Dave Riggert – Page 522 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Kansas women fall at home to UMKC 47-44

Posted on December 10, 2015December 10, 2015

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball couldn’t overcome a slow start and cold shooting, as UMKC defeated the Jayhawks, 47-44, inside Allen Fieldhouse Thursday night.

After trailing 9-2 after the opening quarter of the game, the Jayhawks (4-4) wasn’t able to establish a rhythm, finishing the contest shooting 28 percent from the field and netting a season-low 44 points. UMKC (2-7) shot only 35 percent, but converted 9-of-15 free throws, which proved to be the difference at the end of the night.

Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich led the team in scoring for the second time this season with 14 points, and tacked on a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge was the only other Jayhawk to score in double-figures with 10 points, marking her seventh game this season recording 10 or more points. Junior forward Jada Brown led the team in rebounds with seven, paired with four points.

Kiana Law led the way for UMKC, scoring 20 of the Roos’ 47 points. She posted a double-double with 10 rebounds along her 20 points. Samantha Waldron tallied 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting, including two three-pointers for the Roos.

Thursday’s action got off to a slow start, with neither team scoring until under the seven-minute mark. UMKC scored the first points of the evening, and the Jayhawks answered two possessions later. The two teams remained tied at two each until a UMKC trey with less than five minutes left in the quarter, which sparked a 7-0 run to finish the opening period.

While Kansas forced four turnovers in the first ten minutes, it still faced a 9-2 deficit heading into the second quarter after shooting 1-18 to start the game.

Exactly one minute into the second quarter, Aldridge hit a three from the top of the arc, injecting some much needed energy into the cold-shooting Jayhawks. Kansas proceeded to take off on a 10-0 run over nearly five minutes of game time, turning an eight-point deficit into a two-point advantage. After UMKC ended the Jayhawks’ run with a layup to tie the game, both teams shot 1-7 from the field to finish the half. The Roos’ six-point second quarter was the lowest-scoring quarter for any Kansas opponent this season.

The Jayhawks emerged from the locker room leading 17-15 over the visitors, looking to improve on their shooting after a 20 percent performance in the first half. Baskets from the three-point line began to fall for Kansas in the third quarter, making three of its first six attempts.

Aldridge’s second three of the night at the 3:51 mark gave the Jayhawks a five-point lead, their largest of the night. The Roos responded with a 9-0 run to close out the quarter, taking a four-point lead into the final ten minutes of action. All three of Kansas’ third-quarter baskets came from beyond the three-point line, marking the first time all season that the Jayhawks did not record a two-point field goal in a quarter. Kansas did remain perfect from the free throw line, draining all five of its attempts.

Shooting struggles persisted for both teams in the fourth quarter, with both squads enduring scoring droughts of more than three minutes.

With 4:41 remaining in the game, the Jayhawks cut the UMKC lead to just two points with layups from Kopatich and Brown. Out of the timeout, freshman forward Tyler Johnson and UMKC’s Kiana Law traded baskets for the next four possessions, as the Roos held onto their narrow lead.

Kansas missed the mark on its next four attempts, and a three from UMKC’s Waldron extended the Roos’ lead to five with under a minute to play.

After forcing the Roos to protect their lead from the free throw line, Kopatich popped a three to bring the Jayhawks within one point with 10 seconds the play. UMKC beat the full court pressure to put in a layup in the final moments of the game, and Aldridge’s potential game-tying three fell short as the buzzer sounded, giving UMKC the victory, 47-44.

— KU Athletics —

Three Tigers named to All-SEC Freshman Football Team

Posted on December 10, 2015December 10, 2015

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A trio of Mizzou Football standouts were named All-SEC Freshman Team selections as the league announced on Thursday (Dec. 9). DT Terry Beckner, Jr. (East St. Louis, Ill.), DE Walter Brady (Florence, Ala.) and P Corey Fatony (Franklin, Tenn.) were the three Mizzou players selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team. Mizzou’s three All-Freshman honorees rank as the third-most of any team in the SEC, trailing only Alabama and Texas A&M, who each had four.

Mizzou has now had five players land on the All-SEC Freshman Team since joining the league for the 2012 season and this is the first time since 2013 Mizzou has had an All-SEC Freshman honoree.

Beckner was one of the nation’s most dominant freshmen as a DT before being sidelined by injury on the first play vs. BYU on Nov. 14. In what turned out to be just nine games worth of work, Beckner tallied 27 total tackles (13 solo) while tallying eight tackles-for-loss and three sacks. His eight TFLs were the most among Mizzou interior linemen and he was playing his best football before getting hurt vs. BYU. In the previous four games prior to BYU, Beckner tallied five of his eight TFLs, 18 (10 solo) of his 27 tackles and all three of his sacks. He was one of eight true freshmen to see the field for Mizzou in 2015.

As good as Beckner was along the defensive line, Brady may have been the most productive freshman defensive lineman in the nation in 2015. He tied for the team lead in sacks (seven) and was second on the team with 12.5 tackles for loss with an interception, two pass break-ups, seven quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery. His seven sacks led all freshmen nationally and he ranked eighth in the SEC in that category. His 12.5 TFLs ranked 14th in the SEC and no freshman in the SEC had more sacks or TFLs than Brady. He was a Hendricks Award Watch List honoree midway through 2015.

Fatony, who earned the team’s Special Forces Player of the Year, was tremendous as the team’s starting punter. Fatony set the Mizzou single season record with 81 punts, passing a record that had stood at Mizzou since 1995. He was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List and was the Ray Guy National Player of the Week following Mizzou’s game against Florida (Oct. 10) in which he punted nine time while averaging 47.8 yards per punt with a career-long of 61 yards, pinning the Gators inside the 20 four times with three kicks over 50 yards. He finished the season ranked first among freshmen nationally in net punting, averaging 42.9 yards per punt.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Boone leads Missouri State to 88-74 win over IUPUI

Posted on December 10, 2015December 10, 2015

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Camyn Boone scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Missouri State to an 88-74 comeback win over IUPUI on Thursday night.

Chris Kendrix and Dorrian Williams added 19 points apiece and Dequon Miller had 15 for Missouri State (3-5), which forced 16 turnovers and went 23 of 27 from the line.

Trailing 42-33 at the break, Missouri State opened the second half with a 20-6 surge that included 3-pointers from Williams and Miller. IUPUI (3-8) tied the game at 56, 58, 60 and 62 before the Bears took control for good with six straight free throws and hung on down the stretch.

Darell Combs had 20 points for IUPUI, while Matt O’Leary added 16 points to go with eight rebounds and Jordan Pickett had 12 points.

It was the first meeting between the two programs.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis signs relief pitcher Jonathan Broxton to a two-year contract

Posted on December 10, 2015December 10, 2015

ST. LOUIS, Mo., December 10, 2015 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced Thursday that they have signed free-agent right-handed reliever Jonathan Broxton to a two-year (2016-17) contract. Broxton, who was acquired by the Cardinals in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers this past August, rejoins the team that he’d helped to win the 2015 National League Central title.

Broxton, 31, was 3-3 with a 2.66 ERA in his 26 games with St. Louis last season, striking out 26 batters in 23.2 innings pitched. He allowed just one run in his 12 appearances (12.0 IP; 0.75 ERA) at Busch Stadium in 2015.

A two time (2009-10) All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Broxton is 39-35 career with a 3.23 ERA and 118 saves (10th among active pitchers). The 6-4, 305-pound Georgia native combined for 63 strikeouts in 60.1 IP between the Cardinals and Brewers last season, averaging 9.4 strikeouts per 9 IP.

Broxton, who had a career-high 36 saves for the Dodgers in 2009, has appeared in 608 games with the Dodgers (2005-11), Kansas City (2012), Cincinnati (2012-14), Milwaukee (2014-15) and St. Louis (2015).

— Cardinals Press Release —

Griffons’ Jordan named AFCA All-American for second straight season

Posted on December 10, 2015December 10, 2015

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western cornerback Mike Jordan has been named an American Football Coaches Association All-American, becoming the first Griffon to earns the honor twice while at MWSU.

The senior cornerback is the only representative of the MIAA on the team and he is one of six repeat selections. Jordan was named a unanimous First Team All-MIAA selection, as well as First Team All-Super Region Three by the College Commissioner’s Association. Jordan is also a nominee for the Cliff Harris award, given to the nation’s top small college defensive player and has received invites to the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFLPA Bowl.

