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Author: Dave Riggert

K-State downs UTEP to advance to Diamond Head title game

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Angel Rodriguez scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half and Kansas State used a late rally to beat UTEP 78-70 in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic Friday.

Jamar Samuels had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Wildcats (9-1), who took their biggest lead at 47-32 on Thomas Gipson’s field goal a minute into the second half.

UTEP (5-6) responded with a 27-10 run to go in front 59-57 midway through the second half. John Bohannon scored all 10 of his points during the spurt. But the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run to pull away from a 60-60 tie.

Kansas State, which will play the winner of Friday night’s Auburn-Long Beach State game for the championship on Sunday, held a 39-21 rebounding advantage, including 18-6 on the offensive end.

Jacques Streeter scored 15 points to lead five UTEP players in double figures.

— Associated Press —

Jayhawks bouce back with big win at USC

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For a team that likes to get out in the open court and run, Kansas knew it would have to adapt its style of play against an opponent that prefers to control the pace.

Instead of fast and furious, it was slow and deliberate.

Elijah Johnson scored 14 points, Conner Teahan added 13, including four 3-pointers, and Kansas (No. 11 ESPN/USA Today, No. 12 AP) bounced back from a surprising loss to beat Southern California 63-47 on Thursday night.

“We were ready to come in here and have one of those grind-it-out games,” point guard Tyshawn Taylor said. “We ran our offense really well and got what we wanted.”

Thomas Robinson had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Taylor added 10 points and nine assists for the Jayhawks (8-3), who suffered an 80-74 home loss to Davidson on Monday.

There would be no upset in this one.

The Jayhawks overcame a sluggish start in their first true road game of the season with a strong defensive effort, forcing 18 turnovers that led to 18 points.

“We had to win tonight. There was no other choice,” coach Bill Self said. “To let that Davidson game get away was totally, I don’t want to say unforgivable, but it was close.”

In USC’s final tune-up before Pac-12 play begins next week, coach Kevin O’Neill was left desiring more from his team. Saying that the Trojans were in need of a signature win, they failed to muster the intensity needed to pull off the upset.

Aaron Fuller scored 19 points for USC (5-8), which shot 34.7 percent from the field.

“The stage was a bit big for our guys,” O’Neill said. “We looked slow, we looked bad. And we didn’t shoot the ball well.”

Neither team was sharp in the early minutes, combining to miss 15 of 21 shots. The Jayhawks’ defense eventually wore down USC and they slowly built their lead.

Trailing 10-8, Teahan gave the Jayhawks the lead for good with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. After Byron Wesley made a runner for USC, the Jayhawks closed the half with a 12-1 run.

Johnson had a steal and layup, Taylor was fouled while making a layup and hit the free throw, and Jeff Withey hit a pair from the line. Robinson then stole the ball at midcourt and drove in for an empathic dunk to make it 22-12.

Teahan hit another 3 as Kansas took a 25-13 lead into halftime.

“They didn’t get a lot of good looks tonight,” Self said.

Withey finished with nine points and nine rebounds. The Jayhawks outrebounded the Trojans 39-29.

USC’s first half was rather forgettable. The Trojans shot 22.7 percent, settling for mostly long-range jumpers. They had as many turnovers (13) as they did points.

“The turnovers killed us more than anything,” O’Neill said. “I’m frustrated, the players are frustrated, too.”

Robinson, held to four points on four shots in the first half, had a jumper, layup and a dunk on consecutive possessions to extend the lead to 52-30 after halftime, much to the delight of the pro-Kansas crowd.

Kansas won its seventh consecutive game in the series despite its second-lowest scoring output of the season. Only the team’s 61 points in a loss to Duke were less.

Taylor, playing his second game following surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee on Dec. 11, logged a team-high 33 minutes.

The Jayhawks had played five games away from Allen Fieldhouse coming in, all on neutral courts.

They now head into the Christmas break on a winning note.

“After that loss, you can’t turn it into two and not bounce back,” Taylor said. “We came out and handled business.”

Maurice Jones, USC’s top scorer, was held to seven points on 2 of 13 shooting.

— Associated Press —

Mizzou survives against Illinois to stay undefeated

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Phil Pressey had 18 points, five assists and two steals, and Missouri (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today, No. 9 AP) held off a second-half charge by Illinois (No. 24 ESPN/USA Today, No. 25 AP) for a 78-74 victory in the annual Braggin’ Rights game on Thursday night.

Reserve Michael Dixon added 18 points and Ricardo Ratliffe had 14 for Missouri, which squandered a 13-point cushion before recovering late. The Tigers have won three straight in the series and they’re 12-0 for the first time since a 19-0 start in 1981-82.

Joseph Bertrand came in off the bench and had a career-high 19 points on 9-for-9 shooting for Illinois (11-2) in its second loss in three games. Brandon Paul added 19 points and nine rebounds, and Meyers Leonard had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Illinois led 70-68 after three free throws by D.J. Richardson with 2:01 to go, but Missouri answered with seven straight points.

Bertrand, a sophomore, totaled two points in the previous six games and came in averaging 3.2 per game. He scored nine points in a 17-3 surge for a 62-61 lead with 7:01 to go. The Fighting Illini were 14 for 23 to start the second half.

Missouri helped with undisciplined play, throwing up several ill-advised 3-point attempts, but the Tigers regained the lead on a driving shot by Phil Pressey with 6:45 to go.

Missouri made its first 14 free throws, eight of them by Dixon in the first half, and finished 19 for 23, while Illinois was 8 for 10. Dixon, one of the nation’s best from the line at 95 percent entering the game, had the first miss early in the second half and was 10 for 12 at the line.

Both schools were ranked for the second straight year and eighth time in the 31-game series overall that Illinois leads 20-11.

Missouri seized control with a 17-2 run for a 19-9 lead with just over 13 minutes left in the half, then closed it out with six straight points capped by Matt Pressey’s follow dunk on younger brother Phil’s missed layup with 2.5 seconds to go.

Richardson had 10 of his 13 points at the half for Illinois, missed on the bonus with 29.2 seconds left and fouled Dixon on a drive with 1:24 to go.

Hall of Fame manager Whitey Herzog and Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon were among a sellout crowd of 22,087.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State hammers Southern Illinois in Hawaii

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Freshman Angel Rodriguez scored a season-high 17 points, including five 3-pointers, as Kansas State cruised to an 83-58 win over Southern Illinois in the opening round of the Diamond Head Classic on Thursday.

Jamar Samuels added 14 points and five rebounds while Rodney McGruder had 13 points and six boards for the Wildcats (8-1), who won their third straight and overcame 19 turnovers by dominating the paint while playing an effective inside-out game.

Kansas State moves on to face UTEP in Friday’s semifinal round. The Miners (5-5) defeated Clemson 61-48 earlier in the day behind Michael Perez’s career-high 25 points.

Jeff Early and Justin Bocot each had 10 points to lead the Salukis (3-6), who had trouble finding their range and shot 29.5 percent.

— Associated Press —

Cardinals sign OF Carlos Beltran

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The St. Louis Cardinals announced Thursday that they have agreed to terms with outfielder Carlos Beltran pending a physical.  The parties have agreed to a two-year contract for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.  The 34-year-old free-agent has over 13 years of Major League service time with Kansas City, Houston, New York Mets and San Francisco.  The club expects to make a formal announcement shortly after the holidays.

“Beltran is a proven outfielder who obviously has been a tough opponent against the Cardinals for many years.” said Cardinals’ Senior Vice President John Mozeliak.  “It is going to be nice to have his bat and competitive nature working for us instead of on the other side of the field for the next couple of years.”

The switch hitter is a career .283 hitter with 302 home runs and 1146 RBI.  His 302 home runs rank 4th among switch hitters from his first full-season in the Majors (1999) to present.  The 6’ 1” outfielder has driven in over 100 RBIs in a season seven times, most recently in 2008 with the Mets.  Last season, Beltran split his year between the Mets and Giants, where he hit a combined .300 with 22 home runs in 142 games.

Beltran is a six-time National League All-Star (2004, ’05,’06, ’07, ’09, ’11) and a three-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner (2006, ’07, ’08).  He won the Louisville Silver Slugger Award in 2006 and 2007 with the Mets, seasons in which he had 41 homers and 116 RBI, and 33 homers with 112 RBI,  respectively.

Beltran has made appearances in the postseason twice, in 2004 with Houston and in 2006 with the Mets.  In both of those years, Beltran and his team faced the Cardinals in the League Championship Series, with the Cardinals advancing to the World Series each year.  In 2004, Beltran set numerous MLB postseason records including a record-tying eight home runs and a ML postseason record with a home run in five consecutive games (Game 5 of the NLDS through Game 4 of the NLCS).

— Cardinals Media Relations —

Missouri State loses to West Virginia in OT

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Kevin Jones had 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead West Virginia past Missouri State 70-68 on Thursday night in the Las Vegas Classic, giving coach Bob Huggins his 700th coaching victory.

Darryl Bryant added 15 points and Gary Browne 13 for the Mountaineers (9-2).

Caleb Patterson led the Bears (7-4) with 18 points.

Trailing 63-60 late in regulation, Browne hit a fall-away 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left to force overtime. It was Browne’s only 3-pointer of the game.

West Virginia had rallied from a five-point deficit with 45 seconds left in regulation.

Trailing by two with 2 seconds left in overtime, Missouri State’s Nathan Scheer put up a shot in the lane, but it bounced around the rim and out.

Both teams have one game left in the Classic. West Virginia plays Baylor (No. 7 ESPN/USA Today, No. 6 AP) on Friday, while Missouri State plays Saint Mary’s.

— Associated Press —

Royals sign left-hander reliever Mijares

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The Kansas City Royals announced Wednesday that the club has signed left-handed relief pitcher Jose Mijares to a one-year Major League contract for 2012.  Consistent with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.  With the signing of the Mijares, the Royals’ 40-man roster stands at 40.

“We expect Jose to be a solid addition from the left side that further strengthens our bullpen,” Royals GM Dayton Moore said.  “He has been especially good against left-handed hitters in his career and will give Ned more options to match up late in the game.”

The 27-year-old Mijares (me-HAH-ress) has posted a 3-6 record with a 3.16 ERA in 186 relief appearances for the Minnesota Twins since making his debut in 2008.  Last season, the 6-foot, 230-pounder went 0-2 with a 4.59 ERA in 58 contests, all in relief.  In his career, Mijares has held left-handed batters to a .212 average, allowing just five home runs in 287 plate appearances.  Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Mijares is currently 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA (0 BB, 7 SO) in eight relief outings for Tigres de Aragua in the Venezuelan Winter League.

— Royals Media Relations —

Chiefs’ Succop named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

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The National Football League informed the Chiefs on Wednesday that K Ryan Succop has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in Week 15 of the 2011 NFL regular season. The award is Succop’s second Special Teams Player of the Week accolade in 2011.

Succop (6-2, 218) was four-for-four on field goal attempts with a PAT, tallying 13 points en route to a 19-14 victory vs. the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers (12/18) at Arrowhead Stadium. The South Carolina product has been successful on 21 consecutive field goal attempts, tying him with K Nick Lowery for the second-longest streak in club history. Succop is one field goal shy of tying K Pete Stoyanovich’s all-time team record of 22 straight makes. He currently holds the NFL’s longest active streak for consecutive field goals made.

Succop’s first Special Teams Player of the Week honor came in Week 4 of the regular season when the Chiefs defeated Minnesota 22-17 at Arrowhead Stadium (10/2). Kansas City’s placekicker was five-for-five on field goal attempts with a PAT, tallying a career-high 16 points. Succop connected on a career-long 54-yard field goal in the victory and his five field goals tied the club’s record for most field goals in a single game, joining Pro Football Hall of Fame K Jan Stenerud and K Nick Lowery.

Selected as the final pick in the 2009 NFL Draft (256th overall), Succop has connected on 67 of 80 career field goal attempts (.838) and has successfully hit on 89 of 89 PATs for 290 points in 46 games with the club.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

Royals sign Yuniesky Betancourt to one-year deal

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The Kansas City Royals announced today that the club has signed utility infielder Yuniesky Betancourt to a one-year Major League contract for 2012.  Consistent with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.  With the signing, the Royals’ 40-man roster stands at 39.

“We have been looking for a utility infielder who could play short, third and second base and we feel Yuni is a great fit,” said Royals’ General Manager Dayton Moore. “He brings a right-handed bat with some power and is a guy we know fits in well in the clubhouse.”

Betancourt, 29, was the starting shortstop for the National League Central Champion Milwaukee Brewers in 2011.  The 5-foot-11, 204-pounder hit .252 with 27 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 68 RBI and 51 runs scored during the regular season for the Brewers; then batted .310 with three doubles, a triple, a home run and six RBI in 11 postseason games as Milwaukee advanced to the NLCS before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in six games.

Betancourt hit .253 with 20 home runs and 105 RBI in 222 games for the Royals in 2009 and 2010 after being acquired in a trade from the Seattle Mariners on July 10, 2009.  Kansas City then traded him and pitcher Zack Greinke to Milwaukee on December 19, 2010 in exchange for shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and pitchers Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi.  Betancourt is a career .268 hitter with 189 doubles, 60 home runs and 375 RBI in seven seasons for the Mariners (2005-09), Royals (2009-10) and Brewers (2011).  Born in Santa Clara, Cuba, he now resides in Miami, Fla.

— Royals Media Relations —

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