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Author: Dave Riggert

Williams’ hot shooting lifts K-State past Oklahoma State

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riggertKStateMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Nino Williams would have fit right in during the era of short-shorts, when set shots were the norm and there was no such thing as a 3-point line.

Then again, Kansas State’s senior forward is doing just fine these days, too.

Williams kept pouring in jumpers while scoring 20 points, and the Wildcats led from start to finish in a 63-53 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday.

“That midrange shot, he’s got it down,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said, “and it’s not something — any midrange basketball — is not part of today’s basketball world.”

Marcus Foster and Justin Edwards added 14 points apiece for the Wildcats (12-8, 5-2 Big 12), who avenged a loss to the Cowboys earlier this month by winning for the fifth time in six games.

The Wildcats shot 57 percent from the field, going 12 of 16 in the second half.

“It’s a good team win,” said Williams, who was 10 for 13 from the field. “Like coach said, everybody played well, everybody did something.”

Phil Forte scored 22 points and Le’Bryan Nash had 13, but the only other Cowboys player with more than one field goal was Michael Cobbins. He was 2 for 4 and had seven points.

“We have capable guys of stepping up. They’ve done it before, they’ve proven it,” Forte said. “Just have to keep them believing, not get down on themselves.”

Oklahoma State (13-6, 3-4) still has not won at Bramlage Coliseum since 2010.

“There’s a lot of leagues we would have won the game today, even on our off day,” Cowboys coach Travis Ford said. “Not in this league, not today.”

Williams had 12 points and Foster eight in the first half, nearly outscoring Oklahoma State by themselves. The Wildcats led the Cowboys 31-21 at the break.

The lead was a credit to Kansas State’s defense more than anything.

Foster spent the entire game in Forte’s back pocket, preventing the Big 12’s third-leading scorer from getting any open looks. The junior sharpshooter was 1 for 4 from the field in the first half, his only make a long 3-pointer, and managed just six points.

Things were a struggle for him right from the start. On the Cowboys’ first possession, Forte threw up an off-balanced jumper as the shot clock expired. Realizing it was off line, he tried to jump into a defender, but the officials refused to call the foul. Ford exploded on the sideline, earning a technical foul less than a minute into the game.

Foster made both free throws for the Wildcats, who were off and running.

Oklahoma State kept trying to whittle into its deficit in the second half, closing to 37-30 on Forte’s 3-pointer with 15:47 left, then within 42-35 on Nash’s jumper with 11:25 to go.

The high-scoring duo didn’t get a whole lot of help, though, and the more balanced Wildcats kept answering the call. Edwards continually got to the foul line, and big man Thomas Gipson’s back-to-back dunks down the stretch create some breathing room.

“We never made a run,” Ford said. “Never made a big shot.”

Nash’s basket got Oklahoma State within 58-49 with 2:52 remaining, but a couple wasted chances followed by Edwards’ 3-pointer with just over a minute left put the game away.

“It’s a good confidence-booster,” Williams said, “but it’s over now. On to the next game.”

TIP-INS

Oklahoma State has not swept a season series from the Wildcats since 1994. … The Cowboys are 2-5 in true road games. … Nash has scored in double figures in 18 straight games.

Kansas State committed just one turnover in the first half. … The Wildcats honored former coach Tex Winter by renaming the road outside the arena “Tex Winter Drive” prior to the game.

HOME COOKING

Kansas State improved to 42-5 at home under Weber, including 20-2 in Big 12 play. “You have to defend the home court in this league,” he said.

SLOW STARTS

Oklahoma State has struggled early in games, and this one was no exception. Kansas State led 8-2 after the first 3 minutes. “It’s frustrating,” Ford said, “but that’s life on the road.”

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State returns home to face No. 21 Baylor on Tuesday night.

Kansas State continues its homestand Tuesday night against No. 18 West Virginia.

— Associated Press —

Missouri State’s rally comes up short at Bradley

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riggertMissouriStatePEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Warren Jones scored 16 points, including a late 3-pointer, and Bradley withstood a second-half rally by Missouri State for a 61-59 win on Saturday night.

A pair of free throws by Austin Ruder pulled Missouri State (8-12, 2-6 Missouri Valley), which lost its sixth-consecutive game, within one with 1:56 to play.

Tramique Sutherland found Jones for a 3-pointer 25 seconds later to make it 60-56.

Missouri State’s Chris Kendrix and Bradley’s Josh Cunningham each made 1 of 2 free throws and the Braves led by four with 15 seconds remaining.

Ruder’s jumper cut it 61-59 just six seconds later but missed a jumper to tie it with three seconds left and a potential winning 3 as time expired.

Bradley (7-14, 2-6), which shot 55 percent from the field and made 5 of 10 3-pointers in the first half, made just two field goals in the final 11 minutes.

Ruder led Missouri State with 15 points.

— Associated Press —

City High School Basketball Scores – Thursday, Jan. 22

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riggertBasketballBOYS

CW STESSMAN INVITATIONAL @ LIBERTY – SEMIFINAL
Liberty 56
Lafayette 51 (11-4)

CW STESSMAN INVITATIONAL @ LIBERTY – CONSOLATION
Lee’s Summit North 45
Central 42 (4-9)

St. Joseph Christian 63 OT (7-4)
DeKalb 59

GIRLS

BOBCAT INVITATIONAL @ BASEHOR-LINWOOD – SEMIFINAL
Benton 41 (14-2)
Blue Valley 39

Lafayette 46 (12-5)
Falls City (NE) 28

Bishop LeBlond 49 (10-6, 1-1 MEC)
Maryville 17

DeKalb 39
St. Joseph Christian 30 (3-8)

Benedictine gets doubleheader sweep at Culver-Stockton

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riggertBenedictine3The ninth-ranked Benedictine men’s basketball team jumped on Culver-Stockton early and rolled to a 64-50 victory Thursday night in Canton.

The Ravens never trailed in the game as they improve to 17-3 this season and 6-2 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

Jonathan Anaekwe led the way for BC with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Jallen Messersmith added 10 points.

It’s the eighth straight win for the Ravens as they return home Saturday to host Evangel.

The Benedictine women also won on the road Thursday as they rallied to defeat Culver-Stockton 70-53.

The Ravens trailed by one point at halftime, but outscored the Wildcats 38-20 in the second half.

BC improves to 14-6 this season and they’re tied atop the HAAC at 7-1.

Chayla Rutledge led Benedictine with 13, while St. Joseph natives Jackie Ziesel and Ali Taff added 10 points each.

The Ravens are at home Saturday as they tip off with Evangel at 2:00 p.m. inside Nolan Gymnasium.

Jayhawks get to meet with President Obama

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KUBeing a student-athlete at the University of Kansas includes several encounters with history, but Thursday reached a new level. During President Barack Obama’s visit to Lawrence, the Kansas men’s basketball team met the U.S. Commander in Chief.

Obama became the fourth-sitting United States president to visit KU, but is the first in more than 100 years. Prior to Obama’s visit, William H. Taft was the most recent in 1911. Ulysses S. Grant (1873) and Rutherford B. Hayes (1879) were the other two presidents to visit KU while still in office. The Jayhawks gathered in Hadl Auditorium to await the president, and there was no doubt they were witnessing history.

“I don’t even know how to explain it, it was such a good experience,” sophomore Wayne Selden, Jr., said. “It was amazing just to be part of history, not just as a basketball team, but as people.”

Like Obama’s mother, junior Perry Ellis also hails from Wichita, Kansas. He couldn’t agree more with his teammate on his excitement to meet the most-powerful man in the world.

“It’s not an opportunity where many people get to meet him,” Ellis said. “I’m blessed and honored to have been able to do that. It was an awesome experience and we’ll never forget it.”

Head coach Bill Self was complimentary of the work done campus-wide to host the President in Lawrence, noting the event was first class and one the University of Kansas should be proud of. After the team spoke to Obama, a conversation that Self estimated to be 15 minutes in length, he received instant confirmation that his players appreciated and respected the opportunity.

“I have a pretty good relationship with our guys, but very rarely do they text me out of the blue and say, ‘Hey coach, how are you doing today?’” Self said. “But after this today, half of the team immediately texted me to say, ‘Coach that was awesome, thanks for allowing us to be a part of that.’ I know our guys all felt very honored and privileged to be a part of that today.”

Self talked about the president’s humor, how he still has a little speed on the court and even offered to answer players’ questions on how to improve their own skills. Just moments before Obama took the stage in Anschutz Pavilion to discuss issues much bigger than basketball, he had another piece of solid advice to offer the Jayhawks.

“He said, ‘You need to worry about your academics, too, you didn’t come here just to play ball.’” Self said. “I told him that ‘Mr. President, overall team GPA: 2.93.’ You know what he said? ‘Got to get it up to a 3.0.’ Basically telling them to not ever be satisfied, which I thought was pretty cool for our guys to hear.”

Upon concluding his brief visit with the small contingent of Jayhawks in Hadl, the President had nearly 7,000 more waiting for him inside Anschutz. President Obama spoke for more than half an hour about his family’s background in Kansas and shared his passion for his own policies and for the people of the United States.

“It’s a big deal for everybody, but you look at people like Svi (Mykhailiuk) and who knows how Svi has viewed the President of the United States after coming here from the Ukraine, but he filmed the whole thing – he was really into it,” Self said. “Then you think of kids, especially African-American kids, who maybe come from a tough environments like Cliff (Alexander) and Jamari (Traylor) being from Chicago, he wanted to know right away what high schools they went to. He made our kids feel special.”

— KU Sports Information —

Arrowhead Stadium to host Mexican national team vs. Paraguay

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MexicoIt was announced Thursday that the Mexican National Team will face Paraguay at Arrowhead Stadium at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31 as part of the team’s 13th annual U.S. Tour. The Arrowhead Stadium stop is one of two games during March’s FIFA window which was announced by The Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF) and Soccer United Marketing (SUM). Mexico will also play Ecuador on Saturday, March 28 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

This match marks the first soccer contest at Arrowhead Stadium since the Kansas City Wizards hosted Manchester United in 2010 in front of the largest soccer crowd in Kansas City history (52,424) and is the first competition between two international teams since El Clasico – Club Deportivo Guadalajara S.A. de C.V. (Chivas) vs. Club America in 2009.

The top players from Mexico, Ecuador and Paraguay are expected to be called up as the teams prepare for key international tournaments this summer, including the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2015 CONMEBOL Copa América.

“We are extremely excited to have the Mexican National Team scheduled to play it’s first-ever match at Arrowhead Stadium,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. “We have put an emphasis on creating a sports and entertainment destination for fans of all ages, interests and backgrounds. We know that the Mexican National Team fans travel extremely well, and we are eager to have new fans experience everything special about Arrowhead and Kansas City.”

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. CT. Tickets for the Kansas City game are available via www.Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1 (800) 745-3000. For group sale inquiries please contact Sporting KC at 888-4KC-GOAL.

Iconic Arrowhead Stadium underwent extensive renovations in 2010 and offers a state-of-the-art facility to host athletic and entertainment events of all types. The stadium – Guinness World Record-certified as the loudest in the world – served as the home site of Sporting Kansas City for the club’s first 12 seasons (1996-07) and has hosted numerous international soccer matches, including the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams as well as English Premier League side Manchester United.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

Bearcats lose second straight game as they fall at Missouri Southern

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Northwest2013riggertThe Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team lost at Missouri Southern Wednesday night, 77-65.

It’s the second straight loss for the Bearcats and they’ve now dropped three of their last four games.  Northwest is now 13-5 on the season and 6-4 in the MIAA, while the Lions improved to 12-6 and 6-3.

Conner Crooker led the Bearcats with 15 points, while Brett Dougherty scored 12 points and corralled seven rebounds.  Lyle Harris added a career-high 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.

After trailing from the start, Zach Schneider drilled a three pointer to give the Bearcats a 15-14 lead with 8:25 left in the first half. Conner Crooker made a jumper after a Missouri Southern turnover, then hit a trey of his own to hand Northwest a 20-15 advantage.

After Cameron Cornelius hit a layup and the ensuing free throw to close the gap to two, Anthony Woods layed in an offensive rebound to put the Bearcats back up by four. Moments later Brett Dougherty added a layup of his own to give the Bearcats a six point lead. The Lions then went on a 13-2 run to close out the period, heading into the break with a 31-26 lead.

Northwest Missouri State will return to action next Wednesday (Jan. 28) when Lindenwood makes the trip to Maryville. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 following the women’s matchup.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Missouri blows seven-point halftime lead at A&M; loses fourth straight

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riggertMizzouCOLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Following its third consecutive comeback from a halftime deficit, Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy vowed Wednesday his team needs to excel in both halves to seriously compete in the Southeastern Conference.

But he’ll take A&M’s solid play only after halftime for now if it means another victory, as it did in a 62-50 triumph over Missouri in Reed Arena.

“The beginning of the second half our guys played like we’re capable of playing,” Kennedy said. “(But) you have to be a `both-half’ team to win at this level.”

In overcoming a 31-24 halftime deficit, the Aggies were led by Jalen Jones and Danuel House with 16 points each, while Wes Clark paced the Tigers with a game-high 18. A&M had erased a one-point deficit to Mississippi State and an eight-point deficit to LSU in its previous games.

“We knew we couldn’t let this one slip away from us,” Jones said. “Missouri gave us the first punch, but we knew we needed to hit back.”

The Aggies (12-5, 3-2 SEC) held a wide rebounding advantage over the Tigers (7-11, 1-4) at 37-24, and shot 15 of 20 (75 percent) from the free-throw line. A&M entered the contest making 64 percent of its free throws.

“We do a lot of rebounding drills in practice,” Jones said of an emphasis of late for the Aggies. “It’s a man’s game, and we know we have to be strong in the paint.”

Meanwhile first-year coach Kim Anderson’s Tigers have dropped four consecutive SEC games after defeating LSU in overtime in their conference opener.

“The Aggies came out in the second half and their game plan was to throw the ball inside, and we just didn’t have an answer for it,” Anderson said. “They also came out and guarded a lot better than they did in the first half. It was a tale of two halves.”

Jones and House, two 6-foot-7 transfers who lead A&M in scoring, each tallied only four points in the first half. But the duo came alive in the second half, combining for 24 points in helping A&M overcome a 31-24 deficit at the break.

“A&M came out in the second half aggressive and playing hard, and we got a little stagnant,” Clark said.

The Tigers made 5 of 8 3-pointers in the first half and 3 of 9 in the second.

“We didn’t do a great job contesting 3-pointers in the first half,” said A&M guard Alex Caruso, who finished with 11 points. “We did a better job in the second half keeping the ball outside the 3-point line, and not allowing penetration in the second half.”

TIP INS

Texas A&M: The Aggies have won three straight league games for only the second time in their three seasons in the SEC, following last year’s 3-0 start (that resulted in an 8-10 finish).

Missouri: Anderson dubbed Clark’s play one of the team’s few bright spots. The 6-foot guard had practiced sparingly of late with an ankle injury, and entered the contest averaging 10.6 points per game.

STAT LINES

Missouri finished with 14 turnovers and the Aggies had a dozen, but each team collected 19 points apiece in points off turnovers. Clark not only finished with a game-high in points (18), he also notched game-highs in assists (6) and steals (5).

QUOTABLE

Texas A&M: “The character and toughness and maturity of our team is greater than it was last year, by leaps and bounds, fortunately.” Billy Kennedy.

UP NEXT

Texas A&M plays at Tennessee on Saturday.

Missouri plays host to Arkansas on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Northwest women let late lead slip away at Southern

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Northwest2013riggertThe Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team came up short Wednesday night at Joplin, falling to Missouri Southern 60-59.

The Bearcats’ two-game winning streak comes to an end as they fall to 6-13 overall and 2-8 in the MIAA.  The Lions improve their record to 12-5 and 6-3.

Ariel Easton led all scorers with 27 points, while Tember Schechinger recorded her second double-double of the season, accumulating 10 points and 10 rebounds.

After Missouri Southern scored 11 straight points midway through the second half, Taylor Shull drained a 18-foot jump shot to give the Bearcats a 55-52 advantage. Ariel Easton hit a 10-foot jumper to push the lead to five points.

The Lions proceeded to take their first lead since the first three minutes of the game when Kenya Brown knocked down a trey with 1:57 remaining. On the ensuing possession, Easton drove into the lane and hit a layup to put the Bearcats back on top, 59-58.

Tember Schechinger blocked a shot on the defensive end, but Northwest was unable to capitalize on offense. Nicole Hartzog made two free throws with 28 seconds left for the final points of the contest.

Northwest will take the weekend off and return to action next Thursday (Jan. 28) when they host the Lindenwood Lions. The women’s game will begin at 5:30 followed by the men’s game at 7:30.

— Northwest Sports Information —

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