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Author: Dave Riggert

Missouri Western’s Chelsea Dewey earns weekly MIAA honor

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riggertMissouriWesternST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western’s Chelsea Dewey has been named MIAA Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week.  Dewey was vital for the Griffons in their upset win at previous unbeaten #19 Central Oklahoma.

The senior guard from Gower, Missouri scored a team-high 17 point and dished out a team leading six assists in the 67-57 win.  She was a perfect 3-3 from the free throw line and was 3-6 from the three-point arc. This is the first Athlete of the Week honor for Dewey and MWSU on the season.

Missouri Western returns home on Thursday, January 5 as they host #6 Pittsburg State at 5:30 p.m. in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Athletics —

KU’s Landon Lucas named Big 12 Player of the Week

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riggertBig12IRVING, Texas – Kansas senior center Landen Lucas has been named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers the league, the conference announced Tuesday.

In Kansas’ lone game last week, an 86-80 win at TCU on Dec. 30, Lucas recorded his first double-double of the season, fifth of his career, with a season-high 15 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. The Portland, Oregon, native connected on 7-of-9 shots from the field against the Horned Frogs. Lucas’ 17 rebounds were the most for a Jayhawk since Andrew Wiggins pulled down 19 boards at Iowa State on Jan. 13, 2014.

Lucas becomes the third Jayhawk to be named Big 12 Player of the Week this season. Senior guard Frank Mason III has earned the accolade twice (Nov. 17 and Dec. 12) and freshman guard Josh Jackson once (Dec. 27). This is the second-straight season KU has had three different players selected as the Big 12 Player of the Week.

— KU Athletics —

Chiefs capture AFC West title, first-round bye with win over Chargers

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riggertChiefsSAN DIEGO (AP) — Alex Smith, Travis Kelce and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs have goals far bigger than simply winning the AFC West.

The Chiefs finished off their domination of the division when they beat the last-place Chargers 37-27 Sunday in possibly the final NFL game in San Diego.

“Right now it’s awesome that we won it and we’re happy that we achieved that goal, but everything is kind of moving forward and we’ve got our eyes set on the biggest prize yet, and that’s getting a Super Bowl win,” said Kelce, the star tight end. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we can go get that thing.”

The Chiefs haven’t been to the Super Bowl since beating Minnesota following the 1969 season.

San Diego fired coach Mike McCoy after the game.

Smith threw for two touchdowns and ran for another for the Chiefs (12-4), who clinched the division with the win and Oakland’s loss at Denver.

Smith, who went to nearby Helix High in La Mesa, scored on a 5-yard scramble early in the second quarter to tie the game at 10. He threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide-open Charcandrick West later in the quarter to put the Chiefs ahead for good. That followed the first of two interceptions of Philip Rivers that led to 10 points for the Chiefs.

“For us it was such a big swing, to go from potentially playing a road game in the wild card to a bye and hosting a game,” Smith said. “There was no in-between there. We took care of our end and got some help from Denver, so it was pretty sweet.

“We saw the score there at the end, and we had our deal sealed up. Pretty awesome, and to win the division is special as well, that’s something that this group hasn’t done.

“It’s crazy to sweep the division,” he said of going 6-0.

Smith was intercepted once, on a deflected pass that Jahleel Addae returned 90 yards for a touchdown to pull the Chargers (5-11) to 20-17 in the third quarter. Smith came right back and threw a 2-yard scoring pass to West, who again was wide open.

Rookie Tyreek Hill showed some fancy footwork in returning a punt 95 yards for a touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter.

MCCOY FIRED

McCoy was 27-37 in four seasons, with the Chargers having lost 23 of their last 32 games. They’ve also lost 13 of their last 14 AFC West games dating to late in the 2014 season. He had one year left on his contract.

THE LA OPTION

For the second straight year, the Chargers were playing perhaps their final game in San Diego.

Last year, Chairman Dean Spanos was in the process of trying to move the team to Carson to share a stadium with the rival Raiders. That plan was defeated by fellow NFL owners in January, but Spanos was given the option to move to LA if he couldn’t come up with a way to replace aging Qualcomm Stadium. A Nov. 8 ballot measure asking for $1 billion in increased hotel occupancy taxes to help fund a new downtown stadium was overwhelmingly voted down.

Spanos has until Jan. 15 to announce whether he’ll move the team

The Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time” played on the PA during a break in the action after a Chiefs field goal made it 37-20 late in the game.

Smith, for one, hopes that doesn’t happen. He grew up in the San Diego area and played at Qualcomm Stadium in high school championship games and in college when Utah visited San Diego State.

“For me growing up here, I think it’d be tragic if there wasn’t a team here. If there wasn’t football in this town, it would be weird for me.”

GATESY

Chargers tight end Antonio Gates tied Tony Gonzalez for the most touchdown catches in NFL history by a tight end with 111.

Gates tied the mark on a 2-yard toss from Rivers early in the second quarter to give the Chargers a 10-3 lead. Gates caught the ball and extended it in his right hand to break the plane.

The Chargers tried to get Gates sole possession of the record in the fourth quarter but couldn’t.

“They were not going to let him get that touchdown,” Rivers said. “I was looking at him every other time, too. We did the best we could.”

Late in the game, Rivers threw a 12-yard TD pass to San Diego’s other tight end, wide-open rookie Hunter Henry.

RIVERS PICKOFFS

Rivers was intercepted twice to set a career high with 21. Rivers’ previous high was 20 in 2011.

“We gave ourselves a chance. We turned it over twice. which killed us,” Rivers said.

INJURIES: Chiefs S Eric Berry left with an ankle injury in the second half. Chargers S Darrell Stuckey left with a knee injury, LB Christopher Landrum suffered a concussion and G Orlando Franklin had a shoulder injury.

— Associated Press —

Mizzou women open SEC play with 18-point win over Georgia

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri women opened Southeastern Conference play and the New Year with an emphatic 63-45 win over Georgia at Mizzou Arena on Sunday.  Mizzou improved to 11-4 on the season and 9-0 on its home floor.

Senior guard Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) led the way for the Tigers, pouring in 20 points (8-15 FG, 4-8 3FG), including a 12-point explosion in the third quarter.  She also contributed three rebounds and three steals.  Sophomore forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) put up her seventh double-double of the year, scoring 20 points (6-12 FG, 8-8 FT) and grabbing 12 rebounds in a strong performance.  Mizzou moved to 7-0 on the year when Porter posts at least 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Fellow sophomore Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) had another solid all-around effort, tallying nine points, nine rebounds and three assists in a high-energy effort.

The game started off going back and forth, as Mizzou and Georgia traded baskets in the early going.  Michaelis set the tone for the Tigers early on, as she had eight points, two steals, an assist and a rebound in an active first frame. Porter also chipped in, adding six points, four of which came at the free throw line.

As Porter and Michaelis opened up the scoring, Mizzou’s team defense dug its heels in and didn’t allow a single basket over the last 2:45 of the quarter.  The Tigers finished the first quarter on a 9-2 run, and held a 19-11 lead as the frame came to a close.

Georgia clawed back with a 7-0 run to surge in front for the first time, 22-21.  Mizzou regained the lead courtesy of senior guard Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.), who broke up the Georgia run by slashing to the basket for a layup and then finding a wide-open Hannah Schuchts (Tallahassee, Fla.) in the short corner for a jumper on the next possession.

After Georgia knotted the game at 29-29, Sophie Cunningham finished a tough bucket in traffic in transition and Mizzou took a 33-29 advantage in to halftime.

Michaelis heated up in the third quarter to help Mizzou build a commanding edge.  The senior guard outscored the Bulldogs by herself in the frame, 12-6.  Michaelis scored inside and out, hitting two triples, finishing a pair of nifty layups and draining a smooth turnaround fade away jumper from the elbow.

Mizzou’s defense surrendered just one field goal during the third quarter.  The combination of Michaelis hot hand and tough team defense propelled the Tigers to 51-35 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Georgia opened the period on a 10-0 run, cutting the Tiger lead to just seven with 3:41 to go.  However, Mizzou went back to Porter who closed out the win with clutch free throws and a strong layup down the stretch.

Mizzou continues SEC play with a trip to Kentucky on Thursday. Tip from Rupp Arena is set for 6 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Kansas State women hand No. 12 West Virginia first loss

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riggertKansasStateMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Breanna Lewis had 23 points and nine rebounds, Kindred Wesemann made four 3-pointers and scored 16 points, and Kansas State knocked off previously unbeaten No. 12 West Virginia 86-71 on Sunday.

West Virginia entered with the nation’s best field-goal percentage defense at 29 percent but Lewis was 10-of-15 shooting and the Wildcats made 54.7 percent overall.

Kansas State used a 13-2 run to build a 17-point lead with 4:09 left in the third quarter and the Wildcats’ lead didn’t drop below 14 the rest of the way.

Shaelyn Martin and Kaylee Page each added 10 points for Kansas State (11-3, 1-1 Big 12), which had a season-high point total in beating West Virginia for the second time in 10 tries.

Chania Ray made six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 23 points with seven assists for West Virginia (13-1, 1-1), which had its fifth-longest winning streak in program history snapped. Teana Muldrow added five 3s and 15 points and Tynice Martin hit three 3s and had 14 points and six assists. The Mountaineers hit 14 of 29 from distance.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska rallies to stun Maryland 65-63

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riggertNebraskaCOLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — If the start of Big Ten play is any indication, this could be a very special season for the Nebraska basketball team.

