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Category: College

Four Tigers earn AP All-SEC football honors

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Four Mizzou Football standouts earned Associated Press All-SEC honors, announced Monday. Junior QB Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) was named All-SEC First Team Quarterback while DE Marcell Frazier (Portland, Ore.), WR J’Mon Moore (Missouri City, Texas) and TE Albert Okwuegbunam (Springfield, Ill.) each earned All-SEC Second Team honors.

Lock is the first Mizzou player to earn First Team All-SEC distinction since 2015 when LB Kentrell Brothers earned the same honor. He is the first Mizzou QB to earn First Team All-SEC and the first Mizzou QB to earn a first team all-conference nod since Chase Daniel did so in 2007. The junior QB reset the SEC’s single season passing touchdown record with 43 this season, also passing Daniel’s previous school record of 39 in 2008. Lock leads the nation in passing touchdowns heading into bowl season.

Lock’s five-touchdown performance in the regular season-finale at Arkansas gives him six such games in his career and a national-best four this season. He has more five-touchdown games than any SEC quarterback in the last 20 seasons (Tim Couch is second with five from 1996-98). Only four Power 5 QBs have ever thrown for more TD passes in a single season (BJ Symons, Sam Bradford, Graham Harrell (twice), Kliff Kingsbury) than Lock’s 43. All five did so in 13 or more games. His 43 TDs this season rank 23rd in NCAA history. Lock’s 448 yards at Arkansas also give him five career 400-yard games, also a school record.

On the year, Lock leads the SEC in nine major categories while leading the nation in passing TDs (43), points responsible for (264) and passing yards per completion (16.5). He completed 224-of-358 passes (58.2 percent) for 3,695 yards, the third-most ever for a Mizzou QB. He closed his season by throwing at least three TD passes in eight straight games, becoming the first Power 5 quarterback this century to accomplish that feat.

Frazier’s All-SEC Second Team nod gives Mizzou a defensive lineman on the All-SEC team in every year since joining the conference (dating back to 2012). Frazier had a monster senior season, emerging as one of the leaders and top playmakers along #DLineZOU, leading the SEC in total tackles for loss (13.5) while ranking second in TFLs per game (1.12). He also added 36 tackles (20 solo) with 13.5 for loss and 7.0 sacks with eight QB hurries and five pass break-ups. He closed his season in a flurry, tallying 11.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks over his final eight games, registering at least 0.5 TFLs in all eight of those games. Frazier was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week following his dominant performance against Tennessee (11/11) during which he tallied 2.0 sacks and two more QB hurries with three tackles. He was equally as impressive at Arkansas, tallying a career-high eight tackles, a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, one QB hurry and a career-high three pass deflections.

Moore is just the second Mizzou pass catcher to post two 1,000-yard seasons after hauling in 60 catches for 1,017 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning All-SEC Second Team honors for the second consecutive year. He finished the regular season ranked second in the SEC in total yards (1,017) and yards per game (84.8) while his 10 receiving TDs ranked third in the SEC and 15th nationally. Moore now ranks fourth in school history in career receiving yards (2,412) and in career TD grabs (21). He needs two in the Texas Bowl to move into sole possession second all-time at Mizzou Has nine career 100-yard games, the fourth-most in school history, trailing only Justin Gage (11), Danario Alexander (10) and Jeremy Maclin (10).

Moore had one of the best games in his career to close the 2017 regular season at Arkansas (11/24), posting 10 catches for 160 yards, including a 19-yard fourth-quarter TD that gave Mizzou the lead. He made a diving, sprawling and spinning catch inside the pylon in double coverage to haul in the go-ahead TD.

Okwuegbunam is Mizzou’s first All-Conference TE since Michael Egnew in 2011. He led all tight ends and all freshmen nationally in touchdown grabs (11) and finished the season as the top graded TE in the SEC, according to Pro Football Focus. His 11 TDs ranked ninth nationally among all players and led the SEC while resetting Mizzou’s freshman record, which was nine originally held by Jeremy Maclin. A native of Springfield, Ill, he had five games with multiple receiving touchdowns as he emerged as one of the nation’s top red zone threats midway through the season – he had 20 of his 25 catches and 10 of his 11 touchdowns over the final eight games of the season.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Nebraska’s Frost announces seven assistant coaches

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Nebraska Head Coach Scott Frost has announced the hiring of seven assistant coaches on his Husker football staff. A 2017 national coach of the year candidate, Frost was hired as Nebraska’s head coach this weekend.

The seven new Nebraska assistant coaches all come to Lincoln after spending the past two seasons on Frost’s UCF staff. The group has been a part of orchestrating one of the biggest turnarounds in college football history. UCF went from a winless season in 2015 before the staff’s arrival to a 12-0 season, American Athletic Conference Championship and berth in the Peach Bowl just two seasons later.

The assistant coaches named to Frost’s staff include:
· Greg Austin, Offensive Line
· Erik Chinander, Defensive Coordinator
· Mike Dawson, Defensive Line
· Jovan Dewitt, Outside Linebackers/Special Teams
· Travis Fisher, Defensive Backs
· Ryan Held, Running Backs
· Mario Verduzco, Quarterbacks

The group of seven assistant coaches has a history of championship experience and brings a collective total of 123 years of coaching experience to the Nebraska staff. Including Frost, the staff has combined to coach in nine national championship games.

“This is an outstanding group of coaches and men of tremendous character who have played a key role in our success at UCF the past two seasons,” Frost said. “They are excellent teachers, mentors and recruiters and have earned great respect from the young men who play for them. I am proud they have chosen to join our staff as we get started at Nebraska.”

Austin, Held and Verduzco were part of the Knights’ offensive staff, helping UCF lead the nation in scoring offense at 49.4 points per game. UCF scored at least 30 points in all 12 games this season and ranks fifth nationally in total offense at better than 540 yards per game.

Chinander, Dawson, Dewitt and Fisher formed the UCF defensive staff that led an impressive improvement over the past two seasons. Chinander served as the defensive coordinator as the UCF defense improved its scoring defense by more than 12 points per game over the past two seasons. The Knights had 55 takeaways over the past two seasons to rank fourth among all FBS schools in that time period.

Former Nebraska linebacker Barrett Ruud is also a member of Frost’s staff and is currently on the road recruiting for the Huskers.

The new assistant coaches will all have two-year contacts through Dec. 31, 2019. All of the coaches are currently part-time employees to allow them to coach UCF in the Chick Fil-A Peach Bowl. Their status will change to full-time after the UCF bowl game.

Brief Bios on Nebraska Staff
Greg Austin—A former Nebraska offensive lineman, Austin brings eight years of coaching experience to the Husker staff. Austin has spent a total of five seasons working on offensive staffs with Frost, including the past two seasons as UCF’s offensive line coach. Austin helped the UCF offensive line rank among the national leaders in fewest sacks allowed in 2017, while heading into the bowl season ranked first in the nation in scoring and fifth in total offense. Austin also has three seasons of NFL coaching experience, working on Chip Kelly’s Eagles staff from 2013 to 2015. Austin made 18 career starts as an offensive guard at Nebraska and was an honorable-mention All-Big 12 pick in 2006.

Erik Chinander—Chinander has spent the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator at UCF. A 2016 Broyles Award nominee as the nation’s top assistant, Chinander comes to Lincoln after leading a dramatic defensive turnaround. His UCF defense allowed 12.5 fewer points in 2017 than it did in the season before his arrival. Chinander’s defense also ranked fourth nationally in takeaways in 2017. Chinander spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons as the outside linebackers coach at Oregon, after serving on the Philadelphia Eagles defensive staff in 2013. Chinander has been on the staff of one FCS and two FBS teams that have played in a national championship game.

Mike Dawson—Dawson brings 19 years of coaching experience to Nebraska, including the past two seasons on the UCF staff and three years of experience in the National Football League. At UCF, Dawson’s defensive line ranked fourth in the AAC in rushing defense in 2017 and two of his three starting defensive linemen earned all-conference honors. Dawson spent three seasons on Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles staff from 2013 to 2015, working with the defensive line. Dawson also has college coaching stops at several schools, including Boston College, Akron, New Hampshire, Pittsburgh and Maine.

Jovan Dewitt—Dewitt brings a wealth of experience to the Nebraska staff, with 18 overall years of coaching experience, including nine seasons as a defensive coordinator and four years as a special teams coordinator. Dewitt spent the past two seasons as the associate head coach at Central Florida, where he worked with the linebackers and served as special teams coordinator. In 2017, Dewitt’s linebackers helped UCF rank third in the AAC in scoring defense and pass efficiency defense. Dewitt has previous college FBS experience at Army and Florida Atlantic and worked on the staff at Northern Iowa from 2009 to 2011.

Travis Fisher—A former NFL cornerback, Fisher join’s Frost staff after working on the UCF defensive staff for the past two seasons. Fisher’s defensive backs were a big reason why the Knights recorded 55 takeaways and scored eight defensive touchdowns over the past two seasons. In 2017, UCF ranked fifth nationally with 18 interceptions. Fisher had two defensive backs earn first-team All-AAC honors and UCF ranked in the top 20 nationally in interceptions. A former Knight cornerback, Fisher was selected in the second round of the 2002 Draft by the St. Louis Rams and played eight seasons in the NFL. He began his coaching career at UCF in 2013, spent one season at Southeast Missouri State and has been in Orlando the past three seasons.

Ryan Held—Held returns to his alma mater with 17 years of college coaching experience, including 12 seasons as a head coach. On Frost’s staff at UCF the past two seasons, Held has coached the running backs as the Knights led the nation in scoring offense in 2017, while ranking fifth in total offense. Held previously made a name in the coaching community as a successful junior college, Division II and NAIA head coach. Held served as a head coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Highland (Kan.) CC, Southwestern Oklahoma State, Oklahoma Panhandle State and Peru State. Held was a part of two national championship teams in 1994 and 1995 as a walk-on receiver for the Huskers, and began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant on Tennessee’s 1998 national championship team.

Mario Verduzco—Verduzco brings 41 years of coaching experience to the Nebraska staff, including serving as both a junior college and high school head coach. Verduzco served as the UCF quarterbacks coach the past two seasons and directed the development of McKenzie Milton who was one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in 2017. Milton completed better than 69 percent of his passes this season, while throwing for 3,795 yards and a school-record 35 touchdowns. Verduzco was Missouri State’s offensive coordinator in 2015, after a 14-year stint with Northern Iowa, working on the same staff as Frost for two seasons. Verduzco spent five seasons at Rutgers from 1996 to 2000, and prior to that coached for 19 season at various levels in his home state of California.

— NU Athletics —

KU’s Graham named Big 12 Player of the Week

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Coming off back-to-back 35-point efforts, Kansas senior Devonte’ Graham is earning many weekly honors. On Monday, the Raleigh, North Carolina guard has been named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week as well as the NCAA.com and Lute Olson Award national players of the week.

Graham scored a career-high 35 points twice last week in Kansas victories against Toledo (11/28) and Syracuse (12/2). He also averaged 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds and made 12 3-pointers for the week. Graham’s seven 3-pointers vs. Syracuse in the Hoophall Miami Invitational were the most for a Jayhawk since 2008.

This is the second time in his career Graham has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week with the other being Feb. 15, 2016, when he scored his previous career high of 27 points at Oklahoma.

Graham entered the Toledo contest averaging 12.0 points per game and now ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring with an 18.6 average. Graham is not just leading Kansas scoring, he ranks second in the Big 12 in assists at 8.0, fourth in steals (2.3), third in free throw percentage (92.3), fifth in 3-point field goals made (2.9), seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.8) and tied for third in double-doubles with two.

No. 2/2 Kansas (7-0) will host Washington (6-2) in the Jayhawk Shootout at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. (Central).

— KU Athletics —

Mizzou headed to Texas Bowl to play Longhorns

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COLUMBIA, MO. – The University of Missouri has accepted an invitation to play Texas in the 2017 Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl, Wednesday, Dec. 27, at 8 p.m. (Central) inside NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

“On behalf of the University of Missouri, Chancellor Cartwright, Coach Odom and our student-athletes, we are honored to accept an invitation to participate in the 2017 Texas Bowl,” said Mizzou Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. “We are excited about playing in Houston, an area which we recruit, and look forward to Mizzou fans turning out to cheer on the Tigers against Texas.”

Mizzou, 7-5 on the season and winners of six-straight, will face former Big 12 Conference opponent Texas (6-6) when the nationally televised (ESPN) Texas Bowl kicks off. Both teams will be playing in the Texas Bowl for the second time in their respective histories, with Mizzou dropping a 35-13 decision to Navy in the 2009 game and Texas losing to Arkansas, 31-7, in 2014.

“I am so proud of our players and coaches for staying together and closing the 2017 season with six-straight wins to become bowl-eligible, and we look forward to playing Texas in Houston,” said Mizzou Head Coach Barry Odom. “We’re fortunate to have the opportunity to play a Big 12 opponent in a great NFL stadium like NRG Field.”

A win over the Longhorns would be historic for Mizzou, as the 2017 Tigers would become just the second team in college football history (Rutgers, 2008) to register eight victories after starting the season 1-5. Since its 1-5 start Mizzou has ran off six-straight wins by an average margin of 30.0 points while scoring 45 or more points in each game for the first time in program history.

Mizzou and Texas will be meeting on the gridiron for the 24th time, with Texas holding a 17-6 advantage in the series. The Tigers won the last meeting between the programs, 17-5, at Columbia in 2011, which was Mizzou’s final Big 12 season before joining the SEC.

Entering its 12th year, the Texas Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, and managed locally by Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, an event management company founded in 2003 that is closely related with the NFL’s Houston Texans. The Texas Bowl has ranked fourth in bowl game attendance since 2014, averaging over 70,000 fans and trailing only the Rose, Cotton and Peach Bowls in that span. The Bowl’s official charitable beneficiary is DePelchin Children’s Center.

— Mizzou Athletics —

K-State to play in Cactus Bowl against UCLA

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – Following two dramatic wins to close out the regular season in a tie for the fourth place in the Big 12 standings, K-State Nation is heading to Phoenix as Kansas State officials announced today that the Wildcats have accepted an invitation to play UCLA in the 2017 Cactus Bowl on Tuesday, December 26.

The game, which will be K-State’s fourth appearance in the bowl formerly known as the Copper, Insight.com and Buffalo Wild Wings bowls, pits the Big 12 and the Pac-12 and will be played at Chase Field at 8 p.m. CT, with a nationwide television audience watching on ESPN.

“I am very proud of our team and coaches for ending the season with four wins in the final five games and earning a bowl invitation for the eighth straight season,” said Athletics Director Gene Taylor. “We look forward to showcasing our football program and Kansas State University in the Cactus Bowl, and I know our fans are excited to show their outstanding support in Phoenix while our football student-athletes, coaches and staff are provided a first-class experience.”

The Wildcats (7-5) will be playing in their 21st bowl game in school history and 19th under Bill Snyder as the Cats are 8-10 all-time in bowls under the legendary and hall of fame head coach. Following 11-straight bowls from 1993-2003 under Snyder, the Cats have now gone bowling in each of the last eight seasons.

K-State heads into bowl season as one of the hottest teams in the Big 12, winning its final two games over No. 10 Oklahoma State and Iowa State. The Wildcats’ road to the Cactus Bowl began with three wins in their first four games. Three straight close losses dropped the Cats to 3-4 on the year before a Sunflower Showdown win over KU and a thrilling road win at Texas Tech moved the team to 5-4. Following a heartbreaking loss to West Virginia, K-State went on the road to No. 10 Oklahoma State and became the first unranked Snyder team to defeat a Top 10 team on the road before closing the season with a walk-off win over Iowa State to move to 7-5.

“We are proud of the young men in our program for the way they improved throughout the season and very pleased to represent Kansas State University and the Big 12 Conference in the Cactus Bowl,” said head coach Bill Snyder. “The Cactus Bowl is a first-class bowl organization with a rich history, and we appreciate the entire bowl staff for their efforts and support of our program.

“We have a wonderful fan base, and so many people that save throughout the course of the year, and the only vacation they take is the one after our (regular) season is over. They love to attend bowls and it’s why we have such great attendance year in and year out at bowl games. They are fully invested in our program and this means a great deal to them.”

UCLA, K-State’s 2015 Valero Alamo Bowl opponent, enters the game with a 6-6 record. The Bruins hold a 2-1 advantage all-time in the series with the two teams splitting home games in 2009 and 2010 before UCLA edging out a 40-35 win in the 2015 Alamo Bowl.

— K-State Athletics —

Nebraska gets routed at No. 3 Michigan State 86-57

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EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Jaren Jackson gave himself a chance to show some of his potential because he figured out how to stay out of foul trouble.

The freshman had 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to help No. 3 Michigan State beat Nebraska 86-57 on Sunday.

Jackson was limited to a total of eight points and eight rebounds in the two previous games, wins over No. 5 Notre Dame and then-No. 9 North Carolina, because he had four fouls against the Fighting Irish and three against the Tar Heels. He had four fouls in each of his first two games, overcoming that well enough against top-ranked Duke to score 19 points, and he fouled out in a scoreless game against Stony Brook in his third game.

“Usually, I get four or five of them,” Jackson acknowledged. “I just didn’t want to pick up anything crazy.”

The 6-foot-11 forward is regarded as one of the top prospects for the 2018 NBA draft if he leaves school, and Cornhuskers coach Tim Miles hopes he jumps at the opportunity.

“I can’t wait until he goes pro,” Miles said. “Maybe he can go at semester.”

Michigan State’s Nick Ward, meanwhile, matched his season high with 22 points despite being limited to just 16 minutes because he had a season-high four fouls. Cassius Winston scored 16 points and had seven assists and Miles Bridges had 12 points for the Spartans.

Michigan State (7-1) has won six straight since losing to top-ranked Duke, beating each team by at least 18 points.

Nebraska (6-3) kept the game close for about 10 minutes, unlike the Fighting Irish in an 81-63 loss Thursday night.

The Spartans took control with a 16-4 run that gave it a 34-16 lead with 5 minutes left in the first half and coasted to another lopsided victory.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers are searching for more players who can score against quality opponents. Their only double-digit scorer was James Palmer, who had 15 points.

“How we create for others and get easy shots for our teammates is something that we’re figuring out, slowly,” Miles said. “That needs to improve.”

Michigan State: Ward has to find a way to stay out of foul trouble. He played just 16 minutes in the Big Ten opener against Nebraska.

“Sometime, he tries to go over guys’ backs,” Izzo said.

When Ward can stay on the court, he’s tough to cover and keep off the boards.

“I’m really impressed with Nick Ward,” Miles said. “He’s improved. He’s running better. He’s not just one-dimensional.”

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Spartans may get more No. 2 votes than Kansas (7-0) due to their strength of schedule, beating the fifth-ranked Fighting Irish and then-No. 9 North Carolina during their dominant run. Michigan State is the only team among the Power Six conference to face three schools in the Top 10 in November.

BLOCK PARTY

The Spartans blocked 11 shots, one shy of their season high, and are averaging 7-plus blocks a game.

“You have to drive to pass,” Miles said. “You can’t drive to score on these guys.”

BALL SECURITY

Michigan State had just six turnovers, its lowest total in nearly two years.

HE SAID IT

Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio attended the game after finding out the Outback Bowl chose unranked Michigan over the No. 18 Spartans . The Wolverines won fewer games and lost to Dantonio this season for the eighth time in 10 years.

“I’ll just continue to concentrate on beating Michigan and let things sort of sort out,” Dantonio told reporters.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: Hosts No. 12 Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Michigan State: Plays at Rutgers on Tuesday night.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State holds on for road win at Vanderbilt

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kansas State isn’t known for its foul shooting, but it was hard to tell Sunday.

The Wildcats shot 91.7 percent from the free-throw line to pass their first road test of the season with an 84-79 win at Vanderbilt.

KSU’s 22-of-24 performance was the third-best in school history with a minimum of 20 attempts.

“Ironically, we haven’t shot very well at home — free throws,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “When we were in Vegas, we shot the ball very well from the free-throw line, but those are all big plays down the stretch.”

The Wildcats (7-1) entered the game with a 70.5 percent mark at the foul line, including a combined 23 of 27 (85.2 percent) at the Las Vegas Invitational.

Xavier Sneed scored a career-high 21 points by hitting 8 of 11 from the floor and all four foul shots.

“I’ve told people he might be one of the most improved players not only in our league, but the country,” Weber said. “He’s an elite-level athlete. He has a lot of emotion, sometimes too much.”

Kamau Stokes added 20 points and Barry Brown had 18 for KSU.

“Any road win will mean a lot later on this season,” Stokes said. “(Xavier) is playing with a lot of confidence on both ends of the floor. I feel like he needs to continue that for us to be good.”

Vanderbilt (3-5) rallied from a 16-point deficit to tie it at 71 with 3:33 remaining on Matthew Fisher-Davis’ 3-pointer, but was outscored 13-8 the rest of the way.

“First 15 minutes, they pretty much had their way with us and in the last 25 minutes we played at a much higher level,” Commodores coach Bryce Drew said. “We gave ourselves a great opportunity to win this game down the stretch.”

Vanderbilt’s Jeff Roberson added to his Southeastern Conference lead with his fifth double-double by scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Freshman Saben Lee added 19 points, including 12 at the free-throw line, and Joe Toye scored 11.

After trailing by as many as 16 in the first half, Vanderbilt went on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 58-57 on LaChance’s 3-pointer with 9:15 remaining in the game.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: The Wildcats got their first signature win over a team that made it to the NCAA Tournament last season.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores made an impressive rally in the second half, but couldn’t get important foul shots to fall during the final two minutes.

REMEMBERING PERRY

Vanderbilt held a moment of silence before the game to honor former Commodore star Perry Wallace, who died Friday. Wallace, 69, became the first black varsity basketball player in the SEC 50 years ago.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Wallace family,” Drew said. “You definitely feel the impact that he made, not only at Vanderbilt but across the country and we’re definitely going to miss him and hopefully our program can represent him in a good way moving forward.”

SHORTHANDED RALLY

Vanderbilt’s second-half comeback was impressive, considering LaChance and Djery Baptiste both fouled out. “We have a deep team,” Drew said. “We feel like a lot of guys can go out there and help our team win and if they’re given the opportunity they take advantage of it. Obviously, we missed the guys that fouled out.” Vanderbilt has lost four of its last five games.

COACH’S TAKE

Weber saw a lot of positives in the Wildcats’ seventh win of the season. “You shoot 58 percent on the road, only seven turnovers, a lot of good decisions,” he said. “Xavier has a career high, Kam 20 (points) and even better: six assists, no turnovers.”

UP NEXT

Kanas State hosts South Carolina Upstate (3-7) on Tuesday. USC Upstate has lost three straight by double-digit margins.

Vanderbilt hosts Middle Tennessee (5-1) on Wednesday. MTSU’s Nick King posted career highs in points (32) and rebounds (11) in Saturday’s 81-76 win at Florida Gulf Coast.

— Associated Press —

Kansas women take care of Arkansas to stay unbeaten

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Since head coach Brandon Schneider took over the Kansas women’s basketball program, the Jayhawks have recorded an impressive streak of not surrendering leads in the final five minutes of a ballgame. Sunday afternoon the streak lived on after KU prevailed over Arkansas, 71-60, inside Allen Fieldhouse.

In the third edition of the Big 12/SEC Challenge, KU (7-0) improved to 17-0 when owning a lead in the final five minutes of a game. The Jayhawks’ seven-game win streak to open the 2017-18 season, ties for the best start since the 2011-12 and 2012-13 campaigns.

Junior guard Kylee Kopatich registered another career afternoon after netting a career-best 26 points to lead the Jayhawks’ offense. Kopatich added four rebounds and one assist in KU’s victory over the Razorbacks (4-3). Junior guard Christalah Lyons notched her seventh-straight double-digit scoring effort with 15 points, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists. Redshirt sophomore Tyler Johnson added 10 points and five rebounds for the Jayhawks.

Arkansas was led by a trio of double-digit scorers in junior guard Malica Monk, senior guard Devin Cosper and sophomore guard Jailyn Mason. Monk led the Razorbacks with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Cosper added 17 points and three rebounds in the loss, while Mason rounded out the trio of double-figure scorers with 10 points. Sophomore forward/center Kiara Williams grabbed 16 boards for the Razorbacks.

Despite starting the game off with a turnover that ended in an Arkansas basket, Lyons and junior guard Brianna Osorio got the Jayhawks rolling. Lyons immediately contributed on both ends of the floor laying it in at the basket and then taking two charges on the defensive end. Osorio separated Lyons charges with a pair of free throws that put Kansas up, 4-2. Following Lyons’ second charge, Osorio knocked in a layup and Lyons a free throw to put the Jayhawks up by three.

A pair of free throws from the Razorbacks in addition to a layup by Cosper put Arkansas on top, 8-7, before Kansas went on a 9-0 run. Senior forward Chayla Cheadle started the run with a 3-point basket followed by two buckets from Kopatich and a layup from Cheadle. KU’s 9-0 run extended its lead to 16-8. Arkansas ended the period with four unanswered points with a free throw and 3-pointer, both knocked in by junior guard/forward Keiryn Swenson.

The Jayhawks jumped out to a 6-2 run to start the second period. Lyons contributed a pair of layups that were broken up by a Cosper jumper. Johnson took her first charge of the afternoon and then followed up on the offensive end of the floor with a layup. The Jayhawks and Razorbacks traded off buckets for the remainder of the half, ending with back-to-back layups from Monk to put the Razorbacks within eight, 30-22, heading into the locker room.

Kopatich got into an offensive groove in the third period knocked down eight of her 16 points in the third quarter alone, including her first 3-point baskets of the game. Monk and Cosper led the way for the Razorbacks throughout the quarter, as the only players to score in the period through the first eight minutes. Following Kopatich’s second 3-point basket, Arkansas went on an 8-2 run to come with five, featuring long-range shots from both Monk and Cosper. Lyons took matters into her own hands for the final minutes of the quarter, accounting for seven of the Jayhawks’ last nine points of the period. Kansas held onto an eight-point lead going into the final 10 minutes of the game.

Johnson started the final quarter out for the Jayhawks laying in the first basket after a minute and a half of either team scoring. Monk responded with a three-point play the old-fashioned way before Johnson added another layup to keep the Jayhawks on top, 53-46. A pair of free throws by Cosper and a long-range bucket from Mason put the Razorbacks within four, but the Jayhawks lived out their “Tough and Together” mantra to maintain their lead through the final minutes of the game. Despite their best comeback attempts, Arkansas wasn’t able to stop the Jayhawks and fell 71-60 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

UP NEXT
Kansas women’s basketball continues its nine-game homestand with Nebraska on Wednesday, December 6 at 7 p.m. inside Allen Fieldhouse.

— KU Athletics —

Griffons snap four-game skid with 70-66 win over Northeastern State

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ST. JOSEPH – Griffon basketball (3-6) won its first MIAA game of the season with a 70-66 win over Northeastern State (3-5) in the MWSU Fieldhouse. Missouri Western received 37 points from its bench in the win.

Missouri Western had a nine-point lead at halftime but was outscored by five in the second half. NSU’s only lead of the second half came with 13:16 left in the game and only lasted 56 seconds as MWSU answered with a 5-0 run. The Griffons led for over 15 minutes in the second half and nearly 30 minutes for the game.

NOTABLES
– Wes Mitter scored a career-high 17 points off the bench for the Griffons, prior to the game he scored 11 points all season

– MWSU outscored NSU 29-11 over a 14 minute stretch in the first half

– The Griffons hit 11 three-pointers in the game, it’s the third time this season they made 10 or more

-Missouri Western shot better from the field than its opponent for the first in three games

– Lavon Hightower had 18 points in the win and has led MWSU in scoring for two of the last three games

UP NEXT
Missouri Western continues its homestand on Wednesday, Dec. 6 against No. 1 Northwest Missouri in the MWSU Fieldhouse. Tip-off for the rivalry game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 1 Bearcats use defense to get past Central Oklahoma

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By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Like the previous game, Northwest Missouri State’s men’s basketball team basically won Saturday’s contest against Central Oklahoma in the first half.

But in stark contrast to the 15 three-pointers the Bearcats made in the first half Thursday, Northwest used a suffocating defense to smother the Bronchos at Bearcat Arena. It offset the three-for-15 shooting from three-point range in the first half by the Bearcats.

Northwest allowed a paltry 12 points to Central Oklahoma in the first half and carried a 19-point lead into halftime. Although the advantage slipped to 11 on one occasion in the second half, Northwest was never threatened, winning 60-47.

“That was exciting,” said Northwest senior forward Brett Dougherty. “Holding them to 12 points feels pretty good, for sure. That is one thing we have been stressing a lot.”

Dougherty added that coach Ben McCollum wants them to not only play good defense, but play aggressively, being in lanes and being active.

“I think we did a pretty good job of that in the first half,” Dougherty said. “The score was kind of a result of that.”

Central Oklahoma entered the game 6-1 overall and 1-0 in the MIAA. The Bronchos are a good team. But once again Northwest, 8-0 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA, proved its No. 1 ranking in the NABC coaches top 25 is justified.

The Bearcats knew how to respond to the challenge it faced midway through the second half when Central Oklahoma closed to 39-28 on the strength of an 11-3 run by the Bronchos.

Northwest stayed calm. The Bearcats got a basket from senior Chris-Ebou Ndow and then senior Justin Pitts scored. After Central Oklahoma made a free throw, Ndow received a pass from Joey Witthus for a wide-open three and Ndow nailed it.

Less than a minute later, Pitts fed Ndow sprinting down the baseline and that led to a Ndow dunk, making it 50-30. A minute later, Pitts drove and passed to a wide-open Witthus behind the three-point arc and he rattled home a trey to make it 55-32.

“We shouldn’t have let them get back into the game,” said Ndow, who finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. “Coach preached at halftime to keep the pedal to the metal like we did in the first half.

“They got on a run. Every good team is going to get a run. We tried to stop the bleeding and the offense came through in the second half and then we started figuring some things out on defense again. We do whatever it takes to win.”

In the first half, the Bearcats proved their success is built on gritty defense. And oh boy, did the Bearcats play some defense in the first 20 minutes.

Northwest limited the Bronchos to a mere five field goals in the first half and that allowed the Bearcats to go into halftime with a healthy 31-12 lead.

“We have a lot of guys who can hit a lot of threes and are versatile,” Dougherty said. “It is on the defensive end that we don’t think we are as good as we can be. We have a lot of length. If we are more aggressive and bring that every single game, I think we can be really good.”

And what about the three-point shooting? Well late in the half, sophomore Ryan Welty drilled a long three-pointer that increased Northwest’s lead to 28-12. The final points in the half was another three-pointer from freshman Ryan Hawkins.

But most of the lead was built on defense. Northwest slowly jumped to a 14-4 lead and maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the half. When shots weren’t falling for the Bearcats, they made sure Central Oklahoma wasn’t going to score either.

Playing big offensively for the Bearcats was Dougherty, who powered his way inside for three buckets in the paint. His last power move gave Northwest a 23-9 lead.

The hounding defense by Northwest forced 14 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Bearcats only had two turnovers. That discrepancy helped Northwest take 27 shots compared to 18 for the Bronchos.

“The last couple of games we have been really on,” Ndow said. “Offensively, we are fine. We have a lot of different weapons. Defensively, we definitely have something to prove. It is not a question of if we can do it; it’s can we bring it every single night. The last couple of nights we have. We have to keep it going.”

— Northwest Athletics —

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