Dave Riggert – Page 77 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Northwest Missouri State women get road win at Central Oklahoma

Posted on January 6, 2019

EDMOND, Oklahoma – The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team captured back-to-back road MIAA games for the first time since the 2010-11 season with a 51-47 victory at Central Oklahoma on Saturday.

Northwest (6-7 overall, 2-2 MIAA) got 16 points from sophomore guard Jaelyn Haggard, including the final three at the line to close out the four-point victory.

The Bronchos led by as many as seven in the second quarter before the Bearcats locked in defensively. Northwest would go on an 8-0 run to take a 17-16 lead. UCO took a 21-19 lead only to see Jaelyn Haggard knock in her second triple of the opening half that put the Bearcats on top 22-21 with 54 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Bearcats opened up a six-point lead at 39-33 on a three-pointer by Mallory McAndrews with 2:30 left in the third quarter. UCO would chip away and re-took the lead following an 11-2 run. The Bronchos took a 44-41 advantage following a bucket from Megan Hartness with 6:29 left in the fourth.

However, the Bearcats would not fade. Kendey Eaton hit a floater in the lane with 4:38 left to pull the Bearcats to within one. Then Kylie Coleman drove in for a left-handed layup that knotted the game at 45-45 with 3:54 left.

McAndrews buried a triple from the wing with 3:13 for the final field goal of the contest for the Bearcats. UCO’s Micayla Haynes knocked in a basket with 2:33 left in the game.

Haggard sank one of two free throws with :12 left and UCO turned it over with :05.7 remaining. Haggard made both free throws with :04 left to clinch the road win.

The Bearcats will be in action against Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at home against the Emporia State Hornets.

NOTES: The Northwest win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Bearcats against Central Oklahoma … Northwest knocked in nine three-pointers … Northwest limited UCO to 32.6 percent shooting from the field and forced the Bronchos into 21 turnovers.

— Northwest Athletics —

No. 5 Kansas gets beat at Iowa State 77-60

Posted on January 6, 2019

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State served notice that it’s a Big 12 contender again after an ugly rebuild last season.

Marial Shayok scored 24 points, and the streaking Cyclones routed No. 5 Kansas 77-60 on Saturday for their most lopsided victory over the Jayhawks in 46 years.

Freshman Tyrese Haliburton made four 3-pointers and scored 14 points for Iowa State (12-2, 2-0), which opened Big 12 play with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2015. It was the Cyclones’ fifth consecutive victory overall.

Kansas (12-2, 1-1) committed a season-high 24 turnovers in its worst loss to Iowa State since an 89-65 blowout in Lawrence in 1973.

“They’re the standard in our league and the team we’re all trying to catch,” Cyclones coach Steve Prohm said. “It’s a great win. I loved the way they competed.”

Despite getting outrebounded 41-26, Iowa State — now one shy of matching its win total from a dismal 13-18 campaign a year ago — made surprisingly easy work of Kansas in part by shooting 9 of 13 on 3s in the second half.

“We were awful. But they were good,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “They manhandled us.”

The Cyclones opened their first double-digit lead when Haliburton made a corner 3-pointer with 9:59 to go. Lagerald Vick answered with a hasty 3-point try that bounced off the bottom of the backboard, and Lindell Wigginton connected from long range to make it 60-47 and force Self to burn his third timeout in 11 minutes.

Shayok’s 3 with just under seven minutes to go made it 65-49, and the rout was on.

“We came out playing careless,” said Kansas star Dedric Lawson, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds, but committed six turnovers. “I played terrible. … I didn’t get guys open shots. A lot of this falls back on me.”

Quentin Grimes scored 19 points for Kansas, including 14 straight for the Jayhawks in one stretch.

Kansas played without big man Udoka Azubuike, who was hit on the right wrist during Friday’s practice. Self said about an hour before tip-off that X-rays on Azubuike’s wrist were negative, but he was in too much pain to play.

Azubuike, who is averaging 13.4 points and 6.8 rebounds a game, is scheduled for an MRI on Sunday. Azubuike needed surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left wrist in 2017.

“It could be a one-game deal or it could be a season-ending deal. But there’s no indication that it’ll be the latter,” Self said.

THE BIG PICTURE

Kansas: Losing at Hilton Coliseum isn’t anything to be embarrassed about; the Cyclones are 5-2 against top-10 teams at home under Prohm, and Iowa State was actually a one-point favorite. But the Jayhawks were an absolute mess for stretches on offense — and they wasted a plus-15 effort on the boards without Azubuike. “We were just trying to play a little bit too fast,” Grimes said.

Iowa State: The Cyclones finally showed how much potential they have when they’re healthy. There’s little doubt that the rest of the Big 12 took notice of this result, because Iowa State has enough talent to do some serious damage in the league this winter.

THE NUMBERS

Kansas had just 12 assists on 24 baskets. Iowa State also had 13 steals, with Vick (seven) leading the way in turnovers. …Haliburton has begun his Big 12 career by shooting 8 of 11 from beyond the arc. … The Jayhawks opened play with a staggering 20-4 edge on the glass. But they still trailed by four at halftime, a sign of things to come. …Wigginton, coming off the bench for the third straight game, was just 2-of-11 shooting.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Kansas, which has wins over Michigan State and Tennessee to its credit, likely won’t fall too far. The Jayhawks almost certainly will be joined in Monday’s poll by the Cyclones.

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts TCU on Wednesday.

Iowa State plays at Baylor on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State’s upset bid comes up short at No. 11 Texas Tech

Posted on January 6, 2019

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Davide Moretti made a handful of big offensive plays at opportune times, including a big personal run, to spark No. 11 Texas Tech in a matchup of two great defensive teams.

Moretti scored a career-high 19 points and Matt Mooney added 14 to give the Red Raiders enough of an edge to hold off Kansas State 63-57 on Saturday.

“We needed some grit to beat a Kansas State team that wasn’t going to go away, and Davide delivered,” Tech coach Chris Beard said. “I thought we showed some grit. We hung in there and gave ourselves a chance.”

Kansas State (10-4, 0-2 Big 12), which trailed 14-0 less than 7 minutes into the game, erased most of a 34-19 halftime deficit. The Wildcats were within 43-42 when Barry Brown knocked down a long 3-pointer with 6:55 left in the game.

But Texas Tech (13-1, 2-0) found some offensive rhythm to pull away, with Moretti scoring 10 points in a row for the Red Raiders. He hit a 3-pointer before Brown’s shot, and then scored the game’s next seven points after that. That included another 3 as Tech pushed to a 50-42 lead.

Brown led the Wildcats with 16 points and Cartier Diarra added 11 on a day when they struggled to make shots. Still without injured Big 12 preseason player of the year Dean Wade, they shot only 33 percent (19 of 57) from the field.

“They guard differently than anybody else,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. “They kind of play on your ego and push you to drive to the hoop and then they make the right play. You have to make the right play against them.”

Tariq Owens had a blocked shot that led to a layup by Moretti and also a steal in that key-turning push by the Red Raiders.

“That was a big-time moment,” Moretti said.

Added Weber, “It seemed like every time we made a push, he hit a big shot.”

The Wildcats were down 14-0 before Brown’s two free throws 6 1/2 minutes into the game. They missed their first 13 shots from the floor until Diarra got loose on a runout and hit a driving layup with just over 9 minutes left in the first half. That basket triggered a brief Wildcats’ surge — seven points in 1:18.

“When you’ve got to fight your butt off (from 14-0), it’s hard to recover and grab that lead,” Weber said. “To our guys’ credit, we figured some things out. We scored better in the second half.”

Texas Tech hit a lull about that same time, missing seven field goals in a row after DeShaun Coprew buried a 3-pointer at the 12-minute mark.

Moretti helped the Red Raiders get back on track when he hit a 3, Culver made his only field goal of the first half on an offensive rebound and those shots helped Tech close the half on a 17-9 run.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: Offensive efficiency remains a problem for the Wildcats with Wade out and point guard Kamau Stokes limited by an injury. To avoid a 0-3 start in conference play for the first time since 2015-16, K-State needs more scorers to emerge.

Texas Tech: Winning ugly is becoming a specialty for the Raiders, but their defense gives them an edge against most foes when games play out that way.

OFFICIAL HURT

Official Rick Crawford had to be helped off the court 90 seconds into the second half after he collided with a player waiting to check in. Crawford appeared woozy as he left the court with two medical personnel assisting him. He did not return. Gerry Pollard and Marques Pettigrew worked as a two-man crew the rest of the way.

HELPING SOME

Tech standout Jarrett Culver, who struggled against the K-State defense, gave his team a 53-43 lead with 2:21 to go when he hit three free throws. That ended a stretch of five misses in a row in a half when the Raiders hit 15 of 23 from the stripe. Culver was only 2-of-7 shooting but had nine points and seven rebounds.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: The Wildcats head back home to take on West Virginia on Wednesday.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders play host to Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

— Associated Press —

Missouri State gets blown out at home against Valpo

Posted on January 6, 2019

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Ryan Fazekas scored 18 points and Valparaiso used a big first half to roll past Missouri State, 82-66 and pick up a Missouri Valley Conference victory on the road Saturday afternoon.

