College – Page 216 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Bearcats defeat Fairmont State to win first national championship

Posted on March 25, 2017

By David Boyce

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A little over 3 minutes remained in the first half and Fairmont State only had 17 points. That number perfectly summed up the stifling defense Northwest Missouri State played to claim its first NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship.

“This feels amazing,” said Northwest junior Justin Pitts, who finished with 23 points. “Being here the last two years and losing hurt so we all worked hard for it. I am so happy we got it done for the seniors.”

The Bearcats led from start to finish to beat Fairmont 71-61 Saturday afternoon at the Sanford Pentagon.

“We came out with no fear, which was unbelievable,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “I knew if we had any chance to beat them, you have to kind of bully the bullies. They get after it so much and make it really difficult for you. I was happy with our guys’ performance.”

Hollywood couldn’t have written a better script for Northwest. The previous two years, the Bearcats lost in the Central Regional championship game at the Sanford Pentagon.

Last year was particularly heartbreaking, falling by two points on two free throws with 5 seconds left to Augustana, which advanced to the Elite Eight and won the national title.

“It was one of those stories you try to draw up,” said senior Zach Schneider. “We lose here two years in a row. We talked about it when we got on the bus after losing to Augustana last year. Our only option was to end this season here with three wins.

“This means the world. I will be able to reflect on it more in a week. The support was unreal. We call this Bearcat Arena North.”

Add in the fact that former Northwest men’s basketball coach Steve Tappmeyer was in attendance makes the storyline even more heartwarming. Tappmeyer led Northwest to Elite Eight appearances in 2002 and 2004. McCollum was a player on the 2002 team and an assistant coach on the 2004 team. Tappmeyer also coached both Northwest assistants, Austin Meyer and Andy Peterson.

“It was a lot of fun, just awesome,” Tappmeyer said. “What a great team. It is a team that shows no bad body language. They play through calls, adversity. That doesn’t happen by accident. They have done a tremendous job.”

And finally, any good sports drama needs an audience. Northwest filled the Sanford Pentagon in green, making it a sold-out crowd of 3,250.

“It is such a special place, and it is really being done the right way,” Northwest president John Jasinski said. “We are so proud of our student-athletes, our coaches and our support system. Our support system is just the absolute best.”

Northwest finished the season 35-1, making it a year to remember for the school. In December, Northwest football team concluded its second straight 15-0 national championship season.

“First of all, I am just thrilled for our basketball team, the coaches and the players,” said Northwest athletic director Mel Tjeerdsma. “I know how much work they put into it and how they built each year.

“Our fan base, what can you say about Northwest fans. They packed this place. The intensity the whole ball game was great.”

The basketball team was nearly perfect on the season and in the championship game. The Bearcats needed to play well against a talented and gritty Fairmont team that finished the season 34-3.

Northwest started the second half in great shape with an 11-point lead and then scored four of the first five points to increase their advantage to 36-22.

The 14-point deficit forced Fairmont to play catchup the rest of the half. But whenever the Falcons cut it to single digits, Northwest had an answer.

Northwest showed its resolve when Fairmont closed to 36-28 after three straight baskets by Matt Bingaya, who finished with a game-high 24 points. The Bearcats responded with a three-pointer from junior Justin Pitts and a basket by senior Anthony Woods that made it 41-28.

It went like that the rest of the second half. When Fairmont closed to 49-41, Northwest scored the next three for a double-digit lead.

With 3:12 left in the game, Woods calmly drained two free throws that made it 64-52.

“It felt good,” said Woods, who finished with 13 points. “I was struggling early on.

“This is amazing, especially with this group of guys. We worked so hard from preseason on. We have been talking about this moment for so long. We finally did it. It is just a blessing.”

The defining blow came with 1:40 left. Junior Chris-Ebou Ndow ran the baseline, received a pass from Woods and made a reverse dunk that gave Northwest a 66-52.

“Us getting a momentum swing, a dunk or a three-pointer is huge for us and our momentum,” Ndow said.

Northwest came out and scored the first seven points of the game and played shutdown defense throughout the first half to take a 32-21 lead into halftime.

“That is what coach Mac preached to us yesterday,” Pitts said. “It is the last game. You might as well go out there and have fun and that is what we did today.”

The game started with Pitts, the national player of the year, drilling a three-pointer. Woods followed with basket and then delivered a behind-the-back pass to Brett Dougherty for a layup.

A long three-pointer by Thomas Wimbush put the Falcons on the board, but it was obvious baskets were not going to be easy.

Northwest scored the next six points to build its first double-digit lead at 13-3. The best run for Fairmont state came when it closed to 23-16 and appeared to have some momentum. The Bearcats started missing a few shots.

But the Falcons were unable to make much of a charge because of how difficult it was for them to score. They only had 17 points with 2:35 remaining in the first half.

“I think this is by far the best we have played on the defensive end,” Pitts said. “They have great players. We had to lock in and focus on defense.”

Northwest got its second double-digit lead at 28-17 on two free throws by senior D’Vante Mosby. Fairmont cut it to single digits at 30-21 on a driving basket by sophomore guard Jason Jolly. The Bearcats scored last in the first half for the 11-point lead.

The Bearcats held Fairmont to 31 percent from the field. The Falcons went just nine for 29 from the field.

“This is special,” said Ndow, who scored 17 points. “We wanted to go down swinging. If we were going to lose, we weren’t going to lose easy. We have an unbelievable group of seniors. It is only fitting they go out this way.”

— Northwest Athletics —

No. 1 seed Kansas upset by Oregon 74-60 in Midwest Regional final

Posted on March 25, 2017March 25, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tyler Dorsey poured in 27 points, Dillon Brooks added 17 and plucky Oregon ended Kansas’ romp through the NCAA Tournament with a 74-60 victory Saturday night that gave the Ducks their first Final Four trip in nearly 80 years.

Dylan Ennis added 12 points for the Ducks (33-5), who took the lead with 16 minutes left in the first half and never trailed again, giving coach Dana Altman his first trip to the national semifinals.

They’ll face the winner of Sunday’s game between North Carolina and Kentucky in Glendale, Arizona.

Player of the year front-runner Frank Mason III had 21 points in his final game for the Jayhawks (31-5), who had rolled to the Elite Eight by an average margin of 30 points. But their dream season ended with a thud just 40 minutes from campus on a night where very little went right.

Star freshman Josh Jackson was mired in early foul trouble. Sharpshooting guard Devonte Graham never got on track. And the swagger that the Big 12 champs showed in humiliating Purdue in the Sweet 16 quickly became a distant memory on a night that belonged to the Pac-12 champions.

Altman had never been to the Final Four in 13 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. And the last time the Ducks were on the big stage, it was 1939 and the Tall Firs took home the title.

Jordan Bell added 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks for Oregon, while Jackson was held to 10 points for the Jayhawks in what was almost certainly his final college game.

The bus carrying the Ducks to Sprint Center on Saturday passed right by the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City, where thousands of Jayhawk fans were rallying hours before the tipoff.

In other words, they knew they were facing a de facto road game.

But the torrid shooting of Brooks, Ennis and Dorsey quickly riled up the small section of Oregon fans while deflating the rest of sold-out Sprint Center. And foul trouble that sent Jackson to the bench for much of the first half helped allow the Ducks carve out a comfortable lead.

Dorsey finished the half with back-to-back 3s, including a deep bank shot at the buzzer, as the Ducks pranced to their locker room relishing in a 44-33 advantage.

They kept right on dancing in the second half, beating the Jayhawks at their own game: Getting into transition, passing up good shots for better ones and knocking down 3-pointers.

The Ducks’ lead swelled to 55-37 when Brooks drilled another shot from the perimeter, creating the kind of hole Kansas has rarely faced. And the frustration was on the Jayhawks bench was only compounded every time Jackson or Graham tossed up a shot that clanked hollowly off the iron, their sense of desperation growing with every squandered opportunity.

Jackson didn’t score until midway through the second half. Graham was 0 for 6 beyond the arc.

The Jayhawks eventually began to whittle into the deficit, doing most of the work at the free-throw line, where they were in the bonus with 11 minutes to go. But the Ducks remained poised down the stretch, answering just enough times to keep the crowd from giving Kansas any extra juice.

When Svi Mykhailiuk scored to make it 64-55, Ennis answered with a driving basket. When Mykhailiuk buried a 3 from the corner to make it 66-60 with 2:49 left, Dorsey answered at the other end with another 3-pointer as the shot-clock expired to give Oregon some breathing room.

The Ducks never even bothered with free throws to put the game away.

BIG PICTURE

Oregon wound up shooting 51 percent from the field and hit 11 of 25 from beyond the arc. It’s the kind of torrid shooting that has derailed the Jayhawks several times this season.

Kansas also lost in the regional semifinals a year ago, and the round has quickly become the biggest source of frustration for Jayhawks coach Bill Self. He even alluded to the problems on Friday, saying the round is “probably the hardest” in the entire tournament.

UP NEXT

The Ducks are headed to the desert to play for a spot in the national championship.

— Associated Press —

Griffons walk-off with doubleheader sweep of Northeastern State

Posted on March 25, 2017March 25, 2017

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western baseball team swept its doubleheader against Northeastern State Sunday, 4-1 and 5-4. David Glaude tied the MWSU career RBIs record on a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning. He also tied the career home runs record with a fourth inning shot in game two.

NOTABLES
– MWSU tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning when Ryan Smith drew a bases loaded walk

– After scoring two runs in the in the bottom of the seventh inning to cut the lead to one, the Griffons stranded the tying and go ahead runs on third and second bases

– Dusty Stroup turned an error by Northeastern State into an inside the park home run for the first run of game one

– After NSU tied the game in the fourth inning, Levi Schreiner slammed a home run to right center to reclaim the lead for game one

– Missouri Western collected seven extra base hits and outhit the Riverhawks 19-12 in the doubleheader sweep

TOP PERFORMERS
– Richard Peoples threw his third complete game of the season in game one as he only allowed one run on six hits

– Dusty Stroup went 6-for-9 at the plate with a home run and triple

– Jared Lloyd threw three innings in relief work and gave up no runs on a hit with two strikeouts for the game two victory

– Nick Gawley was 4-for-9 in the batter’s box for the day, highlighted by a double and home run in game one

UP NEXT
Missouri Western goes for the series sweep over Northeastern State Sunday at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 18 Missouri uses long ball to even series with Arkansas

Posted on March 25, 2017March 25, 2017

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball tallied three homers as part of a six-run sixth inning to drop Arkansas, 7-2, on Saturday afternoon, evening the three-game series at one win apiece. Junior SS Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) and sophomore 1B Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) hit back-to-back homers, a two-run shot and a solo shot respectively, to kick start the sixth inning and DH Nelson Mompierre (Miami, Fla.) added a two-run homer three batters later as part of a six-run sixth inning to put the game out of reach.

Mizzou moves to 21-2 on the year while Arkansas falls to 19-5. Both teams are now 4-1 in SEC play and play the rubber game of the series at 1 p.m. Sunday. Freshman LHP T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) earned the win (5-0) for Mizzou and now has a win or a save in his last eight appearances (5-0, three saves). He backed a sensational start by Michael Plassmeyer (St. Louis, Mo.), who went 5.0 innings, allowing just six hits and one earned run with five strikeouts.

The story of the game was the sixth inning as Mizzou pounded out three homers, seven hits and six runs to take a 7-1 lead that it did not relinquish.

After Plassmeyer pitched around a runner-on-the-corners, one-out jam in the first inning, Mizzou got runners on the corners with no outs after a Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) walk and a Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) hit through the right side. The two then perfectly executed a double-steal to give Mizzou a 1-0 lead after one.

Arkansas tied the game on a Chad Spanberger homer in the top of the third inning. Mizzou got a leadoff double from Mompierre in the bottom of the fifth but couldn’t capitalize. Sikkema took over on the mound in the sixth inning and got a sensational catch from Harris in right field as he went face-first into the wall for out No. 2. He mowed down Arkansas on eight pitches to set up Mizzou’s half of the sixth.

Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning and then Glendinning and Sharp went back-to-back to give Mizzou a 4-1 lead. Mompierre then added his two-run shot to extend the lead to 6-1 as Arkansas used three pitchers in the inning. An RBI single by Misner capped the inning and gave Mizzou a 7-1 lead.

Sikkema was then lights out from there, surrendering a lone run in the eighth inning, to earn his fifth win of the season.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Missouri Western softball splits two games at Northeastern State

Posted on March 25, 2017March 25, 2017

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Missouri Western softball team (23-7, 3-1) split an MIAA doubleheader at Northeastern State (17-16, 6-4) on Saturday.

Missouri Western held off the RiverHawks for a 7-4 win in game one of the double-dip and just missed a comeback in game two, 4-3.

NOTABLES
– Shelbie Atwell’s two-out double in the bottom of the seventh in game two got MWSU within one, but she was stranded at second

– The Griffons had 10 hits in game two, and left six runners stranded

– Sydney Washington hit two home runs on the day, one in each game

– MWSU led game one 6-1 after four innings. Northeastern State scored one in the fifth and two in the sixth to pull within two, before the Griffons added an insurance run in the sixth

– Missouri Western had 12 more hits than Northeastern State in the doubleheader (23-11)

TOP PERFORMERS
– Rebekah Mueller was 3-for-5 on the day with a double and a run scored

– Shelby Uhl went 3-for-6 at the plate before exiting in game two with an injury

– Washington was 3-for-7 with the two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored

– Atwell also went 3-for-7 with four RBIs and a run scored

– Morgan Rathmann scored two runs and went 3-for-8 at the plate with an RBI

– Katie Klosterman was also 3-for-8 with a double

UP NEXT
Missouri Western stays in Oklahoma with a Sunday doubleheader at No. 16 Central Oklahoma (21-5, 5-1). UCO split a doubleheader with Northwest Missouri State on Saturday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest softball goes 1-1 at No. 16 Central Oklahoma

Posted on March 25, 2017March 25, 2017

The Northwest Missouri State University softball team split a pair of games on Saturday at No. 16 ranked Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Okla.

– Northwest is now 14-10 on the year and 3-1 in MIAA play. The Bronchos move to 21-5 overall and 5-1 in conference action.
Game One Key Statistics (Northwest 10, Central Oklahoma 5)
– Northwest scored six runs in the second, two in the fourth and two in the seventh. The Bronchos scored twice in the first and three times in the sixth.

– The Bearcats had 10 runs on 10 hits with no errors. Central Oklahoma had five runs on 11 hits with two errors.

– Jaedra Moses was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

– Torri Blythe was 2-for-4 with a run scored.

– Chantel Adams hit her third home run of the season, going 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

– Rebecca Maher went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.

– Abigail Gilson went 1-for-4 with a run scored.

– Kiana Baderdeen went 1-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.

– Taylor Blackford got the win in the circle. She allowed five runs on 10 hits.

– Kaitlin Weis, who also scored a run in the game, pitched the final four outs, allowing just one hit and no runs.
Game One Key Innings
– In the second, Adams walked to begin the frame and took second on a wild pitch. Gilson singled to put runners on the corners and Rawie hit an RBI double to center to score Adams. After an out, Gilson scored on an error off a Baderdeen fielder’s choice. Blythe hit a single to the pitcher to load the bases. Moses hit a two-RBI single up the middle to make it 4-2 Northwest. Maher followed that with an RBI single, scoring Blythe. A throwing error allowed Moses to score on a Weis fielder’s choice, giving the Bearcats a 6-2 lead.

– Baderdeen and Blythe hit back-to-back infield singles to start the frame and Moses hit a single to left to load the bases. Maher hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring Baderdeen. After an out, a pair of wild pitches allowed Moses to score, making it 8-2 Bearcats.

– In the seventh, Weis drew a one-out walk and Adams launched a home run over the left center field fence.
Game Two Key Statistics (Central Oklahoma 9, Northwest 3)
– Northwest scored all three runs in the fifth inning. The Bronchos scored two in the first, four in the second, two in the third and one in the fifth.

– The Bearcats had three runs on 10 hits with one error. Central Oklahoma had nine runs on 13 hits with no errors.

– Weis was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. She hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning.

– Maher went 2-for-4 in the second game.

– Blythe was 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk.

– Moses went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. She had an RBI triple in the fifth inning.

– Gilson, Rawie and Baderdeen each had hits in the second game.

Game Two Key Innings
– In the fifth, Blythe led off with a single up the middle. Moses followed it up with a triple to right center, scoring Blythe from first. After a flyout, Weis hit a two-run home run to center, scoring Moses.

Up Next
Northwest will head to Tahlequah, Okla., to face Northeastern State on Sunday. The first game of the double header starts at noon.

— Northwest Athletics —

MWSU women’s golf leads UNK Invite after first round

Posted on March 25, 2017March 25, 2017

AXTELL, Neb. – The Missouri Western women’s golf team shot an opening round 307 and is currently leading the UNK Invitational at Awarii Dunes Golf Course after the first round Saturday.

Sitting atop of the individual leaderboard is Shi Qing Ong with a 2-under-par 70. Chong Yong scored a 4-over-par 76 for seventh place. Trailing by a stroke in eighth place is Tiffanie Yabut. Madison Romjue shot an 83 as Jenna Kosmatka ended the round with an 85.

Missouri Western leads the team race by one stroke over Augustana. The final round begins tomorrow, March 26 at 10 a.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Top high school basketball recruit Michael Porter Jr. commits to Mizzou

Posted on March 24, 2017

SEATTLE (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. has announced he will play college basketball at Missouri after Washington granted him his release from his national letter of intent.

Porter, considered the top high school senior in the country, announced his decision in a statement posted to Twitter on Friday. He said his plans changed last week when Washington fired coach Lorenzo Romar and that he’s taken the “last seven days to give great consideration to my future.”

Familiarity is also likely at the heart of Porter’s decision. He lived in Colombia, Missouri, until the past year when his family moved to Seattle so his father could be an assistant on Romar’s staff. Michael Porter Sr. was hired as an assistant for new Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin.

Porter was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year earlier this week and the 6-foot-9 wing is already being projected as a possible top pick in the 2018 NBA draft.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Northwest’s McCollum named NABC National Coach of the Year

Posted on March 24, 2017March 24, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University head men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum has been named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) 2016-17 Division II Coach of the Year, in a release from the organization on Friday. The eighth year head coach has led Northwest to the last four MIAA regular season titles and will lead the team into the NCAA national championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m. CST against Fairmont State.

McCollum, the four-time MIAA Coach of the Year, has led the Bearcats to six-straight 20+ win seasons, one of just seven schools in Division II to accomplish that feat. This year’s 34 victories is a Northwest and an MIAA single season record. Northwest also set the conference mark with 28 straight MIAA regular season victories from Jan. 16, 2016, to Feb. 18, 2017, a span of 402 days.

McCollum and the NABC Player of the Year Justin Pitts, will be honored at an award ceremony at the AT&T NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show on Sunday, April 2, at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix at 6:30 p.m. MST (8:30 p.m. CST). The show is held during the annual NABC Convention and the NCAA Final Four.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri has winning streak snapped by Arkansas in SEC home opener

Posted on March 24, 2017

COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 18 Mizzou Baseball’s 20-game win streak came to an end after falling to the Arkansas Razorbacks 9-2, Friday afternoon at Taylor Stadium. Nine of the 10 runs scored in the game came with two outs on the board.

Mizzou’s 20-game win streak marks the second longest win streak in school history, trailing only the 1964 team, who posted a 21-game streak. Entering the game, Mizzou also had the longest active win streak in the nation.

Sophomore Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) paced the Mizzou offense, hitting 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Sharp is tied for the team lead with seven doubles on the season and has reached base in 12 consecutive games.

Arkansas drew first blood in the top of second after Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) loaded the bags and then plunked a batter to walk in the first run. Chad Spanberger plated two more for the visitors off a single to shallow right-center field. An error by freshman Chris Cornelius (St. Louis, Mo.) and a single extended the Arkansas lead to 5-0.

Lightning in the area forced the game into a two hour and 11 minute rain delay. Upon resumption of play, Cameron Dulle (St. Louis, Mo.) took the mound for Mizzou in relief for Houck and was quickly tagged with a run off a walk and a single to right.

Junior Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) sparked the Mizzou offense with a single ripped through the left side in Mizzou’s half of the fourth inning. Sharp put Mizzou on the board with a double blasted to right field, pushing Harris across the plate.

In the bottom of the fifth, Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) took an 0-2 pitch over the opposite field wall for his third homer of the season. Arkansas countered with an infield RBI in the top of the seventh, giving the visitors the 7-2 lead. The Razorbacks tacked on two more runs, one in the eighth and one in the ninth, to close out the game, 9-2.

— Mizzou Athletics —