Missouri Western’s women played well in the first half, but after falling behind by one point with 33 seconds to play, the Griffons never led again, and fell behind in the second half, losing 73-56 Saturday after at MWSU Fieldhouse against Northeastern State.

The Griffons fell to 13-7 and 6-6 in the MIAA, while the RiverHawks sit at 14-6 and 9-3 in the conference.

Missouri Western was sparked by Cassey Sobaski’s two first-half 3-pointers. Sobaski scored a career high 10 points total in the game, placing second on the team behind senior Brittany Griswold’s 22.

The Griffons fell behind 20-15 early in the contest, but stormed back to take a 27-23 lead with 3 minutes, 19 seconds to play in the first half after Sobaski made one of two free throw attempts. The RiverHawks stayed poised and came back to take the lead with 33 seconds left as Fontana Tate scored a layup to make it 30-29 at the break.

Missouri Western went 4-for-12 from the 3-point line and Northeastern shot 3-for-9. In the second half, the RiverHawks came out and scored several fast-breaks to pull away early in the half. The Griffons cut the RiverHawks’ lead back down to four with 11:06 left in the game after Alicia Bell knocked down a pair of free throws to make it 47-43.

Northeaster went on a 9-0 run shortly afterward to make it 56-43, and kept a double-digit lead the rest of the way to close out the victory 73-56.

The RiverHawks were led by guard Taylor Lewis, who had 19 points. Griswold finished 9-for-14 and 2-for-3 from the 3-point line. The  Griffons finished 22-for-66 from the field compared to Northeastern’s 28 field goals out of 53 attempts.

Up next for the Griffons is a road game against Washburn at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday night. The Lady Blues are currently ranked No. 9 in the country with a 14-3 record and 8-1 in the MIAA.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women used a bid second half snapping a three game losing streak by defeating the Pittsburg State Gorillas 70-65.The Griffons had four players score in double digits with Heather Howard leading the charge with her 11th double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Despite shooting just 38.2-percent (13-34) and never holding the lead the Griffons battled to go into halftime down 33-29. The Griffons trailed by as many as eight in the first frame but were able to make mini runs staying in the game.

The Griffons had five players score in the first frame with Howard leading the way with eight points. Brittany Griswold struggled shooting the ball in the first frame but finished with eight points after one half. The Griffons had 16 points in the paint and nine points off 10 Gorilla turnovers.

PSU shot 46.2-percent (12-26) in the half and made 6-of-9 free throws. Lizzy Jeronimus had eight points and six rebounds while Y’Cedria Devers dished out four assists.

The second half did not start out well for the Griffons missing their first four shots while the Gorillas made their first two giving them a 37-29 lead after a Jeronimus lay-up with 18:29 to play. The Griffons continued to battle using 16-9 run cutting the PSU lead to 46-45 with 10:37 to play after JaQuitta Dever hit a lay-up.

The Gorillas pushed its lead back to six after a 5-0 run but the Griffons used another run of 8-2 run tying the score at 53 after Howard hit a lay-up with 7:06 to play. Once again the Gorillas would use a mini 5-0 run claiming a five point lead with 5:32 to play.

From there the Griffons would shut down the Gorillas giving up just seven points the rest of the way. A Sharniece Lewis long range shot and three Alicia Bell free throws gave the Griffons their first lead of the game at 59-58 with 4:09 to play.

The Griffons extended their lead to 63-58 after a Griswold lay-up with 1:15 to play. The Gorillas cut the lead to two after a Jeronimus three with 1:12 to play but a Dever lay-up and four straight Griffon free throws helped MWSU seal the victory improving to 13-6 overall and 6-5 in MIAA play.

The Griffons had 17 offensive rebounds scoring 36 points in the paint and 17 second chance points. The Griffons made 28-of-71 field goals and forced 16 Gorilla turnovers. Griswold, Dever and Bell finished with 14, 14 and 11 points respectively. Bell had 8 rebounds and four assists while Howard had five blocks.

The Gorillas fall to 12-6 overall and 6-4 in MIAA play. The Gorillas made 24-of-56 field goals and 8-of-17 field goals. Jeronimus had 21 points and 10 rebounds while Morgan Westoff and Drew Roberts pitched in 14 and 11 points. Jeronimus also dished out two assists and had two steals.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, February 2 against MIAA newcomer Northeastern State University. Game time is set for 1:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph, Mo.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men lost another close home contest this time 57-56 against the Pittsburg State Gorillas. For the second straight game Dzenan Mrkaljevic tried to be the hero but a three with one second left was off the mark dropping MWSU to 8-11 overall and 4-7 in MIAA play. The Griffons shot just 32-percent (17-53) and got out rebounded by nine (42-33) in the defeat.

The Griffons played extreamly well in the first half despite missing it’s point guard Adarius Fulton due to concussion like symptoms.

The two teams were ice cold to start the game going a combined 1-14 in the first 4:05 of the game. The next four minutes belonged to the Griffons going on a 10-5 run claiming a 12-7 lead after a Kalvin Balque three with 10:53 to play. The two teams played relatively close the rest of the way with the Gorillas outscoring the Griffons by one the rest of the frame. MWSU took a 27-23 lead into the half.

The Griffons made just 8-of-31 first half field goals but were able to connect on 8-of-9 free throws to help them gain the four point halftime lead. Seven differnt Griffons scored in the first half with Balque leading the way off the bench with seven points in ten minutes of play. MWSU had 19 rebounds with eight on the offensive end.

The Gorillas made 7-of-17 shots with Rico Pierrevilus and Kaleb Porter both scoring six points in the half.

The second half was a back forth battle with four ties and seven lead changes. The Griffons opened up a five point lead early in the frame when Mrkaljevic nailed a three giving the Griffons a 30-25 lead. Mrkaljevic finished the game just 2-of-14 from the field and 2-of-8 from long range.

PSU scored the next five points tying the score at 30 with 16:55 to play. The Griffons were able to gain a four point lead three times during the next eight minutes at 40-36, 42-38 and 44-40.

The Gorillas were able to open up a three point lead at 51-48 with 3:42 to play after Kaleb Porter hit a lay-up. The Griffons remained calm and made a run taking a two point lead after a Reed Mells three and a Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe free throw at 54-52.

The Gorillas once again opened up a three point lead with 1:25 to play and after a Cedric Clinkscales lay-up with 1:00 minute to play the PSU lead was 57-56. The Griffons had their opportunities down the stretch but a big rebound and steal by the Gorillas gave them the victory. They improved to 13-5 overall and 6-4 in MIAA play.

The Griffons made just 7-of-14 second half free throws but dished out 13 assists on their 17 field goals. Clinkscales and Balque led the way with 15 and 11 points respectively. Mrkaljevic had nine rebounds and Mells and Alfreeman Flowers dished out four assists apiece.

The made 41-7-percent (20-48) from the field but struggled from the foul line making just 11-of-24 free throws. They had four players in double digits with Pierrevilus leading the way with a double-double scoring 14 points and snaring 11 rebounds. Porter, Marky Nolen and Courtney Ingram dumped in 13, 12 and 11 points apiece.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, February 2 with a home contest against MIAA newcomer Northeastern State University. Game time is set for 3:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph, Mo.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Dzenan 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 —

The 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 —

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team continued its struggles falling 72-60 against the Central Missouri Mules. Griffon head coach Tom Smith coached his last regular season game at the Multipurpose Building a place where he coached from 1975-80 to begin his career. The Griffons fall to 7-10 overall and 3-6 in MIAA play.

On an emotional night for Smith the Griffons got off to a good start scoring the first four points of the game. The next five minutes belonged to the Mules catching fire from long range. They made five three’s going on a 19-3 run claiming their largest lead of the half at 19-7 with 14:24 to play in the frame.

The Griffons regained their composure using a run of their own getting back into the game. The Griffons cut the lead to 21-18 with 11:07 to play after an Adarius Fulton fastbreak layup.

The rest of the half was back-and-forth with the Mules outscoring the Griffons by one taking the 35-31 halftime lead.

The Griffons shot 37.8-percent (14-37) from the field but scored 16 points in the paint and 14 off eight Mule turnovers. Cedric Clinkscales led the way with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting while Fulton dumped in seven.

The Mules shot 46.2-percent (6-13) from long range with Reggie Stallings leading the way with nine points making 3-of-4 long range shots.

The second half was a struggle defensively for the Griffons as they allowed the Mules to shoot 58.3-percent (14-24) in the frame to pull away from the Griffons. Missouri Western shot 44.0-percent (11-25) in the half but stuggled from long range making just 2-of-10 and from the free throw line connecting on 5-of-12.

In the game MWSU shot 40.3-percent (25-62) from the field and just 19.0-percent (4-21) from long range. They also struggled from the free throw line making just 6-of-14 free throws.

Clinkscales finished with 21 points and six rebounds while Fulton dumped in 17 points. The two combined to make 16-of-30 field goals.

The Mules shot 49-percent (24-49) in the game and made 8-of-20 long range shots. They improve to 13-3 overall and 7-1 in MIAA play. Charles Hammork and Dominique Long scored 13 points while Widgett Washington dumped in 13. Lance Beckwith and Hammork each had eight rebounds.

The Griffons will close out the three game road swing on Saturday, January 26 in Jefferson City, Mo. against the Lincoln Blue Tigers. Game time is set for 3:30 pm from Jason Gym.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team lost a tough hard nosed battle against the 16th ranked Jennies of Central Missouri 74-71 Wednesday evening. The Griffons have lost two straight for the first time this season falling to 12-5 overall and 5-4 in MIAA play.

A poor start hurt the Griffons in the opening frame as they went into halftime down 33-24. This marked the fourth straight game that the Griffons have trailed at the break.

The Griffons missed its first three shots and turned the ball over three times in the first three minutes of the game getting down 12-1. The Griffons settled down the next five minutes using an 11-2 run to cut the Jennies lead to 14-12 after Lanicia Lawrence hit a layup with 11:54 to play in the half.

The rest of the way would be all Jennies closing the half on a 19-12 run to gain the nine point half time advantage. For the third straight game the Griffons have shot under 29-percent in the first half. MWSU made just 8-of-28 field goals for 28.6-percent.

The Griffons did out-rebound the Jennies 23-20 and had 12 bench points to UCM’s six. Heather Howard and Alex Saxen had five points while Alicia Bell led the way with eight rebounds.

The Jennies scored 16 points off nine Griffon turnovers and made 40-percent (12-30) of its field goals. Bielle Wattley led the way with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

The Griffons came out of halftime on a mission going on a 25-7 which was capped by an Saxon three with 10:19 to play giving MWSU the 49-40 lead.

The Jennies remained calm and behind the Keuana Flax began to chip away at the Griffon lead. She finished with 22 points with 18 coming in the final 15 minutes of the contest.

The Griffons held an eight point lead with 3:20 to play at 62-54 but an 9-1 Jennies run to end regulation forced overtime.

In overtime the two teams went back and forth as Flax opened with an old fashioned three point play and then Howard responded with a three of her own tying the score at 66 with 4:17 to play.

Flax hit two free throws but once again Howard responded with a layup tying the score at 68 with 2:57 to play.

With the Jennies leading 73-71 Howard’s game tying layup came up short giving the Griffons the three point loss. It was the eighth straight loss in Warrensburg counting the vacated win in the 2006-2007.

The Griffons shot finished shooting 38.2-percent (26-68) in the game and out-rebounded UCM 48-40 with 14 coming on the offensive end of the floor. MWSU also had 34 points in the paint and 23 bench points.

Howard finished with a career best 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting and 4-of-7 from long range. She collected her 10th double-double of the season snaring 11 rebounds. Alex Saxen was the only other Griffon in double figures with 10 points. Alicia Bell had 10 rebounds and six points.

The Jennies shot 41.3-percent (26-63) from the floor with BreAnna Lewis and Wattley dumping in 19 and 13 points respectively. Flax also had 10 rebounds and four blocks. The Jennies improve to 14-2 overall and 6-2 in MIAA play.

The Griffons will close out the three game road swing on Saturday, January 26 in Jefferson City, Mo. against the Lincoln Blue Tigers. Game time is set for 1:30 pm from Jason Gym. The Griffons defeated the Blue Tigers earlier this season by a score of 65-57 on November 24, 2012 in Jefferson City, Mo.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western baseball team has been picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Baseball Poll which was announced Wednesday afternoon. The Griffons were the runner up a year ago finishing 34-17 overall and 26-12 in league play.

The Central Missouri Mules received 14 of a possible 15 first place votes to earn the top spot with 196 points. Central Missouri hosted the NCAA South Central Regional last season, falling in the regional championship game to St. Mary’s. The Mules, who finished 48-9 last season are ranked #4 in this season’s ABCA preseason poll.

The Griffons, who finished last season 34-17, has earned the No. 2 spot in this season’s poll taking the remaining first place vote. The Griffons are picked #37 in the ABCA preseason poll released on Dec. 20, 2012. They are followed by No. 3 Emporia State, who finished 26-22 last season and are picked #40 in the ABCA preseason poll.

Central Oklahoma, in their first year as members of the MIAA, are picked to finish fourth with 152 points. They come in ahead of Fort Hays State, picked No. 5 with 136 points, on point ahead of No. 6 Missouri Southern.

Washburn is picked No. 7 in this season’s poll with 118 points, ten points ahead of No. 8 pick Lindenwood. Pittsburg State is picked to finish ninth in the league followed closely by No. 10 Northwest Missouri.

Just two points separate No. 11 Northeastern State (64) from No. 12 Nebraska-Kearney (62). The same stands for No. 13 Southwest Baptist (43) and No. 14 Truman (41) in this year’s poll. Lincoln holds the final spot with 19 points.

