College – Page 316 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Griffon baseball uses late rally to stun Pittsburg State

Posted on March 10, 2016

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Missouri Western baseball team beat Pittsburg State 7-6 on Thursday afternoon. The Griffons stunned Pitt State in the first game of the series with a seven-run inning in the bottom of the eighth to pull out the victory.

Missouri Western’s late rally came in the bottom of the eighth inning when Nick Gawley started the inning off with a single to third base. Jeremy Alvarado reached on a fielder’s choice and error by the first basemen. Brandon Downs continued the rally as he singled to center field, loading the bases for Alex Heuring. Heuring was able to reach on the second error of the inning to score Gawley from third.

The Griffons then drew consecutive walks to push the score to 6-3 in favor of the Gorillas. Senior David Glaude came to the plate with the bases loaded and delivered a double to left center to bring home three-runs and even the score at 6-6. Glaude was eventually moved to third and scored on a wild pitch, giving the Griffons a 7-6 lead.

Missouri Western allowed the Gorillas to gain an early lead giving up five runs in the first three innings. Weston Caindec was able to shut down the PSU offense. Caindec pitched 4.1 innings as he came in for relief in the third inning. He allowed just two hits and stuck out seven batters on the day. Preston Bailey came in to finish the game, picking up his second win of the year and striking out three batters.

The Griffons finished the day with seven different players scoring a run and seven different players getting a hit. Glaude, Gawley and Alvarado all contributed two-hits each in the game.

The Griffons and Gorillas will have a double-header on Friday afternoon starting at 2 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Ellis leads No. 1 Kansas to 85-63 rout of K-State in Big 12 Quarterfinals

Posted on March 10, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Not long ago, Kansas coach Bill Self had an official who calls games all over the country pay his team the ultimate compliment while simultaneously offering a somber warning.

“He said, `When you’re on, you’re as good as anybody,” Self recalled after watching his team dismantle Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament. “And when you’re off, you really fall off.”

The top-ranked Jayhawks were decidedly on in their 85-63 quarterfinal victory Thursday.

Perry Ellis scored 21 points and Frank Mason III added 16 as the regular-season champions built a 45-30 halftime lead, then quickly stretched the advantage past 20. Kansas coasted the rest of the way to a semifinal matchup Friday night with No. 22 Baylor, which handled No. 23 Texas earlier in the day.

“They played at a very, very high level,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said.

The eighth-seeded Wildcats (17-16) were led by Justin Edwards, who hit five 3s and had 23 points. But the senior guard didn’t get nearly as much help as he had in a first-round victory over Oklahoma State.

Wesley Iwundu and D.J. Johnson scored 10 apiece, but freshman forward Dean Wade — who had a career-high 20 against the Cowboys — was held to five points on 1-for-6 shooting. Fellow freshman Barry Brown was 1 of 8 from the field and managed only three points in 26 minutes.

“We came into the tournament and got a win right off the bat. Losing to the No. 1 team in the country, I don’t think that’s a bad loss in anyone’s book,” Edwards said.

Kansas State has never beaten Kansas in nine tries in the Big 12 Tournament.

The Jayhawks, potentially playing for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, certainly looked the part before a heavily pro-Kansas crowd. They shot 57 percent from the field, had the edge in rebounding, assists and steals, and protected the ball so well Kansas State never made much of a run.

The few times the Wildcats mounted a charge, Ellis or Mason was there to answer it.

The biggest highlight may have come when Ellis soared for an alley-oop pass and slammed it down midway through the second half, sending the crowd in Sprint Center buzzing and giving Kansas a 55-37 lead.

Edwards kept trying to shoot Kansas State back in the game, but the rest of the Wildcats looked spent from their game against the Cowboys down the stretch. Kansas merely had to protect the basketball in the final minutes to wrap up its 12th consecutive victory.

“There’s no doubt it’s a factor, we played a hard-fought game last night,” Weber said. “It just seemed like we were a step behind everything. They got into transition, got some layups, starting feeling good, and then started to make shots. It made it tough on us, no doubt.

NIT HOPES

The Wildcats were 11-2 outside the league, the lone losses to North Carolina and Texas A&M, and Weber hopes that’s enough to earn a spot in the NIT. “We had overtime losses, close losses — we just have to wait and see,” he said. “I hope for the senior’s sake, it would be a nice reward for them.”

CHEICK CHECK

Kansas forward Cheick Diallo did not play after needing five stitches in his mouth following an incident in practice Wednesday. Diallo, a five-star recruit, has struggled to earn minutes behind the Jayhawks’ bevy of veteran forwards. He hasn’t scored more than two points in a game since January.

TIP-INS

Kansas State: Edwards also had 10 rebounds. … The Wildcats shot 38 percent, including 6 of 18 from beyond the arc. … The last time the teams met in the Big 12 Tournament was the 2013 finals.

Kansas: Carlton Bragg had a career-high 12 points. Devonte Graham had 11. Wayne Selden Jr. was held to five points on 1-for-6 shooting. … The Jayhawks improved to 19-1 in their opening game of the conference tournament. … Kansas swept the season series from Kansas State.

UP NEXT

Kansas State waits to hear if it is playing in the NIT.

Kansas plays the No. 22 Bears in Friday night’s semifinals.

— Associated Press —

K-State holds on to defeat Oklahoma State in Big 12 Tournament opener

Posted on March 9, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas State looked like a team playing without any pressure in the Big 12 tournament Wednesday night.

Maybe because that’s the way the Wildcats have chosen to approach it.

They know that they’ll need to win four games in four days to make the NCAA Tournament, and they are unlikely to be favored the rest of the way. But they at least got the first one out of the way, holding on after building a big early lead to beat Oklahoma State 75-71 in the opening round.

“There should be no pressure on us,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. “We just have to come and play and enjoy the opportunity. That’s what we’ve talked about.”

Freshman forward Dean Wade took advantage of his opportunity, scoring a career-best 20 points. Justin Edwards added 17 and Wesley Iwundu had 14 for the eighth-seeded Wildcats (17-15), who will play top-ranked Kansas — the tournament’s No. 1 seed — in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

“It is definitely going to be challenging, the No. 1 team in the country,” Edwards said. “Like coach said, we have to go back to the hotel, get rested and hopefully be energized for tomorrow.”

Jeffrey Carroll and Joe Burton scored 13 points apiece for No. 9 seed Oklahoma State, which lost its 20th game for the first time since the 1971-72 season. And that could create an uncomfortable few days for coach Travis Ford, who still has three years and $7.2 million remaining on his 10-year contract.

The pressure has been mounting on Ford all season, despite a rash of injuries — including season-enders to star guard Phil Forte and standout freshman Jawun Evans — that robbed him of his intended lineup.

“People have asked me about it, and they don’t understand the life I live,” Ford said. “They are not around me enough to know my mindset of how I work. I immerse myself into trying to figure out how to help this team every way possible, and you know, I haven’t really — you know, I put everything I could in trying to figure out how to beat K-State. And now I am thinking about what I could have done differently.”

Tyree Griffin scored 11 points and Leyton Hammonds had 10 for the Cowboys, who lost in the first round of the tournament for the first time to finish the season with seven consecutive defeats.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats wiped away the memory of a loss to TCU as the No. 8 seed a year ago.

Kansas State jumped on the Cowboys right from the start Wednesday night, using a 10-0 run and a 9-0 run minutes apart to build a double-digit lead. It eventually swelled to as many as 18 points when Iwundu knocked down a jumper and then hit a pair of foul shots in the closing minutes of the first half.

Kansas State still led 40-23 at the break.

The Cowboys, who began the game 4 for 15 from the field, scored on their first six possessions of the second half to chip into the lead. But once their offense got going, their defense collapsed, and the Wildcats were able to match them shot-for-shot for several minutes to keep them at bay.

It was still 67-59 with just over two minutes left when Kansas State forward Stephen Hurt knocked down a baseline jumper. Anthony Allen rattled the rim with a dunk at the other end, but Iwundu went coasting to the rim and was fouled, making the first of two free throws for some breathing room.

It came in handy when Hammonds hit a 3-pointer to make it 70-64 with 1:24 remaining.

The Wildcats struggled to put the game away from the foul line with Iwundu and Brian Rohleder each missing a pair. But after a basket by Tyree Griffin made it 73-68 with 21 seconds left, Barry Brown was able to convert the first of two free throws to help seal the win.

“Now it’s all about getting rest, getting good preparation,” Iwundu said, “and coming to fight the hardest tomorrow to make it a good game and hopefully come out with the win.”

—

TIP-INS

Oklahoma State: Jeff Newberry was held to six points on 3-for-9 shooting. … The Cowboys’ last victory was against Kansas State in overtime on Feb. 13. … Oklahoma State shot just 35 percent from the field.

Kansas State: Iwundu also had four assists and Wade had six rebounds. … The Wildcats came into the tournament having lost four of their last five. … D.J. Johnson had nine points before fouling out.

SUPPORT FOR FORD

“We’ve been through a lot of adversity,” Griffin said, “and he’s just trying to lift us up, like every single time. He’s never been negative to us. We’ve never been negative toward our teammates. We just try to go out there and finish each game and play strong every night.”

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State begins recuperating in the offseason.

Kansas State plays the Jayhawks in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

— Associated Press —

Northwest tennis teams each fall to Missouri-Kansas City

Posted on March 9, 2016

The Northwest Missouri State University men’s and women’s tennis teams each fell to Division I member UMKC, 5-2, on Wednesday afternoon at the Plaza Tennis Courts in Kansas City, Mo.

The men fall to 3-1 while the women are now 2-2 on the year. The UMKC men improved to 7-6 and the women are now 4-8 overall.

The Bearcat women got off to a very strong start, winning the doubles point. Lorena Rivas Jarolim and Kaja Emersic won 6-3 at the No. 1 position while Aniek Kolen and Margaux Jacquet won at No. 2, 6-3.

The Northwest men got wins at No. 5 singles from Fin Glowick in three sets and Aymeric Autones at No. 6 singles.

Andrea Gallardo won at No. 6 singles for the women, battling back to win in three after dropping the first set.

The match was played using Division I rules with doubles counting as one point.

Match Results
Men’s Matches (UMKC 5, Northwest 2)
1. Castellano,Airam (UMKC) def. Boissinot,Romain (NW) 6-2, 6-7, 6-0
2. Smirnov,Andrey (UMKC) def. Riveros,Alvaro (NW) 6-4, 6-2
3. Gaismins,Uldis (UMKC) def. Fontcuberta,Sergi (NW) 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7-5)
4. Psarros,Mike (UMKC) def. Tete,Mauro (NW) 6-3, 6-1
5. Glowick,Fin (NW) def. Pham,Vinh (UMKC) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
6. Autones,Aymeric (NW) def. Navette,Amaury (UMKC) 6-3, 6-1

1. Castellano,Airam/Psarros,Mike (UMKC) def. Riveros,Alvaro/Fontcuberta,Sergi (NW) 6-4
2. Navette,Amaury/Gaismins,Uldis (UMKC) def. Boissinot,Romain/Autones,Aymeric (NW) 6-2
3. Smirnov,Andrey/Pham,Vinh (UMKC) def. Tete,Mauro/Altmann,Josef (NW) 6-5 (10-8)

Women’s Matches (UMKC 5, Northwest 2)
1. Stavrianakou,Dimitra (UMKC) def. Jarolim,Lorena Rivas (NW) 6-3, 6-2
2. Johnson,Melinda (UMKC) def. Emersic,Kaja (NW) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
3. Kurasbediani,Mariam (UMKC) def. Kolen,Aniek (NW) 6-0, 3-6, 7-5
4. Albert,Marina (UMKC) def. Jacquet,Margaux (NW) 6-1, 6-3
5. Argenal,Raquel (UMKC) def. Sestokaite,Vilune (NW) 6-0, 7-5
6. Gallardo,Andrea (NW) def. Linda Ammar Mouhoub (UMKC) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4

1. Jarolim,Lorena Rivas/Emersic,Kaja (NW) def. Stavrianakou,Dimitra/Johnson,Melinda (UMKC) 6-3
2. Kolen,Aniek/Jacquet,Margaux (NW) def. Argenal,Raquel/Kurasbediani,Mariam (UMKC) 6-3
3. Albert,Marina/Linda Ammar Mouhoub (UMKC) def. Gallardo,Andrea/Dibbins,Rachel (NW) 6-2

The Northwest women head to Springfield, Mo., to take on Arkansas Tech at 9 a.m. on Friday, March 11. The Bearcat men and women are scheduled to host Lindenwood at 1 p.m. in the MIAA opener on Saturday, March 12, at the Frank Grube Courts.

