After 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 —

The 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 —

The coaching career of Tom Smith has not quite ended just yet.

The veteran who owns more than 600 wins in his career coached his final game at MWSU Fieldhouse, claiming a victory against Southwest Baptist 72-58. The win puts the Griffons at 15-11 and 8-10 in the MIAA, good enough to send Missouri Western to the first round of the MIAA Tournament.

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team closed the first half on a 9-0 run claiming a 33-19 halftime lead. The Griffons held the Bearcats to just eight field goals and forced 11 turnovers.

The Griffons trailed only three times in the first half which was in the first four minutes of the game. The Griffons took control midway through the first frame going on a 8-0 run claiming a 22-11 lead with 5:29 to play after a dunk by Kalvin Balque.

The Bearcats cut the Griffon lead to five after two Preston Guiot three’s but the Griffons dominated the final three minutes claiming the 14 point lead going to the locker room.

Cedric Clinkscales led the charge making 7-of-8 field goals for 14 poitns. MWSU made 14-of-33 field goals with nine assists. Dzenan Mrkaljevic had four assists for MWSU. The Bearcats were led by Jaywuan Hill with 11 points and seven rebounds in the frame.

In the second half, the Bearcats clawed their way back into the game. After the Griffons took a 36-19 lead, their biggest of the night, Baptist closed the gap. Baptist was solid from the field throughout the course of the next 10 minutes, and cut the lead down to 47-42 with 8:05 to go.

Dylan Frantz knocked down a 3-pointer to up the Griffons lead back to eight on the next possession. Highlighted by another alley-oop to Balque, the Griffons stitched their lead to double-digits yet again, eventually winning 72-58.

Clinkscales finished the night with his fifth double-double, scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds. Balque finished with 17. Seniors Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe, Perry Jackson and Frantz also wrapped up their careers at the Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women defeated Southwest Baptist 71-64 in its final home game of the season. Griffon seniors who played their final game at MWSU Fieldhouse include Heather Howard, who collected her 13th double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Kallie Schoonover, Brittany Griswold, Alicia Bell and KC Clouser finished with 6, 6, 8, and 3 points respectively.

The Griffons and the Bearcats were neck-and-neck throughout, as the Griffons shot 22-for-57 while the Bearcats went 23-for-55. The difference throughout remained the free throw shooting by the Griffons, who knocked down 22 free throws, including Lanicia Lawrence, who went 9-for-11 from the charity stripe.

Missouri Western stormed out to a 17-7 lead after a 12-0 run taking control of the game early. SBU fought back, however, pulling within two with 3:38 to play after a jumper by Brittney Dukes made it 23-21. The Griffons maintained the lead in the closing minutes of the first half on their way to a 32-26 lead at the break.

The Griffons score five straight points to open up the second half taking another double-digit lead, 37-26, topped off by Sharniece Lawrence’s 3-point shot, one of four the junior made on the night. Her four three’s tied a career high. Midway through the second half SBU took its first lead of the game since it was 7-5 early in the first half after Dukes nailed a trey with 11:23 left. The 3-pointer gave the Bearcats a 47-45 advantage, but the Griffons answered back with a 10-0 run claiming a 55-47 lead.

Free throws and solid defense helped the Griffons carry the team the rest of the way on to a 71-64 victory. Dukes finished with a game-high 23 points leading Southwest Baptist. Howard’s 13 rebounds tied a career high.

The Griffons close out the regular season with a 15-11 record including 8-10 in the MIAA. The Bearcats fall to 11-15 (6-12). Up next for the Griffons is a first-round matchup in the MIAA Tournament against Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kan. on Tuesday, March 5th.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team fell for the sixth time in its last seven games which includes its fourth straight Wednesday evening falling 73-57 against the Fort Hays State Tigers. The Griffons made just six field goals in the first half falling to 9-16 overall and 5-12 in MIAA play.

MWSU scored just 13 points in the first twelve and a half minutes of the game getting down 29-13. The rest of the half they outscored the Tigers 11-4 going into halftime down 34-23. The Tigers dominated the points in the paint outscoring the Griffons 18-6 and scored eight points off nine Missouri Western turnovers.

The Griffon made its first three point shot of the game and then proceeded to go 0-11 the rest of the half. The did shoot free throws well making 10-of-12 in the frame. Reed Mells led the way in the half for the Griffons scoring nine points.

The Tigers were led by Dwayne Brunson scoring 12 points and snaring six rebounds. FHSU made 14-of-28 field goals in the half and had 10 assists.

The Griffons cut the Tiger lead to nine at 45-36 after two Adarius Fulton free throws with 12:53 to play in the game. The rest of game was all Tigers as they outscored the Griffons 28-21 on their way to the season sweep over MWSU.

The Griffons shot better in the second half making 11-of-24 field goals and making five three point shots. Eight different Griffons scored in the game with Mells leading the way with 15 points.

The Tigers improve to 18-7 overall and 12-5 in MIAA play. Brunson dumped in 20 points while Ben Congiusta, Lance Russell and Craig Nicholson pitched in 15, 11 and 10 respectively. Congiusta also pitched in eight assists.

The Griffons will close out the regular season on Saturday, March 2 against Southwest Baptist in St. Joseph, Mo. Game time is scheduled for 3:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Griffons will honor two seniors (Dylan Frantz and Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe) before the game. It will also be the last home game that MWSU coach Tom Smith will coach in his career.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team shot just 30-percent (10-30) and got out rebounded 29-14 in the first half falling 73-56 on the road Wednesday evening against the 17th ranked Fort Hays State Tigers. The Griffons have lost six straight road games and sit at 14-11 overall and 7-10 in MIAA play.

The two teams played the first four minutes to a 6-6 tie but a 23-8 run over the next ten minutes by the Tigers gave them a 29-14 lead after two Keriann Shaw free throws. The Griffons battled back using a 10-0 run capped by a Denise White free throw cutting the lead to 29-24 with 3:04 to play. The Tigers closed the half on their own 10-0 run claiming the 39-24 halftime lead.

The Griffons were led by JaQuitta Dever in the first half with 10 points making 4-of-9 free throws. MWSU had just six turnovers but made only 1-of-10 long range shots. The Tigers had 10 second chance points with Kate Lehman leading the way with 15 points and eight rebounds.

The Tigers extended its 15 point halftime lead to 20 early in the second half. The Griffons cut the lead to 14 after two Alicia Bell free throws with 13:04 to play but did not get any closer falling for fifth time in six games.

Griffon seniors Heather Howard and Bell scored 12 and 11 points respectively while the Griffons made just 22-of-63 field goals in the game.

The Tigers improve to 19-6 overall and 11-6 in MIAA play. Katelyn Edwards and Lehman led the way with 23 and 20 points respectively. Lehman also had 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.

The Griffons close out the regular season on Saturday, March 2 with a game against Southwest Baptist in St. Joseph, Mo. Tip time is set for 1:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Griffons will honor five seniors (Brittany Griswold, K.C. Clouser, Kallie Schoonover, Heather Howard and Alicia Bell) before the game as they will be playing their final regular season home game of their careers.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team dropped Saturday night’s game against Nebraska-Kearney 75-70 at MWSU Fieldhouse, dropping the Griffons to 9-15 (5-11 MIAA). Missouri Western now is just 4-7 at the Fieldhouse, play its final home game Saturday against Southwest Baptist, one game after a road tilt against Fort Hays State.

In front of 2,500 people, the Griffons wore camouflage uniforms for Military Appreciation Night. But the night soon turned for the worse.

The Griffons took a 33-29 lead into the break, but fell behind early in the second half due to proficient shooting from the Lopers.

The Lopers nailed nine of their 15 3s in the second half, including five apiece from Jon Henderson and Thomas Cooper.

The Griffons fell behind by 14 with 4 minutes, 58 seconds after Henderson nailed his fifth trey. Two 3s followed for the Griffons and Cedric Clinkscales, who finished with a team-high 14 points, put in a layup to pull Western within six.

The comeback was too much for the Griffons, however, and Kearney finished the victory off with a ton of free throws in the final minute.

Clinkscales added a double double on the night with 10 rebounds hauled in. Next up for the Griffons is a road game at Hays set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team ended a four-game losing streak Saturday evening at the MWSU Fieldhouse, defeating Nebraska-Kearney 71-36.

With the win, the Griffons clinched a berth in the 2013 MIAA Tournament which starts Tuesday, March 5.

The Griffons improve to 14-10 overall and 7-9 in the MIAA, and drop the Lopers to 6-17, 3-13.

Missouri Western started off slowly, falling behind 7-3 in the first 5 minutes. The Griffons reversed their fortune, going on a 21-2 run after that, eventually holding a big, 37-13 lead at the break.

Denis WHite went 4-for-5 from the field in the first half, scoring eight points with three rebounds and two steals. Heather Howard matched Whites’ efforts with nine seven points, three rebounds and three steals. Sharniece Lewis led the Griffons with nine points, knocking down three 3-pointers in the first half.

Three players tied for a team-high 12 points, which included Lewis, Howard and JaQuitta Dever. The Griffons forced 39 turnovers, which included 28 steals.

Up next for the Griffons is a road game against Fort Hays State, followed by the season finale, a home game against Southwest Baptist.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western softball team split on the final day of the Hawaii-Hilo Round Robin. The Griffons beat UHH 10-2 in six innings in game one before falling 10-1 in five innings in game two. The Griffons fall go 11-5 on the season after going 4-2 in the round robin.

Game 1
MWSU 10, Hawaii-Hilo 2 – 6 innings

The Griffons used the long ball in game one defeating the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans 10-2 in a run rule game ending in the 6th inning. Jackie Bishop picked up her sixth victory of the season giving up just two hits while striking out four.

In the second inning Michelle Stevenson got the Griffons on the board hitting a grand slam putting MWSU up 4-0. The home run was her first of her career.

The Vulcans cut the lead in half in the top of the 4th when Colleen Aubrey reached on an error and then Emily Greene put one over the left center field fence cutting the Griffons lead to 4-2 after four and a half innings of play.

The Griffons responded in the bottom of the of the fourth scoring five runs with two outs. Gillaspy hit an RBI double, Maegan Roemmich hit an RBI single scoring Gillaspy then Kendall Sorensen blasted a three run homer giving MWSU the 9-2 lead after four. The homer was the first of the season and second of Sorensens career.

In the bottom of the sixth Gillaspy nailed her fifth homer of the season giving MWSU the victory.

The Griffons had 10 hits with Sarah Elliott going 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Stevenson and Gillaspy both had two hits.

Ashley Nelson picked up the loss for UHH going five innings giving up ten hits and ten earned runs. Rebecca Lee and Greene both had a hit for the Vulcans.

Game 2
Western Oregon 10, MWSU 1 – 5 innings

In Game two the Griffons got off to a hot start scoring in the bottom of the first inning on a wild pitch by Western Oregon. From there it would be all Wolves as scoring 10 unanswered runs to get the victory.

The Griffons left the bases loaded in the third and fourth inning in the loss.

The Griffons had just four hits in the game with two coming from Gillaspy. Janie Smith falls to 5-2 on the season going just three innings giving up five hits and four earned runs.

The Wolves had 13 hits in the game with five players getting two hits in the game.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, March 9th when they participate in the Missouri Southern Tournament. MWSU will take on Pittsburg State at 2:00 pm and Nebraska-Kearney at 4:00 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

On a rainy and cold day in Hawaii the Griffon softball team split a pair of games on day one of the University of Hawaii-Hilo Round Robin invite. The Griffons opened up the day hitting three home runs on their way to a 7-3 victory over Western Oregon. In game two the Griffons could not get anything going falling 9-1 in five innings against Hawaii-Hilo. The Griffons are 8-4 on the season.

Game 1
Missouri Western 7, Western Oregon 3
In game one of the round robin the Griffons got a solid pitching performance from Jackie Bishop as she gave up just four hits while striking out eight Wolves and allowing just three runs. She improves to 4-1 on the season.

Western Oregon jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, however the Griffons used the long ball helping them gain a 6-1 lead six and a half innings of play. Taylor Andin tied the game at one in the third with her second homer of the season and then Keri Lorbert blasted her fifth of the season giving MWSU the 4-1 lead after three.

The Griffon tacked on two more in the sixth and then Tiffany Gillaspy hit her fourth homer of the season giving MWSU the 7-3 lead. Michelle Stevenson, Lorbert and Sarah Elliott all had two hits in the contest.

Lexi Orteza led the Wolves going 2-for-3 with a runs scored and two RBI while Danielle Hannan also had two hits.

Stephanie Morgan took the loss for WOU, allowing seven runs on 10 hits while tossing a complete game. She falls to 1-3 with the loss.

Game 2
Hawaii-Hilo 9, Missouri Western 1
In game two poor defense hurt the Griffons as they gave up three unearned runs in the loss. The Vulcans scored in every inning except the fourth inning. They took a comanding 7-0 lead after three and scored two more in the fifth putting the run rule in effect.

The Griffons loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the fourth inning but only managed to get just one in. The Griffons had just three hits while Janie Smith picked up her first loss of the season going just three innings giving up seven hits and and four earned runs while walking five.

Vanessa Salinas tossed a three-hitter and struck out seven Griffons. Rebecca Lee went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI while Emily Greene and Melanie Morelos added 2 RBI singles.

The Griffons return to action Friday, February 22 when they take on Western Oregon at 12:00 pm HST (4:00 pm CST) and Hawaii-Hilo at 4:30 pm HST (8:30 pm CST). The games will be played in Waimea, Hawaii at Samura Stadium.

— MWSU Sports Information —