver Kadey – Baseball                    Lucas Tunks – Football
Kyle Kelly – Baeball                    Caleb Vanderkooi – Football
Katie Kempf – Soccer                    Trevor Vogelsmeier – Football
Dylan Koch – Baseball                    Kelly Voights – Soccer
Luke Kose – Football                    Abby Widrig – Soccer
Zach Kroymann – Baseball                Hannah Zimmerman – Volleyball
Tony Loeffler – Baseball
Thomas Madget – Football
Meredith McCormick – Volleyball

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest track teams ranked in first regional polls

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Northwest Missouri State men’s and women’s track and field teams enter the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional polls as announced by the organization on Tuesday.

The Northwest men enter the first USTFCCCA poll ranked No. 6 and just 77 tenths behind No. 5 Pittsburg State. Missouri Southern claimed the top spot on the men’s side just ahead of Lincoln (Mo.), despite the Blue Tigers earning the No. 1 spot in the National Rankings.

Following them is Central Missouri at No. 3 and Abilene Christian at No. 4 with the Gorillas rounding out the top five.

Both men’s and women’s South Central polls are dominated by MIAA schools with only two Lone Star Conference teams ranked in the top 10. Behind the Bearcats is No. 7 Emporia State followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville at No. 8, Southwest Baptist at No. 9 as and Fort Hays State rounding out the men’s top 10.

On the women’s side the Bearcats stand at No. 8 as only two non-MIAA teams are ranked in the top 10. Lincoln, the No. 2 team nationally, checks in as the top team in the South Central Region followed by Central Missouri.

Missouri Southern stands at No. 3 with Abilene Christian at No. 4 and Fort Hays State rounding out the top five. Emporia State follows at No. 6 with Truman State checking in just ahead of the Bearcats at No. 7.

Lone Star Conference foe Angelo State enters the poll at No. 9 as Southwest Baptist rounds out the top 10.

Northwest returns to the track this weekend in Seward, Neb., at the Concordia Classic Friday and Saturday.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Kansas pulls away late to defeat Texas A&M

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Kansas coach Bill Self called his team “selfish” and “soft.” Senior guard Tyshawn Taylor bemoaned an “ugly” performance.

Just imagine what they would have said if Kansas lost.

Thomas Robinson bailed out the fifth-ranked Jayhawks by scoring 16 of his 18 points in the second half Monday night, leading them to a 64-54 win over scrappy Texas A&M.

“We didn’t play well in the first half,” said Self, whose team trailed by two at the break. “We did some better things in the second half, but still, that wasn’t very good playing.”

Could have fooled Aggies coach Billy Kennedy.

“Kansas is very aggressive and very good defensively,” he said. “We have to do a better job of being a little more physical.”

Tyshawn Taylor added 17 points in another solid performance, and Kansas (17-3, 7-0 Big 12) used a big surge through the middle of the second half to wrap up its 10th consecutive victory and extend its winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse to 17 in a row.

Kansas is 18-1 against Texas A&M (11-8, 2-5), the lone loss coming in February 2007.

“I feel like a win in conference — a win like this is ugly, but all the wins in conference count,” Taylor said. “It wasn’t pretty.”

Elston Turner had a career-high 24 points and David Loubeau added 15 for the Aggies, who played without starting forward Khris Middleton, their second-leading scorer. He missed the game after tweaking his right knee over the weekend, the same one he had surgery on in November.

Senior guard Dash Harris also was hobbled but played the entire game.

“You look at how limited we are, you lose Khris Middleton, that puts a lot of pressure on our team,” Kennedy said. “We really struggle offensively.”

They struggled to contain Robinson, too.

One of the leading candidates for national player of the year, the junior forward was held to two points in the first half on 1-for-6 shooting, as Texas A&M collapsed two or three defenders on him whenever he got the ball in the post.

He started bulling his way to the basket more effectively in the second half, going to the foul line 10 times — and making all of them. He also finished with 10 rebounds.

“The defense was trying not to let me touch it, so I had to knock my free throws down,” Robinson said. “I just kept posting up. I just got the whistle more in the second half.”

The Jayhawks threatened to turn the Big Monday matchup into a big snooze early on.

Taylor picked up right where he left off the past three games, hitting his first basket and then adding a 3-pointer as Kansas raced to an 11-0 lead. Texas A&M turned it over on four of its first five possessions and missed its first four shots along with two free throws.

