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Author: Dave Riggert

Northwest women hold off Southern to win MIAA Tourney opener

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riggertNorthwestThe Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team held off a late rally from Missouri Southern to preserve a 77-72 victory Tuesday night in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.

The Bearcats improved to 15-12 on the season and ended the Lions season at 14-13. Northwest advances to play top seeded Washburn at noon Friday in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

Northwest dominated most of the first half racing out to a 7-0 lead before MSSU scored its first points at the 15:32 mark of the period. Fighting off a couple of runs from the Lions, Northwest took a 39-29 lead into the locker room.

Opening the second half the Bearcats looked poised to run away with their first round game, as a 10-4 lead to start the period gave Northwest a comfortable advantage. However, Missouri Southern would chip away at the Bearcat lead with the help of senior Erin Rice.

Rice scored 18 points in the second half as a jumper with 7:37 left help the Lions tie the game at 55-55. The senior finished with a game high 26 points.

Ashleigh Nelson would answer a pair of Lion free-throws to give Northwest the lead just one minute later. The three-pointer from Nelson gave Northwest a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the night, as Nelson was one of four Bearcats to finish in double figures leading the way with 21 points.

Five free-throws in the final 1:06 of the game from Monique Stevens sealed the Northwest win as the Bearcats finished the night with their third best effort from the charity stripe. Northwest knocked down 20-of-28 free-throws to seal the win.

The Bearcats also out-rebounded the Lions 38-27, reversing their fortune from January when Missouri Southern pulled in 21 more rebounds than Northwest to hold a 44-23 advantage.

Monique Stevens was two points shy of her first double-double as the junior guard finished with eight points and 10 assists. Annie Mathews added 15 points while freshman Tember Schechinger finished with 10.

With the win the Bearcats advance to the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals for a Friday afternoon matchup with No. 1 seed Washburn. The Lady Blues swept the season series with the Bearcats taking an 11-point win at home and a 7-point victory in Maryville. Tipoff from Municipal Auditorium is set for 12 p.m.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western baseball scores 16 runs in win over Southwest Baptist

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riggertMissouriWesternThe Missouri Western baseball team continued its offensive dominance collecting 17 hits in a 16-6 run rule shortened non-conference game. All nine of the Griffons got hits helping MWSU to a 7-3 record and six straight victories.

Things got off to a rocky start for the Griffons on the defensive side of the ball in the first inning as the Bearcats scored four runs on three  Griffon errors. They did not get a single hit in the inning.

In the bottom of the first the Griffons offense got going getting five hits with Grant Fink hitting a three run homer and Jake Schrader hitting his first homer of the season giving MWSU the 6-4 lead after one. The Bearcats scored two more in the top of the second but Jerad Hawkins came into to shut the door on the Bearcats. After two and a half the teams were tied at six.

The rest of the game would be all Griffons scoring 10 unanswered to get the victory. The Griffons took the lead for good in the bottom of the second when Kyle Simpson knocked in Michael Schulze. The Griffons took a 9-6 lead in the third getting two hits with Schulze singling in Jake Schrader and Jimmy Smelcer.

In the fifth the Griffons scored three more runs on four hits with Simpson getting two more RBI. In sixth and seventh the Griffons scored two runs in each inning. In the sixth the Griffons scored two runs on one hit and in the seventh Fink signled in Spencer Shockley ending the game.

The Griffons got three hits apiece from Schulze and Bubba Dotson while Simpson, Fink, Smelcer and Shawn Egge all got two. Hawkins picked up his first victory of his career going 5.2 innings giving up four hits while striking out five.

The Bearcats had just six hits with Zach Pirrello going 2-for-3. SBU had six errors in the contest as they fall to 4-3 on the season.

The Griffons return to action on Wednesday, March 6 with an MIAA doubleheader against Nebraska-Kearney in Springfield, Mo. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 am.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Tigers crush Arkansas in Anderson’s return to Columbia

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MULaurence Bowers had 24 points and 11 rebounds in his final home game, contributing to a rough evening for old coach Mike Anderson’s first appearance as a visitor and helping Missouri finish unbeaten at home with a 93-63 rout over Arkansas on Tuesday night.

Fellow senior Jabari Brown helped finish off the Razorbacks early with 13 of his 23 points in a dominant first half with the Tigers (22-8-11-6 SEC) leading 48-22. The third senior, Alex Oriakhi, had 10 points and eight rebounds and topped 1,000 career rebounds.

BJ Young had 27 points for Arkansas (18-12, 9-8), which shot just 31 percent in the first half while going 1 for 15 from 3-point range. The Razorbacks surrendered a season high in points.

Missouri finished 17-0 at home for its second unbeaten slate in five years. The Tigers shot 58 percent in the first half and 57 percent the rest of the way.

— Associated Press —

No. 9 Kansas State defeats TCU to stay tied atop the Big 12

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KSUKansas State is tired of seeing Kansas rule the Big 12. The Wildcats have a chance to finally end the Jayhawks run atop the conference.

The Wildcats are tied with the Jayhawks with each team having one game left after a 79-68 victory over TCU on Tuesday night. If Kansas State wins and Kansas loses the Wildcats will win their first title since 1977. Kansas holds the tiebreaker between the teams having beaten their rival twice this season.

The Jayhawks close out their regular season at Baylor.

“We’re tired of KU dominating, basically,” Martavious Irving said. “We want to make some changes around here, so that’s what we work toward every day.”

After Tuesday, the Wildcats are one step closer to that goal.

Angel Rodriguez had 21 points and 10 assists, Shane Southwell and Irving both added 15 points, and the Wildcats stayed tied with No. 4 Kansas for first place in the Big 12 with one regular season game to play.

“Chemistry is so important, and I think we have great chemistry in the locker room,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “We’ve built a great relationship, coaches and the players.

“We’ve won 25 because they’ve bought in,” he added. “Now the whole thing – do they want more? That’s what it’s going to come down to.”

Kyan Anderson had 29 points for the Horned Frogs (10-20, 1-16), while Devonta Abron added 10.

The Wildcats kept their distance for most of the game, but the Horned Frogs made it interesting early in the second half by slashing into a 42-27 halftime deficit with a 12-2 run.

“We felt like the zone was working for a little bit, and then . they hit big shots,” Anderson said. “We didn’t necessarily want to get out of (the zone) because they were capitalizing on man-to-man too. Just a very tough team.”

Charles Hill Jr., who did not score in the first half, made two free throws to start the spurt for the Horned Frogs. Weber called a timeout after TCU scored eight straight points. But after Rodriguez scored, the Horned Frogs responded with two free throws and another basket, bringing them within 44-39.

A couple of minutes later, a 3 by Rodriguez widened the gap to nine points, but Anderson immediately responded with a 3.

Long-range baskets by Irving and Rodriguez put Kansas State in front 58-48. Anderson followed a slashing layup with a three-point play and cut the deficit to five.

Two straight baskets by Kansas State’s Thomas Gipson and a fastbreak layup by McGruder restored a double-digit lead for the Wildcats, and TCU called a timeout while trailing 64-53 with 7:48 to play.

Kansas State’s ball movement – including 17 baskets on 17 assists in the first half – made life difficult for the Horned Frogs, and TCU coach Trent Johnson credited it before anything else.

“I don’t know if you all realize how nice of a basketball team you have,” Johnson said. “They’re as efficient and play for one another as much as any team I’ve ever been around in a long, long time.”

Kansas State was playing without starter Will Spradling, who was suffering from a bruised sternum. In his absence, four Wildcats played 33 minutes or more, which is unusual for a team that has considerable depth.

“You wish you could have maintained that 15, 17-point lead, now we could have felt a little more comfortable,” Weber said. “We had to get a win, so you had to fight through it.”

Senior Night aside, it was a junior, Southwell, who provided the most consistent offense for Kansas State in the first half. He scored 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting, including two 3s that helped Kansas State take a 15-4 lead.

TCU aided the Wildcats’ cause by giving the ball away eight times in the first half, and Kansas State took advantage getting 14 points off turnovers.

Anderson scored 12 of the first 14 points for the Horned Frogs, but he did not get much help. Garlon Green, who scored five points, was the only other TCU player to get more than one field goal in the opening half.

— Associated Press —

MWSU’s Tom Smith ends career with loss at Northwest

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MWSUThe career of long time Missouri Western Head Coach Tom Smith ended on Monday evening in the first round of the MIAA tournament. The Griffons fell to a hot shooting Northwest Missouri State team 65-43 in Bearcat Arena. The Griffons end the season with a 10-17 overall record.

The Griffons struggled during the first half against the Bearcats scoring just 14 points on 7-of-23 shooting. The Bearcats on the other hand made 10 long range shots in the frame going into the half up 35-14.

The Griffons missed their first three shots of the game while the Bearcats made 3-of-4 including two long range shots claiming the 8-0 lead just 2:12 into the game.

The Griffons cut the lead to 10-6 after Dzenan Mrkaljevic nailed to straight jumpers with 11:35 to play in the half. The rest of the frame was all Bearcats outscoring MWSU 25-8 the rest of the way.

Mrkaljevic and Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe led the way with four points apiece while Cedric Clinkscales had seven rebounds. The Griffons did not attempts a free throw in the frame and went 0-9 from long range.

Back on February 20 Alex Sullivan had eight three’s against the Griffons. In the first half he made 6-of-10 three point shots for 18 points while they made 10-of-17 as a team. The Bearcast had an assist on all 12 of their field goals with Matt Wallace dishing out nine.

The Bearcats opened up the second half scoring the first five points opening up a 40-14 lead. The Griffons battled back going on an 11-0 run cutting the Bearcat lead to 15 at 40-25 with 14:00 minutes to play. The rest of the game belonged to the Bearcats as the Griffons did not have an answer for the Bearcat long range shootng.

The Bearcats finished with 15 long range shots with eight coming from Sullivan. He finished with 27 points while Deangelo Hailey dumped in 21 making 5-of-7 long range shots. As a team the Bearcats made 15-of-29 three’s and dished out 17 assists on 22 field goals. Wallace finished with 11 assists and as a team NWMSU had 22 points off 13 Griffon turnovers.

The Griffons had two playes score in double figures with Clinkscales and Mells both dumping in 10. Clinkscales collected is sixth double-double of the season snaring 10 rebounds. As a team MWSU made 8-of-10 free throws and 17-of-49 field goals.

Tom Smith ends his career with 618 overall wins with 448 coming at Missouri Western.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western’s offense stays hot with 10-3 victory over SBU

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riggertMissouriWesternThe Missouri Western baseball team continued to swing the bats well collecting 12 hits in a 10-3 victory in a non-conference match-up with Southwest Baptist on Monday evening.

The Bearcats quickly jumped ahead of the Griffons 1-0 in the top half of the first. Ross Wolfe doubled to left center, followed by a walk by Drew Miller. Spencer Blacksher then hit an RBI single up the middle giving the Bearcats the 1-0 lead.

The Griffons responded in their half of the first as Michael Schulze led off with a double, Kyle Simpson singled up the middle scoring Schulze and then Nate Ramler hit his second homer of the season giving MWSU the 3-1 lead. The final run of the inning came on a wild pitch scoring Spencer Shockley.

The game remained 4-1 until the top of the sixth when SBU’s Aaron Anderson hit an RBI doulbe cutting the MWSU lead to 4-2. In the bottom of the sixth the Griffons capitalized on two Bearcat errors to score three runs. Schulze had a two RBI double while Ramler scored Schulze on a ground out to shortstop. MWSU led 7-2 after six.

In the seventh the Griffons got three extra base hits which included a homer by Grant Fink leading off the inning. Schulze and Bubba Dotson both had RBI doubles giving MWSU the 10-2 lead fter seven. The Bearcats scored one in the 9th but fell for the second time this season.

Oliver Kadey picked up his first victory ove the season going 5.2 innings giving up seven hits and two earned runs. Tyler Riddle and Mason Queen closed out the rest of the game giving up just one hit.

Schulze finished the game going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. Fink and Dotson had three and two hits respectively.

Kyle Jochems led the way for the Bearcats with two hits.

MWSU will be back in action on Tuesday, March 5 when they take on Southwest Baptist in another non-conference match-up. Opening pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. in Springfield, Missouri.

— MWSU Sports Information —

No. 4 Jayhawks crush Texas Tech, 79-42

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KUThe last thing Kansas’ four seniors wanted to think about was their senior night.

Determined not to get caught up in the emotion of their final appearance in perpetually amped-up, sold-out Allen Fieldhouse, all four seniors had big games Monday night to lead the fourth-ranked Jayhawks to a 79-42 rout of Texas Tech.

”Today’s been kind of crazy,” said center Jeff Withey, who had 22 points and nine rebounds. ”You try not to think about what’s really going on, playing for the last time in the fieldhouse. For me personally, it hasn’t really hit me. I don’t think it will for a while.”

Kevin Young had 14 points and fellow senior Travis Releford 13 added while point guard Elijah Johnson, the fourth member of the class, had seven points and 12 assists. The Jayhawks (26-4, 14-3 Big 12) took a half-game lead over No. 9 Kansas State in their quest for a ninth straight conference title.

”It’s time to rock out. It’s time to get to business, and I think we all knew that,” said Johnson, who has 22 assists the past two games. ”I honestly think the reason it hasn’t hit all of us as far as this being the last (home) game is cause we’re so focused on what we’ve got to do. So we’re not dwelling on the moment. We know there’s stuff to be done. That’s where our heads are right now.”

Redshirt freshman Ben McLemore, a potential NBA lottery pick who was probably also playing his last game in Allen Fieldhouse, had 13 points.

Fueled by Young and Withey, Kansas unleashed a 19-2 run to take a 45-20 halftime lead over the outmanned Red Raiders (10-18, 3-14). Withey and McLemore combined to score the first 10 points in a 16-3 run to open the second half.

Jordan Tolbert had 16 points for Texas Tech, which lost 60-46 at home to Kansas earlier this season.

”It’s the most difficult situation probably in college basketball to come to Kansas on senior night, No. (4) in the country, a place with storied tradition and a great coach,” first-year Texas Tech coach Chris Walker said. ”Obviously, we’re still building and it was a little tough for our guys.”

The lopsided victory was the 30th straight for Kansas in its home finale and ensured the Jayhawks of at least 26 wins for the seventh consecutive season.

Coach Bill Self was happy to see the attitude his seniors brought to their final home games. There have been years when over-emotional seniors have struggled.

”Senior nights are pretty nerve-racking to me,” he said. ”We’ve had some senior nights where we won but we didn’t play good cause guys are too geeked-up and everything. Sherron (Collins) didn’t make his first basket until about 10 minutes left on his senior night. But these guys were focused. It was emotional for them but they kept it pretty well in check. Of course, the fans were unbelievable.”

”It really hasn’t hit me, or any of us yet,” Releford said. ”I really don’t know how to express that last moment walking off the court.”

With one regular-season game left and then the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments, the four seniors – Withey, Young, Releford and Johnson – have a combined 463 victories.

Withey had baskets on Kansas’ first two possessions of the second half, then McLemore dropped in two free throws and another basket as the rout got worse and Texas Tech called a timeout in a futile try to stem the tide.

But Perry Ellis scored four quick points and Johnson dunked after Kansas stole the ball and the Jayhawks suddenly had a 61-23 lead.

Kansas scored on seven of its first nine possessions in the first half but then hit a lull and scored on only one of their next six while the Red Raiders – 23-point underdogs – crept within 13-10. Young, the most unheralded of the four seniors, triggered a 19-2 run that let the sellout crowd of 16,300 relax and enjoy one more easy home win by their beloved Jayhawks.

Taking a pass from Johnson, Young got the run going with a behind-the-back dunk, then got a putback on McLemore’s miss and with, another assist from Johnson, slammed home another dunk on the next possession.

Johnson tossed to Withey for another slam, then the 7-footer made in two free throws and a few minutes later brought a thunderous roar from the crowd by pulling up just inches from the line and making a feathery 3-pointer for a 32-12 lead.

To the delight of the crowd, the Red Raiders had three players put up air balls in the first half – Ty Nurse, Josh Gray and Jaye Crockett.

Texas Tech, losing to Kansas for the 24th time in 28 games, finished its conference road schedule 1-8.

”Kansas is a very good team,” Tolbert said. ”It was obviously a little more intense because it was a top five team in the nation.”

— Associated Press —

Griffon baseball defeats Drury for fourth straight win

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riggertMissouriWesternAfter over two weeks off the Griffons baseball team offense picked up right where they left off defeating Drury 10-5 in a non-conference game. The Griffons pounded out 16 hits improving to 5-3 overall with the victory.

The Griffons got things going early in the second inning when Grant Fink hit a three run homer giving MWSU the 3-0 lead. The home run was his third of the season. The Griffons kept things going in the third getting two more runs on Kyle Simpson’s second homer of the season.

The Panthers got on the in their half of the third capitalizing on two Griffon errors. MWSU took a 6-1 lead in the fourth putting together four hits with Michael Schulze getting an RBI double which scored Jake Schrader.

In the fourth the Panthers got do MWSU starting pitcher Jake Jones scoring four runs on five hits with three coming on a homer by Dallas Williams. The Panthers closed the gap to 6-5 but Tyler Riddle was able to come into get a double play ball.

The Griffons answered in the fifth getting five runs on four hits. MWSU opened the inning with three straight hits with Jimmy Smelcer’s single scoring Spencer Shockley. Shawn Egge then singled to center scoring Smelcer and Fink. Egge would later score on a single by Bubba Dotson making the score 10-5.

The game slowed down the rest of the way as neither team would score. Dotson, Shockley and Egge all had three hits in the game while Fink finished with two. Banks Born picked up the victory going 2.2 innings striking out one. Jones pitched 3.1 innings giving up seven hits and four earned runs.

The loss was the first for the Panthers as they fall to 5-1 on the season. Nick Thimesch finished with two hits for the Panthers while Kevin Sweeney falls to 0-1 going just three innings giving up seven hits and six earned runs.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Chiefs sign WR Dwayne Bowe

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ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs announced on Monday that the club has signed wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.

“When we first arrived, one of the first items on our agenda was signing Dwayne,” General Manager John Dorsey said. “He’s been a key player on our offense and is one of the premier players at his position. We are pleased that Dwayne will be a member of this team for years to come.”

“We’re excited to have Dwayne on the roster for the long term,” Head Coach Andy Reid said. “Dwayne’s a big, physical receiver who has had success in this league. He is part of the Chiefs family, and it was important to him to remain in Kansas City. I’m looking forward to working with Dwayne.”

“I’m very blessed to be a member of the Kansas City Chiefs,” said Bowe. “The Hunt family and the fan base have been very supportive over the years, and I am looking forward to working with John and Coach Reid in the near future. I’m excited to continue my career with the Chiefs and hopefully help this team reach our goals.”

Bowe (6-2, 221) has played in 88 games (82 starts) in six seasons (2007-12) with Kansas City. His career numbers include 415 receptions for 5,728 yards (13.8 avg.) with 39 touchdowns. Bowe’s most productive season statistically came in 2010 when he caught 72 passes for 1,162 yards (16.1 avg.) with 15 touchdowns, earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl. Last season, he tallied 801 yards on 59 catches (13.6 avg.) with three touchdowns before being placed on injured reserve for the final three weeks of the regular season. Bowe has led the Chiefs in receptions and receiving yards in each of the past four seasons.

The Miami, Fla., native originally entered the NFL as Kansas City’s first-round selection (23rd overall) in the 2007 NFL Draft. He earned first-team All-SEC honors at LSU, where he caught 154 passes for 2,403 yards (15.6 avg.) and a school-record 26 touchdowns. He prepped at Norland Senior High School in Miami, Fla.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

Western’s Clinkscales, Fulton named All-MIAA Honorable Mention

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riggertMissouriWesternThe Missouri Western men’s basketball team had two players named to the Honorable Mention All-MIAA team which was announced Monday afternoon. Junior forward Cedric Clinkscales and junior guard Adarius Fulton have been selected to the team for their performances this past season.

Cedric Clinkscales
6-7, 230, Junior, Forward
The junior forward has had a solid season for the Griffons. Clinkscales has collected five double-doubles this season which included scoring 21 points and getting 10 rebounds in the Griffons final game of the season against Southwest Baptist. He scored over 20 points five times which included a season and career high 23 points on December 19, 2012 against Lynn University. He made a career high 10 field goals twice and had a career best 12 rebounds against Fort Hays State on December 8, 2012. He finished the regular season shooting 58.4-percent (146-25) from the field.

Adarius Fulton
6-2, 175, Junior, Guard
Fulton has come in and had an immediate impact at the guard position. He has been a great leader and solid player on the defensive side of the ball. He has scored in double figures nine times which included a career high 23 points on January 9, 2013 at Nebraska-Kearney. He leads the team with 50 steals and 80 assists. He has had five or more steals five times with a career high seven at UNK on January 9, 2013. He has had four or more assists 12 times which includes a career high six in a 71-58 victory over #24 Northwest Missouri State on January 12, 2013 in St. Joseph, Mo.

Men’s All-MIAA Team
Player of the Year
Will McNeill, WU

Freshman of the Year
Craig Nicholson, FHSU

Defensive Player of the Year
Marky Nolen, ESU

Coach of the Year
Mark Johnson, FHSU

First Team
Will McNeill, WU**
Dominique Long, UCM
Josh Gibbs, UCO
Dwayne Brunson, FHSU
Bryton Hobbs, NSU
**= Unanimous Selection

Second Team
Jermaine Bransford, NSU
Alex Bazzell, LWU
Marquis Addison, MSSU
Craig Nicholson, FHSU
Cedric Ridle, LU

Third Team
Mike Carlson, TSU
Dillon Starzl, NWMSU
Widget Washington, UCM
JaVon McGee, PSU
Martin Mitchell, WU

All-Defensive Team
Marky Nolen, PSU
Paul Bunch, ESU
Will McNeill, WU
Bobby Chipman, WU
Matt Wallace, NWMSU

Honorable Mention
Charles Hammork, UCM
Paul Bunch, ESU
Kaleb Wright, ESU
Chris Sights, ESU
Lance Russell, FHSU
Ben Congiusta, FHSU
Jordan Talbert, MSSU
Cedric Clinkscales, MWSU
Adarius Fulton, MWSU
DeAngelo Hailey, NWMSU
Alex Sullivan, NWMSU
Kaleb Porter, PSU
Rico Pierrevillous, PSU
Damion Hooks, SBU
Preston Guiot, SBU
Seth Jackson, TSU
Tom Norton, TSU
Jon Henderson, UNK

— MWSU Sports Information —

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