College – Page 325 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Kansas State women handle Texas Tech 65-53

Posted on February 21, 2016February 21, 2016

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State used a balanced offensive effort and strong defense in the first three quarters to down Texas Tech on Sunday, 65-53, in Bramlage Coliseum.

A 23-8 run spanning the first and second quarters by Kansas State (17-9, 7-8 Big 12) provided the necessary cushion to send the Wildcats to their 13th home win of the season.

K-State had 11 of its 12 players that saw the floor register at least one point, led by junior center and All-American candidate Breanna Lewis with 14 points, six rebounds and two steals. Senior guard Megan Deines added 11 points and four assists to her final line.

K-State dashed out to a 12-5 lead with 4:50 remaining in the first quarter, as Kindred Wesemann knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the first minute and a half to spark the Wildcats.

After taking a 6-5 lead, K-State used a 14-5 run to end the first quarter to hold a 20-10 lead at the end of the first frame. Lewis scored all eight of her first quarter points during the run, while Megan Deines added four.

The Wildcats used a 9-0 run in the second quarter to construct a 29-13 lead with 5:35 to play. Lewis tallied four points in the run, while Kaylee Page knocked down a 3-pointer in transition.

The Lady Raiders (11-15, 2-13 Big 12) narrowed the game to nine, 29-20, as Zuri Sanders scored four points during a 6-0 run.

K-State ended the half on a 7-2 run, as Wesemann drained her third 3-pointer of the day and Shaelyn Martin and Deines each converted a layup to push the halftime lead to 36-22.

A 17-6 run by K-State in the third quarter increased the Wildcats’ lead to 25, 55-30, with a minute remaining. Jessica Sheble powered in a pair of layups, while Deines and Kelly Thomson each made three-pointers during the run. Sheble finished with six points to lead K-State’s bench scoring.

K-State went scoreless for almost four minutes to begin the fourth quarter, but Texas Tech was only able to trim the deficit to 18, 55-37, with 6:23 to play.

The Lady Raiders would outscore the Wildcats, 20-10, in the final stanza. Texas Tech tallied 16 points in the final 3:52 of the contest to cut K-State’s margin of victory to 12, 65-53.

K-State will travel to Iowa State on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

— KSU Athletics —

No. 7 Griffons hold off Northwest for sixth consecutive win

Posted on February 20, 2016

MARYVIILLE, Mo. – The seventh-ranked Missouri Western Women’s basketball team matched a program-high 24 regular season wins with a tough, 66-59 victory at Northwest Missouri State.

The Griffons withstood a late push by Northwest Missouri to improve on their record MIAA win total (18). Missouri Western led by 16 with 6:07 left in the third quarter, but Northwest was able toc chip at the lead, getting withing five with 26 seconds left. The Griffons iced it with two free throws from Sarafina Handy. A 12-2 run by Missouri Western to end the first half helped the Griffons take a 38-28 lead to halftime that quickly ballooned to the 16-point lead that was the largest of the game for Missouri Western.

Mhykeah Baez led the Griffons with a career-high 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. LaQuinta Jefferson finished with 16 points and a team-high four assists. Miliakere Koyamainavure finished with 12 points.

The win improved Missouri Western’s record to 24-2 overall and 18-2 in the MIAA. One more win would set a new program record for regular season wins. Missouri Western wraps the regular season next week with home games against Washburn and Central Missouri.

Missouri Western men fall on the road at No. 19 Bearcats

Posted on February 20, 2016February 20, 2016

MARYVIILLE, Mo. – A barrage of Northwest Missouri State three pointers in the second half slammed the door on a threat by the Missouri Western men’s basketball team in a 75-56 loss inside Bearcat Arena Saturday.

The Griffons trailed by just one with 14:17 to go in the second half when the 19th-ranked Bearcats got red hot from behind the arc. Northwest went on a 17-4 run that included five straight made threes to go up 56-42 with 9:47 left and never looked back.

On the day, Northwest shot 13-24 from three-point range and limited Missouri Western to two made threes on 14 attempts. The Griffons nearly matched Northwest from the field, shooting 47.8 percent to the Bearcats’ 55.3, and both teams were 10-14 at the free throw line.

Aaron Emmanuel finished with a team-high 16 points. Miles Wentzien finished with 11 and Kevin Thomas had 10 points. The loss dropped Missouri Western to 9-16 on the year, overall, and 7-12 in the MIAA. The loss sets up two important home games next week for Missouri Western’s MIAA Tournament hopes. The Griffons host Washburn on Feb. 24 and Central Missouri on Feb. 27.

— MWSU Athletics —

Mizzou’s two-game win streak ends with loss at Arkansas

Posted on February 20, 2016February 20, 2016

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Jabril Durham claimed the bulk of the responsibility for Arkansas’ disheartening loss to Auburn on Wednesday, a game in which his defensive gamble led to a crushing late 3-pointer.

The Razorbacks point guard channeled any leftover frustration from that loss into a career-best effort on Saturday night, an 84-72 victory over Missouri.

Durham scored a career-high 17 points in the second victory over the Tigers this season for Arkansas (13-14, 6-8 Southeastern Conference), but it was his early energy and otherwise all-around performance that set the tone more than his scoring outburst.

The senior added six assists and two steals, and he hit a pair of early 3-pointers while scoring nine of the Razorbacks’ first 14 points as they built a 17-point first-half lead and never trailed in ending a three-game losing streak.

“It feels great, just coming back and that my teammates still had confidence in me from the get-go” Durham said. “As a point guard, you put a lot of pressure on yourself when you lose and you take that to heart, so it was a great feeling to come out here today and get this (win).”

While Durham set the tone, he had plenty of help in the form of 22 points from Dusty Hannahs and a 15-point, 12-rebound effort from Moses Kingsley — the 13th double-double for the center this season.

Arkansas struggled defensively in its loss to Auburn on Wednesday, allowing the Tigers to shoot a season-high 61.1 percent and hit 15 3-pointers.

The Razorbacks were back to their usual harassing defensive ways on Saturday, with Durham — who was distraught after the Auburn loss — leading the way while diving on the floor for loose balls, crashing into opposing players and leaping out of bounds in attempts to keep possession.

It was exactly the kind of effort Arkansas coach Mike Anderson was looking for after the poor showing against Auburn.

“I thought (Durham) was big,” Anderson said. “He’s a senior, and obviously, these are his last days … He set the tone for us.”

Kevin Puryear scored 23 points to lead Missouri (10-17, 3-11), which had its two-game winning streak snapped. Ryan Rosburg added 11 points for the Tigers, while Namon Wright had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

The Tigers have now lost 24 straight road games, with their last victory away from home coming two years ago in Fayetteville.

Missouri trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half, but it opened the second on a 9-2 run and cut the Arkansas lead to 45-39 after a 3-pointer by Puryear.

However, Kingsley started a 9-2 Razorbacks’ run with a basket inside and Arkansas never led by fewer than eight points the rest of the game.

“Physically, we couldn’t match up with Kingsley,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “Certainly, he was a monster on the inside … I thought we fought until the end.”

Arkansas shot 62.7 percent from the field while handing Missouri the worst loss in the 11-year history of Mizzou Arena on Jan. 12, a 33-point victory for the Razorbacks.

They continued their one-sided domination of the Tigers throughout the first half on Saturday, leading by as many as 17 points before settling for a 43-30 halftime lead and keeping control in the second half of the much-needed victory.

TIP INS

Missouri: Puryear’s 23 points were a career high, topping the freshman’s 22 in a loss at Alabama on Feb. 6. Wright’s 12-rebound effort was also a career best, with his previous best of nine coming against Mississippi State earlier this season.

Arkansas: Former Razorbacks coach Eddie Sutton was at Saturday’s game and had a banner unveiled in his name in Bud Walton Arena at halftime. Sutton, 79, coached at Arkansas for 11 seasons from 1974-85, leading the school to 260 wins and the 1978 Final Four.

KING MOSES

Kingsley’s now has 13 double-doubles on the season, joining LSU’s Ben Simmons as the only two players in the SEC with more than 12 such efforts on the season. The junior, who backed up SEC Player of the Year Bobby Portis a season ago, only had one double-double in his career entering the season.

UP NEXT

Missouri is at Mississippi on Tuesday.

Arkansas hosts LSU on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

No. 2 Kansas nearly blows 17-point lead, escapes K-State with 72-63 win

Posted on February 20, 2016February 20, 2016

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Second-ranked Kansas had to show plenty of fight to hold off Kansas State on Saturday.

Perry Ellis has the wounds to prove it.

The Jayhawks’ leading scorer missed a long stretch in the second half with a gouge behind his right ear that required 12 stitches. Then, Ellis got scratched in the eye by teammate Wayne Selden Jr. during a flurry with the game in the balance, sending the senior forward to the bench once again.

Kansas wound up getting just enough from everyone else down the stretch for a 72-63 victory.

“We knew once we lost Perry, we had to come together as a team, do some things differently,” point guard Frank Mason III said, “and the guys off the bench did a good job of coming in and making plays.”

Ellis still managed 14 points, and Mason had 15 as the Jayhawks (23-4, 11-3 Big 12) squandered most of a 17-point second-half lead before holding on for their first win at Kansas State in three years.

Stephen Hurt and Barry Brown scored 13 points apiece for the Wildcats (15-12, 4-10), who got within 65-62 with less than 2 minutes to go. But that’s when Devonte Graham hit his first field goal after five straight misses, and the Jayhawks pulled away from the foul line to secure the victory.

“They’re so unselfish and they play together,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “They have a lot of guys who can make plays, and when you have guys coming off the bench, that makes a big difference.”

After third-ranked Oklahoma beat No. 10 West Virginia earlier in the day, Kansas has a two-game lead over the Sooners, Mountaineers and No. 25 Baylor with four games left in the conference race.

The Jayhawks have won at least a share of 11 consecutive Big 12 championships.

“We’re in decent position,” Mason said, “but we’re not satisfied with the team we are right now.”

The Jayhawks trailed 25-21 before going on a 12-0 run to take control, and Ellis scored at the rim in the closing seconds of the first half to give the defending Big 12 champions a 39-29 lead.

The story of the first half wasn’t the score, though. It was the fouls.

The teams combined for 21 of them, resulting in a disjointed 20 minutes that lacked any sort of rhythm. Kansas State had a trio of players with two fouls apiece, and Austin Budke had three, while the Jayhawks paraded to the foul line 19 times — yep, nearly once per minute.

Weber was probably hoarse by the time he reached the locker room.

The Jayhawks stretched the lead to 52-35 early in the second half, and still led 55-41 when Ellis was banged under the rim and blood began pouring from a cut behind his right ear. The Jayhawks’ leading scorer spent the next 6 minutes getting treatment for it in the locker room.

“The serious deal is Wayne scratched him in the eye,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We’ll go back and have an eye doctor look at it. If it’s a scratch, he’ll be OK, but we just don’t know.”

Kansas State took advantage of Ellis’ absence, pounding the ball to Hurt and D.J. Johnson in the paint. The duo combined to score 16 consecutive points for the Wildcats, and the 6-foot-11 Hurt’s third 3-pointer got Bramlage Coliseum rocking and made it 62-58 with 4 minutes left.

But the Wildcats couldn’t make a stop when they needed it down the stretch.

“It was great to have the crowd behind us,” Hurt said. “I just wish we could have gotten the win.”

CLOSE CALLS

Kansas State has lost eight games by 10 points or fewer, including double-overtime defeats against West Virginia and Baylor. “When we spot teams a lot of points, it’s hard to come back,” senior guard Justin Edwards said.

TIP-INS

Kansas: Landen Lucas and Jamari Traylor fouled out in the final minutes. … Mason reached the 1,000-point mark for his career. … The Jayhawks wound up shooting 30 free throws.

Kansas State: Johnson and Edwards scored 11 points apiece. … Johnson was 9 of 10 from the foul line. … Kansas State has not won three straight over Kansas at home since 1981-83.

UP NEXT

Kansas visits No. 25 Baylor on Tuesday night.

Kansas State plays No. 24 Texas on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska loses at home to Ohio State in OT

Posted on February 20, 2016February 20, 2016

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Ohio State gutted one out against Nebraska.

The Buckeyes’ shots weren’t falling, and they let a double-digit lead evaporate in the second half. A loss to the struggling Cornhuskers would have been devastating to their NCAA Tournament hopes.

JaQuan Lyle wouldn’t let that happen, scoring all 19 of his points after halftime, including six in overtime to carry Ohio State to a 65-62 victory Saturday night.

“A month ago we probably would have shut down and they would have won the game in regulation,” Lyle said. “We didn’t do that today. We kept fighting, got to overtime and pulled the game out for a big win.”

Lyle’s layup broke a 62-62 tie with 31 seconds left, and the Huskers missed on three more chances before Ohio State secured its fourth win in a row and sixth in eight games.

Ohio State (18-10, 10-5 Big Ten) closes the regular season with three games against Top 25 opponents — home and away against Michigan State and at home against Iowa. There’s still more work to do for the Buckeyes to become a viable candidate for the NCAA Tournament, but losing to the conference’s ninth-place team would have stained their resume.

“This is a heck of a place to play and Nebraska had a lot on the line, (too),” Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said. “From that perspective, we’re very excited about the win even though we might not have played as well as we could. But they had a lot to do with that.”

Keita Bates-Diop had 16 points and Jae’Sean Tate and Marc Loving added 15 apiece for Ohio State, with Tate also grabbing 12 rebounds. The Buckeyes shot 38.9 percent and were just 3 of 14 on 3-pointers.

“The rim was messing with us today,” Lyle said.

Jack McVeigh led the Huskers (14-14, 6-9) with 16 points, Andrew White III had 14 and Glynn Watson Jr. added 10. Nebraska shot a season-low 27.1 percent from the field and went 9 of 35 from 3-point range.

White, just 3 for 17 for the game, made a 3-pointer with 54 seconds left in regulation to complete the Huskers’ comeback from 11 points down and put them up 56-54.

Lyle’s two free throws with nine seconds left tied it at 56, and the game went to overtime after Mickey Mitchell stole the ball from Watson at midcourt.

Both teams slogged through the first half, combining for four scores on the first 24 possessions. The Buckeyes scored just two points through the opening 9 1/2 minutes. But the Huskers were just as bad and could never capitalize on Ohio State’s horrid start.

“This is a painful loss,” Nebraska coach Tim Miles said. “If you don’t feel this at the depth of your soul as a player or coach, you’re not a competitor. When we watch it on tape, we’re going to see our errors and we’re going to make sure we get better from this.”

—

TIP-INS

Ohio State: 21 points in first half were fewest since Buckeyes had 18 in a loss at Indiana on Jan. 10. … The Buckeyes blocked eight shots. Daniel Giddens (1.6 per game), Trevor Thompson (1.3) and Keita Bates-Diop (1.1) all rank among the top 12 in the Big Ten in blocks. … Four Buckeyes are averaging 10 or more points in Big Ten games.

Nebraska: Matched a season low for points in a first half with 22, same as Huskers had in loss at Iowa on Jan. 5. … Four-year starter and second-leading scorer Shavon Shields missed his fourth straight game as he recovers from a concussion. … Freshman Ed Morrow, who has been battling a foot problem, also sat out his fourth game in a row. … Miles was assessed a technical for arguing a foul late in the first half.

HUSTLE AWARD

Benny Parker, Nebraska’s 5-foot-9 guard, made the Huskers’ hustle play of the game when he charged into the paint after missing a 3-pointer to wrestle the ball away from Loving, who had just rebounded Jacobson’s follow-up miss. Loving fouled Parker, and Parker made both free throws to pull the Huskers with 47-45.

UP NEXT

Ohio State hosts No. 8 Michigan State on Tuesday.

Nebraska visits Penn State on Thursday.

— Associated Press —

KU’s upset bid comes up short against No. 20 Oklahoma women

Posted on February 20, 2016February 20, 2016

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Vionise Pierre-Louis scored 20 points, Maddie Manning had 18 and No. 20 Oklahoma extended Kansas’ losing streak to 17 straight in a 72-66 victory on Saturday.

The Sooners have won 10 of their last 11 meetings between the two teams in Lawrence.

Pierre-Louis’ rebound and basket put Oklahoma up 63-55 with 3:11 to play but Kansas pulled to 66-64 at the 1:12 mark on Lauren Aldridge’s jumper. Gioya Carter answered with two free throws for a four-point lead and the Sooners got a stop at the other end.

T’ona Edwards was fouled and hit 1 of 2 from the stripe for a five-point advantage with 27 seconds left.

Peyton Little added 11 points for Oklahoma (18-8, 9-6 Big 12). Pierre-Louis was 8 of 9 from the field.

Aldridge led Kansas (5-21, 0-15) with 20 points and Timeka O’Neal made five 3-pointers for 15 points.

Kansas hit 11 of 27 3-pointers which was the most made by an Oklahoma opponent this season.

— Associated Press —

Klosterman, Smith lead No. 16 Western softball to win over Minnesota State

Posted on February 19, 2016

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) – The 16th-ranked Missouri Western softball team opened the 2016 Kelly Laas Invitational with a 3-1 victory over Minnesota State Friday night.

Katie Klosterman was involved in all the Griffons’ three runs, driving in two with her first home run of the season and scoring the third on Morgan Rathmann’s first triple of 2016. Janie Smith limited Minnesota State to just four hits and one run, coming on a solo shot in the fifth inning. The win improved the 16th-ranked Griffons to 5-3 on the season.

Sydney Washington opened the second with a single then stole second base before Klosterman sent a ball over the left center field wall, putting the Griffons up 2-0. Smith held Minnesota State hitless until the fourth when she surrendered a leadoff single. Klosterman picked up her second extra-base hit of the game in the bottom of the fourth when she led off with a double. She was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Megan Korgie then scored on Rathmann’s triple. Klosterman went 2-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Shelbie Atwell also went 2-3. Rathmann, Taylor Hamilton and Washington had the other Griffon hits.

Dana Mogren picked up the third hit of the day off Smith with a leadoff homer to center in the fifth. Smith committed an error to allow the next batter to reach, but retired the next two and allowed just one more hit, a Mogren single in the seventh, the rest of the way. The win moved Smith to 4-1 on the year. She yielded just the one unearned run on four hits with one strikeout and no walks.

Action continues, Saturday, for Missouri Western at the Kelly Laas Invitational. Missouri Western is set to take on Southwest Minnesota State at 5 p.m. and Concordia-St. Paul at 9:30 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest baseball drops series opener at Oklahoma Christian

Posted on February 19, 2016February 19, 2016

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team fell to Oklahoma Christian, 3-1, on Friday afternoon at Dobson Field in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Bearcats are now 3-4 on the year while the Eagles improved to 5-4 on the year.

Nikko Pablo pitched 4.0 innings of relief, allowing just one hit and one walk with a strikeout.

Nick Gotta was 2-for-5 with a double and a stolen base, Kevin Handzlik was 1-for-3 with an RBI,

Anthony Caenepeel started for Northwest, going 4.0 innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts. He began the game by retiring the first seven batters.

James Holler and Handzlik came up with big two-out singles to put Northwest on the board in the second inning. Hrdlicka led off the inning with a walk but OCU got the next two batters out. Holler singled to right, advancing Hrdlicka to second. Handzlik came up with the RBI single to center, scoring Hrdlicka to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead.

Northwest continues its three-game series at Oklahoma Christian on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

No. 15 Missouri opens baseball season with 7-0 win over Seton Hall

Posted on February 19, 2016February 19, 2016

FORT MYERS, Fla. – No. 15 Mizzou Baseball got a sensational start from senior righty Reggie McClain (Duluth, Ga.) and scored its most runs in a season-opener since 2011 as it defeated Seton Hall, 7-0, on opening day at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla. McClain went 8.0 innings and allowed just four hits with zero walks and four strikeouts. In neutral site outings in his career, McClain is now 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 32.0 innings with just 17 hits and zero walks in four outings in his Mizzou career.

The offense was led by five players with multiple hits as Mizzou scored its most runs in a season-opener since 2011. Sophomore catcher Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) led the way with three RBI, including a big two-out, full count, bases-loaded single to score two in the fifth inning, giving McClain some much-needed run support. Sophomore third baseman Shane Benes (Town & Country, Mo.) tallied the first Mizzou run on a solo homer in his first at-bat of the season in the second inning. He finished the day with two hits and two RBI. Juniors Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) and Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) each tallied two-hit games as well.

McClain had a tremendous first inning, throwing just 10 pitches to retire the side. After Mizzou then went 1-2-3 in the first, McClain then worked around a two-out double and a wild pitch to strand a runner on third.

Mizzou got on the board in the second on the solo shot to left field by Benes, his first of the season in his first at-bat of 2016. It was the third of his career. It came off of Preseason All- Big-East pick Shane McCarthy.

McClain continued to baffle Seton Hall hitters, needing just 52 pitches to get through five innings, allowing just one Pirate hit. Mizzou finally got McClain some more offense in the fifth inning, sparked by a one-out hit from freshman Ian Nelson (Lake St. Louis, Mo.). With two outs then, the rally began as Howard and Jake Ring each tallied a pair of two-out hits to load the bases. Bond then bounced a roller up the middle on a full count to extend Mizzou’s lead to 3-0.

McClain then retired the side in order in the sixth inning, needing just 63 pitches to get through six innings. He had a streak of 14 consecutive batters snapped in the seventh, but he got a double-play to send it to the bottom half of the frame. Mizzou then tacked on four runs in the seventh to break the game open, coming on RBI singles from Bond, Benes and Harris and an RBI triple from Ring.

Mizzou and Seton Hall will resume the four-game series with a doubleheader Saturday (Feb. 20) as Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Mo.) and Michael Plassmeyer (St. Louis, Mo.) will make the starts.

— Mizzou Athletics —