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Author: Dave Riggert

Chiefs sign offensive lineman Ryan Durand

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riggertChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs announced on Monday that the club has signed free agent offensive lineman Ryan Durand.

Durand (6-5, 301) originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft choice (239th overall) of the Tennessee Titans in the 2009 NFL Draft. He spent his initial season on the Titans practice squad before being elevated to the active roster in 2010. He made his NFL debut and only appearance vs. Dallas on Oct. 10, 2010. He served on Tennessee’s practice squad again in 2011. He joined the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 20, 2012 and was released on Nov. 27.

A three-year starter at right guard for Syracuse, Durand was an All-Big East selection his senior season after paving the way for a 1,000-yard rusher. As a junior, he protected an offensive unit that averaged 291.9 yards per game. The Fitchburg, Mass., native, prepped at St. Bernard’s Central Catholic High School, where he was a four-year letterman and team captain.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

Mrkaljevic’s jumper lifts Griffons past Blue Tigers

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riggertMissouriWesternDzenan Mrkaljevic hit a jumper with one second left on the clock giving the Griffons the 61-59 victory over the Lincoln Blue Tigers. Mrkaljevic helped the Griffons end the game on a 10-3 run snapping a three game losing streak. Mrkaljevic scored a career high 17 points helping the Griffons improve to 8-10 overall and 4-6 in MIAA play.

The two teams played he first seven minutes of the ball game to a tie at 13. The next 11 minutes belonged to the Griffons using a 15-6 run to gain a nine point lead at 28-19 with just under two and a half minutes to play in the frame. The Blue Tigers scored the final five points of the half cutting the Griffons lead to 28-24 at the half.

The Griffons made 10 field goals and scored 13 second chance points. Mrkaljevic led the way with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Lincoln made just 32-percent (8-25) field goals with Cedric Ridle dumping in 10 points.

It took Lincoln just 4:49 into the second half to claim the lead. Charles Cole nailed a three putting Lincoln up 39-38 with 15:11 to play. The Blue Tigers led the by as many as six in the second half but the Griffons were able to get hot late.

The Blue Tigers went up 56-51 with 5:54 to play after a Cole long range shot. The Griffon defense locked down the remainder of the game giving up just three points to Lincoln. Meanwhile a Reed Mells layup and an Adarius Fulton three tied the game at 56 with 3:02 to play.

Mrkajevic gave the Griffons a 59-56 lead with 1:30 to play nailing a long range shot. After a Ridle three with 1:20 to play tying the score at 59 the Griffons tightened up the defense forcing a Mario Bass turnover with 16 second to play. Mrkajevic remained hot hitting the biggest shot of his career helping MWSU escape Jefferson City with the win. He made 7-of-15 field goals and 3-of-5 long range shots.

The Griffons finished the game making 21-of-50 field goals and 11-of-29 long range shots. Fulton finished with 17 points making 5-of-12 long range shots.

Cole and Ridle combined for 33 of Lincoln’s 35 second half points finishing with 22 and 26 points respectively. Cole also had 11 rebounds while Bass had seven assists and three steals.

The Griffons return to action on Wednesday, January 30 with a home contest against the Pittsburg State Gorillas. Game time is set for 7:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcats fall at Central Missouri, 60-50

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riggertNorthwestA battle of the league’s top two men’s basketball teams saw Northwest Missouri State fall in a hard fought battle 60-50 to Central Missouri Saturday at the UCM Multipurpose Building.

The Bearcats, who had won two straight road games, fell to 13-5 on the season and 6-3 in the MIAA. Central Missouri improved to 14-3 and 8-1 in the conference to hold onto first place in the league and win its eighth straight over Northwest.

Both teams struggled offensively as it was nearly a five minute drought to close the game that eventually did the Bearcats in. Northwest lost junior post Dillon Starzl to injury just two minutes into the game as the offensive woes continued.

The Bearcats shot just 33 percent from the field, their lowest mark of the season, and were out rebounded 39-28. The woes hurt Northwest on the defensive glass too as the Mules converted on 20 second-chance points compared to the Bearcats’ nine.

Grant Cozad and DeAngelo Hailey each finished with 10 points to pace Northwest, as Cozad pulled in a team-high six rebounds.

Dominique Long had a game-high 13 points for UCM, while Matt Webb tallied a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Northwest returns to Bearcat Arena Thursday to host MIAA newcomer Northeastern State (Okla.), as the RiverHawks stand half a game ahead of the Bearcats in second place. Tipoff from Maryville is set for 7:30 p.m. against Northeastern State.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Missouri uses 32-2 run to destroy Vanderbilt

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MUMissouri coach Frank Haith said injured senior Laurence Bowers could have played Saturday if the 22nd-ranked Tigers needed him.

