College – Page 228 – St. Joseph Post Archive

KU women lose by 19 at West Virginia

Posted on February 27, 2017February 27, 2017

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – A slow start offensively plagued Kansas women’s basketball in its regular-season finale, as West Virginia capitalized on the cold-shooting Jayhawks’ first half to sweep the season series with a 73-54 victory on Monday night inside WVU Coliseum.

While the Jayhawks (8-21, 2-16 Big 12) began the game slow offensively, it was a tale of two halves for Kansas. KU outscored West Virginia (20-10, 8-10 Big 12) in the second half, 24-18, but the deficit from the opening 20 minutes was too much for the Jayhawks to mount a come-from-behind victory in their final game of the regular season.

For the 11th time in Big 12 Conference action, redshirt junior Jessica Washington led all scorers after an 18-point performance in Morgantown. Washington netted 14 of her 18 points in the second half and finished the game shooting 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from the field. She also grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists. Senior forward Sydney Umeri added eight points, while sophomore guard Jayde Christopher contributed seven points.

Sophomore guard Tynice Martin led a quartet of Mountaineers in double figures with 17 points, while also recorded six boards. Junior forward Teana Muldrow finished just behind Martin in scoring with 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double. Junior forward Kristina King and junior guard Chania Ray rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

A defensive battle from the start, it took both teams a few possessions to get on the scoreboard, but Christopher ended the scoreless streak with a free throw. WVU would then go on a 10-3 run to take an early advantage, 10-4, with five minutes to play in the first quarter. Coming out the media timeout, West Virginia extended its lead with five unanswered points before senior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen broke up the run with a layup. The Mountaineers beat the buzzer with a last-second layup and ended the first quarter with a 24-8 lead over the Jayhawks.

KU opened the game shooting just 14 percent from the field and scored only eight points in the first 10 minutes of the game. West Virginia’s offense found its groove in the first 10 minutes and concluded the period shooting 67 percent from the floor, making 10 of its 15 attempts.

Through the first five minutes of the second quarter, the Mountaineers outscored Kansas, 6-2, as both teams worked to find some momentum on the offensive side of the court. Despite WVU being without top defender, senior forward Lanay Montgomery due to foul trouble, the Jayhawks were unable to capitalize offensively and close the scoring gap. Senior guard Timeka O’Neal sank a triple coming out of the second media timeout, but WVU had an answer for each attempt KU made to take the momentum. West Virginia headed into the locker room at halftime with a 41-18 advantage.

Towards the end of the second period, Kansas’ offense heated up scoring eight points in the final minutes of the half. Manning-Allen led the Jayhawks with five points, while Washington contributed four points. KU was held to just six field goals in the first half and connected on 21 percent of its attempts. Defensively, the Jayhawks forced seven turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and were able to score nine points off of those turnovers. The Mountaineers won the battle off the glass, outrebounding the Jayhawks 25-13, proving to be the difference on defense.

To start the second half, Kansas and West Virginia traded buckets back-and-forth for the first four possessions each before the Mountaineers went on a 6-0 run to put WVU up, 53-26, with 4:14 left to play in the third period. Kansas ended its three minute scoring drought with a trip to the charity stripe for Washington. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native reached the double-figure scoring plateau for the 22nd time this season. Despite keeping the third quarter closer, West Virginia outscored the Jayhawks by one, 21-20, and took a 62-38 lead into the final quarter.

Much like the period before, Kansas and West Virginia traded buckets to start the fourth quarter. Washington sparked a 7-0 run for the Jayhawks over nearly four minutes, cutting WVU’s advantage, 70-51, with just under two minutes to play. Kansas outscored the Mountaineers, 16-11, in the final 10 minutes, but the deficit was too much to overcome in the second half and KU fell to West Virginia, 73-54, on the road.

UP NEXT
Kansas heads to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for the 2017 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.

— KU Athletics —

Gawley’s ninth inning HR completes Griffon baseball’s comeback at Washburn

Posted on February 26, 2017

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Missouri Western baseball team scored one run in top of the eighth inning and added one more in the top of the ninth to rally past Washburn 2-1 Sunday afternoon in Topeka.

The Griffons have won the first two games of the series as they improve to 5-7 and 2-0 in the MIAA. The Ichabods fall to 8-5 and 0-2 in league play.

NOTABLES
– Nick Gawley hit a game winning solo home run in the top of the ninth inning.

– Missouri Western outhit Washburn 13-11.

– Griffon pitchers combined for seven strikeouts and issued only two walks.

– Washburn scored a run in the third inning but left two runners stranded.

– MWSU loaded the bases in the top of the third inning but couldn’t get a run across.

TOP PERFORMERS
– Nate Hunter pitched six innings, gave up one run on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

– Connor Simpson went 2-for-4 and drove in the tying run in the top of the eighth inning.

– Jared Lloyd picked up the win out of the bullpen as he threw 1 2/3 innings and struck out two of the six batters he faced.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western goes the series sweep in Topeka on Monday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Michaelis, Cunningham carry No. 24 Mizzou women past Tide 65-56

Posted on February 26, 2017

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Sierra Michaelis scored 22 points and Sophie Cunningham had 20, combing for 18 of Missouri’s 23 fourth-quarter points to rally the No. 24 Tigers to a 65-56 win over Alabama in the regular-season finale on Sunday.

Michaelis hit a 3-pointer and Cunningham scored the next five to close out the third quarter, cutting Missouri’s deficit to 44-42. Amber Smith tied the game eight seconds into the fourth quarter and Cunningham put the Tigers ahead for good with a 3 to cap the 13-0 run.

Lindsey Cunningham had a free throw and Smith another bucket but in the final five minutes, Michaelis had two 3s and eight points and Sophie Cunningham a 3 and a pair of free throws.

Missouri (21-9, 11-5 SEC), won its fifth straight and 10 of 12, and reached 11 league wins for the first time since 1990 with back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time 30 years.

Quanetria Bolton had 13 points and Jordan Lewis 12 for Alabama (17-12, 5-11).

— Associated Press —

Northwest baseball gets swept by Northeastern State

Posted on February 26, 2017

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team fell to Northeastern State, 6-3,on Sunday at Rousey Field in Tahlequah, Okla.

– The Bearcats are now 8-5 on the year and 0-3 in conference while the RiverHawks improve to 8-3 overall and 3-0 in MIAA play.

– Ozzie Adams went 3-for-4 on the day with a walk.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats scored two runs in the third and one in the eighth. Northeastern State got one run in the first, three in the fifth, one in the sixth and one in the eighth.

– Northwest had three runs on six hits while the RiverHawks had six runs on eight hits. Both teams committed three errors each.

– Alixon Herrera was 1-for-5 on the day with an RBI in the third.

– Luke Hassman was 1-for-3 with a homerun in the third.

– Landon Figg went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI on a sacrifice fly.

– Logan Rycraft and Kolby Greenslade each scored runs after reached on walks

– Quintin Van Ackeren, Jimmy McElwain and Austin Battaglia each worked scoreless innings in relief. Logan Moose pitched the fourth inning, allowing just one run.

Key Northwest Innings
– Hassman led off the third with a home run to left center. Rycraft was then able to reach on an error by the shortstop. A couple batters later, Rycraft came around to score on a Herrera single.

– In th eighth, Greenslade led off the inning with a walk and went to third after Kevin Handzlik reached safely on an error by the third baseman. A Figg sacrifice fly would score Greenslade in the next at bat.

Up Next
-Northwest will host Lindenwood on Friday, March 3, at 2 p.m. in the 2017 home opener. The three-game series will also feature a 2 p.m. Saturday contest and a 1 p.m. Sunday game.
— Northwest Athletics —

MU baseball tops Illinois to win Kleberg Bank Classic

Posted on February 26, 2017

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Mizzou Baseball won the Kleberg Bank College Classic after defeating Illinois, 7-6, on Sunday at Whataburger Field, extending the team’s winning streak to seven games. Mizzou has now won the Kleberg Bank Classic twice, doing so this year and in 2015, allowing just nine runs in six all-time games played at the event.

Freshman LHP T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) was tremendous on Sunday and in both appearances during the tournament. He earned his first career win after tossing the final 4.1 innings, allowing just three hits and no runs while matching his career high with eight strikeouts. Combined with his save Friday against No. 25 Houston, Sikkema tossed 7.0 shutout innings while striking out 11 and allowing just three hits and a walk on the tournament. He owns a 12.0-inning shutout streak and has struck out 19 batters in those 12.0 innings of work, allowing just seven hits.

Mizzou pounded out 11 hits, breaking the 10-hit mark for the sixth time in eight games this season. Mizzou also slugged five doubles Sunday and has at least three doubles in five straight games. CF Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) led Mizzou with three hits on Sunday, scoring two runs, and he has hit safely in every game this season.

Mizzou hit three doubles in the first inning and go a big, two-out, bases-loaded hit from junior C Nelson Mompierre (Miami, Fla.) to explode for four runs in the top of the first inning. Mompierre’s two-run single proved to be huge as Illinois took advantage of a fielding error and hit a three-run homer in its half of the first to cut the lead to 4-3.

Mizzou starter Liam Carter (Highland Park, Ill.) again got into trouble in the second inning, despite striking out the first batter he faced. He allowed a walk and a single as the lineup turned over and three-hole hitter Pat McInerney launched a three-run homer to give Illinois a 6-4 lead.

After Carter walked the first batter he faced in the third, Mizzou brought in RS sophomore Cameron Dulle (St. Louis, Mo.) who threw up a zero in the third. Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) nearly tied the game with a double in the fourth inning, but it was hauled in on a running catch in the gap by LF Jack Yalowitz to strand a pair. Dulle settled things down for Mizzou, pitching a shutout fourth inning.

Mizzou got a run in the fifth on a bases-loaded balk by reliever Zack Jones to cut the lead to 6-5. Dulle then ran into a little bit of trouble as he allowed back-to-back singles after getting the first out in the fifth. Bren Spillane tried to go from first to third on the second single of the inning, but Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) gunned him down at third with a perfect throw.

The Tigers finally broke through in the top of the sixth to regain the lead, scoring on a wild pitch and an error. Sikkema, who relieved Dulle, then pitched out of a tough spot in the sixth inning, stranding a pair with two strikeouts, leaving the tying run on second.

Sikkema was then sharp again in the eight, getting three quick outs and shut the door in the ninth, pitching around a leadoff single thanks to a huge, strike-out, throw-out double play, to seal the win.

Mizzou will return to Columbia for its home opener this Friday (March 3) at 6:30 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Nebraska gets clobbered at home by Illinois

Posted on February 26, 2017February 26, 2017

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Malcolm Hill scored 19 points and Illinois went on a 3-point shooting spree in the second half in a 73-57 victory over Nebraska on Sunday.

Tracy Abrams added 13 points and Maverick Morgan had 12 for the Illini (17-12, 7-9), who won their third straight road game and for the fourth time in five games overall.

Tai Webster had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists to lead the Cornhuskers (12-16, 6-10).

The Illini, who came into the game 12th in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting in conference games (32.9 percent) made seven of their first eight 3s of the second half to go up 61-44 with 9:15 to play. They finished 13 of 26 from beyond the arc.

The Huskers are last in the Big Ten in 3-point defense in conference games (41.3 percent).

Hill scored 14 of his 19 points after half. He and Abrams each made four 3-pointers.

Illinois led 30-28 at half, and Abrams and Hill hit a couple 3s during a 10-3 spurt that gave the Illini a seven-point lead. Jalen Coleman-Lands’ 3 pushed the lead to 47-37 with 13:41 to play, and the Huskers never got closer.

The Illini continued to play strong defense, holding the Huskers to 37.5-percent shooting from the field, 26.7 percent on 3s and their second-lowest point total. In the previous six games, Illinois opponents were shooting 39.7 percent overall, 32.5 percent on 3s and averaging 64.2 points.

BIG PICTURE

Illinois: The Illini won a third straight Big Ten game for the first time since the 2014-15 season and are now in sole possession of ninth place. The Illini need to finish 10th or higher to avoid a play-in game in the conference tournament.

Nebraska: The Huskers suffered their most lopsided home loss of the season and probably need to win at least one of their last two regular-season games to avoid a play-in game.

UP NEXT

Illinois hosts Michigan State on Wednesday.

Nebraska visits Minnesota on Thursday.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western women rally past Lions to earn MIAA Tournament bye

Posted on February 25, 2017

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western women’s basketball team (21-7, 13-6) came back from an eight-point deficit to defeat Lindenwood (12-15, 7-12) 64-56 Saturday and earn a bye in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.

A 16-0 Lindenwood run Missouri Western down 31-23 with 7:20 to go in the third quarter, but the Griffons answered with a 20-9 run to regain the lead and never relinquished it.

The Griffons will open the MIAA Tournament Friday, March 3 at 8:30 p.m. versus the winner of Northwest Missouri at Central Oklahoma. The Griffons earned the four-seed Saturday by virtue of their victory and Central Oklahoma’s loss at Emporia State.

NOTABLES
– The Griffons shot 62.5% from the field in the fourth quarter after shooting just 23.5% in both the second and third quarters

– Missouri Western out-scored Lindenwood 28-18 in the fourth quarter

– MWSU forced 28 Lindenwood turnovers

– The Grifffons scored 31 points off turnovers, to 11 for Lindenwood

– It was the final home game for seniors: Chelsea Dewey, Krystal Cohrn, Sefulu Faavae, Dwanisha Tate and Julia Torres

TOP PERFORMERS
– Julia Torres led all scorers with a career-high 25 points

– Dwanisha Tate had a team-high nine rebounds and added 10 points

– Chelsea Dewey had a team-high seven assists to go with her six points

– Sefulu Faavae led the Griffons with four steals and scored six points

UP NEXT
The Griffons await the winner of the Northwest Missouri State at Central Oklahoma game. Missouri Western will face the winner Friday night at 8:30 p.m. inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 3 Bearcats hammer Lincoln in regular season finale

Posted on February 25, 2017

By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The perfect way for Northwest Missouri State to start its final regular-season game at Bearcat Arena was to have a senior score the first points of the game.

Now it would show a lack of respect to say Northwest has played so well this season that it can write its script for every game. Lincoln University played with too much energy to allow the Bearcats to do whatever it wanted.

But Northwest is having a special 2016-17 season and that means memorable moments happen. Once again, a feel-good moment occurred Saturday afternoon. The game started with senior Zach Schneider, one of the most decorated three-point shooters in MIAA history, knocking down a corner trey.

“It was pretty cool,” said Schneider, who finished with 17 points. “I have done it a couple of times in my career. Hopefully, I will get three more chances to do it. It was awesome.”

Schneider’s three-pointer set a tone for the game. Northwest made 11 three-pointers

The second one came from junior Chris-Ebou Ndow, which staked the Bearcats to a quick six-point lead. Northwest rode that early advantage to a 14-point halftime lead and eventually an 82-53 victory.

“We are riding the wave right now,” said senior D’Vante Mosby, who scored 12 points. “We want to see how far we can take this. We obviously have big goals. Hopefully, we have more big games ahead.”

Northwest, ranked No. 3 in the NABC top 25, improved to 26-1 overall and an impressive 18-1 in the MIAA. The Bearcats finished five games ahead of the second-place team.

Next for the Bearcats is the MIAA Tournament. Northwest, the defending conference champion, will play its quarterfinal game 6 p.m. Thursday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

“We are really looking forward to the tournament,” said senior Anthony Woods, who had five assists and five points. “We are ready to get back at it in practice. “We are focused and ready to go.”

Lincoln, playing without conference leading scorer Anthony Virdure, still gave a scrappy effort against Northwest. Twenty-three days ago, Virdure scored 50 points against Northwest in a five-point loss.

Without Virdure and a quick start by Northwest, signs pointed to an easy blowout win for the Bearcats. But after building its first double-digit lead at 18-8 on a three-pointer by Schneider, Northwest was unable to increase its advantage.

In fact, Lincoln buckled down and closed to 22-19 and even tossed up a potential game-tying three-pointer that didn’t fall.

Northwest refocused and changed the momentum when Ndow knocked down a three-pointer to push the lead back to six. After a basket by Lincoln, Northwest scored the next six points for a 31-21 lead.

Lincoln, though, didn’t wilt and that was good for Northwest because in postseason, no teams quit. The Blue Tigers closed to 32-27.

The Bearcats revved up their engine one more time and scored the final nine points in the first half for a 41-27 halftime lead.

“We did a good job of picking up our energy after the first 10-minute stretch, which I think was the biggest thing,” Schneider said. “Being able to turn it around after a bad start is important because if you have a bad start in postseason, you are going to need to turn it around really quick.”

Northwest started the second half in the same fashion as it started the game. Freshman Ryan Welty knocked down a three-pointer followed by another three-pointer from Justin Pitts, which extended Northwest’s lead to 47-27.

Lincoln put a little dent in the 20-point deficit and closed to 51-34. Northwest wiped that away on a three-pointer by Schneider. A minute later, Pitts made a circus-style layup.

Basically, in the final 12 minutes, the Bearcats entertained the 1.435 fans who showed up to watch Northwest’s trademark team basketball. Northwest showed everybody it is now ready for postseason after a truly remarkable regular season.

With a commanding lead in the final 5 minutes, McCollum was able to take each senior out individually so they were able to soak up the applause from an appreciative fan base.

— Northwest Athletics —

Griffons lose another heartbreaker in season finale against Lindenwood

Posted on February 25, 2017February 25, 2017

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team lost its season finale Saturday inside the MWSU Fieldhouse 67-65 to Lindenwood. The Griffons lost their final nine games of the season as they finish 7-21 and 3-16 in the MIAA.

NOTABLES
– MWSU went on a 7-0 run to take a 65-64 lead with nine seconds left but Lindenwood’s Jackson Price hit a three-pointer with just 3.5 seconds remaining to clinch the win

– The Griffons shot 62.5 percent from the three-point line in the second half

– Missouri Western went a perfect 8-8 at the free-throw stripe

– The Lions won the rebounding margin 33-31

– LWU shot 40.9 percent from the three-point arc after going just 1-11 in the first half

TOP PERFORMERS
– Cole Clearman netted 16 points and went 6-9 from the field

– Aaron Emmanuel finished his final game as a Griffon with 15 points and five rebounds

– Lindenwood’s Chandler Diekvoss scored 23 points with eight rebounds and four blocks

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri comes up short at Ole Miss 80-77

Posted on February 25, 2017February 25, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s fighting for an outside chance to make the NCAA Tournament. Missouri is just trying to stay out of the Southeastern Conference basement.

But a mismatch on paper proved to be a close game in real life.

Deandre Burnett scored 28 points and freshman Breein Tyree added 15 as Ole Miss slipped past Missouri 80-77 on Saturday. The outcome was in doubt until the final seconds: The Tigers missed two 3-point shots in their final possession that would have forced overtime.

It’s the second straight close win for the Rebels, who beat rival Mississippi State in overtime on Tuesday. Ole Miss has won six of its past eight games and several of the victories have been close.

“I’m used to them,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. “Our margin for error is just too small. Typically, if it’s a blowout it’s not going to be good for us. So, I want them close. We’ve lived in this world all year and if we’re going to have success, we’re going to have to live there the remainder of the regular season and going into the (SEC) tournament.”

The Rebels (18-11, 9-7 SEC) had chances to pull away from Missouri, but the Tigers (7-21, 2-14) managed to hang around, shooting 20 of 35 (57.1 percent) from the floor in the second half. Missouri, who is one of the nation’s worst teams from 3-point range, shot a respectable 10 of 30 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc on Saturday.

Freshman guard Frankie Hughes led Missouri with 22 points off the bench while junior forward Jordan Barnett added 14. It was the Tigers’ 34th straight loss on the road.

“I was real proud of our guys for fighting back,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “There were a couple times we were down double digits and we got some great, great play off our bench. All year we kind of struggled being consistent and tonight was no exception. . We had a chance to win and things just didn’t go our way at the end.”

Ole Miss forward Sebastian Saiz — who leads the SEC with 18 double-doubles this season — had no points or rebounds in the first half. But the 6-foot-9 senior bounced back in the second half with 10 points and seven boards. Three of those points came at a crucial time as he hit his second 3-pointer of the game with 2:42 left to put the Rebels back in front, 74-72.
“(Saiz) hits a huge 3 and we all know how he’s struggled from 3 in the SEC, so I thought it was a huge 3 for him,” Kennedy said.

BIG PICTURE

Mississippi: It was a must-win for the Rebels, who are fighting for a postseason berth. The NCAA Tournament is a long shot, but Ole Miss has a chance to help its case during the final week of the regular season with upcoming games against Alabama and South Carolina.

Missouri: The Tigers continued to show signs of improvement after losing by only 10 points to No. 11 Kentucky on Tuesday but still lost their fourth straight game.

UP NEXT

Mississippi: The Rebels travel to Alabama on Wednesday.

Missouri: The Tigers host Texas A&M on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —