College – Page 122 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Northwest softball defeats Wayne State & Northern State Sunday

Posted on March 18, 2018March 18, 2018

The Northwest Missouri State University softball team swept their last two games of their two day tournament.

The Bearcats finish the weekend 11-9 and will continue conference play next weekend against UCO and Northeastern State.

Game One Key Statistics (Northwest 13, Wayne State 6)
– Northwest scored six in the fourth, two in the fifth and five in the sixth inning. The Wildcats scored two in the second and four in the fifth inning.
– The Bearcats had 13 runs on 13 hits and two errors.Wayne State scored six runs on ten hits and had four errors.
– Kiana Baderdeen completed the first game going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, a double, a stolen base and she scored one run.
– Rebecca Maher went 2-for-4 with one run scored, a double, a triple and two RBIs.
– Kenzi Sutton was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and one RBI.
– Kailey Siemonsma went 2-for-4 with one run scored and she had two RBIs.
– Jaedra Moses was 1-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored.
– Jessica Rawie finished 1-for-2 with three runs scored,drew two walks, hit one homerun and had two RBIs.
– Abigail Gilson went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI.
– Regan Thompson got the win after she threw 2.2 innings allowed three hits and only one earned run.

Game One Key Innings
– After an out, Rawie and Gilson got the inning started when they both drew walks and Allen reached base on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. Siemonsma hit the first run in with a single to left center to score Rawie and move all the runners up. Sutton came in to pinch run for Allen. Baderdeen kept the hitting going with a single to left center to score Gilson and Sutton and advanced Siemonsma to third. Maher would get two RBIs on her double to right center to score Siemonsma and Baderdeen. Moses would then hit a single to left center to score Maher and to conclude the scoring and give the Bearcats the lead, 6-3.

– Keeney started the inning with a leadoff walk and Lynnlee Parrott came in to pinch run. Rawie would give the Bearcats the lead with a two-run homerun over the left center fence to make it 8-6.

– Moses reached on a fielder’s choice to start the rally for the Bearcats in the bottom of the sixth inning. Kaitlyn Weis would then reach on an error to put runners at the corners. Keeney sent a hard single up the middle to score Moses from third and put Weis on third. Rawie reached base on a fielder’s choice and moved to second on Gilson’s single up the middle and to score Weis. Sutton kept the hitting going by sending a hard single up the middle to score Rawie. Siemonsma singled through the left side to score Gilson.

Game Two Key Statistics (Northwest 6, Northern State 0)
– The Bearcats scored one run in the first, two in the fourth and three in the fifth inning.
– Northwest had six runs on eight hits and one error. The Wolves had zero runs on four hits and had one error.
– Moses finished the day going 2-for-3 and one run scored.
– Weis finished going 2-for-3 with three runs scored, three RBIs and two homeruns.
– Keeney went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, one run scored, a double and a homerun.
– Gilson went 1-for-3.
– Baderdeen was 1-for-2 and one run scored.
– Rachel Smith threw seven shut out innings, she struck out eight batters and allowed four hits.

Game Two Key Innings
– Weis reached base on a fielder’s choice with two outs and then came around to score on Keeney’s double to the left center gap to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead.

– To start the fourth inning, Weis hit a solo homerun over the right field fence and Keeney followed it up with her own solo shot to deep center field to make the score, 3-0.

– Baderdeen lead off the inning with a single to right field and after an out Moses hit a sharp single through the left side to put two runners on. Weis would then send her second homerun of the day over the left center fence.
Up Next
– Northwest will play on Friday, March 23, against the University of Central Oklahoma in Maryville, Mo., at 1 pm.

— Northwest Athletics —

Griffons extend win streak to seven games with 6-4 win at Southwest Baptist

Posted on March 17, 2018

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Griffon Baseball (12-9, 5-3), rallied to stretch its win streak to seven games with a 6-4 win at Southwest Baptist (8-15, 2-9) in 10 innings.

Dusty Stroup’s RBI-single in the 10th proved to be the game winner. Brooks Day scored on a wild pitch to provide another insurance run and to cap the Griffons’ rally from a 4-1 deficit.

Southwest Baptist took a 4-1 lead to the fourth before Missouri Western scored three to tie the game in the top of the fourth. Levi Abrahmson and Kellan Richards combined to keep the Bearcats off the scoreboard the rest of the way, allowing just one hit over the final six innings of the game. Abrahamson picked up his first win of the season and Richards got the save.

Maurice Bruce was 3-for-5 at the plate with an RBI and a run. Stroup had two hits, going 2-for-6.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western goes for its second straight MIAA sweep on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Bolivar.

— MWSU Athletics —

Kansas holds off Seton Hall 83-79 to reach Sweet 16

Posted on March 17, 2018March 17, 2018

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Udoka Azubuike had practiced once in the last 11 days because of a lingering knee injury, and the mammoth Kansas forward’s three-minute stretch in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament was about as underwhelming as his herky-jerky free-throw stroke.

He managed to go 22 minutes against Seton Hall on Saturday night.

The Jayhawks needed all of them.

Azubuike stood toe-to-toe with the Pirates’ bruising Angel Delgado, and he drew enough attention on offense to spring his high-scoring guards for open looks. The result was a 28-point performance from teammate Malik Newman, 16 more from Svi Mykhailiuk, and a gritty 83-79 victory that pushed the top-seeded Jayhawks to their third consecutive Sweet 16.

“If `Doke wasn’t able to come back from his injury, we don’t win,” coach Bill Self said. “I was hoping for 20 minutes. That was what I was hoping. And he could have played more.”

Lagerald Vick added 13 points for Kansas (29-7), which converted every crucial play down the stretch to advance to the semifinals of the Midwest Region. The Jayhawks will face the winner of Sunday night’s game between Auburn and Clemson next week in Omaha, Nebraska.

Delgado finished with 24 points and 23 rebounds in a virtuoso effort for the No. 8 seed Pirates (22-11), who snapped a four-game NCAA Tournament skid in the opening round. But he was less effective when Azubuike was in the game, a matchup that often sounded like battleships colliding.

“It stinks, basically, to leave like this,” Delgado said, “because we had so much expectation. We wanted to win every game, be the best team in the tournament.”

Khadeen Carrington finished with 28 points, many of them on 3-pointers in the closing minutes, and Myles Powell added 14 as the pair of guards tried in vain to keep Seton Hall alive.

It was 71-66 with 53 seconds left when Devonte Graham made two free throws for Kansas. Carrington kept answering for the Pirates, but the Jayhawks were unflappable at the foul line.

“I think it was the four-minute timeout, Coach told us in the huddle we were in the bonus. Just get down there, keep getting fouls,” said Newman, the MVP of last week’s Big 12 Tournament. “I was able to hit them quick and I was able to get to the line and make my free throws.”

Kansas led just 31-26 at halftime, when Delgado had already piled up 12 points and 12 rebounds, and was forced to make some significant adjustments in the locker room.

On defense, Self called for double-teams on Delgado whenever he got the ball down low, especially when Azubuike was sitting on the bench. On offense, he had his guys throw it to Azubuike on the block or rely on Mykhailiuk — by nature a 3-point specialist — to slash to the basket.

Together, they helped the Jayhawks stretch their lead to double digits.

Delgado kept the Pirates in the game, though. Azubuike went to the bench with four fouls with about 9 minutes left, and coach Kevin Willard instructed his own guys to go right back to their center.

Delgado was so effective that Self gambled by putting `Doke right back in the game.

“He was the best player in the game,” Self said. “He was a man. We knew he was good. And not having Doke in there more hurt us, because physically he was able to get the best of us.”

Seton Hall closed to 63-59 with 3:22 to go, but Newman answered with a 3-pointer and a pair of foul shots, and the poised Jayhawks never allowed the Pirates to come all the way back.

“I thought it was an extremely well-played game,” Willard said. “I thought the kids left everything on the floor for both teams. I’m proud of the way my guys kept fighting back. You just have to give Kansas credit. They made a lot of big shots late.”

SELF’S RECORD

Self improved to 35-13 in the NCAA Tournament with Kansas, highlighted by a national title in 2008. That breaks a tie with his predecessor and current North Carolina coach Roy Williams for the most tourney wins in school history. Williams was 34-14 with the Jayhawks.

BIG PICTURE

Seton Hall was often rattled by a crowd that gave Kansas a hometown advantage. The game was played about 2 hours south of the Jayhawks’ campus in Lawrence, and about 90 percent of the 15,000-plus at Intrust Bank Arena cheered on the home-state school.

Kansas survived without much production from Graham, who scored 29 against Pennsylvania in the first round. He took a wicked shot to the head from a teammate late in the first half, and wound up with eight points on 1-for-7 shooting.

UP NEXT

The Jayhawks are headed to Omaha for the regional semifinals. They’ll play the winner of Sunday night’s matchup between fourth-seeded Auburn and No. 5 seed Clemson.

— Associated Press —

Bearcats score ten unanswered runs to rally past Lindenwood

Posted on March 17, 2018March 17, 2018

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team defeats Lindenwood in late inning rally in St. Charles, Mo.

The Bearcats improve to 12-9 overall and 8-2 in conference while the Lions fall to 10-11 overall and 3-7 in conference play.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest scored three runs in the sixth, two in the eighth and five in the ninth inning. The Lions scored two in the third and four in the fourth inning.
– The Bearcats had ten runs on 15 hits with one error. Lindenwood had six runs on 11 hits with two errors.
– Landon Figg finished the day going 3-for-5 with three runs scored.
– Luke Hassman finished going 3-for-5 with three RBIs,scored two runs and hit a homerun.
– Kevin Handzlik went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored.
– Mondesi Gutierrez was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and he scored one run.
– Aaron Barratt went 2-for-4 with one run scored and a sacrifice hit.
– Matt Schingel was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

Key Northwest Innings
– After two outs, Figg started the rally for the Bearcats with a single through right side. Hassman would then send a two run homerun over the left field fence to put the Bearcats on the board. Handzlik kept the rally going by hitting a single up the middle and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Gutierrez would reach first safely on a throwing error and Handzlik would come in to score from second.

– In the top of the eighth inning, Figg got the Bearcats rolling again with a single to right center and Hassman followed it up with a single to center field. Handzlik would then hit a single to right field to score Figg and move Hassman to third. Gutierrez kept the hits going by hitting a single through the left side to score Hassman to conclude the scoring for the Bearcats.

– To start the top of the ninth, Hrdlicka walked and Tim Olson came in to pinch run. Figg singled to right field and Olson would advance to third on a throwing error. Hassman came up with a one out single through the left side score Olson and advance Figg to second. Gutierrez singled through the right side to score Figg and give Bearcats the lead. Derek Hussey came in to run for Hassman and quickly advanced to third on Barratt’s single to third base to load the bases. Barratt and Gutierrez both advanced on a wild pitch while Hussey would score from third. Schingel completed the scoring for the Bearcats when he hit a single to right field to score Gutierrez and Barratt to make the score 10-6.

Up Next
– Northwest will take on Lindenwood on Saturday, March 18, at 1 p.m. in St. Charles, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri Western softball splits doubleheader as Uhl hits for the cycle

Posted on March 17, 2018March 17, 2018

ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Softball (8-17) split a pair of regional games on Saturday to open the 2018 Hy-Vee Classic.

Shelby Uhl hit for the cycle and walked once in an 18-2 run-rule win over Wayne State College (6-10) to help the Griffons rebound from a 9-8 loss to Northern State (10-7), Saturday morning.

Uhl didn’t wasted anytime getting to her historic accomplishment, leading off the game with a solo home run to left field. It was the first of six RBIs in the game for Uhl, who also singled in the first. Her triple came in the third inning and she completed the cycle in the fourth with an RBI-double up the middle.

In the game, Uhl was 4-for-4 with six RBIs, three runs scored and a walk. Shelbie Atwell went 2-for-3 against Wayne State with three runs, three RBIs and two walks. On the day, Uhl was 6-for-7 with eight RBIs, six runs and two walks. Atwell was 3-for-5 on the day with five runs and four walks. Morgan Froast hit two doubles and drove in five with a 3-for-5 day at the plate.

