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Author: Dave Riggert

Two Bearcats earn Central Region Track & Field Athletes of the Year

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The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has named a pair of Northwest Missouri State University indoor track and field competitors as its Central Region Track & Field Athletes of the Year.

Senior Kevin Schultz (Platte City, Missouri) has earned the Central Region Indoor Field Athlete of the Year. Schultz helped lead the Bearcats to a second-place finish at the MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships with an individual point total of 22.5 points. In the high jump, Schultz has jumped over 7’0″ seven times this season. He has a season-high jump of 7’1.75″ and he holds the school record, MIAA record and was the 2019 MIAA indoor champion. Schultz ranks No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in the region in the high jump. Schultz set the Northwest school record in the heptathlon with 5,309 points, while winning the MIAA indoor title. Schultz ranks No. 5 in the nation and No. 1 in the region in the heptathlon. He is also part of the NCAA automatic qualifier in the 4×400 relay at the MIAA championship meet. Schultz will compete in the heptathlon, high jump and 4×400 relay at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Freshman Omar Austin (Tampa, Florida) has been named the Central Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Austin ran the ninth-fastest Division II time all-time in the 400 meters with a time of :46.49 in winning the MIAA indoor title. He holds the second-fastest time in the nation in the 400 meters and will run at the NCAA Championships. He is also a member of the NCAA automatic qualifier in the 4×400 relay at the MIAA championship meet. Austin ran an anchor leg of :45.9 in helping Northwest take the 4×400 relay title, which automatically qualified for the NCAA meet. Austin will also compete in the 200 meters at the NCAA Championships as he possesses the eighth-best time nationally and second-best in the region (:21.32).

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri women close regular season with 82-47 win over Alabama

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (21-9, 10-6) dominated en route to an 82-47 victory over Alabama (13-16, 5-11) on Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Arena for Senior Day. This year’s seniors – Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.),Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) and Lauren Aldridge (Marshfield, Mo.) – were honored prior to tipoff, and led Mizzou to victory, as they combined to score 40 points in their final games at Mizzou Arena.

The Tigers began the game on fire, opening the game on a 10-0 run. Alabama battled back in the second quarter, but Mizzou once again pulled away in the second half. The 35-point victory is the largest of the season over an SEC opponent as four Tiger players scored in double digits for the third time this season. Cunningham, redshirt junior Hannah Schuchts (Tallahassee, Fla.), Porter and redshirt freshman Haley Troup (Gadsden, Ala.) scored 22, 12, 11 and 10 points respectively.

Mizzou shot prolifically from beyond the arc, as Cunningham was 5-for-9 and Schuchts was a perfect 4-for-4. Aldridge knocked in two herself and junior Jordan Roundtree (St. Louis, Mo.) added one as Mizzou sank 15 threes, its second-highest total of the season behind the 16 Mizzou drained against Duke on Nov. 25.

TURNING POINT

Mizzou stifled Alabama on both sides of the court in the first quarter, holding the Crimson Tide offense to just two field goals while stealing the ball four times. On offense, the Tigers shot the ball productively, scoring 21 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. Alabama narrowed the margin in the second quarter to nine, but the Tigers went on a 6-0 run in the last minute and didn’t look back for the rest of the game.

TOP TIGERS

  • In her final game at Mizzou Arena, Cunningham shot 50 percent from the field (6-for-12), as she scored 22 points, dished out five assists and pulled in eight rebounds, all team highs.
  • Porter, also in her final home game, scored 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field and snagged three steals while grabbing seven rebounds.
  • Schuchts was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc as she scored 12 points and blocked one shot.

NOTES

  • With the win, Mizzou finishes the season 10-6 in SEC play, marking the third straight season with 10+ conference wins for the first time since 1983-85, which were the first three seasons of round-robin play in the Big Eight Conference.
  • In the final game of the regular season, the Tigers faced off against Alabama for the first time this season. With an 82-47 victory, the Tigers advance the all-time series to 7-4.
  • The Tigers launched a balanced offensive attack, with four separate players reaching double-digits. Cunningham, Porter, Schuchts and Troup all scored at least 10 points. This marks just the third time this season four players have reached double-digits.
  • Mizzou’s 82-point performance is the second highest point total recorded by the Tigers this season, trailing only the 89 points scored against Western Illinois to start the season on Nov. 6.
  • Mizzou has now won the last three senior nights, dating back to a 100-65 victory over Ole Miss (2/23/17).
  • The Tigers held Alabama to 47 points in the game, marking the 25th time in 30 games Mizzou has held its opponent to 65 points or less.
  • In her final game at Mizzou Arena, Cunningham earned a standing ovation from the crowd as she left the court. She logged 22 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. This marks Cunningham’s 13th 20-point game of the season and the 46th of her career at Mizzou.
  • With her 22 points, Cunningham has now logged at least 10 points in 12 straight games. She has now reached double digits in 24 of the 30 games this season.
  • Aldridge recorded seven points in her final regular season game as a Tiger, as well as five assists. This marks just the second game this season Aldridge has reached five assists, the last coming against Texas A&M (2/7/19).
  • The Tigers recorded 11 steals against the Crimson Tide, tying the team season high of 11 steals, accomplished against Texas State (12/17/18).
  • Mizzou drained 15 three pointers as a team, falling just short of a season high. The team recorded 16 threes against Duke on Nov. 25.
  • Mizzou shot 53.8 percent from the field (28-for-52), marking the 16th time in the last 18 games Mizzou has shot better than 40 percent from the field. The Tigers move to 5-0 when shooting above 50 percent from the field.

UP NEXT

Next, Mizzou travels to Greenville, S.C. for the SEC Tournament. The Tigers will be the No. 5 seed for the tournament, and will play the winner of Ole Miss/Florida on Thursday, March 7. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network, and will begin 25 minutes after the conclusion of the day’s first game, which is slated to start at 11 a.m. CT.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Griffons come up short at Washburn 93-90 in season finale

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TOPEKA, Kan. – Just four days after nearly upsetting the top-ranked team in the nation at Northwest Missouri, Missouri Western (12-18, 6-13 MIAA) had a chance in the final minute to tie the second place team in the MIAA at Washburn (22-6, 15-4 MIAA). The Griffons’ potential game-tying three was no good as Washburn survived the 93-90 scare on Saturday.

NOTABLES

  • Washburn had the advantage out of the opening tip, jumping out to a 13-point lead with nine minutes to play in the first half.
  • The Missouri Western offense then began to find its rhythm, making eight of its next 11 shots and all seven free-throw attempts on a 26-9 run to take a 39-35 lead in the first half.
  • Washburn’s three-pointer in the final seconds of the first half gave the Ichabods a 46-43 edge at the halftime break.
  • Tyus Millhollin’s 15 points and four triples led all scorers at the half.
  • Washburn stretched its lead to a game-high 18 points on a Javion Blake three-pointer while the Ichabods held the Griffons to just two field goals in the first seven minutes of the second half.
  • Lavon Hightower scored eight-straight points for the Griffons to pull Missouri Western within reach at 88-85 with less than two minutes to play.
  • After Washburn increased its lead to six in the final minute, Tyrell Carroll converted the and-one layup to make it 93-90 with 27 seconds remaining.
  • Missouri Western then fouled Washburn’s Tyler Geiman, who missed both free throws, giving the Griffons a chance to tie the game.
  • The Griffons went to Hightower for the game-tying attempt in the final seconds, but the senior’s three was off as Washburn held on for the win.
  • Hightower and Carroll combined for 19 of the team’s final 21 points.
  • Missouri Western’s 12 wins this season is more than each of the last two seasons.
  • Hightower set a new Missouri Western single-season record with 231 total rebounds (7.7 per game) this season.
  • Hightower’s 562 points this season is the third-most in the last 20 seasons at Missouri Western.

LEADERS

  • Hightower stuffed the stat sheet in his final game as a Griffon, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.
  • Tyrell Carroll posted a team-high 23 points to go along with nine boards and four assists.
  • Millhollin added 20 points and five-made three’s
  • Senior Bryan Hudson finished with 16 points.

— MWSU Athletics —

Watson helps Missouri pull away and beat South Carolina

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The youth movement has helped sustain Missouri basketball all season. A trio of freshmen — Javon Pickett, Xavier Pinson and Torrence Watson — have given hope to Tigers fans in a year where postseason play is unlikely.

Watson was the star against South Carolina on Saturday. The freshman guard scored 20 points and showcased his range, hitting a pair of clutch 3s down the stretch to keep the Gamecocks at bay. Missouri proceeded to defeat South Carolina 78-63.

The Gamecocks cut the Tigers’ lead from 10 to four with 5:54 remaining. On the next possession, Watson drilled a 3-pointer. After another Gamecocks’ basket, Watson knocked down a triple to extend Missouri’s lead to eight with 4:34 left.

Missouri (13-15, 4-12 Southeastern Conference) held off South Carolina’s push from that point on. It was Watson’s second consecutive game as the team’s leading scorer. He finished 4 for 9 from beyond the arc.

“Tonight, I was just feeling it,” Watson said. “My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball. It makes a really big difference when you see shots go in.”

Hassani Gravett led South Carolina (14-15, 9-7) with 20 points. But the team’s leading scorer for the season, forward Chris Silva, was in foul trouble all game and fouled out with 1:44 remaining. He played just 15 minutes and scored 12 points.

“(Silva) creates a lot of activity on both sides of the ball,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. “When he’s in foul trouble, that’s a different team.”

The Tigers took advantage of Silva’s limited time. Forward Kevin Puryear scored 18 points, including 8 for 9 from the free-throw line. Puryear is averaging 6.9 points per game and has not scored in double-digits in conference play this season.

“I’ve really been struggling in SEC play as far as putting the ball in the hole,” Puryear said. “To finally see the ball go through the rim like that is a good feeling.”

The Gamecocks also played without their second leading scorer, freshman A.J. Lawson, who suffered a low left ankle sprain in the second half of South Carolina’s game against Alabama on Tuesday.

“Like I tried to tell the team, life is not about trying to figure out what you don’t have, it’s figuring out what you do have, and make it work,” South Carolina coach Frank Martin said. “We’ve got two games left and we’ve got to make it work.”

BIG PICTURE

South Carolina: The Gamecocks faced an uphill climb to reach tournament play entering Saturday. A loss to Missouri may have killed their chances. South Carolina will likely have to win out in the regular season and put together a strong conference tournament showing to be considered for the tourney.

Missouri: The Tigers have played tough in recent home games, and this was another example. Missouri is not in the tournament picture, but play like today’s could help the Tigers reach the .500 mark by the end of the season.

FADING AWAY

In his postgame press conference, Frank Martin emphasized South Carolina’s fatigue in the second half, where it was outscored 49-38 and outrebounded 19-12.

“I was scared that we’d get tired, which happened,” he said. “We’re in a place where we’re very shorthanded, obviously, and have no depth.”

FRESH ON THE SCENE

Entering Saturday, 62.2 percent of Missouri’s scoring this season had come from freshmen and sophomores. Watson’s game-high 20 points marked the third time in the last five games a freshman led the Tigers in scoring.

UP NEXT

South Carolina will play visitor to Texas A&M on Tuesday.

Missouri plays its final road game on Wednesday against Georgia.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western women fall at Washburn 78-68

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TOPEKA, Kan. – Missouri Western Women’s Basketball (13-15, 8-11 MIAA) outscored Washburn (19-9, 14-5 MIAA) by eight in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome an 18-point first-half deficit, as the Ichabods beat the Griffons 78-68 on Saturday afternoon.

NOTABLES

  • Washburn held a five-point lead after a low-scoring first quarter that featured just two made baskets in the final four minutes of the quarter.
  • The second quarter proved to be the most costly for the Griffons, as the Ichabods closed the half on a 21-5 run to take a 40-22 lead at the half.
  • Katrina Roenfeldt paced the Missouri Western offense with 10 points in the first half.
  • Missouri Western used an 11-3 run to open the fourth quarter, cutting the Washburn deficit to just nine points with seven minutes left to play.
  • After Washburn stretched its lead back to 14 points in the final quarter, the Griffons fought back again to trail 70-62 with just over two minutes remaining.
  • Washburn made all six of their free throws in the final two minutes to pull away for the 10-point win.
  • The Griffons shot 46 percent in the second half compared to just 30 percent before halftime.
  • Washburn’s offensive ball movement resulted in 21 team assists.
  • The Griffons had the advantage in turnovers, forcing 18 in the game.

LEADERS

  • Roenfeldt finished the game with a team-high 15 points.
  • Jessica Davies scored 14 points with 11 of those coming in the second half.
  • Anastacia Johnson pulled down a career-high eight rebounds.

UP NEXT

  • Griffon Women’s Basketball will open play in the MIAA Championships on Wednesday, March 6 against Nebraska-Kearney. The Griffons are the No. 9 seed and Nebraska-Kearney is the No. 8 seed.

    The game will tip-off at 6 p.m. in historic Municipal Auditorium. It will be the second consecutive year the two teams meet in the opening round of the MIAA’s postseason tournament. Missouri Western made history as the first-ever No. 12 seed to win a game in the MIAA Championships with a 60-57 win over the No. 5-seeded Lopers. Nebraska-Kearney won the only meeting this season, 62-53 on Jan. 26 in Kearney.

    Tickets are available now at the Missouri Western ticket office. All-session pass tickets, which include all 18 games, are on sale for $50. Adult single session tickets are available for $20 with student tickets priced at $5. Tickets purchased in advance through the Griffon Ticket Office are cheaper than those sold at the tournament gate. To purchase tickets, call 816-271-4481 or visit the lobby of the Griffon Indoor Sports Complex.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 15 Kansas rallies to avoid upset at Oklahoma State

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STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — After nearly knocking off No. 11 Texas Tech, Oklahoma State was in position to take down No. 15 Kansas.

Again, the Cowboys came up short.

Kansas escaped with a 72-67 victory Saturday, with Dedric Lawson scoring 20 points and matching a season high with 15 rebounds. He also had three steals for his 18th double-double of the season.

Quentin Grimes added 17 points for the Jayhawks (22-7, 11-5 Big 12), who have won five of their last six games.

“We did play with a sense of urgency, even thought it may not have turned out the way we wanted to, but I wouldn’t have blamed it on that at all,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “It wasn’t because we played poorly, it was just because Oklahoma State played well.”

Cam McGriff had 19 points and eight rebounds for Oklahoma State (10-19, 3-13) before fouling out with 1:38 remaining. Curtis Jones had 19 points and five rebounds off the bench.

“I’ll say this about my team, they embody the spirit that I want this program to be about,” OSU coach Mike Boynton said. “They’re doing probably one of the hardest things to do, which is not allowing the results to affect the process. They’re trying to make sure that their process gives them a chance to affect the results.”

The Cowboys, who led most of the way, have lost three in a row and eight of nine, including the 84-80 overtime loss to Texas Tech three days earlier.

“I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating,” McGriff said. “We just keep on building that foundation brick by brick. If we come out and continue to play like we’ve been playing, good things will come. We definitely don’t take any moral victories, but we can definitely say we’re heading in the right direction.”

McGriff’s layup and free throw with 4:02 remaining gave Oklahoma State a 67-64 lead. But the Cowboys didn’t score again, missing their last five shots. With Kansas up 68-67 and 14 seconds left, Thomas Dziagwa missed a 3-pointer.

After Lawson made two free throws, Lindy Waters had an open 3 from the right corner with seven seconds to go, but it bounced off the rim. Waters, who hit 7 of 10 from beyond the arc against Texas Tech on Wednesday, entered the day leading the Big 12 with a .469 3-point shooting percentage.

“At the end of the day,” Boynton said. “We got what we wanted, we had the best 3-point shooter in the conference. That’s why you don’t get caught up in that. You can’t. I’ll take that shot again if we had to go play it over right now.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: The Jayhawks had their worst first-half shooting percentage of the season, connecting on just 33 percent, including just 3 of 12 from 3-point range. They missed their last four of the half and the first two of the second before things got better.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys have been doing well of late with 3-pointers. They made 11 of 29 (38 percent), including 7 of 14 in the first half. That came after Oklahoma State hit a school-record 17 3-pointers in the OT loss to Texas Tech.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

Kansas connected on 20 of 23 free throws while Oklahoma State was 2 of 5. There were a number of contentious calls that had the home fans booing. “I’m going to leave that alone,” Boynton said. “It is what it is, they called them. They’re not going to change it now.”

TIP-INS

Kansas outrebounded Oklahoma State 41-34, including a 19-14 advantage in the second half. . After Dziagwa and Waters combined to make 13 of 19 3-pointers against Texas Tech, the duo was a combined 5 of 16 on Saturday. . The 17 points by Grimes was the most he’s scored since he had 19 in a 77-60 loss to Iowa State on Jan. 5.

UP NEXT

Kansas: The Jayhawks visit Oklahoma on Tuesday in hopes of a season sweep. They won the first game 70-63 on Jan. 2.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys play at Baylor on Wednesday, looking to avenge their 73-69 loss at home Jan. 14.

— Associated Press —

MWSU baseball defeats No. 25 Missouri Southern to win series

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JOPLIN, Mo. – Griffon Baseball claimed a series win over No. 25 Missouri Southern with a 5-4 victory on Saturday in Joplin.

Missouri Western (7-6, 5-1) broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the third and added two more in the seventh to take the series two games to one over the Lions (11-5, 4-2).

NOTABLES

  • All three games in the series were decided by one run
  • Southern had two runners in scoring position with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but scored its fourth run on what ended up being a game-ending double play
  • Zach Pych gave the Griffons their first run when he led off the third with a triple then scored on a passed ball
  • Andrew Curry drove in two with a two-out single to give MWSU a 3-0 lead
  • Fahd Shakeel drove in the first of two runs in the seventh with a single
  • Casey Danley scored the Griffons’ fifth run on a muffed throw to third while he was stealing third
  • Jacob Miller allowed just one run through an 1 2/3, but exited in the second inning after fielding a ground ball
  • After two weeks of MIAA play, MWSU is tied atop the conference standings with Central Missouri

LEADERS

  • Jacob Cooper (2-0) picked up the win in relief, allowing three hits through two innings
  • Pych went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, a triple and a run scored
  • Danley went 2-for-5 with two runs scored
  • Josh Robinson went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two walks
  • Curry drove in two runs on his one hit

UP NEXT

  • MWSU was originally scheduled for a two-game home series with Southern Indiana on March 5th and 6th, that series has been canceled
  • The Griffons next scheduled series is a three-game home series with Northeastern State (2-15, 1-5), March 8-10.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest baseball gets swept by Central Oklahoma

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EDMOND, Oklahoma – The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team completed a three-game sweep of the Northwest Missouri State University baseball team on Saturday, 7-0.

Senior pitcher Gabe Littlejim got the start on the mound for the Bronchos and held Northwest (6-10, 2-3 MIAA) to two hits in six innings of work. Littlejim struck out eight and did not walk a batter.

UCO broke through with single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to take a 3-0 lead. The Bronchos would add a four-spot in the sixth to up their margin to 7-0.

Sophomore righty Max Spitzmiller started the contest on the bump for the Bearcats and pitched five and 2/3 innings giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits. Spitzmiller struck out six on the day.

The final Brochos run came off senior pitcher Jarret Cronin and was not earned. Freshman Gibson Brown and Thomas Henrichs also made scoreless appearances in the contest.

Northwest bats just couldn’t get hot in this MIAA matchup with the Bronchos, recording only nine hits total during the three-game set.

NOTES: Senior infielder Logan Rycraft extends his team-best reached base streak to seven games … Gibson lowered his team-best earned run average to 1.72 through 15 2/3 innings pitched … Derek Hussey and Alixon Herrera share the team lead with 21 hits on the season … Connor Quick has a team-best .357 batting average with 20 hits on the year.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri State loses at home to Drake 73-62

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Nick McGlynn had 22 points and 13 rebounds as Drake topped Missouri State 73-62 on Saturday to win at least a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title.

Tremell Murphy had seven rebounds for Drake (23-8, 12-6).

Jarred Dixon had 18 points for the Bears (16-15, 10-8). Tulio Da Silva added 17 points. Keandre Cook had 10 points and three blocks.

The Bulldogs improve to 2-0 against the Bears on the season. Drake defeated Missouri State 74-63 on Jan. 20. The Bulldogs and the Bears next take the floor in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

— Associated Press —

Benton girls, Lafayette boys win district championships Friday

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The Benton girls and Lafayette boys each won a Class 4 District 16 championship Friday night at Winnetonka High School.

The Cardinals clobbered Smithville 54-36 for their fifth district title in six years, while the Fighting Irish won their fourth straight district championship with a 57-53 victory over Winnetonka.

In the girls game, Benton scored the first eight points of the game and they were never threatened. The Cardinals led 20-10 after the first quarter and then extended the lead to 39-19 at halftime. Smithville only got as close as 11 points in the second half as Benton improves to 23-2 this season.

Gabby Fuller led the Cards with 25 points as they advance to the Class 4 Sectionals Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. against Lincoln Prep at Liberty North High School.

In the boys game, Lafayette had to rally for a win against the Griffins. Winnetonka led the back-and-forth game after three quarter, but the Fighting Irish then used a 14-0 run to start the fourth quarter and they never trailed again.

Ike Book led Lafayette with 22 points as they improve to 18-7. The Fighting Irish will play Kansas City Southeast at 7:30 Tuesday at Liberty North High School.

Both Sectional games will air on 680 KFEQ and you can click here to listen.

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