The St. Louis native wrapped up his Griffon career as a three-time first team All-MIAA selection and four time member of the All-MIAA team. In 2012, Jordan was honored as the MIAA Freshman of the year. In 2015, Jordan totaled 41 tackles with a team-high five interceptions, 17 pass break ups and 22 passes defended (2nd in the nation). His 16 career interceptions are tied for second most in MWSU history.

In 2011, Greg Zuerlein was named to the AFCA All-America team for the second time in his career, the first coming while he was at the then University of Nebraska-Omaha.

— MWSU Athletics —

Former Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel to be inducted into Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

Posted on December 10, 2015

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Former Mizzou Football head coach Gary Pinkel has been selected for enshrinement into the Missouri Sports Hall Of Fame, as announced by Jerald Andrews, the President and Executive Director of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, on Wednesday (Dec. 9). Pinkel will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on January 31 in Springfield, Mo. Also of note to Mizzou fans, former Track & Field standout Natasha (Kaiser) Brown and the 1966 Mizzou Football team that won the Sugar Bowl will also be enshrined in the 2016 class.

The Enshrinement is 5 p.m. Sunday, January 31, at the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Springfield. An 11 a.m. reception presented by Meeks The Builder’s Choice is scheduled at the Hall of Fame, 3861 E. Stan Musial Drive. Afternoon activities begin at 4 p.m. with a reception at University Plaza, and the program will follow immediately afterward. Individual tickets are $150, and a table of 10 is $1,500. For tickets, call the Hall of Fame at 417-889-3100.

Pinkel, 63, transformed Mizzou into a national program after taking over on Nov. 30, 2000, and will conclude his career as the winningest coach in school history. He’s amassed a 118-73 record at Mizzou in 15 seasons, and his 191 career wins stand as the 19th-most all-time in NCAA FBS history. Under his guidance, Mizzou won five conference divisional titles (2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014), reached 10 bowl games (winning six) and had five teams post a final top-20 national ranking (including two top-five finishes). His Tigers posted winning seasons in 10-of-15 years, following a stretch where Mizzou had only two winning seasons in the 17 seasons (1984-2000) prior to his arrival. He was named the National Coach of the Year in 2007 by FieldTurf, and won conference coach of the year honors in 2007 (Big 12) and 2014 (SEC).

Two times, Pinkel likely had his Tigers one win away from playing for a national championship, as wins in the 2007 and 2013 conference championship games could have propelled MU into title game appearances. In 2007, Mizzou surged to the school’s first-ever number one national ranking since 1960 after a watershed win over rival Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium on Nov. 24, 2007, when the Tigers were ranked fourth and the Jayhawks second coming into the game. That team would eventually end the season with a school-record 12 wins that included a Cotton Bowl title and final national ranking of fourth.

Pinkel worked perhaps his finest coaching job in 2013, one year after Mizzou joined the vaunted Southeastern Conference and suffered an injury-plagued 5-7 season in 2012. Picked to finish sixth in the SEC Eastern Division by pre-season pundits, the Tigers jumped out to a 7-0 record and finished 11-1 and East Division champs. They would go on to a 12-win season, with another Cotton Bowl title, and final national ranking of fifth.

Pinkel’s emphasis on molding young men into successful student-athletes was evidenced by the great achievements they had in the classroom. Mizzou has improved its NCAA Graduation Success Rate for nine straight years, and has graduated 97 percent of its seniors the past five seasons.

Getting athletes to the next level has been another mark of success for Pinkel and his program. In his time at Mizzou, 32 Tigers were selected in the NFL Draft, including seven in the first round. Mizzou had 12 players taken in the first round of the NFL Draft in the previous 64 years combined (1937-2001) prior to Pinkel taking over.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Tigers defeat Omaha for third consecutive win

Posted on December 9, 2015December 10, 2015

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s tallest player is 6-foot-10 senior Ryan Rosburg. With an average height of 6-4, some would call the Tigers’ roster undersized. Yet, for the third consecutive game, Missouri out rebounded (37-34) and outscored an opponent in the paint (32-20).

That’s how the Tigers beat Omaha, 85-78 Wednesday night.

Kevin Puryear scored 18 points and hauled in eight rebounds as Missouri held off the Mavericks to improve to 5-3.

At 14.1 points per game, Puryear, a freshman, is The Tigers’ leading scorer. He was particularly efficient Wednesday night, shooting 5 for 8 from the field and 7 for 8 from the free-throw line in 25 minutes.

