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Author: Dave Riggert

Western women crush Chadron State, 59-38, to begin new season

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MWSUThe Missouri Western women’s basketball team opened up the 2013-14 season with a convincing victory 59-38 over the Chadron State College Eagles. The Griffons held the Eagles to just nine points and 12-percent (3-25) shooting in the first half. The nine points is the lowest since November 28, 2003 when MWSU held Lincoln to 11 in the first half. Tiara Hall had an outstanding first game collecting a double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The Griffons opened the game scoring the first 10 points of the game. The Eagles cut the Griffon lead to 12-6 after a long range shot by Kayli Rageth with 8:47 to play in the half. From there the Griffons took control ending on a 16-3 run claiming the 28-9 lead at the half.

The Griffons made 10-32 field goals in the first frame with Hall going 3-for-7 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. She had 11 points and 10 rebounds at the half. The Griffons dominated the boards with 32 rebounds to Chadron’s 20. The Griffons had 18 poitns in the paint and 14 second chance points on 13 offensive rebounds.

The Eagles were led by Kattie Ranta with five points while making just 3-of-25 field goals, 1-of-9 three point shots and 2-of-10 free throws.

In the second half the Griffons continued to score at will pushing its lead to as many as 22 early in the half at the 15:38 mark off a layup by Kyrsten Crawford and at the 14:26 mark off a layup by Alexis Gray. MWSU took its largest lead of the game with 6:41 to play when Quenisha Lockett scored a layup. The Griffons scored 22 points in the paint and 14 bench points in the second half.

MWSU finished the game shooting 40.4-percent (23-57) from the field which included 52-percent (13-25) in the second half. They ad 48 rebounds and 17 offensive rebounds which led to 18 second chance points. The Griffons dominated the points in the paint scoring 40 to Chadron State’s 12. Thirteen different Griffons scored in the game with Lockett and Ariana Novak pitching in eight.

The Eagles made just 12-of-50 field goals and 11-of-24 firee throws in the game. Kayli Rageth collected a double double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. She made 7-of-11 free throws as they fall to 0-1 on the season.

The Griffons take their 1-0 record into next week when they take on non-conference opponent Avila University on Tuesday, November 12 at 6:00 pm in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcat women lose at Quincy in Smith’s coaching debut

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Northwest2013riggertThe Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team dropped their season opener to Quincy University Saturday, 68-47.

The Hawks jumped out in front on a 10-0 run to open up the game and the Bearcats were unable to recover.

Northwest shot 23 percent from the floor in the first half while going 1 for 7 from behind the three point line and entered halftime trailing 37-14.

The Bearcats came out in the second half and outscored the Hawks 33-31, but it wasn’t enough as they fell 68-47.

Ariel Easton led all Bearcats in scoring with 16 points and added four rebounds and two steals. Annie Mathews pulled down nine rebounds in the loss while putting in four points of her own and added one assist.

Northwest opens the season 0-1 and will host Truman State Saturday for the team’s home opener in Bearcat Arena for the Winstead-Reeves Classic. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

MWSU volleyball defeats Lindenwood Saturday in four sets

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MWSUThe Missouri Western volleyball team defeated Lindenwood Saturday night at MWSU Fieldhouse 3-1 and clinched an MIAA tournament berth with an 8-7 conference record. The win puts the Griffons at 15-14 overall.

The Griffons lost 25-16 in the first set, but won three straight with set wins of 25-20, 25-18 and 25-17.

On senior night, the Griffons honored four seniors, including Brooke Cousino, Erin Backhuus, Meredith McCormick and Stephanie Hattey. Backhuus had a match-high 14 kills, which is also her career high.

The Griffons started out slowly, losing the opening set 25-16. Amanda Boender led the set with four kills, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Lindenwood’s advantage.

In the second set, the Griffons played better, taking control early and separating themselves later on in the game. After a close 13-11 lead, the Griffons went on a 7-2 run to extend their lead to 20-13. Lindenwood came back with three straight points, but the Griffons kept the lead and won 25-20. After two sets, Boender led the team with five kills.

The third set saw the Griffons take an early lead which led to them controlling the game. After a 9-9 tie, the Griffons took a 14-10 lead that eventually made its way to a 17-16 set.

From there, another run marked the end of the third set and the Griffons won it 25-18. The win put the Griffons ahead 2-1 heading into the fourth set.

The fourth set was the final set as Missouri Western won 25-17. Dominated by Backhuus, she had five kills in the fourth game to give her a career-high. Erica Rottinghaus added five kills in the fourth set as well.

Sarah Faubel led the Griffons with 20 digs. Boender finished with 11 kills to place third on the team behind Backhuus and Rottinghaus. The Lions were led by Sara Makowski and Kayla Guyot, who each had nine kills.

The Griffons are currently the fifth seed in the tournament, and play their final match of the season Thursday night at MWSU Fieldhouse. Missouri Western takes on Southwest Baptist with a start time set for 7 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Mauk, Green-Beckham lead Missouri past Kentucky

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MULEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Maty Mauk wanted simply to keep the offense rolling for No. 9 Missouri before turning the job back to James Franklin. Dorial Green-Beckham was merely trying to help the Tigers’ backup quarterback succeed.

Their goals helped both make program history Saturday.

Mauk threw five touchdown passes to tie Chase Daniel’s school record, Green-Beckham set another mark by catching four of them and Missouri cruised past Kentucky 48-17.

Making his fourth consecutive start in place of the injured Franklin, the Tigers’ redshirt freshman completed 17 of 28 attempts for 203 yards by taking full advantage of 6-foot-6 sophomore Green-Beckham.

Mauk added a 6-yard scoring pass to Henry Josey, who also rushed for two TDs, including an 86-yarder.

”With your name besides his, obviously it’s a tremendous honor,” Mauk said of his achievement. ”I couldn’t have done it without the five guys up front and the guys that made something happen after they caught the ball today.”

His achievement might not have been possible without Green-Beckham, whose previous best was a pair of two-TD games. Surprisingly finding himself covered by a single (and shorter) Kentucky defender, it was easy for him to go up and haul in Mauk’s jump-ball passes in the end zone.

”The safety was really rolling over most of the game,” said Green-Beckham, who had seven receptions for 100 yards. ”I just felt like I came out there and just beat their defense myself and just went out there and made plays.”

Missouri (9-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) allowed Kentucky (2-7, 0-5) two touchdowns in the third quarter but the Mauk-to-Green-Beckham connection answered both scores with TDs of 22 and seven yards.

”We were trying to play tight coverage, and we didn’t play it very well,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said.

The victory helped the Tigers stay a half-game ahead of idle South Carolina (5-2) atop the East division heading into their second bye and gave coach Gary Pinkel his fourth nine-win season in 13 years with Missouri.

Missouri outgained Kentucky 426-369, but its defense recorded 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks and recovered a fumble in handing the Wildcats their 13th straight SEC loss. The Tigers also extended their nation-leading streak of games with a takeaway to 40.

”We’re just trying to do our job and execute,” Tigers linebacker Andrew Wilson said.

Kentucky’s only consolation was scores on the opening possessions of both halves. Joe Mansour kicked a 21-yard field goal in the first quarter, while quarterback Jalen Whitlow ran for a 1-yard TD to start the second half.

Raymond Sanders’ 1-yard TD run brought the Wildcats within 35-17, but the Tigers tacked on two more TDs to cap a day in which they scored four consecutive times in the first half and three straight times in the second.

Mauk ended up matching his season TD total in one game before giving way to Franklin in the fourth quarter, his first action since injuring his shoulder against Georgia.

”We’re fortunate to get him (Franklin) back, but we’re also fortunate to have a backup quarterback that can plays like Maty Mauk’s playing,” Pinkel said. ”He’s got a long way before he’s doing all the things right, but obviously the guy can make some plays.”

Josey finished with 113 yards rushing on 11 carries.

Dominant as the Tigers were, their timing seemed off during the first two series after the early start. But then they caught a huge break when Kentucky punter Landon Foster shanked a 13-yard kick to the Wildcats 39.

Back-to-back runs of 6 and 27 yards by Marcus Murphy moved the Tigers to Kentucky’s 8 and set up Mauk’s floater in the left corner of the end zone, where Green-Beckham effortlessly went up over 6-foot cornerback Nate Willis to snag the touchdown pass.

Missouri special teamer Levi Copeland made Foster’s day even worse on the next drive by blocking his attempted punt inside the 10. It was recovered by the punter at the 4. Josey ran it in on the next play, and like that the Tigers were up 14-3.

