BOYS
Blue Springs South 78
Central 67 (1-2)
VAN HORN TOURNAMENT – SEMIFINALS
Benton 51 (2-0)
Kansas City Schlagle 37
SAVANNAH INVITATIONAL – CHAMPIONSHIP
Lafayette 59 (3-0)
Hogan Prep 57
SAVANNAH INVITATIONAL – 7TH PLACE
Bishop LeBlond 37 (2-2)
Savannah 35
GIRLS
Benton 56 (2-0)
Harrisonville 17
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Kevin Puryear calls Missouri his “dream school.”
Now that the Blue Springs, Missouri, native is the leading scorer and rebounder for a school he grew up watching, Puryear really is living the dream.
Puryear scored 17 points, including 13 in the second half, and Missouri beat Northern Illinois 78-71 Friday night, handing the Huskies their first loss of the season.
“Missouri had the answer,” Huskies coach Mark Montgomery said. “They had different players that stepped up. They just made a few more plays than us.
“He’s a good player,” Montgomery said of Puryear. “I thought we had him scouted pretty well, but he found a way to make clutch shots.”
Puryear led a balanced scoring effort. Terrence Phillips had 13 points to go with six assists, Jakeenan Gant had 11 points and six rebounds, and Namon Wright added 10 points and five rebounds.
After shooting 1 for 3 in the first half, Puryear found a rhythm, shooting 5 for 7 in the second. He has reached double-digit scoring in six of his seven collegiate games.
NIU guard Marshawn Wilson led all scorers with 24 points, making all 10 of his free-throw attempts. Center Marin Maric finished with 14 points and a team-best seven rebounds.
After a quiet start, Travon Baker and Aaric Armstead combined for 16 points in the second half. Baker finished with 11 points and four rebounds, while Armstead had 10 points to go with five rebounds.
Missouri (4-3) took a one-point lead into halftime after opening on a 12-0 run. NIU (7-1) missed its first 10 shots before Maric made a layup five minutes into the first half.
NIU fought back, taking advantage of 11 first-half turnovers by Missouri. The Huskies scored 16 points off turnovers and 19 second-chance points.
“We were really sloppy down the stretch, which allowed them to get back in the game,” said Phillips, who had five of Missouri’s 15 turnovers. “We went into half, we calmed down, we came back and we just made plays in the second half.”
Phillips hit a jumper from the elbow, beginning a 15-7 run that lasted 3:02. The Tigers shot 6 for 9 during that stretch, capped by a 3-pointer from Cullen VanLeer, his only points.
Post play proved crucial for Missouri, which outscored NIU 32-24 in the paint and enjoyed a 38-34 rebounding advantage. Russell Woods added nine points and four rebounds in 15 minutes, tying his career highs. Center Ryan Rosburg had four points and seven rebounds, and Gant scored nine of his 11 points in the second half.
“The points in the paint, we’ve got to have it,” said Missouri coach Kim Anderson. “You’re not going to make jump shots every night. You’ve got to be able to pound it inside. The last two or three games, I guess we’ve gotten better at that.”
Rosburg, who saw limited playing time due to foul trouble, was impressed with Gant’s production.
“We see every day in practice, he’s capable of providing a big spark for us,” Rosburg said. “He can do a lot of things. He’s just so athletic and long. It was great to see him have some success tonight.”
—
TIP-INS
Missouri: In an 88-78 win over Arkansas State Tuesday, five Missouri players scored in double figures for the first time since 2012. Wright scored 14 points, Tramaine Isabell had 11 and Rosburg, Puryear and K.J. Walton each added 10… Free-throw shooting has been key for the Tigers, who average 22.2 free-throw attempts per game, up from 17.5 attempts per game last season.
Northern Illinois: This was only the second meeting between the schools. Missouri won the first meeting 97-61 on Dec. 27, 2010 in Columbia… NIU’s 7-0 start to the season is its best since a 9-0 start in 1994… The Huskies entered the game outscoring opponents by 19.1 points per game and outrebounding them by 12.3 rebounds per game.
COURTSIDE
Missouri head football coach Barry Odom addressed Mizzou Arena from half court during halftime. Athletic director Mack Rhoades announced yesterday that Odom, after his first year as defensive coordinator, would replace Gary Pinkel in 2016. Pinkel announced his retirement last month, having been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in May.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
“I thought our guys executed well down the stretch,” Anderson said. “That’s really encouraging with a young team.”
UP NEXT
Missouri hosts Omaha next Wednesday.
NIU visits Ohio State Wednesday, Dec. 17.
— Associated Press —
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Dean Wade didn’t have to be reminded of Kansas State’s total of true road wins last season.
“We only had one,” Wade said.
The Wildcats matched that total in their road opener on Friday night as Wade scored 17 points, including a go-ahead jumper with 4.1 seconds remaining, and Kansas State edged Georgia 68-66.
The Wildcats were 1-10 away from home last season, not including games played at neutral sites. Wade said winning at Georgia was proof this year’s team can win in tough environments.
“It keeps our confidence up,” said Wade, a 6-foot-10 freshman. “This was a hostile environment. It was fun to play in it.”
It was Kansas State’s first road win outside of Big 12 games since a win at George Washington on Dec. 8, 2012.
Wade made two jumpers in the final minute for Kansas State (6-1).
Yante Maten had 20 points for Georgia (3-3), which led by 12 points in the first half. Kenny Gaines scored only four of his 17 points in the second half.
Mike Edwards’ strong offensive rebound and follow shot of a missed hook by Maten gave Georgia a 63-62 lead. Following two free throws by Iwundu, Maten’s inside basket gave the lead back to the Bulldogs.
Trailing 65-64, Kansas State called timeout with 1:13 remaining. Wade’s jumper with 56 seconds remaining gave the Wildcats a 66-65 lead. Edwards sank one of two free throws for a 66-all tie, but Wade answered with the decisive baseline jumper.
J.J. Frazier missed a last-second 3-pointer for Georgia.
Asked to describe Georgia’s plan for its final possession, Frazier said “It was for me to make a play. … I had space, I had time, so I shot it.”
Frazier had 11 points.
Georgia did not trail in the first half. Its big lead was 12 points at 26-14. Freshman William “Turtle” Jackson scored on a drive before back-to-back baskets by Maten, including one set up by Jackson’s assist, capped a 10-0 run for the big lead.
Georgia led 37-28 at halftime. There were 11 lead changes in the second half.
The Wildcats opened the second half with a 17-5 run, including the first seven points from Wade. Kansas State took its first lead at 43-42 when Iwundu made one of two free throws.
Kansas State had a 36-35 advantage in rebounds, but it seemed like a huge imbalance to Georgia coach Mark Fox.
“The key for us is we have not rebounded the ball nearly at the level it takes to win,” Fox said. “We didn’t do it tonight. That’s an area we have to improve.”
—
TIP-INS
Kansas State: Wesley Iwundu had 14 points and Kamau Stokes had 13 for the Wildcats. Justin Edwards had 12 points and eight rebounds. … Kansas State’s last 6-1 start came in the 2012-13 season.
Georgia: Freshman F Derek Ogbeide did not score in closely guarded playing time in his debut after missing the first five games with a right shoulder injury. He played with a wrap on the arm. Fox expects Ogbeide (6-8, 250) to provide rebounding help when fully recovered. … Georgia’s 37 first-half points set a season high. … Georgia blocked eight shots, including three by Maten.
GEOGRAPHY LESSON
This was Kansas State’s first game in the state of Georgia in 16 years, since a win at Georgia State on Nov. 29, 1999. The Wildcats’ trip to Athens completed a two-game series, following Georgia’s 50-46 win at Kansas last season.
KANSAS TIES
Fox is a native of Garden City, Kansas. He was an assistant at Kansas State from 1994-2000. Fox’s wife, Cindy, worked at Kansas State as an assistant athletic director for marketing.
WHAT’S NEXT
Kansas State hosts Coppin State on Wednesday.
Georgia hosts Winthrop on Tuesday.
— Associated Press —
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Every time Missouri flexed a little muscle during Friday night’s NCAA Championship Second Round match, Kansas pushed right back, eventually overpowering its former rival in a three-set sweep at Horejsi Family Athletics Center (3-0; 25-16, 25-13, 27-25). Kansas advances to its second NCAA Sweet 16 in three years while keeping it’s unprecedented, magical season alive.
Hosting the NCAA tournament first and second rounds for the fourth-straight season, Kansas continued to cruise while running its’ season record to 28-2 and swept both Furman and Missouri to move on to next week’s regional round in San Diego.
Mizzou, ranked No. 25 entering the tournament, scored the first point in all three sets, but in each frame No. 9 Kansas responded with a show of force in a pivotal moment.
In the first set, Tayler Soucie turned in back-to-back blocks – the second an assisted denial with Anise Havili – to set the tone and give Kansas a 7-4 advantage. The Jayhawks would use two more blocks while pushing the lead to four at 9-5 before eventually rolling to a 25-16 first-set victory.
In the second set, Mizzou spurted out to a 3-1 advantage and looked to be settling in before a 50-50 ball at the net gave the Jayhawks another chance to assert themselves. Havili, the 5-foot-10 Big 12 Setter of the Year, went hand-to-hand with Missouri middle blocker Emily Thater, the tallest player on the floor at 6-foot-3, and pushed the point down in a one-handed tussle. That gave Kansas its first lead at 5-4 and the Jayhawks would later use a 12-2 run to put the second set away, 25-13.
Missouri bolted to an even bigger lead in the third set, scoring five of the first six points and led by as many as five at 7-2. Despite the best efforts from Kansas, that lead would stick until a timeout by KU with the Tigers up 18-13. The stoppage allowed Kansas to regroup and Tiana Dockery provided a kill on the left side down the line, but the teams traded services errors until Kansas cut it to 20-16.
Seemingly running out of time in the set, KU got a big boost with back-to-back crushing kills from Kelsie Payne to make it a two-point contest at 20-18, but couldn’t pull even before Missouri had its first shot at set point, 24-20.
Undeterred, Kansas got a kill from Soucie, 24-21. Mizzou’s second shot at set point went into the net, 24-22, then the third, 24-23. The Tigers fourth shot at set point was rejected by Dockery and Janae Hall, 24-24. Carly Kan logged the last of her team-leading 12 kills for Missouri to give the Tigers a fifth set point at 25-24, but another attack error re-tied the game. Payne used another thunderous smash to give Kansas it’s first lead of the set, then found a way to put down the game winner on her next attack.
Payne led all players with 16 kills and hit .500 for the match. Finished the match with 40 assists and added 12 digs – one of four Jayhawks with double-digit digs. Soucie, who had four blocks in the first set alone, led the match with seven total blocks – a major reason the Jayhawks held the Missouri attack to a mere .061 for the night.
NEXT UP
The Jayhawks face Loyola Marymount next Friday, Dec. 11. On the other side of the San Diego bracket, No. 1 overall seed USC will play the winner of North Carolina and No. 16 Creighton, who compete in the second round on Saturday. Regionals are set for Dec. 11-12 at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
— KU Athletics —
Lincoln – The fourth-seeded Nebraska volleyball team had to post a rare come-from-behind victory in a first-round NCAA Tournament match on Friday, rallying for a 3-1 victory over Harvard in the Crimson’s postseason debut in front of 8,098 fans at the Devaney Center.