Valpo needed a running, 50-foot buzzer beater to get past Illinois State in its conference opener, but wasted no time taking charge against the Bears, rolling to a 46-24 advantage by intermission.

Jarred Dixon opened the second half with a 4-point play and Kabir Mohammed added a 3-point play cut the Missouri State deficit to 46-30, but the Bears were never able to get within single digits.

Fazekas was 6 of 11 from beyond the 3-point arc and Bakari Evelyn added 13 points off the bench for the Crusaders (9-6, 2-0). Deion Lavender grabbed 10 rebounds and dished five assists.

Dixon finished with 23 points for Missouri State (6-9, 0-2). Mohammed added another 13 points and grabbed eight boards.

— Associated Press —

Griffons rally at Central Oklahoma for first MIAA win, 85-80

Posted on January 4, 2019

EDMOND, Okla. – Griffon Men’s Basketball (7-7, 1-2 MIAA) picked up its first conference win at Central Oklahoma (7-5, 0-3 MIAA) on Thursday night. The Griffons used excellent free-throw shooting and key stops in the final minutes to improve to .500 on the season.

NOTABLES

The Griffons trailed by as much as 10 points in the first half before cutting the deficit to five going into halftime.
Central Oklahoma made five three’s on 50 percent shooting in the first half, but Missouri Western used 17 made free-throws to stay within reach.
Tyrell Carroll’s layup with 12:24 to play in the second half capped off a 22-4 run for the Griffons. The Griffons shot 60 percent and held Central Oklahoma to just 14 percent shooting while forcing five turnovers.
The Bronchos regained the lead at 78-77 with just over one minute to play.
Lavon Hightower calmly sank two free throws to give Missouri Western the one-point lead with 50 second remaining.
Central Oklahoma’s Marquis Johnson missed the potential go-ahead jumper on the ensuing possession.
Alex Martin grabbed the rebound before knocking down two-straight free throws for the Griffons.
The Griffons made all eight of their free throws in the final minute.
Missouri Western’s 36 made free-throws are the most by an MIAA team this season.
Al five Griffon starters scored in double-figures.

LEADERS

Carroll led the team in scoring with 18 points on 73 percent shooting while also dishing out a game-high five assists.
Hightower added 17 points and made all 13 of his free-throw attempts.
Alex Martin finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Bryan Hudson and Tyus Millhollin both scored 16 points.

UP NEXT

Missouri Western Men’s Basketball will travel to Northeastern State (6-6, 0-3 MIAA) on Saturday for its next game.
The RiverHawks lost to No. 2 Northwest Missouri 105-70 on Thursday.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 2 Bearcats make 19 three-pointers in blowout win at Northeastern State

Posted on January 4, 2019

TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – The No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcat men’s basketball team reached the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season with a 105-70 victory at Northeastern State University on Thursday night.

Northwest (13-0 overall) buried a season-high 19 three-pointers and shot 64.3 percent from the floor in moving to 3-0 in MIAA play. The Bearcats were one 3-pointer shy of matching the school record for 3-pointers in a game.

The Bearcats drained 19-of-29 shots (65.5 percent) from three-point range against the RiverHawks. Northwest came into the game ranked No. 1 in the nation in three-point field percentage at 46.1 percent.

Sophomore Ryan Hawkins went for a career-high for the second straight game with 31 points and five steals. Redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins posted 22 points and eight assists in the win.

Northeastern State closed to within 23-22 with 6:23 left in the half before the Bearcats offense simply exploded with efficiency. Northwest made nine of its next 10 shots, including 8-of-9 from three-point range to take a 55-33 lead into the intermission.

The Bearcats will travel to Edmond, Oklahoma, on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. tip vs. the Central Oklahoma Bronchos.

NOTES: Ryan Welty was a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range … Welty came into the contest ranked as the NCAA’s active career three-point accuracy shooter at 53.6 percent (133-of-248) … Northwest dished out 23 assists and posted 11 steals … Northeastern State won the rebounding battle, 27-20 … it marks the first time this season that Northwest has been out-rebounded.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri Western women struggled in fourth, lose at UCO 69-56

Posted on January 4, 2019

EDMOND, Okla. – Missouri Western Women’s Basketball (6-6, 1-2 MIAA) fell on the road to Central Oklahoma (11-2, 2-1 MIAA) on Thursday night. The Griffons took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter, but were outlasted in the final period and lost 69-56 to the Bronchos.

NOTABLES

Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter. The Bronchos outscored the Griffons 12-9 as both teams shot 33 percent from the field.
Katrina Roenfeldt’s three pointer as time expired in the third capped off a 13-4 run for the Griffons, giving Missouri Western the 41-40 lead going into the final quarter.
The Griffons shot 43 percent and forced five UCO turnovers in the third quarter.
Missouri Western was unable to keep up with the Central Oklahoma offense in the final period. The Bronchos scored 29 points in the fourth quarter, going 6-8 from three.
The Griffons shot 46 percent in the second half.

LEADERS

Roenfeldt led the Griffons with 14 points on four made three-pointers.
Jessica Davies finished with a team-high seven rebounds and 33 minutes.
Brittany Atkins added 10 points and four boards.

UP NEXT

Missouri Western will travel to Northeastern State (3-9, 0-3 MIAA) on Saturday.
The RiverHawks lost to Northwest Missouri 62-59 at home on Thursday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest women come back to win at Northeastern State

Posted on January 4, 2019

Northwest Missouri State got their first conference win in a 62-59 dogfight against Northeastern which featured 24 lead changes and 10 ties. The game was back and forth all night until Erika Schlosser hit the go-ahead 3 with 10 seconds left to give the Bearcats the 62-59 lead. This win was the first conference win of Austin Meyer’s young coaching career with the Bearcats.

The Bearcats only shot 33 percent from the field but combated that by making 16-18 from the free throw line and limiting themselves to 8 turnovers compared to Northeastern’s 17. The Bearcats were led in scoring by Kendey Eaton with 18, closely followed by Jaelyn Haggard with 17. Kaylani Maiava rounded out the double digit scorers for the Bearcats with 10 and led the team with 7 rebounds.

Northeastern had two players in double figures. Cailyn Long had 20 and Cenia Hayes had 11. Bailee Eldred led the Riverhawks with 12 rebounds. They shot 45 percent from the field but only 66 percent from the line.

Northwest continues the Oklahoma road trip and plays University of Central Oklahoma Saturday, Jan. 5 at 1:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri women open SEC play with big win at Ole Miss

Posted on January 4, 2019January 4, 2019

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball opened conference play in dominant fashion Thursday, as the Tigers defeated Ole Miss, 78-55, at Mizzou Arena. Mizzou had its best shooting night of the season in the victory, as the Tigers set season-highs in field goal percentage (65.9 percent) and three-point percentage (60 percent).

Mizzou’s 27-for-41 shooting night from the field was its first time shooting over 60 percent from the field since Feb. 23, 2017 against Ole Miss (60 percent, 30-for-50), while its 9-for-15 shooting from three marked its best shooting performance from deep since shooting 61.5 percent (8-for-13) against South Carolina on Jan. 7, 2018. Mizzou sank nine three-pointers in the game, marking the ninth time in the last 11 games Mizzou has made at least seven threes in a game.

TURNING POINT

For the second game in-a-row, Mizzou completely controlled an entire quarter to take a grasp of the game, this time the second quarter, as the Tigers outscored the Rebels, 21-6, in the second frame. The dominant quarter helped result in Mizzou taking a 40-21 lead into the locker room at halftime. Mizzou had nine players score in the half, led by senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) with nine points.

TOP TIGERS

Junior guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) paced the Tigers with 18 points in the game, her seventh double-figure scoring performance in the least eight games. Smith was extremely efficient from the field in the game, as she shot 8-for-10 from the field.
Cunningham had 14 points in the game, and also contributed five rebounds and a team-high five assists. The Tiger senior had a perfect night shooting from the field in the game, as she shot 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from three.
Junior guard Jordan Roundtree (St. Louis, Mo.) was Mizzou’s third double-figure scorer, as she matched a career-high with 10 points.

NOTES

Mizzou’s 65.9 percent shooting from the field is its first time shooting better than 60 percent since Feb. 23, 2017 against Ole Miss (60 percent, 30-for-50), and its best shooting night overall in the last seven seasons dating back to the 2012-13 campaign.
The Tigers 60 percent success rate from deep (9-for-15) is its best shooting night from three since shooting 61.5 percent (8-for-13) against South Carolina on Jan. 7, 2018.
In addition to season-highs in field goal percentage and three-point percentage, Mizzou also set a season high in assists with 21, led by Cunningham’s five. Three other Tigers recorded three or more assists, as redshirt senior Lauren Aldridge (Marshfield, Mo.) and redshirt junior forward Hannah Schuchts (Tallahassee, Fla.) each had four, while redshirt freshman Haley Troup (Gadsden, Ala.) had three. Schuchts and Troup each recorded career highs with their dimes.

UP NEXT

Next, Mizzou travels to Knoxville, Tenn., for a meeting with No. 10 Tennessee on Sunday. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

No. 5 Kansas holds off No. 23 Oklahoma 70-63

Posted on January 2, 2019

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The mantra at Kansas is “faces change, expectations don’t.”

Something else that doesn’t change? Oklahoma losing in Allen Fieldhouse.

Dedric Lawson had 13 points and 15 rebounds, Kansas’ young backcourt made enough crucial plays when it mattered, and the fifth-ranked Jayhawks began pursuit of their 15th consecutive Big 12 title by holding off the No. 23 Sooners 70-63 on Wednesday night.

Devon Dotson added 16 points and fellow freshman Quentin Grimes had 14 for Kansas (12-1, 1-0), which survived a nervy final minute to win its 18th straight against Oklahoma in the Phog.

“We don’t want any games to slip away from us,” Grimes said, “especially at home.”

The last time Kansas lost its initial Big 12 game was against Oklahoma on Jan. 8, 1991.

The Sooners (11-2, 0-1) nearly turned the trick again Wednesday night, rallying just about every time the Jayhawks went on a run. And when Charlie Moore missed two free throws in the final minute, Aaron Calixte’s off-balance runner got them within 67-63 with 31 seconds to go.

Dotson made the second of two foul shots at the other end for Kansas, and when Calixte and Kristian Doolittle came up empty for Oklahoma, Dotson made two more free throws to seal the win.

“We had some opportunities,” Sooners coach Lon Kruger said, “we just didn’t finish.”

Lagerald Vick contributed 12 points for the Jayhawks, despite an off night shooting the ball. He was 2 of 7 from beyond the arc, where the Jayhawks were just 4 of 21 as a team.

Brady Manek led the Sooners with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Doolittle added 10 points and Christian James had 11, though he was just 4 of 15 from the field and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc.

“Got to take care of the ball more,” Manek said. “Thought we played better in the second half.”

The Jayhawks got off to a slow start, but Dotson’s layup midway through the first half catapulted them on a 15-0 run. Most of it was fueled by defense, where Udoka Azubuike swatted a shot and turnovers turned into easy fast-break opportunities. Dotson capped it with a 3-pointer from the wing.

Oklahoma briefly nipped into the lead, but the Jayhawks closed with a 12-3 charge — Lawson scored his first two field goals after a 0-for-9 start — to take a 40-25 lead into the break.

“I thought the first half we ran well. Probably as efficiently as we’ve run all year,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. “The second half was a dud. There was no transition at all the second half.”

Indeed, the Sooners ramped up their defense, which had been holding opponents to 66.1 points, and made their own run early in the second half. The highlight came when Doolittle threw down an alley-oop dunk to wrap up a run of nine straight points over the opening five minutes.

Lawson provided an answer for the Jayhawks.

The preseason Big 12 player of the year scored back-to-back baskets moments later. Then, after Dotson knocked down a 3 off a pretty assist from Marcus Garrett, Lawson added another basket to provide the Jayhawks a 58-45 lead and force Kruger to call for a timeout.

“I knew in the post they were doubling,” Lawson said, “so I just tried to feel where they were doubling from. I got a couple of one-on-one opportunities and tried to take advantage of it.”

Oklahoma got the deficit back to single digits by the final media timeout, and kept the game close the rest of the way. But the Jayhawks, despite missing crucial free throws, managed to hang on for their 28th consecutive Big 12-opening win.

“You know,” Self said with a wry grin, “even though we didn’t do a lot of good things, we’ve won a lot of games like tonight over the course of the years. You don’t play great but you make sure the other team doesn’t play quite as good as you do.”

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma had won seven straight heading into the Phog, yet the Sooners’ struggles in the venerable field house continued.

Kansas struggled from the perimeter but made up for it with defense and determination. The Jayhawks tracked down loose balls, forced the Sooners into 17 turnovers and made enough free throws to survive.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma returns home for Bedlam against Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Kansas visits Hilton Coliseum to face Iowa State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —