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Category: College

MWSU’s Thompson finishes 3rd in the triple jump at NCAA Championships

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PITTSBURG, Kan. – Phil Thompson saved his best for last as the Griffon track and field senior finished third in the triple jump at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field National Championships.

The senior became the first Griffon All-American after becoming the first-year program’s first-ever national qualifier with a lifetime-best 15.53m (50-11 ½) on his third jump of the day. The record breaking jump won the heat for Thompson and put him in the finals against the top-10 jumpers in the nation.

Thompson entered the national championships ranked 14th in the nation with a 15.06m at the Graduate Classic. After just missing that mark on the first jump of his heat with a 15.04, Thompson set the personal best and the jump that made him an All-American two jumps later. After two low marks in his first two jumps of the finals, Thompson finished strong with a 15.37 on his final jump of the night, but it was his third that held up.

It wasn’t Thompson’s first national championship appearance, just his first as a Griffon. Thompson transferred to Missouri Western after St. Joseph’s College closed. At the same event last year, Thompson placed 12th. This year, he bested last year’s champion Michael Sandle of Minnesota State; last year’s second place finisher, Jumonne Exeter of St. Augustine’s; and last year’s third place finisher, Chalres Greaves of Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Thompson also overcame a fourth-place finish in the MIAA Championships, finishing second among MIAA competitors. Only Sedeekie Edie of Lincoln with a 15.55 was better than Thompson among MIAA competitors on Saturday. DeVontae Steele of Texas A&M-Commerce blew away the field with an event-record 16.25. Any of Steele’s six jumps would have been good enough to win the competition.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest Missouri State baseball loses finale to Northeastern State

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The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team falls in final game against Northeastern State 3-2.

The Bearcats are now 10-9 overall and 7-2 in conference while NSU improved to 11-9 overall and 3-6 in conference play.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The RiverHawks scored once in the third, once in the fourth and once in the fifth.
– The Bearcats had two runs on 11 hits with one error. Northeastern State had three runs on four hits and zero errors.
– Jay Hrdlicka finished the day going 2-for-5.
– Landon Figg went 2-for-4 with one run scored and a walk.
– Matt Schingel was 2-for-4.
– Hudson Bilodeau finished 1-for-4 with one walk.
– Luke Hassman went 1-for-3, drew a walk and scored a run.
– Kevin Handzlik, was 1-for-3 with a sacrifice hit.
– Mondesi Gutierrez went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly.
– Aaron Barratt finished the day 1-for-4 and had one RBI.
– Logan Rycraft went 1-for-4.
– Eddy Kraber completed six innings, allowed three hits, two earned runs and struck out four batters.
– Quintin Van Ackeren threw three shut out innings with only one hit and struck out two batters.

Key Northwest Innings
– Figg started the inning with a walk and Hassman followed him up with a single through the left side. Handzlik put down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third. Gutierrez hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field to score Figg. Next batter Barratt, hit a single up the middle to score Hassman and cut the RiverHawks lead to one.

Up Next
– Northwest will take on William Jewell on Wednesday, March 14 , at 2 p.m. in Maryville, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri Western softball sweeps Lincoln

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Griffon softball will come home, albeit briefly, with a 3-1 MIAA record after an impressive doubleheader sweep at Lincoln (3-13, 0-4) on Saturday.

Missouri Western (6-13) outscored Lincoln 20-2 in the doubleheader and saw both games end due to run-rule. Not only did the Griffons win three of their first four conference games this weekend, but they got two-straight shortened games ahead of next week’s 10-game schedule. After entering conference play on a six-game losing streak, the Griffons are in a tie for third place in the MIAA standings.

NOTABLES
– Missouri Western totaled 21 hits in the doubleheader while Griffon pitchers allowed just five

– Griffon pitchers walked just four batters on the day and held Lincoln to a .125 batting average

– Griffon batters totaled seven extra base hits (four doubles, one triple, two home runs)

– Missouri Western had three sacrifice flies on the day

– Lonnie Groves went 4-for-6 at the dish with three RBIs and two runs scored. She hit one of the home runs in game one

– Tamara Hicks was also 4-for-6 with two runs scored

– Gabi Carter went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and four runs scored and hit the other home run in game one

– Emma Hoffart and Riley Wilson had three RBIs each in game two

– Kenzie Hilzer allowed one run on two hits through five innings in game one. She picked up her second-straight win to improve her record to 4-6.

