Dave Riggert – Page 45 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Bearcats’ Witthus, Hudgins named to Bevo Franics Award Top 25

Posted on March 15, 2019

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Small College Basketball has narrowed down its Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award of 2019 to 25 of the finest men’s basketball players in the country who compete in the affiliations of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, USCAA and NCCAA.

Northwest Missouri State senior Joey Witthus (Chanhassan, Minnesota) and redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins (Manhattan, Kansas) have both made the list on the cut down to the top 25 players.

Witthus, the MIAA player of the year and most outstanding player at the MIAA tournament, is averaging a team-best 20.9 points per game and shooting 50.5 percent from the field. Witthus has buried an-MIAA high 100 three-pointers, and he is shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the three-point arc. Witthus also leads Northwest in free throws made (133) and his shooting 84.2 percent from the free throw line.

Hudgins, the MIAA freshman of the year, is scoring 18.7 points per game and handing out 5.3 assists per game. Hudgins is shooting 53.7 percent from the field, including 48.0 percent from three-point range. Hudgins is making 81.8 percent of his free throws and tied the all-time MIAA record for consecutive free throws made at 36. Hudgins has scored 20 or more points 17 times this season. He has set the Northwest and MIAA freshman scoring record with 599 points.

This marks the fourth season of the Bevo Francis Award, as the award was previously given to Dominez Burnett of Davenport (Mich.) in 2016, Justin Pitts of Northwest Missouri State in 2017 and Emanuel Terry of Lincoln Memorial last season.

“On behalf of our National Awards Committee, the University of Rio Grande and Sheward Fulks Insurance, I congratulate the 25 players that have made the Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award.

“We have done a tremendous amount of research to create this very elite list. There are so many worthy candidates, and this is an extremely challenging process. This list consists of players that have been fantastic this season, have helped led their respective teams to a high level of success and fit the criteria for the Bevo Francis Award very well. Sincerely, we congratulate each and every one of them!”

Members of the Bevo Francis Award committee include the following coaches: Tobin Anderson – St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.), Gerald Holmes – Bloomfield (N.J.), Gary Stewart – Stevenson (Md.), Arlen Galloway – Wentworth (Mass.), Chris Briggs – Georgetown (Ky.), Bill Dreikosen – Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Klint Pleasant – Rochester (Mich.), Ryan Kane – Ripon (Wisc.), Mark Berokoff – Hillsdale Baptist (Okla.), Mike Donnelly – Florida Southern, Rhett Soliday – Vanguard (Calif.), Sam Hargraves – Alma (Mich.) and Ryan Looney – Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.).

The committee chose this elite group from over 1,100 colleges and universities and took into consideration individual statistics, previous awards, milestones and team success.

The list will next be narrowed down to the finalists that will be announced in a highlight video on April 6.

The 2019 Bevo Francis Award winner will be announced on April 8. The award will be presented to the winner on May 11 at the SCB National Awards Show in conjunction with the SCB Alumni Association’s Celebration of the Game event at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

Small College Basketball is very grateful to the University of Rio Grande and Sheward-Fulks Insurance for their sponsorship and support of the Bevo Francis award.

— Northwest Athletics —

Nebraska’s cinderella run ends with loss to Wisconsin in Big Ten quarterfinals

Posted on March 15, 2019

CHICAGO (AP) — Nate Reuvers scored 14 points, D’Mitrik Trice hit a clutch 3-pointer with 58 seconds left and No. 19 Wisconsin beat pesky Nebraska 66-62 on Friday to advance to the Big Ten tournament semifinals.

Khalil Iverson also scored 14 points as the Badgers (23-9) won for the sixth time in seven games despite a shaky performance by Ethan Happ. The 6-foot-10 forward, who was averaging 17.8 points and 10.4 rebounds coming into the tourney, had a season-low four points and committed seven of the team’s 17 turnovers.

Reuvers, Iverson, Aleem Ford and Brad Davison stepped up to help make up for Happ’s tough day. Ford and Davison each had 11 points.

Next up for the Badgers is No. 6 Michigan State. The top-seeded Spartans advanced with a 77-70 victory over Ohio State.

— Associated Press —

MIAA moves softball tournament to Central Oklahoma

Posted on March 15, 2019

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Central Oklahoma will serve as the host site for the 2019 MIAA Softball Championship. The eight team double-elimination tournament will begin on Wednesday, May 1 and runs through Saturday, May 4.

The games will be played at Broncho Softball Stadium, which is located on the north side of campus directly west of Hamilton Field House. The stadium, which received $2.7 million dollars in major renovations in 2017, features an artificial playing surface with intimate raised seating for nearly 300 spectators.

As part of the renovations, a new top-of-the-line clubhouse was added on the first base line as well as new batting and pitching cages, public restrooms and a press box that features a separate booth for broadcasting.

The tournament was originally scheduled to return to the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium complex for the fourth consecutive season, however, ongoing renovations necessitated the change in venue.

More information about the tournament including the bracket, parking and ticket prices will be announced in the near future.

— MIAA Press Release —

Mizzou’s season ends with loss to Auburn in SEC tournament

Posted on March 14, 2019

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Auburn guard Bryce Brown had to wait until his senior season to experience a victory at the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Now he and his teammates want more.

Brown scored all 17 of his points in the second half, and No. 22 Auburn beat Missouri 81-71 Thursday in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Auburn (23-9) won its fifth straight to advance to the quarterfinals Friday against fourth-seeded South Carolina, and the Tigers also snapped a three-game skid at the SEC tournament dating back to 2015 when they reached the semifinals. That was before Brown arrived on campus.

“It definitely felt good to get our first SEC win,” Brown said. “It took me four years, my fourth match, my fourth year. … Me and Horace (Spencer) are going to do everything we can to make sure this team doesn’t go out on a sad note. We just want to end our senior season on a strong note.”

No. 12 seed Missouri (15-17) at least kept this game closer than the last game between these teams, a 34-point loss in Auburn on Jan. 30, and they even led by as much as four in the first half.

“I thought we were there, just didn’t have enough to get over the hump,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said.

Auburn had to shake off a cold-shooting start by guards Jared Harper and Brown as they combined to miss their first 11 shots. Brown finally knocked down his seventh attempt with 16:02 left, and the senior strung together three straight 3s. The last came from the corner in front of his own bench, giving Auburn its biggest lead of the game at 49-39 with 14:44 to go.

Harper hit his first shot, a 3, with 3:12 left for a 71-63 lead. Harper finished with five points and five assists.

“This might be the first big game we’ve won where Jared Harper didn’t have to carry us,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “Missouri did a good job defensively on both Bryce and Jared and a lot of pressure on Jared to run the club, and biggest communicator defensively. He’s a leader and just a little off tonight.”

Chuma Okeke added 12 points for Auburn. Spencer had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Malik Dunbar had 11 each.

Jordan Geist had a game-high 25 points for Missouri, and Torrence Watson matched his career high with 20.

Missouri kept Auburn from running away this time by shooting away outside the arc and making a season-high 15 3-pointers. Geist finished 6 of 9 from 3 himself and said the Tigers’ confidence has really grown the past couple games.

“We were taking what they were giving us and shooting the ball with confidence,” Geist said.

Auburn led 32-30 at halftime after Missouri made eight of its nine baskets outside the arc, and Xavier Pinson added a ninth to open the second and put Missouri back ahead. Missouri hit seven straight shots, the last a pair of 3s by Geist and then Watson’s, which tied it at 52 with 11:20 to go.

Spencer scored on a three-point play, Danjel Purifoy hit a 3 and Brown added his fourth 3 with 8:16 remaining to cap a quick 9-0 spurt. Missouri couldn’t get closer than four down the stretch but didn’t let Auburn lead by more than 10.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: These Tigers head home waiting for next year and the chance to win more than just once at the SEC tournament. Missouri has never won back-to-back games since joining this league for the 2012-13 season, but at least coach Martin leaves Nashville with the program’s fourth SEC tournament win. But a couple key freshmen struggled with Javon Pickett held scoreless and Pinson struggling with eight turnovers.

Auburn: The Tigers will need more from Harper and Brown moving forward. Brown did hit all four of his 3-point attempts in the second half. But their defense came through, converting 14 turnovers into a 24-17 scoring edge. They also dominated inside, outscoring Missouri 30-16 in the paint.

QUOTABLE

“Frank Martin’s got my number,” Pearl said of facing South Carolina next. “Not just my phone number, but my number.”

UP NEXT

Missouri: The offseason. Martin said he would not accept an invite to the CBI tournament.

Auburn: South Carolina on Friday in the SEC quarterfinals.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska upsets No. 21 Maryland 69-61 in Big 10 tourney

Posted on March 14, 2019

CHICAGO (AP) — Once James Palmer Jr. pulled on his crisp red Nebraska jersey, it was mostly smooth sailing for the Cornhuskers.

Palmer scored 24 points after a late wardrobe change, and Nebraska shut down No. 21 Maryland 69-61 on Thursday for the first big surprise of the Big Ten Tournament.

Using a seven-man rotation because of injuries and backup guard Nana Akenten’s suspension, the Cornhuskers harassed the Terrapins into 36 percent (18 for 50) shooting and 11 turnovers. Glynn Watson Jr. added 19 points, and Isaiah Roby finished with 15.

“We believe in each other. That’s the main thing,” Watson said.

Palmer went 8 for 13 from the field after he matched a career high with 34 points in Wednesday’s tournament-opening victory over Rutgers. He played 40 minutes for the second straight day after realizing right before tip-off that he wasn’t wearing his game jersey.

“Oh man. I was shocked because I’ve never done that before,” Palmer said. “First time for everything. Lucky for me our manager Pat (Norris) got it to me in time.”

Nebraska (18-15) earned a second win in the Big Ten tourney for the first time since 2016 and will face fourth-seeded Wisconsin on Friday afternoon. The Cornhuskers lost 62-51 to the Badgers on Jan. 29 in their only meeting of the season.

“A lot of teams would just say, we’ve got seven guys, there’s no way, and they’d quit,” coach Tim Miles said. “Not just say I quit, but they just wouldn’t do those things. So I think that is probably that mentality is the thing I’m most proud of.”

Maryland (22-10) swept Nebraska during the regular season, including a 60-45 win in Lincoln on Feb. 6. But the Terrapins — one of the youngest teams in the country — struggled offensively in their third loss in their last four games.

Bruno Fernando, who entered with averages of 14 points and 10.5 rebounds, was held to three points and eight boards. Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 17 of his 18 points in the second half, and Darryl Morsell finished with 14.

“I knew they were gonna double team me the whole time,” Fernando said. “I just think they did a really good job of that and we got stagnant. I think we could have moved a lot more.”

The Terrapins trailed by as many as 13 in the first half, but they closed to 35-30 on Morsell’s jam with 14:49 left. The Cornhuskers responded with a 9-0 run, capped by Watson’s 3-pointer with 11:59 to go.

Coach Mark Turgeon was whistled for a technical foul with 8:25 left after no foul was called as Morsell drove up the court on a fast break. Watson then made two foul shots and Roby converted a three-point play, extending Nebraska’s lead to 51-37 with 8:12 left.

“We’ve overcome a lot. We’ll overcome this,” Turgeon said. “We just didn’t play well today. We’ll get ourselves ready to go and hopefully play better in the NCAA Tournament.”

ON THE GLASS

Nebraska’s Tanner Borchardt had nine rebounds as the Cornhuskers matched Maryland on the glass at 33 apiece. The Terrapins entered with one of the best rebounding margins in the nation at plus-8.8 per game.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: A third game in three days is one tough order for the Cornhuskers, but they feel a lot better about themselves than they did a week ago. They have won three in a row since a stretch of 11 losses in 13 games.

Maryland: The Terrapins showed some fight in the second half, but they had to chase the Cornhuskers after a shaky start. They had just 20 points in the first half on 29 percent shooting.

UP NEXT

Nebraska struggled offensively in its January loss to Wisconsin, shooting 28.3 percent from the field. The Badgers have won three in a row.

Maryland waits to see where it’s going in the NCAA Tournament.

— Associated Press —

Griffon tennis falls to Northwest Missouri State 5-2

Posted on March 14, 2019

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western tennis team (8-5, 0-1 MIAA) lost its first match of the MIAA conference schedule on Thursday, as Northwest Missouri bested the Griffons 5-2 at Genesis Health Club in St. Joseph.

The Griffons were unable to pick up a win in the doubles, with two of their losses coming in close 6-4 decisions. Karolina Ström and Joanna Abreu Roman suffered just their second loss as a doubles pair in 13 duals this season.

All four of Missouri Western’s defeats in singles play came in two sets. However, both Ström and Bojana Vuksan scored points for the Griffons as they closed out the match with two victories. After dropping the first set on the number one courts, Ström took control in the following two sets to come away with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 comeback win.

After splitting the first two sets on the number six courts, Vuksan won a back-and-forth third set by a score of 12-10, earning her sixth-straight victory in singles.

Missouri Western will travel to Arkansas Tech (4-3) for its next match on March 16.

MWSU VS. NWMSU
SINGLES
Karolina Ström (MWSU) def. Tania Teruel (NWMSU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
Irene Recuenco, Irene (NWMSU) def. Mireia Birosta (MWSU) 6-1, 6-0
Marta Ferrando, Marta (NWMSU) def. Joanna Abreu Roman (MWSU) 6-3, 6-1
Julia Aliseda, Julia (NWMSU) def. Ciara Gilmore (MWSU) 6-1, 6-4
Julie Rinderknech, Julie (NWMSU) def. Federica Salmaso (MWSU) 6-3, 6-0
Bojana Vuksan,Bojana (MWSU) def. Sara Grozdanovic (NWMSU) 2-6, 6-1, 12-10

DOUBLES
Ferrando/Teruel (NWMSU) def. Ström/Abreu Roman (MWSU) 6-4
Aliseda/Rinderknech (NWMSU) def. Salmaso/Vuksan (MWSU) 6-4
Grozdanovic/Recuenco (NWMSU) def. Birosta/Dunn (MWSU) 6-0

— MWSU Athletics —

Chiefs sign former Dallas LB Damien Wilson

Posted on March 14, 2019

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Thursday that the club has signed free agent linebacker Damien Wilson.

“We see a lot of potential in Damien,” Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach said. “He was a really good player in Dallas, and as we go through this transition with our defense we were in the market for a young, SAM linebacker. We feel really good about Damien and are excited to have him here in Kansas City.”

Wilson (6-0, 245) has played in 64 games (22 starts) in four NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (2015-18). His career numbers include 98 tackles (69 solo), 2.5 sacks (-18.0 yards), eight tackles for loss and one forced fumble.

The Gloster, Mississippi, native, originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round selection (127th overall) of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2015 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Minnesota.

— Chiefs Press Release —

Missouri Western’s baseball series with Washburn moved to St. Joseph

Posted on March 14, 2019

ST. JOSEPH – The wait for Missouri Western baseball to play in St. Joseph will soon end. Weather in Topeka, Kansas has forced the relocation of a three-game series with Washburn to the MWSU Spring Sports Complex.

Due to field conditions at Missouri Western and the re-schedule, the series has been pushed back one day. Game one will come at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, followed by single games at 1 p.m. on March 17 and March 18. While the games will technically count as home games for Missouri Western, Washburn will play as the home team in all three games.

Missouri Western had five previous attempts at home openers either canceled or postponed to a later date. The Griffons were not scheduled to play at home again until March 29 when Central Oklahoma visited for a three-game series. Cold, snowy and wet conditions in St. Joseph forced the Griffons to twice due what Washburn will do this weekend, play on the road as the home team. The Griffons moved a series with Fort Hays State to Edmond, Oklahoma and a series with Northeastern State to Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

The Griffons are 9-7 and tied atop the MIAA standings with a 7-2 conference record. Missouri Western has won three-consecutive series over MIAA opponents. Washburn is 8-10 overall with a 3-6 record in MIAA play. The Ichabods were swept in a three-game series at Missouri Southern their last time out.

— MWSU Athletics —

Benedictine earns a no. 1 seed in NAIA National Tournament

Posted on March 13, 2019March 13, 2019

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA made things official on Wednesday night as the Raven Men’s Basketball team officially learned their overall seeding and first-round opponent match up during the official bracket announcement of the 2019 NAIA Div. I Men’s Basketball National Championship.

Benedictine earned the overall No. 3 seed and will serve as the No. 1 seed in the Duer Bracket. They will take on Westmont (Calif.) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 21 at historical Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Mo.

The Championship tips off on March 20 and concludes with the National Championship Game on Tuesday, March 26 inside historical Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Mo.

The Heart of America Athletic Conference serves as the official host conference for the Championship and the Ravens punched their ticket to the Championship by winning the Heart regular-season championship.

Tickets for the entire tournament can be purchased directly through the NAIA at www.NAIAhoops.com/tickets.

A limited number of tickets are available for purchase directly from the Raven Athletics Office starting on Thursday morning. Those tickets are available for $15 and are aimed at allowing our local supporters an opportunity to purchase tickets ahead of the Ravens first-round game. Contact Kim Fry at 913.360.7564 to make arrangements to order your tickets.

The Ravens are making their 11th overall appearance in the Championship and their fourth under head coach Ryan Moody. They last appeared in 2017 and have an overall tournament record of 13-9. Their 30 wins mark the most by any team in the 32-team Championship field.

Westmont finished with an overall record of 18-10 and earned one of the 19 at-large berths into this year’s Championship Field. They are making their 21st overall appearance in the Championship and their fifth straight appearance. They have an overall Championship record of 21-20.

— BC Athletics —

Western women win first event of the spring; Ong, Bech tie for individual title

Posted on March 13, 2019

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – With the team sitting in third place entering the second round of the Warrior Invitational on Wednesday, the Missouri Western women’s golf team had the best team score of the second round to jump two spots and win the tournament.

Anna Bech came into the second day of the tournament tied for 15th, but shot a 78 (+6) to vault up to first to tie teammate Shi Qing Ong as co-winner of the tournament. Bech and Ong both finished 159 (+15) to win the event by five strokes.

The Griffons handled the weather conditions better than any other team at the tournament. Wind gusts on the course consistently ranged from 25 to 35 miles per hour, with some gusts as high as 50 miles per hour. Each of the eight teams at the event suffered higher stroke totals on Wednesday, but the Griffons still managed to out-perform the next best round-two score by 20 strokes.

Bech was the main story of the second round. Bech shot an impressive 78 (+6) to climb 14 spots for a share of the individual tournament win. She was one of just four golfers to improve in the field of 47. The win gives Bech her first career victory at Missouri Western.

Ong held on to tie for the win with her 88 (+16) in round two. Her second-round score gave her the fifth-best performance in the field.

Chong Yong tied for fourth place to give the Griffons three of the top five finishers. Yong’s score of 85 (+13) was the second-best score of the round, behind Bech’s 78.

Giving Missouri Western another top-10 finish was Jenna Kosmatka. Kosmatka finished tied for eighth after her 89 (+17) on Wednesday. She entered the round tied for 15th but advanced seven spots on day two.

Rounding out the scores for the Griffons was Sabrina Galfano, whose two day score of 183 landed her in the top-25.

Missouri Western Women’s Golf will return to St. Joseph for its next event, as they compete in the MWSU Holiday Inn Express Invitational at the St. Joseph Country Club on March 18-19.

— MWSU Athletics —