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Author: Dave Riggert

Northwest Missouri State women lose at No. 8 Fort Hays State

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HAYS, Kansas – The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team hung right with the No. 8 Fort Hays State Tiger women’s squad through the first 20 minutes before dropping a 91-63 decision at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

The Bearcats (7-11 overall, 3-6 MIAA) knocked down eight first-half three-pointers and trailed by only nine at the break, 49-40.

However, Fort Hays State opened the second half on an 18-0 run to take control of the contest. The Tigers moved to 18-1 overall and 9-1 in MIAA action.

Northwest knocked in 11 three-pointers in the contest and sank 14-of-16 at the free throw line. Kendey Eaton led the way with 13 points and buried a trio of triples. Erika Schlosser, Mallory McConkey and Kaylani Maiava each tallied 10 points in the defeat. McConkey grabbed a team-high six rebounds, while Eaton dished out a team-best four assists.

The Tigers had five scorers in double figures, led by Lanie Paige with 20 points. Tatyana Legette finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. The Tigers outrebounded the Bearcats 39-22. The Tigers now move to 18-1 on the year and 9-1 in the MIAA.

Northwest will be back in action Thursday at home against Pittsburg State. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Athletics —

Mizzou blows 14-point lead, loses to LSU in OT 86-80

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Skylar Mays and the No. 25 LSU Tigers amazed their coach with a big rally.

Mays scored 11 points of his 24 points in the last three minutes of regulation and LSU overcame a 14-point deficit in the final 2:08 to force overtime in an 86-80 victory over Missouri on Saturday night.

“That happens one out of 500 times maybe, and that may be generous,” LSU coach Will Wade said. “Like I told our guys in the locker room: `We’re out of mulligans after this. Any deposits we put in the bank due to our hard work, we used them all here today.”

Mays had a personal 9-0 run that began with a 3-pointer with 2:08 left.

“They were up big, so we knew we had to get more possessions in the game, so we started to run-and-jump a little bit,” Mays said. “We were able to get steals.”

Ja’Vonte Smart made two 3-pointers in overtime and scored 14 points for the Tigers (16-3, 6-0 Southeastern Conference). Naz Reid also had 14 points, and Tremont Waters added 13.

With LSU down 71-70, Waters missed a contested shot on a drive. Missouri’s Ronnie Suggs was called for a foul battling for the rebound, sending Emmitt Williams to free throw line with 2.2 seconds left. He missed the first and made the second.

Smart had two of LSU’s three steals in the final two minutes.

“They just had a little more pressure, and I think it sped us up,” Missouri point guard Jordan Geist said. “As a senior, I’ve got to make sure our guys are under control. I’ve got to take care of the ball, as well.”

Geist led Missouri (10-8, 1-5) with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Jeremiah Tilmon added 15 points, and Javon Pickett had 13.

In overtime, Smart hit consecutive 3-pointers to give LSU the lead for good.

“When I made that first one, I just felt like I could go for another one,” Smart said.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: Sophomore guard Mark Smith, the team’s second-leading scorer at 12.6 points per game and the SEC’s most accurate 3-point shooter at 47.5 percent, sat out with a left ankle injury. Smith twisted the ankle Wednesday night late in a loss at Arkansas. Freshman Torrence Watson got his first career start in Smith’s place.

LSU: LSU kept pace with Tennessee at the top of the standings. The teams meet on Feb. 23 in Baton Rouge. LSU is 6-0 in conference play for the first time since 2006.

UP NEXT

Missouri: At Auburn on Wednesday night.

— Associated Press —

No. 9 Kansas comes up short at 8th-ranked Kentucky

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — PJ Washington and No. 8 Kentucky hit the glass hard against No. 9 Kansas.

It worked.

Washington scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half, and the Wildcats beat the Jayhawks 71-63 on Saturday in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

Washington, Reid Travis and Keldon Johnson powered Kentucky to a 49-36 rebounding advantage. Washington grabbed 13 boards, Travis had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Johnson also posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

“I just came out aggressive, and that just shows on the glass,” Washington said after his fifth double-double this season. “I just tried to look for my shot, look for my teammates, just be aggressive.”

Neither team reached 40 percent shooting, but the Wildcats (16-3) were much better in the second half and held the Jayhawks (16-4) in check down the stretch of the marquee matchup between college basketball’s two winningest programs.

Kentucky dropped its three previous games against Kansas and trailed 33-30 at the break, but Johnson made three 3-pointers to help fuel the Wildcats’ big second half.

“I knew my teammates would give me the right shots,” said Johnson, who was 5 of 9 from the field. “I’ve worked very hard on my game, and I had confidence to come out and hit the big shots when I needed to.”

Kentucky earned its sixth consecutive win, with the last three coming against Top 25 teams.

Dedric Lawson had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Jayhawks, and Quentin Grimes added 13 points. It was Lawson’s 14th double-double this season.

Kansas shot 37 percent (23 for 63) from the field in its second loss in three games.

“They didn’t really pressure us, but they didn’t have to,” coach Bill Self said. “And then when we do get in there, you’ve got to score over a lot of length and big guys. We didn’t do as good a job as we should have.”

PERIMETER RECOVERY

Kentucky missed each of its eight 3-point attempts in the first half, and then went 4 for 10 from long range in the second half.

“That was the difference in the game,” coach John Calipari said. “If we go 0 for 10 in the second half, we lose the game. This is a good 3-point shooting team. That’s why I get bothered at times.”

SOLID HAGANS

Kentucky guard Ashton Hagans scored 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting, but once again made his biggest impact as a defensive force and facilitator. He had eight assists and three steals.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Kentucky could rise in the AP poll after beating its third ranked opponent in a week. Kansas could tumble out of the top 10 with its recent trouble.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: Lawson had a double-double by halftime, and the Jayhawks held their own on the glass for one half. They finished 9 of 23 from behind the arc but couldn’t match Kentucky’s athleticism in the second half.

“We wanted to win, but it’s not the end of the world,” Lawson said. “They went to the glass pretty hard, but our guys competed.”

Kentucky: The Wildcats still have their share of challenges ahead when Southeastern Conference play resumes next week, but they are coming along. Travis got off to a nice start, and his teammates picked up their play in the second half.

UP NEXT

Kansas returns to Big 12 play on Tuesday at Texas, seeking a season sweep of the Longhorns. The Jayhawks won the previous meeting 80-78 on Jan. 14.

Kentucky returns to SEC competition at Vanderbilt on Tuesday after beating the Commodores 56-47 two weeks ago.

— Associated Press —

K-State’s five-game win streak ends with loss at Texas A&M

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy figured the Aggies had nothing to lose in trying to snap a three-game losing streak, so he overhauled his defensive strategy entering Saturday’s game against Kansas State.

“We took a chance and played zone the whole game, and I thought it disrupted Kansas State and took them out of their offense,” Kennedy said. “I thought we’d have a hard time guarding them man to man.”

Turns out the Wildcats had a hard time guarding A&M’s Wendell Mitchell, but only after halftime. Mitchell scored a game-high 22 points, all in the second half, and A&M dashed past KSU 65-53 in the annual Big 12/SEC Challenge.

“On (Friday) night I talked about expecting the unexpected,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said of the Aggies going with a zone defense throughout. “In the first half we should have got the lead to 10 or 12 points, but we didn’t make the plays we needed to.”

The Wildcats (15-5) led 30-26 at halftime before the Aggies (8-10) outscored their former Big 12 brethren 39-23 over the final 20 minutes. A&M relied on an 18-3 run early in the second half to overcome a seven-point deficit just after the break.

Mitchell, who started his college career at Baylor of the Big 12, made 7 of 9 shots in the second half, and 7 of 12 overall, after sitting out all but six minutes in the first half in foul trouble. The Aggies had lost their four prior home games, including a nonconference contest against Texas Southern, before earning their first double-digit victory since prior to Christmas.

“Communication was at a high level today,” Mitchell said. “And I was just feeding off of my teammates.”

Dean Wade led the Wildcats with 17 points and the Aggies’ Savion Flagg led all rebounders with 12. The Wildcats held a 16-14 advantage in points in the paint in the first half, but the Aggies wound up with a 32-20 edge on that front.

“If we’re going to have a chance, we have to really be locked in defensively every time,” said Weber, whose squad is tied atop the Big 12 standings with Kansas at 5-2.

A&M exited the Big 12 and entered the SEC in the summer of 2012.

BIG PICTURE

KSU: Weber figured the Wildcats might step into a trap in College Station, and he was right. KSU stumbled into a desperate SEC team, although the Wildcats’ five-game win streak in Big 12 play still stands. KSU was on the cusp of re-entering the Top 25, but that likely won’t happen coming off a double-digit setback against a team with an overall losing record.

A&M: Even if it’s not SEC action, the Aggies needed this one in the worst way after dropping five of their first six league games. This was the first of three consecutive homes games for A&M, and a solid start to trying to get back on track in conference play before it’s too late.

UP NEXT

KSU: The Wildcats stay on the road at Oklahoma State on Feb. 2.

A&M: The Aggies stay home against LSU on Wednesday.

INJURY REPORT

A&M starting guard Jay Jay Chandler sat out with a sprained shoulder, and Kennedy said he hopes the sophomore returns to practice on Monday.

HIGHLIGHT REEL

The Aggies likely knew things were going to go their way when, on their first shot of the second half, a short jumper by Christian Mekowulu rolled across the top of the backboard and smoothly dropped through the hoop, in cutting the Wildcats’ lead to 33-28.

STAT OF THE DAY

A&M shot 51 percent from the floor (25 of 49), only the third time this season the Aggies have shot better than 50 percent in a game.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska loses at home to Ohio State

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The shot clock was about to hit zero when Ohio State’s Luther Muhammad launched a shot from behind the key. The ball hit the front of the rim, bounced off the backboard and dropped straight through.

“To be honest, every time I let it go I feel like it’s good,” Muhammad said. “That one, that was a straight heat check. I just felt like, `Today’s my day. God is on my side today.’ ”

That funky 3-pointer — Muhammad’s third in a five-minute span of the second half — stemmed the momentum Nebraska was starting to generate and helped carry the Buckeyes to a 70-60 win that ended their longest losing streak in 21 years.

Muhammad scored 18 of his career-high 24 points in the second half, including two other 3s during a 20-5 run that propelled the Buckeyes (13-6, 3-5 Big Ten) to their first win in six games.

“This group has been pretty tied together even through as hard a stretch as any of us could have dreamed of,” OSU coach Chris Holtmann said. “They’ve stayed together, and finally some things went our way.”

James Palmer and Glynn Watson Jr. combined for 37 points to lead the Cornhuskers (13-7, 3-6), who have lost three straight games and five of seven. Nebraska played without Isaac Copeland for all but a minute of the second half after he landed awkwardly when colliding with an Ohio State player under the basket. The athletic department announced Saturday night that Copeland tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and is out for the season.

Ohio State started breaking open the game after Nebraska took its last lead, 38-36. The Buckeyes badly beat the Huskers on the boards, 45-31 overall and 14-7 on the offensive end.

“I think this shows what type of team we are when we play the full 40 minutes,” guard C.J. Jackson said. “We obviously know Nebraska is a good team. They’ve been struggling here late. They’ve been ranked this year. We just know once we play the full 40 minutes we can play with anybody.”

Disgruntled fans gave a sarcastic cheer when Nebraska got a long rebound of a missed Ohio State 3-pointer with about 6 1/2 minutes left. A good number of them walked out at the next timeout.

Nebraska went 6:19 without a field goal in the second half against Ohio State’s 2/3 zone and without Copeland on the floor.

“I hear the groans. I’m groaning. It makes me sick,” Huskers coach Tim Miles said.

C.J. Jackson and Andre Wesson scored 10 points apiece for the Buckeyes, and Kaleb Wesson had 11 rebounds to go with his seven points.

Palmer had 19 points and Watson had 18 for the Huskers, who shot 36.2 percent from the field.

“We’re blowing opportunities,” Nebraska forward Isaiah Roby said. “We know every game is going to be tough. We’re getting less and less opportunities to make a name for ourselves and make some momentum.”

BIG PICTURE

Ohio State: The Buckeyes played like a desperate team, bringing the game to the Huskers to end their longest losing streak since 1997-98. Muhammad played his best all-around game with six rebounds, two assists and three steals to go with his 24 points.

Nebraska: The Huskers are nothing like the team that won 11 of its first 14 and cracked the top 10 in the NET rankings. They put a lot of emotion into their home game against Michigan State last week, and that 70-64 loss seems to have resulted in a long hangover. A road loss to Rutgers on Monday and Saturday’s loss to the Buckeyes made for a horrible week for Miles.

COPELAND INJURY

Copeland tore the ACL in his left knee a minute into the second half. The senior forward, who scored eight points, was the Huskers’ second-leading scorer for the season, averaging 14.3 points per game.

“I am broken hearted for Isaac,” Miles said. “He is a young man who had every option available to him last spring, but wanted to come back and help lead the Huskers back to the NCAA Tournament and beyond. He has meant so much to our program and has been a valued leader in the Husker basketball family since arriving on campus two years ago.”

HE SAID IT

“I didn’t necessarily look at as whether you lose one game or five games. It’s miserable. Obviously, the misery was compounded five times. I don’t look at this as fun times are here again. We’ve got to continue to be tough-minded.” — Holtmann, on the end of the losing streak.

UP NEXT

Ohio State visits No. 5 Michigan on Tuesday.

Nebraska hosts Wisconsin on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

Cook leads Missouri State to 55-37 win over Bradley

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Keandre Cook had 16 points and 10 rebounds as Missouri State pasted Bradley 55-37 on Saturday afternoon to complete a season sweep.

Missouri State won at Bradley 69-64 on Jan. 12.

Cook, who recorded his second double-double of the season, had 11 points and eight rebounds in the first half. He also had four steals in the game. Tulio Da Silva posted 12 points with six rebounds and one block for the Bears (10-11, 4-4 Missouri Valley Conference).

The Missouri State defense thwarted Bradley in the first period, allowing the Braves just six points in the final 10 minutes of the half as the Bears took a 28-14 lead into the break. The Bears had a 17-0 run to take a 21-8 lead with 6:10 remaining in the first period.

Bradley (10-11, 2-6) rallied in the second to close to 36-24 after Nate Kennell nailed a 3 with 14:13 remaining but could get no closer.

Missouri State was 8 of 19 from distance and made 13 of 17 free throws. Bradley was just 3 of 10 from the line.

Kennell had 11 points and Elijah Childs 10 for Bradley.

— Associated Press —

City High School Basketball Scores – Friday, January 25

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BOYS
Central 47
Liberty 43

Raymore-Peculiar 59
Lafayette 45

CAMERON TOURNAMENT – CONSOLATION
Bishop LeBlond 41
Excelsior Springs 25

BOLIVAR TOURNAMENT – CONSOLATION
Benton 67
Hillcrest 58

GIRLS
Liberty 45
Central 29

LEBANON TOURNAMENT – SEMIFINAL
Parkway North 57
Benton 55

CAMERON TOURNAMENT – CONSOLATION
Lafayette County 54
Bishop LeBlond 48

Bishop LeBlond to play 8-man football in 2019

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St. Joseph, Mo. – Bishop LeBlond High School Athletic Director Michael Evans announced Friday that northwest Missouri’s only Catholic high school will compete in 8-man football during the 2019 season.

Evans said overall enrollment numbers and the number of students choosing to participate in football made the move necessary.  “Bishop LeBlond has never backed down from competing with any school of any size,” Evans said. “Given our current enrollment and the local and national decline of students choosing to play football, we determined it was in the best interest of our students to move to the 8-man level.”

Evans said the projected numbers for football next year, and having enrollment within the overall enrollment numbers set by MSHSAA (less than 200 students) to qualify for 8-man, the school has a great opportunity to continue a long tradition of Golden Eagle football.  He said the move came down to LeBlond being able to offer the sport, rather than having no football program at all.

“I commend our 2018 football players and coaches for fighting hard and representing us in a manner befitting our Golden Eagle tradition.” he said. “I know what we will be able to offer a more competitive and memorable experience for the entire Bishop LeBlond community in the future.  Our goal is to increase enrollment/participation and return to 11-man football as soon as the numbers allow us.  The transition back to 11-man competition will be easier if we go to 8-man than if we take a complete break from football.”

The move to 8-man football also means the LeBlond football team will be unable to compete in the Midland Empire Conference.  However, the Golden Eagles will continue to compete in the MEC in all other conference sponsored sports and activities.  On other LB sports will be affected by the changes for football, and the school will continue to be a member of the MEC.

Evans said he has been in contact with a number of 8-man programs to build a schedule for the fall.  Bishop LeBlond competed in Class 1 football during the 2018 season.

— Bishop LeBlond Press Release —

Griffons’ rally comes up short in 84-74 loss at Fort Hays State

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HAYS, Kan. – The Missouri Western Men’s Basketball (8-11, 2-6) battled back from a 19-point first half deficit before falling 84-74 on the road to Fort Hays State (13-5, 7-2), Thursday night.

Trailing by 13 at the half, the Griffons got hot in the second half to get the Fort Hays State lead to as few as three points with 2:32 to go (73-70), but couldn’t draw the game even or get over the hump.

NOTABLES

  • The Griffons began the game up 5-0, but Fort Hays State answered with a 26-2 run to stake a 19-point lead Missouri Western’s second half run couldn’t conquer
  • FHSU edged its lead to 15 with 11:28 to go, but a 13-5 MWSU run cut the Tiger lead to 63-57 with 8:44 to go
  • The two teams traded punches and runs for the next seven minutes before Fort Hays State pulled away in the final minute, outscoring MWSU 7-1 over the final 71 seconds, mostly at the free throw line
  • After shooting just 29 percent in the first half, MWSU used 56 percent shooting in the second to finish the game at 41 percent
  • The Tigers knocked down 21-of-26 free throws while MWSU went 17-for-26 at the line
  • Fort Hays State made three more baskets than Missouri Western, both teams knocked down nine three-point attempts

LEADERS

  • Lavon Hightower scored a game and season-high 29 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, adding a team-high seven rebounds with three assists and two blocks. He was 5-of-7 from three-point range and scored 20 of his points in the second half
  • Tyrell Carroll scored 20 points with three assists and two steals. Carroll was 8-of-10 at the free throw line
  • J.J. Jones had a season-high seven points to go with three rebounds in 16 minutes
  • Bryan Hudson and Tyus Millhollin each scored seven

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western travels to Nebraska-Kearney (6-12, 1-8) on Saturday, Jan. 26
  • Northwest Missouri handed UNK its sixth loss in the last seven games, 85-57, Thursday night.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 2 Bearcats stay unbeaten with big win at Nebraska-Kearney

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KEARNEY, Nebraska – The No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team moved to 18-0 on the season with a 85-57 road victory over the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers on Thursday.

Freshman Diego Bernard stuffed the stat sheet with a pair of career highs in points (21) and rebounds (8). Bernard also added two assists and two steals as Northwest won its ninth consecutive road game.

Senior Joey Witthus tallied a game-high 23 points on 7-of-9 field goals. Witthus also went 7-of-8 from the free throw line.

The Bearcats shot 57.1 percent from the floor. Northwest drained 19-of-30 shots in the opening half and cooled off by making only 13-of-26 field goals in the second half.

Northwest will travel to Fort Hays State on Saturday. Tip is set for 4 p.m. in Hays, Kansas.

NOTES: Northwest won its ninth straight road game … Northwest is 8-0 in MIAA play and has won 13 consecutive league games dating back to last season … Northwest is 70-7 in its last 77 MIAA contests … junior Tyler Dougherty tied a season-high with eight points.

— Northwest Athletics —

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