The teams traded baskets before the Aggies went on a 16-2 run that gobbled up nearly 5 minutes, gave them the lead and silenced another packed house at Allen Fieldhouse.

Naji Hibbert started it with a 3-pointer and Turner added another of his own. Even freshman backup Daniel Alexander got into the act, hitting a pair of 3-pointers after coming into the game having made two all season.

“The whole team had to step up,” Turner said. “We showed glimpses.”

Kansas pulled even at 28 when Jeff Withey converted a three-point play with 3:44 left, but that was the final basket until Dash Harris’ layup at the buzzer gave Texas A&M the halftime lead.

The game remained close until Robinson converted a three-point play with 6:55 left that gave Kansas a 47-42 lead. Robinson added two free throws on the next trip — at that point he’d scored 11 of the Jayhawks’ 13 second-half points — and Elijah Johnson’s jumper made it 51-42.

The lead reached 55-53 when Withey scored in the post and made a couple of free throws, and then Robinson answered two foul shots by Turner by tracking down a rebound, putting it back on the glass and getting fouled in the process. The free throw made it 58-47.

Kansas managed to coast the rest of the way against the team that was picked by the league’s coaches as the co-favorite to win the Big 12 along with the Jayhawks.

While Kansas remains the lone unbeaten team in conference play, Texas A&M has lost seven of its last 10 and is already in danger of playing itself out of the NCAA tournament.

“I’m proud of the way our guys competed. I thought we gave ourselves an opportunity to win. Thomas Robinson and their length, and their free throw shooting, was a big key in them getting the win,” Kennedy said. “I thought we executed our game plan about as well as we could tonight.”

It just wasn’t good enough.

— Associated Press —

MU’s Ratliffe named Big 12 Player of the Week

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Mizzou senior forward Ricardo Ratliffe has been named Big 12 Player of the Week, as announced by the Big 12 Conference office on Monday morning (Jan. 23). The weekly honor is the first of the year for the Tigers and it is also the first career honor for Ratliffe. The last Tiger to take home Big 12 Player of the Week honors was Marcus Denmon, who took home the award on Jan. 3 last season.

Ratliffe had a great week, averaging 22.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while guiding Mizzou to a 2-0 record, including one of the biggest wins in college basketball this season at No. 3 Baylor last Saturday. In the Tigers’ 89-88 win over Baylor on Saturday, Ratliffe had a career day with 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds. His 27 points and 11 field goals are new career-best totals. He also went 5-of-7 from the charity stripe in that game and tallied a pair of blocks in 34 minutes. Ratliffe did all of this on the road against a Baylor front court that was billed as one of the best in the country. He was a key reason why Mizzou claimed its first road win over a top-five opponent since 1994.

The Hampton, Va., native also had a fine performance against Texas A&M last week as he posted 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting along with a career-best seven free throws on eight attempts. He also added six rebounds and two steals while playing in 31 minutes in that game.

In all, Ratliffe made 16-of-21 (.762) shots from the field while converting 12-of-15 (.800) from the free-throw line last week. He is shooting 77.2 percent this year, which ranks first in the nation and is on pace to break the NCAA single-season record. He missed just five shots last week and has only 36 misses for the entire 2011-12 campaign.

The Tigers will be back in action on Wednesday as they travel to Oklahoma State for a 6:30 tilt with the Cowboys on ESPN 1550.

— MU Sports Information —

Bearcats roll to big win against Emporia

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For the fourth time this season, the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats held its opponent under the 50 point mark for a decisive 71-45 win over Emporia State on Sunday inside White Auditorium.

Northwest improved to 14-3 on the year and 8-3 to remain in a tie atop the MIAA standings. The Hornets fall to 8-9 overall and 4-7 in league action as the Bearcats held Emporia State to its lowest point total of the year.

The Bearcats jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as they led by as many as 28.

Both teams traded three-pointers as Alex Sullivan nailed his only points of the night putting Northwest up 22-12 with 3:56 left in the half. From there, the Bearcats lead would not dip below double digits.

The Bearcats’ inside presence dominated the Hornets as they outscored ESU 26-16 in the paint. Northwest big man Dillon Starzl finished with a game high 15 points and six rebounds.

To start the game Northwest forced a shot clock violation for the home team and set the tone. Emporia State shot under 20 percent in the first half and only 26 percent for the game.

Senior Kyle Haake tallied 10 points as 13 different Bearcats scored in the game.

Northwest ends a three-game road trip on Wednesday as they travel to Washburn for a 7:30 p.m. tip.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Northwest women lose at No. 20 Emporia State

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A cold start for Northwest Missouri State doomed the Bearcats as the 20th-ranked Emporia State Lady Hornets pulled away with a 63-50 win Sunday afternoon in MIAA action from White Auditorium.

The Bearcats fall to 4-14 and 2-9 in league play while ESU improves to 13-3 and 9-2 in the MIAA. Northwest closes out its three-game road swing on Wednesday when they travel to Washburn to face the 16th-ranked and MIAA leading Lady Blues.

After a cold start from the field senior guard Abby Henry would pick up the scoring for the Bearcats. Henry swished a half-court shot at the buzzer of the first half and finished with a game high 16 points.

Although the Bearcats turned the Lady Hornets over 21 times, Northwest would shoot a season low 22 percent from the field.

ESU would lead by as many as 28 late in the second half, but Northwest would chip back at the Lady Hornet lead. However, it would be too little too late as the 20th-ranked Hornets out-rebounded Northwest 56-45 and 42-17 on the defensive end of the floor.

Annie Mathews returned to the starting lineup and added 11 points while Candace Boeh also finished in double figures adding 10 points and six rebounds off the bench.

All 10 players for ESU registered in the scoring column led by Heather Robben with 12 points.

Griffons lose heartbreaker to Pitt State; drop 8th straight

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A Sam Pugh three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining propelled Pittsburg State over the Missouri Western men 69-67 Saturday, Jan. 21 at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Western dropped to 6-11 and 1-10 in the MIAA, their 8th consecutive loss. Pitt improved to 11-7 and 7-4.

After Pugh’s wide-open shot, James Harris was called for a travel on a drive toward the hoop with 3.4 seconds left. On the other end, Andra Bailey made one free throw to put the Gorillas up 69-67 with 2.5 seconds left. Lavonte Douglas’ lob pass for TJ Johnson was intercepted by Pugh as time expired.

Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe tied the game at 65 with his three-pointer from James Harris with 1:40 remaining. Deionta Mitchell gave the Griffons their first lead since the first half when he sank a free throw with 33.4 seconds remaining, then drained the second to put Western up 67-65.

Harris led all scorrers with 21 points, Johnson had five in the second half to finish with 12. Douglas scored 14 second half points and had eight rebounds in the second frame to finish with 15 and nine. Bailey and JaVon McGee each had 19 for the Gorillas and Courtney Ingram finished with 12 for Pitt. Pugh’s three gave him seven for the game.

The Griffons built a 23-16 lead with 7:01 remaining in the first half before the Gorillas went on a 17-3 run to end the half and go to the locker room up 36-26. Johnson and Harris each scored seven first half points for the Griffons. Western shot just under 43 percent from the field in the first, going 2-7 from three.

Western will head to Emporia to face the Hornets next on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Ratliffe leads No. 5 Mizzou to big road win at No. 3 Baylor

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Ricardo Ratliffe made it sound like just another game for No. 5 Missouri after holding on for a big road victory at No. 3 Baylor.

Maybe Ratliffe, the nation’s best shooter, and the Tigers are just so used to having success this season.

“It was the next game on our schedule,” Ratliffe said nonchalantly after Missouri’s 89-88 victory. “We’re just trying to go out and get better and win games.”

The Tigers (18-1, 5-1 Big 12) did both Saturday in winning on the road against a Top 5 team for the first time since 1994. They also won at a place where they had lost their last three trips, this being their last before moving to the Southeastern Conference next season.

Ratliffe scored a career-high 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting for the Tigers, who built an early lead by outrebounding Baylor’s big front-line and then made 10 free throws in the final minute to hold off a furious rally by the Bears.

“Obviously this was a great win for us,” coach Frank Haith said. “Our guys showed tremendous poise down the stretch. Throughout the game, we played with great toughness.”

Ratliffe, who is shooting 77 percent from the field this season, had a big two-handed slam dunk midway through the second half when he scored six points in an 8-0 run that put the Tigers up 68-58. Missouri still had a 10-point lead with 3:07 left, then didn’t score again until his two free throws with a minute left.

Missouri had to make 10 of 12 free throws in the final minute for the victory. Marcus Denmon’s free throw with 4 seconds left made it 89-85 before Brady Heslip hit a game-ending 3-pointer for Baylor (17-2, 4-2), which has lost two in a row after a 17-0 start.

Baylor was coming off a 92-74 loss at No. 7 Kansas that ended the Bears’ record 17-game winning streak. The loss to Missouri ended their 10-game home winning streak.

“That’s what makes our league so great. There’s no easy game,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “Hopefully we’ll get back to rebounding a little better, trying to get to the free throw line like we were for most of the year, and then go from there.”

The top two scoring and shooting teams in the Big 12 certainly lived up to that billing in the league’s first top-five matchup that didn’t involve either Kansas or Texas.

Missouri shot 55 percent (30 of 55), and Baylor finished at 57 percent (36 of 63).

Freshman Quincy Miller led Baylor with 29 points while Pierre Jackson had 20 points and 15 assists. Quincy Acy had 18 points with nine rebounds while Heslip had 10 points.

Phil Pressey had 18 points for the Tigers while Denmon had 15 and Kim English 10.

The Tigers, who have won four in a row since their loss at Kansas State two weeks ago, led only 58-56 midway through the second half when Pressey had a turnover. Heslip tried a 3-pointer and appeared to be hit when he shot, but there was no foul and Drew was called for a technical foul.

“I deserved it,” Drew said. “I didn’t cuss at him though.”

Denmon made both of those free throws, then after a layup by Acy, Ratliff had his big dunk and added two free throws between consecutive turnovers by Jackson. Ratliffe’s layup after Pressey’s steal made it 68-58 with 8 minutes left.

Jackson had 11 points and three assists in the final 2:06 when Baylor closed the game with a 19-10 run. Jackson started that when he drove and was fouled, yelling out “and one!” before he even hit the floor and the ball fell through the hoop. He made the free throw, cutting the deficit to 79-72.

After Denmon’s last free throw, his fifth in the final 33 seconds, Jackson tried to throw up a 3-pointer and draw a foul in the same motion. The ball wound up in Heslip’s hands along the left wing with no one around him.

Missouri led 39-35 at the half after a 6-0 run that included consecutive putback baskets.

By that point, the Tigers had a 14-0 advantage in second-chance points and its 10 offensive rebounds were only one fewer than the Bears’ total rebounds. Missouri finished with a 32-26 rebounding edge, and 18-11 advantage on second-chance points.

“Our ability to rebound the ball was important for us to win this game, and we were able to get that,” Haith said. “And against a team that played zone, I thought we did a great job. We didn’t want to settle for a bunch of 3s. … Those are the things we really wanted to do and get accomplished, and I thought we did that, and obviously we were able to hang on and win the game.”

— Associated Press —

Western women get clobbered by No. 15 Pittsburg State

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The Missouri Western women couldn’t overcome red hot shooting by No. 15 Pittsburg State, falling 86-68 Saturday, Jan. 21 at the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Griffons fell to 5-11 overall, 3-8 in the MIAA and the Gorillas improved to 16-2 and 10-1.

Western shot 36.8 percent from the field and just 43.5 percent from the free throw line after coming into the game leading the conference in free throw percentage. Meanwhile, the Gorillas shot 49 percent from the field for the game.

Western trailed by 33 with 4:35 remaining in the game but was able to close the gap with a full-court press defense. Jessica Koch extended her streak of consecutive games scoring in double digits to 26 games with 24 points to lead all scorers. Ashleigh Curry finished with a double-double on 11 points and 13 rebounds. Curry was held scoreless in the first half and didn’t find a bucket until 15 minutes remaining in the game. Alicia Bell added 11 points and Alex Saxen had nine on 3-5 shooting from behind the arc.

The Griffons shot a balmy 22.2 percent from the field in the first half and after going into the game shooting 76.5 percent from the lin,e the women were just 4-8 from the charity stripe. Koch managed 13 points in the first to extend her double digit scoring streak. The Gorillas jumped out to an 11-0 run to start the game. Pitt. went to halftime shooting 61.5 percent from the field and a perfect 6-6 at the free throw line. Drew Roberts was hot from outside in the first, shooting 4-7 and gong to the locker room leading all scorers with 12 points.

The women return to action Wednesday, Jan. 25 when they travel to Emporia, Kan., to take on the Hornets at 5:30 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

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