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Missouri Western women roll past Northeastern State in MIAA opener

riggertMissouriWesternTAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Rob Edmisson said he didn’t know what kind of road team the Missouri Western women’s basketball team would be. He may have got a pretty positive answer to that question Wednesday night as his team throttled Northeastern State, 74-50, in its MIAA opener.

HEADLINES
MWSU outscored Northeastern State 38-16 through the second and third quarters.
Nine of 11 Griffons scored in the game, all with at least four points.
Missouri Western won its fifth straight game and fourth straight over Northeastern State.
The Griffons have won nine consecutive MIAA games dating back to the 2015-16 season.

KEY MOMENTS
Missouri Western went on a 17-5 run in the second quarter to take a 34-22 lead.
The run kick started the Griffons to outscore NSU 38-16 through the second and third quarters.

TOP PERFORMERS
Savannah Lentz led the Griffons with 14 points on 4-7 shooting from the field.
Julia Torres was close to her second straight double-double, finishing with 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Dwanisha Tate scored 12 points with six rebounds.
Chelsea Dewey scored nine with a team-high six assists and also had six rebounds.

WHERE THEY ARE
The Griffons are 7-1 after winning their fifth straight game and 1-0 in MIAA play.
The loss dropped Northeastern State to 2-4 and 0-1 in MIAA play.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western hosts Central Missouri (6-1) on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. in the MWSU Fieldhouse

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffons struggle offensively in 55-41 loss at Northeastern State

riggertMissouriWesternTAHLEQUAH, Okla. – A big run down the stretch by Northeastern State cut out a late threat from the Missouri Western men’s basketball team in a 55-41 loss in the MIAA opener for both teams Wednesday night.

HEADLINES
Northeastern State outscored Missouri Western 22-4 over the final 7:32 of the game.
Missouri Western shot 28.6 percent from the field and Northeastern State shot 34 percent from the field.
Combined, the teams missed 68 field goal attempts.
41 points scored was the lowest total for a Missouri Western team since a 32-21 loss to Rockhurst in 1984.

KEY MOMENTS
Cameron Martin made a three-pointer with 2:44 left in the game to give Northeastern State a seven-point lead, capping an 11-0 run by the home team after Missouri Western had taken a four-point lead with 8:17 left
Northeastern State went on a 12-0 run after Missouri Western had built a three-point lead with 8:03 to go in the first

WHERE THEY ARE
The loss dropped Missouri Western to 1-6 overall and 0-1 in MIAA play
Northeastern State improved to 2-4 overall and 1-0 in league play

UP NEXT
Missouri Western returns to the MWSU Fieldhouse to host 4-1 Central Missouri, Saturday, Dec. 3 at 4 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffons hang on against Maryville for first win of the season

riggertMissouriWesternST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team (1-4) used a furious run in the first half to jump ahead of Maryville University (2-5) Friday and held on through the second half to win its first game of the 2016-17 season, 69-67.  The game was the first for MWSU in the Marriott St. Louis Airport Classic.

The Griffons ended the first half on a 22-6 run to take a 28-25 lead to the locker room. Missouri Western just hung on to that lead, being outscored 42-41 in the second half to earn the win. Maryville took a 19-6 lead with 11:36 left in the first half before a Seth Bonifas layup with 11:11 left triggered a 14-0 Griffon run that gave Missouri Western a 20-19 lead with 6:40 to go in the first.

Bonifas ended the game just short of a double-double with a career-high 14 points and nine rebounds. Cole Clearman led all scorers with 21 points on 9-17 shooting from the field. Clearman added eight assists and two steals. As a team, the Griffons shot 49 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Saints 33-25.

The Griffons play host Missouri St. Louis on Saturday at 3 p.m. in St. Louis.

— MWSU Athletics —

Western women use hot shooting to blow out Missouri S&T

riggertMissouriWesternST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western women’s basketball team (5-1) used red-hot shooting from behind the arc to lift itself to a convincing 87-56 win over Missouri S&T Friday night.

The Griffons scored 33 of their points in their opening game of the Holiday Inn Express/Candlewood Suites Classic on three point field goals. Missouri Western shot 55 percent (11-20) from behind the arc on the night, including 5-7 shooting from Savannah Lentz, who scored a game-high 20 points. Lakota Goe was 3-3 from long range and scored 13 points.

Missouri Western was also able to force 25 Missouri S&T turnovers on the night, picking up 11 steals, four by Julia Torres.

Dwanisha Tate added 14 points and Chelsea Dewey had 11 with five assists.

The Griffons continue play in the classic on Saturday with William Jewell at 5 p.m. William Jewell defeated Northwest Missouri State 64-53 on Friday night in the fieldhouse.

— MWSU Athletics —

MWSU women to host free basketball clinic Saturday

riggertMissouriWesternIn conjunction with this weekend’s Holiday Inn Express/Candlewood Suites Classic, Griffon Women’s Basketball will host a free clinic for girls in grades 2 through 6.

The clinic will take place in the MWSU Fieldhouse this Saturday, November 26 from 9-11 AM with registration beginning at 8:30 AM.

Participants will receive instruction from the defending MIAA Champion Griffons along with a t-shirt and ticket to that afternoons game against William Jewell. The clinic will conclude with an autograph session.  No RSVP is required.

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffons stay winless with loss to Lake Superior State

mwsuST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team dropped to 0-4 on the season after an 81-63 loss to Lake Superior State Monday night in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Cole Clearman tied a career high with 25 points, leading scorers in the game. The junior added six rebounds and four assists for the Griffons. But, Clearman’s scoring wasn’t enough for his team which shot 36 percent from the field, 27 percent from three-point range and 65 percent at the free throw line.

Missouri Western was competitive on the glass, pulling down 39 rebounds to Lake Superior State’s 40. Cold shooting from long range really hurt the Griffons, making just eight of 30 attempts from behind the arc.

Jason Jones scored 10 points for the Griffons and Joe Hamilton’s seven rebounds paced the team.

The Griffons head across the state later this week for the Marriott St. Louis Airport Classic. Missouri Western plays Maryville University on Friday at 5:15 p.m. and host UMSL on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Griffons use nine second half three-pointers to win opener in Hawaii

riggertMissouriWesternLAIE, Hawaii – The Missouri Western women’s basketball team found its three-point stroke in the locker room at halftime to pull away from Hawaii Pacific for a 70-62 win on Friday night.

After going 1-10 from behind the arc through the first 20 minutes, the Griffons (3-1) exploded for nine, three-pointers on 12 attempts in the final 12 minutes. The long-range barrage in the second half was highlighted by Savannah Lentz’s perfect 4-4 mark from three-point range after the break.

Lentz scored 14 and was one of four Griffons to hit double-figures, including Chelsea Dewey with her game-high 16 point performance. Julia Torres also scored 14 and had a team-high seven rebounds. Erin Anderson scored 11 points and Sefulu Faavae had seven assists with five rebounds, five steals and six points.

The Griffons ended the game shooting 45.5-percent (10-22) from three-point range, and managed to overcome being out-rebounded 42-38 and committing 21 turnovers. On the flip-side, Missouri Western forced 23 Hawaii Pacific (0-1) turnovers.

Missouri Western stays in Laie, Hawaii for a game with host, BYU-Hawaii at 10 p.m. CST on Saturday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri Western fires head football coach Jerry Partridge after 20 seasons

partridge2MWSU AD Kurt McGuffin talks about the decision to fire Partridge

Missouri Western announced on Thursday that head football coach Jerry Partridge has been relieved of his coaching duties after 20 years in charge of the program.

Partridge took over his alma mater in 1997 and finishes with an overall record of 149-83, which is the third most wins of any coach in MIAA history.  He had a record of 117-68 against MIAA opponents during his tenure.

Partridge had only four losing season during his 20 years and two of them came in his first two seasons.  He guided Missouri Western to ten postseason appearances, including four trips to the NCAA Division II Playoffs.  MWSU played in the postseason for eight consecutive years between 2005 and 2012, advancing to the quarterfinals in 2012 and finishing 12-2.  Prior to Partridge, Missouri Western had only qualified for postseason play three times.

“Coach Partridge has been a part of Griffon football for most of his adult life as a player, assistant coach and head coach, and I thank him for his hard work, his passion and his loyalty,” said Kurt McGuffin, Western’s Dir. of Athletics in a statement on the school’s website. “Our goal is to find a coach who can build on the foundation Jerry established to position our student-athletes for continued success on the field and in the classroom.”

The Griffons won two MIAA championships under Partridge in 2003 and 2012.  They shared the 2003 title and won it outright in 2012 for the first time in school history.

Missouri Western finished 4-7 this past season, which snapped a streak of 11 consecutive years with a winning record in the regular season.  After winning the 2012 MIAA championship, the Griffons have finished 8-3, 7-4, 6-5 and 4-7.

After playing at Missouri Western, Partridge was a graduate assistant at Notre Dame and Missouri.  He returned to MWSU and was the defensive coordinator for five seasons before coaching at Murray State and Austin Peay.

Missouri Western softball adds four during early signing period

riggertMissouriWesternST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western softball head coach Jen Bagley Trotter has announced the signings of four individuals for the 2018 team.

Kaili Hinds | P
Centralia, Mo. | Centralia HS
“We are thrilled to add Kaili to our pitching staff,” Trotter said. “She has incredible spin and a ton of upside!”

Part of 2013 and 2016 Missouri State Championship teams … named to both academic and athletic All-State teams

Emma Hoffart | UT
Omaha, Neb. | Millard North HS
“Emma will offer depth to our catching and third base positions,” Trottter said. “She is a great young lady and has much to offer our team with the way she swings the bat.”

Had a career .472 batting average at Millard North … hit 19 career home runs … batted .406 as a senior with a .997 fielding percentage … first team All-State and All-Metro as a senior … All-Nebraska second team … second team Super State

Kayln Damgaard | OF
Council Bluffs, Iowa | Abraham Lincoln HS
“Kalyn is a triple-threat and has blazing speed,” Trotter said. “We look to her to help fill the void of Morgan Rathmann’s departure from our line-up after the 2017 season.”

Stole 40 bases as a junior … had a team-high 45 hits as a junior and batted .352 with 16 RBIs … three-time first team All-Conference … three-time All-City … 2016 Omaha World Herald All-Western Iowa second team

Morgan Frost | OF
Gilbertville, Iowa | Kirkwood Community College
“Morgan is a powerful left handed batter with great outfield instincts,” Trotter said. “Her experience in championship play at Kirkwood Community College will be an asset to the mentality of our team.”

Batted .498, slugged .749 and hit 10 home runs last year at Kirkwood … named ICCAC All-Region and second team NFCA All-American at Kirkwood … was a four-time All-State selection at Don Bosco Catholic High School, earning three first team selections … batted .614 as a senior in high school and never hit below .504 in four-years as a high school player

The 2017 season will be Trotter’s 16th as head coach of the Missouri Western softball team. She has amassed 535 career victories with two MIAA regular season and tournament championships, including sweeping both titles in 2016.

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffon men come up short at William Jewell 79-73

mwsuLIBERTY, Mo. – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team overcame a big second half deficit to give itself a chance to win the game, but came up short in a 79-73 loss at William Jewell on Tuesday night.

William Jewell led by as many as 17 points in the second half and led by ten with 4:15 to go, but an 11-2 run by the Griffons cut the lead to one with 45 seconds remaining off a three pointer by TJ Evans. From there the Griffons couldn’t get the points they needed to jump ahead and William Jewell went 5-6 from the free throw line over the final 33 seconds to stretch the lead back to six.

Missouri Western was plagued by cold shooting in the first half, going 12-31 from the field after getting off to a hot start. Meanwhile, William Jewell was red-hot, shooting 67 percent from the field and three-point range in the first half. The Griffon defense forced 12 William Jewell turnovers in the second half and held the Cardinals to 37 percent shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes. Still, William Jewell shot 54 percent from the field for the game compared to 40 percent for Missouri Western.

Joe Hamilton led Missouri Western with 22 points, including 6-8 shooting from behind the arc. TJ Evans added 20 points and four rebounds. Cole Clearman scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half and added six assists and four rebounds. Beau Baker paced the Griffons on the glass, pulling down five boards as Missouri Western was out-rebounded 41-27 in the game.

The loss dropped the Griffons to 0-3. Missouri Western next plays Monday, Nov. 21 when the team hosts Lake Superior State in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Athletics —

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