We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Author: Dave Riggert

Bearcats fall at No. 16 Southern, 84-76

Posted on

The good news is Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team has a share of first place in the MIAA.

The bad news is the Bearcats lost sole possession of the top spot after falling 84-76 to Missouri Southern Wednesday night at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

Northwest, which dropped to 13-3 overall, fell to 7-3 in the MIAA and is now tied with Southern, which is 15-3 overall. Central Missouri and Washburn are also 7-3, creating an intriguing logjam as the MIAA teams head into the second half of conference play.

“We are still hungry,” said Northwest junior DeShaun Cooper. “It’s not about sharing first place. We want first place by ourselves. We are going to come out on Saturday against Emporia State because they are the only team in the way. We are going to take our anger out on them.”

The Bearcats showed plenty of fight against a talented Southern team picked to win the MIAA in the preseason poll.

Northwest held just two brief leads in the second half against Southern.  A basket by Justin Clark gave the Bearcats a 65-64 lead with 7 minutes remaining. Less than a minute later, Northwest took its last lead at 67-66 on a field goal by DeAngelo Hailey.

Southern regained the lead for good on a three-pointer by Jason Adams. After he knocked down the long three-pointer for a 70-67 lead, he raced down the court, pumping his chest.

Adams had an all-star caliber game, finishing with 31 points.

“What hurts you, but doesn’t hurt you is the tough shots he hits,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “It’s the layups in transitions, the back-cut lobs and the easy buckets he gets that really hurts you.

“The other stuff you have to live with it. He’s going to make it or miss it and you don’t have anything to say about that. But you do about the other stuff. We didn’t do a good job of limiting his easy opportunities.”

Northwest never backed down. They stayed within striking distance until Southern pushed its advantage to 80-73 with 1:20 left.

Cooper said a lack of concentration hurt the Bearcats down the stretch.

“I felt we didn’t concentrate,” said Copper, who finished with 12 points and seven assists. “Near the end I wasn’t where I was supposed to be with the ball and the team wasn’t where it was supposed to be with the ball. I felt we weren’t concentrating as a team. It was a team loss.”

But there were so many encouraging signs that it is inevitable that Northwest will begin to pick up some road conference wins. The Bearcats want it to begin in earnest on Saturday at Emporia State.

Other than the opening 6-0 lead, Northwest trailed the rest of the first half. But the Bearcats sure played an entertaining 20 minutes. They trailed only 38-36 at the break.

“I thought we started very well,” McCollum said. “We’ve started slow in the past. Once we got off to a good start, our defense usually picks up in the second half generally. We just didn’t get stops when we needed to get them.”

A big reason why the Bearcats stayed close was the hot shooting of Clark, who drained a couple of three-pointers and added a few mid-range jumpers that helped Northwest trim a 23-15 deficit to 29-25.

“I’m just trying to get wins,” Clark said. “That’s all I know. Scoring will come. I’m just trying to win.”

The Bearcats shot very well from the field in the first half, hitting 15 of 29 shots for 51.7 percent. Southern was almost as hot, shooting 45 percent from the field.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

K-State hangs on against Texas to snap two-game skid

Posted on

Rodney McGruder knew he might have cost his team dearly when he stepped to the foul line in the closing seconds and sent a pair of free throw clanging off the rim.

That’s why he threw down a transition dunk before the final buzzer with such authority.

“I tried to take my frustration out,” he said. “I felt like I let my team down.”

Hardly.

The reality is the Wildcats would have been lost without him.

McGruder scored a career-high 33 points and helped shut down Texas star J’Covan Brown on Wednesday night, leading No. 25 Kansas State to an 84-80 victory despite its lousy foul shooting.

The focal point of the team following the graduation of Jacob Pullen, McGruder struggled with the weight of expectations early this season. But the junior forward has been sublime since late December, averaging 22.7 points over his last seven games.

“I told you guys, I’m worried about inflation, I’m worried about taxes, I’m not worried about Rodney McGruder,” Kansas State coach Frank Martin said. “I told you guys that.”

Brown, who came into the game leading the Big 12 in scoring, finished with 22 points for Texas (12-6, 2-3). But the junior guard was just 8 of 28 from the field and 4 of 14 from beyond the arc.

“I think this is a whole new experience for J’Covan,” Texas coach Rick Barnes said. “He’s got a big bulls-eye on his back, whoever plays us.”

Despite his struggles, Brown still rallied the Longhorns down the stretch.

He hit one of his 3s with 53.6 seconds left, drawing Texas to 80-76. He added another basket after Will Spradling made one of two foul shots to make it 81-78.

On the Wildcats’ next trip down court, Angel Rodriguez missed a pair of free throws and McGruder, a 76 percent foul shooter, missed his two. Sheldon McClellan’s dunk at the other end made it 81-80 and, after Spradling made one of two free throws, Texas had the ball back.

“Our guys didn’t flinch,” Barnes said. “We had a chance to win it.”

Instead, they fumbled it away.

Freshman guard Myck Kabongo lost it near midcourt, the ball wound up in the hands of McGruder, and he slammed home that transition dunk to put an exclamation mark on the victory.

“Just trying to be aggressive, you know?” McGruder said. “Frank told me to be aggressive before, and I’ve been working on shooting a lot of shots. It just fell for me tonight.”

Jamar Samuels had 14 points, while Spradling and Thomas Gipson had 11 each for Kansas State.

McClellan finished with 19 points for Texas, taking some of the pressure off Brown. Kabongo had 14 points, and Clint Chapman added 11 before fouling out in the closing minutes.

Kansas State threatened to put the game away early.

McGruder hit his first five shots, three of them 3-pointers, and Samuels asserted himself in the paint as the Wildcats pushed out to a 36-21 lead.

“When he hit the first couple 3s in the first half,” Spradling said, “I knew he was zoned in.”

McGruder was also getting it done on defense, frustrating Brown on the perimeter and forcing the Longhorns’ other guards to score. But the complexion of the game changed with 8 1/2 minutes left when McGruder picked up his second foul and took a seat on the bench.

The Longhorns launched a 19-2 run to take their first lead of the game.

Kabongo got it started with a field goal and Chapman scored the next seven points before McClellan got into the act. His shot from close range made it 36-32 with 4:22 left.

Kansas State finally ended a nearly 7-minute scoreless drought when McGruder checked back in and scored with 1:48 left in the half, putting the Wildcats ahead 41-40. Victor Ojeleye’s put-back in the final minute sent the Wildcats into the locker room leading 43-42.

The game went back and forth the entire second half, neither team able to put together a run like they did in the first half. The biggest lead after the break was seven points.

If ever a mid-January matchup was critical to a team, it may have been to Kansas State.

Martin’s team stumbled at the start of Big 12 play for the third time in four years, though part of that had to do with the schedule. The Wildcats faced highly ranked teams Missouri, Baylor and Kansas in succession, all of them expected to contend for the title.

The result, Martin said, was some wounded pride.

Perhaps beating Texas will help to heal it.

“We’ve been walking around like a bunch of young kids that lost their dogs,” Martin said. “You can’t win games if that’s how you feel. When you’re zoned in and you’re emotional, it’s still hard as heck to win. If you’re walking around like you lost your dog, you’ve got no chance.”

— Associated Press —

Northwest women lose in overtime at Missouri Southern

Posted on

Of all the close losses Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team has suffered through this season, the 83-75 setback against Missouri Southern Wednesday evening might be the toughest one to swallow.

The Bearcats showed plenty of grit to force overtime on the road at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center, but just could not get the one crucial basket in overtime to get a lead.

The loss was costly for Northwest. The Bearcats dropped to 4-13 overall and 2-8 in the MIAA. They are tied with Southern, who improved to 6-10 and 2-8.

Still, there were bright spots.

Freshman Maggie Marnin played like a senior in the closing seconds of regulation.

Marnin hit two important free throws with 30 seconds left and then blocked a shot near the basket with a second left in regulation that sent the game into overtime tied 65-65.

Marnin finished with a game-high 24 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. She was 8-for-9 from the line.

“Maggie came out and really had a big game,” Northwest coach Gene Steinmeyer said.

It was amazing the Bearcats got the game to overtime. With about a minute left, Northwest gave up an offensive rebound that led to a field goal, giving the Lions a 62-59.

Southern followed with another bucket for a 64-59 lead with under 40 seconds. Northwest got the ball down court quickly for Shelly Martin. She knocked down a three-pointer.

After a free throw by the Lions, Marnin made her two free throws, and with 23 seconds remaining, Northwest tied the game at 65-65 on a free throw by Abby Henry.

Northwest played tough defense in the final 23 seconds.

“They did the right things down the stretch with clock management to get it to overtime,” Steinmeyer said of his players. “We hit crucial shots. To get it to overtime was big.”

Overtime was much like the rest of the game except the Bearcats didn’t have a comeback in them this time.

Southern scored the first basket. Northwest tied it at 67-67 on a 15-foot jumper by Martin. Martin played well and finished with 19 points.

“Shelly started showing life,” Steinmeyer said.

But other than Martin and Marnin, the Bearcats struggled to find consistent offense. It cost them in overtime.

“It’s a shame because if we had the same balance that we had against SBU, we would have probably had an easy win,” Steinmeyer said. “Some kids who hit some shots against SBU just couldn’t buy a bucket. I can’t fault their effort.”

A three-pointer by Haley Weathers gave Southern a 70-67 lead. The Lions slowly pushed their advantage to 76-71. They couldn’t find the same spark that they had late in the first half that kept Northwest in striking distance.

The bleakest moment in the first half for the Bearcats ignited their best period of basketball.

Northwest needed the late spurt to prevent a double-digit deficit at halftime. The Bearcats had every reason to feel good despite going into the locker room behind 30-27.

“We forced 15 turnovers in the first half and we still trailed by three,” Steinmeyer said.

For most of the first half, Northwest had trouble making shots. The only player with some success was Marnin. A blowout looked possible. The Bearcats trailed 25-13.

Something clicked after Weathers dropped a three-pointer to give the Lions a 12-point lead. Northwest scored the next 10 points and closed to 25-23.

After a free throw by Southern, Northwest tied the game at 26-26 on a three-pointer by freshman Ashleigh Nelson. The Bearcats were back in the game.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Missouri State lets late lead slip away against No. 18 Creighton

Posted on

Coach Greg McDermott and Creighton (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) knew Missouri State would be a formidable opponent, something the Bears proved Dec. 28 when they upset the Bluejays in Omaha.

Missouri State almost got the best of the Bluejays again Wednesday night, but Creighton rallied late in the second half for a 66-65 victory over the Missouri Valley Conference rival.

“I have all the respect in the world for Missouri State. Baskets were difficult to come by. Missouri State made it difficult to score,” McDermott said.

Gregory Echenique scored 16 points, and Doug McDermott added 15 to help Creighton (17-2, 7-1) win its seventh straight game since the loss to Missouri State in Omaha.

Echenique was 5 of 6 from the field, made all six of his free throws and added seven rebounds.

“We knew they were coming off two straight losses and they were going to try to get us. We needed this win,” Echenique said. “We were getting stops in the second half and defense is our strength. It shows we’re improving in that area.”

Anthony Downing had 14 points for Missouri State (11-9, 4-4). Kyle Weems added 13 points for the Bears, 11 in the second half.

Missouri State had two late chances, but missed both shots en route to its third straight loss.

Weems missed a jumper from the baseline, and McDermott was fouled on the rebound with 6.4 seconds left.

McDermott then missed a free throw, giving the Bears another chance.

Missouri State’s Caleb Patterson grabbed the rebound and passed to Downing, who drove the length of the court and missed a jumper from near the free throw line as time expired.

“Our effort was great,” Weems said. “The ball just didn’t bounce the way we needed it to and we ended up with a one-point loss.”

Creighton, which trailed 56-53 with 7:37 left, took the lead at 61-58 on Josh Jones’ 3-pointer with 4:46 left. The Bears rallied to tie it at 63 with 2:50 to play on Weems’ jumper and Downing’s two free throws.

Grant Gibbs scored with 1:06 left to give Creighton a 66-63 lead, and Jarmar Gulley completed the scoring with 55.1 seconds left.

There were 16 ties and 10 lead changes. Creighton’s biggest lead was four, and Missouri led by eight early in the second half.

“We had 14 assists and three turnovers and held one of the best scoring teams in the country to 66 points,” first-year Missouri State coach Paul Lusk said. “We played a solid game. At some point, we’re going to get some bounces.”

Creighton had 11 turnovers in the first, but the leading field-goal shooting team in the country shot 57 percent only trailed 34-30.

“We just had to take care of the basketball in the second half. We came out tentative in the first half, We weren’t taking care of the ball,” Gibbs said.

— Associated Press —

Griffons lose seventh straight as comeback falls short at SBU

Posted on

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team hung in against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats but poor free throw shooting cost them in a 65-61 loss in Bolivar, Mo. Tuesday evening. Lavonte Douglas collected his third double-double of the season and fifth of his career dumping in 15 points and snaring a career high 17 points. Western falls to 4-10 overall and 1-9 in MIAA play.

Despite getting outscored by 12 points from long distance in the opening frame, the Griffons were able to hang in there with the Bearcats. After getting down 19-7 in the first eight minutes of the contest the Griffons slowed things down getting themselves back into the game.

Western outscored the Bearcats 22-15 in the final 11:52 cutting the SBU lead to five at the half. Western made 12-of-24 field goals with Reed Mells and James Harris pitching in six points apiece.

The Bearcats connected on seven 3’s in the half with Preston Guiot connecting on three for a game high nine points. SBU outrebounded the Griffons 25 to 14 with 16 coming on the offensive end of the floor. Daveion Zellner led all players with seven boards.

The second half started well for Western scoring the first five points tying the score at 34 after a Deionta Mitchell jumper with 17:18 to play. With the score tied at 39 the Bearcats used a 9-0 run claiming the 48-39 lead with 9:11 to play after a Memnon Robson jumper.

The Griffons remained calm using a run of their own cutting the SBU lead to 55-53 after a Freddie Manyawu lay-up with 3:34 to play in the contest. Western could not get the big shot down the stretch as two Ryan Dougherty free throws with 18 second to play downed the Griffons by four.

Western made 24-of-56 shots with the only other Griffons close to double digits was James Harris dumping in nine while Manyawu dumped in a career best eight of the bench. The Griffons outscored the Bearcats 30 to 20 in the paint but SBU hit six more three’s in the game.

SBU made just 23-of-71 shots but connected on 11 three point shots and had 26 offensive rebounds which led to 15 more shot opportunities than Western. Preston Guiot dumped in 20 points making six long range shots while Dougherty and Robson dumped in 14 and 13 respectively. Memnon also snared 10 rebounds. The Bearcats improve to 11-8 overall and 4-6 in MIAA play.

Western returns to action on Saturday, January 21 when they open up the second half of MIAA play against the Pittsburg State Gorillas. Tip time is set for 3:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Western women lost in overtime at Southwest Baptist

Posted on

Despite its highest point total in four years,  and Jessica Koch’s highest point total ever, The Missouri Western women still couldn’t cure their road blues and  couldn’t stop Southwest Baptist.

The Griffons fell 100-99 in overtime Tuesday in Bolivar, a heartbreaking loss that kept them winless on the road this season.

SBU’s Brittney Dukes scored a career-high 31 points, including the eventual game winning lay-up with 3.2 seconds remaining in overtime.

Jessica Koch scored a career-high 38 points on 17-28 shooting, while Ashleigh Curry added 25.  Abby Stone chipped in a career-high 16 points (5-5 fg).

SBU used a scoring 62.1% shooting to build a 9-point lead midway through the 2nd half, but Western  used a 10-0 run to tie take an 81-80 lead at the 2:44 mark.

From there, the two teams traded baskets until Koch tied the game at 85-85 with 33 seconds remaining.  Western had the ball at the end of regulation, but Koch’s 35-footer rimmed in and out.

The two teams again traded baskets in overtime with the lead changing 4 times.

Curry scored 8 of her 25 in the extra frame, including a 3-point play with 13 seconds left to give the Griffons a 99-98 lead.

After a timeout, SBU’s Brittney Dukes drove the lane and scored the game-winning layup with three seconds remaining.

Western’s inbound was stolen, sealing the SBU victory.

The Bearcats shot 52.9% for the game, while Western shot 47.1%.

The Griffons fall to 5-10 overall and 3-7 in MIAA play, while SBU improves to 6-9 overall and 2-8 in the conference.

The Griffons return home Saturday, January 21st, when they host PIttsburg State at the Fieldhouse.  Tip time is set for 1:30 pm

— MWSU Sports Information —

KU’s Robinson named midseason Wooden Award candidate

Posted on

Kansas junior Thomas Robinson has been named a John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 candidate it was announced Tuesday by The Los Angeles Athletic Club on ESPNU’s The Experts sports talk show.

Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the list is made up of 25 student-athletes who, based on their performances in November, December, and the beginning of January, are the frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.

Robinson leads the Big 12 with 13 double-doubles on the season and is the only Big 12 player averaging a double-double with 17.8 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. His 17.8 points per game are tied for second in the conference with Missouri’s Marcus Denmon. Robinson’s 12.3 rebounds are first in the conference and second nationally. He is shooting 54 percent from the field, which ranks third in the conference. The Washington, D.C., native also sits in 10th place among conference leaders with just over a block per game. For his career, he continues to climb the career double-double list with 18, which is good for a tie for ninth place with Paul Mokeski.

Last season, Kansas’ Marcus Morris was a Wooden Award All-American. In the Bill Self era at Kansas, 2003-04 to present, Wooden All-Americans have included Wayne Simien (2005), Brandon Rush (2007, 2008), Sherron Collins (2010) and Morris (2011). Former KU great and current assistant coach Danny Manning was the 1988 Wooden Award winner.

Transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts are eligible for this midseason list but did not appear on the preseason Top 50. All players nationally who excel throughout the season will be evaluated and considered for the official voting ballot released in March. The National Ballot consists of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA.  The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the Elite Eight round during the NCAA Tournament, making it unique among college postseason awards.

The 36th annual Wooden Award Gala will take place on Friday, April 6, 2012, and will honor winners, All Americans and the Legends of Coaching winner Geno Auriemma of Connecticut. The John R. Wooden Award winner will be announced the weekend of the Final Four in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Robinson and No. 7 Kansas will continue conference play at Texas on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 3 p.m., on CBS. The Jayhawks then return to home for a second-straight ESPN Big Monday appearance when they host Texas A&M on Jan. 23 at 8 p.m.

— KU Sports Information —

Royals sign three pitchers to one-year contracts

Posted on

The Kansas City Royals announced today that the club has agreed to terms on one-year Major League contracts with right-handed pitchers Luke Hochevar and Felipe Paulino, and left-handed pitcher Jonathan Sanchez for the 2012 season, avoiding arbitration with all three.  Consistent with club policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.  Outfielder Alex Gordon is the Royals lone remaining arbitration-eligible player.

The 28-year-old Hochevar compiled an 11-11 record with a 4.68 ERA in 31 starts in 2011.  He set career bests in wins, starts, innings (198.0), strikeouts (128) and quality starts (16).  The Royals Opening Day starter last season was 6-3 with a 3.52 ERA in 12 starts following the All-Star break, holding opponents to a .222 average which ranked sixth in the American League among starters.  The first-overall selection in the 2006 June Free Agent Draft resides in Knoxville, Tenn., with his wife, Ashley, and daughter, Laney.

Paulino, 28, joined the Royals on May 26, 2011 in a trade with the Colorado Rockies for cash considerations.  He was 4-6 with a 4.11 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) for Kansas City following the deal, striking out 119 in 124.2 innings.  He struck out 8.59 hitters per nine innings as a Royal, which ranks as the fifth-best in franchise history among hurlers with at least 120 innings.  Paulino followed up his 2011 campaign by being selected as a member of the MLB All-Star team that toured Taiwan in early November, starting the third game of the five-game exhibition series.  Paulino initially signed with the Houston Astros as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2001.  Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he now resides in Pearland, Texas, with his wife, Paola, and daughter, Victoria.

Sanchez, 29, was acquired from San Francisco with left-handed pitcher Ryan Verdugo on November 7, 2011 in exchange for outfielder Melky Cabrera.  He has posted a 3.75 ERA over his last three seasons with the Giants in 85 games (81 starts).  In 2011, Sanchez was 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA in 19 starts before missing the final month and a half with a left ankle sprain.  He posted a breakout 2010 campaign for the World Series champions, going 13-9 with a 3.07 ERA, tossing 5.0 shutout innings in Game 162 vs. San Diego as the Giants clinched the N.L. West.  The 6-foot-2, 198-pounder is 38-46 with a 4.26 ERA in 174 career outings, including 118 starts.  He tossed the 13th no-hitter in Giants history on July 10, 2009 vs. San Diego.  Sanchez has posted 736 strikeouts in 708.0 innings, a rate of 9.355 strikeouts per nine innings which ranks as the third-best in baseball (min. 700 IP) since 2006, trailing the Giants’ Tim Lincecum (9.87) and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (9.360), who have won three of the last four National League Cy Young Awards.  Sanchez was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and now resides in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico.  He has one son, Christian.

— Royals Media Relations —

Mizzou races past A&M to snap 8-game skid vs. Aggies

Posted on

Michael Dixon committed a foul and a turnover in his first minutes for Missouri on Monday. Not the way a reserve wants to get things going.

Tigers coach Frank Haith pulled the junior guard aside and told him he was playing out of control.

“Just let the game come to him,” Haith said when asked what he told Dixon.

After missing a 3-pointer, Dixon made his next four shots from behind the arc in the first half and finished with 18 points overall to lead No. 5 Missouri to a 70-51 victory over Texas A&M, snapping an eight-game losing streak to the Aggies.

The Tigers (17-1, 4-1 Big 12) started the game by making only five of their first 14 shots from the field against the conference’s best scoring defense. But Dixon’s 3-pointer with 7:22 remaining in the first half started a 17-0 run that gave Missouri a 31-17 lead.

“I missed the first 3, but it kind of felt good,” Dixon said. “I had been shooting well in warmups so it was just a rhythm thing and my teammates were able to find me. I just happened to be hitting today.”

Elston Turner hit a free throw to end the Aggies’ 6:32 scoreless drought.

“Mike could probably start on any other team in the nation,” Missouri forward Ricardo Ratliffe said. “It’s like instant offense.”

Turner and Khris Middleton both had 13 points for Texas A&M (10-7, 1-4), which scored the first seven points of in the second half to get within 42-30. The Aggies got within 10 points three times, but could get no closer.

Marcus Denmon’s steal and ensuing three-point play with 8:40 left started a 10-1 run for Missouri, which led 64-44 with 3:57 left in the game.

“We’re not the most athletic team or the quickest team in the country,” first-year Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. “So we have to do a better job of being more physical. Their athleticism wore us down.”

Missouri’s last win over Texas A&M had been in the 2004 Big 12 tournament.

Missouri is ranked in the top five for the first time since 2003-04, and has won 62 of its last 65 home games, falling only to Kansas twice and Texas A&M. The Tigers’ have won each home game this season by an average of 27.6 points.

The Aggies came in allowing 57.5 points per game, holding opponents to 36.9 percent shooting. Missouri couldn’t do much better, shooting 40 percent, but the Tigers held Texas A&M to 35 percent, its second-lowest shooting percentage of the season.

Haith credited the defense for building a lead at the end of the first half.

“We were pressuring them, they shot the ball quickly, we got some stops,” Haith said. “We scored in transition. But our defense was consistent during that stretch. And I thought that was key to getting some separation.”

Denmon added 16 points and nine rebounds for Missouri, which leads the Big 12 in scoring offense (83.9) and field goal percentage (51.2).

Middleton is leading the Aggies in scoring since he returned nine games ago after surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus in his right knee. He has yet to return to full strength and cannot practice every day, Kennedy said.

Ray Turner added 11 points and nine rebounds for Texas A&M, which has lost six of eight.

“We are just trying to hang in there,” Turner said. “Everyone is trying to get used to a new thing, everything that is coming to us. New coaching staff — it’s just something that we just have to get through. We’ve just got to keep our heads up.”

Ratliffe wasn’t called for his first foul until the second half for the second consecutive game, helping Missouri avoid having to go deeper than its seven-man rotation. The Tigers outrebounded Texas A&M 38-26 and were 27 of 31 from the free throw line.

“In order for us to have the kind of year, the kind of team we want to have,” Haith said, “we have to do that every single night. And that’s all about loose rebounds. Defensive rebounding has got to be a key to our success.”

Kennedy served as an assistant under Haith while both were at Miami in 2005-06. Haith defeated his mentor and former head coach, Rick Barnes, in a 84-73 victory on Friday over Texas.

“We’re great friends,” Haith said. “I know one thing about him — he’ll get that team playing the way he wants them to play. He’s got a great job, and I think he’ll do well there.”

— Associated Press —

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File