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Category: College

Mizzou runs past Gophers to win Citrus Bowl

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riggertMizzouORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — When Missouri played its best this season, the Tigers stopped the run or ran well themselves. Minnesota found out what happens when the Tigers are successful at both.

Marcus Murphy ran for 159 yards, Russell Hansbrough added 114 yards and a touchdown and No. 16 Missouri beat Minnesota (No. 25 CFP) 33-17 on Thursday in the Citrus Bowl.

“We took advantage of some critical turnovers. It’s 23 (wins) — the best back-to-back seasons in Missouri history,” Tigers coach Gary Pinkel said. “You’re always judged when you have the most adversity and how you respond. And we did.”

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Missouri (11-3) also got a big day out of its defense, which held one of the nation’s top rushing offenses to 106 yards on its way to winning its third straight bowl game and reaching 11 victories for the fourth time in school history. Minnesota entered the game averaging nearly 225 yards on the ground.

The Tigers forced three turnovers, led by game MVP Markus Golden, who finished with 10 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. It helped Missouri’s offense settle in after from some early miscues.

“It’s a blessing to be a part of this team. Just to be out here playing,” Golden said. “One of the best days of my life.”

Minnesota (8-5) trailed 19-17 entering the fourth quarter, but Missouri pulled away on Hansbrough’s 78-yard touchdown run and Maty Mauk’s 7-yard scoring pass to Bud Sasser.

Mauk settled down to throw two TD passes after interceptions on the Tigers’ first two possessions.

Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner was 21 of 31 for 258 yards and a touchdown, but was under constant pressure in the second half.

The Tigers used an onside kick to open the third quarter to stretch out their halftime lead to 13-7.

The Golden Gophers responded on the ensuing series with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Leidner to tight end Maxx Williams. Williams leaped over cornerback Aarion Penton and stepped over another defender before diving into the end zone.

But Missouri quickly answered, needing just three plays after a muffed Minnesota punt for Mauk to give the Tigers a 19-14 lead on an 18-yard touchdown run.

It tightened to 19-17 by the start of in the fourth quarter before Hansbrough got free and rumbled for his score that put the Tigers’ up by nine with 9:28 to play.

Minnesota coach Jerry Kill said he thought his defense got a little tired down the stretch because of extra possessions given to the Tigers’ offense.

“The bottom line is you can’t turn over the ball and win the turnover. I say that all the time,” Kill said. The game flipped because of a couple of turnovers.”

Missouri survived a disastrous offensive start to lead 10-7 at halftime in a game that started with the teams combining for three turnovers in the first 4 minutes.

Missouri’s Mauk opened the game by being picked off by Derrick Wells on the Tigers’ third play from scrimmage. Minnesota would give it right back, though, when Leidner fumbled after being sandwiched in the backfield by defensive ends Markus Golden and Shane Ray.

The Tigers then went just four more plays before Mauk’s second interception, this time in the end zone by Briean Boddy-Calhoun.

The Gophers finally ended the drought on the ensuing series, capping an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown run by Rodrick Williams.

It was part of a bruising first quarter that saw Minnesota gain 76 yards on the ground.

That was flipped in the second quarter, as the Tigers used its own rushing attack to set up the passing game.

First, following a punt, they used their best starting field position of the half to get on the board with Andrew Baggett’s 21-yard field goal.

Mauk then made the best of Missouri’s final possession of the half, finding Bud Sasser for a 25-yard touchdown strike.

In all, the Tigers outgained the Gophers 156-41 in the second quarter.

Pinkel said this win can go a long way for his team.

“We talk about (how) you have to have perseverance and competitive drive. Sounds easy, it’s not,” he said. “Bottom line is you’ve got to make plays. You got to make blocks. We did.”

— Associated Press —

Bearcats close non-conference schedule with big win over Avila

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NWMSUMARYVILLE, Mo. – A year ago, Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team went into the Christmas break with a victory. When it returned to action 14 days later, the Bearcats lost at home to Central Oklahoma.

Perhaps, a tune-up after Christmas break before heading into the meat of conference schedule would have helped Northwest last season.

Time will tell if a different approach worked.

The Bearcats had their tune-up in the final few hours of 2014 when they took on Avila early Wednesday evening at Bearcat Arena.

Northwest showed rust on offense in the opening minutes, but found its rhythm midway through the first half, building a 14-point lead.

Despite a spirited effort from Avila, the Bearcats easily won 85-67. It was the perfect vehicle to carry Northwest, 9-2 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA, into the new year and a two-game Oklahoma road trip that begins Saturday at Central Oklahoma.

“I think this game will help us,” said junior Conner Cooker, who finished with a game-high 21 points. “They are good, tough team. They press the whole game. They are relentless. This was a good game for us.”

Northwest opened with a three-pointer from Zach Pitts. Sophomore Anthony Woods followed with a drive into the paint for a bucket for a 5-0 lead.

The Bearcats, though, started missing a few open three-pointers even though their lead slowly grew to 11-2.

A couple minutes later, Northwest found its stroke. On three straight offensive possessions, teammates found Crooker in the corner and he drilled three straight three-pointers, pushing Northwest’s lead to 20-7.

“They help me a lot,” Crooker said of his teammates. “They draw the double. I’m sitting there. They know where to find me. Matt Wallace is especially good at it. I think he got me the assist on all of them.”

Once Crooker gained Avila’s respect for his outside jumper, he decided to drive inside the arc. He made a couple of one-handed shots, driving to the basket.

It took sophomore Zach Schneider about 15 minutes to find the range, but when he did, it was impressive. He nailed a three-pointer and was fouled on the shot. He made the free throw. His four-point play gave Northwest a 35-21 lead.

Avila did not wilt, which was good for the Bearcats. The Eagles fought back and closed to 38-30.

Avila’s mini run forced Northwest to make a play before the halftime buzzer sounded. The Bearcats worked the ball around. Senior Matt Wallace received the ball at the top of the key with 2 seconds left and hit a three-pointer, sending Northwest into halftime with a 41-30 lead.

Northwest wound up shooting 58 percent from the field in the first half and made nearly half its three-pointers, going seven for 15 from behind the arc.

Interestingly, the first basket in the second half was identical to the one that opened the game. Pitts made a three-pointer, starting another nice run for Northwest. The Bearcats lead grew to 61-41 7 minutes into the second half.

“It was good practice for us to work on what we need to work on, breaking the press and being able to handle the pressure,” Crooker said.

The competition gets a lot tougher the rest of the way. The Bearcats will face a Central Oklahoma team Saturday afternoon that is 11-2 overall and 4-0 and in first place in the MIAA. On Monday, Northwest plays at Northeastern Oklahoma, which is struggling a little at 3-8 and 1-3.

“I think we are ready,” Crooker said. “We have a pretty good record so far. We are going to build on that. We are going to fine tune everything and try to get better and execute a little better.”

— David Boyce, Northwest Athletics —

K-State scores 12 first half points, falls at home to Georgia

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riggertKStateMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — After watching Kansas State break its arena record for fewest points in a half, Georgia coach Mark Fox felt his team was in for a second-half dogfight.

The Bulldogs surrendered a 15-point lead, but a key 3-pointer from Nemanja Djurisic sparked a game-ending 7-0 run to give them a win in their final road game in non-conference play Wednesday.

Charles Mann had 17 points and Marcus Thornton had 11 points as Georgia knocked off Kansas State 50-46.

“We talked mostly at the half about that,” Bulldogs coach Mark Fox said. “(We said), `Get ready because they’re going to test your manhood. We’re going to have to stand up and answer it.’ Fortunately, the last three minutes we did it.”

Mann led the Bulldogs in scoring for a second consecutive game and fourth time this season.

With the loss, Kansas State has dropped back-to-back non-conference home games for the first time since 1987. Thomas Gipson led Kansas State with 19 points, including a 7-of-10 performance from the free-throw line.

After falling behind by as many as 15 points, Kansas State built a 46-43 lead with 2:50 left.

However, Djurisic’s 3-pointer thwarted its momentum, giving Georgia a 47-46 lead with 1:05 left.

The Bulldogs made three of their four final free throws to clinch the road victory.

Gipson, who was coming off the bench for the first time this season, ignited Kansas State’s late 15-4 scoring run with seven points. The offensive push cut Georgia’s lead to 39-35 with 7:33 left.

Kansas State dug itself out of an offensive hole, overcoming a 21.7 percent shooting performance in the first half.

A turnover-laden first 20 minutes came back to bite the Wildcats, however, as control of the game’s opening half fell in the hands of Mann and company.

A technical on Fox propelled the Bulldogs on a 12-2 scoring run over the final 10 minutes of the first half.

Despite shooting 28.6 percent from the field (6 of 21), Georgia took a 20-12 lead into the locker room. It benefited from 16 Kansas State turnovers in the first half and scored 16 points off of the miscues.

The turnover-heavy game included a stretch of seven Wildcat turnovers in the game’s opening seven minutes. The miscues forced Kansas State coach Bruce Weber to mix and match his lineups.

“You can’t turn it over like that,” Weber said. “You’ve got to play hard and do the things it takes otherwise we’ve got to play other people.”

Kansas State’s 12 first-half points were the second fewest in school history, falling behind an 11-point first half against Oklahoma State on Jan. 6, 1992.

COMING `HOME’

Bramlage Coliseum wasn’t foreign to Fox as he grew up in Garden City, Kansas and spent six seasons courtside in Manhattan from 1994-2000.

“Coach (Jack) Hartman, (Tex) Winter and (Tom) Asbury taught me so much when I was here,” Fox said. “It was very emotional coming back. It was more emotional than any game I’ve coached outside of the game after my dad died last year.”

TYING RECORDS

The combined 96 points tied a Bramlage Coliseum record for the fewest in a game. The previous record was set on Dec. 29, 2012 when Kansas State knocked off UMKC 52-44.

TIP-IN

The game was only the second to take place between the two programs. Kansas State won the only other matchup 82-79 in overtime during the NCAA West Regional First Round on March 12, 1987.

UP NEXT

K-State opens Big 12 play at Oklahoma State on Saturday

Georgia plays Norfolk State on Saturday

— Associated Press —

Nebraska drops Big Ten opener against Indiana

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NebraskariggertLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — In February, Indiana came into Pinnacle Bank Arena, built a 16-point first-half lead, but lost to Nebraska 60-55. Wednesday, the Hoosiers blew another 16-point first-half lead, but rebuilt the margin to 13 and held off the Cornhuskers 70-65.

“That’s a great sign of maturity for us,” said Indiana coach Tom Crean. “It takes a while for that maturity process to kick, especially when they’re away from your bench, on the other end of the floor. We closed the game well. Obviously, they made a comeback at the end.”

Nick Zeisloft hit a pair of free throws with 33 seconds left and Collin Hartman added one 21 seconds later to stem Nebraska’s comeback and seal the win for Indiana.

The three free throws were the only points scored by Indiana (11-3, 1-0 Big Ten) in the final 4:50 of the run-filled game.

Nebraska (8-5, 0-1) came out of halftime strong, hitting five of its first seven shots, outscoring Indiana 14-2 and taking a 46-42 lead on Walter Pitchford’s shot-clock-beating 27-foot 3-pointer with 15:28 left.

Indiana expected that Nebraska comeback, said Robert Johnson, who led the Hoosiers with 14 points.

“We talked about that, preparing for that run,” he said. “We talked about different things, like momentum swings and things like that. It just all comes back to getting stops. Once they go on the run, you’ve got to keep your composure, get something good offensively and try to string together two or three stops to get back into the game and get the lead back.”

The Hoosiers did more than that, taking a 49-48 lead on James Blackmon Jr.’s free throws with 13:30 left, extending the margin to 56-49 on Troy Williams’ putback with 8:55 left. Hanner Mosquera-Perea’s inside jumper with 4:50 left capped a 25-8 Indiana run, putting the Hoosiers up 67-54.

The Huskers countered with a final 10-0 run, holding Indiana scoreless for more than four minutes and cutting the Hoosier lead to 67-64 on David Rivers’ free throws with 1:05 left.

“I thought our guys were pretty good the second half,” said Nebraska coach Tim Miles. “The first half, I thought they were just too uptight. I felt like we gave them a good run. It’s hard not to think you beat yourself when you miss all those early shots.”

Indiana came into Wednesday averaging 86 points a game and, in the first half, it appeared the Hoosiers would match that mark.

Indiana used a 15-1 run to take a 17-8 lead on Emmitt Holt’s jumper with 12:57 left in the first half. Indiana led by as many as 16 before Nebraska put together a 10-2 run capped by a Terran Petteway 3-pointer with eight seconds left to trail 40-32 at the half.

“In the first half, we tried to play at their pace and that is why they got their lead on us. In the second half, we looked like us, but we have to put together a full game,” Petteway said.

Crean and Miles got into a verbal confrontation at mid-court after a hard foul by Nebraska’s Tai Webster on Mosquera-Perea with 9:43 left in the game. Neither coach would talk about the confrontation in post-game interviews.

TIP-INS

Indiana: The Hoosiers, who were 7 of 24 from 3-point range, had made at least seven 3-pointers in their previous 14 games this season. … Last year, the Hoosiers made seven or more 3-pointers just 8 times in 32 games.

Nebraska: The Huskers played without Leslee Smith and Moses Abraham, their two experienced big men who they hoped would return for Big Ten conference play. … Abraham, who has a broken hand, and Smith, recovering from a torn ACL, are now expected to return in about two weeks.

UP NEXT

Indiana visits Michigan State Monday.

Nebraska visits Iowa Monday.

— Associated Press —

Mizzou loses OT heartbreaker in KC to Oklahoma State

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riggertMizzouKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Oklahoma State’s Phil Forte III and Le’Bryan Nash scored 21 points, including all 12 of the Cowboys’ points in overtime, lifting them to a 74-72 victory over Missouri on Tuesday night.

Anthony Hickey Jr. added 12 points for the Cowboys (10-2), who rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit and then had to withstand the Tigers’ own feverish comebacks.

Missouri (5-7) had a chance to take the lead late in overtime, but Tramaine Isabell — whose 3-pointer with 2-tenths of a second left forced overtime — turned the ball over.

Nash made two fouls shots with 5.4 seconds to go, and Oklahoma State fouled to prevent the Tigers from getting off another tying 3. Johnathan Williams III made the first of two free throws with 3 seconds left, and missed the second intentionally.

A tying floater bounced over the rim and harmlessly to the floor.

— Associated Press —

No. 13 Kansas pulls away from Kent State in Second Half

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LAWRENCE, Kansas (AP) — With all else failing on offense for Kansas, Kelly Oubre Jr. took control of the game.

Oubre scored 20 points and No. 13 Kansas beat Kent State 78-62 on Tuesday night.

“I just got into a rhythm early,” Oubre said. “I was just playing in the confines of the game.”

He started out hitting his first six shots, including all four of his 3-pointers.

“He absolutely carried us in the first 10 minutes of the game,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

This was the second game in the last three where Oubre scored at least 20 points. He had 23 in Kansas’ win over Lafayette on Dec. 20. With the near back-to-back performances, Self said Oubre solidified his starting position.

“Oubre, who I know didn’t start early in the year, he was unbelievable in the first half,” Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said.” I’m sure he’s just scratching the surface.”

Perry Ellis added 15 for Kansas (10-2). Blunders and bloopers were evident early for Kansas. On the first possession of the game, Oubre turned the ball over. Wayne Selden Jr. missed a dunk. The entire team ended up on the floor going after a loose ball.

“I thought the first half, the first 12 minutes, we didn’t play very well at all,” Self said.

Everyone but Oubre had shooting woes. Excluding the freshman’s perfect first half, Kansas was 10 of 30.

When the Golden Flashes were called for a foul, the Jayhawks only made 3 of 8 free throws. Kent State wasn’t any better. They only shot 25 percent from the line.

Some of the woes continued after intermission for each team.

Kansas allowed five offensive rebounds for Kent State in the second half along with six-second chance points. Kansas also had eight turnovers in the half.

When Allen Fieldhouse was starting to grow quiet, Cliff Alexander dunked life into the crowd. He scored six-straight points in 58 seconds and helped guide a 12-2 run that put Kansas up by 21 points.

“Cliff’s playing like how Cliff plays,” Oubre said. “Every time Cliff’s in the game it pumps us up because he’s getting rebounds, dunks. Everything he does is really athletic. That’s what he does.”

Kent State tried charging back in the final four minutes, but the deficit was too big.

“I didn’t think our shot selection was great,” Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said. “We fouled a little bit too much, we couldn’t get enough rebounds.”

Three of Kent State’s final points of the game came off a 3-pointer from Blake Vedder, a 7-foot-4 center.

The final basket of the game was a breakaway layup from Tyler Self, the son of coach Self. It was his first of the season. Self joked about how his son went up with his right hand on the left side of the basket.

“It was good that somebody off our scout team made a basket,” Self said.

Jimmy Hall scored 13 points and eight rebounds, and Khaliq Spicer added 11 points and five rebounds for Kent State (8-4).

TIP-INS

Kansas: Oubre scored 11 points in 6:23, being the fastest Jayhawk to 10 points on the season.

Kent State last came to Allen Fieldhouse in Feb. 2008, where Kansas won 87-68.

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts UNLV on Sunday.

Kent State hosts Texas-Pan American on Friday.

STAR POWER

Freshman guard Devonte’ Graham saw the doctor Tuesday for his turf toe injury he sustained on Dec. 10. He was allowed toss the walking boot. Coach Self said there is no current prognosis on Graham, other than he is moving in a positive direction.

— Associated Press —

K-State blows late lead and loses to Texas Southern on buzzer-beater

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riggertKStateMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Less than a second was all it took.

That’s all Texas Southern needed to turn a two-point deficit into 58-56 win over Kansas State on Sunday.

Chris Thomas’ offensive rebound and putback tied it at 56 with 0.9 seconds left and, after Kansas State threw the inbounds pass away, Jason Carter hit a jumper as time expired, giving the Tigers their second win over 2014 NCAA tournament teams in eight days. Texas Southern beat then-No. 25 Michigan State 71-64 on Dec. 20.

“I did not see it coming,” Carter said. “I just got the ball and finished the play. It was just a lucky shot.”

A three-point play by Thomas Gipson and a layup by Marcus Foster gave Kansas State (8-4) a 54-48 lead with 1:45 remaining.

Chris Thomas made a layup to pull Texas Southern (3-9) within four. After Gipson made a free throw, a layup by Madarious Gibbs made it 55-52 with 16 seconds left.

A free throw by Nino Williams pushed the Kansas State lead back to four. Tonnie Collier made the first two of three free throws and Thomas put back the third to tie the game at 56 with .9 seconds to play.

After Jevon Thomas threw the inbounds pass away, Texas Southern got the ball out of bounds, setting up Carter’s winner.

Kansas State made 2 of 8 free throws in the final 69 seconds.

“We did not have any energy,” Gipson said. “That is where we lost it. I am pretty sure if people had energy, they would step up and make their free throws with confidence. I obviously did not, JT (Jevon Thomas) did not, and other people did not so that is what happens.”

Thomas and Gibbs scored 15 apiece for Texas Southern.

Marcus Foster had 17 points and three assists, Nino Williams added 11 points and five rebounds for Kansas State, which darted out to a 9-0 lead in the first 4 minutes. For the majority of the first half it was all Wildcats, led by Foster and his trio of 3s.

“We had a good start to the game and the 9-2, 15-5 start,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “We had some turnovers and had some times we let them get some rebounds and allow them to get their heads up. We were still grinding it out at half time. We knew it was going to be a low scoring game. We fought and had the game won, but some crazy things happened at the end.”

After making 2 of 9 shots to start the game, Texas Southern trailed by as many as 11 before closing the first half with an 8-3 run. The Tigers trailed 23-31 at halftime.

“I thought they came out that first part of the game and put us on our heels,” Texas Southern coach Mike Davis said. “We settled down, moved the ball and played with a good tempo.”

A three-point play by Thomas with 17:32 to play gave the Tigers their first lead of the game, 28-27.

A jumper by Gibbs gave Texas Southern its biggest lead of the game, 43-36, midway through the second half, but Kansas State scored 12 in a row and didn’t trail again until Carter’s buzzer-beater.

—

TIP-INS

Kansas State: The Wildcats are 71-4 at home during nonconference play since 2006-07.

Texas Southern: The Tigers are 1-1 on the season against Big 12 opponents. Texas Southern lost to Baylor back on Dec. 1.

UP NEXT

Kansas State hosts Georgia on Wednesday.

Texas Southern hosts New Mexico State on Tuesday.

QUOTABLE

“We were up 9-0, then the first media time out, and after that we were just drained. I think we were drunk emotionally, drunk on emotion.”- Nino Williams.

— Associated Press —

Missouri hires Barry Odom as Defensive Coordinator

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MUUniversity of Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel has tabbed former Mizzou player and coach Barry Odom to become his next defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, as announced Tuesday.

Odom, 38, will join the team after the first of the year, as he takes over for Dave Steckel, who will leave to be head coach at Missouri State following the conclusion of Mizzou’s season. Details of Odom’s contract are being finalized, and will be released when available.

Odom has been defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Memphis for the past three seasons, where he has orchestrated an impressive body of work by the Tiger defense. Memphis just concluded a 10-3 season that was fueled largely by Odom’s defense which ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense (17.1 ppg) and 22nd in total defense (343.3 ypg) heading into bowl season. That marked an astounding incremental improvement, as Memphis ranked 117th nationally in total defense in 2011 prior to Odom assuming the reins.

In 2012, Odom’s first year, the Tiger defense improved to 50th nationally in total defense (383.6 ypg), followed by a jump to 39th in 2013 (370.7 ypg). Memphis earned a share of the 2014 American Athletic Conference title, giving them a conference championship for the first time since 1971.

It’s a homecoming for Odom as he returns to his alma mater, where he starred as a linebacker for Mizzou from 1996-99 and later returned for a nine-year stint (2003-11) in a variety of roles for Pinkel’s staff. He first came back in 2003 as an administrative graduate assistant, and after one year in that role, Odom moved to director of recruiting for the 2004 and 2005 seasons and then served three years (2006-08) as director of football operations.

In 2009, Odom moved to the coaching side of the ledger, as Pinkel’s safeties coach for three seasons where he developed Kenji Jackson, Jarrell Harrison and Jasper Simmons into All-Big 12 performers for Tiger teams which won 26 games in those three years. Odom also played a significant role in recruiting, as he was the lead on many highly-regarded prospects who chose to attend Mizzou.

“We’re really excited to have Barry and his family back at Mizzou,” said Head Coach Gary Pinkel. “He’s done an outstanding job at Memphis these past three years. He’s coached with us before, and it’s great to see someone professionally advance himself and go do such a great job elsewhere. I know he was sought after by several other power five schools recently, so we feel very fortunate to have him with us,” Pinkel said.

“It goes without saying how excited I am to have this opportunity,” said Odom. “I have such a deep respect for the success that Coach Pinkel and his staff have had since I’ve been away. Transitioning to a new conference is very challenging, and all they’ve done is get better at everything. When you look nationally at winning percentage, APR, graduation rates, Mizzou is the total package and it’s absolutely one of the top football programs and athletic departments in the country. I’m excited to do my part to continue to add to that, and our family is excited to be part of it again,” he said.

“It’s always tough to leave a place that’s been as good to me as Memphis has, and I can’t thank Coach (Justin) Fuente enough for the opportunity he provided for me,” said Odom. “Being a part of this building process for the last three years has made me a better coach, and I’m proud to know that it’s in better shape now than what we came into,” he said.

Odom, a native of Maysville, Okla. who graduated from Ada High School, was a four-year letterman at linebacker for Mizzou from 1996-99. He was a key player on MU squads that went to bowl games in 1997 and 1998, and he ended his career ranked 5th on the school’s career tackles list, with 362 stops.

Odom graduated from MU in December of 1999, and served as a development intern for the Tiger Scholarship Fund, assisting with various fund raising projects for Tiger Athletics while earning his Master’s in education from MU. He returned to his home state of Oklahoma in July of 2000 to serve as an assistant coach for Ada High School, which finished that season as runners-up for a state championship.

Odom returned to Columbia in the spring of 2001 as head coach of Rock Bridge High School, and he quickly built the Bruins into a power, as they went 6-4 and won a conference championship that fall. He followed with an 8-4 campaign in 2002 that saw Rock Bridge reach the semifinals of the state championship playoffs.

— MU Sports Information —

Griffons’ Colbert named MIAA Player of the Week

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MWSUMissouri Western senior guard Cortrez Colbert has been named the MIAA men’s basketball Athlete of the Week.

Colbert led all scorers in two games last week as he had 25 for the Griffons in a win over Northeastern State, and added 24 in a 62-57 loss to Central Oklahoma on Saturday.

For the week, the senior from Midwest City, Oklahoma, averaged 24.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 4.5 steals per game.

Colbert and Missouri Western are 5-5 on the season and 1-2 in the MIAA.  They’re off until January 3 when they play at Washburn.

No. 10 Kansas gets blown out at Temple 77-52

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riggertKUPHILADELPHIA (AP) — As he tried to recall some of the game’s most pivotal plays, Fran Dunphy called one shot “impossible” and shook his head in disbelief when recalling two others that somehow banked in.

Temple’s coach was as surprised as anyone by just how thoroughly his team dominated No. 10 Kansas.

Led by 19 points from Will Cummings and 18 from Quenton DeCosey, the Owls stunned Kansas with a 77-52 rout Monday night that snapped the Jayhawks’ eight-game winning streak.

Jesse Morgan added 17 points and keyed a dominant second-half performance from the Owls, who were swallowed up after the game by a sea of Temple fans rushing the court at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.

“I think we played about as well as we possibly could have,” Dunphy said. “It was our night.”

Frank Mason III scored 20 points for Kansas (9-2), which shot 32.1 percent from the field and committed 17 turnovers.

No one else on the Jayhawks hit double figures, and leading scorer Perry Ellis was held to five points on 1-for-10 shooting.

“We played tired,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “And we played like we were a half-step slow or even a full step slow, in my eyes.”

The win marked Temple’s first over Kansas since 1995 but continued an impressive streak for the Owls under Dunphy. Temple has beaten a top-25 team in each of the past eight seasons and has knocked off a top-10 team in six of the past seven seasons.

Temple’s last win over a top-10 team came against Syracuse at Madison Square Garden — two years ago to the day. Three seasons ago, when Cummings was as freshman, the Owls stunned Duke at the Wells Fargo Center.

“I really wanted it to happen again,” Cummings said. “I didn’t think the fans would rush the court again. It’s a great feeling for our fans to celebrate with us. It was a great crowd tonight, and we just wanted to give them something to celebrate.”

The Owls (8-4), who have won four of their past five, shot a blistering 58.3 percent from the field, including 69.2 percent in the second half.

Plagued by turnovers and poor shot selection, the Jayhawks never led. They cut a 10-point deficit to six after halftime, but the Owls went on a 26-9 run to build a 61-38 lead midway through the second half.

The stunning spurt was capped by back-to-back 3-pointers and a three-point play from Morgan, who made his second appearance for the Owls after transferring from UMass and sitting out the first semester due to NCAA eligibility rules.

The Owls have won two straight and outscored their opponents by an average of 22.5 points since Morgan and fellow transfer Devin Coleman (Clemson) made their Temple debuts.

Coleman added five points and hit a reverse layup to put Temple ahead by 25 with seven minutes left.

“Those two guys are great scorers,” Cummings said. “You can put the ball in their hands and trust them. That takes a lot of weight off my shoulders.”

After the game, Self said he was “very impressed” watching Temple’s guards drive through the lane almost at will and make a flurry of very tough baskets. But the Kansas coach was mostly disappointed his team couldn’t combat that by executing its own offense.

Kansas struggled right from the opening tip, missing nine of its first 10 shots to fall behind 12-2 about seven minutes into the game. Things didn’t get much better for the Jayhawks the rest of the first half, either.

After a few Temple played jumped on the floor to corral a loose ball, Texas transfer Jaylen Bond electrified the crowd with a one-handed slam that put the Owls ahead 22-10 with 9:46 left.

The Owls led by as many as 14 before two 3-pointers by Mason in the final minute cut Temple’s lead to 35-25 at halftime.

“They were so much better than us,” Self said. “It wouldn’t have mattered how much energy we had. They were far superior tonight.”

Temple and Villanova are a combined 3-0 at the Wells Fargo Center this season, while the 76ers are 0-14.

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TIP-INS

Kansas: The Jayhawks had their three-game winning streak against Temple snapped. They still lead the overall series 8-4. … The Jayhawks committed 13 turnovers in the first half, matching their season average for a single game.

Temple: For the fourth straight time they’ve played at the Wells Fargo Center, the Owls took the subway to the game from their North Philadelphia campus. … The Owls hit 12 free throws in the first half, while the Jayhawks didn’t make any.

WISE MAN

When asked if he ever could have expected Temple to beat a top-10 team this season after the Owls lost three of their first seven games, Cummings smiled and nodded.

“Yes,” he said. “Coach Dunphy told us it was going to happen.”

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts Kent State next Tuesday.

Temple hosts Delaware State on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

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