– Barbara Billingsley picked up her first win of the season, allowing one run on three hits through five innings in game two

UP NEXT
The Griffs don’t get much of a break before hitting the road again. Missouri Western heads to Texas for two doubleheaders early next week. The team is at No. 11 Texas A&M-Commerce (17-3) on March 12 before another twin-bill at Texas Woman’s (13-8) on March 13. After the Texas two-step, it’s back home for the Hy-Vee Classic, March 16-18.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest softball splits with Lindenwood Saturday

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The Northwest Missouri State University softball team splits a pair of conference games in St. Charles, Mo.

The Bearcats finish the weekend 9-7 overall and 3-1 in conference, while Lindenwood concludes the weekend 10-8 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

Game One Key Statistics (Northwest 9, Lindenwood 2)
– Northwest scored one in the first, three in the second, three in the third, one in the fifth and one in the seventh inning. The Lions scored one run in the fourth and one in the seventh inning.
– The Bearcats had nine runs on eight hits and one error. Lindenwood scored two runs on 12 hits and had two errors.
– Lynnlee Parrott started the day going 3-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI.
– Karli Allen was perfect from the plate going 2-for-2 with two walks, one double, one run scored and one RBI.
– Kaitlyn Weis was 1-for-4 with one RBI, a run scored and a homerun.
– Erin Keeney went 1-for-4.
– Abigail Gilson was 1-for-1 with four runs scored and drew three walks.
– Taylor Blackford threw seven innings and allowed two runs scored.

Game One Key Innings
– In the first inning, Weis hit a solo homerun over the left field fence to give Northwest the lead, 1-0.

– Gilson drew a one out walk to start the rally for the Bearcats. Allen then hit a single to left field to put two runners on. Parrott reached on a fielder’s choice to shortstop and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Baderdeen reached on an error, while Gilson scored on a passed ball. Parrott then came in to score on a wild pitch and Kiana Baderdeen advanced to third. Rebecca Maher reached base on a walk and Jaedra Moses reached on an error to score Baderdeen from third.

– Jessica Rawie drew a one out walk and Gilson singled to shortstop to start the rally in the third. Allen hit a double to right center to score Rawie and move Gilson to third. Parrott continued the hitting with a single to right field to score Gilson and put Allen on third. Allen would then come in to score on a wild pitch to give the Bearcats the lead, 7-0.

– Gilson and Allen each drew walks to start the fifth inning. Parrott singled through the right side to load the bases for Maher. Maher hit a sacrifice fly to deep left to score Gilson.

– For the second straight inning, Gilson and Allen drew walks, Parrott hit a single to right field and Maher hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Gilson.
Game Two Key Statistics (Northwest 5, Lindenwood 7)
– The Bearcats scored three runs in fifth and two in the seventh inning. Lindenwood scored one in the second, two in the third, one in the fourth and three in the sixth inning.
– Northwest had five runs on ten hits and one error. The Lions had seven runs on 11 hits and one error.
– Weis finished the day going 3-for-4 with one run scored, one RBI and a double.
– Baderdeen was perfect from the plate going 3-for-3 with one run scored, one RBI and a homerun.
– Maher went 1-for-4 with a run scored.
– Moses finished 1-for-4 with a run scored and a triple.
– Keeney went 1-for-4 with a run scored, three RBIs and a homerun.
– Rawie was 1-for-3 and drew a walk.

Game Two Key Innings
– Baderdeen and Maher started the fifth inning with a pair of singles up the middle. Weis reached base on a fielder’s choice and Keeney hit a homerun to right field to score Maher and Weis.

– To start the seventh inning, Baderdeen hits a solo homerun over left field to cut the lead. Moses kept the rally going by hitting a triple to left center and Weis hit her in with a single through the right side to conclude the Bearcat rally.
Up Next
– Northwest will play on Friday, March 16, against Upper Iowa in St. Joseph, Mo., at noon.

— Northwest Athletics —

Griffons get walk-off win over Washburn; Verduzco becomes all-time wins leader

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ST. JOSEPH – Buzz Verduzco became Missouri Western baseball’s all-time wins leader on Casey Danley’s walk-off single Friday at the Spring Sports Complex.

Danley’s only hit of the game gave the Griffons (8-9, 1-3) a 2-1 win over Washburn (6-11, 1-6) and Verduzco his program-best 541st wiv. Verduzco passed the only other man to ever lead the program, Doug Minnis.

Verduzco got the milestone victory in appropriate fashion. Known for his small-ball methods, the Griffons earned their first conference win of the season with six hits, only one for extra bases. Maurice Bruce led off the ninth with a single to center. Brooks Day bunted Bruce to second before Washburn intentionally walked Dusty Stroup. A passed ball got Bruce to third and Stroup to second before Danley bounced a 2-2 pitch through the middle for the game winner.

NOTABLES
– Stroup went 2-for-3, the only Griff with more than one hit. His double was the team’s only extra base hit.

– Nate Hunter picked up his second-straight win in relief, going 1 1/3 of perfect baseball with two strikeouts

– Trever Carroll got his first career start, allowing just one hit and no runs. He walked three and struck out one.

– Fahd Shakeel drove in the Griffons’ first run in the third and threw out what would have been Washburn’s first run at the plate from left field in the sixth

– Carroll’s three walks were the only free passes allowed by the Griffons who went without an error in the game

– The teams totaled 10 hits, four walks and no errors in a game that lasted 1:55

UP NEXT
Game two of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 10.

— MWSU Athletics —

Kansas cruises past K-State in the Big 12 semifinals

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas absorbed the biggest blows that short-handed Kansas State could land, played without its star big man for the second straight game and won its Big 12 Tournament semifinal comfortably.

You’d think that would be enough to make coach Bill Self happy.

“I thought they played better than us,” he insisted after an 83-67 victory Friday night, “but I thought a lot of it was self-inflected. We couldn’t guard them and offensively we weren’t very smart.

“If I sleep two hours tonight,” Self added, “it’ll be more than I probably think I should.”

So much for feel-good feelings.

Malik Newman poured in 22 points, Devonte Graham added 15 points and Svi Mykhailiuk had 12 for the top-seeded Jayhawks (26-7), who nevertheless cruised into a title matchup with No. 14 Texas Tech or No. 18 West Virginia on Saturday night at the Sprint Center.

It was the Jayhawks’ eighth straight win over Kansas State (23-10), and they remained perfect in 10 games against their cross-state rival in the Big 12 Tournament.

The fourth-seeded Wildcats learned Friday morning they’d be without All-Big 12 forward Dean Wade, who hurt his foot in their quarterfinal win over TCU. Then they lost starting guard Barry Brown early against the Jayhawks when he was accidentally poked in the eye.

“You can’t prepare for Barry going down the first play,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. “He had very little vision. He wanted to play. He kept saying, `Put me in.’ But I held up fingers and asked him how many and he couldn’t say.”

Unheralded forward Mawien stepped up with a career-high 29 points, and Xavier Sneed scored 12 despite another poor shooting night, but the duo couldn’t make up for two major absences.

Brown’s injury came 90 seconds into the game, when he drove the lane and Graham accidentally got him in the left eye. He flopped to the floor in pain — “It was a little gross when I looked at it,” Weber said — and was checked for several minutes before going to the locker room.

Even when he returned to the bench, Brown was never looked like he was going to play. There was some bleeding in his eye and he spent the rest of the game holding an ice pack on it.

“It’s very tough when one of your main contributors goes down with an injury,” Mawien said. “We just had to step up and play hard.”

Kansas took advantage of the absences by ripping off a 19-4 run midway through the first half that gave the Jayhawks control. They eventually pushed the advantage to 43-30 by the break.

Mawien and the Wildcats made the Jayhawks work for it in the second half, though. The junior college transfer dominated in the paint, especially when Kansas big man Mitch Lightfoot picked up his fourth foul with 11:38 to go, and Kansas State clawed to within 53-51 with 10 minutes left.

“There was absolutely no resistant guarding Mawien,” Self said, “and I hope I’m pronouncing it correctly, because he was by far the best player in the game. He whipped us.”

It was Newman that restored order. The transfer from Mississippi State followed his career-best 30-point effort in a quarterfinal win over Oklahoma State with another virtuoso performance.

He drained a 3-pointer to make it 60-53 with 8 1/2 minutes left, then hit his fifth of the game a few minutes later. And by the time Lagerald Vick curled in back-to-back baskets, the lead had swelled to 71-59 and the Jayhawks were on their way toward the title game.

“I mean, we know that basketball is a game of runs. Those guys did a good job of going on their run,” Newman said, “but we were able to withstand the storm. We had confidence in one another that we were going to make stops and make plays.”

WADE WATCH

Weber held out hope Wade could return for the title game if Kansas State won, and he is optimistic about his availability for next week’s NCAA Tournament. “Going forward into next week,” Weber said, “we have every indication he will be able to play.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State almost certainly locked up its NCAA Tournament bid with its win over TCU, but the fight the Wildcats showed against Kansas — down their two best players — may have helped their cause.

Kansas has played well using a four-guard lineup while Azubuike deals with a sprained ligament in his left knee. That should give the Jayhawks confidence if he misses any NCAA Tournament games.

UP NEXT

Kansas State returns to Manhattan to await its NCAA Tournament fate.

Kansas turns its attention toward winning its 15th conference tournament title.

— Associated Press —

Northwest baseball sweeps Northeastern State

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The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team picked up a pair of wins over Northeastern State on Friday at Bearcat Field in Maryville, Mo.
– The Bearcats improve to 10-8 overall, 7-1 in conference, while the RiverHawks fall to 10-9 overall and 2-6 in conference play.
Game One Key Statistics (Northwest 4, Northeastern State 1)
– Northwest scored one in the first, one in the second and two in the third. The RiverHawks got one run in the fifth inning.
– The Bearcats had four runs on five hits with no errors. Northeastern State had one run on four hits with four errors.
– Kevin Handzlik went 1-for-3 with one run scored, one RBI and a hit by pitch.
– Matt Schingel was 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.
– Hudson Bilodeau went 1-for-4 with one RBI and a double to deep left field.
– Landon Figg and Aaron Barratt each went 1-for-4.
– Joseph Hietpas threw 7.2 innings, allowed one run, six hits and threw five scoreless innings.
– Trevor Dudar got the save after throwing one scoreless inning in the top of the ninth.

Game One Key Innings
– Jay Hrdlicka started the game off with a walk. After two outs, Hassman reached on an error to advance Hrdlicka to second. Handzlik singled to left field to score Hrdlicka.
– – Schingel started the second inning with a single to center field. Rycraft reached on a fielder’s choice while an out was recorded at second. After an out, Bilodeau hit a double deep to left field to score Rycraft from first base.

– – To start the third, Hassman walked and Handzlik was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. Gutierrez reached on an error to load the bases. After an out, Schingel hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Hassman and advance Handzlik to third. Gutierrez stole second base and Handzlick came in to score on a throwing error.

Game Two Key Statistics (Northwest 3, Northeastern 1)
– The Bearcats scored one in the fourth and two in the eighth. Northeastern State scored one run in the third.
– Northwest had three runs on five hits with one error. The RiverHawks scored one run on five hits with one error.
– Logan Rycraft was 2-for-3, scored one run and hit a triple.
– Mondesi Gutierrez went 1-for-3, had one RBI and a triple.
– Handzlik was 1-for-3, scored one run and drew a walk.
– Luke Hassman went 1-for-4, collecting two RBIs and drove in the go ahead runs.
– Hrdlicka and Schingel each drew walks.
– Brad Roberts completed six innings, allowed one run, five hits, struck out five and walked one batter.
– Quintin Van Ackeren came in to throw two scoreless innings to pick up the win.
– Dudar picked up his fifth save of the year.

Game Two Key Innings
– Handzlik drew a two out walk to start a rally in the bottom of the fourth inning. Next batter Gutierrez hit a triple to center field to score Handzlik to make the score, 1-1.

– Rycraft started the inning with a single through the right side and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Hrdlicka drew a walk and Bioldeau advanced the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Hassman cleared the bases with a two out single to centerfield to give the Bearcats the lead.
Up Next
– The third and final game of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri Western softball splits doubleheader at Lindenwood

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ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Missouri Western softball (4-13) went 1-1 in its MIAA-opening doubleheader at Lindenwood (9-7) Friday.

The Griffons rallied to take game one, 4-3 on an RBI-single from Shelby Uhl in the seventh inning. A seven-run third by Lindenwood blew game two wide open, ending in an 11-2 run-rule shortened win for the home team.

NOTABLES
– Shelby Uhl went 3-4 with three RBIs in game one. She hit a two-run home run in the third and delivered the game-winning RBI with a single in the seventh. On the day, Uhl was 4-for-6 with four RBIs, a walk and a stolen base in her only attempt

– Rebekah Mueller hit a solo home run in the fifth that tied the game at three
Emma Hoffart went 2-for-6 on the day

– Kenzie Hilzer picked up the win in game one, holding Lindenwood to three runs on seven hits. She pitched one inning in relief of Barbara Billingsley in game two.

– Missouri Western hit four doubles and two home runs on the day. Lindenwood hit one of each, but its home run was a grand slam in the third inning of game two

– Lindenwood had 18 hits in the doubleheader with the Griffons totaling 13

UP NEXT
Missouri Western travels to Jefferson City for another MIAA doubleheader at Lincoln (3-11, 0-2) on Saturday, March 10.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest Missouri State softball takes two from Lincoln

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The Northwest Missouri State University softball team swept a pair of conference games in Jefferson City, Mo.
– The Bearcats improve to 8-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while Lincoln falls to 3-11 overall and 0-2 in conference.
Game One Key Statistics (Northwest 9, Lincoln 1)
– Northwest scored two in the first, three in the fifth, one in the sixth and three in the seventh inning. The Tigers scored one run in the fourth inning.
– The Bearcats had nine runs on 13 hits with three errors. Lincoln had one run on seven hits with three errors.
– Kaitlyn Weiss was 3-for-5 with two RBIs, two runs scored and a homerun.
– Rebecca Maher went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, one RBI, drew two walks and hit a homerun.
– Jaedra Moses was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
– Erin Keeney went 2-for-5, scored a run and hit a double.
– Abigail Gilson was 2-for-3, with four RBIs, one run scored and two doubles.
– Karli Allen went 2-for-4 with one RBI and a double.
– Jessica Rawie drew a walk and scored a run.
– Taylor Blackford threw five innings on five hits, one run scored and allowed one walk.

Game One Key Innings
– Maher started the game off with a walk and advanced to second after Weis hit a single to left center. Rawie drew a one out walk to load the bases. Maher and Weis score on a double down the left field line by Gilson to give the Bearcats the lead, 2-0.

– Keeney started the top of the fifth with a double down the left field line. Rawie reached base on a throwing error to advance Keeney to third. Gilson hit a double to left to score Keeney and advance Rawie to third. Allen followed up with a double to score Rawie and advance Gilson to third. After an out, Kiana Baderdeen reached on an error allowing to score Gilson from third base.

– Moses started the sixth inning with a bunt single while Weis and Keeney follow it up with singles to left field to load the bases with zero outs. Gilson hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Moses from third.

– Maher started the two out rally in the seventh with a solo homerun to left field. Moses reached base on an error. Weis hit a two run homerun over the center field fence to put Northwest up 9-1.
Game Two Key Statistics (Northwest 11, Lincoln 1)
– The Bearcats scored four in the first, three in the second, two in the third, one in the fourth and one in the fifth. Lincoln scored one run in the first inning.
– Northwest had 11 runs on 13 hits with one error. The Tigers had one run on three hits with two errors.
– Maher finished the day 2-for-3 with two runs scored, one RBI and one double.
– Moses went 2-for-4 with one run scored and a stolen base.
– Gilson was 2-for-3 two RBIs, one run scored and a sacrifice fly.
– Baderdeen finished 2-for-3 with one run scored and a double.
– Weis was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.
– Keeney went 1-for-2 with one run scored, drew a walk and had an RBI.
– Rawie was 1-for-2 with a run scored and drew a walk.
– Allen went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a double.
– Rachel Smith threw five innings with six strikeouts, allowed three hits, one run and one walk.

Game Two Key Innings
– Maher started the game with a double down the right field line. After two outs, Keeney hit a single up the middle to score Maher from second. Rawie and Gilson follow it up with singles to load the bases with two outs. Allen hit a double to right center to score Keeney and Rawie while Gilson advanced to third. Gilson scored on a wild pitch to give the Bearcats the lead, 4-0.

– Baderdeen started the second inning with a double to right center. Moses hit a single to second base and quickly stole second. Weis reached on an error to score Baderdeen and Moses. Weis would then come around to score on an out.

– Lynnlee Parrott drew a walk to start the third inning and a batter later Maher drew a walk. Moses hit a single to shortstop to load the bases. Weis singled to left field to score Parrott and Maher.

– Gilson began the fourth inning with a single through the left side. Allen reached on a fielder’s choice and Kenzi Sutton came in to pinch run for Allen. Baderdeen reached base with a single to left field. Next batter up Maher, singled to right center to score Sutton from second.

– Kailey Siemonsma doubled to right field to start the fifth inning. An out to second base advanced Siemonsma to third and Rawie was hit by a pitch. Bearcats conclude their scoring on a Gilson sacrifice fly to center field to score Siemonsma.
Up Next
– Northwest will play on Saturday, March 10, against Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., at noon.

— Northwest Athletics —

Mizzou upset by 12th-seeded Georgia in Porter, Jr.’s return

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — With the Southeastern Conference tournament in St. Louis and heralded freshman Michael Porter Jr. returning, Missouri fans were hoping to be treated to a weekend-long show from the Tigers.

Yante Maten and the Georgia Bulldogs did their best job to prevent that from happening.

Maten scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Georgia squeaked out a 62-60 victory over Missouri in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday.

Georgia, the 12th seed, led throughout the second half, but fifth-seeded Missouri narrowed the Bulldogs’ lead to just two points with seven seconds left. The Tigers drew up a play for their leading scorer, Kassius Robertson. But Robertson’s 3-point attempt went long and Georgia secured the victory.

After starting the game down 10-0, the Bulldogs (18-14), who face fourth-seeded Kentucky in Friday’s second quarterfinal, charged back with a 12-0 run of their own. The trend continued throughout the contest: Missouri makes a run, Georgia responds.

“I felt like we got off to a very slow start but eventually found a rhythm defensively in the first half,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said. “(We) were able to just kind of grind to the finish.”

Maten and the Bulldogs put Missouri in foul trouble early. Missouri bigs Jeremiah Tilmon and Kevin Puryear fouled out and Jontay Porter finished with four fouls.

“We did a poor job of fouling,” Robertson said. “We put them in the bonus really early, and they made a lot of money at the free-throw line.”

Jontay Porter led Missouri (20-12) with 20 points and eight rebounds. His brother, Michael, a projected lottery pick who played just two minutes in the season opener and later had surgery, finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, but shot just 5 for 17 from the field.

Teshaun Hightower came up big off the bench for Georgia, matching his career high of 13 points. Hightower played a big role in Georgia’s win over Vanderbilt Wednesday night, when he scored 13 and had six assists.

BIG PICTURE

Georgia: The Bulldogs looked impressive against Vanderbilt in the first round, and they looked solid against Missouri here in the second as well. Maten will need to have a big game against Kentucky to keep Georgia’s tournament hopes afloat.

Missouri: With a home court advantage, Missouri was obviously hoping to make it past the second round in the tournament. But the Tigers should still be safe on Selection Sunday. Porter Jr. looked good at times, but he didn’t shoot well overall. If the Tigers make the NCAA tournament, it will be interesting to see his role Missouri’s offense.

JONTAY VS. YANTE

Missouri’s Jontay Porter and Georgia’s Maten were going back and forth on the offensive end and on the boards. Each player led his team in both points and rebounding. For Porter, the 20-point performance marked his fourth game with 15 or more points in his last five contests.

“He’s coming in and consistently getting the work in, working on his shots, ball-handling, his passing,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said.

For Georgia, Maten’s 21-point performance comes after his 25-point showing against Vanderbilt in the first round.

“He’s been just a tremendous producer for us this year,” Fox said. “He can shoot threes, he can get to the foul line, he can post up and go over both shoulders.”

STAR WATCH

Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. played the fifth-most minutes of Missouri players Thursday, but shot seven more times than any of his teammates. Many questioned whether Porter Jr.’s return would hurt the team’s offensive flow. And while Martin said Missouri’s offense didn’t flow as well, he attributed that to foul trouble, rather than Porter’s return.

“Because of foul trouble, we put him in some spots that he wasn’t accustomed to from the time he was practicing,” Martin said. “I was really trying to put him in a position where he’s a spot-shooter.”

UP NEXT

Georgia will take on Kentucky on Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament.

Missouri will wait until Sunday to figure out where it will go next.

— Associated Press —

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