Dave Riggert – Page 999 – St. Joseph Post Archive

K-State stays unbeaten with 23-10 win at TCU

Posted on November 10, 2012November 10, 2012

Collin Klein and third-ranked Kansas State bolstered their chances in the national championship chase by doing what Alabama failed to do.

The Wildcats beat one of the newcomers in their conference.

Only a few minutes after No. 1 Alabama lost, Klein threw a 62-yard pass to set up the first of his two touchdown runs and the Wildcats went on to a 23-10 victory Saturday night at TCU.

And on Sunday, Kansas State (10-0, 7-0 Big 12) seems likely to take over the top spot in the new BCS rankings.

”I have no thoughts about it whatsoever,” said coach Bill Snyder, who claimed he didn’t even know about Alabama’s loss until getting in the locker room after the game.

”I just found out. My reaction was, ‘Wow!’,” said Anthony Cantele, who kicked three field goals. ”It doesn’t change what we’re going to do. … We’ll enjoy it for what it is, and get back to work.”

Kansas State’s game had just started and Klein already had a rare turnover when SEC newcomer and former Big 12 team Texas A&M finished off its 29-24 victory at Alabama, the top team in the BCS standings and AP poll.

Kansas State, 10-0 for only the second time under Snyder, was already No. 2 in the BCS standings, one spot ahead of Oregon. The Ducks, No. 2 in the AP poll, played California later Saturday night.

”We still have a lot of things to accomplish. So as far as the rankings, we don’t pay too much attention to that, because we obviously have a lot of work to do,” defensive back Jarard Milo said. ”We’ve just got to keep working and doing what we’re doing as K-State.”

Kansas State plays next Saturday night at Baylor, then has a week off before ending the regular season at home against 19th-ranked Texas.

Klein’s third interception of the season came on only the fourth play against TCU (6-4, 3-4), which is in its first Big 12 season. Freshman defensive end Devonte Fields was back in coverage when he made a diving grab for his first career pick.

The Horned Frogs failed to take advantage by going three-and-out.

By time they got the ball back, they were trailing for good and on way to their third consecutive home loss, all to Big 12 teams. It is the first time since 1997 they have lost three consecutive home games in the same season.

”There is a very fine line, and that is a team that can play for a national championship,” said TCU coach Gary Patterson, who faced his alma mater for the first time.

It was during the timeout for the change of possession after TCU’s punt that Alabama’s game ended.

Klein’s next play was his 62-yard pass to Chris Harper, who got an extra 15 yards or so on the play dragging defenders after making the catch near midfield. That drive ended with the Heisman Trophy hopeful quarterback running for a 7-yard TD.

When TCU punted again, Tremaine Thompson had a 33-yard punt return to the Frogs 41. The first of Cantele’s three field goals, a 41-yarder, made it 10-0.

Klein seemingly showed no ill effects from an apparent head injury that had knocked him out in the third quarter of last Saturday’s victory against Oklahoma State.

But outside of the long pass and two TD runs, including a nifty 34-yarder in the third quarter that gave him 19 for the season, it wasn’t Klein’s best game statistically.

The senior quarterback was sacked a season-high three times while completing 12 of 21 passes for 145 yards. He had 15 carries for 50 yards.

”He played reasonably well. He made the plays he had to make in the game, but we were probably a little conservative for him,” said Snyder, adding that it was because of TCU’s defense. ”We could have given him more chances than what we did. He managed the game as he always does.”

Klein wasn’t made available for interviews after the game.

Patterson, TCU’s winningest coach with 115 wins in 12 seasons, started his coaching career as a K-State graduate assistant in 1982, long before Snyder got there, and was part of the Wildcats’ first bowl team. He played there the previous two seasons, as a safety and linebacker who saw a lot of action on scout teams and a little on special teams.

Kansas State was the highest-ranked team to play in Fort Worth since 1970, when No. 2 Texas beat the Horned Frogs 58-0.

TCU didn’t score until against the Wildcats until Jaden Oberkrom’s 35-yard field goal with 6:59 left. Oberkrom was wide right on a 45-yard attempt at the start of the second quarter.

Trevone Boykin threw a 19-yard TD to Brandon Carter with 47 seconds left in the game.

Kansas State led 13-0 after Cantele made a 20-yard field goal with 28 seconds left in the first half. That came after Deante Gray tried to field a punt that sailed over his head, and it was recovered at the Frogs 5.

The Wildcats had yet another scoring chance before halftime when Ty Zimmerman returned an interception 30 yards to the TCU 31. But Cantele was wide right on a 48-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the half.

The Frogs have scored in 252 consecutive games since Nov. 16, 1991, the third-longest such streak in the nation behind Michigan (347) and Florida (307). Kansas State’s streak of 200 games in a row is the eighth-longest in the nation.

— Associated Press —

Mizzou basketball opens with victory over SIU-Edwardsville

Posted on November 10, 2012November 10, 2012

While rehabbing all last season from a knee injury, Laurence Bowers was able to do a lot of shooting.

The 6-foot-8 forward showed off his increased range in No. 15 Missouri’s 83-69 season-opening victory over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Saturday, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and finishing with 20 points and seven rebounds.

The season before he was hurt, Bowers attempted just eight 3-pointers – and missed them all.

”I was shooting a ton when I was hurt, so it’s paying off,” Bowers said. ”I’ve just got to continue to stay after practice and work out.”

Coach Frank Haith pointed out that Bowers was on the line or just inside it on two other jumpers while going 9 for 14 overall.

”That’s what we challenged him to do, make his game more well-rounded,” Haith said. ”Laurence, he was excited for Midnight Madness. I think he’s just glad to be back, and guys, he’s going to get better and better.”

Bowers outscored the Cougars 10-2 by himself during a two-minute stretch early in the second half for the Tigers, who are ranked to start the season for a third straight year. Not much later, he dazzled with a tomahawk dunk.

”It felt good,” Bowers said. ”That’s the first time I’ve dunked in a game in a long time.”

Phil Pressey scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half and had nine assists with just two turnovers. Alex Oriakhi, part of a strong transfer class, had 15 rebounds, eight points and three blocked shots.

”Those guys, they’re good,” SIU Edwardsville coach Lennox Forrester said. ”Pressey, he’s an incredible guard. I thought that at times when they struggled for points, he just took over.”

Jerome Jones hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points for SIU Edwardsville, which was held to 33 percent shooting. Reserve Michael Messer added 13 points but Mark Yelovich, the Cougars’ top returning scorer, was held scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting with four fouls.

”There were segments in there where we kind of got rattled a little bit and lost our composure,” Forrester said. ”It’s one of those games where you never know what to expect from your players.”

Missouri won its 66th in a row at home against non-conference opponents since the end of the 2005-06 season without guard Michael Dixon, who is suspended for violating team rules. Dixon, perhaps the best sixth man in the nation for last season’s 30-win team, also did not dress in both exhibitions.

Haith gave no timetable for Dixon’s return, saying tersely, ”We’re not talking about that.”

The Tigers won their home opener for the 38th time in 39 seasons in front of a late-arriving crowd of 10,054, many likely watching the Missouri football team’s overtime victory at Tennessee that ended about 45 minutes before tip-off.

Haith was happy to divert his postgame remarks to another sport, adding that he watched the entire game on TV. But not the players.

”I don’t let them watch, they’re focused on the game,” Haith said. ”But I was watching.”

Freshman Negus Webster-Chan hit all three of Missouri’s 3-pointers in the first half, the last two coming over the final 2 1/2 minutes to help build a 40-34 lead. The Tigers trailed most of the half, getting their first lead at 27-26 on Webster-Chan’s 3-pointer from the corner off a feed from Pressey with about 6 1/2 minutes to go.

Missouri took its largest lead of the game after outscoring SIU Edwardsville 7-0 over the final 2:55, and carried that momentum into the second half. The visitors couldn’t keep up.

”We started getting careless, a couple turnovers and a couple quick shots that instantly turn into transition points,” said Messer.

SIU Edwardsville came out firing from long range, hitting six of its first 14 3-point attempts. Jones tied his career high with four 3-pointers in the half and had 14 points, bettering last year’s 12.7-point average.

The Cougars led by as many as six in the first half without any contribution from Kris Davis, who led the nation with a 60-percent 3-point percentage last season but sat out the final 18:47 of the half after picking up two quick fouls. He finished with 11 points.

”We want to be an up-tempo team, we want to be an aggressive team,” Forrester said. ”But at the same time we want to make sure we are disciplined at doing both.”

SIU Edwardsville was 10-17 last season, its first in the Ohio Valley Conference, and is among just six Division-I schools with no freshmen. The school is 0-4 against current members of the SEC and 0-5 against Top 25 teams.

— Associated Press —

MWSU volleyball wins season finale at Southwest Baptist

Posted on November 10, 2012November 10, 2012

The Missouri Western volleyball team ended the 2012 season with a 3-1 (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-21) victory on the road against the Southwest Baptist University Bearcats. The Griffons ended the regular season with a 16-16 overall record and 6-12 in MIAA action.

The Griffons dominated the first two sets of the match accumlating 31 kills and hitting over .350 in both sets. The Griffons won set one 25-15 and set two 25-18. The Griffons never trailed in either set getting out to big lead in both sets.

After the break the Griffons tried to get back into the set scoring four of the last five points but fell 25-22. The Griffons bounced back in set four winning 25-21 as they had 16 kills hitting .224 in the set.

The Griffons hit .228 in the set with 59 kills and 83 digs. Meredith McCormick and Amanda Boender had 13 kills while Stephanie Hattey had 12 kills, 25 assists and 24 digs. Jordan Chohon finished the contest with 21 assists and 14 digs.

The Bearcats were led by Mackynzi Gibson with 16 kills while Whitney Miller finished with 28 set assists. SBU finishes the season 10-23 and 2-16 in MIAA play.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Kansas loses heartbreaker at Texas Tech in two overtimes

Posted on November 10, 2012November 10, 2012

No. 25 Texas Tech has practiced the play that gave the Red Raiders a 41-34 double overtime win over Kansas on Saturday—not always with the best results.

Eric Stephens took the snap out of the wildcat formation, rolled to his right and threw a 3-yard jump pass to Darrin Moore for the winning touchdown.

“It’s been hit or miss in practice, but I just had a really good feeling about it,” quarterback Seth Doege said. “I think Eric’s one of those guys when you call his number, he’s going to get the job done.”
AdChoices

Kansas quarterback Michael Cummings couldn’t connect with Tre’ Parmalee in the end zone on fourth-and-9 for Kansas to end the Jayhawks’ chances.

The two teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime. Cummings found James Sims for a 5-yard score to put Kansas up 34-27. Stephens tied it at 34 on a 1-yard run.

The Jayhawks (1-9, 0-7 Big 12) came from behind in the fourth quarter and sent the game into overtime on a 32-yard field goal by Nick Prolago with under a minute remaining in regulation. Those points were set up by a 44-yard run by Cummings on fourth-and-3 from the Jayhawks 36 that took the ball down to the Texas Tech 20.

“Michael runs down there and keeps the ball and almost takes it to the house,” Kansas coach Charlie Weis said. “With my luck, he would have taken it to the house too quickly because, as it was, they came down the field and had a chance to win right there.”

Doege completed 45 of 59 passes for three touchdowns and 476 yards for Texas Tech (7-3, 4-3). He had one interception in the second quarter that seemed to give the Jayhawks belief they could upset the Red Raiders. The Jayhawks outscored the Red Raiders 20-6 in regulation after the interception.

Tony Pierson had a career-high 202 rushing yards on 16 carries for Kansas, which lost its ninth in a row and 19th straight Big 12 game.

Pierson also got the longest run from scrimmage this season for the Jayhawks when he scampered 69 yards to set up Sims’ 3-yard run that pulled Kansas within 27-24 with about nine minutes remaining in the game.

Sims, the junior from Irving, Texas, got his sixth game with more than 100 yards, becoming the first Jayhawk to do so since 1961. He finished with 127 yards on 30 carries.

The win ended a two-game skid for the Red Raiders, following losses to Texas and Kansas State.

Doege’s completion to Tyson Williams at the Kansas 20 with six seconds remaining in regulation was called back after a review because Doege’s knee hit the ground after he fumbled the snap. Then Ryan Bustin missed to the left by about a yard on a 41-yard field goal attempt in high winds that would have won the game at the end of regulation.

Texas Tech was 18th in the country in total defense coming into the game, giving up an average of 314 yards per game. Against the Jayhawks they gave up 419 yards.

Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said his team played well in spurts in the second half.

“We weren’t able to make big plays like we thought we could,” he said. “They made us earn it. There were times we were on the edge of breaking that thing open. We just weren’t able to do that.”

For a second straight week, the Red Raiders had some trouble when they got into the red zone. Last week, in the loss to Texas, they went for field goals four times after they stalled inside the 20. This week they got two field goals after failing to get into the end zone.

Still, Doege threw touchdown passes of 9, 16 and 6 yards—one each to Jakeem Grant, Williams and Moore—to build a 21-7 lead for Texas Tech in the second quarter.

A video clip of Tuberville went viral during the game. Footage shows him facing graduate assistant Kevin Oliver and appearing to use his left hand to strike him on the right side of his face. Oliver’s headset and ball cap fall off. It happened when the Red Raiders seemed to have difficulty getting the right personnel on the field.

Tuberville said he didn’t mean to hit the graduate assistant.

“It wasn’t anything to it,” he said. “It was just one of those deals where I missed his shoulder and ended up grabbing the microphone on his head set and pulled it off.”

Texas Tech’s offense was hit or miss in the first half. The Red Raider had three three-and-outs on three of their seven possessions. Yet at times Doege still was able to the offense down the field, despite a stiff south wind that at times gusted 50 mph.

Kansas pulled within 21-14 after Doege threw his ninth interception of the season. Brad McDougald picked off the pass in the middle of the field and returned it 32 yards to the Red Raiders 29 halfway through the second quarter.

A few plays later Cummings found Brandon Bourbon in the near-side flat and he ran it in for a 10-yard touchdown.

On the Jayhawks’ next possession, Pierson juked diagonally across the field for a 49-yard run that led to a 22-yard field goal for Kansas to whittle the lead to 21-17 going into halftime.

On Doege’s second touchdown pass he moved into third place all-time at Texas Tech. His 63rd touchdown pass came when he hit Tyson Williams in the back corner of the end zone to put the Red Raiders up 14-7 early in the second quarter.

— Associated Press —

Bearcat volleyball loses in five sets to Truman State

Posted on November 10, 2012November 10, 2012

Based on the way Truman established itself as one of the top four volleyball teams in the MIAA this season, Northwest Missouri State faced a difficult task of trying to win the final home match for seniors Tori Beckman, Kelsey Larson and Alicia Watson.

In the first two sets Saturday evening at Bearcat Arena, Northwest outplayed a Truman team that has lost only five matches all season.

Unfortunately, in the first set, Northwest couldn’t convert on four set points and lost.

Despite battling back to win the second and fourth sets, Northwest eventually lost the match 3-2. The scores were 26-24, 18-25, 25-20, 18-25, 15-5.

“I thought the second and fourth set we went after our game plan,” Northwest coach Amy Phelps said. “The fifth set is all about the momentum and they got the momentum. It was nice we had a competitive match. It hurts even more when you go to five and don’t win.”

Of course, a more fitting end for Beckman, Larson and Watson would have been a victory. Afterwards, Beckman was all smiles because she knew her younger teammates gave everything they had for a victory that was within grasp.

“I’m extremely proud of my team,” Beckman said. “We could have said they are ranked above us and just caved in, but that’s not what are team is about. When we play higher competition, we step up to the challenge.

“They were fighting for us. We had a lot of fun tonight.”

The Bearcats, which dropped to 15-16 overall and 9-9 in the MIAA, showed plenty of fight in their final regular-season match. If they battle just as hard in the first round of the MIAA tournament, they will give their opponent a lot of trouble.

Northwest earned the sixth seed and will play at No. 3 seed Central Missouri at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday.

“I told the team to use this match as confidence,” Beckman said. “We can play with any team. We’ve taken a set from UCM and we’ve taken sets from Washburn and Truman. We can play with anybody, but it is the belief that has to come into it.”

Even in the loss Saturday evening, there were some impressive numbers by the Bearcats, especially the numbers read before the match started. Beckman, Larson all have GPAs 3.50 and higher.

Though Beckman, Larson and Watson have some volleyball still to play for the Bearcats, they have succeeded in the most important area: the classroom.

“All three of us know that we are students first,” Beckman said. “All three of us are excited about where we are going after the season. I couldn’t be happier that I’m going to be a middle school teacher.”

Watson’s GPA is a perfect 4.0 and after she graduates, she’s headed to graduate school at Northwest in Applied Health and Sports Sciences.

“I did my part in holding the team to a very high academic standard,” Watson said. “I really believe school is important. It is the reason I’m here. Volleyball is something fun I get to do on the side. School is the main focus because we want to be successful in life.”

Larson already has a job lined up with Cerner next year.

“I think academics are really important,” Larson said. “They really stress student-athlete here a lot. They really get on us if you have a C or below. They are constantly talking to you.”

On the court Saturday evening, there were plenty of moments that they could be proud that they were part of the 2012 Bearcats.

Northwest showed plenty of character in the second set. After letting a 24-20 lead slip away in the first set, the Bearcats quickly erased the memory of giving up the final 6 points to lose set one.

The Bearcats came out firing on all cylinders in the second set and quickly built an 11-5 lead. The maintained control the entire second set and won 25-18.

Northwest played close to perfect in the second set. The Bearcats passed the ball well. Dallas Gardner set up the hitters and Brooke Bartosh, Mackie Keller, Whitney Mason and Abby Graves put away points. Bartosh had seven kills in the second set, Keller had five and Mason and Graves each had four.

“We wanted to get off to a good start in the second set,” Watson said. “We really focused on mini games to five. We followed through on our game plan.”

Truman came out in the third set and played like a team that now has 27 victories on the season. The Bulldogs took control early, jumping to an 8-2 lead.

Northwest showed fight even though the set was pretty much over at 23-16. The Bearcats fought back and closed to 24-21 and even forced Truman to call timeout to stop the momentum.

The Bearcats refused to go quietly in their last home match of the season. They took an early 7-4 lead and held it throughout the fourth set. Northwest matched its level of play in the second set and forced the deciding fifth set.

Truman, though, never gave the Bearcats a whiff of an upset by scoring 10 of the first 11 points in the fifth set.

Beckman finished the match with 36 digs and Watson had 10 digs and two assists. Larson saw action in the first set.

Down the road, the numbers they recorded in their final home match will fade away. The memories of their days playing volleyball will last much longer.

“I think Northwest in general is just a great community,” Beckman said. “I love everything about it. I love you when walk into any restaurant you see posters of all the Bearcats. All the athletic teams are extremely supportive of each other.”

Watson said, “I think I will remember the most is my teammates and the friendships that I’ve made here. It really is a family. I love that aspect of it. I will definitely remember all my teammates more so than any game.”

Larson is proof that the Bearcat volleyball team is a family when she gets married in the summer.

“Six of my seven bridesmaids are my teammates,” she said.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Edmisson era begins for Western women with win at Division I UMKC

Posted on November 9, 2012

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team opened up the Rob Edmisson era in impressive fashion defeating Division I opponent University of Missouri-Kansas City, 68-51. The Griffons had 22 assists on their 22 field goals and outscored the Kangaroos 25-7 off the bench. The Griffons improve to 1-0 on the season and will play their first home game of the regular season on Saturday, November 10 against 7th ranked Metro State University at 7:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Missouri Western struggled in the first 4:24 of the game going 0-5 from the field and 0-3 from long range getting down 8-0 against Division I opponent University of Missouri-Kansas City. The Griffons got a two pointer and a long range shot from senior Division I transfer Heather Howard cutting the UMKC lead to 8-5 with just under 14:00 minutes to play in the first half.

From there the Griffons used tough defense getting them back in the game. The Griffons closed the half on a 35-13 run which was concluded with a long range shot from Sharniece Lewis as time ran out in the first frame giving the Griffons the 35-21 lead. The Griffons outrebounded the the bigger Kangaroo team 22-13 and 7-4 on the offensive end of the floor. The Griffons also dominated the bench points outscoring UMKC 14-2 off the bench with Sharniece Lewis leading the way with nine.

The Griffons made 11-of-29 field goals and 11-of-24 after the opening four minutes. MWSU also connected on 8-of-15 long range shots and 8-of-12 after the first few minutes of play. Seven different players scored for the Griffons with Dever also pitching in nine making 3-of-4 free throw attempts. MWSU has 11 assists with Alicia Bell dishing out four.

UMKC was led by Emile Blakesely and Lauren Dudding with five points apiece. The Griffons held the Kangaroos to just 8-of-24 shooting in the first half.

The Griffons opend up a 17 point lead at 43-26 early in the second half when Sharniece Lewis hit a layup with 16:03 to play in the game. The next few minutes belonged to the Kangaroos as they used a 8-0 run cutting the Griffons lead to 43-34 after a Kim Nezianya 3-pointer with 12:32 to play in the game. The Griffons regained focus pushing the lead to 17 three times the next eight minutes. MWSU pushed to 55-38 after a Sharniece Lewis long range shot, 57-40 after a Brittany Griswold jumper and 60-43 after a Howard three pointer with 4:23 to play in the game.

Both teams scored eight points down the stretch with the Griffons picking up their first victory against the Division I opponent since November 21, 1997 when they defeated IUPU-Indianpolis, 70-49.

The Griffons shot 22-of-54 from the field with eight different Griffons scoring in the game. Howard and Sharniece Lewis both had 14 points while Dever pitched in 13. Howard and Dever led the charge with eight rebounds while Dever and Bell dished out five assists apiece. MWSU outrebounded UMkC 40-28 and 11-9 on the offensive end of the floor. MWSU made 11-of-25 three pointers and 13-of-14 free throw attempts.

The Kangaroos were led by Nezianya with 17 points while Ashli Hill pitched in 11. UMKC finished making 19-of-50 field goals and went just 3-of-13 from the field. They fall to 0-1 with the loss.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest women open season with victory over Quincy

Posted on November 9, 2012November 9, 2012

The Mark Kellogg era got off to a winning start Friday night as the Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team hustled its way to a 65-50 win over Quincy in non-conference action.

Northwest (1-0) used a 10-0 run to recover from a 13 point deficit just after the eight minute mark of the first half. Back-to-back Meridee Scott layups gave the Bearcats their first lead with 7:40 left in the first half as the Hawks continued to hang around. Scott would go on to lead all scorers and finish with a career-high 21 points.

A NCAA tournament team a year ago, Quincy (0-1) proved to be battle tested in the first half as the lead changed seven times.

Just before the final media timeout of the first half, Maggie Marnin completed a three-point play on a lay-in to give Northwest a 25-23 lead. Both teams would trade baskets down the stretch as a Tiara Thomas layup with 18 seconds pulled the Bearcat lead to only one, 27-26, at halftime.

Quincy continued to hang around using a definite size advantage, as they outrebounded Northwest 48-29. However a quicker Bearcat team outscored the Hawks 34-16 inside the paint and forced 20 turnovers to seal the 15-point win.

The Bearcats also shot 42 percent from behind the three-point line as freshman Tember Schechinger added 14 points and eight rebounds in her collegiate debut.

Ashleigh Nelson added 10 points to give the Bearcats three players in double figures.

Thomas and Lucy Cramsey led the Hawks with eight points each.

Northwest returns to action Tuesday as they host Tabor in non-conference action. Tipoff from Bearcat Arena is slated for 6 p.m.

Jayhawks get hot late to take care of Southeast Missouri State

Posted on November 9, 2012November 9, 2012

Jeff Withey admitted that he sleepwalked through most of Kansas’ two exhibition games.

The 7-footer, a key component of last year’s national runners-up, has been trying to adapt to life without Thomas Robinson, the All-America forward who left early for the NBA draft. Withey’s the guy who’s getting the double teams now, and the guy all eyes will be on in the paint.

He finally woke up Friday night, and gave everybody watching something to see.

The senior finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots, and the seventh-ranked Jayhawks pulled away late to beat Southeast Missouri State 74-55 in their season opener.

”I still have a lot of things to work on,” Withey said, ”but I’m definitely getting more confident, and starting to feel comfortable with all the new guys.”

Yes, the new guys.

There’s a bunch of them this season.

And the Jayhawks will have to rely heavily on them, too.

Ben McLemore had nine points, 12 rebounds and five assists in his long-awaited debut, and Perry Ellis finished with 15 points and eight boards as the freshman starters helped the Jayhawks win their 40th straight season opener at Allen Fieldhouse.

”It was great getting my first game under the belt,” Ellis said. ”Just listening to the seniors, it really helped a lot, motivating me day-in and day-out.”

This one certainly wasn’t easy.

The Redhawks managed to close within six midway through the second half, but Kansas slowly extended the lead behind its slew of freshmen to put the game away.

”We played hard,” Redhawks coach Dickey Nutt said. ”In the first half we really pressed a lot, we were nervous, we were star-struck. I think in the second half we slowed down a bit.”

Nick Niemczyk finished with 14 points for the Redhawks, who have lost seven straight season openers, all on the road, and remain winless in six tries against Big 12 schools.

Kansas returns three starters from last year’s national runners-up, including the 7-foot Withey, a preseason honorable-mention All-America selection. But the two guys they lost left gaping holes: Big 12 player of the year Robinson, who left early for the NBA draft, and Tyshawn Taylor, a senior guard who also went in the draft.

In their place are a bunch of newcomers – nine in all – including McLemore and Jamari Traylor, who were forced to redshirt last season after the NCAA ruled them partial qualifiers.

The Jayhawks certainly showed some growing pains in their only tune-up before facing No. 14 Michigan State next week. They turned it over 13 times and finished 2 for 21 from beyond the 3-point arc, with top sharp-shooter Elijah Johnson missing all four of his attempts.

”The first half we played good, we just didn’t make any shots,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. ”You defend, you rebound, you don’t turn it over, you get decent looks – we were up 15 in the first half and based on how they shot it and we defended, we could have easily been up 25.”

The Jayhawks’ scored the game’s first 11 points, but Naadir Tharpe’s 3-pointer from the wing with 16 minutes left before halftime was the last 3 that they’d hit until the closing minutes.

That’s the biggest reason Southeast Missouri State managed to hang around.

The Redhawks still trailed 36-19 with about 18 minutes remaining, but Nino Johnson’s three-point play got their rally started. Lucas Nutt and Marland Smith added a pair of free throws, and after McLemore soared for a follow-up dunk, Johnson and Niemczyk added two more baskets.

The 11-2 surge got Southeast Missouri State within 38-30.

The Redhawks, picked to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference, kept taking advantage of the Jayhawks’ ineptitude on offense, whittling the lead to 43-37 with 12 minutes left.

”We gave them some open looks but tonight we just got lucky,” Niemczyk said.

The luck finally ran out with about 12 minutes to play.

Withey got to the line for a pair of free throws, McLemore added a slashing layup, and Travis Releford got into the act with two free throws. By the time Ellis converted a three-point play with just under 8 minutes to go, the Jayhawks had extended the lead back to 54-41.

”Everybody has days when the ball doesn’t fall,” Tharpe said. ”We’re going to make those shots as the season goes on, as long as we’re confident enough to keep shooting them.”

Kansas managed to grind the rest of the time off the clock, even chipping in a couple of highlights along the way: McLemore’s soaring dunk off a miss by Johnson with just over 4 minutes left, and a rim-rattling dunk by Withey that energized the crowd moments later.

”If we can win and not make any shots,” Withey said, ”that’s a good sign.”

— Associated Press —

Griffon volleyball loses 3-1 at Pittsburg State

Posted on November 9, 2012November 9, 2012

Missouri Western volleyball struggled on Friday (November 9) night in Pittsburg, Kan. falling in four sets, 3-1 (25-17, 22-25, 27-25, 25-12) against Pittsburg State. With the loss the Griffons fall to 15-16 overall and 5-12 in MIAA action.

The Gorillas took the first and the fourth sets handily, as they led from the first point in both. The middle two sets were more challenging. In set two, Pitt State tied the game at 1-1, but once Missouri Western got the advantage point at 2-1, they never looked back. The Griffons led by as much as seven in the set, but Pitt State was able to cut the lead to three by the end of the set.

The third set was a battle to the finish. There were 11 ties and four lead changes, most happening near the end of the set. Missouri Western took the lead early and led by as many as four, as late as 16-12. From there, Pitt State began slowly to climb back, eventually tying the game at 18-18. The teams traded points, each time Western would take the lead, Pitt State would tie the game. The Gorillas finally took the lead 24-23 on a kill by Brooke Fay. It was then Missouri Western’s turn to tie the game after each Pitt State point. A kill from Paula Okrutna gave PSu the advantage and 26-25 and a Griffon attack error finished the set to give Pitt State the 27-25 win.

Missouri Western’s Stephanie Hattey led her team with 15 kills while Sarah Faubel had 23 digs.

Nicole Rockhold led all players with 21 kills and 19 digs for the Gorillas who improve to 16-13 overall and 6-11 in MIAA play..

The Griffons wrap up their season tomorrow afternoon when they take on the Southwest Baptsit Bearcats at 12:00 pm in Bolivar, Mo.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Kansas State takes down North Dakota in Weber’s debut

Posted on November 9, 2012November 9, 2012

Angel Rodriguez and Thomas Gipson each scored 13 points as Kansas State won its 10th straight season opener and started out new coach Bruce Weber’s tenure with an 85-52 victory over North Dakota on Friday night.

Martavious Irving added 11 points for the Wildcats.

Troy Huff led North Dakota with 12.

A veteran North Dakota team gave the Wildcats all they could handle in the first half and trailed just 36-27 at halftime, but Kansas State widened the gap quickly after the break.

Rodriguez scored eight straight for Kansas State to begin the second half, sinking a pair of 3-pointers and slicing into the lane for a layup.

Rodriguez’s first 3 gave the Wildcats their first double-digit lead of the game. After his scoring flurry, Kansas State got comfortable in the paint, getting buckets there from Will Spradling, Gipson and Rodney McGruder in addition to a couple of free throws. Seven minutes into the second half, the Wildcats led 54-36.

— Associated Press —