They didn’t.

Jabari Brown scored 21 points, Alex Oriakhi tied a career high with 18 and Missouri cruised to an 81-59 victory over Vanderbilt.

Missouri (15-4, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) led 49-20 at halftime thanks to an early 32-2 run spanning 11:47. After going 11 of 51 on 3-point attempts their past two games, the Tigers hit 11 of 21 Saturday – including eight in the first half for a rare fast start.

Brown has scored in double figures in nine of his 10 games with the Tigers, and he leads the team in conference play with 17.3 points per game. He entered the day leading the SEC with 3.2 3-pointers per game, and shot 4 of 8 from behind the arc.

”I definitely feel like I’m getting more comfortable out there,” Brown said. ”It’s a learning process. I’m just learning something from every game and moving forward.”

Oriakhi’s 12 rebounds, including six offensive boards, helped give Missouri a 40-18 advantage on the glass, including 24-7 in the first half. With Bowers missing his fifth consecutive game because of a sprained ligament in his right knee, Haith said the past few games have been ”healthy” for Oriakhi to be the go-to guy.

”Whenever our guards miss shots, I feel I clean it up,” Oriakhi said. ”Offensive rebounding, I feel that’s my best offense.”

A 6-foot-9, 255-pound senior transfer from Connecticut, Oriakhi made 15 consecutive free throws spanning three games before missing his final attempt Saturday.

Rod Odom matched a career high with 17 points for Vanderbilt (8-10, 2-4).

”There’s not a whole lot to say about this going wrong or that going wrong,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. ”They were much better and much faster. They shot better, rebounded way better. Every facet they whooped us.”

The Commodores scored the first eight points of the second half and later narrowed the deficit to 56-39 with 14:39 remaining, but got no closer despite making 15 of 30 shots after the break.

The teams traded points through the opening 5 minutes, prompting Haith to take off his jacket in frustration. But after a dunk by Sheldon Jeter gave the Commodores an 11-8 lead with 15:25 left in the first half, Missouri scored 32 of the next 34 points.

Vanderbilt entered having won consecutive games for the second time this season, but struggled to keep pace with the Tigers, who made 17 of 31 shots in the first half.

”I thought we were improving coming into this game,” Stallings said. ”We had won two in a row, one a road game against a South Carolina team that came in here and played awfully well the other night. But we were just physically overmatched today. When they started making shots like that, we were in trouble.”

Leading scorer Kedren Johnson, who averages 15.1 points per game, was held scoreless in the first half before scoring 11 after the break for the Commodores. A layup with 19:07 left was his first basket in three road conference games after missing his first 13 attempts.

The Tigers received a boost from Keion Bell, who scored two fast-break layups and two free throws in a span of three consecutive possessions during the run. Bell missed the team’s previous game with a sprained ankle.

”I felt that earlier in the game we needed energy, we needed a spark somewhere along the line,” Bell said. ”So I just tried to provide that spark, just tried to put as much pressure on the ball as I can, and it turned out that it led to a lot of easy baskets the other way and I felt that was contagious throughout our team.”

The game was Haith’s second since CBSSports.com reported Monday that he would face NCAA charges of ”unethical conduct” and ”failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance” related to his time at the University of Miami following a nearly two-year investigation.

The NCAA announced Wednesday, however, that it was temporarily suspending its investigation of the school because of improper conduct by members of its enforcement program. NCAA President Mark Emmert said he expected an external review of his organization to be finished within two weeks, and would not be issuing any Notice of Allegations until then.

Despite off-court distractions and playing four of their next six games on the road, Missouri’s players are just trying to focus on basketball.

”I definitely think everything’s a mindset with this team,” Oriakhi said. ”I think all the pieces are there. . We have to build off this. We can’t be satisfied.”

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western women drop third straight as they lose at Lincoln

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riggertMissouriWesternThe Missouri Western women continue to struggle falling in their third straight game (all on the road) Saturday against the Lincoln Blue Tigers by a score of 73-66. The Griffons fall to 12-6 overall and 5-5 in MIAA play.

The first eight minutes of the first half was a back-and-forth battle with the Griffons tying the score at 13 after a Heather Howard jumper. The Griffons opened up their largest lead of the game at 23-17 at the six minute mark after a Denise White jumper. The rest of the half was a struggle for the Griffons getting outscored 16-8 going into halftime down 33-31.

The Griffons had 13 points off 14 Blue Tiger turnovers but got outscored 20-14 in the paint. The Griffons made 11-of-27 shots with Howard and Lanicia Lawrence both scoring eight in the frame. Lincoln made 13 field goals with Arriana Walker leading the way with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting.

The Griffons came out of halftime on fire using a 12-4 run to claim a six point lead at 43-37 after back-to-back three’s by Alex Saxon with 15:10 to play. Unfortunatley the rest of the half belonged to Lincoln, outscoring the Griffons 36-23 the rest of the way claiming the victory.

The Griffons leading scorer Howard was held scoreless in the second half while Bell finished with 16 points in the game. Bell also had seven rebounds and five assists. Lanicia Lawrence pitched 10 points for the Griffons.

Walker led Lincoln with 27 points and 11 rebounds. She made 11-of-14 free throws and dished out eight rebounds. Dahlia Booker and Jackeya Mitchell finished with 13 apiece. The Blue Tigers improve to 9-9 overall and 4-6 in MIAA play.

The Griffons return home on Wednesday, January 30 to take on the 18th ranked Pittsburg State, Game time is set for 5:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Withey, McLemore lead KU past Oklahoma

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KUJeff Withey made life miserable for Oklahoma in just about every way possible.

Blocked shots? The Jayhawks’ 7-footer had four of them.

Steals? Three of those, too.

He also had 13 points and nine rebounds to polish off his afternoon, helping the third-ranked Jayhawks to a 67-54 victory on Saturday, their nation-leading 17th in a row.

Withey even had an assist when he fed Travis Releford in transition for an easy basket.

”He was terrific. Jeff played great,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. ”The mistakes we made in the first half, he erased a lot of them, which led to points. We didn’t do much offensively at all, but we got easy baskets off his defense when we got out and ran.”

Withey got out and ran, too.

Late in the game, Releford returned the favor by coming up with a steal and pushing the ball to Naadir Tharpe, who hit the 7-footer on the fast break for a dunk that helped to seal the game.

”I can think of better options than him leading the break,” Self said with a smile, ”but the way we played today, he may have been as good as our guards.”

Ben McLemore added 18 points and Releford finished with 10 for Kansas (18-1, 6-0 Big 12), which struggled much of the way offensively but still won their 33rd straight at Allen Fieldhouse to match the fourth-longest home winning streak in school history.

”We just couldn’t get to a point where we could threaten them down the stretch,” said Sooners coach Lon Kruger, whose team trailed 29-21 at the break and never could trim the lead.

Romero Osby and Amath M’Baye scored 12 points each, and Steven Pledger added 10, as the Sooners (13-5, 4-2) lost their 10th straight to the Jayhawks dating to 2006.

They haven’t won at the Phog since beating then-No. 6 Kansas during the 1993 season.

”They’ve got terrific athletes on the perimeter, a big shot-blocker inside, guys who are very unselfish,” Kruger said. ”They play the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”

It was the 14th time in 19 games that Kansas held an opponent to 60 points or less, including the past five Big 12 foes. The Sooners had been averaging close to 72 points in league play, but couldn’t manage it by shooting just 35 percent from the field.

”Kansas is very, very good,” Kruger said matter-of-factly, ”and we have to play much better than we did today to compete with them.”

It was the 800th game played at Allen Fieldhouse, just down the Interstate 70 from Kemper Arena in Kansas City, where 25 years ago the Jayhawks beat the Sooners for the national title.

Neither team looked Final Four-worthy in the first half, though.

The Jayhawks were 1 of 6 from beyond the arc and committed eight turnovers, three by Releford. So even when Kansas managed to build a lead, going up 24-14 on McLemore’s putback with 5:30 left in the first half, the Jayhawks couldn’t establish too much separation.

Oklahoma didn’t do a whole lot to help itself, either.

The Sooners got within 29-21 at halftime on a 3-pointer by Pledger, but they still shot just 28 percent from the field. Their 21 points were a season low for any half.

”We did some good things defensively in the first half,” Self said.

Things didn’t change much for Oklahoma after the break. Osby missed the Sooners’ first five shots, and their first field goal didn’t come until M’Baye’s jumper at the 16:14 mark.

Osby admitted he was shaken by Withey, who kept hounding him everywhere on the floor.

”He does that with everybody. He makes it really tough, especially going to the basket,” Osby said. ”You try to get him off the floor with pump fakes and he just stays down, stays down. … He always bothers people, but I think I kind of let it get in my head a little bit.”

Kansas kept its lead hovering around 10 points for much of the second half. Elijah Johnson’s driving layup for his first basket made it 37-27, and his 3-pointer with 11:35 remaining gave the Jayhawks a 42-31 lead, matching their biggest of the game.

The Jayhawks had pushed it to 45-39 on McLemore’s 3-pointer with 4:10 left when the Sooners went on their last run. Consecutive baskets by Buddy Hield and M’Baye trimmed the lead to 10, but Johnson’s 3-pointer and another by McLemore put the game away.

”The first half was pretty sloppy as a whole. The second half we got it going, we started rebounding better,” Withey said. ”We got a couple steals and that led to easy baskets.”

— Associated Press —

Northwest women struggle after quick start and lose at Central

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riggertNorthwestIn what was a tale of two opposite halves, Northwest Missouri State’s upset bid of 16th-ranked Central Missouri fell just short in a 60-52 loss Saturday in women’s MIAA basketball action.

The Bearcats fell to 10-7 on the season and 4-5 in league play while Central Missouri improved to 15-2 overall and 6-2 in the MIAA. Northwest dropped its second straight road game to end a stretch that saw the Bearcats play six of their last seven games away from Bearcat Arena.

After leading the entire first half the Bearcats fell cold in the second half shooting only 37 percent from the field compared to 52 percent in the first half. The cold streak hit the Bearcats at possibly the worst time, as Northwest was held scoreless over the final 5:25 of the game.

After taking a 14-0 lead to start the game the Bearcats held onto a slim 28-26 lead at halftime.

The Northwest lead was quickly erased as the Jennies got back-to-back three-pointers from BreAnna Lewis to start the half and take a 32-28 lead.

However the Bearcats never trailed by more than six and even regained the lead after an 8-0 run pushed Northwest ahead by two, 48-46 with 10:41 left in the game. A brief minute saw Northwest lead again with 7:26 left in the game before the Jennies pulled back ahead 52-50.

Ultimately it was struggles at the free-throw line and beyond the three-point arc that doomed the Bearcats. Northwest finished 2-for-10 from behind the three-point line and missed all five chances in the second half in addition to getting only a pair of free-throws from Monique Stevens in the final seven minutes of the game.

Annie Mathews continued her solid play for the Bearcats with her fifth double-double of the season adding 10 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out.

Maggie Marnin finished with a team-high 14 points in the loss.

UCM was led by BreAnna Lewis who finished with a game-high 23 points including knocking down five three-pointers.

Northwest returns to Bearcat Arena to close out January as they host Northeastern State (Okla.). Next Thursday’s game with the RiverHawks continues a tough stretch against six of the league’s top seven teams. Tipoff from Maryville is set for 5:30 p.m.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Kansas State suffers second straight loss at Iowa State

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KSUThe worst week of Kansas State’s season is over.

Fortunately for the Wildcats, they still have plenty of time to prove they’ll be a factor in the Big 12.

Will Clyburn had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Iowa State beat No. 11 Kansas State 73-67 on Saturday to hand the Wildcats their second straight loss after a 15-2 start.

Freshman Georges Niang added 15 points for the Cyclones (14-5, 4-2 Big 12), who beat a ranked opponent for the first time this season.

”Now we had a reality smack,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. ”We’ve got to get back to where we were and do the things that we did well to give us a chance.”

Kansas State did just that in the second half, shooting 64 percent and answering basket after basket by Iowa State.

The Wildcats simply ran out of chances.

Rodney McGruder broke free for a dunk to get the Wildcats within 70-67 with 48.5 seconds left, but Korie Lucious answered with a layup to make it a two-score game with 20 seconds to go.

Will Spradlin had 15 points and McGruder scored 13 to lead the Wildcats (15-4, 4-2), who lost on the road for the first time in four games.

”The things that made us good for most of the season is that we guarded and out-toughed and outplayed people,” Weber said, adding that Iowa State ”made more determined plays when it counted.”

Kansas State’s eight-game winning streak was stopped Wednesday by No. 3 Kansas, which won 59-55 for its 23rd victory in 25 tries at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats are now on their first losing streak of the season.

Iowa State finally got some breathing room with 5:24 left as Clyburn found Lucious, who stopped under the basket and flipped the ball back to Melvin Ejim for a two-handed stuff that put the Cyclones ahead 63-56. Clyburn then beat three Kansas State defenders for a rebound on the wing, and Niang turned it into a 3-pointer that made it 68-62 with 2:35 left.

Lucious had 10 points and eight assists a day after calling a players-only meeting to rally the Cyclones, who were 11 of 22 from 3-point range.

”We could never really get enough momentum to change the game,” Weber said. ”When you go 11 from 22 from the 3 it’s probably a difference maker. And yet, throughout the whole thing we’re right there.”

Iowa State had an impressive start to Big 12 play, rattling off wins over Texas, West Virginia and TCU after nearly beating Kansas in Lawrence in the league opener.

But the Cyclones had their momentum stunted by Texas Tech, which on Wednesday handed them their first bad loss, 56-51.

Iowa State responded by being the aggressor early against the Wildcats. The Cyclones went on a 10-0 run capped by a nifty, underhand scoop from Niang to go up 24-15. But Kansas State rallied, moving back in front 27-26 at halftime in large part because Iowa State was just 3 of 10 from the free throw line.

The teams went back and forth for much of the second half, as the Wildcats kept Iowa State from building anything more than a slim advantage until the final minute.

Free throws were a factor as well. The Cyclones were 10 of 22 from the line and Kansas State was 4 of 9.

”I challenged our guys. I said, ‘Fellas, we are scoring every time down the floor. We’ve got to find a way to get stops and string them together,”’ Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said. ”The last 4 minutes I thought we did a much better job of finding a way to get stops.”

Kansas State entered play ranked seventh in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage defense, while the Cyclones were sixth in the country with 9 made 3s per game.

Iowa State got the better of the Wildcats as far as 3s went and withstood a number of impressive responses by Kansas State.

”We were big on focus,” Niang said. ”We came back and practice was real tough the last two days. We got after each other.”

Shane Southwell had 11 points for Kansas State, which lost despite shooting 50.9 percent from the field.

”We’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. We’re going to compete at a high level,” Southwell said.

— Associated Press —

Reid makes additions to Chiefs’ coaching staff

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riggertChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs announced on Friday the addition of two coaches. Al Harris will join the club as a defensive assistant/secondary coach and Mark DeLeone will be a quality control coach. The team also announced it will retain Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Brent Salazar.

“We are happy to add Al and Mark to our staff,” Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid said. “Al’s playing experience over 15 years will bring a unique perspective for our players, and in Mark, we have a talented young coach. We’ve also retained Brent Salazar, who has done a nice job over the last six years here in Kansas City.”

Al Harris (Defensive Assistant/Secondary) – Harris begins his first full season as an NFL assistant coach in Kansas City as the Chiefs defensive assistant/secondary coach in 2013. He is starting his coaching career after a 15-year NFL playing career that saw him reach two Pro Bowls and earn an All-Pro selection. Harris spent the 2012 season as a coaching intern under Miami Dolphins Head Coach Joe Philbin. Originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round (169th overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft, Harris went on to play in 194 games (128 starts) with Philadelphia (1998-02), Green Bay (2003-09), Miami (2010) and St. Louis (2011). He was coached by Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid with the Eagles from 1999 to 2002 and was acquired by a Packers personnel team that included current Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey. Harris spent two seasons (1993-94) at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas. He then transferred to Texas A&M University-Kingsville (1995-96) and was a first-team All-Lone Star Conference pick in his senior season.

Mark DeLeone (Quality Control) – DeLeone enters his first campaign with the Kansas City Chiefs as quality control coach after holding the same position with the New York Jets last season. Prior to entering the NFL coaching ranks in 2012, DeLeone served as a graduate assistant at Temple University (2011), a quality control coach at the University of Florida (2010), director of football operations and assistant offensive line coach at the University of New Hampshire (2009) and as a defensive student assistant coach at the University of Iowa (2007-08). A 2009 graduate of the University of Iowa, DeLeone is the son of George DeLeone, former NFL assistant coach and current offensive coordinator at the University of Connecticut.

Brent Salazar (Assistant Strength & Conditioning) – Salazar begins his seventh season in Kansas City as the assistant strength and conditioning coach (2007-13). Prior to joining the Chiefs, he spent one year (2006) as the assistant director of athletic performance at the University of the Pacific. He was responsible for designing and implementing the training regimens for seven different varsity sports during his time with the Tigers. The Denver, Colo., native served as a graduate intern at UNLV in 2005. Salazar assisted the Rebels’ strength and conditioning staff in their regimen with the football team. He was directly responsible for overseeing the training program for the men’s tennis squad and men’s soccer team. Salazar originally started working in the NFL as an intern for the Denver Broncos during the 2005 NFL offseason.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

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