College – Page 426 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Missouri State ends season with loss to SIU in 1st Round of Valley Tournament

Posted on March 6, 2015March 6, 2015

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Deion Lavender scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds to help lead ninth-seeded Southern Illinois past eighth-seeded Missouri state 55-48 in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on Thursday night.

Anthony Beane and Sean O’Brien each added 10 points for the Salukis (12-20), who will play top-seed Wichita State on Friday. Thursday was the fifth time in six years Southern Illinois has played in an opening round “play-in game.” They are 3-4 overall in the first round.

After Missouri State’s Dorrian Williams hit two free throw to cut the Southern Illinois lead to 45-43 with 3:20 to play, the Salukis scored the next five, highlighted by and O’Brien 3-pointer, to push the back to seven and put the game away.

Austin Ruder scored 17 to lead the Bears (11-20), who shot just 35 percent from the field and turned the ball over 16 times.

— Associated Press —

Benedictine women defeat Peru State to advance to HAAC semifinals

Posted on March 5, 2015

The No. 22 Benedictine Women’s Basketball team used six first-half 3-pointers and converted on 91.7 percent from the charity stripe in the first half on Wednesday night to advance to the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals.

Benedictine (23-8) jumped out to a 13-0 lead on Peru State College (11-20) and never looked back as they picked up the 66-55 win over the Bobcats.

The win on Wednesday gave the Ravens three wins this season over Peru State College and sets up a rubber match with Baker University back inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium on Friday night.

Chayla Rutledge, Jackie Ziesel and Kristen Murphy combined to score the first 13 points of the night for the Ravens with the second of back-to-back 3-pointers knocked in by Rutledge and Ziesel pushing Ziesel into the 1,000 point scoring club.

The Ravens led by as much as 16 points before the Bobcats closed within seven points with just over five minutes left in the half. Benedictine outscored Peru State 12-7 over the remainder of the first half to take a 12 point lead into halftime.

Peru State opened the second half with five straight points only to have Benedictine answer with 9-0 run that pushed their lead back to 16 with 16 minutes left in the game.

The Ravens committed 11 turnovers in the second half, which aided the Bobcats offense and allowed Peru State to pull within six points with seven minutes left in the game.

Benedictine outscored Peru State 13-4 over the next two minutes to push their lead back to 15 before the Bobcats scored the games final four points to give Benedictine the 11-point win.

Rutledge led the Ravens with a game-high 15 points while Ziesel was close behind with 14. Murphy narrowly missed out on a double-double as she led the Ravens with 11 rebounds while finishing with nine points.

The second-seeded Ravens host third-seeded Baker, who beat Graceland 82-65 on Wednesday, at 7 p.m. Friday night in the Nolan Gymnasium. The two schools split the regular-season series, winning on the opponents home floor. Benedictine earned a 77-73 win in Baldwin City on Jan. 8 while Baker earned a 63-57 win in Atchison on Feb. 12.

— BC Sports Information —

Bearcats move up to No. 3 in latest Central Region rankings

Posted on March 5, 2015March 5, 2015

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team was ranked third in the latest NCAA Central Region poll which was release on Wednesday afternoon. The Bearcats are 22-5 overall and 19-5 in games against NCAA Division II in-region opponents.

The Bearcats, who went 15-4 and won the outright MIAA title, are seeded first in the upcoming MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Northwest takes on No. 8 seed Washburn on Thursday at noon.

The top eight teams in each of the eight regions advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament, with the top seed serving as host for the opening three rounds. Augustana (S.D.) defeated Minnesota State Moorhead to win the Northern Sun Conference Tournament on Tuesday to conclude the season.

The NCAA Selection Show will take place on Sunday, March 8, at 9:30 p.m. CT.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Griffon tennis suffers first loss of the season to Northwest Missouri State

Posted on March 5, 2015March 5, 2015

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Missouri Western women’s tennis team suffered their first loss of the season to the hands of rival Northwest Missouri, 8-1. MWSU is now 3-1 on the season, while the Bearcats moved to 3-0 and ranked third in the region.

MWSU couldn’t find a victory in any doubles matches. The Griffons also pushed two matches into extra sets in the No. 2 and No. 6 spot but couldn’t come up with another victory.

The Griffons lone win came in the No. 5 singles spot when Ceara Boldridge came up with a 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (10-4) victory over Mannix Stephanie.

MWSU will remain at home when they face Rockhurst University on Wednesday, March 4. Check back gogriffons.com for updates involving match start time and location.

Scores
Singles competition
1. Quesada,Camila (NWMSU) def. Giraldo,Sarah (MWSU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Jarolim,Lorena Rivas (NWMSU) def. Aguilera,Sofia (MWSU) 4-6, 7-3, 7-6 (10-4)
3. Jaquet,Margaux (NWMSU) def. Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) 7-5, 6-0
4. Kolen,Aniek (NWMSU) def. Chiao,Denise (MWSU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) def. Mannix,Stephanie (NWMSU) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (10-4)
6. Hull,Marianne (NWMSU) def. Smith,Meara (MWSU) 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (10-4)

Doubles Competition
1. Quesada,Camila/Jaquet,Margaux (NWMSU) def. Chiao,Denise/Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) 8-1
2. Dibbins,Rachel/Jarolim,Lorena Rivas (NWMSU) def. Boldridge,Ceara/Aguilera,Sofia (MWSU) 8-6
3. Kolen,Aniek/Mannix,Stephanie (NWMSU) def. Giraldo,Sarah/Beger,Lindsay (MWSU) 8-5

— MWSU Sports Information —

St. Joe native Jackie Ziesel becomes 17th player to score 1000 points at BC

Posted on March 5, 2015March 5, 2015

The Benedictine faithful didn’t have to wait long on Wednesday night for Jackie Ziesel to become the 17th player in Raven Women’s Basketball history to score 1,000 points in her career.

It took just two minutes and 36 seconds for Ziesel to get a standing ovation from the home crowd at Ralph Nolan Gymnasium after she connected from deep to join a prestigious group of Benedictine College athletes.

Ziesel entered the game with 998 career points after scoring 15 points in the regular-season finale on Saturday against Evangel. It was fitting that she reached her career milestone with a 3-pointer.

“I just had a big smile on my face,” Zeisel said. “I’m glad it was on a three and I could get it over with and get it out of my mind. Then I was just able to play, relax and have fun for the rest of the game.”

Ziesel came into the postseason with a team-high 41 3-pointers. With her two 3-pointers on Wednesday, she now has 146 career 3-pointers which has allowed her to move up to No. 7 on the Ravens Career 3-pointers list.

She made sure to leave her mark on the game Wednesday, finishing with 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting while grabbing six rebounds.

By accomplishing this goal it’s given her time to think about those who have helped her on this journey and how far she has come.

“My coaches, and my family have been with me for this entire time,” Zeisel said. “Starting with YMCA ball and traveling with AAU basketball, they’ve taken me everywhere across this country just to play basketball, the thing I love to do. If I didn’t have them following and supporting me and doing everything that they can possibly do for me to play college basketball, none of this would be possible.”

Ziesel and the Ravens return to action on Friday at 7 p.m. as they host a Heart of America Athletic Conference Postseason Tournament Semifinal with Baker University.

— BC Sports Information —

KU’s Self named Naismith Coach of the Year Award finalist

Posted on March 5, 2015March 5, 2015

ATLANTA – Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self has been named one of 15 finalists for the 2015 Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Award, the Atlanta Tip-Off Club announced Wednesday.

In his 12th season at Kansas, Self has guided the Jayhawks to an unprecedented 11-consecutive Big 12 Conference regular-season titles, including the 2014-15 crown. The 11-straight league championship ties for the second-most in NCAA Division I history.

At 24-6 overall and 13-4 in Big 12 play, Kansas’ 2014-15 schedule is the toughest in the country, while its Rating Percentage Index (RPI) has been ranked either first or second in NCAA Division I all season and is currently second. The Big 12 Conference is rated No. 1 in the league RPI in 2014-15.

In addition to their Big 12 regular-season title, the Jayhawks won the Orlando Classic over Thanksgiving weekend to highlight non-conference action. In the 60th season inside Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas posted its 18th all-time, fifth under Self, undefeated season inside the historic venue by going 15-0 at home in 2014-15.

In the 2014-15 national polls, the No. 9/10 Jayhawks have been ranked in the Associated Press top 10 for 12 weeks and the USA Today Coaches’ Poll top 10 on 11 occasions. With their 76-69 overtime win versus No. 20/20 West Virginia on March 3, the Jayhawks are 9-3 against ranked foes this season.

Self is currently 349-75 in his 12 years in Lawrence and 556-180 in his 22nd season overall. He is 190-9 inside Allen Fieldhouse and has won more conference titles (11) than lost home games (9).

Self was the 2012 Naismith Coach of the Year and this is the seventh time he has been a finalist for the honor. Self has been named national coach of the year by other organizations four times: in 2000 while at Tulsa and in 2008, 2009 and 2012 while at Kansas. He has been selected as his conference coach of the year on five occasions, including four while at KU.

— KU Sports Information —

Nebraska falls at Illinois for seventh consecutive loss

Posted on March 5, 2015March 5, 2015

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In his last game in his hometown arena, Rayvonte Rice started slow.

The Illinois guard missed three of his first four shots Wednesday against Nebraska. But the Champaign native turned it on in the second half, finishing with 23 points to lead the Illini to a badly needed win over the Cornhuskers, 69-57.

Nebraska started the second half hot and had a five-point lead early, but Rice — with some help from senior Nnanna Egwu and his eight rebounds — led the Illini back.

“We stayed poised and stayed together and just didn’t buckle,” Rice said. “They threw a punch and we just answered.”

“I told Rice and Egwu: `I’m not going to miss them real bad,” Nebraska coach Tim Miles joked after the game.

The Illini (19-11, 9-8 Big Ten) have won two straight as they look for a way into the NCAA tournament. Nebraska (13-16, 5-12) has lost seven games in a row and nine of its last 10.

Rice had a quiet six-point first half but scored 17 in the second 20 minutes. That included seven straight over a key stretch midway through the half that brought Illinois back from a 40-39 deficit to a 46-42 lead.

Kendrick Nunn and Leron Black added 11 each for Illinois.

Shavon Shields led Nebraska with 14 points. Terran Petteway added 13 and Leslee Smith had eight points and nine rebounds.

Illinois scrapped for a 31-23 lead with 55 seconds in the first half on a 3-pointer by Rice.

The Cornhuskers answered with a 13-0 run over the next 5:30, taking a 36-31 lead. Shields scored seven of those points, including a 3-pointer with 17:09 left in the game to put Nebraska up 34-31, its first lead since midway through the first half.

Rice finally ended the drought for the Illini, hitting another 3-pointer with 15:25 left in the game to close the gap to two points, 36-34.

Then Rice took the game in hand.

His seven straight gave the Illini a lead they wouldn’t give up.

He drilled home a long 3-pointer with 1:35 left in the game to give Illinois a decisive 59-50 lead.

Rice has been the player the Illini have turned to the last past two seasons. Even after a lengthy absence in January and February due to injury and a suspension for a violation of team rules, he remains Illinois’ leading scorer and rebounder.

The Illini entered the game as a bubble team in search of wins, likely at least two, to make the NCAA tournament after falling short last season.

—

TIP-INS

Nebraska: Wednesday was the Cornhuskers’ seventh road game in their last 10. They won just once over that stretch. After opening Big Ten play 4-3, Nebraska has fallen to 12th in the 14-team conference.

Illinois: The Illini entered the game as the country’s No. 1 free-throw shooting team, hitting 79.6 percent. They were 20 of 23 Wednesday night.

RICE’S WRAP

With Illinois shutting down the State Farm Center for renovations after Wednesday’s game, Rice played his last game at the facility he grew up dreaming about. And he took an indirect path to get there, playing two seasons at Drake before transferring to Illinois and sitting out a season under NCAA rules.

“I think Ray’s had just a journey with everything he’s been through,” Illinois coach John Groce said this week. “He’s really grown up a great deal over the three years.”

ARENA MAKEOVER

Work on the State Farm Center that started at the end of last season and has continued outside the arena started up again inside almost the minute the game was over. Work crews tore down Illini banners in the players’ tunnel just after the buzzer. The $169.5 million renovation will bring new seats, a new scoreboard and video boards and a range of other amenities to the 53-year-old arena. The Illini will play five early home games next season in Springfield, about 85 miles west, while the work is finished.

UP NEXT:

Nebraska closes the regular season at home Sunday against Maryland.

Illinois finishes Saturday at Purdue.

— Associated Press —

Griffons advance to MIAA Quarterfinals with 80-56 win over Lincoln

Posted on March 3, 2015March 4, 2015

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Missouri Western women’s basketball team kept their season alive with an impressive 80-56 win Tuesday over Lincoln in the first round of the MIAA Tournament at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

With the win, MWSU advances to Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium to take on No. 2 seed Emporia State on Friday at 6 p.m.

The Griffons never trailed in what was a close battle early but the Griffons began to open up late in the first half and blew wide open early in the second half. The Griffons took a 39-28 lead to the break, shooting 48 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range. Missouri Western took their largest lead of the second half with five seconds left in the frame on Sarafina Handy’s second-straight three. Handy scored the Griffons final six points to close the half and give the team an 11-point lead at halftime.

MWSU opened the second half on a tear, expanding their lead to 22 with 14:25 left in the game and never really looked back. Lincoln never got within 15 points in the second half.

For the game, Western shot 53 percent from the field, including 58 percent in the second half. They were 44 percent from three-point range and 80 percent at the free throw line. Ariana Novak led all scorers with 18 points. LaQuinta Jefferson finished with 16 points and Handy finished with 17. Teara Hall and Miliakere Koyamainavure each had nine points and eight rebounds. Koyamainavure added six assists.

The Griffons sit 15-11 on the season after winning their first MIAA tournament game in the fieldhouse since they defeated Washburn 54-51 for the tournament championship in 2002. Rob Edmisson is now 2-1 in MIAA tournament play.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Shamburger leads Missouri to a win over Auburn

Posted on March 3, 2015March 4, 2015

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Keith Shamburger scored 21 points, tying his season high, and drained a 10-footer with 10.9 seconds remaining on senior night to lift Missouri over Auburn 63-61 on Tuesday.

The game-winning bucket capped a 9-0 run for the Tigers (9-21, 3-14 Southeastern Conference), who won for just the second time in 16 games. Freshmen Montaque Gill-Caesar and Namon Wright each added 10 points.

KT Harrell scored 24 points to lead Auburn (12-18, 4-13), but his 3-point attempt at the buzzer bounced harmlessly off the rim.

The Tigers played without Antoine Mason for a second straight game after the death of the guard’s father, former NBA forward Anthony Mason, on Saturday. Both teams observed a moment of silence before the game in Mason’s memory.

The Tigers have lost five consecutive games.

Shamburger actually missed another attempt with about 15 seconds to go, but Gill-Caesar poked the ball loose from Auburn’s Cinmeon Bowers before the senior received a second chance he wouldn’t miss.

A Los Angeles native, Shamburger was already playing with heightened emotions after being honored before the game along with fellow senior Keanau Post. The guard scored 11 points in the first 7:15 of the game to give Missouri a 15-9 lead, but wouldn’t score again for nearly 19 minutes.

The break provided an opening for Harrell, who scored 13 points in the final 13:03 of the first half to help Auburn knot the game at 30 at the break. Averaging 17.7 points per game, the senior started 1 of 6 from the field but finished 8 of 16.

His layup with 13:46 remaining gave Auburn a 42-40 lead, one it wouldn’t give up until a reverse layup by Wright tied the score at 61 with 76 seconds left, energizing the crowd of 6,619 and setting up the frenzied final minute.

TIP-INS

Auburn: The Tigers lost their previous four games by an average of 23.5 points, but never trailed by more than six Tuesday. . The team finished 21 of 51 (41.2 percent) overall.

Missouri: Shamburger and Post have only combined to play three seasons with the Tigers after transferring from other schools, but Shamburger has started every game and leads the team with 1,036 minutes played this season. . The team finished 24 of 54 (44.4 percent) from the field.

UP NEXT

Auburn wraps up its regular season at home against Georgia on Saturday.

Missouri closes its schedule on the road at Mississippi State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

No. 9 KU rallies from 18 down to beat No. 20 West Virginia in OT, win Big 12

Posted on March 3, 2015March 4, 2015

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Frank Mason III capped one of the biggest comebacks in Allen Fieldhouse history by scoring the last eight points in overtime to lead No. 9 Kansas past No. 20 West Virginia 76-69 on Tuesday night for the Jayhawks’ 11th consecutive Big 12 championship.

Mason had 19 points for the Jayhawks, whose 11 straight conference titles trail only the 13 in a row UCLA won in the John Wooden era.

Junior forward Perry Ellis, the Jayhawks’ leading scorer, appeared to injure his knee late in the first half and did not return.

Daxter Miles had 23 points for West Virginia (22-8, 10-7), which was without star guard Juwan Staten, who had scored at least 20 points in each of the last three games against Kansas.

Trailing by as many as 18 points in a ragged first half, Kansas (24-6, 13-4) finally tied it 59-all on two free throws by Devonte Graham with 11.5 seconds left in regulation. Miles’ 3-pointer gave West Virginia a quick 63-61 overtime lead before Jamari Traylor’s three-point play made it 64-63.

Mason went 4 for 4 from the free throw line in the waning seconds, the final shot going in with 4.1 seconds to play as the Jayhawks completed a 16-0 home season.

Traylor had 14 points for Kansas, which was outrebounded 46-34. The Jayhawks, who have been living by their outside shooting most of the season, were 0 for 15 from behind the arc.

The Mountaineers stunned the favored Jayhawks and their 230th consecutive sellout crowd with an 18-4 run in the first half to take a 22-10 lead. Kelly Oubre’s basket had Kansas ahead 6-4 with 16:59 left in the half. But stymied by West Virginia’s swarming defense and overwhelmed on the offensive and defensive boards, the Jayhawks did not make another field goal until Hunter Mickelson, a little-used reserve, got a layup at the 8:31 mark

The Mountaineers’ lead reached 38-22 when Tarik Phillip’s two free throws and basket capped an 8-0 spurt near the end of the half. The Jayhawks, who were 0 for 7 from behind the arc and were outrebounded 26-11, were within 40-26 at halftime by hitting 12 of 14 free throws.

TIP-INS

Kansas: As soon as the game ended, Kansas closed down the Booth Family Hall of Athletics. The hall, attached to the east side of Allen Fieldhouse, will be closed for six months to make room for construction of the DeBruce Center, which is being built to house James Naismith’s original rules for basketball that a Kansas fan bought on auction for $4.3 million and donated to the university.

West Virginia: In their take-charge first half, the Mountaineers had more offensive rebounds (14) than defensive (12).

UP NEXT

Kansas: at Oklahoma on Saturday.

West Virginia: hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —