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Category: College

Missouri Western women come up short against No. 24 UCM 74-68

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ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Women’s Basketball (12-12, 7-8 MIAA) went toe-to-toe with defending national champion Central Missouri (18-5, 11-4 MIAA), but lost 74-68 to the Jennies on Senior Day.

NOTABLES

  • The Central Missouri offense struggled to get going in the first half. The Griffons held the Jennies to just 35 percent shooting and five turnovers to grab a 16-14 lead.
  • Brittany Atkins gave the Griffons their largest lead of the game at 26-21 with five minutes remaining in the second quarter.
  • Central Missouri closed the half on a 15-7 capped off by a three-pointer right before the buzzer, taking a 36-33 lead at the half.
  • Katrina Roenfeldt led the Griffons with 14 points on just nine shot attempts in the first half.
  • Roenfeldt and Atkins combined for 15 of Missouri Western’s 19 points in the fourth quarter, keeping the Griffons within four going into the final quarter.

LEADERS

  • Katrina Roenfeldt matched a career-high with a game-high 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting and added a team-high eight rebounds
  • Brittany Atkins was the only other Griff in double-figures, scoring 13 points
  • KeShara Scott had eight points and six rebounds
  • Jessica Davies scored six points and added six rebounds

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western plays its final four games on the road beginning with a trip to Southwest Baptist (7-17, 3-12) on Thursday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest women fall to SBU for seventh straight loss

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MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team fell to Southwest Baptist 73-54 at Bearcat Arena Saturday.

Northwest was down only one point at half, then allowed 30 points in the third quarter to lead toward the eventual 19 point loss. Poor shooting was another key factor in the loss for Northwest. They shot 36.7% from the field and only 11.8% from the three point line.

Kendey Eaton led the Bearcats with 20 points and Mallory McConkey added 14. Kaylani Maiava led the team with 9 rebounds. They went 16-18 from the charity stripe, including 9-10 from Eaton. They outscored Southwest Baptist in the paint 28-26.

Caylee Richardson led Southwest Baptist in scoring with 22. Laura Vierkant added 13 and Regan Tibbits had 10 points. Richardson also led Southwest in rebounds with 11 to give her a double-double. The team shot 50 percent from the field and went 11-19 from the three-point line, including 8-10, in their 30 point third quarter.

Northwest will be back in action on the road this Thursday, to take on Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Mo., at 5:30.

— Northwest Athletics —

Mizzou falls at Ole Miss 75-65

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OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi keeps finding big-time contributors on its roster as it continues to make an unexpected push up the Southeastern Conference standings.

Bruce Stevens came off the bench to score 17 points, tying a season-high, to lead Ole Miss over Missouri 75-65 on Saturday for the team’s fourth straight win. The Rebels’ (18-7, 8-4) winning streak comes after a four-game losing skid that threated to derail the season.

KJ Buffen and Breein Tyree added 14 points apiece and Devontae Shuler scored 12.

“It just makes us more of a worthy SEC team,” Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis said of Stevens’ elevated play. “That can help us play better in March because he’s got a physical presence, but he can stretch it and go out and make a three. There’s a lot of conventional (centers) out there and he’s a hard matchup.”

Stevens made three 3-pointers and shot 5 of 11 from the field.

The Rebels never trailed after the opening minute despite a dominant rebounding effort from Missouri, which owned a 37-21 advantage on the glass.

The Tigers managed to stay close despite a rough night on offense, but the turnovers and poor first-half shooting were too much to overcome.

Missouri (12-12, 3-9) cut the lead to seven with less than three minutes remaining. The Rebels scored on their next three possessions to end the comeback threat.

“When (the lead) got to 19 we kind of let our guard down and they never stopped,” Davis said. “The biggest thing was we went to our 1-3-1 (zone defense) late just to kind of get time off the clock.”

The Rebels shot 23 of 50 from the field (46 percent) and Missouri went 24 of 51 (47 percent). Ole Miss scored 32 points off of 25 Missouri turnovers.

Jordan Geist led the Tigers with a game-high 23 points. Xavier Pinson added 11 points and nine rebounds.

“It just came down to the twenty-five turnovers,” Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin said. “Twenty-five turnovers, it’s hard to win a ballgame like that. . If you got a big a guy that can make shots on the perimeter it opens everything up and you’re hard to defend. That’s the difference in (Ole Miss). When (Stevens) is making shots like that from the perimeter they are a different team.”

BIG PICTURE

Ole Miss: The Rebels’ four-game winning streak has pushed the team back into the top half of the SEC standings. Ole Miss has a chance to solidify its NCAA Tournament resume with games against South Carolina and Georgia next week.

Missouri: Missouri couldn’t build off the momentum of Tuesday’s win against Arkansas. The Tigers did some good things, but the 25 turnovers were a huge problem. Things won’t get any easier over the next three games when they face Kentucky, Florida and Mississippi State.

TRAVEL ISSUES

Missouri had an unconventional road trip to Mississippi, flying to Oxford on Saturday morning instead of Friday. The Tigers tried to leave early Friday to beat the winter weather that was coming to mid-Missouri but couldn’t because of issues with the flight crew. They arrived in Oxford just hours before Saturday’s game.

UP NEXT

Ole Miss: At South Carolina on Tuesday

Missouri: Hosts No. 5 Kentucky on Tuesday

— Associated Press —

MWSU softball drops two games Saturday in Arkansas

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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Griffon Softball (6-4) saw leads erased in both its games, Saturday, at Henderson State. The Griffons lost 8-2 to Henderson State (5-5) and 4-3 to Arkansas at Monticello (4-1).

The Griffon offense that produced more than two dozen hits in Arkadelphia on Friday was held relatively quiet on Saturday, totaling 13 hits in the two losses.

GAME 1
Henderson State 8, Missouri Western 2

  • Missouri Western jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two innings
  • Henderson State took the lead with a three-run third then added to it with a four-run fourth
  • The Reddies hit three home runs in the game
  • Five Griffons had one hit each
  • Lexi Kinnaird (1-2) allowed eight earned runs on 13 hits over 4 2/3 innings

GAME 2
Arkansas at Monticello 4, Missouri Western 3

  • The Griffons led 2-1 after two innings, but UAM took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth
  • MWSU tied the game at three with a Lauren Houston RBI-single in the sixth
  • The Blossoms ended the game with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh
  • Missouri Western committed four errors in the game
  • The Griffons had eight hits, stranding six on base
  • Emma Hoffart went 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles
  • Taylor Hoelscher was 2-for-3 with two RBIs
  • Kenzie Hilzer allowed one earned run on five hits. She walked seven and struck out six

NEXT UP

  • Six more regional games for the Griffons in the Emporia State Classic
  • Missouri Western is scheduled for two games a day, Feb. 22-24 in Emporia, Kansas.

— MWSU Athletics —

Dotson, Lawson brothers lead No. 14 Kansas’ rout of WVU

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Devon Dotson drove through a crowd of West Virginia players, stopped in his tracks and passed the ball across the key, finding K.J. Lawson alone in the corner. Without hesitation, Lawson sunk his third 3-pointer of the game before running down the court celebrating with his brother, Dedric.

K.J. Lawson scored a season-high 15 points in 24 minutes, the first time he’s played more than 20 minutes since transferring from Memphis, and No. 14 Kansas beat the Mountaineers 78-53 on Saturday.

“I’m real happy for him, and it’s nice to see guys hang in there, and when their number is called they’re ready, and he’s been ready,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

Dotson also scored 15 points and Dedric Lawson had 14 for the Jayhawks (20-6, 9-4 Big 12), who won their third straight as they continue to start four freshmen.

Lamont West and Chase Harler scored 11 points apiece for West Virginia (10-15, 2-10), which struggled without former starters Esa Ahmed and Wesley Harris, who were dismissed from the team earlier in the week for violating athletic department policies.

“One of the biggest things is those two guys rebounded it for us,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said.

Ahmed was averaging 12 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while Harris was putting up 7.9 points and 4.5 rebounds. With the early-season injury to Sagaba Konate, the Mountaineers are now without three of their top four rebounders.

Kansas held West Virginia to a season-low 16 points at halftime, and the Mountaineers shot 33.9 percent for the game, including 3 of 23 from 3-point range. West Virginia didn’t reach double-digit scoring until 5:52 remained in the first half.

The Mountaineers finished with 24 turnovers. In West Virginia’s 65-64 win over Kansas in Morgantown on Jan. 19, the Mountaineers turned it over just 13 times.

“Just keeping a man in front, pressuring the ball, making it hard for making entry passes, make them pass the ball side to side,” Dotson said. “We put the pressure on them and I thought the bigs did a great job on cover today.”

Kansas held an opponent to 53 points or fewer for just the third time this season, and it was the first time the Jayhawks have kept a Big 12 opponent under 60 points.

The Jayhawks got the crowd excited with several flashy plays in the second half, including a fierce one-handed dunk by Ochai Agbaji. Fans at Allen Fieldhouse were also pleased to learn of No. 18 Kansas State’s 78-64 loss to No. 23 Iowa State as Kansas cruised through the final minutes.

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN

In addition to Dotson and Agbaji, Kansas started freshmen Quentin Grimes and David McCormack, who played a career-high 24 minutes. Agbaji (10 points) has scored in double figures in five of his last six games.

BIG PICTURE

West Virginia: The Mountaineers sit last in the Big 12 standings. West Virginia has not finished conference play outside the top five since 2014, when it ended the season in seventh place.

Kansas: The Jayhawks remain in contention for the Big 12 title. After Kansas State’s loss to Iowa State, Kansas lurks a half-game behind the Wildcats, tied with No. 15 Texas Tech. The Sunflower Showdown in Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 25 could end up deciding the conference championship.

UP NEXT

West Virginia: Hosts Kansas State on Monday.

Kansas: Visits Texas Tech next Saturday in another critical game in the upper tier of the Big 12.

— Associated Press —

No. 18 K-State loses at home to 23rd-ranked Iowa State

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Iowa State was drilled at home by TCU a week ago, then had to sit around without another game until Saturday, left to brood over its uphill climb to get back into the Big 12 race.

The Cyclones finally released that pent-up angst against No. 18 Kansas State.

Lindell Wigginton hit five 3-pointers and scored 23 points, Talen Horton-Tucker buried six 3s and had 20, and the No. 23 Cyclones pulled away late for a 78-64 victory over the Big 12-leading Wildcats on Saturday to answer a chorus of critics that had been surfaced over the past seven days.

“Soft on defense. Not moving the basketball. Not running the floor. Not sharing. Not being engaged in huddles. Not executing out of timeouts,” Cyclones coach Steve Prohm said, reflecting on what needed to change after the TCU loss. “We had a list of things that weren’t very good.”

Oh, the Cyclones (19-6, 8-4) were quite good against the Wildcats.

They had three double-figure scorers with Marial Shayok contributing 13 points and 13 boards. They went 14 of 24 from beyond the 3-point line, shooting right over Kansas State’s vaunted defense. And they dished out 19 assists while turning it over just 10 times.

“When our A-team shows up,” Prohm said, “we have a chance to do good things. The things the B-team does, we have to keep them as far away as we can.”

Barry Brown had 23 points for the Wildcats, but he didn’t get a whole lot of help. The rest of the team was a combined 2 of 13 from the 3-point arc and 11 of 34 from the field.

Making matters worse, the short-handed Wildcats — already without top backup Cartier Diarra because of hand surgery — lost senior forward Dean Wade with 9:18 to go. The preseason Big 12 player of the year limped off the floor and spent the remainder of the game sitting on the end of the bench.

Wade missed several weeks earlier this season with a right foot injury.

“He had some soreness in his foot all week. He didn’t practice. He was in a boot,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “It’s not the same injury as before. He tweaked it. … We’ll just have to see.”

The Wildcats’ half-court defense held Iowa State in check until late in the first half, when Horton-Tucker spoiled even good coverage. The freshman guard hit four 3s and finished with 14 first-half points, one of them a fade-away from well beyond the arc as the shot clock expired.

“What are you going to do?” Weber said. “It seemed like they had us spread out, they got us down the line. It’s the same team we held to 57 at their place. They’re good offensively.”

Iowa State was poised to carry a big lead into the break, but Nick Weiler-Babb’s miss with a couple seconds left gave Brown a chance to unload a 3-pointer from just inside the mid-court line.

It rattled home, giving Brown 16 points in the half and drawing Kansas State within 38-31.

Horton-Tucker answered out of the locker room with a 3-pointer from about six feet beyond the arc, and the Cyclones still led 50-41 when Wigginton buried a 3 with 13 1/2 minutes to go.

Kansas State pecked away at its deficit, pulling within 57-56 on Mike McGuirl’s follow shot with 7 minutes left. But the Cyclones continued to respond with a barrage of 3s, and it was Wigginton whose two fall-away 3s in succession allowed them to regain control.

They put the game away when Cameron Lard threw down a dunk with 2:50 to go, and Horton-Tucker buried one last 3-pointer from in front of his celebrating bench.

“We just battled the whole game,” Wigginton said. “When everyone was doubting us, we came in and responded every time. We’ve got toughness. We didn’t show it last week but we did today.”

BIG PICTURE

Iowa State is right back in the Big 12 title picture after avenging its loss to the Wildcats at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones were coming off a surprising home loss to TCU, but otherwise they’ve won seven of their last nine games — including four of their last five on the road.

Kansas State’s margin for error was trimmed considerably, especially with a trip to Kansas still on the docket. The Wildcats now lead Texas Tech by just a half-game in the standings, and the Cyclones and Jayhawks are within striking distance in what has become a four-team race.

UP NEXT

Iowa State returns home to face Baylor on Tuesday night.

Kansas State heads to West Virginia on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

Griffon softball goes 2-0 on day one in Arkadelphia

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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Missouri Western softball team (6-2) pounded out 25 hits and 16 runs to sweep both games on the team’s first day at the Alvy Early Memorial Classic.

Missouri Western started the day with its second win in as many games against Ouachita Baptist (1-6) and ended it with a big win over Harding (4-2). The Griffons were three outs away from run-ruling a Harding team that had shutout the Griffons in three-straight chances and had two wins over top-5 ranked teams this season.

Seven different Griffs had at least three hits on the day. Emma Hoffart went 5-for-7 at the dish with five RBIs, a home run and a double. She also walked once and was 2-for-2 on stolen base attempts.

GAME 1
Missouri Western 4, Ouachita Baptist 2

  • A four-run fourth inning was enough for the Griffons who got a four-hit, five-strikeout complete game from Kaili Hinds
  • In her first start of the season, Hinds went the distance and needed just 90 pitches to hold Ouachita to two runs on four hits. She struck out five and walked one batter with one out in the seventh. She improved to 2-0 on the season.
  • Ouachita Baptist scored both their runs on a home run in the fourth
  • Lauren Houston and Taylor Hoelscher both doubled in runs in the fourth, two for Houston and one for Hoelscher
  • Sydni Hawkins also doubled in the game and was one of four Griffs with two hits
  • Emma Hoffart, Houston and Hoelscher also had two hits each
  • MWSU had chances to score even more, leaving 11 runners on base

GAME 2
Missouri Western 12, Harding 5

  • Missouri Western had lost three-straight to Harding and hadn’t scored a run on the Bisons since a 4-1 win on Feb. 7, 2016
  • Harding had allowed just 15 runs through its first five games of the season and came in 4-1 with two wins over top-5 ranked teams
  • The Griffons led 11-1 headed to the fifth needing three outs to end the game, but Harding scored four in the inning to keep the game alive
  • MWSU scored nine runs in the first two innings, hitting three home runs over the first two frames, the only three long balls surrendered by Harding all season
  • Shelby Uhl led off the bottom of the first with a solo shot
  • Emma Hoffart blasted a three-run homer to cap the four-run first for MWSU
  • Morgan Frost added to the early home run derby with a grand slam in the second
  • Hoffart went 3-for-5 in the game with a double and a home run. She drove in five
  • Frost was 2-for-3 in the game with four RBIs and three runs scored
  • Cassidy Kelsheimer went 2-for-4 with two doubles
  • Kenzie Hilzer (2-1) got the win, allowing three runs on five hits over the first four innings, walking five and striking out five
  • Olivia Goodale picked up her first save of the season, holding Harding off the scoreboard over three innings. She allowed four hits, walked two and struck out one

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western stays in Arkadelphia for two games on the Henderson State campus tomorrow
  • The Griffons face Henderson State (4-5) at 9 a.m. and Arkansas at Monticello (3-0) at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest’s Witthus, Hudgins named to Bevo Francis top 50 watch list

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Small College Basketball has narrowed down its Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award of 2019 to 50 of the finest men’s basketball players in the country who compete in the affiliations of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, USCAA and NCCAA.

Northwest Missouri State senior Joey Witthus and redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins are both named on the top 50 watch list. Witthus and Hudgins have led the Bearcats to a No. 1 ranking in NCAA Div. II basketball and the only undefeated mark in all of NCAA basketball. Witthus is averaging a team-best 21.4 points per game. Witthus leads the MIAA in three-pointers made (77) and three-point field goal percentage (47.5 percent). Hudgins is the top scoring freshman in the nation at 18.9 points per game. Hudgins leads the MIAA in assists (5.7 apg).

This marks the fourth season of the Bevo Francis Award, as the award was previously given to Dominez Burnett of Davenport (Mich.) in 2016, Justin Pitts of Northwest Missouri State in 2017 and Emanuel Terry of Lincoln Memorial last season.

“This process is very challenging, as there are so many good players that are having excellent seasons,” said SCB Founder John McCarthy. “It’s really difficult to narrow this list to 50 players. As such, we continued to go back to our specific criteria for the Bevo Francis Award. We’ve considered individual achievements, season statistics, awards, milestones, and team achievement.

“As we move further into this process, personal character will become increasingly important. Bevo Francis was very focused on team success, so we emphasize a player’s contributions to team success during this process. As such, while this is an individual award, team success is an important consideration. I sincerely congratulate every single member of this list. It’s an incredible honor to be listed amount the nation’s elite at the small college level. Importantly, I thank all of our committee members that have taken the time to provide a tremendous amount of information.”

Members of the Bevo Francis Award committee include the following coaches: Tobin Anderson – St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.), Gerald Holmes – Bloomfield (N.J.), Gary Stewart – Stevenson (Md.), Arlen Galloway – Wentworth (Mass.), Chris Briggs – Georgetown (Ky.), Bill Dreikosen – Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Klint Pleasant – Rochester (Mich.), Ryan Kane – Ripon (Wisc.), Mark Berokoff – Hillsdale Baptist (Okla.), Mike Donnelly – Florida Southern, Rhett Soliday – Vanguard (Calif.), Sam Hargraves – Alma (Mich.) and Ryan Looney – Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.).

The committee chose this elite group from over 1,100 colleges and universities and took into consideration individual statistics, previous awards, milestones and team success.

The list will be narrowed down to 25 players in a Watch List published on March 15. The finalists will be announced in a highlight video that will be released on April 6.

The 2019 Bevo Francis Award winner will be announced on April 8. The award will be presented to the award winner on May 11 at the SCB National Awards Show in conjunction with the SCB Alumni Association’s Celebration of the Game event at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

Small College Basketball is very grateful to the University of Rio Grande and Sheward-Fulks Insurance for their sponsorship and support of the Bevo Francis award.

— Northwest Athletics —

Former Tiger Melvin Booker named to 2019 SEC Legends Class

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Columbia, Mo. – Former Mizzou Men’s Basketball standout Melvin Booker has been named a 2019 Allstate® SEC Basketball Legend, as announced by the league office on Friday. The 21st annual SEC Basketball Legends class will be honored at the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament on March 13-17 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Each legend will be recognized at halftime of his institution’s first game at the tournament.

A 1994 All-American and 1994 Big Eight Player of the Year, Booker racked up 1,697 career points, which still ranks seventh on Mizzou’s all-time scoring list. Booker was the catalyst for Mizzou’s 14-0 run through the Big Eight Conference in 1994 as a senior.

Booker averaged 18.1 points per game during the 1993-94 campaign and piled up 143 assists and 41 steals while shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 82.3 percent from the free throw line. He led the Tigers to an Elite Eight run in the 1994 NCAA Tournament. Booker finished his career with 120 career points in NCAA Tournaments, the third-most by any Tiger in program history. He still holds the Mizzou NCAA Tournament record for free throw percentage, shooting a blistering 90 percent (27-of-30) at the charity stripe in the Big Dance over seven games.

Booker was a two-time First Team All-Big Eight honoree (1993 and 1994). He remains 10th all-time in Mizzou history in career field goals made (566), ninth in career 3-pointers made (183), eighth in career free throws made (382), third in career assists (488) and fourth in career assists per game (3.9). Booker was one of 20 Tigers honored on Mizzou’s All-Century Team.

The 2019 class also includes Erwin Dudley, Alabama; Corey Beck, Arkansas; Mike Mitchell, Auburn; Livingston Chatman, Florida; Jumaine Jones, Georgia; Johnny Cox, Kentucky; Wayde Sims, LSU; Justin Reed, Ole Miss; Lawrence Roberts, Mississippi State; Carlos Powell, South Carolina; Mike Jackson, Tennessee; Antoine Wright, Texas A&M; Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt.

— Mizzou Athletics —

MWSU women’s 4×400 earns provisional mark in final regular season meet

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LINCOLN, Neb. – Missouri Western Track & Field student-athletes earned an additional NCAA Division II provisional mark, got one event win and broke a few more school records in the final meet prior to the MIAA Indoor Championships.

The women’s 4x400m team of Savannah Simmons, Hanna Williams, Morgan Doyle and Symonne Holland did what the Nebraska Tune-Up is intended for. The group turned in a provisional time of 3:50.72 which shattered the school record by seven seconds. The time was the 20th best in Division II this indoor season and the third best turned in by an MIAA women’s 4×400 relay team this winter.

TOP-10 FINISHERS

  • Women’s 4x400m (Savannah Simmons, Hanna Williams, Morgan Doyle, Symonne Holland), 1st, 3:50.72-P
  • Bailey Gilbert, 3rd, Women’s Long Jump, 5.45m (17-10.75)
  • Madison Roumph, 3rd, Women’s Triple Jump, 10.93m (35-10.5)
  • Megan Gillen, 4th, Women’s 800m, 2:16.42
  • Hunter Scaggs, 6th, Men’s High Jump, 1.96m (6-5)
  • Dre’Shaun Sanders, 7th, Men’s 200m, 22.10
  • Simone Baldeh, 9th, Women’s Weight Throw, 15.60m (51-2.25)
  • Kallin Sheppard, 10th, Women’s Shot Put, 11.93m (39-1.75)
  • Jordan Garr, 10th, Men’s Shot Put, 15.42m (50-7.25)
  • Alison Nutt, 10th, Women’s 400m, 1:00.33
  • Nate Jelinek, 10th, Men’s 400m, 51.53
  • Allison Goos, 10th, Women’s 1-mile, 5:16.71

SCHOOL RECORDS

  • Women’s 4x400m (Savannah Simmons, Hanna Williams, Morgan Doyle, Symonne Holland), 3:50.72-P
  • Dre’Shaun Sanders, Men’s 200m, 22.10
  • Megan Gillen, Women’s 800m, 2:16.42

UP NEXT

  • The MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships Feb. 22-24 in Maryville, Missouri.

— Northwest Athletics —

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