Puryear, who scored 13 of his points in the second half, was more deliberate after halftime.

“I was definitely more aggressive at that point in the game,” Puryear said. “I felt like I needed to do something, whether it was score or rebound the ball. Just help contribute to the win and put them away.”

Terrence Phillips caught the hot hand early, making his first three 3-point attempts for a total of nine first-half points. Phillips finished with 14 points before fouling out with 2:36 to play.

The Tigers led 37-30 at halftime after shooting 50 percent from the field, while holding the Mavericks to 33.3 percent shooting.

Despite its sharp shooting, Missouri struggled to hold onto the ball in the first half, committing 13 turnovers, it’s most in a half all season. Omaha took advantage of the sloppy ball handling, scoring 13 points off turnovers in the half.

“We talked about not turning it over,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “That’s definitely something we’ve got to get better at. Some of the turnovers were careless; some of them were just trying to do too much, so we basically just talked about all of that.”

The second half told a different story, as the Tigers committed only five turnovers, which the Mavericks turned into five points. Meanwhile, Omaha committed 10 second-half turnovers, which led to 16 Missouri points.

Omaha coach Darren Hansen said the teams’ road trip may have affected its energy level. The Mavericks won a fast-paced game, 100-97 Sunday at Montana State.

“I don’t think we played smart all the time,” he said. “Missouri had something to do with that. I don’t think our starters had as much pop in their legs. I don’t think we played well all the time tonight. I think our trip had something to do with that.”

Jake White led Omaha with 18 points, including 14 in the second half. White grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds for his second double-double in the last three games.

Devin Patterson added 17 points to go with seven assists and Tra-Deon Hollins had 13 points, including nine in the second half. Omaha’s leading scorer and rebounder, Tre’Shawn Thurman, was held in check most of the night, finishing with nine points on 2 of 7 shooting. Thurman drew a technical foul with 5:30 left by reacting to a charging call and fouled out of the game.

Missouri forward Jakeenan Gant scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds and K.J. Walton added 10 points on a perfect 3 for 3 from the field.

TIP-INS

Missouri: The Tigers held five of their first seven opponents to less than 40 percent shooting … Gant blocked a shot in six of the Tigers’ first seven games and leads the team with seven … This was only the second meeting between the schools. Missouri won the first meeting 105-83 on Nov. 29, 1983 in Columbia.

Omaha: Hollins entered the game leading the nation in steals with 34, an average of 4.3 per game …The Mavericks entered the game ranked eighth nationally in steals with 81 over the course of eight games … Omaha leads the Summit League in eight statistical categories including points per game (88.5) and rebounds per game (41.4).

UP NEXT

Missouri visits No. 13 Arizona Sunday.

Omaha visits Grand Canyon Sunday.

— Associated Press —

Woods’ career night leads Bearcats to road win at Missouri Southern

Posted on December 9, 2015December 10, 2015

By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

JOPLIN, Mo. – Junior Anthony Woods and sophomore Justin Pitts put on such a spectacular display of weaving inside to the basket that Northwest Missouri State’s 89-77 victory over Missouri Southern could have been titled, “Art of the Drive.”

The two guards unleashed a layup clinic Wednesday evening at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center that was mesmerizing at times and always effective.

The Bearcats also tossed in a few timely three-pointers and relentless defense to win their third straight conference road game to improve to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the MIAA.

Next up for the Bearcats is their first home conference game of the season at 3:30 p.m. Sunday against Pittsburg State.

“It really gives us a lot of confidence going into Sunday’s game against Pitt State,” Woods said. “It is a good rivalry game and everybody is excited.”

Northwest started the second half with a seven-point lead and quickly increased it to 43-31 on a basket by senior Conner Crooker followed by a three-pointer by Crooker.

The Lions closed to 43-36 and that was when Woods drove to the basket for a layup. He did it repeatedly throughout the second half, scoring 21 of his career-high 25 points in the final 20 minutes.

“A lot of times they were switching and putting a big on me and he was pretty slow and I was going around him,” Woods said. “A lot of times when Justin came off the ball screen, I was wide open because they were watching the ball so much.”

Pitts did a lot of his damage in the first half with drives to the basket. Pitts added a few more layups in the second half.

An example of just how well Northwest was operating as a team occurred midway through the second half. Long-rang bomber Zach Schneider launched his first shot of the game with about 10 minutes left. Northwest was leading 64-57 at the time. His three-pointer made it 67-57.

Schneider’s three shot attempts in the game showed that the Bearcats were willing to take what Southern was giving them. The Lions took away the outside shot so Northwest simply drove the ball inside.

“It gives us a lot of confidence driving now,” Pitts said. “We have a lot of shooters on the team and they (opponents) are going to be hugging more and we will do what we did tonight, drive and kick out and have Woods score 25.”

Whenever Southern made a small run, the Bearcats always had an offensive answer. Northwest spread the scoring around. Pitts finished with 19, Crooker added 18 and junior D’Vante Mosby scored 12.

“Everybody is sharing pretty well,” Woods said. “I think it will help out in the future. If we keep winning, everybody’s confidence stays up. I think it helps out a lot.”

Northwest hit over 50 percent of its shots in the first half and that allowed the Bearcats to take a 38-31 lead into halftime.

“It is pretty big for us,” Pitts said about starting strong. “It all starts in practice when coach Mac (Ben McCollum) says we have to come right out of the gate. We can’t have a slow first half, be down by 16 and try to come back.”

The lead changed six times in the first 10 minutes. The Bearcats went ahead for good in the first half at 13-12 on a basket by Pitts. It sparked a quick 6-0 run that put Northwest in front 17-12.

By late in the first half, the Bearcats’ lead grew to 38-28. A three-pointer by Taevaunn Prince at the buzzer helped the Lions close to seven.

Since this is the Christmas season, it is only fitting that Southern was led by Charlie Brown. Brown started the game with a three-pointer and finished with 10 points in the first half.

Pitts, though, matched Brown with 10 points. Pitts also pulled down four rebounds and had two assists in the opening period.

— Northwest Athletics —

Greene returns to help No. 2 Kansas to 92-59 rout of Holy Cross

Posted on December 9, 2015

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — While the rest of his teammates were enjoying a holiday trip to Hawaii, and winning a title at the Maui Invitational, Brannen Greene was shooting baskets in an empty gym in Kansas.

Talk about a punishment.

Suspended for conduct detrimental to the team, the smooth-shooting forward was reinstated by Jayhawks coach Bill Self in time for Wednesday night’s game against Holy Cross. He responded by hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 14 points in a 92-59 rout of the Crusaders.

“Definitely felt good to get back on the court,” said Greene, who has declined to discuss what led to the suspension. “Me and coach, we had a sit-down, we talked. I dealt with my punishment. Looked at it as a positive and tried to get back on the court.”

Self had told Greene the previous day that he would suit up.

“Let me make this real clear, we don’t need to get on the same page. He needs to get on our page,” Self said. “And we had several, or a few, good talks initially, really good talks. His attitude has been really good and I think he wants to be part of what we’re doing here.”

Wayne Selden Jr. had 15 points to lead all scorers. Frank Mason III added 13, Perry Ellis and Cheick Diallo scored 12 apiece, and Devonte Graham finished with 10 for the Jayhawks (7-1), who blew most of a 20-point lead before building an even bigger margin in the second half.

“I told them, `Don’t go near an offensive rebound. A shot goes up, just get back,” Crusaders coach Bill Carmody said, “and they still beat us back in transition.”

Karl Charles led Holy Cross (3-6) with 12 points. Malachi Alexander had 11.

Kansas played without forwards Landen Lucas, out with a toe injury, and Jamari Traylor, who has been dealing with a sore ankle. Both suited up and participated in warmups, but Self decided to start Hunter Mickelson and give his two big men the night off.

“They got the shaft tonight in some respects because they could have played, but I didn’t see any reason to do it,” Self said. “It wasn’t anything negative that they’ve done.”

Besides, it wasn’t like the Jayhawks needed either of them.

The reigning Big 12 champs resembled the high school team from “Pleasantville” in the first half, making nearly every shot that went up. They were 8 of 10 from beyond the arc, connected on 70 percent of their field goals and even managed to make all four of their foul shots.

The lead reached 20 at one point late in the half, and Mason converted a 3-point play on a drive to the basket to give Kansas a 50-33 advantage at the break.

The Crusaders stubbornly stuck with their 2/3 zone in the second half, though, and for a while it allowed them to climb back into the game. Kansas missed four of its first five shots, and Holy Cross ripped off a 13-2 run to get within 52-46 with less than 16 minutes left in the game.

But like they have in 97 of their previous 101 non-conference home games under Self, the Jayhawks proved to be too much. Ellis answered the run with a bucket in the paint, Graham took his own steal in for a dunk, and Mason’s 3-pointer from the corner restored order.

Kansas pushed the lead back to 20 on Selden’s two free throws, and right past the mark when Diallo followed up Selden’s miss with a dunk to help put the game away.

“The pressure got to us, forced some turnovers and we sort of lost control of things,” Carmody said. “It’s a very good team, and it’s a good passing team — there didn’t seem to be any greedy guys out there.”

HOT SHOOTING

The Jayhawks weren’t the only ones who couldn’t miss. Holy Cross shot 55 percent from the field in the second half, and they were 19 of 23 from the foul line for the game.

TIP-INS

Holy Cross: Anthony Thompson had four points on 1-for-9 shooting. He had 23 points against Albany in his last game. … The Crusaders beat Kansas in December 1949 with Bob Cousy on the roster.

Kansas: Graham also had five assists before leaving with what appeared to be a minor injury in the second half. … Kansas wound up 12 of 20 from 3-point range and shot 63 percent from the field.

UP NEXT

Holy Cross travels to Hartford on Saturday night.

Kansas plays Oregon State on Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo.

— Associated Press —

K-State rolls to easy win against Coppin State

Posted on December 9, 2015

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Sandwiched between two road games against Power Five teams, Kansas State players recognized there was potential for a letdown against Coppin State.

The Wildcats ran away with the game in convincing fashion, as they continue to make a statement early in the 2015-16 season.

Justin Edwards and Wesley Iwundu scored 14 points each, and Kansas State cruised past Coppin State 83-58 on Wednesday night.

“You have to be mature and prepare for it the same as you do any other game,” Iwundu said. “We did a good job of that today. We got off to a great start, but we slowed down. But you just have to be consistent with it.”

Dean Wade and Stephen Hurt scored 12 points apiece and Austin Budke added 11 to round out a balanced effort for the Wildcats (7-1), who are off to their best start since the 2012-13 season.

“Our older guys have been very, very consistent,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “The young guys have kind of tagged along with them and done their thing.”

Kansas State never trailed, building a 13-point halftime lead that grew to 66-44 on an emphatic, one-handed dunk by Iwundu in transition with 8:01 left in the game.

Terry Harris Jr. scored nine of his 14 points in the first half to lead Coppin State (2-7). James Sylvester added 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and Christian Kessee had 11 points.

Coppin State was 8 of 34 from the field in the second half and shot 29 percent overall, including 2 of 21 from 3-point range.

“For us to go into a ballgame and shoot less than 30 percent and less than 10 percent from 3, we are not going to win a lot of ballgames that way,” Eagles coach Michael Grant said.

Kansas State rattled off eight straight points to take a 29-17 lead early in the game. Edwards nailed back-to-back 3-pointers during the run and later assisted on an alley-oop to Iwundu.

The Eagles kept it close and pulled within single digits twice in the first half but hit just one field goal in the final 3:37. Kansas State went on a 9-2 run during that span to take a 42-29 lead into the locker room.

Coppin State started the second half by making just four of its first 23 shots as Kansas State broke it open. Kansas State went to its bench to finish off the final five minutes of the game, closing the game with 22 assists on 28-made field goals.

“We’ve been a team,” Weber said. “We had five guys in double figures. That’s been our strength, and if we’re going to continue to make progress that’s got to continue to be the thing that carries us.”

—

AMONG THE BEST

Edwards is one of only nine players nationally to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes played this season. Through eight games, Edwards is averaging 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds in 31.1 minutes per game.

TIP-INS

Kansas State: The Wildcats have won their last seven meetings against Coppin State by an average of 20 points. . Wade was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Monday after scoring 17 points, including the game-winning jumper, in a road win against Georgia.

Coppin State: The Eagles feature nine newcomers after finishing 8-23 last season. . Including Wednesday, the Eagles will play six of their next seven games on the road.

UP NEXT

Kansas State travels to Texas A&M on Saturday.

Coppin State faces Fordham on Sunday.

— Associated Press —