The Huskers never led as Harvard burst onto the postseason scene with a 25-22 win in the opening set. Trailing a first-round NCAA Tournament opponent for only the third time in school history – and for the first time since 1986 – Nebraska trailed for a total of only three rallies over the final three sets. NU won the first 10 rallies of set two to cruise to a 25-15 win. The Huskers then pulled away from the Crimson late to take set three, 25-17, before closing out their 11th straight victory with a 25-19 victory in set four.
By winning their opening NCAA Tournament match for the 32nd straight season, the Huskers advanced to Saturday’s second-round match against Wichita State, which defeated Kansas State, 3-1, in Friday’s opening match. The Huskers and Shockers will meet on Saturday at 7 p.m. with a trip to the Regional Semifinals in Lexington, Ky., on the line.
Saturday’s match will be televised live in the state of Nebraska on NET and the television broadcast is also available nationwide on BTN2Go. A live video feed featuring commentary from IMG Husker Sports Network announcers John Baylor and Diane Mendenhall is also available for free on Huskers.com.
Kadie Rolfzen had a double-double and paced four Huskers in double-figure kills with a match-high 15 kills. Mikaela Foecke added 12 kills in her postseason debut, while middle blockers Cecilia Hall and Amber Rolfzen had 10 kills each. Amber Rolfzen added a season-high nine blocks, as Nebraska finished with 15 stuffs, one shy of its season high. Kelly Hunter had 54 assists for a Husker attack that hit .298 and Justine Wong-Orantes tallied 23 digs.
Corinne Bain produced a triple-double for Harvard, which ended its season with a 15-11 record. Bain led the Crimson with 13 kills and 14 digs, while adding 19 assists. Kathleen Wallace added 12 digs for Harvard and just missed a double-double with nine digs. Harvard hit .163 for the match and stuffed the Huskers six times.
Set One: Harvard showed no signs of nerves in its postseason debut, jumping out to a 7-3 lead in set one. Strong serving from Mikaela Foecke helped the Huskers pull even with four straight points but Harvard answered with its own 4-0 run to take a 13-9 lead and force a Husker timeout. The Crimson built their largest lead at 17-12 and answered every Nebraska spurt, winning rallies on three different occasions after the Huskers had pulled to within two. Nebraska saved one set point with a Kadie Rolfzen kill before Caroline Holte closed out the 25-22 win with her only kill of the set. Harvard had four blocks in the set, contributing to eight Husker attack errors.
Set Two: Nebraska came out firing in set two, scoring the first 10 points of the set. Harvard was able to pull within 14-7 but could get no closer. The Huskers led by as many as 13 but Harvard fought to the end, fending off three set points before Meghan Haggerty’s kill wrapped up the 25-15 win. After eight attack errors held Nebraska to a .186 hitting percentage in set one, the Huskers hit .394 in the second set. Kadie Rolfzen had five kills on nine swings in set two, and the Huskers stuffed Harvard four times.
Set Three: Nebraska jumped out to an early 6-3 lead in set three, only to see Harvard rally to take a 10-9 advantage. Tied at 11, the Huskers won five of the next six rallies to take a 16-12 lead. Nebraska maintained at least a two-point advantage the rest of the set, winning six of the final seven rallies of the 25-17 win. Nebraska hit .394 for the second straight set, and it was Kadie Rolfzen leading the way again, this time with six kills on 13 swings.
Set Four: The Huskers put up a wall at the net early in set four. Nebraska had five blocks in the first 15 rallies to race to a 10-5 lead. Harvard would get no closer than four the rest of the way but continued to fight, as Nebraska was never able to expand its lead to larger than seven points. The Huskers closed out the match on their sixth block of the set and 15th of the match. The Huskers held Harvard to an .091 attack percentage, as Amber Rolfzen had a hand in all six Nebraska blocks in the final set.
