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Author: Dave Riggert

Kansas State baseball ranked in preseason Top 25 for first time

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riggertKStateFor the first time in program history, the K-State baseball team has been ranked in the Perfect Game and Baseball America preseason Top 25 polls. The Wildcats are ranked No. 22 in both polls, which is the highest K-State has ever been ranked in any preseason rankings.

The Wildcats have now been placed in three preseason polls entering the 2014 campaign after coming in at No. 28 in the Collegiate Baseball preseason Fab 40, which was released in December. The No. 28 ranking by Collegiate Baseball was at the time the best the Wildcats had ever been ranked in a preseason poll.

After winning the Big 12 title and advancing to the program’s first Super Regional, K-State finished the 2013 season No. 13 in Baseball America’s final poll and No. 14 in Perfect Game’s final season rankings. The Wildcats return 19 letterwinners from last year’s squad, including five starting position players and eight pitchers.

K-State, one of four different Big 12 teams to be ranked in Baseball America’s or Perfect Game’s preseason rankings, is the highest ranked Big 12 team in the Perfect Game polls. Texas (27-24 record in 2013) is ranked No. 18 and No. 25 by Baseball America and Perfect Game, respectively, while TCU (29-28 in 2013) is No. 19 in the Baseball America poll. Oklahoma State (41-19 in 2013) is ranked No. 23 by Perfect Game.

The Wildcats start the 2014 campaign in less than three week when they kick off an eight-game, 10-day road trip with a series at Cal Poly from Friday, Feb. 14 to Sunday, Feb. 16. K-State’s first home game at Tointon Family Stadium is on Friday, Feb. 28 against Milwaukee at 3 pm. Season tickets are available and can be purchased by calling 1-800-221-CATS, visiting kstatesports.com/tickets, or by going to the K-State Athletics Ticket Office at Bramlage Coliseum.

— KSU Sports Information —

KU’s Wiggins named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week

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KUKansas freshman Andrew Wiggins has been chosen the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers the league, the conference announced Monday.

Wiggins is recognized for the second time as top rookie and his award marks the eighth weekly honor for KU in 2013-14.

Wiggins had two double-figure scoring efforts as the Jayhawks extended their win streak to six games with victories over Baylor (78-68) and at TCU (91-69). The Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, guard averaged 22.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 55.0 percent.

He opened the week with 17 points against the Bears, including 11 points in the second half. Wiggins was then the main catalyst versus the Frogs with a career-best 27 points, including 19 in the first half. He also made 19-of-22 (.864) from the free throw line on the week and leads all Big 12 freshmen in scoring with 15.8 points per game.

— KU Sports Information —

Globetrotters coming to St. Joe

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UntitledThe world famous Harlem Globetrotters will take fan interaction to a new level when the 2014 “Fans Rule” World Tour comes to St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph on Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, at 7:00 p.m. Online voting is now open at harlemglobetrotters.com/rule, where all fans can choose which new game-changing rules they want to see in their hometown.

The Globetrotters were the first organization in sports and entertainment to let fans vote on rules when the team introduced the concept last year.  Since the fan response was so overwhelming, the team is doing it again – but with a major twist.

The 2014 online ballot includes three never-before-seen revolutionary rules:

– Hot Hand Jersey – Both teams will have a “Hot Hand Jersey” they can pass among each other.  The player who is wearing this jersey will receive double points on made baskets.

– Make or Miss – The quarter begins with only two players on the court for each team.  When a team scores, a teammate may enter the game.  When they miss, the player missing the shot must leave the court, leaving his or her teammates shorthanded.

– Trick Shot Challenge – Via three challenge flags per team, each coach can challenge the other team to make a trick shot.   If the team makes the trick shot, they earn five points.  If they miss, the other team receives five points.

With a roster showcasing stars such as Special K Daley, Big Easy Lofton, Flight Time Lang, Hi-Lite Bruton and Dizzy Grant – plus female stars TNT Maddox, T-Time Brawner and Sweet J Ekworomadu* – the Globetrotters’ one-of-a-kind family show features mesmerizing ball handling, an assortment of trick shots, high-flying dunks and precise timing – all with an array of comedy guaranteed to entertain the young and the young at heart.  After virtually every game, Globetrotter stars remain on the court for autographs and photographs with fans.

Tickets start at $20.00 and are now available at harlemglobetrotters.com, www.ticketmaster.com, the St. Joseph Civic Arena box office or by phone at 800-745-3000.  Information on group and scout tickets can also be found at harlemglobetrotters.com.

The Globetrotters tipped off the North American leg of their world tour with the first-ever events at the new Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine, on Sept. 20 and 21.  The tour recommences on Dec. 26, 2013, with the Globetrotters playing more than 290 games in over 250 cities in 47 U.S. states, six Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico through April 2014.

— Globetrotters Press Release —

Griffons lose by 34 to No. 22 Missouri Southern

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riggertMissouriWesternThe Missouri Western men suffered their worst loss of the season falling 105-69 against the #22 Missouri Southern Lions. The Lions scored over 50 points in both halves as the Griffons fall to 8-10 overall and 3-7 in MIAA play.

The only lead for the Griffons in the opening half came at 3-0 after a Hans Thun three pointer opening the scoring. The Lions then went on a 14-2 run claiming a 9 point lead after a dunkn by Jordan Talbert. The Lions extended its lead to 10 before the Griffons used a 12-5 run cutting the Missouri Southern lead to 29-26 after a Wes Mitter layup with 7:48 to play.

The Griffon offense struggled the rest of the half scoring just four points to the Lions 25. The Lions used a 19-0 run claiming a 48-26 lead with 2:31 to play after a three point play from Cameron Cornelius.

The Griffons had seven players score in the half as Dzenan Mrkaljevic led the charge with eight points off the bench. He also had five rebounds. The Griffons made just 31.6-percent (12-38) from the field and 4-of-12 from long range. The Griffons were outrebounded 25-16 by the Lions but did have 10 offensive rebounds to MSSU’s eight.

The Lions shot the lights out in the half making 59.3-percent (16-27) from the field and 85.7-percent (6-7) from long range. The also made 16-of-23 free throws. Greg Renfroe led the charge with 13 points while Jordan Talbert had seven rebounds.

The second half did not get any better for the Griffons as they got outscored 51-38. The Lions improve to 14-3 on the season and 8-2 in MIAA play.

Four Griffons scored in double figures with Ryan Devers leading the charge with 14 points. Mrkaljevic and Kalvin Balque finished with 12 while Charlie Marquardt pitched in 11. The Griffons shot 39.7-percent (25-63) from the field and just 57.1-percent (16-28) from the free throw line. The Griffons got out boarded 42-23 but did have 12 offensive rebounds to the Lions 11.

The Lions shot outstanding in the game making 68-percent (34-50) from the field and 72.7-percent (8-11) from long range. The also made 29-of-40 free throw attempts. Five Lions scored in double figures with Renfroe scoring 28 points on 10-of-12 shooting and making 8-of-9 free throws. Talbert led the charge on the boards with eight rebounds. He also had six assists and five blocked shots.

The Griffons return to action on Wednesday, January 29 when they take on the Lincoln Blue Tigers at 7:30 pm in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

15th-ranked Ravens pull off upset at No. 5 Evangel, 85-82

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riggertBenedictine3For the sixth time this season, the No. 15-ranked Benedictine (Kan.) College men’s basketball team stepped on the floor against a member of the NAIA Div. I Top 25 as they took on No. 5 Evangel (Mo.) University in the NAIA DIv. Men’s Basketball Game of the Week.

Benedictine (15-4, 8-1 HAAC), who was playing against their second NAIA Div. I Top 15 program in the past three days, went 6 for 6 from the free throw line over the final 30 seconds on Saturday to hold off a late run by No. 5 Evangel (16-4, 7-1 HAAC) 85-82 and move to 6-0 against NAIA Div. I ranked opponents this season.

The Ravens took on two ranked opponents during November, going 2-0 against then-ranked No. 21 Park University and also knocking off then-ranked No. 2 Oklahoma Baptist. They also ended 2013 with a home win over No. 1 Columbia (Mo.) College.

This past week, Benedictine earned a win over No. 11 Culver-Stockton 79-72 at home on Thursday before traveling to Springfield to earn the three-point win over the Crusaders.

Saturday, Benedictine led for much of the game against Evangel.

After leading by as much as 12 points in the first half and 10 points in the second half, Benedictine found themselves in a battle over the final five minutes of the game.

Evangel’s top scorer, Zack Kleine knocked in a 3-pointer with 5:04 left in the game to pull the game into its second tie at 68 points.

Kleine single-handedly pushed the Crusaders back into the lead for just the second time since their opening basket of the game but the lead was short lived.

Benedictine’s Jonathan Anaekwe and John Harris Jr. hit three straight free throws 90 seconds after Evangel took the lead to pull the game into its third tie at 70 points.

Evangel answered Harris Jr.’s second free throw to pull back in front with a field goal at the 3:20 mark only to have Harris Jr. answer on the other end for Benedictine to push the Ravens ahead 73-72 with 3:09 remaining.

Benedictine never gave back the lead as baskets from Charlie Wallrapp and Harris Jr. kept the Ravens up by three points setting up the final 30 seconds where the Ravens capitalized at the charity stripe.

The Ravens hit 17 of 21 free throws in the second half, finishing the game at 78.1 percent.

Benedictine held Evangel to just 26.1 percent from beyond the 3-point arc but the Crusaders were able to overcome their 3-point shooting effort from the charity stripe. Evangel went 20 of 25 at the line in the first half and 10 of 11 in the second half to finish at 83.3 percent.

Benedictine finished the game hitting 51.9 percent from the floor against the Crusader’s No. 12-ranked field goal percent defense.

Wallrapp scored 24 points to lead four Ravens in double figures while Kleine finished with a game-high 27 points for the Crusaders.

Harris Jr. added 17 points for Benedictine while Anaekwe added 14. Shawn Fleming Jr. scored 11 points off the Benedictine bench, which held a 21-9 advantage over Evangel’s.

The win in Springfield gives Benedictine their first win over Evangel on the road since Dec. 2, 2006 when they beat the Crusaders 76-67. It also gives the Ravens sole possession of first place in the HAAC by a half game over Evangel as the second half of conference plays begins this next week.

— BC Sports Information —

Brown, Clarkson lead Missouri past South Carolina

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MUCOLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jabari Brown had 24 points with a career-best six assists and Jordan Clarkson added 22 points, helping Missouri handle South Carolina 82-74 on Saturday.

Earnest Ross added 14 points for the Tigers (15-4, 3-3 SEC), who led by double digits most of the way and kept the Gamecocks (7-12, 0-6) winless in conference play. The winners shot 54 percent and combined for a season-best 18 assists.

Brenton Williams had a career-best seven 3-pointers and a season-best 32 points for South Carolina, which has dropped the first six conference games for the first time since a 0-6 start in 1998-99, and is 0-7 on the road. Sindarius Thornwell fouled out late and had 14 points after totaling 50 points the previous two games.

Brown leads the SEC in scoring with an average of about 20 points and was 4 for 6 from 3-point range. He’s 16 for 24 from long range the last four games.

Missouri is 43-2 at home in three seasons under coach Frank Haith. South Carolina coach Frank Martin picked up one of the wins in 2012 when he was at Kansas State but is 1-6 overall at Missouri.

Michael Carrera scored six of his 16 points in the final 1:46 for South Carolina, including two free throws that cut the deficit to six points with 1:18 to go. Ryan Rosburg was 0 for 4 at the line the final 1:29 for Missouri, but Carrera also missed a pair with just under a minute left.

Carrera added 11 rebounds for the losers.

Ross had 12 points and Missouri shot 50 percent in the first half, leading by as many as 20 points and taking a 38-22 cushion into the break. Wesley Clark had a 3-pointer and Ross converted a three-point play to cap a 16-0 run that put Missouri up 38-18 with 1:48 to go.

South Carolina cut the gap to 11 points early in the second half before Missouri answered with eight straight points, including 3-pointers by Clarkson and Brown in a 53-second span.

The Gamecocks waited more than 6 minutes for its first basket while falling behind 11-0, and shot 25.9 percent in the first half.

Thornwell, who totaled 50 points the previous two games, was held to six points in 12 minutes while saddled with two fouls.

The attendance of 12,033 was the largest of the season at Mizzou Arena, which holds just over 15,000.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western women struggle offensively in 65-50 loss at Southern

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riggertMissouriWesternThe Missouri Western women shot just 26.3-percent (15-57) from the field in a 65-50 loss on the road against Missouri Southern. The Griffons also struggled from the free throw line making just 59.3-percent (16-27) of their attempts. The Griffons fall to 7-10 overall and 2-8 in MIAA play.

The Griffons led just once at 5-4 in the first half against Missouri Southern. The most MWSU trailed by in the first half was eight at 27-19 with nine seconds to play in the half after a Shonte Clay layup. The Griffons were able to go into the half on a positive note as Stephanie Lichtenauer nailed a three pointer as time expired cutting the Lion lead to 27-22 at the half.

Despite playing without their two leading scorers in Sharniece Lewis and Quenisha Lockett the Griffons were able to hang in with the Lions. The Griffons dominated the boards outrebounding the Lions 20-13 with 10 coming on the offensive end of the floor. Seven Griffons scored in the half with Lichtenauer leading the way with five points on 2-of-2 shooting. Jallisa Lewis led the charge on the boards with six. The Griffons shot just 27.6-percent (8-29) from the field and 3-of-8 from long range.

The Lions were led by Clay with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting. Kristen Hanna and Dominique Mosley each had six points. The Lions made 10-of-20 field goals and 6-of-8 free throws.

The Griffons kept the game close for most of the second half but a late 11-0 run by the Lions put the finishing touches on the Griffons. Alexis Gray hit a layup with 11:30 to play cutting the Missouri Southern lead to 37-33 with 11:30 to play. The next three and a half minutes belonged to the Lions going on a 9-1 run opening up a 12 point lead after a Nicole Hartzog layup with 8:07 to play.

The Griffons kept playing hard, cutting the Lion lead to 47-42 after two Tiara Hall free throws with 5:56 to play. Unfortunately that would be the closest the Griffons would get as the Lions closed on a 18-8 run winning by 15. The Lions improve to 14-3 overall and 8-2 in the MIAA.

The Griffons had 10 players score in the game with Hall and J. Lewis leading the way with nine points. Lewis also had nine rebounds while Hall collected seven.

The Lions shot 61.8-percent (21-34) in the game and made 20-of-28 free throws. Clay finished the game with 10 points while Mosely pitched in 13 on 6-of-7 shooting.

The Griffons return to action on Wednesday, January 29 with an MIAA contest against the Lincoln Blue Tigers. Game time is set for 5:30 pm in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

No. 8 Kansas stays unbeaten in Big 12 with blow out win at TCU

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KUFORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Andrew Wiggins scored 19 of his career-high 27 points in the first half and No. 8 Kansas never gave TCU a shot at a repeat of last year’s huge upset, beating the Horned Frogs 91-69 Saturday night.

The Jayhawks (15-4, 6-0 Big 12) won their sixth straight game and remained the only Big 12 team without a league loss. Kansas didn’t get to extend its run of wins in four straight games against ranked opponents, the first team to do that since North Carolina in 1996-97.

In their visit to Fort Worth last year, the Jayhawks became the first top-five team to lose to the Horned Frogs in a 62-55 defeat. This time, Kansas had 53 points at halftime and led by as many as 24 in the first half.

Brandon Parrish scored 15 points to lead TCU (9-10, 0-7). The Horned Frogs are the only conference team without a league win and are 2-23 in their two Big 12 seasons.

Joel Embiid had 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots for Kansas before fouling out for the fourth time this season. Wayne Selden Jr. scored 12, and Perry Ellis had eight points and 14 rebounds.

TCU’s student section flashed last year’s score in huge block numbers before the opening tip in case the Jayhawks had forgotten, but Wiggins wasn’t around back then.

The top-scoring freshman in the Big 12 made his first three shots and had a pair of 3-pointers and an alley-oop dunk from Selden in the first half. Wiggins topped his previous career best of 25 points against Florida on Dec. 10 and led Kansas with five assists.

Wiggins also made it easier for the Jayhawks to exploit their size advantage inside. Jamari Traylor and Embiid had back-to-back dunks to put the Jayhawks up 14-6, surpassing their halftime total of 13 points from last year just 4 1/2 minutes into the game.

Kansas, which shot a season-low 30 percent in last year’s loss, was at 62 percent in the first half, which ended with the Jayhawks in front by 21. The Jayhawks shot 57 percent for the game.

Conner Frankamp and Wiggins hit consecutive 3-pointers to finish a 13-2 run that put Kansas up 43-22.

Embiid, a 7-footer from Cameroon, showed some versatility, beating Amric Fields with a strong spin move for a layup shortly before getting a steal, dribbling the length of the floor and getting fouled driving for a layup. He made both free throws for Kansas’ biggest first-half lead at 51-27.

Fields had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Horned Frogs. Kyan Anderson added 12 points and eight assists.

— Associated Press —

No. 22 K-State comes up short at No. 16 Iowa State

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KSUAMES, Iowa (AP) — Three straight losses and the distraction caused by the ongoing Bubu Palo saga left No. 16 Iowa State in desperate need of some good news.

A close win over a ranked opponent was a good place for the Cyclones to start.

Melvin Ejim scored 20 points and Iowa State beat No. 22 Kansas State 81-75 on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak and get back to .500 in the Big 12.

”I wanted to see how our guys responded, and we had as good a week of practice as we’ve had all year,” Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said. ”Guys put those losses behind us. They wanted to come out and win in the worst way.”

Georges Niang had 18 points and freshman Matt Thomas matched a career high with 14 for the Cyclones (15-3, 3-3 Big 12), who blew a 12-point halftime lead before putting the game away late in the second half.

Ejim blocked a potential game-tying 3 from Shane Southwell and hit two free throws to put the Cyclones ahead 79-73 with 23 seconds left.

Freshman Marcus Foster scored 20 points for Kansas State (14-6, 4-3), which lost consecutive games for the first time since November.

Thomas Gipson had just four points for the Wildcats.

”We had our opportunities. Again, we battled. They’re a good team. We knew it would be tough to win here after they had lost three in a row,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said.

Kansas State spent much of the afternoon allowing Iowa State to make a run and then matching it.

In the end, the Wildcats were just a couple of plays short.

Kansas State needed less than 7 minutes to erase a 46-34 first-half deficit, but Iowa State’s inconsistent defense let it down. The Cyclones allowed nine points in 2 minutes, and Will Spradling’s 3 tied it at 66-all with 5 minutes left.

Niang answered with a crucial 3, and Cyclones star DeAndre Kane shook off a sluggish game with a three-point play to put Iowa State ahead 72-66.

Kane finished with 10 points – his lowest total since mid-December – after shooting 3 of 12 for the second straight game.

”I think he’s rushing it a little bit,” Hoiberg said of Kane. ”He’s a great finisher and he’s been showing that all year. But he’s struggling with that a little bit right now.”

This was the first time in the 216 meetings between Iowa State and Kansas State that both were ranked in the AP Top 25.

But the Cyclones and Wildcats entered play looking to regain some lost momentum.

Iowa State had opened the season at 14-0, the best start in school history. But losses to Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas had considerably cooled the program’s national buzz and sent it tumbling eight spots in this week’s poll.

Then last week, a district court judge ruled that Palo, a reserve guard who averaged 2.8 points a game last season, be reinstated in a move that angered the administration and dominated local headlines.

Palo had been kicked off the team in August in connection with sexual assault charges that were eventually dropped. The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday denied a request by the Iowa Board of Regents for an immediate stay of that ruling.

Palo spent the game on the bench and in uniform, but Hoiberg refused to comment on Palo after the game.

Kansas State was coming off a buzzer-beating loss at Texas, as Jonathan Holmes hit a 3 as time expired for a 67-64 Longhorns’ win on Tuesday.

The Wildcats started out hot from the perimeter, hitting four of their first five 3-point attempts. Iowa State was even better, as the once-struggling Thomas connected on his first four 3s to help give Iowa State its 12-point halftime edge.

”We were getting loose balls. We were getting after them on the defensive end and playing with energy. I think when we do that we’re a tough team to beat,” Niang said.

Southwell had 14 points and Spradling added 12 for Kansas State, which hosts Texas Tech and travels to West Virginia next week.

”It’s a gut check week for our guys coming up,” Weber said. ”I told them before the game. ‘We’re a good team. Do you want to be a really good team? That’s the question.”’

— Associated Press —

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