Despite Adarius Fulton tying a career high with 23 points the Missouri Western men struggled slowing down the Central Oklahoma Bronchos falling 92-75. The Griffons have lost two straight falling to 6-5 overall and 1-2 in MIAA play.

The Griffons struggled early against Central Oklahoma getting down 16-5 before they went on a 9-0 run cutting the UCO lead to 16-14 after a layup by Cortrez Colbert with 11:52 to play in the half. Unfortunately that would be the closes the Griffons would get. They got outscored 33-16 the rest of the half to go into the locker room down 49-30.

The Griffons got outscored 24-10 in the paint and 11-2 in second chance points in the first half. The Bronchos also had seven points off five first half turnovers by MWSU. Fulton and Ryan Devers led the Griffons with nine points while Charlie Marquardt and Devers each had three rebounds. The Griffons made just 10-of-30 shots but did make 4-of-9 three pointers.

The Bronchos were led by Josh Gibbs and Philip Brown with 11 and 10 points respectively while Gibbs also had eight rebounds. The Bronchos outrebounded the Griffons 25 to 13 in the first half.

Midway through to the second half UCO built its lead to as many as 22. The Griffons showed some grit going on a 12-1 run cutting the Broncho lead to 72-61 with 7:57 to play after a Fulton three. The Griffons would run out of gas down the stretch falling to 0-3 in road games this season.

UCO improved to 8-3 on the season and 2-2 in MIAA play. They had four players score in double figures with Brown leading the way with 25 points. Brown and Gibbs both had double doubles with Brown collecting 10 rebounds and Gibbs scoring 17 points and snaring 14 rebounds.

The Griffons shot just 35.8-percent (24-67) from the field but did make 16-of-19 free throws. Devers and Dzenan Mrkaljevic finished with 15 and 10 points respectively while Cortrez Colbert and Devers dished out five and four assists respectively.

The Bronchos dominated the points in the paint scoring 46 to the Griffons 22 and had 18 second chance points to MWSU’s six.

The Griffons return to action over the holiday break on Saturday, January 4 with an afternoon contest against the Washburn Ichabods. Game time is set for 3:30 pm in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team struggled on the road on Saturday afternoon dropping their fifth straight 81-63 against the Central Oklahoma Bronchos. The Griffons were led by Sharniece Lewis with 18 points as the Griffons fall to 4-5 overall and 0-3 in MIAA play.

The women played well for the first 7:30 minutes of the game with a layup by Tiara Hall tying the game a 13 with 12:25 to play in the first frame. The rest of the half belonged to the Bronchos as they outscored the Griffons by 12 claiming a 37-25 lead heading into the break.

Lewis led the Griffons with nine points while Lanicia Lawrence and Tiara Hall had seven and five points respectively. The Griffons shot 41.7-percent (10-24) from the field and 4-of-10 from the free throw line. Central Oklahoma was led by Olivia Mason and Britney Morgan with 10 and nine points respectively.

The second half was a struggle for the Griffons as the closest they got was 10 points while the Bronchos were able to extend their lead by as much as 23. The Bronchos improve to 7-4 overall and 2-2 in MIAA play after the 18 point victory.

Lawrence and Hall finished the game with nine and eight point respectively while Lawrence dished out nine of the Griffons 15 assists.

Central Oklahoma had four players finish in double figures with Mason leading the charge with 18 points and Jill Bryan pitching in 18. The Bronchos shot 50.9-percent (27-53) from the field and 52.2-percent (12-23) from long range.

The Griffons return to action after the holiday break with an MIAA home contest against the Washburn Ichabods. Game time is set for 1:30 pm in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

12 days after upsetting 15th ranked Fort Hays at home, the Missouri Western men’s basketball team fell just short of another statement win on the road.

Adarius Fulton missed a game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer, as the Griffons fell 73-70 at Northeastern State Thursday. The Griffons (6-4, 1-1 MIAA) held a seven point lead with six minutes to play, but the RiverHawks (8-2, 3-0 MIAA) answered with an 8-0 run to secure the victory and remain undefeated in conference play.

Point guard Ryan Devers led four Griffons in double figures with a team-high 16 points and 6 assists in 39 minutes.  Northeastern State point guard Bryton Hobbs had a game-high 20 points.

Fulton and Hans Thun added 12 and 11 points respectively for Western, which continues its road trip through the Panhandle State Saturday at Central Oklahoma.  Tip time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

MWSU women fall at Northeastern State, 57-42

Quenisha Lockett had a career night, but unfortunately for Missouri Western, she was the only Griffon with a hot hand in a 57-42 loss at Northeastern State Thursday night.  The Griffons (4-4, 0-2 MIAA) have now lost four straight games.

Lockett had a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds, but no other Griffon scored more than six points.  Missouri Western shot just 30 percent from the floor, while holding Northeastern State to an ice-cold 28 percent.

But the difference came from the charity stripe.

Missouri Western committed 28 fouls, and the RiverHawks shot 24-33 from the free throw line. The Griffons struggled in that category, going just 7-21 from the line.  The Griffons will try to get back on the winning track Saturday, as they continue their road trip at Central Oklahoma for a 1:30 pm tip time.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western football team had three players receive All-Region honors from Don Hansen Football Committee which was released Friday, December 13. Junior punter Scott Groner was named to the first team while sophomore running back Raphael Spencer was named to the second team and sophomore defensive back Michael Jordan was named to the third team.

Scott Groner (P, 6-4, 200, Jr., Tecoma, Victoria (Australia)) had an outstanding season averaging an MIAA best 42.6 yards per kick. He ranked 11th in the nation with that average. Groner punted 50 times for 2,132 with a long of 61 yards on September 21, 2013 at Nebraska-Kearney. He had nine kicks of 50 or more yards to go along with 13 kicks inside the 20. It was first time in his career that he has been named to the first team All-MIAA. He was an honorable mention selection in 2011. Groner was also named to the Daktronics Super Region Three Second Team.

Michael Jordan (DB, 6-0, 200, So., Hazelwood, Mo.) was named to the first team All-MIAA for the first time in his career this season after being named MIAA Freshman of the Year and honorable mention in 2012. This season Jordan finished with 48 total tackles with 36 being solo. He had two tackles for a loss to go along with three interceptions and eight pass break-ups. Jordan had seven tackles twice this season against Fort Hays State and Emporia State. He was also named to the Daktronics Super Region Three Second Team for the first time in his career.

Raphael Spencer (RB, 5-9, 190, So., Kansas City, Mo.) was named second team All-MIAA for the first time in his career. He finished the season rushing for 1,312 yards on 198 carries and 12 touchdowns. He averaged 119.3 yards per game which is first in the MIAA and 19th in the nation. He ran for over 100 yards six times this season and over 200 yards once which was at Central Oklahoma when he went for 221 yards on 24 carries. This season he also caught 21 passes for 150 yards. Spencer was named MIAA Player of the Week on November 11, 2013 for his 193 yards two touchdown performance at Washburn in a 34-31 victory. He is currently 9th all-time in rushing with 1,920 yards in his career.

The Griffons finished the season with an 8-3 overall record and 7-3 MIAA record. It was the eighth time in the past nine seasons and 11th time in Head Coach Jerry Partridge’s tenure that the Griffons have won eight or more games.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team opened up MIAA play with a 82-79 overtime victory over the 15th ranked Fort Hays State Tigers. This marked the first MIAA victory for coach Brett Weiberg and marked the first overtime victory since February 23, 2011 when they defeated the Central Missouri Mules 95-91 in Warrensburg, Mo. The Griffons improve to 6-3 overall and 1-0 in MIAA play.

Western got 10 points of their bench helping them to a four point halftime lead over the Fort Hays State Tigers 35-31. A 13-6 run late in the half helped the Griffons claim a 31-24 lead after a layup by Kalvin Balque with 3:23 to play in the frame. The Tigers cut the Griffon lead to four half the half with five points from guard Craig Nicholson during that span.

The Griffons shot 39.3-percent (11-28) from the field with six assists. Dareon Jones had three assists off the bench while Cedric Clinkscales dumped in eight points on 4-of-6 shooting with five boards. Dzenan Mrkaljevic also had five points in the frame. Eight different players scored for Missouri Western in the half.

The Tigers made 44-percent (11-25) of its field goals with Nicholson leading the way with nine points and three assists.

The second half was a back and forth battle as the Griffons pushed its lead to 55-50 with 10:27 to play after Adarius Fulton hit his fifth three point shot of the game. From there the Tigers took control going on a 13-0 run claiming an eight point lead at 63-55 after two free throws from Achoki Moikobu with 6:31 to play in the game.

Western picked up the defense from there allowing the Tigers just four points the rest of the second half. Meanwhile the Griffons kept chipping away at the Tiger lead and with 23 seconds to play Hans Thun it a runner tying the game at 67. A Tiger three as time expired was wide right which pushed the game to overtime.

At the beginning of overtime Thun continued being the hot hand hitting back-to-back three’s giving the Griffons the 73-67 lead with 3:47 to play. Once again the Tigers fought back tying the score at 75 after a Jared Tadlock three point play with 2:15 to play in the extra period. From there Ryan Devers took control scoring the final seven points for Missouri Western, including four free throws sealing the victory. Devers scored 18 of his 19 points in the second half and overtime. He finished making 6-of-7 seven three throws, snaring six rebounds and dishing out seven assists.

Three other Griffons scored in double figures including 15 from Fulton, 12 from Thun and 10 from Dzenana Mrkaljevic. Mrkaljevic led the Griffons with seven rebounds while Clinscales had six. The Griffons made 44.4-percent (28-63) from the field and 16-of-22 free throws. They also hit 10 threes.

The Tigers fell for the second straight time after opening the season 7-0. They are 7-2 overall and 0-2 in MIAA play after falling in overtime on Thursday against Central Missouri. The shot 50-percent (25-50) from the field and 23-28 from the free throw line. Nicholson had 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting while Dwayne Brunson had 13 points. Tomislav Gabric, Carson Konrade and James Fleming had 12, 10 and 10 points respectively.

Missouri Western returns to action on Thursday, December 19 when they hit the road for a contest against Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla. Game time is set for 7:30 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team fell in their first MIAA basketball game this season 67-53 against Fort Hays State Saturday afternoon in the fieldhouse. With the loss, the Griffons are now 4-3 and 0-1 in the MIAA. Hays is 6-1 and 1-1 in the conference.

The game started off with an 11-2 run by the Tigers. Hays kept its lead for the rest of the half, but after a Cassey Sobaski 3-pointer, the Griffons cut the score to 26-18. The Tigers controlled the rest of the half going on a 12-3 lead opening up a 17 point halftime lead at 38-21.

Quenisha Lockett led the Griffons with five points and three rebounds at the half while Alexis Gray and Alex Saxen each added a steal.

Hays kept a large lead into the second half. With some nice runs and a couple drop ins by forward Kate Lehman, the Tigers took a 56-36 with 5:56 left in the game.

Toward the end of the day, Missouri Western came back. Sobaski nailed another trey followed by a pair of free throws by forward Tiara Hall cutting the Tiger lead to 16. Lanicia Lawrence made another jumper making the final 67-53.

Lockett led the Griffons with nine points. Hall ended the game with six rebounds. Lehman had a game-high 12 rebounds. She added 24 points to complete a double-double.
The Griffons return to action on Thursday, December 19 when they take on the Northeastern State RiverHawks in Tahlequah, Okla. Tip time is set for 5:30 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western football players Michael Jordan (So., DB, Hazelwood, Mo.) and Scott Groner (Jr., P, Tecoma, Victoria (Australia)) were named to the Daktronics Super Region 3 Second Team which was released Thursday morning (December 5).

Michael Jordan (DB, 6-0, 200, So., Hazelwood, Mo.) was named to the first team All-MIAA for the first time in his career this season after being named MIAA Freshman of the Year and honorable mention in 2012. This season Jordan finished with 48 total tackles with 36 being solo. He had two tackles for a loss to go along with three interceptions and eight pass break-ups. Jordan had seven tackles twice this season against Fort Hays State and Emporia State.

Scott Groner (P, 6-4, 200, Jr., Tecoma, Victoria (Australia)) had an outstanding season averaging an MIAA best 42.6 yards per kick. He ranked 11th in the nation with that average. Groner punted 50 times for 2,132 with a long of 61 yards on September 21, 2013 at Nebraska-Kearney. He had nine kicks of 50 or more yards to go along with 13 kicks inside the 20. It was first time in his career that he has been named to the first team All-MIAA. He was an honorable mention selection in 2011.

The Griffons finished the season with an 8-3 overall record and 7-3 MIAA record. It was the eighth time in the past nine seasons and 11th time in Head Coach Jerry Partridge’s tenure that the Griffons have won eight or more games.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Hot shooting led the Missouri Western men’s basketball team to a 96-77 victory over the St. Mary’s (Kan.) Spires in non-conference action. The Griffons made 56.9-percent (37-65) of its shots with 10 three’s. Five Griffons scored in double figures led by Dzenan Mrkaljevic with 16 on 6-of-11 shooting. He scored 11 of his points in the second half. MWSU improves to 5-3 on the season and will return to action on Saturday, December 7 with the MIAA opener against Fort Hays State in the fieldhouse. Game time is set for 3:30 pm.

Western closed the half on 12-6 run capped by a Ryan Devers three as time expired giving the Griffons a 49-43 lead heading into the locker room. Devers finished the half with five points and seven assists.

MWSU shot the lights out in the opening period making 60.6-percent (20-33) of their field goals and 5-of-6 free throws. Missouri Western had 28 points in the paint and 10 points off seven St. Mary’s turnovers. Dareon Jones led the Griffons with 10 points off the bench as eight different players scored in the frame for Missouri Western.

The Spires also shot the ball well making 54.5-percent (18-33) of their field goals with four three’s. Sterling Roaf led the way with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting while Grant Greenberg finished with 10.

Missouri Western dominated the second half opening up an 18 point lead at 75-57 with 11:21 to play after a layup by Cedric Clinkscales. The Griffons continued the uptempo play taking their largest leaf of the game at 21 after a Wes Mitter three with 1:35 to play. Mitter had six points on two three’s late in the contest.

Western had 20 assists with Devers finishing with seven while Adarius Fulton and Cortrez Colbert had four. The Griffons also ahd 16 points on 12 Spire turnovers. Colbert and Jones finished with 14 points while Clinkscales and Devers had 11 points apiece. Mrkaljevic finished with a team high six reboiunds.

The Spires fall to 4-3 with the loss as they were led by Torren Dowdy with 18 points and eight rebounds. Greenberg finished with 15 points while Sterling Roaf and Jerry Sipple finished with 12 and 11 respectively.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women couldn’t complete the second half comeback falling 77-72 against Missouri S&T in the final game of the Doubletree/Houlihans Thanksgiving Classic. Sharniece Lewis finished with a career high 22 points making six three point shots. The Griffons fall to 4-2 on the season.

The first half belonged to the Miners as they built a nine point lead at 25-16 midway through the first half when Jaaron Kassanavoid finished a three point play at the 9:25 mark of the frame. From there the Griffons could only cut the lead to five at the half at 38-33.

In the half the Griffons made just 12-of-36 shots and 6-of-13 free throws. Ariana Novak led the way with eight points while Sharniece Lewis had seven points. Tiffanie Abrams led the way on the boards with seven rebounds.

The Miners made 15-of-32 shots and 5-of-8 free throws. They were led by Kassanavoid and Toni Knar with nine points apiece. Kylie Cooper finished with six rebounds.

In the second half the Griffons used a 12-2 run capped by a Sharniece Lewis three pointer giving the Griffons a 59-55 lead with 8:54 to play in the game. Jallisa Lewis gave the Griffons their first lead of the game on a free throw with 9:28 to play. The Griffons took its largest lead of the game at 71-66 when Sharniece Lewis hit another three with 4:02 to play but the rest of the game belonged to the Miners as they outscored the Griffons 11-1 picking up the five point victory.

Novak and Quenisha Locket finished with 17 and 10 points respectively while Abrams finished with eight boards. MWSU made just 10-of-22 free throws and 10-of-31 three pointers in the contest.

The Miners improve to 4-2 on the season as they had four players in double figures. Kylie Cooper and Knar each had 16 in the game.

The Griffons return to action next on Saturday, December 7 in their MIAA opener. They will host the Fort Hays State Tigers at 1:30 pm in the fieldhouse.

Doubletree Houlihan’s All-Tournament Team
Bethanie Funderburk (Drury)
Kylie Williamson (Drury)
Amy Philamlee (Union)
Shariece Lewis (Missouri Western)
Toni Knar (Missouri S&T)

— MWSU Sports Information —