— Northwest Athletics —

Mizzou’s Anderson gets vote of confidence from athletic director

Posted on March 9, 2016March 9, 2016

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri coach Kim Anderson has gotten a vote of confidence from athletic director Mack Rhoades.

Rhoades said Wednesday that he met with Anderson earlier in the week to share “expectations” for next season. Rhoades said Anderson got the job under difficult circumstances, with little talent left after Frank Haith left for Tulsa.

“No one is satisfied with the number of wins our team has earned in the past two seasons,” Rhoades said. “No one wants to win more than coach Anderson.”

Rhoades said he expected Anderson to serve as a “role model” for students.

Anderson said he looks forward to the challenge of putting the school back on the map. He is a former star player and Norm Stewart assistant at the school, which he said “holds a special place in my heart.”

Anderson said he and Rhoades have met several times in recent weeks.

“Mack understands the challenges we’ve faced and has been very supportive,” Anderson said.

Missouri was 10-21 this season, losing its last five in a row, and won just nine games in Anderson’s first season. The school also admitted to NCAA violations dating to 2011 and banned itself from the postseason this year along with vacating all 23 wins from the 2013-14 season.

“No one is more disappointed than me, but no one is more motivated to get this program competing at a high level again,” Anderson said. “Our goal remains to compete and to win at the highest level and to do so with integrity and class.”

— Associated Press —

Nebraska beats Rutgers 89-72 in Big Ten tournament

Posted on March 9, 2016March 9, 2016

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Shavon Shields and Nebraska turned up their defense just when it looked like Rutgers was gathering momentum.

The effort sparked a 17-2 run in which the Cornhuskers took control of the game and cruised to an 89-72 victory over the Scarlet Knights at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

“Getting stops was important,” Shields said. “When they only scored two points on a run like that you’re getting stops. I think we ran well in transition. Tai (Webster) kicked it out to me twice for easy scores. Just running in transition really sparked us on offense.”

It was the 11th-seeded Cornhuskers’ third victory over No. 14 seed Rutgers this season and ended their five-game losing streak. Nebraska’s last victory was at home against Penn State on Feb. 13.

Nebraska (15-17) will take on No. 6 seed Wisconsin Thursday in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. The two teams met just once during the regular season with the Badgers winning 72-61 in Madison.

Shields scored 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead the Cornhuskers. In that 17-2 run that put Nebraska up 60-45 with 9:51 to play, Shields had five points including a three-point play. Five different Nebraska players scored during that run.

Rutgers came to the Big Ten Tournament Wednesday having closed its season with its only conference win, March 5 against Minnesota.

With just under 17 minutes to play against Nebraska, it looked like the Scarlet Knights had a shot to make it two in a row. Corey Sanders’ 3-pointer pulled Rutgers even with the Cornhuskers and the Knights appeared to have momentum.

Rutgers (7-25) had 17 turnovers that led to 27 Nebraska points.

“You have to give credit to them,” Rutgers coach Eddie Jordan said. “Their guards got into Corey (Sanders) and Corey didn’t have his typical efficient game for us. And then we just didn’t execute some areas that we should have.”

Tai Webster had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He scored 12 in the first half as Nebraska led 37-33 at the break.

“Tai was really strong in the first half and we did need it because we were awful at the rim,” said Nebraska coach Tim Miles. “They didn’t give us anything clean at the rim and that’s the way it should have been if you want to advance.”

Andrew White III had 16 points, Michael Jacobsen scored 14 and Ed Morrow had all 10 of his points in the second half.

“They were putting two on the ball so somebody was going to run free,” Miles said. “(Jacobsen) was able to get to the rim. A lot of times the ball finds you. I thought he did a good job and I thought the guys delivered it, too.”

Mike Williams led Rutgers with 14, Bishop Daniels had 13 and Omari Grier added 12 for the Scarlet Knights.

TIP-INS

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers are now 2-4 in Big Ten tournament history and this was their first win ever in Indianapolis. Their only other Big Ten tournament victory came in 2013 when No. 10 seed Nebraska beat No. 7 Purdue 57-55 at the United Center. … Nebraska is 18-38 all-time in conference tournament games.

Rutgers: Rutgers finished the season 0-14 away from home. The Scarlet Knights were 0-11 in true road games and 0-3 on neutral sites. … Rutgers is 2-5 all-time against Nebraska.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers will face No. 6 seed Wisconsin in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights were eliminated from the Big Ten tournament with the loss.

— Associated Press —

Missouri baseball tops Alabama A&M 5-3

Posted on March 9, 2016March 9, 2016

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball [12-3] topped Alabama A&M [2-12], 5-3, thanks to a strong performance from RHP Ryan Lee [Grandview, Mo.], who earned his second win of the season. The Tigers took advantage of four two-out RBIs and got a pair of two-out RBI singles from freshman Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) to take an early 4-0 lead before holding on late. At 12-3, Mizzou is off to its best start since 2008.

Lee allowed three earned runs in a career-high 6.2 innings pitched. He also struck out a career-high four batters while allowing only one walk. The only Alabama A&M hitters to reach base in the first five innings reached on a walk, a bunt, and a hit batter.

Brumfield drove in two runners on a 2-4 performance from the plate. 1B Zach Lavy [Auxvasse, Mo.] also managed to drive in two, going 1-3 with a walk, and had a big two-out RBI single to plate a pair in the first inning.

Lee opened the game with an easy first inning, retiring the side on only nine pitches. The Tigers then got on the board with a two-RBI single from Lavy with two outs.

LF Johnny Balsamo [Kansas City, Mo.] got on base with a two-out walk in the second inning in his first D1 start. After stealing second, he was driven in on a single from Brumfield.

Following a hitless third inning for both teams, Lee surrendered his first hit of the game in the fourth on a well-placed bunt by Alabama A&M shortstop J.T. O’Reel. O’Reel was subsequently caught stealing second base. Brumfield then slapped a single up the middle to drive in Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) for his second RBI of the game in the bottom half of the inning.

Lee continued to dominate with a hitless fifth inning. After the Tigers failed to get on base against relief pitcher Allen Belue, Alabama A&M began to get to Lee in the sixth inning. With two outs, the Bulldogs tallied two singles, a double, and then another single to drive in two runs. To open the bottom of the sixth, Lavy and Harris were both hit by pitches from Bulldogs reliever Caleb Roberts, and then each moved up a base on a wild pitch. DH Brian Sharp [Liberty, Mo.] drove in Lavy on a groundout to second to extend the lead to 5-2.

After striking out the opening two batters of the seventh, Lee allowed two singles. RHP Cole Bartlett [Williamsburg, Ind.] entered the game in relief. O’Reel’s third single of the day drove in a run before Bartlett was able to get Ramsey to ground out to first.

Despite allowing no hits in the eighth, Alabama A&M managed to load the bases because of fielding errors. Sharp came in to relieve Bartlett with two outs and managed to finish the inning without allowing any runs to cross the plate. Bulldogs pitcher Josh Burchell cruised through the bottom of the eighth with a 1-2-3 inning.

Sharp closed the game out without allowing a baserunner to earn his third save of the season for the Tigers.

Mizzou will continue its home stand this weekend when they host Youngstown State for a three-game series. The first game will begin on Friday, March 11 at 6 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Kansas’ Selden named a finalist for Erving Award

Posted on March 9, 2016March 9, 2016

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Kansas junior guard Wayne Selden Jr., has been named one of five finalists for the 2016 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.

Joining Selden as finalists are Brandon Ingram (Duke), Ben Simmons (LSU), Denzel Valentine (Michigan State) and DeAndre Bembry (Saint Joseph’s).

The winner of the 2016 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Fans are encouraged to visit HoophallAwards.com to cast their votes from March 11-25.

Selden has started all but one game of Kansas in his three-year KU career missing only the 2016 Senior Day. The Roxbury, Massachusetts native averages 13.4 scoring for the top-ranked Jayhawks, which is ninth in the Big 12. A 2016 All-Big 12 Second Team selection, Selden has five 20-point efforts this season and Kansas’ current 11-game winning streak began when Selden scored a career-high 33-points against Kentucky on Jan. 30 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Selden makes 2.1 3-pointers per game, which is third in the league and his 41.8 3-point field goal percentage is sixth in the conference. Selden has made multiple 3-pointers in 16 games this season.

Named after Hall of Famer and 11-time NBA All-Star Julius Erving, the annual honor in its second year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel narrowed the original watch list of 20 candidates down to 10 and now the final five.

The winner of the 2016 Julius Erving Award will be awarded at ESPN’s College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s from Club Nokia in Los Angeles on Friday, April 8, 2016. The Awards will be televised live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. CST.

No. 1/1 Kansas (27-4, 15-3) won its unprecedented 12th-straight Big 12 regular-season championship in 2015-16. It was KU’s 16th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 59th overall conference regular-season title. Kansas will next play in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, March 9-12, at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. As the No. 1 seed, Kansas will play its first game on Thursday, March 10 at 1:30 p.m. (Central), on ESPN2. KU will face No. 8 Kansas State. Kansas has won 13 conference postseason tournament titles, including nine in the Big 12 era.

— KU Athletics —

MWSU’s Smith named MIAA Pitcher of the Week

Posted on March 9, 2016

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western softball pitcher Janie Smith has been awarded for an outstanding weekend. The senior was named the MIAA/AstroTurf Pitcher of the Week.

Smith figured into three of the Griffons’ four wins over the weekend, pitching 19 innings in doubleheader sweeps of Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma. On Friday, the senior pitched 10 shutout innings as Missouri Western defeated Northeastern State 1-0. Smith went 2-0 on the weekend and earned a save, allowing 16 hits and two earned runs for a 0.95 ERA. She struck out 11 batters, walked six and allowed 16 hits in those 19 innings of work.

The Griffons are 14-6 overall and 4-0 in MIAA play, sitting atop the MIAA standings after the first week of conference play. Missouri Western travels to Central Missouri this Friday and Southwest Baptist on Saturday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri’s Puryear named to SEC All-Freshman team

Posted on March 8, 2016March 9, 2016

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mizzou Men’s Basketball freshman forward Kevin Puryear (Blue Springs, Mo.) was named to the 2016 Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team, announced Tuesday by the league office. Puryear put together a standout debut season for the Tigers, compiling 355 points (11.5 average) to rank sixth on Mizzou’s all-time freshman scoring chart.

Puryear posted double-figure point totals in 21-of-31 games, starting all of Mizzou’s contests during his initial collegiate campaign. The Blue Springs South product averaged 11.2 points per game in SEC action, posting two of his three 20-point games in league play.

“It’s a complete honor, especially considering the other freshmen around the conference,” Puryear said. “I’m most happy to bring this recognition to Mizzou, my school. It certainly means a lot to me individually, but nothing would be possible without my teammates. We’re excited for next season and the preparation begins immediately.”

Puryear scored 22 points at Alabama (Feb. 6), shooting a season-high 9-of-17 from the field and grabbing six rebounds. He followed that with a season-high 23 points at Arkansas (Feb. 20), hitting a season-best 10-of-11 free throw attempts.

The season-opening win over Wofford (Nov. 13) was a sign of things to come for Puryear, as he scored 20 points in his collegiate debut. He made 8-of-14 from the field (1-of-3 3PT, 3-of-4 FT).

Puryear recorded the first double-double of his career during conference play, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the 76-61 win over Auburn (Jan. 9).

“We’re really proud of Kevin, because his focus and work ethic have been great examples for his teammates to follow,” head coach Kim Anderson said. “Knowing Kevin, he will not see this as an award as much as he sees it as further motivation to continue improving. He’s ready for next season to start now.”

A significant part of Puryear’s game was especially exemplary, as he finished the season ranked third in free throw percentage in league games, hitting on 87.1 percent (61-of-70). The top freshman foul shooter in the conference, Puryear converted 83.6 percent (102-of-122) of his overall free throw attempts to rank fifth in the SEC.

Voted on by the league’s coaches since 2000, Puryear is Mizzou’s first-ever SEC All-Freshman Team selection and is the program’s first conference postseason honoree since the 2013-14 season.

— MU Athletics —