The Tigers’ next touchdown was nearly identical to the first, as Green-Beckham out-jumped Willis again on the left side of the other end zone for a 7-yard score to cap the Tigers’ first sustained drive, 67 yards and 10 plays.

Missouri was just as methodical on its final scoring drive of the half. The Tigers went 87 yards and 15 plays and ended with Mauk’s 6-yard pass to Josey, who stretched to hit the pylon as he was knocked out of bounds.

Kentucky controlled the ball for more than 37 minutes, but it didn’t matter as Missouri scored quickly in bunches. Josey’s 86-yard run early in the fourth quarter provided the exclamation point.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State wins third straight as they rip No. 25 Texas Tech

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KSULUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Jake Waters had a big day to help Kansas State run right over No. 25 Texas Tech.

Daniel Sams chipped in too, running for two touchdowns of his own to lead Kansas State over the Red Raiders 49-26 Saturday.

”As a team, it was one of our best games, especially (offensive) line running,” said Waters, who ran for two touchdowns and passed for another. ”We got that going early with John (Hubert’s) touchdown run. We kind of set the tone of, ‘Hey, we can pound the rock against these guys.’ That helped us all day. As a whole (team), I think that was one of our best games.”

Sams’ TDs came on a 1-yard rush and a 5-yarder, and Waters scored from 1 yard and 13 yards.

Waters threw a 20-yard touchdown to Tramaine Thompson. John Hubert, who scored on a 63-yard run early in the game, finished with 157 yards on 23 carries to lead the Wildcats.

”It was huge. That got everyone going,” Waters said of Hubert’s early score.

Ty Zimmerman scored a 43-yard touchdown after intercepting a pass from Texas Tech backup quarterback Baker Mayfield early in the fourth quarter.

The win was the third in a row for the Wildcats (5-4, 3-3 Big 12), while the Red Raiders (7-3, 4-3) dropped their third straight game.

Mayfield, who came in for starter Davis Webb late in the second quarter, was 34 for 44 for 276 yards and two interceptions.

”We got outcoached,” Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said. ”We got outplayed. It’s up to us what we’re going to do for the last two weeks.”

Wildcats coach Bill Snyder, who’s been coaching longer than Kingsbury has been alive, said he’s content with the progress of his team.

”I think we’ve improved a good deal, not as much as I would like, but we are getting better week in and week out,” said Snyder, who got his 175th career victory. I think we’re better this week than we were a week ago. Probably played as well today, or better today, collectively. Offense, defense, kicking game – a lot of things we didn’t like but, collectively, I think we’ve probably played as well as we have.”

Waters was six of nine for 65 yards passing. He rushed for 38 yards on eight carries. Sams finished with 81 yards on 11 carries.

The Wildcats put the game out of reach when Mayfield was intercepted for the first time at Texas Tech’s 43-yard line and Zimmerman returned it for a score less than a minute after a previous Kansas State touchdown.

Texas Tech slowed Kansas State’s rushing game early in the third quarter. The Red Raiders, who were shut out in the second quarter, came away with points on each of their first two possessions of the second half. Mayfield ran for a 4-yard touchdown and Ryan Bustin kicked a 31-yard field goal to pull within 35-19.

Tyler Lockett led the Wildcats in receptions, getting 44 yards on four receptions.

The Wildcats got just 48 yards rushing in the third quarter and the bulk of those came on a key third-and-5 at the Red Raiders 30-yard line following an unsuccessful onside kick by Texas Tech. Sams started right but juked back left and went for 27 yards and a first down. Two plays later, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Sams scored from a yard out to put the Wildcats up 42-19.

Kansas State scored touchdowns on all but one of the Wildcats’ six first-half possessions – their lone unsuccessful one when they took over on downs with a second remaining.

On the Wildcats’ second play from scrimmage, Hubert ran left and scampered untouched along the far sideline for his 63-yard touchdown.

Eric Ward led Texas Tech with 11 catches for 107 yards.

Red Raiders receiver Jace Amaro, the Big 12’s leader in receptions, continued his streak of games with at least eight catches. He finished with nine for 67 yards.

Mayfield’s interceptions was his sixth and seventh of the season and Waters converted the backup’s fumble into a touchdown when he found Thompson in the end zone.

Starting Texas Tech quarterback Davis Webb was 13 for 20 for 78 yards and a touchdown before going out.

