COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri has confirmed that sophomore forward Johnathan Williams III is transferring.
Junior guard Deuce Bello also will not be back. The school said in a release Tuesday that Bello intended to graduate this spring and transfer to pursue graduate studies at another institution.
Williams averaged 11.9 points and 7.1 rebounds, leading the Tigers in both categories, and started all 32 games.
Bello made three starts and averaged 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds.
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. – The Missouri Western men’s golf team finished in second place at the Bear Bank Invitational hosted by Henderson Sate, while the women finished in fourth place.
The MWSU men finished in second place with a team score of 585 only six strokes behind tournament winner Henderson State.
The Griffons had three individuals finish within the top-10 to help propel them to a second place finish. Corey Knight and Ryan Hand both scored a 146 in their two rounds to finish tied for third. Jakob Rudosky tallied a 148 and finished ninth individually.
Brice Howard of Henderson State finished with a 142 and took first place individually at the Bear Bank Invitational.
The Missouri Western women finished 51 strokes back of the winning team, recording a score of 651
The Griffons’ top finisher was Celine Lim, who scored a 79 and a 76 in her two rounds of golf to finish with a 155 and in eighth place as an individual. Madison Romjue improved her second day score by six strokes while shooting a 164. Amber Chivington finished tied for 20th place at 165.
The individual winner was of Central Oklahoma Marla Souvannasing, scoring a 73 and 70 in her two rounds of golf.
Central Oklahoma also claimed the team title with a team score of 600.
— MWSU Sports Information —
Manhattan, Kan. – Tanner Lubach went 5-for-5 on Tuesday night at Tointon Stadium and drove in the eventual game-winning run with his fifth hit of the night in the 10th inning, as the No. 23 Nebraska baseball team (24-10, 3-3 Big Ten) posted a 5-4 win over the Kansas State Wildcats (13-17, 2-7 Big 12) in 10 innings. Lubach notched five of NU’s 12 hits and drove in a pair of runs, as the Huskers won the 277th all-time meeting between the two teams.
Josh Roeder came in for the 10th and picked up his 10th save of the season with a pair of strikeouts. Roeder is now four saves away from breaking Brett Jensen’s school record of 31 career saves.
In front of 3,081 fans, the largest crowd at Tointon Stadium this season, Lubach came to the plate with two outs in the top of the 10th and delivered a RBI single to left field that put the Huskers on top 5-4. The senior catch, who had three career three-hit games entering the night, notched three singles and two doubles on the night. Lubach is the first Husker to produce five hits in a game since Michael Pritchard last season, when he produced five hits in a 14-5 win over Kansas State in Lincoln on April 15.
Lubach’s two-out RBI single was possible after Jake Schleppenbach and Ben Miller also singled in the top of the 10th. Schleppenbach reached on a one-out single and moved to second when Miller came through with a two-out infield single. Lubach capped his heroic night with a single on a 1-1 offering from reliever Bryce Ward and on the play Schleppenbach scored from second base to put the Huskers on top 5-4.
Extra innings was needed after the Huskers squandered away a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth when the Wildcats scored four runs to even the game. The two teams then went scoreless over the next three innings before Lubach untied the game in the 10th.
Neither starting pitcher factored into the decision after the Wildcats tied the game. NU freshman Garett King went 5.2 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits. King had his streak of batters faced without a walk snapped at 36 over 17.0 innings in the third when he gave up a one-out walk. King’s last walk came in the Indiana State game on March 17 and he hadn’t allowed a walk in each of his last two starts.
KSU’s Kyle Halbohn lasted just 2.1 innings in his fourth start of the season. The junior allowed four runs, all earned, on five hits. Jordan Floyd and Jackson Douglas kept the Wildcats in the game with a combined 5.2 innings of scoreless four-hit relief behind Halbohn.
After going down in order in the first, the Huskers offense picked up steam in the second with three runs on four hits, including a RBI triple by Lubach. Miller got the inning started with an infield single and then scored on Lubach’s triple. Scott Schreiber later added a one-out RBI single and then put himself in scoring position with his third stolen base of the year. After Halbohn got the second out of the inning, Jake Placzek delivered a two-out single that scored Schreiber and gave the Huskers a 3-0 lead.
The Wildcats, who also were retired in order in the first, responded with a run in the bottom of the second on three hits. Nebraska got the run back in the third though on a deep blast by Blake Headley that cleared the scoreboard in right field. It was Headley’s first homer of the season and the fourth of his career.
King hung zeroes in the fourth and the fifth, but was unable to make it through the sixth. The Wildcats started the frame with consecutive singles to put runners on the corners. King then got a fly ball out before Steve Serratore delivered a RBI ground out that cut NU’s lead to 4-2. With two outs, the Huskers turned the ball to Jeff Chesnut, who promptly gave up a RBI double and a RBI single that tied the game, 4-4. Following a stolen base the Wildcats had the go-ahead run in scoring position, but Chesnut ended the inning with a 6-3 groundout.
The Huskers had the go-ahead run in scoring position in the eighth when Lubach blasted a double off the right field wall. Douglas kept the game tied with a strikeout of Austin Darby to end the frame.
KSU then had the go-ahead run on base in the bottom of the eighth with a one out walk, but Chesnut got consecutive pop outs to second base and the game went to the ninth, tied 4-4.
After the Huskers went down in order in the top of the ninth, the Wildcats has the winning run on base in the bottom of the ninth after Taylor Anderson led off with a single and he was quickly in scoring position following a sacrifice bunt. The Husker then intentionally walked pinch-hitter Alex Bee to setup the double play. With the top of KSU’s order coming to the plate, sophomore Jake Hohensee got a shallow fly out and a ground ball to escape the jam and send the game to extra innings, where Lubach put on a stamp on a career night.
The Huskers will be back in action at Hawks Field on Friday night when they open a three-game series against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:02 p.m. and the game will be carried nationally on the Big Ten Network.
— NU Sports Information —
ST. JOSEPH, MO. – The Missouri Western women’s tennis team fell 5-4 against William Jewell on Tuesday afternoon.
The Griffons took two doubles matches to start off the day with Yasmine El Ghazi and Sarah Giraldo winning 9-8 (7-2) and in the No. 3 spot Kayla Dysart and Denise Chiao won 8-4.
Missouri Western claimed two singles matches as well but it wasn’t enough to beat William Jewell. In the No. 4 singles match Yasmine El Ghazi beat Loree Hazelrigg 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. Senior Ceara Boldridge defeated Seki Anderson by the score of 6-3, 6-3.
The Griffons will be at home on Saturday, April 11 against Lincoln and Southwest Baptist starting at 10:00 am.
Singles competition
1. Drew,Savannah (WJ) def. Giraldo,Sarah (MWSU) 6-1, 6-3
2. Hazelrigg,Conner (WJ) def. Aguilera,Sofia (MWSU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4
3. Navarro,Sabrine (WJ) def. Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) 6-4, 6-4
4. El Ghazi,Yasmine (MWSU) def. Hazelrigg,Loree (WJ) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0
5. Mackay,Claire (WJ) def. Chiao,Denise (MWSU) 6-4, 6-2
6. Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) def. Anderson,Seki (WJ) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Giraldo,Sarah/El Ghazi,Yasmine (MWSU) def. Lehenbauer,Katy/Navarro,Sabrine (WJ) 9-8 (7-2)
2. Hazelrigg,Conner/Hazelrigg,Loree (WJ) def. Aguilera,Sofia/Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) 8-0
3. Chiao,Denise/Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) def. Drew,Savannah/Mackay,Claire (WJ) 8-4
— MWSU Sports Information —
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self announced Tuesday that freshman Cliff Alexander will declare for the 2015 NBA Draft. Alexander joins fellow KU teammate Kelly Oubre, Jr., who announced he was going to enter the 2015 NBA Draft on April 1.
“This should come as no surprise to anybody,” Self said. “Cliff had a very interesting and educational year. He was a major contributor to our team from the beginning of the season. He worked his way into the starting lineup and has had to deal with an off-the-court issue with the NCAA that made him ineligible for the last eight games of our season. We all feel bad for Cliff for what he and our team had to go through because it was difficult for him to sit and watch his teammates play without him. During his time here, Cliff certainly got better. I loved coaching Cliff, but we support his decision 100 percent to move on and take his ability to the next level.
A 6-8 power forward from Chicago, Alexander missed the final three regular-season games, the Big 12 Championship and KU’s NCAA Tournament contests, eight games total, as a precautionary measure after the NCAA alerted KU about issues that could affect Alexander’s eligibility.
Alexander averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Jayhawks in 2014-15. His 5.3 rebounds were second best on the team behind junior forward Ellis’ 6.9 boards per game. Alexander led KU with a 56.6 field goal percentage and his 37 blocked shots tied for the team-high with junior Jamari Traylor. His 1.3 blocking average ranked ninth among his Big 12 counterparts.
“I talked this over with my mom and my dad and we decided the timing was right for me to enter the NBA Draft,” Alexander said. “Kansas has been a great experience. I enjoyed being on campus. When I came in I didn’t really know much (about playing in college). I was undersized and not strong enough to bang with other guys. As the year went on, I got settled and comfortable with the system. I got stronger in the weight room and competed harder.”
Alexander recorded two double-doubles during the season with his first in KU’s 61-56 win against then-No. 20 Michigan State in the title game of the Orlando Classic, Nov. 30, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 and the Wayman Tisdale Award Watch List for the top freshman in the nation, Alexander’s second double-double came against then-No. 19 Oklahoma on ESPN Big Monday, Jan. 19, where he scored 13 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in KU’s 85-78 win.
“Playing in Allen Fieldhouse… that’s the craziest place I have ever played,” Alexander said about his fondest memory of playing at Kansas. “I’m going to miss the fans. They showed me a lot of love everywhere I went. They are a very supportive fan base. I’m going to miss my teammates a lot. I’m going to miss everybody.”
Alexander would later be named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Jan. 26 for his efforts against the Sooners and his 15 points and nine rebounds in KU’s 75-62 win at then-No. 17 Texas.
“Coach Self knows the game of basketball and taught me a lot on and off the court while I was here,” Alexander said. “I’ve known Jerrance (Howard) since I was a sophomore in high school. We’ve had a great relationship. When I got here that just grew, he felt like a big brother to me. All the coaches and staff were very supportive during my time here. They helped me grow and mature.”
Kansas posted a 27-9 overall record in 2014-15 and won its 11th-straight, 15th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 58th overall conference regular-season championship with a 13-5 league record. The Jayhawks had the toughest schedule in the nation and its 10 victories against Associated Press nationally-ranked teams at tip were the most for KU in a season. Kansas faced 16 ranked teams at tip which were four more than the previous high for a season set three times (1994-95, 2002-03 and 2011-12). Included were 2015 Final Four teams Kentucky and Michigan State.
— KU Sports Information —
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou wrestling concluded their historic 2014-15 season in mid-March, and today three members were honored by the Mid-American Conference (MAC) league office for their outstanding seasons.
Redshirt freshman Willie Miklus was named MAC Freshman of the Year, redshirt senior Drake Houdashelt was selected as MAC Wrestler of the Year, and Head Coach Brian Smith was tabbed MAC Wrestling Coach of the Year.
After redshirting last season, Miklus jumped onto the national scene this year following his 18-0 start to the 2014-15 campaign. Miklus earned national notoriety early on after defeating Old Dominion’s No. 2 ranked Jack Dechow on Nov. 23, 2014.
Following a runner-up finish at 2015 MAC Championships, Miklus concluded his breakthrough season with a seventh place finish and All-American honors at 2015 NCAA Championships. The Altoona, Iowa native defeated four ranked 184 pound foes in St. Louis, Mo. en route to his first career All-American award.
Houdashelt’s storybook career in black and gold concluded in a big way, as he claimed his first career National Championship at 149 pounds. The O’Fallon, Mo. native capped off his outstanding 2014-15 season with a 3-1 decision victory over Edinboro’s No. 3 ranked David Habat in the 149 pound title matchup.
The redshirt senior earned Mizzou wrestling their sixth all-time National Championship. Houdashelt also became just the third grappler in program history to accumulate three or more All-American honors in their career. Furthermore, he became the first Tiger ever to win four conference crowns after taking top honors at 2015 MAC Championships.
Houdashelt’s 134 career wins is third most in Mizzou wrestling history, while his .854 career winning percentage ranks fifth place all-time. Additionally, his 39 career major decisions is the most in Tiger Style history.
Smith’s recognition marks his third consecutive MAC Wrestling Coach of the Year honor. Dating back to the 2011-12 season when he took home Big 12 Coach of the Year honors, Smith has now been the recipient of four straight Coach of the Year awards.
Mizzou and Coach Smith wrapped up a perfect 24-0 regular season after defeating then No. 1 Iowa on Feb. 22, 2015 for the 2015 National Duals Finals Championship. The 24 wins this season were the most ever in Mizzou wrestling history, and it marked only the second undefeated season in program history.
Smith also helped lead the Tigers to the 2015 MAC Championships crown. It was the fourth straight conference tournament title for Mizzou, dating back to the 2012 Big 12 Championships crown.
— MU Sports Information —
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University women’s tennis senior Camila Quesada has been named the MIAA Athlete of the Week in a release from the conference on Monday. Quesada went a perfect 4-0 at the No. 1 singles position and 3-1 at No. 1 doubles to lead the Bearcats to three victories last week. She is the second women’s tennis player to earn the honor as Lorena Rivas Jarolim garnered conference accolades back on March 2.
Quesada, the No. 50 ranked singles player in the latest ITA, picked up four big singles victories last week. She beat Savannah Drew from William Jewell (6-1, 7-5) on Tuesday and beat Harding’s Piper Huey, the region’s No. 8 ranked player on Thursday (3-6, 6-1, 6-2). On Friday she beat the nation’s No. 21 ranked singles player, Northeastern State’s Kristina Savchenkov (3-6, 6-4, 10-7). Against Central Oklahoma on Saturday, Quesdada beat Alaina Gorina (6-3, 6-0), the region’s No. 11 ranked player.
In doubles, she paired with Lorena Rivas Jarolim to beat William Jewell’s, Harding’s and Central Oklahoma’s No. 1 doubles teams. The lone blemish was a defeat to Northeastern State’s No. 12 ranked doubles tandem of Savchenkov and Patricia Husakova.
The Bearcats will return to action on Wednesday at 2 p.m. with a home MIAA contest against Nebraska-Kearney in both men’s and women’s action. The women will also host Lincoln on Friday at 3 p.m. and Southwest Baptist on Saturday at 10 a.m.
— Northwest Sports Information —
SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State University men’s basketball coach Paul Lusk has finalized his staff for the upcoming season with the formal announcement of Matt Sligh as the Bears’ new assistant coach Monday.
Sligh, spent the last two years as head coach at Motlow College in Tullahoma, Tenn., where he helped lead the Bucks to a 23-6 record in 2014-15 and final NJCAA Division I ranking of No. 17 in the national juco poll. His club finished second in the Region VII tournament this year and ranked among the top 10 junior college programs in the nation in scoring (95.2), assists, 3-point field goals made, blocks and defensive rebounds.
“We’re really happy about Matt joining our staff,” said Lusk who is beginning his fifth season at the helm of the Bears. “He’s a quality individual who can help us in all areas of our program. I know our players, our fans and our community will embrace him and his wife Marina as part of the Missouri State family.”
Sligh was 37-20 in his two seasons at Motlow with a pair of NJCAA All-America performers and four All-Region VII standouts to his credit.
“I’m extremely honored and blessed to join such a tradition-rich program and quality staff,” said Sligh. “Coach Lusk is a great coach, and he treats his guys the right way. I’m looking forward to getting started right away and being part of this program.”
Prior to taking the Motlow College job in 2013, he was the top assistant coach at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., from 2010-2013 for legendary coach Larry Holley. He was part of a 25-8 season in 2010-11 that culminated in an NAIA Division I Tournament berth and was instrumental in recruiting, scouting and the program’s transition to NCAA Division II status. Sligh helped coach and recruit six all-conference players at William Jewell and an NAIA All-American.
A native of Lakeland, Fla., Sligh enjoyed a successful three-sport collegiate career at Covenant College in Georgia where he excelled in soccer, basketball and golf. He was a two-time NAIA Academic All-American at Covenant and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 2005. He went on to earn his Masters in health and physical education from Northwest Missouri State in 2012.
Sligh, 32, was also a standout prep athlete at Lakeland (Fla.) Christian School where he earned 13 varsity letters in four sports and scored 1,135 points as an all-state basketball performer and two-time district player of the year for the Vikings.
His hire is contingent upon final approval by the Missouri State University Board of Governors at its next scheduled meeting, May 14.
He joins a Missouri State coaching staff that includes fellow assistants Jermaine Henderson and Brad Korn who are entering their fourth and third seasons in the program, respectively. The Bears will have eight squad members returning for 2015-16, including all five starters.
— MSU Sports Information —
INDIANAPOLIS – Two-time Kansas men’s basketball All-American and seven-time NBA All-Star Jo Jo White joined the best of the best among his life’s work on Monday. White was one of six individuals announced as making up the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s class of 2015.
White donned the Crimson and Blue from 1966-69 under the direction of head coach Ted Owens. An All-America selection in 1968 and 1969, White was a three-time All-Big Eight Conference honoree and KU’s Most Valuable Player for three-straight seasons. The Saint Louis native scored 1,286 career points, which still ranks 29th all-time at Kansas.
His four years at KU saw the Jayhawks win two Big Eight Championships, three Big Eight Holiday Tournaments, make two NCAA Tournament appearances and finish runner-up in the NIT. He was a member of the 1968 Gold Medal USA Olympic basketball team and played 11 seasons in the NBA.
Drafted by Boston with the ninth overall pick in 1969, White led the Celtics to NBA Championships in 1974 and 1976, where in the latter he was named NBA Finals MVP. A seven-time NBA All-Star, he averaged 18.3 points per game in his 10-year Celtics career, shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the free throw line, while he averaged 21.5 points per game in 80 playoff games.
A major impact at the collegiate and professional levels, White’s No. 10 was retired by the Celtics in 1982, one of 21 numbers that hang in the TD Garden rafters. His Kansas jersey was officially retired on Jan. 27, 2003.
The electees will be enshrined during Hall of Fame weekend, Sept. 10-11, at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Along with White, fellow former NBA players Dikembe Mutombo and Spencer Haywood also were voted in, as was longtime referee Dick Bavetta, college and NBA coach John Calipari, and WNBA legend Lisa Leslie.
White marks the 18th Jayhawk all-time to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is named in honor of the game’s inventor and KU’s first head coach, Dr. James Naismith.
— KU Sports Information —
HAYS, Kan. – For the first time in the four-game series, the Missouri Western baseball team built a lead that Fort Hays couldn’t overcome. After dropping three straight on walk-offs, MWSU took the fourth and final game of the series to earn a day two split and get out of Hays with one win in four tries.
Despite losing the series, Ryan Degner had a memorable day and series. The senior outfielder hit three home runs Saturday, including two in the first inning of game four. On the weekend, he went 10-19 at the plate with four home runs, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored. Degner also hit a double and a triple in the series.
GAME 1: Fort Hays 8, MWSU 7
For the third straight game, Fort Hays State downed Missouri Western with in walk-off fashion. The Griffons saw a three-run lead going into the bottom of the seventh evaporate and a two-out home run end the game.
MWSU led 7-4 after scoring three in the top of the seventh. Mike Calimeno walked the leadoff batter in the bottom half of the inning but coaxed a pop fly to the next. Then another walk put two runners on with one out. Calimeno struck out the next batter but a balk to the next put two runners in scoring position with the tying run at the plate. One swing of the bat tied it with a three run home run. Calimeno was then replaced by Gehrig Hudson, who surrendered the game winning home run on a 2-2 pitch.
Ryan Degner homered in the game and went 2-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Orencio Fisher was 3-4 with one driven in, a triple and a run scored. Andrew Ramirez and David Glaude both had two hits. Hudson took the loss, facing just one batter. A.J. Martinez pitched the first five innings, giving up four runs on seven hits.
GAME 2: MWSU 9, Fort Hays 5
The Griffons jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the top of the first. That half inning included two home runs from Degner, including a leadoff solo shot. MWSU would not score another run as Fort Hays tried to chip away but could never put together more than one run in any inning.
Degner finished 3-5 with two home runs, four driven in and two runs scored. Cody Childs was also 3-5, while Cosimo Cannella and Corbin Duffy each went 2-4. Dylon Koch was 2-5. Grant Woods picked up the win, going six innings and allowing four runs on seven hits. Kyle Kelly pitched three innings in relief, allowin gone run on one hit and striking out five.
MWSU sits at 19-15 on the year with a 13-11 mark in MIAA play. The team takes a break from conference play with a doubleheader at home versus Truman State on Tuesday.
— MWSU Sports Information —
