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Author: Dave Riggert

K-State comes up short at Texas 60-57

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riggertKansasStateAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Far from pretty, Texas’ win over Kansas State was certainly gritty. And it earned new coach Shaka Smart a very important milestone: his first Big 12 victory.

Isaiah Taylor scored 17 points and the Longhorns overcame a tough shooting night with some key late-game 3-pointers to beat the Wildcats 60-57, snapping a two-game losing skid.

“When it comes to the result, we always want to win, especially coming off a couple of losses, you want to get it any way you can,” Smart said.

Javan Felix scored 14 for Texas (9-5, 1-1 Big 12) and his 3-pointer with just under 4 minutes left gave Texas its first lead of the second half. Barry Brown scored 15 for Kansas State (10-4, 0-2), but two 3-point attempts in the final seconds were both partially blocked.

The win also let Texas and Smart avoid the program’s third 0-2 start in the Big 12 in four years.

“A must-win,” said Taylor, a junior who has experienced the rugged road through the Big 12.

The Longhorns still struggled to find offensive rhythm after losing senior center Cam Ridley to a foot injury for 8-to-10 weeks three games ago. But despite a 6 of 23 shooting effort on 3-pointers, the Longhorns got key long-range baskets from Felix and Connor Lammert down the stretch to secure the win.

The Longhorns were 4 of 20 shooting 3-pointers before making two of their last three. Felix scored seven in a row in the run to grab the lead.

“That’s my job: stay aggressive and keep shooting, even when the shots are not falling,” Felix said.

Texas led 24-16 late in the first half before Kansas State closed with a 13-2 run to take a 29-26 lead into the locker room. Two Texas turnovers on the Longhorns’ final two possessions led to easy layups, including a buzzer-beater by Carlbe Ervin II.

Taylor struggled in the first half with three fouls against just three points and three assists.

With little production inside, Texas kept firing away 3-pointers will little to show for it early in the second half. But even with those constant misfires, Kansas State struggled to build on its lead and could only push the margin as high as 45-41.

“It would help to jump up and make some shots,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “You can say we’re young, we’re new, we play hard, but we can’t accept losing.”

Texas grabbed its first lead of the second half when Felix hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc and scored seven straight in a run that put the Longhorns up 58-52 with 3 minutes left.

“That’s my job: stay aggressive and keep shooting, even when the shots are not falling,” Felix said.

Lammert’s 3-pointer put Texas up by 56-50 before Brown answered with a 3-pointer on the other end. Taylor made two of four free throws in the final seconds for the Longhorns.

“We were in a six-minute game and down two. It becomes a make-or-miss game,” Smart said. “I was proud of Connor for taking the 3 he made because he had missed a few beforehand.”

TIP-INS

Kansas State: The Wildcats continue to struggle on the road with just four wins in the past two seasons.

Texas: The Longhorns are still looking for better production inside without Ridley. Prince Ibeh and Shaq Cleare combined for 11 points.

MOMENTUM SHIFT:

Kansas State led 45-41 with 8:31 left, then made just four field goals and had four turnovers the rest of the way. “They made the shots and we didn’t get the stops. We had some real bad possessions,” Weber said.

UP NEXT

Kansas State plays at No. 2 Oklahoma on Saturday

Texas plays at TCU on Saturday

— Associated Press —

Nebraska falls on the road at No. 19 Iowa

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riggertNebraskaIOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s first performance as a Top 25 team wasn’t nearly as pretty as the ones that landed it in the rankings.

The Hawkeyes won anyway — and now they have over a week to prepare for a rematch with Michigan State, which they knocked out of the No. 1 ranking.

Jarrod Uthoff had 25 points, eight rebounds and four blocks as No. 19 Iowa held off Nebraska 77-66 on Tuesday night for its fifth straight win.

Mike Gesell had 22 points and 10 assists for his first career double-double with the surging Hawkeyes (12-3, 3-0 Big Ten). They have victories in nine consecutive league games dating to last season.

Gesell “needed to be great because (starting guard Anthony Clemmons) clearly wasn’t himself,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said of Clemmons, who was held scoreless while struggling through a hip pointer. “It took a lot for us to get this win and it was all experience.”

Iowa survived a sluggish start to the second half with a late 9-0 run, capped by a long 3 by Uthoff, to go ahead 63-48 with 7:15 left.

Tai Webster scored a season-high 22 points and Shavon Shields had 13 for Nebraska (8-8, 0-3). The Cornhuskers shot 59 percent in the second half but still lost their third straight.

“The competition is good. But I want to see us now, and I want to see us at the end of the year,” Nebraska coach Tim Miles said.

The Hawkeyes surged into the Top 25 on Monday after beating two ranked teams, including then-No. 1 Michigan State, in the same week for the first time since 1987.

The pressure defense Iowa used to rally from a 19-point deficit to win at Purdue on Saturday came in handy again versus Nebraska.

The Huskers could hardly miss in their first few possessions, storming ahead 10-0. The Hawkeyes responded by defending the full 94 feet, and within a few minutes they were in front 19-17.

“Once we got into it we stayed into it because we got them a little sideways,” McCaffery said of the press. “When we got the lead, we didn’t panic.”

The Hawkeyes didn’t have a ton of trouble the rest of the way, though the Huskers didn’t make it easy on them.

Iowa hit eight of 10 baskets during a 12-0 run late in the first half — while holding Nebraska to 4-of-24 shooting at one point — to go up 31-22.

Nebraska briefly got within eight points midway through the second half. But Uthoff’s 3 and a one-handed jumper from Gesell put Iowa ahead by 16 points with just over 4 minutes left.

TIP-INS

Nebraska: The Huskers went scoreless over the final 7:35 of the first half. … Jack McVeigh, who matched a career high with 16 points in his last game, scored five points on 2-of-9 shooting.

Iowa: Uthoff entered play ranked fourth nationally with 3.3 blocks per game. …The Hawkeyes went 24 of 32 from the free throw line. … Reserve Dom Uhl had 10 points and eight rebounds.

STAR POWER

Gesell has notched career highs in nearly every statistical category this season, and his versatility keyed the Hawkeyes on Tuesday. He had 22 points on 5-of-7 shooting and was 11 of 13 from the line. He had four rebounds.

COURTSIDE

Miles, as is his custom, tweeted at halftime that “When we get a open look we have to knock it down. We also have to get into the lane on offense and contain Uthoff on defense.” The Huskers did much better on offense after halftime, but Uthoff hit a bunch of key shots in the second half.

UP NEXT

Nebraska plays Rutgers on Saturday.

Iowa gets a rematch with No. 5 Michigan State on Jan. 14.

— Associated Press —

Missouri’s Porter named SEC Freshman of the Week

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riggertMissouriBIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball freshman forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week, it was announced Tuesday. Porter scored 13 points and tied a career-high with nine rebounds (five offensive) in the 88-71 victory over Charlotte on Dec. 29.

For the week, Porter averaged 8.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal vs. Charlotte and No. 12 Tennessee on Monday. She shot 50 percent (7-for-14) from the floor. Against Charlotte, she was 5-for-9 from the field, 3-for-4 from the foul line and added two assists and two steals.

Through 14 games, Porter is averaging 10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.9 blocks per game. She is shooting a team-best 62 percent (52-for-84) from the floor to go along with a 78 percent (38-for-49) mark at the free throw line.

No. 20 Mizzou (13-1, 0-1) returns to action on Thursday evening with a 6 p.m. CT tipoff at Georgia (12-2, 0-1).

— Mizzou Athletics —

No. 16 Missouri Western rallies past UCO; off to best start in school history

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MWSUST. JOSEPH – For the first time in program history, the Missouri Western Women’s Basketball team is 14-0 after a thrilling 77-69 victory over Central Oklahoma Monday night inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.

No. 16 Missouri Western trailed at the break but opened the second half with an 8-0 run to take back the lead. Two second half three pointers from Sarafina Handy helped seal the deal for the Griffons. Trailing by two with 2:47 left in the third, Handy sunk a three from Chelsea Dewey to give Missouri Western the lead back. Handy nailed another triple with 2:15 remaining in the game to stretch a four-point Griffon lead to seven. Handy was fouled on the attempt and made the penalty shot to give the Griffons an eight-point lead. Central Oklahoma closed the gap to four with 31 seconds remaining but two Handy free throws iced the Griffons’ eighth MIAA victory of the season.

Handy finished with 21 points to lead Missouri Western. LaQuinta Jefferson had her six-game streak of 24 points or more broken but still scored 19 with three rebounds and four assists. Mhykeah Baez dropped 17, led the Griffons with 10 rebounds and had four steals. Dewey scored 11 with five assists.

The win for Missouri Western set up a rivalry matchup Saturday between an undefeated Griffon squad and a Northwest Missouri State team in search of its first MIAA victory of the season.

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffons defeat Central Oklahoma for second straight win

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MWSUST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western Men’s Basketball team won its second straight game and gave Griffon Basketball its second straight MIAA Doubleheader sweep with a 77-60 victory over Central Oklahoma.

The Griffons trailed by seven with 9:30 left in the first half then rattled off a 22-10 run to take a five-point lead to the break. Missouri Western opened the second half on a 10-0 run that extended the lead to 15 and never let up from that point on. The Griffons would lead by as many as 23 in the second half. Missouri Western shot 42 percent from the field in the second frame but limited Central Oklahoma to 39 percent from the field and 3-13 three-point shooting. The Griffons out-rebounded UCO 42-33 and had 40 points off the bench to the Bronchos’ 28.

Aaron Emmanuel led Missouri Western with 14 points. Miles Wentzien hit double figures for the second straight game, scoring 13. Currie Byrd also scored 13 and Wes Mitter added 12.

The win ran Missouri Western’s record to 5-9 overall and 3-5 in the MIAA. The Griffons host Northwest Missouri, Saturday at 5 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Bearcats hold off Northeastern State for 78-74 win

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Northwest2013riggertBy David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northeastern State entered Bearcat Arena Monday evening with two wins and a spot at the bottom of the MIAA. None of that mattered. The RiverHawks played a man’s game on the boards.

The relentless effort by Northeastern forced Northwest Missouri State to make some clutch baskets by Justin Pitts and a few critical free throws by Pitts, D’Vante Mosby and Anthony Woods in the closing minutes.

And those plays only mattered because of the three-point shooting by Conner Crooker and Zach Schneider kept the Bearcats in striking distance. Crooker and Schneider each made four three-pointers.

Northwest needed every ounce of energy from every player that stepped on the court in the second half to pull out a 78-74 win against the RiverHawks.

“Personally, I thought it was fun, but we have to buckle down, play more defense and buy into what coach Mac (head coach Ben McCollum) says,” said Pitts of the back and forth nature of the final 2 minutes. “We have to start getting stops and boxing out because we can’t keep going into games like that.”

The Bearcats, 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the MIAA, now have five days to work on a few things before playing at rival Missouri Western at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Against the RiverHawks, Northwest could never put the game away against a team that dropped to 2-9 and 1-6. There were 12 lead changes in the second half. Northwest seemingly took control with 3:25 left when Mosby hit two free throws to give the Bearcats a 68-63 lead.

“It is nice to know we have a lot of options and Pitts going off the screen is just go-to, and he can make plays,” said Crooker, who finished with 16 points. “And Zach can stretch it out and shoot threes. We are pretty confident that we can score at the end of the game.”

The Bearcats definitely needed that confidence late in the game because of the way the RiverHawks played down the stretch.

Northeastern State scored nine of the next 11 points and grabbed a 72-70 lead with about 1:30 left. Northwest tied the game at 72-72 on a driving layup by Pitts.

The RiverHawks didn’t back down and scored the next basket. The Bearcats came right back. A basket plus the foul shot by Woods gave Northwest 75-74 lead with 41 seconds left. Northwest increased the lead by one more point when Mosby made one of two free throws with 13.8 seconds left. With 2 seconds left, Pitts sealed the game with two more free throws. Pitts finished with 21 points.

Northwest had a strange first half and when halftime arrived, the Bearcats were locked in a 38-38 tie.

The Bearcats got off to a slow start in the first half and trailed 16-12 midway through the first half. Over the next 5 minutes, Northwest played like one of the top teams in the MIAA, scoring the next 14 points for a 26-16 lead.

It appeared the Bearcats had taken control of the game. For the rest of the first half, the RiverHawks played like a team battling for first. They fought for rebounds, dove for loose balls and hustled their way back into the game.

“We just lost focus,” Pitts said. “We kind of went away from the things that we did to get those stops. We have to buckle down, play D and box out.”

A three-point play by senior Dakota Caudill late in the first half gave Northeastern a 36-35 lead. Caudill finished with a game-high 24 points. Northwest went right back in front on a three-pointer by Crooker.

The RiverHawks dominated the boards, pulling down 25 rebounds compared to just 12 from Northwest. In fact, the 12 offensive rebounds for Northeastern matched the rebound total for Northwest.

“That was definitely a big issue,” Crooker said. “I think once we got our lead we got kind of complacent and thought it was going to come to us, but they are not going to stop competing. They out-hustled us and made us look kind of soft.”

— Northwest Athletics —

No. 1 Kansas outlasts No. 2 Oklahoma in three overtimes 109-106

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riggertKULAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Perry Ellis had 27 points and 13 rebounds, Devonte Graham hit the go-ahead free throw in the third overtime, and top-ranked Kansas outlasted Buddy Hield and second-ranked Oklahoma 109-106 on Monday night in an early showdown of Final Four contenders.

Wayne Selden Jr. had 21 points, and Graham finished with 20 for the Jayhawks (13-1, 2-0 Big 12), who had chances to win the game in regulation and each of the first two overtimes before finally getting it done.

Hield had a career-high 46 points for Oklahoma (12-1, 1-1), but he made two crucial turnovers in the final extra session, then missed a potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Jayhawks celebrated.

Jordan Woodard hit six 3-pointers and had 27 points for the Sooners, who were trying to extend their best start in 28 years. Ryan Spangler finished with 14 points and 18 rebounds.

It was a fitting conclusion for the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in two years and the first pitting of teams from the same conference since Ohio State and Michigan State of the Big Ten met Feb. 25, 2007.

Woodard’s final 3-pointer gave the Sooners a 106-104 lead, and they still led 106-105 when Hield was stripped by Frank Mason with 17 seconds left. Graham took a pass in transition and was fouled at the other end. He then converted both free throws to give Kansas the lead.

After the Sooners called a timeout, Hield threw the ball away on the ensuing inbounds pass, and Mason added two more free throws with 8.6 seconds left for the final margin.

Hield finished 13 of 23 from the field, with eight 3-pointers. His 46 points matched Wayman Tisdale for the sixth-highest scoring game in Oklahoma history.

The Jayhawks looked like they would end the game in regulation after Hield made two free throws with 21.3 seconds left to tie the game 77-all. But after Mason charged the lane with six seconds left and missed the shot, Kansas forward Landen Lucas was called for a foul on the rebound.

Khadeem Lattin went to the line at the other end with two seconds left, but the 52 percent foul shooter clanked the front end of a 1-and-1 off the iron to force overtime.

The teams traded baskets in the extra session, and Ellis hit a 3-pointer from the wing to tie the game 86-all with 1:15 left. Both teams squandered chances to take the lead, and Selden’s open 3-pointer from the right wing at the buzzer came up short to force a second overtime.

Kansas also had the final shot in the second overtime after Isaiah Cousins missed at the rim and Spangler couldn’t get his tip to go. Mason again drove the left side of the lane, but this time he pulled up for a short jumper that was never close, and the game headed to a third OT.

The game shaped up as one between the brilliance of Hield and the balance of Kansas.

The Jayhawks controlled most of the first half, hit seven 3-pointers and twice took an 11-point lead. But every time things got comfortable, Hield put Kansas back on edge.

The senior answered with two foul shots when Kansas took a 24-16 lead, then provided a long jumper a couple minutes later. It was his 3-pointer when the Jayhawks had established a 32-21 lead late in the first half that once more changed the complexion of the game. After trading baskets, the Sooners closed the half with an 18-3 charge.

Woodard hit consecutive 3s and scored nine points during the run, but it was Hield who scored the final three from the foul line. The first two came after coach Bill Self bolted off the Kansas bench to protest a foul and was hit with a technical foul with 3.9 seconds remaining.

The Sooners slowly stretched their 44-40 halftime lead to 10 early in the second half, only for the Jayhawks to storm back before a frenzied, sold-out crowd packed inside the old fieldhouse.

As it turned out, both teams were only getting started.

TIP-INS

Oklahoma: Hield played 54 minutes, Spangler played 51 and Woodard 50. Woodard fouled out in the final seconds of the third overtime. … Oklahoma finished 16 of 33 from 3-point range.

Kansas: Ellis played 53 minutes. … Mason finished with 15 points and six assists. … The Jayhawks were 11 of 22 from beyond the arc. … The Jayhawks had 12 shots blocked by Oklahoma.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma hosts Kansas State on Saturday

Kansas is at Texas Tech on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

No. 20 Mizzou women fall at home to 12th-ranked Tennessee

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Diamond DeShields had 11 points and nine rebounds and Bashaara Graves scored 10 with eight boards and four assists to help No. 12 Tennessee beat 20th-ranked Missouri 71-55 on Monday night in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Jaime Nared scored 13 points and Mercedes Russell added 11 points and seven rebounds for Tennessee (10-3).

DeShields made a layup and a jumper to spark a 9-0 run to open the third quarter and push the Tennessee lead to 42-26. The Lady Vols led by at least 14 the rest of the way.

“Our press helped us out a lot,” DeShields said. “Keeping them in the front court for so long, when they did cross half court they didn’t have a lot of time to set up their offense. The shots they did get off, they were quick, they were off balance a lot of times and they were contested.”

Tennessee forced 14 turnovers, including seven steals, which it converted into 19 points.

“I thought it was important,” Tennessee coach Holly Warlick said of the full-court press. “Whether we got a steal or not, a lot of times they were getting across and starting their offense with 20 seconds. I thought that was huge for us.”

Missouri (13-1) shot 32.8 percent (21 of 64) from the field and made just 2 of 21 (9.5 percent) from 3-point range — both season lows. Missouri came in ranked 15th in the nation in field goal percentage at 47 percent.

“It was a tough game for us,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said. “(Tennessee) came out as the aggressors. They kind of threw the first punch and we took it. I felt like we got outplayed in pretty much every phase of the game. I think we will learn from this. We’ll make some adjustments and we’ll be better because of it.”

After trailing by as many as 13 points, Missouri closed the second quarter on a 9-3 run and pulled within seven, 33-26, at the break. The Tigers made four of their final five shots while Tennessee missed eight in a row.

Jordan Frericks led Missouri with 11 points and eight rebounds. Sierra Michaelis scored 10.

Tennessee made 22 of 32 free throws while the Tigers hit 11 of 17.

—

TIP-INS

Tennessee: The Lady Vols have the second-toughest schedule in the nation, ranking behind only Southern University. … Tennessee leads the series 7-1. … DeShields has reached double-figure scoring in nine of the last 10 games.

Missouri: The Tigers cracked the Top 25 for the first time since Jan. 9, 2006. It is their highest ranking since Dec. 30, 1984. … Monday night’s attendance of 7,989 was the fourth-biggest in school history and the largest at Mizzou Arena, which opened in Nov. 2004.

UP NEXT

Missouri visits Georgia Thursday.

Tennessee hosts Florida Thursday.

— Associated Press —

Northwest women remain winless in the MIAA with loss to RiverHawks

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Northwest2013riggertBy David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Despite Northeastern State knocking down four three-pointers in the opening minutes of the third quarter, Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball played with fire out of halftime. It was something the Bearcats were looking to do.

The Bearcats weathered the three-point barrage that put them down eight points, fought back and even took a slim lead midway through the third quarter.

Unfortunately, Northwest couldn’t sustain the momentum. The Bearcats went into the fourth quarter trailing by one and then gave up the first seven points. Northwest never recovered from the eight-point deficit and lost 66-60 Monday evening at Bearcat Arena.

“I told the girls after the game that we pretty much lost the game right at the tipoff,” Northwest interim head coach Buck Scheel said. “Defensively and offensively, we came out with no energy. That is not the team that I’ve been coaching and the team I’ve been dealing with every day in practice. After these close games we have had, they come in the next day ready to work and look forward to the next game.

“As soon as we started the game today, we were just flat. I don’t know if they are thinking about it too much, about how bad we need a win. We have to get it figured out. I’m running out of moral victory speeches. It is time to buy into yourself and into each other and go out and take care of it or it is not going to happen.”

Late in the second quarter and again in the third quarter, Northwest proved it had the offense and the character to overcome an adverse situation in a game.

The RiverHawks had a couple of stretches in the game when they were making three-pointers like they were layups. Leading 31-29 in the third, Northeastern got a three-pointer from junior Mary Jane Buschmann. Freshman Kylie Looney followed with a three, giving the RiverHawks a 37-29 lead.

Senior Tember Schechinger got the Bearcats rolling with a three-pointer. The RiverHawks answered with another three-pointer. Schechinger came right back with a three-pointer and then a two-point field goal, helping Northwest close to 40-37.

“We’ve been stressing on being positive and taking that step,” said Schechinger, who set a career-high in three-pointers with five and finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, her third double-double this season. “I’m a senior on the team and that starts with me. I had to come in with some momentum.”

Sophomore Tanya Meyer, who scored 19 points, made a field goal and suddenly Northwest trailed by just one point.

Meyer wasn’t done. She hit a three-pointer with 4:28 left in the third quarter that gave Northwest a 42-40 lead. But this was Northeastern’s night from the outside. Looney hit a three-pointer that put the RiverHawks ahead at 43-42.

“One thing we talked about the last few days was their ability to shoot the ball,” Scheel said. “As basketball players, you have to make those adjustments even more when they are getting hot and getting deeper and deeper. You have to close out that much harder.”

Northeastern took back the lead, 48-45, when freshman Cailyn Long hit another three-pointer for the RiverHawks. They entered the fourth quarter ahead 48-47. The Bearcats, though, outscored Northeastern 25-22 in the third quarter.

The Bearcats just couldn’t overcome two hot stretches from Northeastern from behind the arc.

“It is frustrating,” Schechinger said of the RiverHawks making so many three-pointers. “We just know we have to get out there no matter how deep they are. We knew they could shoot. Our coaches stressed that. We needed to get out there with high hands.”

Northwest showed its character by going into halftime down only 26-23. It could have been much worse.

The Bearcats struggled on offense through much of the first half. Two days ago, Northwest scored 21 points in the first quarter. On Monday, the Bearcats had 18 points late in the second quarter and needed a spurt to get there.

Northwest did finish strong. The Bearcats trailed 26-13 when they finally found an offensive rhythm.

A 10-0 run to end the second quarter started on a three-pointer by Schechinger with 2:17 left before halftime. Freshman Arbrie Benson followed with a strong drive to the basket for a layup.

Junior Jaylah Jackson finished the run with a 15-foot jumper followed by a three-point play.

“I was very happy about that and thought that could really push us through the third quarter,” Scheel said.

— Northwest Athletics —

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