Tai Webster scored 18 points, and the Cornhuskers closed with a 14-0 run to beat Maryland 67-65 Sunday and end the Terrapins’ six-game winning streak.

Nebraska trailed 65-53 with six minutes left before charging back behind Webster, who scored the game’s final seven points.

Glynn Watson Jr. scored 17 for the Cornhuskers (8-6, 2-0), off to their best start in league play since the 2005-06 season.

“It was a really critical win,” Nebraska coach Tim Miles said. “You don’t get it without buying in, and these guys have bought into each other.”

After losing half its 12 non-conference games — including a defeat at home against Gardner-Webb — Nebraska used a 54-point second half Wednesday to upset No. 16 Indiana, which had had won 26 straight at home.

That victory was no less shocking that this one, given that the Cornhuskers had yielded 17 straight points to a team that was 17-1 at home in the Big Ten since joining the league.

“We wanted to play better in moments like this, obviously, after not having the start of the season we wanted,” Webster said.

A layup by Webster with 30 seconds left put Nebraska up 66-65. After the senior guard added a free throw with 17 seconds to go, Maryland still had a chance to salvage the victory. But Melo Trimble fired up an air ball with five seconds left and clanged a shot off the rim just before the buzzer.

Coach Mark Turgeon said, “I told our guys in a meeting yesterday, `You got to knock Nebraska out. They keep coming.’ We never knocked them out.”

Trimble, Maryland’s scoring leader, finished with 14 points on 5-for-15 shooting and had three turnovers.

Freshman Kevin Huerter scored a career-high 26 points for the Terrapins (13-2, 1-1). Maryland’s last basket was a jumper by Trimble in the paint with 6:43 remaining.

Earlier, the Terps appeared poised to win by virtue of a comeback of their own.

After Nebraska took a 41-33 lead early in the second half, Trimble hit a 3-pointer and Justin Jackson sank a layup to spark a 10-2 run that evened the score.

The Cornhuskers answered with successive layups, but would not score again over the next four minutes.

Maryland’s 17-point surge included four-point plays by Trimble and Huerter. That made it 60-43, but the Terrapins added only five points the rest of the way.

“Did a lot of nice things,” Turgeon said. “It’s disappointing we let it get away.”

Watson scored 12 points in the first half and the Cornhuskers went 4 for 5 from beyond the arc in taking a 34-30 lead.

Huerter kept the Terrapins close with 13 points, including six in a 10-0 run that erased a 26-19 deficit.

Maryland missed 11 of its first 13 field goal tries and shot 33 percent before the break.

ZONED OUT

Nebraska’s switch to a 1-3-1 zone down the stretch blunted Maryland’s offense and made the comeback possible.

“We just had to go with it, and the guys did great,” Miles said.

Turgeon said: “The 1-3-1, we didn’t work on it enough. It’s 100 percent on me. We got some good looks. Got a few layups against it and just couldn’t finish. With that said, we just needed to make one play. We needed that one stop and a rebound. Or one play offensively. And we just never did it.”

ANOTHER MILESTONE

It was Nebraska’s first win against Maryland in five tries. The series began in 2015.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: Playing at a school known for its football team, the Cornhuskers’ basketball squad just might draw some attention from the state’s faithful fan base.

Maryland: Coming in, the Terps appeared on the brink of reaching the Top 25. It’s going to take some work to get there again.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers host Iowa on Thursday night. The Hawkeyes lead the series 18-9, but Nebraska is 7-5 at home.

Maryland: The Terrapins get a five-day break before facing Michigan on the road Saturday afternoon.

— Associated Press —

KU women get routed by No. 3 Baylor 90-43

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riggertKUWACO, Texas (AP) — When teams fall behind, they often try to shoot themselves back into games and lose focus on executing offensively. Kansas did that Sunday, and it played right into No. 3 Baylor’s hands.

The Lady Bears stifled the Jayhawks’ inside game, then turned long rebounds off Kansas misses into easy baskets on the other end. That helped Baylor overcome a sluggish start, and Nina Davis and Alexis Jones scored 16 points apiece to lead the Lady Bears to a 90-43 victory.

“They can play so many different styles because of their personnel groupings,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said. “I thought we showed some fight in the first quarter, but eventually their ability to rebound and get out in transition wears on you.”

The Lady Bears (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) shot 60 percent from the floor while limiting Kansas to a 22.4 percent clip. Baylor also controlled the boards, 58-30.

The Jayhawks (6-7, 0-2) stayed in the game early, thanks in large part to Jessica Washington, who scored 11 of her 18 points in the first quarter. The Lady Bears turned the ball over six times in the opening quarter but still led 28-19 midway through the second quarter.

“I thought we got off to a slow start,” Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. “It was physical and aggressive, and we weren’t the aggressor coming out. So in the third quarter that same group got an opportunity to be on the floor again to start the second half and it was much better.”

It was all Baylor after that, as it outscored Kansas 41-7 over the next 11 minutes to blow the game wide open. As the Lady Bears’ aggressiveness picked up, so did the Jayhawks’ fouls. Baylor shot 40 free throws, but Mulkey wasn’t happy it missed 14 of them.’

“I don’t want to address them much. I think now, though, I need to address it because we have kids missing free throws that shouldn’t be,” Mulkey said. “Some of it is fatigue, but we’re going to start holding each other accountable for free throws more than we have.”

Beatrice Mompremier had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Baylor, and Kalani Brown added 11 points.

“We have so much depth it’s almost impossible to know who to stop,” Davis said. “You can start (Mompremier) Kalani, Khadijiah Cave, Lauren Cox, you can pretty much start any one of us. But just having that person you know is going to come off the bench and go to the offensive rebounds hard, it’s good to have.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: Other than Washington’s early offense, Kansas didn’t have much success on that end. Baylor’s size forced the Jayhawks into jump shots, and they weren’t falling. They were 6 for 30 from 3-point range, and many of those long rebounds turned into breakaway opportunities for Baylor. Leading scorer McKenzie Calvert, once a Baylor commit, was hounded by 6-foot-2 Alexis Prince on the perimeter and went 1 for 10 for two points.

Baylor: The Lady Bears took full advantage of their two home games to start conference play, dominating Kansas State and Kansas by an average of 38 1/2 points. Baylor nearly blocked more shots (15) than it allowed points in the paint (16) against the Jayhawks, and did so without fouling. Kansas received only four free throw attempts, all in the first quarter.

UP NEXT

Kansas: Hosts No. 16 Texas on Wednesday.

Baylor: At No. 12 West Virginia on Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

Chiefs rout Broncos 33-10 to keep AFC West title hopes alive

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riggertChiefsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — With their postseason spot secured, the Kansas City Chiefs turned to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill to roll past the Denver Broncos 33-10 on Sunday night and keep their AFC West title hopes alive.

Kelce had 11 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown, and Hill took a handoff 70 yards for another score, as the Chiefs (11-4) beat the Broncos (8-7) for the third straight time and eliminated the Super Bowl champions from postseason contention.

Kansas City punctuated the win in style when 346-pound defensive tackle Dontari Poe, lined up at quarterback, threw a jump pass to Demetrius Harris with just under two minutes left.

The Chiefs were already assured of a wild card when Pittsburgh beat Baltimore earlier in the day. But a win next weekend in San Diego coupled with an Oakland loss in Denver would give the Chiefs their first division title since 2010, not to mention a first-round bye and home playoff game.

Meanwhile, the Broncos trudged through another inept offensive performance.

Trevor Siemian was 17 of 43 for 183 yards and a game-ending interception, and the only TD drive he led came after a pick gave him the ball at the Kansas City 6. Justin Forsett scored two plays later.

The lackluster performance came one week after a dismal showing in a 16-3 loss to New England led to a locker room shouting match between the Denver offense and defense. The Broncos downplayed any kind of disharmony this week , but their performance on a sloppy, soggy Christmas night at Arrowhead Stadium only seemed to underscore the rift during a most frustrating of seasons.

Kansas City took control of the prime-time matchup from the opening bell.

Alex Smith capped a 77-yard touchdown march with a 10-yard keeper in the first quarter, and Hill out-ran the banged-up Broncos a few minutes later to give the Chiefs a 14-0 lead.

It was the fourth TD scored by Hill against the Broncos this season.

Forsett’s touchdown gave the Broncos fleeting hope, but it was dashed moments later. Kelce took a screen pass and followed perfectly executed blocking for an 80-yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead.

The Chiefs’ defense took care of the rest to make it a festive night for their fans.

CLOSING SPEED

The biggest hit of the night came when a security guard tackled a fan that had run onto the field. Of course, it came after the fan already had run untouched about 90 yards, so in that respect the security force wasn’t a whole lot better than the Broncos’ first-half defense.

SCARY MOMENT

Broncos cornerback Kayvon Webster was taken from the field on a cart after getting hit high by Chiefs linebacker Terrance Smith while covering a touchback in the second quarter. Webster’s head was snapped back by the block and he was being evaluated for a concussion. He did not return.

OTHER INJURIES

Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe left in the first half with a neck injury and did not return. Denver was already without leading tackler T.J. Ward and tight ends Virgil Green and A.J. Derby because of concussions and linebacker Brandon Marshall because of a hamstring.

UP NEXT

Denver wraps up its disappointing season Sunday against Oakland.

Kansas City visits the Chargers on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

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