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Category: College

Missouri dominates Wagner 99-55 to move to 2-0

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri found no difficulty scoring in star freshman Michael Porter Jr.’s absence. Five different Tigers scored in double digits as the Tigers routed Wagner 99-55 on Monday night.

Kassius Robinson scored 23 points and Jontay Porter had 11 points and eight rebounds in Missouri’s victory.

Missouri (2-0) shot 68 percent from the field, including 12 for 22 from beyond the arc. Robertson led Missouri with five 3-pointers and eight different Tigers made at least one 3.

The Seahawks had trouble against Missouri’s height. Nobody on the Wagner (1-1) roster is listed as taller than 6 feet 9 inches, while the Tigers used three players — Jeremiah Tilmon, Jontay Porter and Reed Nikko — above 6 feet 10 inches. Wagner committed 32 fouls and had three players foul out.

“From the beginning of the game, they established their size and athleticism,” Wagner coach Bashir Mason said. “I thought that bothered our guys for the entire 40 minutes.”

Missouri’s scoring versatility has increased significantly from last season. Returners Kevin Puryear and Jordan Barnett have faced much less defensive pressure with a slew of newcomers, led by the Porter brothers, Robertson and Tilmon.

“There’s almost times where I can stand in the corner and I know I’ll get the shot at some point,” Barnett said. “I really think we do a good job of spreading the floor. You have a lot more weapons on this team than last year.”

The Tigers outscored Wagner in the paint (36-22) and 37-22 off the bench. Blake Francis led the Seahawks with 17 points.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: Even without their star freshman, Porter Jr., the Tigers look well-rounded to start the season. Freshmen Tilmon and Jontay Porter have each scored and helped free up the floor for returning players Barnett and Puryear.

Wagner: The Seahawks lost their four leading scorers from last year, and that was evident in their low-scoring effort against Missouri. Wagner will likely endure some growing pains after replacing nearly half of its roster.

STAR WATCH

Porter Jr., considered a potential lottery pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, didn’t play against the Seahawks, and he also wasn’t seen on the bench. Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin specified his injury as a leg injury and said he didn’t know whether Porter Jr. will travel with the team for its game against Utah Thursday. The freshman played just 1 minute, 40 seconds against Iowa State last Friday.

FOUL TROUBLE

Tilmon saw just 10 minutes and fouled out with 11:07 remaining in the second half. The freshman has been susceptible to foul trouble in both exhibition and regular season games this year.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Missouri was ranked just outside of the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, receiving nine votes. The Tigers trailed just Alabama, Rhode Island, Virginia, TCU and Providence among unranked teams receiving votes.

UP NEXT

Missouri hits the road for the first time this season to face Utah. The Utes dominated Prairie View A&M and Mississippi Valley State in their first two contests.

Wagner plays its first home game Saturday against American, which got blown out against Kansas State to open its season.

— Associated Press —

Bearcats’ Eskew gets weekly special teams award from the MIAA

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University defensive end Austen Eskew has been named the MIAA Special Teams co-Athlete of the Week. Eskew and the Bearcats defeated Missouri Western, 30-0, on Saturday in St. Joseph, Mo. The junior tallied three total tackles with one sack. But it was his play on punt coverage that garnered him the honor. He blocked a pair of Griffon punts, giving the Northwest offense the ball in Missouri Western territory.

Northwest will take on Ashland in the 2017 NCAA Football Playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m. CST in Ashland, Ohio.

— Northwest Athletics —

MWSU’s Lauren Murphy named MIAA Specialist of the Week

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KANSAS CITY – Lauren Murphy of Griffon volleyball (22-9) was named MIAA Specialist of the Week for the second consecutive week and third time this season.

Murphy was a key factor in a sweep of Fort Hays State and a win over fifth-ranked Nebraska Kearney. She finished with 90 assists and averaged 12.86 assists per set in the two victories.

She had 52 assists and four blocks in the win against UNK, that clinched MWSU’s first regular season co-championship in program history. In the sweep of the Tigers, Murphy had 38 assists and nine digs.

Missouri Western hosts Washburn in the MIAA Tournament on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest’s Pitt earns weekly MIAA basketball honor

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University guard Justin Pitts has been named the MIAA’s co-Athlete of the Week by the league office on Monday. Emporia State’s Brandon Hall shared the honor with Pitts.

Against Upper Iowa and Northern State, Pitts averaged 26.0 points and 4.0 assists in a pair of Northwest season-opening victories over the weekend. He started the season with a 30 point performance against the Peacocks and followed it up with 22 points and six assists against the Wolves on Sunday.

The Bearcats host Metropolitan State on Friday in the team’s home opener at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Northwest will take on Truman State at 3 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Athletics —

KU’s Garrett named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week

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IRVING, Texas – Kansas freshman Marcus Garrett has been named the co-Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, the conference announced Monday.

Voted on by a media panel which covers the league, Garrett recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in Kansas’ 92-56 win against Tennessee State on Nov. 10. The Dallas guard was 4-for-6 from the field, had two assists and two steals as he started the contest. His double-double was the first in a Jayhawk debut since the 2003-04 season.

Garrett shared the honor with Texas forward Mohamed Bamba. Oklahoma guard Trae Young was named the Big 12 Player of the Week.

No. 4/3 Kansas (1-0) will play No. 5/4 Kentucky (2-0) in the State Farm Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 8:30 p.m. (Central) on ESPN 1550.

— KU Athletics —

Griffons get first victory with wire-to-wire win over Upper Iowa

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ST. JOSEPH – The Griffon men’s basketball team (1-1) rebounded from an overtime loss on Friday, with a convincing wire-to-wire win over Upper Iowa (3-2) on Sunday afternoon.

Missouri Western shot 48 percent from the field in the 77-65 victory and never allowed Upper Iowa to even tie the game. It gave the Griffons a win over a team that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season.

WIRE TO WIRE
Missouri Western opened the game on an 11-2 run and never led by less than two points. The Griffons answered every Peacock run. After Upper Iowa went on a 12-5 run in the first half to pull within two, MWSU answered with a 16-5 run to take its largest lead of the game, 13 points, with 5:12 left in the first half.

MAKING THEIR SHOTS
Missouri Western shot better than 48 percent (27-56) from the field, while holding Upper Iowa to 38.5 percent shooting. The Griffons shot 45.5 percent (10-22) from three-point range and 72 percent (13-18) at the free throw line. Lavon Hightower was 7-of-10 from the field for 18 points. Cole Clearman was 6-for-8 from three and led the team with 20 points. Seth Bonifas had his second straight double-digit scoring effort, going 4-for-6 for 10 points. Alex Martin went 5-for-6 from the field to score 15 points.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western stays at home, hosting a non-conference doubleheader with the Griffon women this Wednesday, Nov. 15 against William Jewell (2-0). The women’s game begins at 5:30 p.m. with the men’s game tipping off at around 7:30 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest gets No. 6 seed in NCAA Super Region Three; opens at Ashland

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Northwest Missouri State University football team earned the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Super Region Three playoff bracket and will face Ashland University on Saturday, Nov. 18, in Ashland, Ohio. This will be the first all-time meeting between the Bearcats and the Eagles.

Ashland went 10-1 this season and claimed the outright GLIAC title this season. The Eagles’ lone loss of the year came in week one to Indiana (Pa.), 26-23. Indiana received the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Super Region One.

Northwest has now made 14 straight NCAA playoff appearances and 22 all time. The Bearcats are 47-15 all time in the NCAA playoffs, winning national titles in 1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2016.

Game time, ticket and broadcast information will be released later this week.

— Northwest Athletics —

KU women cruise past Campbell in season opener

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Junior guard Kylee Kopatich’s career afternoon helped Kansas women’s basketball begin its 2017-18 campaign with a 66-48 victory over Campbell on Sunday afternoon, inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Kopatich led the Jayhawks (1-0) with a career-high game, scoring 21 points (6-of-10), including a career-high five 3-pointers. The Olathe, Kansas native added seven rebounds and five assists, tying her career high. Junior guard Christalah Lyons contributed 13 points and five assists, while junior guard Austin Richardson rounded out the trio of double-figure scorers with 10 points and six rebounds.
The Fighting Camels (0-1) were led by senior guard Summer Price with 18 points and freshman guard Tatyana Carver with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Kopatich started things off from behind the arc for the Jayhawks giving KU an early 3-0 lead before Kansas faced a three-minute scoring drought. Richardson added a 3-pointer of her own to get the Jayhawks rolling again. The Fighting Camels struggled offensively throughout much of the first quarter, remaining scoreless throughout the first eight minutes of the game as Kansas went on a 17-0 run to start the season.

Campbell’s freshman forward Lauren McNamara-Clement’s 3-pointer put CU on the board with just under two minutes to play. Kansas’ defense held Campbell to just three points on 1-of-11 shooting and forced six turnovers and ended the first quarter with a 17-3 lead.

The Camels relied heavily on their 3-point shooting throughout the first half, notching all but two of their 17 points from long range. Carver led the way for Campbell in the second quarter connecting on both of her 3-point attempts in the period. Kopatich continued her impressive long-range shooting during KU’s 13-3 run in the second period, ending the first half with 17 points, two shy of matching her career-high.

The Jayhawks forced CU to another five-minute scoring drought in the second quarter, but senior guard Makala Rouse was able to cut into KU’s lead before the half. Rouse’s 3-pointer and half-ending jumper narrowed Campbell’s deficit to 35-17 going into the locker room.

Campbell outscored the Jayhawks 19-15 in the third quarter. A layup from senior forward Chayla Cheadle started off the half, but the Camels answered by going on a 10-0 run sparked by a layup from freshman forward Kyra Davis. Price and Carver followed with back-to-back 3-pointers, cutting the Jayhawks lead to 12. Kansas and Campbell battled back and forth throughout the period, but Kansas maintained a 50-36 lead going into the final quarter.

After two minutes of no baskets for either team, Kopatich got KU’s offense started with a pair of free throws. Junior guard Brianna Osorio added five-straight points to put the Jayhawks up by 21 early in the fourth quarter. The Jayhawks continued to have an answer for everything the Camels threw at them, ending victorious with a 66-48 season-opener win.

UP NEXT
Kansas continues its nine-game home stand against Texas Southern on Wednesday, November 15 at 7 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The game against the Lady Tigers will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Television Network/ESPN3 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.

— KU Athletics —

No. 1 Bearcats overcome early deficit to handle Northern State 71-60

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By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Faced with a seven-point deficit early in first half, Northwest Missouri State needed to make it more difficult for Northern State to score. The Bearcats were taking on a team that should easily win over 20 games this year.

Northwest responded like a team still hungry despite coming off a one-loss, national championship season.

The Bearcats used their trademark gritty defense and team offense to come away with a 71-60 victory Sunday afternoon at the 26th Annual Hillyard Classic at the Missouri Western Fieldhouse. Northwest improved to 2-0 against two teams easily capable of reaching the NCAA Division II Tournament in March.

“This was big for us,” said Northwest senior Brett Dougherty. “It feels like a lot different team this year. Everything was kind of established the last two years. We had a lot of the same guys. We have new pieces this year. To get two big wins is good for us. It’s a good way to start the season.”

Holding a two-point lead at the start of the second half, the Bearcats scored the first four points on an inside basket by Dougherty and two free throws by junior Joey Witthus for a 42-36 lead.

The bucket by Dougherty, a 6-foot-7 forward, was significant. Like in the first half, Dougherty showed he wasn’t afraid to put up a shot against 6-8 forward Logan Doyle and 6-10 center Carter Evans.

“They had size on us, for sure,” said Dougherty, who finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting. “Coach Mac saw on film that their feet were a little slow so I just tried to attack them. They weren’t doubling, and when they aren’t doubling, I got to make a move and be aggressive. That is what I did.”

Over the next several minutes, the Wolves stayed close by also playing tough defense. Northwest started creating some separation when senior Chris-Ebou Ndow hit a three-pointer to give the Bearcats a 49-42 lead.

“They really came out and played so we needed that reality check,” Ndow said. “They really stood up to us and gave us a battle.”

Northwest grabbed its first double-digit lead at 55-45 with 9:17 left on a basket by senior Justin Pitts, who finished with a game-high 22 points.

With a 60-51 advantage, the Bearcats upped their game to another level on both ends of the floor. It started with a three-pointer by freshman Ryan Hawkins.

“It is just fun being out there and using my length on defense,” said Hawkins, who provided a defensive spark in the first half. “Being 6-7 and having long arms help.

“And when you have JP (Justin Pitts) drawing all the attention like that, you get wide open threes. It feels good going in.”

Ndow followed with a dunk that put Northwest up 65-51 with 4:20 left. The Bearcats added another basket before Northern State finally scored again on a three-pointer with 2:02 left in the game. The Wolves still trailed 67-54.

“We got 50/50 balls,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “The first half, they (Wolves) had nine offensive rebounds. We were a little bit soft boxing out. Once we started to calm that a little bit, it helps you out on transition on offense. I thought that was the key.

“I thought our energy was great. They are a good team. They will be there at the end of the year. That was a fun, early season game.”

In an intense, highly entertaining first half, Northwest took a slim 38-36 lead into halftime.

Behind the hot shooting of Northern State senior guard D.J. Pollard, the Wolves bolted to a 16-9 lead.

“There was no panic from us,” Ndow said. We came out after the timeout with intensity on defense and offense. But we know it starts with the defense.”

The Bearcats made it much harder for Northern State to get open looks. For the rest of the first half, the shot clock often ticked down to under 10 seconds before the Wolves got close to putting up a shot.

Northwest also found its rhythm on offense. One key was the power moves inside by Dougherty. He scored 10 points in the first half.

Two free throws by Dougherty tied the game at 21-21. Northwest took its first lead at 26-23 on a three-pointer by Pitts with 5:52 remaining in the first half.

After the Wolves tied it on a three-pointer by Pollard, consecutive treys by Pitts and sophomore Ryan Welty gave the Bearcats a 32-26 lead.

Northwest moved its advantage to seven at 36-29 on a drive by Ndow with 2:52 left.

But the Wolves, showing they are a high-quality team, regained the momentum, outscoring Northwest 7-2 the rest of the half.

“They are a team that prides themselves on getting into the post and being bullies,” Ndow said. “Brett stood up to them. Brett was by far the best player today. He really stepped up for us.”

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri Western knocks off No. 5 UNK to earn first ever MIAA volleyball title

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ST. JOSEPH – For the first time in 30 years, Missouri Western (22-9) is atop of the conference volleyball standings. The Griffons beat No. 5 Nebraska Kearney 3-1 to clinch a share of the MIAA championship. MWSU won its 11th consecutive match and avenged its only loss in the last 16 matches.

RUN OF HISTORY
The last time Missouri Western finished first in the conference was 1987. It is the first time since it became a Division II and joined the MIAA that it won a volleyball championship as well. The Griffons extended their winning streak to 11 games, the longest since 1995 when they won 12 straight matches. MWSU also knocked off its third ranked opponent, second in the top 10.

CHAMPIONSHIP RALLY
UNK sprinted out of the gates in the first set with a 10-1 lead and cruised to a 25-14 victory. Missouri Western bounced back in the second set with 10-5 lead and closed the set out on 4-1 rally to even the match 1-1. The Griffons used a 10-1 run to end the fourth set to claim their share of the MIAA title.

BIG GAME, BIG PERFORMERS
On the biggest stage thus far in the season, Erin Erb didn’t shy away for the limelight. Erb came off the bench in the first set and ended up as the team leader with 14 kills, her career-high. Erb would also finish the match with seven digs and a block. Rachel Losch recorded a career-best 10 total blocks in the win.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western will host a MIAA tournament match on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. MWSU awaits its MIAA tournament opponent until it is officially announced by the conference at a later date. Gogriffons.com and Missouri Western social media platforms will have all updates when they become available.

— MWSU Athletics —

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