Missouri Western just missed sweeping the day. The Griffons led Northern State 6-1 after two innings and 7-4 after four. Northern State scored four runs in the fifth to take an 8-7 lead, but Missouri Western tied it in the bottom of the fifth. Another Northern State run in the sixth was the dagger.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western hosts two more NSIC competitors on Sunday, opening with Upper Iowa at 10 a.m. before taking on Concordia, St. Paul at approximately noon.

— MWSU Athletics —

5th-seeded Mizzou women get upset by Florida Gulf Coast 80-70

Posted on March 17, 2018March 17, 2018

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Hands on her knees, China Dow watched intently as the clock ticked down. Finally, she could let out all the emotion and exuberance and began hugging everyone in sight.

The Florida Gulf Coast senior then skipped across the court in Maples Pavilion screaming in delight while waving her arms toward the fittingly green-clad crowd on St. Patrick’s Day.

For the Eagles, the gold was their all-out grit.

Dow scored 21 points and played stingy defense in the paint against Missouri star Sophie Cunningham, and No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast pulled off an upset in the Lexington Regional with an 80-70 win Saturday against the fifth-seeded Tigers.

“We’re just putting our name on the map to let people know we are not just a soft, mid-major team,” Dow said. “We can compete with the best of the best.”

Cunningham took over on the low block to get Missouri (24-8) going and scored a season-high 35 points — most by a Tigers player in an NCAA tournament game — and made 14 of 16 free throws. But she didn’t get much help.

Dow made two free throws with 1:12 left as the Eagles kept pushing until the final buzzer to run their winning streak to 11 games with a 21st victory in the last 22 games.

Florida Gulf Coast (31-4) will play Monday against No. 4 seed Stanford (23-10), an 82-68 winner against 13th-seeded Gonzaga in Saturday’s second game. Hall of Fame Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer will face Eagles coach Karl Smesko after VanDerveer won her 900th career game against him at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in November 2013.

Leading scorer Rose Julien — averaging 13.4 points — added 12 points for Florida Gulf Coast, which is in the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in seven years with Division I postseason eligibility and won an NCAA game for the first time since beating Oklahoma State in 2015.

The scrappy Eagles stayed within 36-32 on rebounds to Missouri without having a single 6-footer on the roster.

“It’s an upset in terms of seeding, but we definitely came in with the mindset that this was a game we can win if we executed at a high level,” Smesko said.

Lauren Aldridge’s 3-pointer with 2:13 left in the third cut FGCU’s lead to 54-50 then Tytionia Adderly immediately hit from deep on the other end and the Eagles led 61-53 going into the fourth.

Florida Gulf Coast didn’t immediately get the kind of 3-point looks it is so used to, but the Eagles patiently kept pushing the ball in transition and drove to the basket and kicked out to start creating those crucial open looks from deep.

Mizzou won its SEC Tournament opener and earned a third straight NCAA berth, the first time the program has done so since 1984-86, but missed out on earning at least one victory in three straight tournaments for the first time in school history.

Florida Gulf Coast got key minutes off the bench from Jessica Cattani, who hit two quick 3-pointers during an 8-3 second-quarter run, then Cunningham converted back-to-back layups for Missouri. Cattani finished with 10 points.

Late in the second after Dow hit a 3-pointer on the other end then pounded with Cunningham inside and other FGCU defenders swarmed, Cunningham still was able to find a way to almost underhand the ball up and into the hoop. Dow hit another 3 the next time down and her team led 41-32 at halftime.

HEIGHT ADVANTAGE

Even with a big performance, Cunningham expected more of herself given her height advantage.

She shot 10 for 16 but also committed five of her team’s 16 turnovers.

“Very good defensive team. We just need to value the ball more,” Cunningham said. “They did push us out farther than we wanted to, credit to them.”

BIG PICTURE

Florida Gulf Coast: The Eagles converted just 23 of 37 free throws, probably something that will be a focus going into the second round Monday. … FGCU missed its first four shots before Nasrin Ulel’s driving layup at the 7:36 mark of the first quarter. … The Atlantic Sun Conference champions use the hashtag “RAININGTHREES” as a catchphrase for their 3-point prowess. They have made 414 3s this season, 10 off Sacramento State’s single-season record of 424 set in 2014-15.

Missouri: The Tigers shot 4 for 24 on 3s. … Cunningham notched her 13th game this season with at least 20 points. … Jordan Frericks had two early blocked shots to help the Tigers establish their defense in the paint and on the perimeter.

