COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball standout RHP Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) was named a Preseason First Team All-American by PerfectGame.com, announced Monday (Jan. 9). Houck was one of five starting pitchers selected to the first team with three of the five SP honorees coming from the Southeastern Conference. The PerfectGame.com first team selection for Houck comes on the heels of a third-team preseason All-America honor from Collegiate Baseball News last month. Houck was also named the No. 8 MLB Draft prospect by Baseball America earlier this month.

Houck is coming off of a stellar sophomore season during which he posted a 2.99 ERA in 105.1 innings pitched, allowing just 82 hits while striking out a career-best 106 against only 27 walks. He went 5-6 in 15 starts and was twice named SEC Pitcher of the Week while garnering Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honors following his start against Vanderbilt. He limited batters to just .209 hitting in 2016.

Houck, who owns a 13-11 career record and 3.23 career ERA, will anchor Mizzou’s pitching staff for first-year head coach Steve Bieser. In two years, Houck has limited batters to .220 hitting and owns a strikeout-walk ratio of 5.1 (197-39). He has thrown more than 100 innings in each of his first two seasons as a Tiger and is expected to be one of the first 10 players selected in next year’s Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Department of Athletics is pleased to announce that Howard Richards, former football standout and current radio analyst for the Tiger Network, has joined the AD staff on a full-time basis.  Richards, a St. Louis, Mo. native and 1988 graduate of Mizzou, will serve as Assistant Athletic Director for Community Relations.  The St. Louis, Mo. native currently lives in his hometown and he will continue to reside there as his outreach focus will be in the Gateway City.

“We are very excited to have Howard on board to assist us in our efforts in St. Louis,” said Director of Athletics Jim Sterk.  “In my short time here, I’ve enjoyed getting to know Howard.  There’s no question that he loves Mizzou and I know he will work very hard to represent us well in his hometown and that he will help us make inroads there.  He’s got an infectious personality, great people skills, and a very well-rounded background, and I know those will be great assets for this role,” Sterk said.

“I’d like to thank Director of Athletics Jim Sterk for this opportunity to work on his team to help Mizzou Athletics build its reputation to position ourselves among the elite athletic departments in the country,” said Richards.

“I represent decades of past Mizzou student-athletes, but I am especially proud to represent my former Mizzou football teammates, coaches, trainers and other athletic department personnel that I’ve known since 1977.  I have heard their voices loudly and clearly and I want give my best efforts on their behalf to help build a better future for their school,” he said.

“I love Mizzou and my love for this institution is what will propel me to work extremely hard to affect positive change and to elevate the Mizzou brand, in order to encourage prospective student-athletes, especially those who live in Missouri, to make Mizzou their first choice.  I’m looking forward to getting to know the St. Louis community even better, from an individual and corporate standpoint – to solicit their opinions in order to assist our staff, and to increase the department’s visibility.  This is a very important time to lead Mizzou into the future, and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to be part of that leadership team,” he said.

Richards, a standout offensive lineman at Mizzou (1977-80), was a first-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 NFL Draft.  He played in the NFL for seven years (six with Dallas, one with Seattle), helping the Cowboys win three NFC East Division Championships (1981, 1983, 1985).

After his playing days ended, Richards went on to a 13-year distinguished career as a special agent with the Central Intelligence Agency (1990-2003), before moving into the private real estate industry for nine years.  In 2011, the communications major realized a lifelong dream and got the gig as color analyst for Mizzou Football games on the Tiger Radio Network, where he has called games alongside partners Mike Kelly and Chris Gervino for the past six seasons.  From 2011-15, his day job was as director of public safety at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, before he took over as the Mizzou College of Arts and Science senior manager for external relations in St. Louis in May of 2015.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, MO. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (11-6, 1-2) suffered its first home loss of the season in heartbreaking fashion as Alabama (14-2, 2-1) defeated the Tigers, 59-58, Sunday at Mizzou Arena. Mizzou surged in front by two with 2.5 seconds remaining but the Crimson Tide hit its fourth three-pointer in 25 attempts with less than a second left to snatch the win.

Sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) delivered another brilliant performance for Mizzou, pouring in a season-high 24 points on 10-of-16 (62.5 percent) shooting. Cunningham scored all eight of Mizzou’s second quarter points. The sophomore also recorded six rebounds and three assists in the loss.

Sophomore forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) continued her steady strong play in the post. Porter secured her eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes of tough work. She also tied her career-high with five blocked shots to help Mizzou set a new season high for blocked shots as a team with eight swats.

Mizzou was solid from the foul line, shooting a collective 83.3 percent (10-of-12) from the charity stripe. It marks the seventh time this season that Mizzou has shot over 80 percent from the free throw line in a game.

Mizzou opened the game strong on both ends, building an 11-2 lead in the first 5:32 of play. The Tiger defense was key in the first quarter as Mizzou scored nine of its 13 first quarter points off of Alabama turnovers.

Cunningham was dominant in the first half, finishing the first 20 minutes with 15 points on 6-of-10 (60 percent) shooting. Despite Cunningham’s efforts, Alabama erased an early deficit and battled back to tie the game as the two squads entered halftime with the score knotted at 21-21.

The second half started out just like the first, with Mizzou jumping out to an early lead and Alabama responding to keep the game close. After Mizzou scored the first seven points of the half to go up 28-21, the Crimson Tide put together a 12-0 run seize a 33-28 lead. Both teams traded shots to end the quarter as Mizzou headed to the final frame trailing, 39-35.

The seesaw game continued as it remained tight over the last 10 minutes of action. With the score tied at 54-54, senior guard Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) beat the shotclock with a three-pointer from long range to put the Tigers up by three with only 1:03 left in the game.

After Alabama scored, Porter was fouled and made 1-of-2 at the line to give Mizzou a 58-56 edge with three seconds remaining. In the final seconds, Alabama’s Quanetria Bolton hit her third three-pointer of the game to hand the Crimson Tide a 59-58 victory.

Mizzou continues its SEC slate with a road contest at LSU on Thursday, Jan. 12. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — A tussle between assistant coaches that took place as the first half ended Saturday appeared to be a big factor in Georgia’s strong second-half performance as the Bulldogs defeated Missouri 71-66 in Southeastern Conference play.

Georgia trailed the Tigers 26-20 at halftime, but had runs of 11-2 and 12-0 to outscore Missouri by 11 points in the final 20 minutes.

Neither Georgia coach Mark Fox nor Missouri coach Kim Anderson had a lot to say about the brief scuffle under the Missouri basket, although Anderson said the Bulldogs’ fans played a key role in Georgia’s resurgence.

“I didn’t see what started it and I tried to get in and . calm people down,” Anderson said. “In the second half, we knew they’d make a run, which they did. I’m sure the run was fueled by what happened at the end of the first half. The crowd was great, but we withstood it and fought back. It tells me a lot about these guys.”

All Fox would offer was praise for the crowd of 8,600 at Stegeman Coliseum.

“Guys got tied up with the ball, but until I see the tape I won’t (say anything),” he said. “. Our crowd certainly lifted our team today.”

Yante Maten scored 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Bulldogs (10-5, 2-1), who also got 16 points and four assists from J.J. Frazier, 12 points and five rebounds from Pape Diatta, and 11 points and six rebounds from Juwan Parker.

“There was a lot of energy in the building, on our team, the coaching staff, everywhere,” Maten said. “It wasn’t hard to really find energy to play the game. Sometimes you got to get yourself riled up, but everybody was really riled up at that point during the second half.”

Frazier, who averages 16 points a game for Georgia, tallied 14 points in the second half.

Terrence Phillips scored 20 points, Jordan Barnett had 15, and K.J. Walton added 13 for Missouri (5-9, 0-2).

Georgia made 21 of 46 field goals (46 percent) while the Tigers made 25 of 72 shot attempts (35 percent), and won the rebound battle 44-35, the 12th time in 15 games the Bulldogs have owned the glass this season.

Georgia won for the fifth time in its last seven games. Missouri has lost six straight and six in a row to Georgia. Their last victory over the Bulldogs came on Jan. 15, 2013, when they won 79-62 in Columbia.

Georgia’s disappointing first half included 12 turnovers (which Missouri turned into 14 points) but the Bulldogs — especially Frazier — came out energized for the final 20 minutes. Frazier blamed himself for Georgia’s 67-61 loss on Wednesday against South Carolina and took only two shots in the first half.

“I took care of the ball better,” said Frazier, who had four turnovers against South Carolina but only two against Missouri. “I don’t really care about how many shots I make or miss, but I have to be able to get our team in position to make plays, and if I turn the ball over that’s less possessions for my teammates to possibly score or make a play. Against South Carolina I turned the ball over at crucial times and that’s what hurt us.”

Georgia scored first in the game at the 18:50 mark on a free throw by Maten and the Bulldogs didn’t regain the lead until the 17:33 mark of the second half when Frazier connected on two free throws to go ahead 29-28.

Missouri fought back and took a 52-51 advantage with 7:20 remaining on a free throw by Walton, but the Bulldogs outscored the Tigers 20-41 in the final minutes of play as Diatta hit three free throws in the final seconds to ice the game.

BIG PICTURE

Georgia: The Bulldogs bounced back from their six-point SEC loss to South Carolina earlier in the week to post a 2-1 mark in the conference.

Missouri: the Tigers’ woes away from home continue as Missouri is 1/3 at neutral sites and 0-1 on the road.

SEEING DOUBLE

With 17 points, Yante Maten posted his 14th double-figure scoring outing of the season and the 49th of his career. J.J. Frazier had his 13th double-digit game of the season and 58th of his career, and Derek Ogbeide recorded 11 rebounds, the third time this season he’s had double-figure rebounds.

OH, MY PAPE

Georgia’s Pape Diatta came off the bench to post a career-high 12 points and 27 minutes on Saturday. His previous best scoring performance was nine points, which came on Nov. 25 in a 77-59 victory over Gardner-Webb.

SHOOTING THREES

Georgia and Missouri teamed to toss up 49 3-pointers on Saturday. The Bulldogs made 2 of 13 trey attempts while the Tigers made six of 36 3-point tries.

“We can’t shoot 36 3s,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “I thought at times we settled a little bit. Both of us were playing a lot of zone and there were a lot of open shots. They didn’t make very many 3s either.”

BAD START, BETTER FINISH

With 20 first-half points, Georgia turned in a season low for offense in the first 20 minutes. The previous low was 27 points against Georgia Tech on Dec. 20. But the Bulldogs came back with 51 second-half points, their second-best performance after collecting 53 points on Dec. 29 at Auburn.

BENCH BATTLE

Led in no small part by Terrence Phillips’ 20 points off the bench, Missouri’s substitutes scored 22 points to Georgia’s 20. Frankie Hughes added two points for the Tigers while Georgia’s subs were paced by Pape Diatta’s 12 points. Turtle Jackson and Houston Kessler added three points each for the Bulldogs.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs’ two-game home stand comes to an end, with Georgia on the road Wednesday at Ole Miss and on Saturday at No. 24 Florida.

The Tigers will host Auburn Tuesday before back-to-back road games at Arkansas (Jan. 14) and Alabama (Jan. 18).

— Associated Press —

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Makayla Epps scored 17 points, Evelyn Akhator had 14 and No. 24 Kentucky held off a late charge by Missouri for a 64-62 win on Thursday night.

The Wildcats (10-5, 1-1 SEC) led by 16 after Akhator’s 3-point play with 8:01 to play but wouldn’t score again until her free throw at the 2:13 mark to make it 59-48. After another free throw, Missouri’s Sierra Michaelis hit two 3-pointers in an 8-0 run in 24 seconds to cut it to 60-56.

Akhator’s 3-point play at 1:07 pushed the lead back to seven before a pair of baskets after turnovers made it a 3-point game.

The Wildcats had nine turnovers but committed five in the fourth quarter when they were 3 of 12 from the field and 7 of 13 from the foul line.

Michaelis finished with 22 points and Cunningham had 16 for Missouri (11-5, 1-1).

Kentucky outscored the Tigers 26-6 in the second quarter with the help of six 3s and used a season-best 17-0 run to lead 34-21 at halftime.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Antonio Blakeney hit 3 of 4 from 3-point range and finished with 24 points for the second consecutive game as LSU beat Missouri 88-77 on Wednesday night.

Aaron Epps and Jalyn Patterson added 11 points apiece.

Jordan Barnett scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Missouri. Kevin Puryear added 15 points and seven rebounds, and Jordan Geist scored 13 in his second career start. Terrence Philips, who came off the bench after starting in his first 43 games, had 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Missouri (5-8, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) led 40-35 at halftime, but LSU opened the second half on a 9-4 run and took the lead with 14:25 remaining following a 3-pointer by Blakeney.

Puryear tied the game at 54-54 before LSU (9-4, 1-1) made seven of its next eight shots during a 17-4 run that sealed it.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri women opened Southeastern Conference play and the New Year with an emphatic 63-45 win over Georgia at Mizzou Arena on Sunday.  Mizzou improved to 11-4 on the season and 9-0 on its home floor.

Senior guard Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) led the way for the Tigers, pouring in 20 points (8-15 FG, 4-8 3FG), including a 12-point explosion in the third quarter.  She also contributed three rebounds and three steals.  Sophomore forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) put up her seventh double-double of the year, scoring 20 points (6-12 FG, 8-8 FT) and grabbing 12 rebounds in a strong performance.  Mizzou moved to 7-0 on the year when Porter posts at least 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Fellow sophomore Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) had another solid all-around effort, tallying nine points, nine rebounds and three assists in a high-energy effort.

The game started off going back and forth, as Mizzou and Georgia traded baskets in the early going.  Michaelis set the tone for the Tigers early on, as she had eight points, two steals, an assist and a rebound in an active first frame. Porter also chipped in, adding six points, four of which came at the free throw line.

As Porter and Michaelis opened up the scoring, Mizzou’s team defense dug its heels in and didn’t allow a single basket over the last 2:45 of the quarter.  The Tigers finished the first quarter on a 9-2 run, and held a 19-11 lead as the frame came to a close.

Georgia clawed back with a 7-0 run to surge in front for the first time, 22-21.  Mizzou regained the lead courtesy of senior guard Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.), who broke up the Georgia run by slashing to the basket for a layup and then finding a wide-open Hannah Schuchts (Tallahassee, Fla.) in the short corner for a jumper on the next possession.

After Georgia knotted the game at 29-29, Sophie Cunningham finished a tough bucket in traffic in transition and Mizzou took a 33-29 advantage in to halftime.

Michaelis heated up in the third quarter to help Mizzou build a commanding edge.  The senior guard outscored the Bulldogs by herself in the frame, 12-6.  Michaelis scored inside and out, hitting two triples, finishing a pair of nifty layups and draining a smooth turnaround fade away jumper from the elbow.

Mizzou’s defense surrendered just one field goal during the third quarter.  The combination of Michaelis hot hand and tough team defense propelled the Tigers to 51-35 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Georgia opened the period on a 10-0 run, cutting the Tiger lead to just seven with 3:41 to go.  However, Mizzou went back to Porter who closed out the win with clutch free throws and a strong layup down the stretch.

Mizzou continues SEC play with a trip to Kentucky on Thursday. Tip from Rupp Arena is set for 6 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Nathan Moran shot 5-for-10 from 3-point range and led all scorers with 22 points to help Lipscomb defeat Missouri 81-76 Thursday.

Garrison Matthews had 16 points and six rebounds despite fouling out with 2:09 remaining, and Josh Williams and Rob Marberry scored 14 points apiece.

Jordan Geist led the way for Missouri (5-7), scoring 18 points in his first start for the Tigers.

The Bisons (7-9) had a 41-36 halftime lead and led for 31:32. Missouri crashed the boards in the second half, outrebounding Lipscomb 28-17 and using the extra possessions to mount a 13-4 run, eventually taking a 67-62 lead with 5:40 remaining.

Missouri missed key free-throws late, including Russell Woods’ 0-for-2 trip as the Tigers trailed 71-70 with under two minutes remaining. Woods finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Tigers played without Willie Jackson who announced hours before tip-off his intent to transfer to be closer to home.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — As a timid freshman, Illinois forward Malcolm Hill wasn’t sure he would be able to make much noise in the annual rivalry game with Missouri.

“I was 190 pounds and I thought, `there’s no way I would be able to hang with these guys,” Hill recalled.

Fast forward four years.

Now, a chiseled 225 pounds, Hill did more than just hang on Wednesday. He took over.

The 6-foot-6 senior scored 21 points, on 6-of-12 shooting, and Maverick Morgan recorded his second successive double-double to lead Illinois to a 75-66 win over Missouri on Wednesday night. Morgan hit 7 of 8 free throws and finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.

Hill, a St. Louis-area native, fashioned his second successive strong performance against Missouri on the way to finishing his career unbeaten against the Tigers.

“It’s special, it’s awesome,” Hill said. “Not too many people can say they went 4-0 against Missouri.”

He had 21 points and five rebounds in a 68-63 win over Missouri last season.

This time around, Hill helped the Illini out to an early 15-5 lead and then played a key role in holding off a pair of Missouri rallies that trimmed the deficit to four in the second half.

Jalen Coleman-Lands scored 12 for the Illini (10-3), who have won six in a row overall and the last four in the border series.

Kevin Puryear led Missouri (5-6) with 17 points. Terrence Phillips had 14 points and Jordan Geist added 12.

Illinois shot 61.5 percent in the first half on the way to a 39-29 lead.

Hill’s second 3-pointer of the night put Illinois up 58-49 with just over 12 minutes left.

Missouri charged back to within 63-59 on a pair of foul shots by Reed Nikko. But Michael Finke answered with a free throw and a 3-pointer to push the lead to 67-59.

The Tigers trailed by at least six the rest of the way.

Illinois hit 10 of its first 15 shots to take control early as Missouri missed 10 of its first 12.

Illinois has won 24 of 36 games since the series was moved to St. Louis.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Illinois coach John Groce said. “They showed some poise. We had some quality possessions down the stretch.”

Morgan converted an old-fashioned 3-point play early in the second half to stretch the lead to 49-39.

“He’s been a beast,” Hill said.

Missouri managed to overcome a slow start with a solid second-half performance that impressed coach Kim Anderson.

“The first half they came out and punched us a little bit,” Anderson said. “But I thought we played well in the second half.”

Anderson was not pleased with his team’s shooting. The Tigers missed 24 shots in the second half and have hit 41.1 percent or less in their last six games. He indicated that there might be some changes in the starting lineup around the corner.

“We’re just not shooting the ball well,” Anderson said. “When that happens, you’ve got to mix it up a bit.”

Puryear agreed, “We got some good looks, we just have to knock them down.”

BIG PICTURE

Illinois: The Illini won nine successive games against Missouri from 2000-2008, the longest streak in the 36-year history of the event. The series has featured five one-point games.

Missouri: The Tigers’ three-game losing streak is their longest of the season. The series drew at least 19,586 fans from 1994-2014, but only drew 12,409 on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Illinois: The Illini open Big Ten Conference play on Dec. 27 at Maryland.

Missouri: The Tigers host Lipscomb on Dec. 29 before opening Southeast Conference play at home against LSU on Jan. 4.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS  – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (10-4) could not respond to an offensive explosion by SLU (9-3) in the fourth quarter as the Tigers lost, 72-61, Wednesday night at Chaifetz Arena. Mizzou held a 15-point lead after three quarters but Saint Louis’ hot shooting late propelled the Billikens to a win.

Sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo) led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting (58.3 percent). Cunningham drained a season high four three-point shots on six attempts (66.7 percent). The only other game Cunningham made more threes was when she nailed six during her career high 42-point performance against Wake Forrest last season. Cunningham also led Mizzou in assists, dishing out four. This was the third 20+ point outing of the season for Cunningham. She now has 13 such performances in her career.

Sophomore forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) continued her strong nonconference play by chipping in 16 points and nine rebounds. She is now averaging 18.4 points and 11.2 rebounds in her last five games. Porter went 6-for-7 (85.7 percent) from the free-throw line tonight to continue her solid work at the charity stripe this season.

Redshirt junior Kayla McDowell (Cincinnati, Ohio) set a new season high with nine rebounds on Wednesday. Mizzou outrebounded the Billikens, 35-32. The Tigers have now outrebounded opponents in 11 of its 14 games so far this season.

The first quarter was a back and forth affair early. Mizzou used strong defensive play to force five turnovers in the opening frame, helping the Tigers finish out the quarter on an 11-2 run. That swing gave Mizzou a 19-14 lead after 10 minutes of play.

Mizzou continued to clamp down defensively in the second quarter, holding Saint Louis to just six points in 10 minutes of play on 2-of-13 (15.4 percent) shooting. The Tigers outrebounded the Billikens 13-5 in the second quarter while draining four threes to take a 35-20 at the halftime break.

Mizzou maintained its advantage in the third frame, but the lead evaporated quickly in the fourth quarter as Saint Louis caught fire and buried a flurry of baskets to erase its deficit. Saint Louis shot 10-of-16 in the final frame. Another Billiken trey pushed Saint Louis in front 62-58 with three minutes remaining. The Billikens held on for the victory behind clutch free throws and defensive stops.

Mizzou will take the court again Jan. 1 against Georgia to begin SEC play. Tipoff for that contest is set for 12 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —