The Missouri Western women’s basketball team forced 30 turnovers and outscored Nebraska-Kearney by 14 points in the second half cruising to the 71-50 victory. The Griffons were led by JaQuitta Dever and Heather Howard with 14 points apiece as the Griffons improve to 10-3 overall and 3-2 in MIAA play.

The Griffons forced 15 turnovers and made all six of its free throws claiming a 33-26 halftime lead. The Griffons played 13 players with with all of them playing more than two minutes.

The Griffons and the Lopers played the first 6:10 of the game to a tie at 12. A Sharniece Lewis three with 13:37 to play gave the Griffons the lead for the rest of the half. Four straight free throws by Alex Saxen and Dever gave the Griffons its largest lead of the half at 24-16 with 5:58 to play.

UNK cut the Griffon lead to 28-25 after a Melissa Norman free throw with 3:21 to play but the Griffons closed on a 5-1 run which was capped by a three by Brittany Griswold giving MWSU the seven point half time lead.

Ten different Griffons scored in the half with Howard leading the way with seven points and five rebounds. The Lopers were led by Shelby Zimmerman with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting.

Howard opened the second half hitting a jumper and a three giving MWSU the 38-26 lead with 18:27 to play. The Lopers fought back cutting the Griffons lead to six at 40-34 after an Nicole Arp layup with 15:27 to play.

The rest of the game belonged to the MWSU outscoring the Lopers 31-16 on their way to their largest victory of the season. All 14 players saw the floor for the Griffons with eleven scoring at least two points.

Dever dumped in 12 of her 14 points in the second half helping the Griffons score 23 points off turnovers. They also had 19 steals to go along with 11 assists. Alicia Bell and Dever each had four steals while Lanicia Lawrence dished out five assists. The Griffons made 20-of-25 free throws and 22-of-60 field goals. The Griffons dominated the bench points scoring 42 to the Lopers 15.

The Lopers shot just 37.3-percent (19-51) in the game with Norman collecting a double-double scoing 13 points and snaring 15 rebounds. The Lopers fall to 4-8 overall and 1-4 in MIAA play.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, January 12 hosting rival Northwest Missouri State University. Game time is set for 1:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph, Mo.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Six Griffon football players were named to the 2012 Don Hansen All-Super Region Three Team which was was announced Wednesday (Jan. 9).

Quarterback Travis Partridge, running back Michael Hill and offensive lineman Macon Allan were selected to the first team offense while defensive end David Bass was selected first team defense. Defensive end Ben Pister and saftey Shane Simpson were selected to the third team.

Michael Hill, a finalist for the 2012 Harlon Hill Trophy, was named the Super Region Three Offensive Player of the Year rushing for for 2,168 yards and 16 touchdowns while leading the Griffons to a school record 12 victories and the quarterfinals of the NCAA-II playoffs.

The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen, from Brookfield, Ill., started and published Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988. Don Hansen’s Football Gazette began selecting Division II All-Region squads in 2003.

The first-team and second-team All-Region selections advance to a national ballot from which the 2012 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America team will be named later this month.

Great America Conference champion Henderson State University led the way with eight honorees, while NCAA Division II playoff participants University of Minnesota-Duluth and Northwest Missouri State University had seven honorees apiece. Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference champion and national semifinalist Minnesota State University and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association champion Missouri Western State University received six selections apiece.

A total of 103 players earned some form of Don Hansen All-Super Region Three honors. Players from 38 of the 46 football-playing schools in Super Region Three earned All-Region accolades.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western Griffon Baseball team is receiving praise in the 2013 preseason polls that have been released up to this point. Three polls have been released in preparation for the upcoming season and the Griffons are ranked in the top 40 in the nation in two of them.

Missouri Western’s highest ranking is a No. 25 selection in Collegiate Baseball Lineup’s Preseason Poll. The Griffons are ranked 37th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll.

The Griffons were 34-17 a season ago finishing second with a 26-12 MIAA record. MWSU gets the 2013 season underway February 10-11 when they will take on the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys in a pair of doubleheaders in Russellville, Ark.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Former Missouri Western defensive end David Bass will be participating in the annual East-West Shrine Game on Saturday, January 19, 2013 in St. Petersburg, Florida. The game will be played at Tropicana Field home of the Tampa Bay Rays. Bass is the second Griffon to have the opportunity to play in the shrine game. Bass will be on the east squad. Last season St. Louis Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein became the Griffon to play in the game.

Since 1925 the East-West Shrine Game® has been more than just a football game. It’s been a showcase for the next generation of NFL greats and a priceless benefit event for Shriners Hospitals for Children®. The East-West Shrine Game is the longest-running all-star college football game, combining great football with a great cause and creating experiences for players that will last a lifetime.

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the families’ ability to pay.

– Players and coaches visit Shriners Hospitals for Children — Tampa before the game.

– Games, crafts and other activities bring together college football players and children for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

– Coaches and players gain a personal understanding of the meaning of the game.

Throughout the history of the East-West Shrine Game®, players have been chosen because they are the very best in the country. In fact, there are 246 former East-West Shrine Game players on current NFL rosters.

Each year the players visit a Shriners Hospitals for Children® as part of their game-week activities. For many players, this visit is an opportunity to develop a philanthropic relationship that can last a lifetime.

Coaching the East-West Shrine Game is as significant an honor as playing. The coaches are former NFL coaches selected for their knowledge, experience and accomplishments throughout their careers. Each head coach brings along with him three of his own assistant coaches to round out his lead team. The coach for the West squad in 2013 is Leeman Bennett and Jerry Glanville will coach the east.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Two nights after a dramatic come-from-behind win at Central Oklahoma, the Missouri Western men couldn’t capture the same magic in Joplin.

Missouri Southern’s three-point shooting made sure of that.

The Lions tied a school record with 15 3’s en route to a 95-65 victory Saturday night.

Southern shot 58.3% from the floor and 62.5% (15-24) from behind the arc.

The Griffons shot 45.8% from the floor and had four players in double figures.  Adarius Fulton led the way with 14 points.  Cedric Clinkscales had 12, Alfreeman Flowers 11 and Dzenan Mrkaljevic added 10.

The Griffons fall to 5-7 overall and 1-3 in the MIAA.  Southern improves to 7-4 and 2-1 in the conference.

The Griffons return to action Wednesday, January 9th when they travel to MIAA newcomer Nebraska-Kearney.  Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

It’s safe to say that the Missouri Southern women have Missouri Western’s number.  The Griffons fell for the sixth straight time to the Lions, 78-76 Saturday night at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center in Joplin.

The Griffons forced 25 turnovers and were +8 in the turnover margin, but were snuffed out by 50% Southern shooting.    The Griffons shot 36.1% from the floor.

MWSU was led in scoring by Heather Howard, who had 14 points (5-14 FG) and eight rebounds.  Transfer Denise White, playing in her second game as a Griffon, added 11 points.

Missouri Western falls to 9-3 overall and 2-2 in the MIAA.  Missouri Southern improves to 8-3 and 2-1 in conference play.  The Griffons have not defeated the Lions since December 30th, 2009.

The Griffons return to action Wednesday, January 9th, when they travel to MIAA newcomer Nebraska-Kearney.  Tip time is set for 5:30 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Reed Mells hit a jumper with six seconds to play as Missouri Western came from behind picking up the win at Central Oklahoma. The Griffons snapped a four game losing streak and picked up its first MIAA victory of the season improving to 5-6 overall and 1-2 in MIAA play.

The first half did not go well for the Griffons as they got down ealry 8-2. The Bronchos kept up the pressure ending the half on a 31-20 run claiming the 44-30 halftime lead. The Griffons shot just 39.3-percent (11-28) from the field and 4-of-9 from the free throw line. Dylan Frantz had six points in the frame.

Josh Gibbs led the way for the Bronchos with 15 points while Jamell Cormier dumped in 10. UCO made 9-of-20 long range shots and 15-of-34 field goals.

The Griffons picked up the defense in the second half holding the Bronchos to just 27.6-percent (8-29) from the field and 2-of-11 from long range.

Missouri Western opened the half on a 10-2 run cutting the deficit to 46-43 after Flowers hit a layup with 17:22 to play in the game. UCO pushed its lead back to eight with 12:42 to play but MWSU used a 7-0 cutting the lead to one at 54-53 after a Jordan Yurth two point shot.

Once again the Bronchos pushed the lead back to nine at 64-55 with 8:17 to play after a James Watson jumper. The Griffons remained calm and back-to-back three’s by Flowers cut the lead to 70-67 with just under five to play. The Griffons capped off the 12-2 run with a Cedric Clinkscales jumper with 1:44 to play giving the Griffons a 76-72 lead.

Unfortunatly the game was far from over as a Spencer Smith three and two Seth Heckart free throws gave the Bronchos the lead back at 77-76 with 19 second to play.

Mell’s two point bucket with eight seconds to play and a steal by Adarius Fulton gave MWSU the victory. The Griffons shot .460 from the field and 51.7-percent (15-29) from the field. They also made 12-of-13 free throws in the second frame.

For the Griffons Flowers had 17 points while Fulton added 14 points and five steals. On the glass Dzenan Mrkajevic pulled down seven rebounds.

For the Bronchos Gibbs led all scorers with 20 points. Cormier and Smith each had 13 points in the contest. The Bronchos fall to 3-8 overall and 1-2 in MIAA play.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, January 5 in Joplin, Mo. against Missouri Southern. Game time is set for 7:30 pm from Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team hit 18-of-20 second half free throws opening up the new year with a 78-76 road victory over MIAA newcomer Central Oklahoma. Heather Howard collected her seventh double double dumping in a season high 24 points and tying her season high with 13 rebounds. The Griffons improve to 9-2 overall and 2-1 MIAA play.

Howard came out on fire scoring 10 of the Griffons first 16 points. She hit two free throws with 12:22 to play in the first half which gave the Griffons it’s largest lead of the game at 16-6. The rest of the half belonged to the Bronchos as they started to chip away at the Griffon lead. UCO eventually caught the Griffons when Jill Bryan hit a three as time expired tying the score at 33 heading to into the locker room.

The Griffons scored 17 points off 14 first half UCO turnovers. Howard had 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting while Lanicia Lawrence had six assists and three steals. The Griffons had 24 rebounds with eight coming on the offensive end of the floor. Howard led the way with six.

The Bronchos were led by Bryan with 10 points while they made just 12-of-31 field goals.

The second half was a back and forth battle with six ties and six lead changes. The Griffons opened the half scoring seven of the first ten points giving the Griffons a 40-36 lead after an Alicia Bell layup with 18:10 to play. The Griffons and UCO continued to play close and with 6:10 to play in the game newcomer Denise White put the Griffons up 63-58 after a free throw.

UCO remained calm cutting the Griffon lead to one after a Savannah Hamilton free throw with 3:55 to play. Sharniece Lewis pushed the Griffon lead to five once again with 2:31 to play after a long range shot giving the Griffons the 73-68 lead. UCO cut the lead to two five made free throws, four by Lawrence sealed the victory for the visiting Griffons.

Three other Griffons besides Howard scored in double digits. Lawrence, Alicia Bell and Tiffanie Abrams scored 12, 10 and 11 respectively. Bell had nine rebounds while Lawrence finished with 12 assists. The Griffons shot 41-percent (25-61) from the field and 76.7-percent (23-30) from the free throw line.

The Bronchos fall to 8-3 overall and 1-2 in MIAA play. Bryan finished with 19 points while MacKenzie Solberg scored 10.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, January 5 with a MIAA game in Joplin, Mo. against Missouri Southern. Game time is set for 5:30 pm from Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men dropped its fourth straight game closing out the 2012 season with an 88-80 loss against Lynn University on Wednesday night. Cedric Clinkscales scored a game-high 23 points for the Griffons as they fall to 4-6 on the season.

Despite shooting 60 percent from the field in the first half the Griffons still found themselves down 48-41 at the half. The Knights jumped out to an early 10-3 lead and built a 12 point lead at 48-36 with 1:38 remaining after a Pavle Raickovic layup. MWSU used a Clinkscales three point play and a James Harris layup cutting the lead to seven at the half.

The Griffons were led by Clinkscales in the first half with 10 points while they made 7-of-15 long range shots as a team. Dzenan Mrkaljevic, Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe and Harris all made two three’s in the half.

Lynn shot 50 percent from the field and 69.2 percent from the charity line. Brandon Smith scored 10 points in the first half while three other Knights recorded nine a piece.

The Griffons rallied after the half cutting the deficit to two at 15:31 after a jumper by Reed Mells at 53-51. Lynn answered back with a 12-4 run and the visitors were unable to recover as the clock ran out. Lynn’s biggest lead came at 4:53 after a layup from Slobodan Miljanic for the 82-65 lead and hung on for the eight point win.

The Griffons shot 52.7-percent (29-55) in the game and made 11-of-28 long range shots. Mells and Tuluka-Mfumupembe dumped in 11 and 10 points respectively. Mrkaljevic and Mells dished out six assists apiece.

LU shot 54.2 percent from the field in the second half while the Griffons shot 46.7 percent. The Knights tallied 33 rebounds, 11 of them being offensive. The Blue and White shot 92.9 percent from the charity line in the second half. Lynn averaged 51.9 percent shooting from the field throughout the game. Kevin Ohen led the Knights with 16 points and eight rebounds. Lynn to 7-3 with the win.

The Griffons will have a short winter vacation before they return in January for MIAA play. The Griffons will be back in action on the road at MIAA newcomer Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Okla. on January 3. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team gave up a 16 point first half lead falling 68-64 in the first game of the Lynn Courtyard by Marriott Holiday Classic against the Barry Buccaneers. The Griffons have lost three straight falling to 4-5 on the season.

The win for Barry snapped a two-game skid moving them over the .500 mark at 4-3 overall this season.

Missouri Western built a 16 point lead twice in the fist half, but Barry whittled the gap down to nine when Aaron Martin knocked down a three-pointer with 2:22 to go. Chad Renfro canned his third triple of the first half as the buzzer sounded cutting the Griffon lead to seven at the half.

The Griffons saw its seven-point halftime lead erase quickly as Bryan Van Cott canned a triple and then scored in transition on a feed from Filip Toric drawing within two. Toric grabbed a rebound, raced end-to-end, curled the ball around his back in transition to Aaron Martin, who buried a three in the corner putting Barry ahead by three.

Missouri Western (4-5) went on a 5-0 run claiming a 44-42 lead, but the Buccaneers responded with a 6-0 run of its own, touched off when Martin canned another three with 11:04 remaining to put the Bucs up, 48-44.

Justin McCoy sank two free throws to give the Buccaneers a nine-point lead with 5:20 to go. Cedric Clinkscales dunk in transition pulled Missouri Western within five, but Van Cott hit a triple pushing Barry back up, 60-52.

McCoy sank two free throws before Griffon guard Reed Mells hit a triple with 22.3 seconds left timming Barry’s lead to 64-60. But Toric sank three of four free throws, and the Buccaneers held on to win.

Clinkscales had 14 points, and Mells 13 for the Griffons.

Martin hit five threes finishing with 15 points. McCoy had 16 points, sinking 8 of 10 free throws. Toric had nine rebounds, eight assists and six points. Van Cott scored 14 points, and Chad Renfro 14 points on 4 of 6 three-point shooting.

Barry was 7 of 15 from long range in the first half for 46.7 percent. Renfro was 3 for 3 from three-point range in the first half.

Missouri Western shot 50 percent in the first half, hitting 11 of 22 field goals.

The Griffons will play the host school Lynn University tomorrow, Wednesday, December 19 with tip time set for 6:30 pm central time.

— MWSU Sports Information —