— Associated Press —

Northwest softball goes 1-1 at home Saturday

Posted on March 17, 2018March 17, 2018

The Northwest Missouri State University softball team splits day one of their two day tournament.

The Bearcats improve to 10-8 overall, while Concordia-St. Paul moves to 14-5 and Upper Iowa falls to 12-5.

Game One Key Statistics (Northwest 1, Concordia 5)
– Northwest scored one run in the seventh inning. The Golden Bears scored three in the fourth, one in the sixth and one in the seventh inning.
– The Bearcats had one run on eight hits and three errors. Concordia scored five runs on six hits and had one error.
– Jessica Rawie started the day going 2-for-3.
– Abigail Gilson went 2-for-3.
– Kiana Baderdeen was 2-for-3.
– Rebecca Maher went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
– Jaedra Moses was 1-for-4 with a stolen base.
– Kailey Siemonsma drew a walk and scored a run.

Game One Key Innings
– In the bottom of the seventh inning, Siemonsma lead off the inning with a walk and Baderdeen hit a single to right center to put runners at the corners. Maher hit a hard ground ball up the middle to score Siemonsma to conclude the scoring.
Game Two Key Statistics (Northwest 8, Upper Iowa 0)
– The Bearcats scored one in the first, three in the second, two in the fourth and two in the fifth inning.
– Northwest had eight runs on 11 hits and no errors. The Peacocks had no runs on two hits and three errors.
– Maher finished the day going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, scored two runs and a had double.
– Moses finished going 2-for-3 with one run scored, and one RBI.
– Weis went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
– Keeney was perfect from the plate going 2-for-2 with one run scored, three RBIs and a homerun.
– Karli Allen was 2-for-3 with one run scored and a double.
– Rachel Smith threw five shut out innings only gave up two hits and she struck out six batters.

Game Two Key Innings
– Maher lead the game off with a single through the left side and Moses and Weis followed up with singles of their own to load the bases. Keeney hit a hard single up the middle to score Maher and give the Bearcats the lead, 1-0.

– Allen started the bottom of the second inning with a double to left center and after an out, Baderdeen and Maher both reached on errors. Moses would then hit a hard single through the right side to score Allen. Weis hit a single up the middle to score Baderdeen and Maher to give the Bearcats a 4-0 lead.

– To start the bottom of the fourth inning, Maher hit a single up the middle and Moses reached on a fielder’s choice. After two outs, Keeney hit a two run homerun over the right center fence to make the score 6-0.

– Allen started the fifth inning with a single to left field and Kenzi Sutton came in to pinch run. Baderdeen reached on a fielder’s choice then moved to second on a throwing error and Sutton ended up at third. Maher doubled to right field to score Sutton and Baderdeen and give the Bearcats a walk off win.
Up Next
– Northwest will play on Saturday, March 18, against Northern State in Maryville, Mo., at 9 am.

— Northwest Athletics —

Nebraska women lose NCAA Tournament opener to Arizona State

Posted on March 17, 2018March 17, 2018

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Another defensive gem and dominant rebounding have Arizona State rolling into the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Robbi Ryan scored 16 points and Kianna Ibis added 14 to lead the No. 7 Sun Devils over No. 10 Nebraska 73-62 in the first round Saturday in the Kansas City Region.

Arizona State opened up a tight, defensive struggle with a 14-0 run in the third quarter. Jamie Ruden scored five during the stretch and the Sun Devils pushed the lead as high as 16 early in the fourth quarter when Reili Richardson converted a 3-point play.

“We have a big focus on finishing strong,” Ruden said. “The fire went under our butts and we decided we need to crank things up defensively.”

The Sun Devils (22-12) led the Pac 12 in scoring defense and made the Cornhuskers struggle for every basket, allowing them few second-chance points. Arizona State dominated the rebounding 49-27. The Cornhuskers went scoreless for nearly five minutes in the third quarter.

“We wanted it more,” Ibis said. “We wanted to stay aggressive on offensive rebounds.”

Nebraska’s last chance came on a 3-pointer by Jasmine Cincore that cut the lead to 68-59 with 2:03 left. But 30 seconds later, Cincore was called for an unsportsmanlike play on a charge when she ran into with Ryan’s chin. Ruden and Courtney Ekmark then made two throws to get the lead back to 11 with 1 minute left and the Sun Devils put it away from there.

Arizona State moves on to the second round for the fifth straight season, with a chance to make the Sweet 16 for the second time in four years.

“I’m excited we get to keep playing, I always tell them the first game is the hardest because that’s when you’re nervous,” Sun Devils coach Charli Turner Thorne said.

Taylor Kissinger scored 15 points for Nebraska (21-11).

“They were aggressive (defensively) the entire game,” said Nebraska guard Hannah Whitish, who scored 12 on 3 of 10 shooting. “We had our looks, they just didn’t fall.”

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers’ loss ends what had been one of the biggest surprise seasons in the country. Nebraska won just seven games in 2016-17 but turned things around to be a Big Ten title contender late in this season. Coach Amy Williams had said before the game she worried her team couldn’t match the Sun Devils on the boards, and she was right. Arizona State was more physical under the basket and quicker to the ball on the long rebounds.

“That says something for their relentless pursuit. We know what we need to work on,” Williams said. “You can let this sting for a little while, but permanently we’re going to hold our heads up.”

Arizona State: The Sun Devils turned in other defensive gem, smothering the Cornhuskers’ ball handlers on the perimeter and disrupting shooters. The Sun Devils held Cornhuskers guard Maddie Simon, who came in averaging 10 points, to no points Saturday. She took just one shot in 15 minutes.

DEEP ROTATION

While some coaches shorten their rotation in the crunch time of the postseason, both teams when deep into their bench. Nebraska played 12 and Arizona State played nine. The Sun Devils had four players score in double figures.

KEY STAT

Nebraska had just six assists on 19 baskets as the Sun Devils made the game a 40-minute struggle for the Cornhuskers guards.

UP NEXT

Arizona State plays No. 2 Texas in Monday’s second round.

— Associated Press —

No. 1 seed Kansas overcomes slow start to defeat Penn 76-60 in NCAA opener

Posted on March 15, 2018

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Devonte Graham kept driving to the rim, using his deft crossover and blinding first step to get past Penn’s defenders, only to watch every shot he put up bounce out.

He turned to teammate Malik Newman and said, “Man, I’m just not finishing.”

Newman’s reply: “Keep being aggressive.”

Graham evidently listened.

The Big 12 player of the year finally started to get his shots to go, igniting sluggish Kansas midway through the first half and finishing with 29 points, lifting the top-seeded Jayhawks to a tough, grind-it-out 76-60 victory over the Quakers in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Lagerald Vick added 14 points for the Jayhawks (28-7), who trailed the Ivy League champs by 10 in the early stages Thursday before going on a 19-2 run late in the half to take control.

Graham, perhaps atoning for a dismal performance in last year’s tournament loss to Oregon, also had six rebounds and six assists as the Jayhawks cruised into a second-round matchup with eighth-seeded Seton Hall — which beat North Carolina State — in the loaded Midwest Region.

“We didn’t play well offensively the first half. We stunk,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “It’s hard for us to play well offensively if we don’t make shots because we don’t have a big guy to throw it into right now. The way they defended us, we needed a guard to take it on himself to get downhill.”

Graham stepped up to the task.

“He was just keeping everybody’s heads right,” Vick said. “He told us we weren’t going to lose.”

A.J. Brodeur had 14 points to lead the Quakers (24-9), but he was just 6 of 16 from the field and committed five turnovers. He was also 1 of 5 from the foul line, where Penn was 5 of 14 as a team.

“Give Kansas a ton of credit. Thought they played a terrific game,” Penn coach Steve Donahue said. “It was a great basketball game for about 35 minutes. Then they finished us off.”

The Jayhawks played most of the way without 7-footer Udoka Azubuike, who hurt a ligament in his left knee in practice last week. The sophomore center played three minutes, all in the first half, and struggled to move around while wearing a bulky brace on his leg.

Newman, the MVP of last week’s Big 12 Tournament, and Svi Mykhailiuk scored 10 points apiece for Kansas, which won its 12th consecutive NCAA opener — and avoided some ignominious history.

Trying to succeed where 132 other No. 16 seeds had failed, the Quakers raced to a 21-11 lead with about 7 minutes left in the first half. They leaned on their stingy perimeter defense to limit the hot-shooting Jayhawks’ 3-point barrage, and their pick-and-roll offense was humming.

It took the Big 12 player of the year to restore some order.

Graham picked the pocket of Caleb Wood on defense, trailed a fast-break play and was there to lay in Mykhailiuk’s missed layup, trigging what would become a 19-2 run over the next six minutes.

Graham added back-to-back baskets at the rim, then knocked down a pair of 3s later in the run. He capped his 19-point first-half barrage by drawing a foul as the Quakers were attempted to give a foul away, then hitting all three foul shots.

That gave the Big 12 champions a 33-26 lead heading into the locker room.

Penn hung around until midway through the second half, when the bigger, stronger Jayhawks began to assert control. Their veteran backcourt did most of the work, slowly drawing away.

“Credit to Graham, he realized what was going on in the game. He has a great feel for the game,” Penn’s Darnell Foreman said. “Knowing he’s a senior, he had to step up and force the tone and create and he did a great job of that.”

Bearcat baseball knocks off William Jewell 12-10

Posted on March 14, 2018March 14, 2018

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team defeats William Jewell, 12-10, on Wednesday in Maryville, Mo.

The Bearcats improve to 11-9 overall while the Cardinals are now 6-8.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest scored three runs in the first, five in the fourth, two in the sixth and two in the seventh inning. The Cardinals scored one in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the seventh inning.
– The Bearcats had 12 runs on 12 hits with two errors. William Jewell had 10 runs on 12 hits with three errors.
– Logan Rycraft finished the day going 4-for-5 with two runs scored.
– Hudson Bilodeau finished going 2-for-3 with one run scored, one RBI, one walk, a sacrifice fly and a double.
– Kevin Handzlik went 2-for-5, scored one run, had two RBIs and a stolen base.
– Landon Figg was 1-for-3 with two RBIs, two walks and one run scored.
– Luke Hassman went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBIs and a hit by pitch.
– Aaron Barratt was 1-for-4 with one run scored and a sacrifice hit.
– Matt Schingel went 1-for-5 with one run scored and a double.
– Jay Hrdlicka scored two runs and walked three times.
– Mondesi Gutierrez scored one run, walked once, was hit by a pitch and stole three bases.
– Nathan Russell threw 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits.
– Jimmy McElwain got the win after throwing 1.1 innings and allowed one run on one hit and he struck out two batters.

Key Northwest Innings
– After an out in the bottom of the first, Bilodeau hit a single to center, Figg walked and Hassman hit a single to left field to load the bases. Handzlik hit a single through the left side to score Bilodeau and Figg. Gutierrez kept the rally going as he reached first on a fielder’s choice and Hassman came in to score on a throwing error to give the Bearcats the lead. 3-0.

– Gutierrez started the bottom of the fourth with a walk and promptly stole second. Barratt reached base on an error to put Gutierrez on third. Schingel doubled to center field to score both Gutierrez and Barratt. Rycraft had a bunt to the pitcher to advance Schingel to third. Hrdlicka walked to load the bases for Bilodeau, who hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Schingel. Figg hit a hard single through the right side to score Rycraft and put Hrdlicka on third. Hassman reached safely on a fielder’s choice to score Hrdlicka and end the scoring for the Bearcats.

– To start the bottom of the sixth, Bilodeau hit a double to right center and was moved to third after an out. Hassman was hit by a pitch, Handzlik reached safely on a fielder’s choice and Hassman advanced to third on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. Guiterrez reached base on a throwing error to score Hassman from third. With runners on the corners, the Bearcats did a double steal to score Hassman to make the score, 10-7.

– To start the rally in the bottom of the seventh, Rycraft hit a single to right field and then came in to score after three walks by Hrdlicka, Bilodeau and Figg. Hassman kept the scoring going by hitting a deep fly ball to left field to score Hrdlicka to give the Bearcats the lead, 12-10.

Up Next
– Northwest will take on Lindenwood on Friday, March 16, at 6 p.m. in St. Charles, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —