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Author: Dave Riggert

Missouri State drops first Valley game at Illinois State

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riggertMSUNORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State knocked down 15 3-pointers, including 10 in the second half, and overcame an early 13-point lead by visiting Missouri State here Wednesday to defeat the Bears 74-61 in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams.

Illinois State (7-7) was unstoppable from 3-point range in the second half, knocking down two bonus balls in the first minute of the period to take the lead for the first time since the game’s opening moments. The Redbirds would hit 9 of their first 10 from bonus distance in the second stanza and finished the game 15-for-27 (.556), a Redbird Arena record and one shy of an MSU opponent record.

After leading 27-25 at the intermission, MSU (4-9) tied the game twice early in the second half and recaptured the lead twice – both on buckets by Dequon Miller. But a decisive 26-2 ensuing run by the Redbirds put the game out of reach. The Bears scored just one bucket in a seven-and-a-half minute stretch while ISU tallied five 3-pointers in that span, including four by Deontae Hawkins.

Hawkins led ISU with 17 points on 5-of-5 from bonus distance, while DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell came off the bench to score 14 for Illinois State, which improved to 6-2 at home this season.

Missouri State was led by Miller’s 17 points, while Camyn Boone tallied 12 with a game-high 8 rebounds.

ISU out-rebounded the Bears by a 31-26 margin, and both teams committed 12 turnovers.

In the first half, Missouri State used a 13-0 run to overcome an early four-point deficit and never trailed again before the intermission.

A pair of free throws from Miller sandwiched in between two layups by Boone gave the Bears a 21-8 lead with 6:13 left in the opening half – their largest advantage of the game. Illinois State then rallied behind the 3-point shot and knocked down five of them over the next four minutes to tie the game at 25. But two key jumpers late in the half by MSU freshman Jarred Dixon returned the advantage to the visitors before the break, and the Bears held off a last-second shot from ISU to go into the break with a two-point lead.

For the game, Missouri State converted 24-of-51 (.471) shots, went 6-of-13 (.462) from long range and made 7-of-9 (.778) free throws with 7 steals and 26 points in the paint.

After a dismal start from the field, ISU rallied to finish 25-of-51 (.490) from the field and 9-of-14 (.643) from the line with 6 steals and 31 bench points.

The Bears return home Saturday to begin a two-game Valley home stand against Evansville at 3 p.m., in a game that will be televised on FOX Sports Net. Tickets for Saturday’s game are available at MissouriStateBears.com/tickets or on game day only at the MSU Athletics Box Office at JQH Arena.

MSU’s home stand continues on Jan. 6 against Northern Iowa at 7:05 p.m. at The Q.

— MSU Athletics —

Nebraska comes up short at home against Northwestern

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riggertNebraskaLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Just a few days ago Dererk Pardon wasn’t even in Northwestern’s plans for this season. Wednesday, he was dominating Nebraska in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

The freshman had 28 points and 12 rebounds in his second college game and led his team back from a 12-point second-half deficit in an 81-72 victory.

The Wildcats (13-1) won their 10th straight game and are off to their best start since the 1930-31 season. The Cornhuskers (8-6) are 0-5 in Big Ten openers since joining the conference in 2011-12.

Pardon scored 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field in the second half, and he finished 11 for 14. Six of his seven offensive rebounds came after halftime.

Northwestern coach Chris Collins activated Pardon on Sunday because of a foot injury that will keep 7-foot senior Alex Olah out indefinitely.

“I’m happy coach Collins gave me the opportunity, my teammates believed in me and I just went out there and did what I was supposed to do — help my team win,” Pardon said.

Collins said he initially decided to redshirt Pardon because he didn’t think he would be able to give significant minutes to the 6-foot-8, 230-pounder from Cleveland. In addition to Olah, the Wildcats also have the 6-foot-10 Joey van Zegeren.

“Just an outstanding performance by a young player who we had really high hopes for coming in,” Collins said. “We thought we got a gem with him. He was an under-the-radar recruit that we felt had a chance to be really good, and his work ethic and his ability to be ready when called upon like he was when Alex went down was amazing.”

The Huskers had no answer for Pardon in the low post, and he scored nine points as the Wildcats were whittling a 51-39 deficit to three points. Scottie Lindsey’s 3-pointer from the corner tied it 60-all with seven minutes left.

“My coach told me to keep on attacking their guys and keep on attacking the glass,” Pardon said. “I saw that Nebraska got a little tired. I kept pushing and running and got open opportunities.”

Tre Demps finished with 17 points and Aaron Falzon had 12 for the Wildcats, who made 8 of 9 free throws in the last 1:34.

Andrew White made 5 of 8 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead the Huskers, and Benny Parker had career highs with 17 points and five 3s.

It was the second straight game Northwestern came back after being down double digits. The Wildcats erased a 14-point deficit to beat Loyola (Maryland) on Sunday. Pardon had six points and four rebounds in that game.

“The game was moving pretty fast for me, way different than high school,” he said. “I had to slow myself down. That’s what I felt I did this second game. I feel like Loyola was a big learning curve. I played hard. The mistakes I made that game I didn’t make this game.”

—

TIP-INS

Northwestern: The Wildcats held a 40-25 rebounding advantage. … Bryant McIntosh, coming off a 33-point game against Loyola, was held to 11 but had eight assists against one turnover.

Nebraska: Parker had seven assists and two steals to go with his 17 points and five 3s. … Lost for the first time in five all-time meetings with Northwestern in Lincoln.

NO SMILES FOR MILES

Northwestern’s 55-percent shooting and 46 points in the second half didn’t sit well with Nebraska coach Tim Miles, and neither did his team’s nearly five-minute field-goal drought late in the game.

“It was just a really disappointing game,” he said. “Down the stretch, I thought we got hesitant after Andrew went on his little burst and run. It seemed like after that no one wanted to shoot.”

WHO’S WALLY PIPP?

Collins joked that because of Pardon’s remarkable performance, Olah was going to have the same fate as Wally Pipp. Pipp is the New York Yankees player who sat out a game because of injury in 1925 and never got his starting job back. Lou Gehrig replaced him and started 2,130 consecutive games.

“He’s from Romania,” Collins said of Olah, “so he doesn’t know what a fastball or curveball is. I told Alex I have a project for you tonight. I want you go to home after practice, I want you get on your computer and I want you go google the name Wally Pipp.”

As Olah walked to the team bus Wednesday, a reporter asked him if he knew about Pipp. Olah smiled and said, “Oh, yeah.”

— Associated Press —

Kansas State women lose Big 12 opener against Iowa State

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riggertKansasStateMANHATTAN, Kan. – Trailing by 15 in the third quarter, Kansas State used a 28-point fourth quarter to rally back into the game but Iowa State held off the Wildcats for a 84-79 win at Bramlage on Wednesday night. The loss halted K-State’s win streak at seven games.

K-State’s Megan Deines led all scorers with a career-high 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including a career-high 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Breanna Lewis and Kindred Wesemann each added 16 points. Iowa State had four players in double figures, led by Jadda Buckley with 19 points, including 14 in the first half.

K-State came out slowly, as Iowa State opened with an 8-2 lead with 6:16 to play in the first quarter.  Deines drained a 3-pointer and Wesemann followed with a layup to pull the Wildcats to within one, 8-7, with five minutes remaining.

The Cyclones rebuilt their lead to eight at the end of the first quarter, outscoring K-State 14-7 in the final 4:59 of the opening stanza.

Kansas State held Iowa State scoreless for a three-minute stretch midway through the second quarter and cut the Cyclones’ lead to three, 31-28, with 1:54 to play following consecutive layups by Lewis.

Iowa State’s Buckley drained a pair of 3-pointers to end the opening half and push the Cyclones into a 37-28 lead at the break.

K-State shot 31.3 percent (10-of-32) from the field in the first half, while Iowa State shot 45.5 percent (15-of-33).

Iowa State missed its opening two shots from the field in the third quarter, then proceeded to knock down its next seven attempts to extend its lead to 56-41 with 4:10 to play.

K-State used a 7-0 run to close the gap to 56-48 with 1:25 to play, but Emily Durr of Iowa State scored eight points to close out the quarter and give the Cyclones a 64-51 lead at the end of three.

The Wildcats raced out to a 7-0 run to begin the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to 64-58 with 8:03 to play.

Deines scored four of the seven points, including a fast break layup to force an Iowa State timeout.  The Cyclones responded after the timeout with four quick points to restore a 68-58 lead with 7:08 remaining.

K-State used an 8-0 run over a two and a half minute stretch to pull to within three, 78-75, with 1:20 to play.

Wesemann drained a triple, while Lewis added a layup and free throw during the rally.

Iowa State would ice the game from the foul line, connecting on all six attempts in the final 27 seconds to seal the win.

K-State will start 2016 with a road trip to TCU on Saturday to face the Horned Frogs in the renovated Schollmaier Arena. Game time is 1 p.m.

— KSU Athletics —

KU women lose on the road at No. 18 Oklahoma

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riggertKUNORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Kaylon Williams had 21 points and nine rebounds and No. 18 Oklahoma beat Kansas 67-44 in a Big 12 opener on Wednesday night.

Williams, who averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds over the previous five games, had nine rebounds through three quarters but missed out on a fifth double-double in six games.

Oklahoma (10-2), coming off a 10-day layoff, won its 11th straight conference opener.

Derica Wyatt made four 3-pointers and scored 14 points for the Sooners, who outrebounded Kansas 47-30 — with 15 on the offensive end. Williams made nine of the Sooners’ 27 field goals.

Oklahoma led by 10 at halftime and went scoreless for the first three minutes of the third quarter, but Kansas could not take advantage and trailed by 11 entering the fourth.

Kylee Kopatich led Kansas (5-7) with 12 points and five rebounds. The Jayhawks were limited to 18-of-58 shooting.

— Associated Press —

City High School Basketball Scores – Tuesday, December 29

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riggertBasketballBOYS

NEOSHO HOLIDAY CLASSIC QUARTERFINALS
Lafayette 77 (9-0)
Sheffield (TN) 56

WILLIAM JEWELL TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS
Lee’s Summit West 59
Central 56 (5-4)

GIRLS

NEOSHO HOLIDAY CLASSIC QUARTERFINALS
Lafayette 51 (6-1)
Carthage 41

JEFFERSON CITY TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS
Benton 39 (9-0)
Jefferson City 36

Missouri cruises to 53-point win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Kevin Puryear scored 13 points to go with eight rebounds as Missouri defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 78-25 on Tuesday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.

It’s the lowest scoring total by a Missouri opponent since the Tigers defeated Iowa State 36-25 on Jan. 3, 1947.

Wes Clark added 11 points, two rebounds and three assists, shooting 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Clark has made seven 3-pointers in the last two games after making only eight in Missouri’s first 10 games.

Jakeenan Gant had seven points and a team-best 11 rebounds, aiding the Tigers on their way to a 56-30 rebounding margin, their largest of the season.

Russell Woods made his first career start for Missouri (6-6), scoring six points and grabbing 10 rebounds in 15 minutes. His rebound total matches the career high he had in Missouri’s 68-63 loss to Illinois last Wednesday.

The Tigers dominated out of the gate, using a 30-7 run that lasted 12:20 to secure a 39-12 halftime lead.

The Golden Lions (2-12) shot 15.4 percent from the field, the lowest percentage by a Missouri opponent since Texas A&M shot 24.1 percent on March 14, 2013, a game the Tigers won 62-50.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Thaddeus Handley had a team-high eight points to go with two rebounds and JoVaughn Love had seven points and one rebound. Love entered the game as the Golden Lions’ leading scorer, averaging 10.7.

Missouri enjoyed its largest margin of victory since defeating South Carolina State 102-51 on Dec. 17, 2012.

K.J Walton made his second start of the season for Missouri, adding seven points and two rebounds. Walton’s first start was in the season-opener against Wofford, when he had six points and two rebounds in an 83-74 victory.

Despite not scoring, Devin Berry led the Golden Lions with a career-high 10 rebounds. Berry was averaging only 1.8 rebounds per game heading into this game.

TIP-INS

Arkansas-Pine Bluff: The Golden Lions are in the midst of an 18-game road streak to start their season. … Jaquan Lynch had his four-game streak of at least one made 3-pointer snapped. … Arkansas-Pine Bluff is 0-20 against Southeastern Conference opponents.

Missouri: The Tigers have outrebounded five of their last seven opponents, including double-digit margins against Illinois and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. … Missouri leads the series 5-0. … Adam Wolf logged a season-high five minutes, scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds.

UP NEXT

Arkansas-Pine Bluff visits Mississippi Valley State Monday.

Missouri hosts Savannah State Saturday.

— Associated Press —

No. 2 Kansas uses big second half to take down Anteaters

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riggertKULAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Rarely does Kansas step on the court and feel the least bit intimidated.

Then again, rarely do the Jayhawks face a 7-foot-6 center.

Hesitant to drive against UC Irvine big man Mamadou Ndiaye during a sluggish first half, the second-ranked Jayhawks eventually got on track, pulling away for a 78-53 victory Tuesday night in their final tuneup before pursuing a 12th straight Big 12 championship.

“We weren’t attacking,” said Perry Ellis, who led the Jayhawks with 14 points. “We needed to start driving, kicking it, getting it in the lane. We started passing it a little too much.

“The second half we just attacked,” he said, “and good things happened.”

The Jayhawks (11-1) trailed 26-22 late in the first half. But a 22-2 spurt spanning halftime allowed them to seize control, and a couple of big baskets by Ellis put Irvine (10-5) away.

“We haven’t played against length like that, and probably won’t again, but their zone was long, active,” Jayhawks guard Devonte Graham said. “It just took a little adjustment.”

Frank Mason III added 13 points and Brannen Greene contributed 10 for the Jayhawks, who have won 10 straight since blowing a second-half lead in their lone loss to No. 1 Michigan State.

The Jayhawks still have a high-profile non-conference game against No. 10 Kentucky in late January at Allen Fieldhouse, but they will first turn their attention to Big 12 play. They face No. 23 Baylor on Saturday before getting a visit from No. 3 Oklahoma two days later.

They will have to play better than they did Tuesday night.

Especially in the first half.

The interior size of the Anteaters gave Kansas fits most of the game, with Ndiaye and 7-2 Ioannis Dimakopoulos taking turns in the post. Ndiaye finished with 12 points with a couple of highlight-worthy blocks, while Dimakopoulos had 10 points.

After scoring the game’s first seven points, the Jayhawks initially struggled to keep the game the kind of up-tempo affair they favor. That gave the Anteaters’ big post players a chance to get down the court and set up on defense, and force Kansas into taking a flurry of outside jumpers.

On one trip down court, the Jayhawks missed three consecutive 3-pointers.

“The 7-2 guy didn’t even look tall after he was out there,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of Ndiaye. “We didn’t come close to attacking the first half just because he was in the game.”

By the time Dimakopoulos hit his second 3-pointer, and Jaron Martin added a bucket a moment later, the Anteaters had built a 26-22 lead with 2:06 left in the first half.

The Jayhawks’ big run began quietly when Graham hit a 3 and Kansas managed to eke out a 28-26 halftime lead. But it was Ellis who came alive early in the second half, slithering and contorting his body around Ndiaye to score at the rim — despite giving up 10 inches.

Irvine coach Russell Turner grew so incensed that he let loose an expletive during a moment of quiet that was heard throughout Allen Fieldhouse. A few minutes later, Turner was so upset with the officiating that his complaints earned him a technical foul.

By that point, Kansas was well on its way to a 30th straight win at the Phog.

“I thought they played terrific. Give them credit, you know?” Turner said. “They jumped on us at the start of the game We withstood that — I was pleased with that. And the second half, it just seemed to me we weren’t able to generate that same kind of juice.”

SHORTENED ROTATION

Self indicated he wants to shorten his rotation, and eight guys played 10 minutes or more. But top prospect Carlton Bragg played 9 minutes and five-star recruit Cheick Diallo played 8, and the bench emptied with the game out of reach.

TIP-INS

UC Irvine: Sun Bowl Invitational MVP Luke Nelson was 0 for 6 from beyond the arc and totaled eight points. … The Anteaters finished a stretch of seven of eight away from home.

Kansas: Mason had six assists. … The Jayhawks’ win streak is their longest since 2012-13, when they won 18 in a row. … Kansas had been averaging 88 points per game.

UP NEXT

UC Irvine hosts New Mexico State on Saturday.

Kansas hosts No. 23 Baylor on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State ends non-conference play with easy win over Saint Louis

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riggertKansasStateMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Nearly one year ago to the day, Bruce Weber walked off the court at Bramlage Coliseum with his head down following back-to-back home losses to Texas Southern and Georgia as Kansas State concluded non-conference play 7-6.

On Tuesday, Weber had a smile on his face as he walked toward the locker room. Later, he used the words “proud” and “fun” to describe his new-look roster, which has jumped out to 10 wins while nearly knocking off ranked foes North Carolina and Texas A&M in the process.

“That was a turning point in the wrong direction last year,” Weber said. “We did recover a little bit and won same games to start the league, but we’re a much better team now. I’ve said it, they enjoy each other and it’s more fun to coach.”

Their latest win proves as much. Wesley Iwundu scored 13 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and passed around 4 assists, and Kansas State used a dominant second half to top Saint Louis 75-47 and enter conference play with a 10-2 record.

Kamau Stokes finished with 11 points and Justin Edwards 10 to go along with 6 rebounds. Seven players finished with 7 points or more.

The Wildcats have now reached 10 wins in non-conference play for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons and the first since the 2013-14 season.

“We have a clearer mind,” Iwundu said. “We’re not dealing with stuff off the court, away from basketball (like last year). We’re focused straight on basketball, and I think that will help this team focus moving forward in Big 12 play.”

The first half was marred by sloppy play as the two teams combined for 19 fouls and 17 turnovers. The final 20 minutes were dominated by Kansas State as Saint Louis, 5-7, shot just 25 percent from the field in the second half, including 2 of 14 from beyond the arc.

An Edwards 3-pointer with 7:20 left in the opening period gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game after opening 7 of 17 from the field. Stephen Hurt converted a 3-pointer with 54 seconds remaining as Kansas State closed the first half on a 6-0 run to take a 35-28 halftime lead.

An 8-2 run to begin the second half gave Kansas State its first double-digit lead of the game. The lead stretched on back-to-back buckets coming out of a timeout with 7:28 remaining in the game. Saint Louis managed just seven points from that point on, as Kansas State used a 21-3 run in the final four minutes, including 6 of 7 field goals, to grab the 28-point win.

“We still don’t have mentality for turnovers,” Saint Louis coach Jim Crews said. “That’s the Achilles’ heel of our team. A lot of times to start the second half we’re not very effective.”

The Billikens were led by Milik Yarbrough with 12 points and Ash Yacoubou with 10 points.

“We took a big step today,” Iwundu said. “We got a few days before it officially starts, so these next days will be important to tune up for the press that West Virginia will throw at us. We’re going in the right direction.”

TIP-INS

Kansas State: Tuesday’s win was the 50th for Wildcats coach Bruce Weber at Bramlage Coliseum. He is 50-7 all-time at Kansas State when playing at home. .The Wildcats have used the same lineup in all 12 games leading up to conference play.

Saint Louis: Return four starters from a team that posted an 11-21 record last season. .Saint Louis opened the season 4-0 and has since lost seven of its last eight games.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: Home against West Virginia on Saturday

Saint Louis: At Rhode Island on Saturday

— Associated Press —

No. 23 Mizzou women defeat Charlotte to tie school record 13-game win streak

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Playing in front of 6,154 fans at Mizzou Arena, Mizzou Women’s Basketball (13-0) extended its best start in program history and matched the longest win streak in program history on Tuesday evening with an 88-71 win over Charlotte (7-4). Four Tigers scored in double figures, led by junior forward Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.), who posted her 20th double-double of her career with 16 points and 15 rebounds.

“I’m appreciative of all the fans that showed up tonight. It was an incredible atmosphere,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “I’m really happy for our players to finish the nonconference schedule 13-0. It’s really exciting for us. I can assure you that we’re nowhere near satisfied with the big picture this season.”

Joining Frericks in double digits was junior guard Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) with 14 points, freshman forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) with 13 points, and senior guard Juanita Robinson (Chicago, Ill.) with 12. Porter was one rebound away from a double-double, finishing with nine boards. Redshirt junior guard Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) led the team in assists with five.

The Tigers dominated play inside the paint, outscoring Charlotte 38-24 inside the paint and outrebounding the 49ers, 42-31. Mizzou shot better than 50 percent from the field for the fifth time this season, converting 33-of-65 field goals (50.8 percent)

After an evenly matched first quarter, the Tigers trailed the 49ers 16-15. Charlotte scored the first basket of the second quarter, but Mizzou responded with a 20-4 run to gain the lead for the remainder of the game. By the end of the run, Mizzou had a 13-point lead, 35-22, with 3:06 to play in the first half. Lindsey Cunningham and Michaelis each had five points in the run. The Tigers shot 51.6 percent from the floor (16-of-31) in the half, outscored Charlotte 29-14 in the second quarter, and led 48-30 at the break.

Frericks scored 10 of her points and snagged 10 rebounds in the second half as the Tigers maintained its double-digit lead for the entire second half. Mizzou led by as much as 21 in the game, occurring twice in the second half. The first occurrence came after a three-pointer from Robinson with 5:36 remaining in the third quarter, and the second 31 seconds later after a successful jumper from Michaelis.

Mizzou will begin SEC play in its next contest, Monday, Jan. 4 against Tennessee. Tipoff from Mizzou Arena is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

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