Kansas State scored touchdowns on all but one of its six first-half possessions – their only unsuccessful one came when they took over on downs with a second remaining.

— Associated Press —

Kansas loses big at No. 15 Oklahoma State, 42-6

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KUSTILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — No. 15 Oklahoma State refused to overlook an inferior opponent.

With three key Big 12 games beginning next week, it might have been human nature to look past lowly Kansas, but the Cowboys rolled 42-6 Saturday.

Clint Chelf completed 19 of 37 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns and Justin Gilbert returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown as Oklahoma State (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) won its fifth straight game.

”It was a good win for our team,” Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. ”I thought our defense was consistent in our play. Offensively, we were good at times and very sluggish at times. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

Next weekend, Oklahoma State plays at Texas, with subsequent games against No. 5 Baylor and No. 12 Oklahoma.

The Cowboys already lost a game they were expected to win this year, a 30-21 defeat at West Virginia back on Sept. 28, and they were determined not to let it happen again.

”Coming off the West Virginia loss, that was a game we were supposed to win,” said receiver Tracy Moore, who caught six passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns on virtually identical fade passes. ”Coach Gundy was telling us all week to stay focused, ignore the record and realize Kansas is better than people give them credit for. We came out ready to play.”

The Cowboys overcame the loss of top receiver Josh Stewart, who injured his leg on a punt return less than three minutes into the game and did not return. Utilizing their depth, OSU had eight different receivers make catches, including sophomore David Glidden, who had a career-high six receptions for 73 yards.

”You’re always trying to get Josh the ball, but you adapt and you overcome,” OSU offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said. ”We’re really proud of our team for responding, because one guy goes down and then the next guy’s got to step up. With a little adversity comes some opportunity.”

Montell Cozart threw for 58 yards while rushing for 55 on 18 carries for Kansas (2-7, 0-6), which lost its sixth in a row. Tony Pierson returned from a three-game absence due to a concussion and gained 87 yards on six rushes.

”Whenever Tony touches the ball and we get him in space, you can see that’s like our passing game,” Kansas coach Charlie Weis said. ”That’s where we get our chunks. He had two long runs – that’s like our form of throwing the ball down the field. And when Cozart started playing more, he kind of bailed us out a number of times in the run game.”

Gilbert put the Cowboys ahead immediately, receiving the opening kickoff in his own end zone and zig-zagging his way through multiple defenders for the touchdown.

”When I first got the ball, I saw a big hole and I knew that’s where I was going from the beginning, so I hit it,” said Gilbert of the Cowboys’ first kickoff return TD of the season. ”We saw on film that they didn’t squeeze those gaps really well and we did a good job of opening those gaps up.”

Weis said: ”Can you pick a worse way to start a game? It was the absolute worst way,” said Kansas coach Charlie Weis. ”It was deflating, but it was just the first play.”

Aided by Kevin Peterson’s interception and 38-yard return, the OSU offense made it 14-0 on Desmond Roland’s 3-yard run with 8:28 left in the first quarter.

Chelf connected with a wide open Roland for the 19-yard TD pass with 9:25 remaining in the first half to make it 21-0.

”We worked that play all week,” said Roland, who gained 44 yards on 16 rushes. ”(Receiver Charlie Moore) did a great job picking up that safety that came under, and I was wide open.”

The Cowboys extended their advantage to 28 points with just 15 seconds left before halftime, when Chelf lofted a fade pass to the left corner of the end zone, where a leaping Tracy Moore held on for a 4-yard touchdown.

”It’s something me and Clint work on after practice,” Moore said of the fade passes. ”It’s kind of hard to simulate it in practice, what you’re going to get in a game, especially with a guy that’s 6-1 like the corner was tonight, but credit Clint, he threw the ball well.”

— Associated Press —

Nebraska uses another late TD to win at Michigan

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NUANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw a left-handed, 5-yard shovel pass to Ameer Abdullah for a go-ahead touchdown with 2:03 left and Nebraska’s defense made enough stops to seal a 17-13 win over Michigan on Saturday.

The Cornhuskers (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) kept their chances alive of returning to the conference championship game. Nebraska can move a big step closer to its goal by beating Legends Division-leading Michigan State next Saturday at home.

The Wolverines (6-3, 2-3) dashed hopes of earning a Big Ten title for the first time since 2004 with their first loss in 20 home games under coach Brady Hoke, turning the ball over on downs during their last possession.

Michigan went ahead 13-10 on Brendan Gibbons’ 40-yard field goal with 8:08 left after Jordan Westerkamp fumbled on a punt return, then its defense allowed the Cornhuskers to convert a fourth down on a 75-yard, game-winning drive.

Abdullah ran for 105 yards and had an 8-yard TD on the ground that gave Nebraska a 10-0 lead late in the first quarter.

The Wolverines responded with 13 straight points, but failed to score more because they couldn’t open up holes for running backs or protect Devin Gardner.

Michigan was held to minus-21 yards rushing – a week after sinking to a school-record low minus-48 yards rushing in a loss to the Spartans – as Gardner was sacked seven times for the second straight game. The Wolverines didn’t rush for one first down.

Gardner was 18 of 27 for 196 yards and a TD, a 5-yard pass to Devin Funchess that tied the game at 10 in the third quarter. Running backs Fitzgerald Toussaint and Derrick Green combined for 17 yards rushing on 17 carries for the Wolverines.

Armstrong was 11 of 19 for 139 yards and a game-winning TD on a third-and-5 from the Michigan 5. The drive was extended by Armstrong’s pass from the Michigan 31 to Kenny Bell, who broke two tackles to convert a fourth-and-2 with a 26-yard reception.

Westerkamp might’ve been the happiest guy in red at the Big House.

A week after Westerkamp caught Ron Kellogg III’s 49-yard desperation heave off a tip to beat Northwestern on the last play of last week’s game, he dropped a punt and Dennis Norfleet recovered it at the Nebraska 26 with 10 minutes left in the game.

Michigan, though, couldn’t do much with the opportunity because it lost 1 yard combined on two runs from Green and then Gardner scrambled for 4 yards on a play that was designed for a pass to set up Gibbons’ tiebreaking field goal.

Early in the game, Nebraska took advantage of Michigan’s struggling offense to take a 10-0 lead. The Wolverines had three-and-out drives on their first two possessions, losing a total of 19 yards, and the Cornhuskers answered both times with scoring drives.

Abdullah kept the first scoring drive alive with an 18-yard run on third-and-3 at the Michigan 30, setting up Pat Smith’s 21-yard field goal. The Cornhuskers didn’t need any third-down conversions on the next possession because they didn’t have one in an eight-play, 56-yard drive that ended in Abdullah’s 8-yard touchdown.

The Wolverines responded with a field goal on their first possession of the second quarter.

Michigan finished the half, trailing 10-0 with negative-10 yards rushing. It was the second game in a row that the Wolverines failed to reach positive rushing yards in the first half, and it didn’t get better after halftime, leading to their first loss at home since a Rich Rodriguez-led team got beat by Wisconsin on Nov. 20, 2010.

— Associated Press —

Western volleyball loses heartbreaker to No. 5 UCM in five sets

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MWSUThe Missouri Western volleyball team gave the 5th ranked Central Missouri Jennies all they could handle Friday night but the Griffons lost 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 21-25, 25-17, 15-13). It was the first time since September 16, 2005 that Western pushed the Jennies to five sets. The Griffons won that match 3-2 against the 10th ranked Jennies which was coach Marian Carbin’s senior season.

Things started out good for Missouri Western in set one leading for almost half the set. Erica Rottinghaus picked up three points off serve giving MWSU the 4-2 lead. The Griffons extended its lead to 8-4 but could not extend its lead by any more. The Jennies went on a 11-6 run claiming UCM’s first lead of the match at 15-14 after a Taylor Goodness kill. The Jennies finished the match on a 10-7 run claiming a set one 25-21 victory. The Griffons hit just .043 in the first set with just nine kills. Central Missouri had 16 kills hitting .213 in the set.

In set two Western jumped out to a 4-1 lead scoring four points off Kelly Scannell’s serve. The Jennies faught back taking a 12-9 lead after a Goodness kill. Missouri Western stayed calm going on a 9-2 run tdaking a 18-14 lead after a Rottinghaus service ace. MWSU continued to playe well getting the victory 25-21 and evening the set at one. At the break the Griffons were Kelsey Olion with six kills while Scannell had 13 set assists.

Out of the break Missouri Western kept up the intensity ending the set on a 11-7 run taking the set 25-21. With the score tied at 21the Griffons got two kills by Olion and two attack error’s by UCM to pick up the victory. In set four the Griffons dug themselves into a 17-3 hole but kept fighting pulling withing four at 18-14 after scoring seven points off Erin Backhuus’s serve and two off Veronika Goranova’s. The Jennies took control the rest of they way evening up the match at two after a 25-17 victory.

In the fifth and deciding the two teams went back and forth. Western used a 3-0 run midway through the final set claiming an 11-8 lead after a UCM attack error. From there the Jennies took control ending on a 7-4 run taking the match 3-2 and final set 15-13. The Jennies improve to 27-1 overall and 13-1 in MIAA play.

The Griffons had 52 kills and 77 digs on the season to go along with 12 blocks. Olion had 15 kills while Rottinghaus finished with 16 kills and 12 digs. Sarah Faubel had 19 digs while Scannell finished with 39 set assists. The Griffons fall to 14-14 overall and 7-7 in MIAA play.

The Jennies finished with 64 kills with Carly Sojka leading the way with 20 kills. Goodness had 17 kills while Julia Bates had 43 set assists and 11 digs.

Missouri Western return to action on Saturday, November 9 with an MIAA contest against Lindenwood University. Match time is set for 7:00 pm in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

8-man high school football scores – Friday, Nov. 9

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riggertFootballFRIDAY – 8-MAN DISTRICT SEMIFINALS

 

8-MAN District 1
1 Rock Port 82, 4 West Nodaway 21
2 Worth County 42, 3 Tarkio 24

8-MAN District 2
1 Stanberry 67, 4 Nodaway-Holt 28
2 Mound City 84, 3 South Nodaway 16

8-MAN District 3
1 North Andrew 86 , 4 DeKalb 6
2 St. Joseph Christian 68, 3 Stewartsville 14

8-MAN District 4
1 Hardin-Central 68, 4 Northwest Hughesville 22
2 Southwest Livingston 7-2. 6 Lincoln 12

 

Mizzou cruises past SE Louisiana in season opener, 89-53

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MUCOLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jabari Brown scored 19 points and Jordan Clarkson added 14 to help Missouri cruise to an 89-53 win over Southeastern Louisiana in the season opener for both teams Friday night.

The Tigers (1-0) showed no signs of distress without coach Frank Haith, who started serving a five-game suspension levied by the NCAA last month.

Missouri won its 19th consecutive game at Mizzou Arena and hasn’t lost to a non-conference opponent on its own floor since the 2005-06 opener. The team used 11-0 and 14-0 runs in the first half to break the game open.

JaMichael Hawkins led Southeastern Louisiana (0-1) with 14 points, while Jeffery Ricard added nine. Ricard and Dre Evans are the only returned starters for the Lions, who were picked to finish sixth out of 12 teams in the Southland Conference.

Missouri interim head coach Tim Fuller said this week he couldn’t sleep Tuesday night after Haith told him he would be taking over. Fuller, who had no previous head coaching experience, paced the length of his bench throughout the night despite his team never being in danger.

Earnest Ross opened the game with consecutive 3-pointers to give the Tigers a lead they would never relinquish. He then assisted on a layup by Johnathan Williams III, who became the first freshman to start a season opener for the Tigers since 2004.

Brown is the Tigers’ lone returning starter from a 23-11 campaign last season. The team lost more than 60 percent of its scoring, rebounding, assists and steals, much of which left when Phil Pressey decided to forego his senior season and join the NBA.

Ricard’s 3-pointer with 7:06 remaining in the first half broke up Missouri’s big runs, but the Lions shot just 26 percent from the floor before the break and didn’t reach the free throw line. They did score the final five points in the half, capped by a thunderous alley-oop dunk by Devonte Upson from Hawkins with 43 seconds left.

Coach Jim Yarbrough said this week he hoped to see some consistency with his squad as it welcomes four junior college transfers and three freshmen. But other than an 8-0 run capped by Ricard’s traditional three-point play 15 seconds into the second half, Southeastern Louisiana struggled to establish any rhythm against the Tigers.

A crowd of 7,926 watched the Tigers shoot 54.4 percent from the field but only 55.6 percent from the charity stripe. A 12-1 run that ended with a free throw by Brown gave Missouri a 72-33 lead with 8:22 remaining in the game. The teams then traded baskets until the final buzzer.

— Associated Press —

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