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Author: Dave Riggert

Missouri State falls at Evansville for second straight MVC loss

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Dru Smith scored 15 points, Ryan Taylor added 13 and Evansville turned back Missouri State 64-55 on Wednesday night.

K.J. Riley had 11 points for the Purple Aces (12-6, 2-3 Missouri Valley Conference) and Dainiu Chatkevicius had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Alize Johnson led the Bears (13-5, 3-2) with 16 points and 14 rebounds and Jarrid Rhodes and Reggie Scurry had 10 points each.

Evansville scored the first six points and led wire-to-wire. The Purple Aces led by as many as 11 points in the first half before settling for a 31-24 advantage at the break. Ronnie Rousseau III scored all nine of his points in less than five minutes as part of a 13-6 burst that helped the Bears cut an 11-point deficit down to four with 8 1/2 minutes to go.

Missouri State’s last 3 baskets were 3-pointers, Johnson making it a three-point game with 1:12 to go. But the Bears missed their last five shots and the Purple Aces were 6 of 8 from the line in the last minute, wrapping up a 14 of 20 second half while the Bears were just 2 of 2.

The series is now tied at 34, dating to 1959 when Evansville beat MSU in the championship game of the NCAA Division II Tournament.

— Associated Press —

K-State women rally to defeat Iowa State

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AMES, Iowa – Kansas State fought through an offensive dryspell in the third quarter to dominate Iowa State in the fourth quarter and pocket a 67-60 win at Hilton Coliseum. The win was the 525th of head coach Jeff Mittie’s coaching career.

Kansas State (10-6, 2-3 Big 12) had four players in double figures led by junior Kayla Goth with 16 points and seven assists. Sophomore forward Peyton Williams finished with her fourth double-double this season, as she carded 15 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high five blocks.

Senior forward Kaylee Page tallied her third career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Rachel Ranke added 14 points, including a 4-of-8 effort from beyond the arc.

Iowa State (7-9, 1-4) was paced by Bride Kennedy Hopoate with 17 points, while Bridget Carleton finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Kansas State finished the night shooting 35.0 percent (21-of-60) from the floor including a 9-of-13 performance in the fourth quarter. Iowa State shot 35.5 percent (22-of-62) from the field. The Wildcats had the advantage at the foul line, as they went 17-of-20.

The first quarter featured four ties and three lead changes, as Iowa State held a 19-18 lead at the end of the quarter. The Cyclones were 5-of-10 from 3-point range in the opening frame, but Goth knocked down a step back three-pointer to beat the buzzer to end the quarter.

The teams continued to exchange the lead in the second quarter, as K-State held the largest lead of the frame at three, 24-21. Both teams were held to 4-of-14 shooting in the quarter, but the Wildcats outscored Iowa State in the frame to tie the game at 30 at halftime.

The Wildcats were paced in the first half by junior Kali Jones. Jones came off the bench to contribute career-highs of eight points and seven rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.

K-State went through an offensive drought in the third quarter, as the Wildcats were 1-of-16 (.063) from the field and were forced into three turnovers during the entirety of the third stanza. Iowa State used a 10-0 run to pull in front, 40-32, with 3:13 to play. The Wildcats clawed back with six points in the final 1:45 of the quarter to trail, 45-38, entering the fourth.

The Wildcats closed the gap to open the fourth quarter. Ranke converted a pair of quick trigger 3-pointers to pull K-State to within one, 47-46, with 6:49 left in regulation and force an Iowa State timeout.

K-State continued to roll in the fourth quarter, as Ranke knocked down her third 3-pointer of the quarter to start a 12-4 run as K-State took a 58-53 lead with 3:41 remaining. Goth added four points, while Page buried her third 3-pointer of the night to cap the run.

The Wildcats were able to hold Iowa State at arm’s length in the final 2:10, as Goth converted a jumper to give K-State a 60-56 lead. After a defensive stop, Goth then finished an old fashioned three-point play with 1:28 to push the Wildcats in front 63-56. Overall, K-State outscored Iowa State, 29-25, in the fourth quarter. The 29 points tied the season-high for a quarter.

Kansas State returns to Bramlage Coliseum for a two-game home stand, as the Wildcats host (20/22) Oklahoma State on Saturday at 1 p.m.

— K-State Athletics —

Kansas women lose at home to No. 15 West Virginia

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Naomi Davenport hit four 3-pointers and finished with 22 points and Teana Muldrow had 19 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals to help the No. 15 West Virginia women defeat Kansas 74-54 on Wednesday night.

Katrina Pardee added 15 points and senior Chania Ray had 12 points and a season-high tying 10 assists for West Virginia (15-2, 3-2 Big 12). The Mountaineers have won five in a row against Kansas (11-5, 2-3).

Davenport hit two 3s, while Muldrow and Pardee scored five points apiece, during a 16-1 run that gave West Virginia a 52-33 lead with four minutes left in the third quarter. Kylee Kopatich sandwiched a 3-point play and a layup around two free throws by Tyler Johnson as the Jayhawks scored the first seven fourth-quarter points to trim their deficit to 55-44. Muldrow had nine points from there as the Mountaineers pulled away.

Kopatich had 17 points and Austin Richardson scored 10 on 4-of-16 shooting for Kansas. The Jayhawks shot just 35 percent (19 of 54) from the field, including 3 of 12 from 3-point range.

West Virginia scored 24 points off 17 Kansas turnovers.

— Associated Press —

Chiefs’ Alex Smith & Kareem Hunt earn teams top awards

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Wednesday that quarterback Alex Smith was named the winner of the club’s Derrick Thomas Award and running back Kareem Hunt earned the team’s Mack Lee Hill Award for the 2017 season. This marks Smith’s second Derrick Thomas Award. He earned the team’s MVP honors alongside S Eric Berry following the 2015 season. Both honors were voted on by all Chiefs players and will officially be presented at the 48th annual 101 Awards on Saturday, February 24th. The Derrick Thomas Award serves as the team’s vote for most valuable player and the Mack Lee Hill Award is given to the club’s top rookie performer.

Smith (6-4, 217) appeared in 15 games (15 starts) in 2017. He finished with career highs in passing yards (4,042), touchdowns (26) and passer rating (104.7) with just five interceptions. Smith led the league in passer rating and was tied for second in the league with 13 touchdowns of 20 yards or more. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his Week 1 performance against the Patriots, where he threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns. This season, he was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate and has been selected to two other Pro Bowls in 2013 and 2016.

The 13-year veteran is from La Mesa, California, and was drafted first overall out of Utah in the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Smith has compiled 31,888 passing yards, 183 touchdowns and 96 interceptions in his NFL career and has won 50 games as the Chiefs starting quarterback (2013-17).

Hunt (5-11, 216) was Kansas City’s third-round pick (86th overall) in the 2017 NFL draft. In his first professional season, the rookie led the league in rushing yards (1,327), becoming only the sixth rookie to lead the NFL in rushing. Hunt surpassed former Chiefs running back Joe Delaney (1981) for most rushing yards by a rookie running back in Chiefs history and is only the third Chiefs player to lead the league in rushing (Priest Holmes, 2001 and Christian Okoye, 1989). Hunt became the first player in NFL history to record seven consecutive games with 100 or more scrimmage yards to start their rookie campaign and ended with 10 games with 100 yards from scrimmage. He earned AFC Offensive Rookie of the Month honors for September and December and was named to his first Pro Bowl following the 2017 season.

The rookie running back from Willoughby, Ohio, played collegiately at Toledo before being drafted by the Chiefs. Hunt started every game of the 2017 season and finished with 1,327 rushing yards, 455 receiving yards, eight rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

Newman’s career night leads No. 12 Kansas past Iowa State

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Malik Newman started the game for Kansas on the bench.

He was on the floor when it mattered.

The on-again, off-again starter finally broke out for a career-high 27 points, and Svi Mykhailiuk added 23 to help the No. 12 Jayhawks beat pesky Iowa State 83-78 on Tuesday night.

“I mean, it was a good one. I can say that,” said Newman, the heralded Mississippi State transfer whose first season playing for the Jayhawks has been a rollercoaster with more downs than ups.

“I mean, it feels good,” Newman said of his performance. “Coach has been putting pressure on me to go out and be aggressive, play my game and be myself. I tried to do that.”

They sure needed him to do that.

Devonte Graham added 11 points for the Jayhawks (13-3, 3-1 Big 12), most of those coming in crunch time, when he shook off a 1-for-11 start from the field to knock down three big jumpers.

The game was tied 73-all with 3 1/2 minutes left, but Newman blocked Donovan Jackson’s shot to create a run-out for Kansas at the other end. Iowa State proceeded to turn it over on its next three possessions, and the Jayhawks converted two of them into easy baskets to put the game away.

It was the Jayhawks’ 12th win over Iowa State in their last 13 tries at Allen Fieldhouse.

Lindell Wigginton had 27 points and Jackson scored 20 for the Cyclones (9-6, 0-4), whose four straight losses — including back-to-back overtime defeats — have come on the heels of nine straight wins.

Cameron Lard added 15 points and 10 rebounds, though he also committed seven of the Cyclones’ 17 turnovers, and Nick Weiler-Babb contributed 13 points, 10 boards and eight assists.

“The difference in the game was turnovers, live-ball turnovers,” Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said. “When you break it down, live-ball turnovers are what really killed us, that and transition defense.”

The Cyclones didn’t have to worry about transition D in the first half.

The Jayhawks spent it settling for long, contested 3-pointers — they shot 24 of them and had just 10 attempts from inside the arc, drawing the ire of coach Bill Self.

“We were over-reliant,” he said. “I mean, 15 of our first 19 shots were 3s, from what I was told, and we weren’t smart enough to play to their weakness.”

Kansas also kept breaking down on defense, particularly when Wigginton had the ball in his hands.

The high-scoring freshman guard from Canada had 16 points in the first half, and they came from just about everywhere. He knocked down a 3-pointer, got to the foul line and was money on pull-up jumpers, his ability to knock down the 15-footer causing the Jayhawks fits.

It was one of those jumpers that gave the Cyclones their first lead early in the second half.

“My teammates are always confident in me,” Wigginton said, “telling me to attack.”

Udoka Azubuike responded with a dunk for the Jayhawks, though, and Newman converted a three-point play to start their first big run. Newman turned a turnover into a dunk, and another turnover turned into a fast-break dunk by Lagerald Vick to make it 49-42 and prompt a Cyclones timeout.

Iowa State kept answering every time the Jayhawks went on another run, but it was Newman’s breakout performance and Graham’s poise down the stretch that yielded one run too many.

“We just (weren’t) on cue,” Jackson said. “We’ve got a real good team, but down the stretch we just have to add the extra five minutes, like Coach has been preaching to us. And it’ll come.”

STATS AND STREAKS

Kansas was 5 of 13 from the foul line. … Graham also had nine assists and four steals. … The Cyclones had a 44-34 advantage in rebounds. … Wigginton played all 40 minutes. … Iowa State got two points in 36 minutes from its bench.

BIG PICTURE

Iowa State squandered a soft start to league play in losses to Kansas State, Texas and Oklahoma State, but could have made up for it by beating Kansas. Instead, the Cyclones showed they’re good enough to compete but not quite good enough to win just yet.

Kansas was coming off a tough road win over TCU, and for a while it appeared the Jayhawks had taken Iowa State lightly. They came up with crucial stops on defense in the closing minutes to prevent the upset, but also showed the same cracks that have been evident all season.

UP NEXT

Iowa State returns home to face Baylor on Saturday.

Kansas plays rival Kansas State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Palmer Jr. helps Nebraska hold off Wisconsin 63-59

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — James Palmer, Jr. had 18 points and Nebraska opened up a double-digit lead early in the second half then held off three Wisconsin surges to take a 63-59 win Tuesday night.

“That’s the way it’s going to be against Wisconsin right now,” said Nebraska coach Tim Miles. “It’s going to be a rock fight. It didn’t surprise me. I think all the computers had it as a 1-, 2- or 3-point game. It certainly ended up that way. This is a difficult team to extend on and we made some bad decisions.”

Nebraska (12-6, 3-2 Big Ten) led by as many as 13 early in the second half, then saw the lead shrink to five as Wisconsin (9-9, 2-3) made five of six field goals.

The Huskers went back up by 10 at 50-40 when Thomas Allen hit a pair of free throws after a Wisconsin technical foul with 7:22 left.

The Badgers’ Ethan Happ scored seven straight against one Nebraska free throw to cut the deficit to 51-47 with 4:45 left. Three Nebraska free throws and a Palmer jumper, the Huskers’ last field goal of the game, put Nebraska back up by nine.

The Huskers led 62-53 after Isaac Copeland’s free throw with 11 seconds left. But Wisconsin’s Brevin Pritzl bombed in a long 3-pointer with just over 2 seconds left, Nebraska turned the ball over and Brad Davison hit another long-range 3 to pull Wisconsin to 62-59 with a second left.

Evan Taylor’s free throw then sealed the win for Nebraska.

Nebraska won the game at the free-throw line. The Huskers were 21 of 28 from the line, including 18 of 24 in the second half. Wisconsin made just 4 of its 10 free throws, 3 of 8 in the second half.

“That’s what we wanted to do in the second half, try to get to the free-throw line,” Copeland said. “I think we did a good job of that.”

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard commended his team’s effort and said the Badgers kept the game at the pace they wanted. But he said 10 turnovers that led to 11 Nebraska points and 5-for-19 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc doomed his squad.

“We know our margin for error is extremely thin,” said Gard. “It shows in areas that we struggle at times, whether it’s depth or whether it’s scoring. The effort in continuing to fight back and claw, I’m proud of. We almost have to pitch a perfect game at times on the defensive end.”

Copeland had 12 points for Nebraska.

Happ had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Wisconsin. Davison added 15 points and Pritzl scored 10.

QUOTABLE

Miles on Nebraska’s 3-point shooting: “The only one I can remember us making is the one where Roby’s on his kiester. We miss a three, he’s there, gets the rebound flips it back and we shoot the HORSE shot.”

THE BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: Nebraska completed a five-game stretch against Big Ten opponents that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season with a 3-2 record, defeating Wisconsin, Minnesota and Northwestern and losing to Michigan State and Purdue

Wisconsin: Wisconsin has won every game in which it has scored more than 70 points this season. The Badgers have lost every game in which they’ve scored 70 points or fewer, except for a 64-63 win at Penn State.

UP NEXT

Nebraska travels to State College, Pa. to take on Penn State. Nebraska has won just one time in six prior games at Penn State.

Wisconsin has a week off before traveling to West Lafayette, Ind., to face No. 13 Purdue in its third straight Big Ten road game.

— Associated Press —

Missouri QB Drew Lock to return for senior season

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri junior QB Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) will return to Mizzou for his senior season in 2018, as he announced today. Lock had considered early entry into the 2018 NFL Draft, but after consulting with family and coaches, he has chosen to don the black and gold uniform for his final year.

“I’m very excited to be coming back for my senior year, and I’m really optimistic about what we can do as a team next season,” Lock said. “There were a lot of factors that went into this decision, but the main ones include: a feeling of responsibility and loyalty to my coaches and teammates at Mizzou – we have goals to achieve together; having the chance to play for a new coach in Coach Dooley, and his system that will continue to add to my development; and of course, getting my degree. I feel like all of these factors combine to give me the best chance to succeed at the next level. Thank you to Coach Odom and everyone on the Mizzou staff for being patient and very helpful to my family and me during this process. I’m looking forward to exciting things to come!”

Lock, a sport management major at Mizzou, is scheduled to earn his degree this December. He enjoyed a breakout junior campaign in 2017 as he led the nation with an MU and SEC-record 44 touchdown passes, helping lead Mizzou to seven wins and the program’s first bowl game since 2014. With his return in 2018, the Tiger offense (which has led the SEC in total offense each of the last two seasons) will now return nine starters. In all, Mizzou will return 18 starters next season, including seven on defense, as well as both kicking specialists.

“I’m proud of Drew and his family for how they approached this decision and how they handled themselves during the process,” said Head Coach Barry Odom. “We were very thorough in gathering all the information possible to assist. Drew obviously has a great skill set that will continue to be developed at Mizzou. His leadership skills and being a great teammate are two qualities that I admire. I look forward to building our team this spring and am excited that Drew will be part of that. I know he will have an unbelievable approach in his preparation and practice habits to lead our program. He’s going to graduate from Mizzou and have a great senior season. I’m excited for Drew and our team moving forward,” he said.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Chiefs name Eric Bieniemy offensive coordinator

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Tuesday that Head Coach Andy Reid has named Eric Bieniemy the club’s Offensive Coordinator. Bieniemy is being promoted after serving five seasons under Reid as the Chiefs Running Backs Coach.

“I’ve known Eric a long time, both as a player and a coach,” Reid said. “He’s done a phenomenal job with our running backs and has been involved in every aspect of our offense over the last five years. He’s a great teacher and has earned this opportunity. I know he will do a good job.”

Bieniemy will enter his 11th season as a coach in the National Football League in 2018 and his sixth season with the Chiefs. Including his time as a player, Bieniemy has been associated with the NFL for two decades.

Under Bieniemy’s tutelage in 2017, rookie running back Kareem Hunt earned the NFL’s rushing title and a Pro Bowl berth with 1,327 rushing yards. Hunt had 10 games with 100-plus scrimmage yards. In 2016 Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West appeared as a double threat. Ware had 921 rushing yards and three rushing TDs and West rushed for 293 yards with a touchdown. Bieniemy also mentored Jamaal Charles, the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, for four seasons.

Prior to returning to the NFL coaching ranks in 2013, Bieniemy spent two seasons (2011-12) at his alma mater, Colorado, as the school’s offensive coordinator after coaching the running backs for five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (2006-10). While with the Vikings, he oversaw one of the most productive rushing units in the NFL. In those five seasons, the Vikings produced a 1,000-yard rusher each year while his stable of running backs broke the 100-yard mark 31 times in 80 regular season games. While in Minnesota he mentored Adrian Peterson who totaled 5,782 rushing yards and 52 touchdowns in four seasons under Bieniemy’s guidance.

Bieniemy made the move to the professional ranks after three seasons as the running backs coach at UCLA (2003-05). He returned to Colorado in 2000 after his nine-year NFL career and got his first taste of coaching as an assistant at Thomas Jefferson High in Denver that fall.

He was a second-round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers in the 1991 NFL Draft (39th overall). He enjoyed a nine-year pro career with three teams: San Diego (1991-94), Cincinnati (1995-98) and Philadelphia (1999), where he played for Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid. In 142 career NFL games, he rushed for 1,589 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching 146 passes for 1,223 yards. His final year with the Chargers, he played in Super Bowl XXIX.

— Chiefs Press Release —

Griffon football names Derek Fulton offensive assistant and special teams coordinator

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ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western head football coach Matt Willamson has announced the promotion of Derek Fulton to offensive assistant and special teams coordinator.

Fulton served as an offensive graduate assistant at Missouri Western the past two seasons. He worked with quarterbacks both seasons and also worked with wide receivers during the 2017 season.

“I’m really happy we were able to add Derek to our full-time staff,” Williamson said. “He’s mature beyond his years and proved his abilities working with some of our offensive skill positions last year.”

Fulton went 41-6 as a four-year starter at quarterback for Grand View University, leading the team to the 2013 NAIA National Championship. He was named the Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015 and was a 2014 AFCA NAIA All-American.

A native of Daveport, Iowa, Fulton graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sports Management from Grand View and a master’s in sport and fitness management from Missouri Western.

— MWSU Athletics —

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