The Griffons open up the 2013 season on Sunday, February 10 and Monday, February 11 in a four game series with the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys in Russellville, Ark. Last season the Wonder Boys were 26-27 overall and 13-11 in the GAC.

2013 MIAA Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Central Missouri (14)             196
2. Missouri Western (1)             175
3. Emporia State                         160
4. Central Oklahoma                  152
5. Fort Hays State                        136
6. Missouri Southern                  135
7. Washburn                                 118
8. Lindenwood                             108
9. Pittsburg State                          91
10. Northwest Missouri               75
11. Northeastern State                64
12. Nebraska-Kearney                62
13. Southwest Baptist                 43
14. Truman                                    41
15. Lincoln                                     19

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western softball team has been picked to finish third in the MIAA Preseason Softball Poll which announced Wednesday afternoon. The Griffons were the runner up a year ago finishing 42-13 overall and 18-2 in league play. They made their 6th trip to the NCAA Tournament in the past eight years.

Missouri Western received 176 points, putting them just three points behind second place Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos gathered three first place votes and 177 total points.

Defending MIAA regular season and tournament champion Emporia State has been picked No. 1 in the MIAA Preseason Softball Poll. They received 12 first place votes and 194 points. They finished with a 42-11 record a season ago and went undefeated in MIAA play.

Fort Hays State earns the No. 4 spot with 153 points, just ten ahead of No. 5 Pittsburg State. Washburn is in the No. 7 spot with 103 points while No. 8 Northwest Missouri registered 92 points. League newcomer Northeastern State has 83 points in the No. 9 spot while Nebraska-Kearney has 81 in the No. 10 spot.

Missouri Southern comes in at No. 11 with 77 points ahead of No. 12 Truman. Lindenwood received 52 points and the No. 13 spot in the poll. Just two points separate No. 14 Lincoln (25) and No. 15 Southwest Baptist (23).

The Griffons open up the 2013 season on Friday, February 8 in Durant, Okla. The Griffons will play six games in three days, participating in the Southeastern Oklahoma State South Central Shootout.

The Griffons will take on Cameron University and host Southeastern Oklahoma State on Friday, February 8 at 10:00 am and 12:00 pm. They will take on Southern Nazerene University and Henderson State University on Saturday, February 9 at 10:00 am and 4:00 pm and will wrap up the shootout on Sunday, February 10th with games against Drury University and Ouachita Baptist. Those games will be played at 10:00 amd 12:00 pm respectively.

2013 MIAA Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Emporia State (12)             194
2. Central Oklahoma (3)        177
3. Missouri Western              176
4. Fort Hays State                    153
5. Pittsburg State                     143
6. Central Missouri                  128
7. Washburn                             103
8. Northwest Missouri             92
9. Northeastern State              83
10. Nebraska-Kearney           81
11. Missouri Southern             77
12. Truman                               68
13. Lindenwood                       52
14. Lincoln                                25
15. Southwest Baptist            23

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men turned the ball over 19 times in the game and made just eight shots in the first half falling 71-60 against the Emporia State Hornets. The Griffons fall to 7-9 overall and 3-5 in MIAA play with the loss.

The Griffons raced out to an early 12-10 lead in the first five and a half minutes of the first half. From there MWSU went ice cold from the field scoring just 10 points the final 14:26 of the frame. The Hornets on the other had capitalized on Griffon mistakes to claim a 30-22 halftime lead.

Kalvin Balque led the Griffons with seven points while six other Griffons got in the scoring column. The Hornets shot 50-percent in the half with Kaleb Wright leading the way with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

The Griffons shot the ball better in the second half  (51.7-percent) making 15-of-29 field goals, but trailed by double digits most of the frame. The Hornets were on fire sinking 56-percent (16-26) of its second half field goals improving to 7-7 overall and 2-4 in MIAA play.

Emporia State shot .560 (28-50) from the field while Missouri Western shot .430 (23-53) on the day. Kalvin Balque scored a career high 20 points and pulled down five rebounds for the Griffons. Cedric Clinkscales had 16 points and pulled down six rebounds on the afternoon.

For the Hornets Gavin Brown had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Sights scored 17 points and Kaleb Wright scored 16 points in the ESU effort.

The Griffons return to action on Wednesay, January 23 when they travel to Warrensburg, Mo. to take on the Central Missoui Mules. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 pm from the UCM Muli-Purpose Building. It will be a emotional night for coach Smith as he will coach his final regular season game at the school he started at (UCM 1975-80).

— MWSU Sports Information —