— NU Athletics —
LINCOLN, Neb. – K-State had its season come to a close on Friday as the Wildcats could not slow down a Wichita State offense that hit .400 or higher in the last two sets and lost to the Shockers, 3-1 (25-22, 17-25, 25-18, 25-20), in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Devaney Center.
K-State (17-12), playing in its fourth NCAA Tournament over the last five years, overcame a first-set loss to the Shockers (27-8) by winning the second behind a stout defense, which limited them to a .044 clip. However, Wichita State had 19 and 23 kills in the third and fourth sets, respectively, to snap K-State’s nine-match winning streak against the Shockers.
For the match, K-State was out-hit by Wichita State, .282-.238. It was the fourth straight match in which the Wildcats were out-hit.
“We didn’t handle first contact well enough to be a great offensive team,” said K-State head coach Suzie Fritz. “We probably could have survived at a .250 [offensive] effort had we been able to slow them down a little bit. We didn’t ball handle well enough to be a high-efficiency team. We didn’t dig well enough, we didn’t pass well enough. So, in turn, you have to be better on the other side. You have score points faster when you’re serving, blocking, and I didn’t think we were on task – didn’t do a good job of holding them down.”
While Wichita State had four attackers with double-digit kills, junior Brooke Sassin was the only Wildcat in double-figures as she had 18 on 54 swings (.222 attack percentage). The outside hitter also had 14 digs to record her career-best 16th double-double of the year.
K-State finished the match with 82 digs, led by junior Kersten Kober who had 24. The effort, her ninth match this season with 20 or more digs, helped her finish the season with 500 digs, the most by a Wildcat since 2010.
Redshirt junior Katie Brand had 12 digs along with 45 assists to register her 20th double-double to match her career-high. The setter also added five kills, an ace and a block.
The Wildcats did out-block the Shockers, 9.0-4.0, with five of their blocks coming over the first two sets. Redshirt junior Katie Reininger had a match-high five stuffs as well as eight kills.
K-State trailed for much of the first, down by as much as 17-12, but it managed to tie the score at 21-all after a kill by Brand, block by Macy Flowers, and kill by Sassin allowed the Wildcats to score three straight points. Wichita State, however, notched four of the last five points in the set, helped by three kills by Abbie Lehman, who finished the night with a match-high 20.
The second was knotted up at the 13-13 mark, but K-State went on to score 12 of the final 17 points to even the match. A kill by Sassin allowed the Wildcats to side out at the 13-13 point, but six Wichita State attack errors, including two on Wildcat blocks, helped K-State pull away. Over the burst, four different Wildcats recorded a kill, including two apiece from Sassin and Reininger.
“We talked a lot about serving and passing, and in that second set, we out-served them and out-passed them,” said Brand. “Throughout the match, that’s where it kind of got away from us. In the second set, we had that under control, getting them out of system.”
After never leading in the third and allowing the Shockers to .436, K-State kept it close in the fourth up to the 17-15 mark. A double block by Zsofia Gyimes and Alyssa Schultejans brought the Wildcats within two, but back-to-back kills by Wichita State helped the Shockers reestablish a four-point lead, 19-15. K-State was only able to close it to three on four different occasions thereafter, but kills by Katie Reilly made it 24-19 and 25-20 to close out the match.
K-State only had one attacking error in the fourth, hitting .326, but the Shockers had 28 of their 85 digs from the match during the set. The Wildcats used 46 swings to notch their 16 kills.
“They knew, a lot of the time, where the ball was going to go,” said Sassin. “They played kind of with a chip on their shoulder – that they were going to go for everything.”
Despite losing in the first round, K-State, which has no seniors on this year’s roster, still came away with its 16th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and a fourth-place finish in the Big 12.
“I think progress,” said Fritz about her biggest takeaway from the season. “There were times that this young team was really coming together. But there are some inconsistencies there for us, and we’re hopeful we can grow out of those inconsistencies.”
— KSU Athletics —
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri promoted defensive coordinator Barry Odom on Thursday to replace the retiring Gary Pinkel as head coach.
The school said in a release that Odom agreed in principle to a five-year deal that will need to be approved by the school’s board of curators next week.
“Coach Odom was the clear choice to serve as our next coach,” athletic director Mack Rhoades said. “He is a man of high integrity and possesses all the qualities you look for in a successful head coach.”
Pinkel announced last month he had cancer and was retiring after the season and also had a public farewell news conference. The Tigers finished 5-7 but the defense ranked ninth in the nation, the first top-10 finish for the school since the NCAA began tracking defensive statistics in 1978.
“I’m tremendously honored to have this opportunity,” Odom said. “Mizzou means the world to me and to my family, and we couldn’t be more proud and excited to be in this position.”
Odom was an assistant under Pinkel from 2009-11, then did a three-year stint as defensive coordinator at Memphis before returning to Missouri this season as defensive coordinator.
Odom also had been considered for the vacant spot at Memphis that went to Arizona State offensive coordinator Mike Norvell. Several players had endorsed Odom for the Missouri job.
The school said it conducted a “thorough national search” and that contract details would be released after the curators meet Dec. 10-11.
Odom played linebacker on two bowl teams for Larry Smith, Pinkel’s predecessor, from 1996-99. He had 362 tackles, seventh-most in school history, and was a captain his senior year.
He also served in an administrative capacity at the school from 2003-08.
The 63-year-old Pinkel was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in May and has been treated at the Mayo Clinic.
Others considered for the position included Cal’s Sonny Dykes, Houston’s Tom Herman and Toledo’s Matt Campbell, who took the Iowa State job.
— Associated Press —
By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics
BOLIVAR, Mo. – The surgical way the Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team sliced up Southwest Baptist in the second half was so precise that it was doubtful the purple Bearcats actually felt pain.
One minute Baptist held a three-point lead on its home court at the start of the second half and several minutes later, it was staring at a10-point deficit.
The passing by the green Bearcats throughout the second half was simply beautiful and a big reason why they came away with a 73-50 victory Thursday evening at Meyer Sports Center.
“We did everything right in the first half. It was just they were hitting shots,” said Northwest senior Conner Crooker. “Things weren’t going our way. In the second half, we got off to a hot start and we were getting those 50/50 balls. We did everything we did in the first half, but just a little harder.”
A three-pointer by Crooker at the start of the second half pulled Northwest into its first tie at 29-29.
Junior Zach Schneider rained in another three-pointer with 18:06 left in the game that gave Northwest its first lead at 32-29.
The play that proved the Bearcats were clicking at a high level as a team occurred 2 minutes later when Crooker drove into the paint and then slipped a pass to junior D’Vante Mosby, who converted the layup, putting Northwest ahead 36-31.
“It was big,” Mosby said of Crooker’s pass. “Like Conner said, the fact they were helping so high on our guards, it opened some things up for other players. It was good that we can pass the ball and work it around as a team and not rely on one thing.”
Northwest didn’t let up. At the 12:06 mark, Crooker had another nice pass that setup sophomore center Brett Dougherty for a layup, pushing the Bearcats lead to 46-34 and causing Baptist to call timeout.
“The first half we were a little tentative to go inside,” Crooker said. “In the second half, we knew the lane was open.”
There was nothing spectacular in Northwest’s 20-5 run to start the second half. It was simply sound, team basketball on both ends of the floor.
“The great start in the second half was key to get our confidence up,” Crooker said. “Coach always says to step on their throats after you are up and don’t let up and that is what we did.”
Northwest did exactly that the final 10 minutes. Every player that stepped on the court contributed to the victory. Sophomore Justin Pitts lead Northwest with 16 points followed by 15 from Crooker, 12 from Schneider and 10 from Mosby.
Northwest shot a blistering 61 percent from the field in the second half, making 17 of 28 shots and held Baptist to 23 percent. Baptist made just six field goals in the second half.
It was a great way for Northwest to open play in the MIAA. The Bearcats are 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference.
“We will take these conference wins anyway we can get them,” Mosby said. “Coach Mac (Ben McCollum) puts a big emphasis on it. It was definitely a big-time win and we want to keep it going.”
A missed three-pointer at the halftime buzzer kept Northwest from tying the game. Still it was a good effort by the Bearcats to go into halftime down only 29-26.
Northwest started slow and it never found its stroke from outside, making 4 of 15 three-point attempts. Northwest was also nearly as bad from the free throw line, going 4 for 11.
Despite a 14-5 deficit and poor shooting from behind the arc and at the charity strip, Northwest closed to 27-26 late in the first half.
Looking at the statistics it was amazing Northwest stayed so close. Baptist pulled down seven more rebounds. Baptist show 48 percent from the field compared to 33 percent for Northwest.
The only area Northwest excelled at was turnovers. Northwest had only four compared to nine for Baptist.
BOYS
VAN HORN TOURNAMENT 1ST ROUND
Benton 67 (1-0)
Holden 20
GIRLS
SAVANNAH INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT SEMIFINAL
Central 54 (3-0)
Chillicothe 50
Bishop LeBlond 55 (1-2)
Savannah 42
By David Boyce, Northwest Athletics
BOLIVAR, Mo. – Faced with a 12-point halftime deficit on the road, Northwest Missouri State’s women’s basketball team needed to get off to a strong start in the third quarter.
It didn’t happen. The Bearcats were outscored 11-2 at the start of the second half. It was too much of a hole for Northwest to climb out. The Bearcats dropped their MIAA opener, falling to Southwest Baptist 62-38 Thursday evening at Meyer Sports Center.
The problem for the Bearcats against Baptist was an inability to score consistently. Senior guard Taylor Shull was the only Northwest player who shot the ball without fear.
Shull, though, believes in her teammates and knows they can make shots if they take them.
“It is communicating and letting them know that I have trust in them,” Shull said. “Being a senior, I can’t be the only out there doing something. We can’t win if it is 1-on-5 or 2-on-5. It is the whole team looking for its shot. They are here for a reason, to play as basketball players who have confidence in themselves.”
Shull scored 9, but that wasn’t near enough to keep pace with Baptist freshman Caylee Richardson, who finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. And when she cooled down in the second half, Dilonna Johnson, Alex Botkin and Megan Rosenbohm stepped up.
Northwest never got closer than 14 the rest of the way.
The good news for Northwest is it has plenty of conference games coming up to find its rhythm on offense. But the Bearcats will face another stern test Saturday afternoon when they play at Central Missouri.
The key, Shull said, is to stay upbeat.
“We need positivity from everyone, from the bench to the court,” Shull said. “We just have to stick together. Yes, this is only the first conference game. Yes, we don’t want to start the conference season this way, but there is a lot more ahead, a lot more to learn from.
“It is a learning process. We have to take things from this game that might not went the way we wanted to, learn from it and bounce back.”
Two factors played into why Northwest went into halftime trailing 32-20. Northwest missed too many baskets in the paint and it allowed Richardson to go 6-for-7 from the field and score 14 points in the first half.
Despite the troubles in the paint, Northwest managed to take a 6-2 lead in the first quarter on a three-pointer by sophomore Tanya Meyer and junior Jasmin Howe.
Baptist moved ahead 10-8 late in the first quarter and went into the second quarter ahead 12-10.
A three-pointer by freshman Taylor Jackson at the start of the second quarter extended Baptist’s lead to 15-10.
An 8-0 run by Baptist really put Northwest in a difficult spot. The run gave Baptist a 27-15 lead. Northwest was never able to cut into that lead the rest of the quarter.
Northwest finished the first half 7-for-25 from the field for 28 percent. Meanwhile, Baptist shot nearly 50 percent, making 14-of-31 shots.
