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Category: College

Griffons come up short against Missouri Southern 84-73

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ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team lost at home to Missouri Southern Thursday night 84-73.  The Griffons fall to 9-12 and 3-7 in the MIAA, while Southern improves to 17-4 and 8-3 in league play.

NOTABLES

  • Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, as both shot under 35 percent from the field.
  • Lavon Hightower paced the Griffons in the first half with 11 points and three made three pointers.
  • Tyrell Carroll’s layup brought the Griffons within one point at 57-56 with 9:23 remaining in the second half.
  • After the Lions stretched their lead, Sam Siganos drilled a three from the corner to cut the deficit to one with under seven minutes to play.
  • The Lions held the Griffons to just four made field goals over the last five minutes.
  • Missouri Southern’s biggest advantage came in getting to the free-throw line. The Lions shot 30 free throws compared to the Griffons’ seven.
  • Neither team led by double digits until the Lions went up 10 points with 31 seconds left in the game.
  • Both teams took care of the ball on offense, combining for just 15 turnovers.
  • The Griffons’ shot 38 three pointers on Thursday, their second-highest total this season.

LEADERS

  • Hightower led the Griffons in scoring with 20 points.
  • Bryan Hudson added 16 points with a team-high nine rebounds.
  • Tyrell Carroll led all players with five assists to go along with his 12 points.
  • Missouri Southern’s Cam Martin finished with a game high 32 points with 14 made free throws.

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western will host Pittsburg State (14-6, 7-4 MIAA) on Saturday, Feb. 2.
  • The Gorillas lost by 28 points to No. 2 Northwest Missouri on Thursday.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 2 Bearcats dominate Pitt State 111-83 to stay unbeaten

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MARYVILLE, Missouri – The No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat men’s basketball team rolled to its 20th win of the season with a 111-83 triumph over the Pittsburg State University Gorillas on Thursday in Bearcat Arena.

Northwest’s was clicking on virtually all cylinders on the offensive end of floor. The Bearcats shot 55.6 percent from the field. Northwest drained 18-of-37 shots from three-point range and were a perfect 13-of-13 at the free throw line.

Senior Joey Witthus torched the Gorillas for a career-high 36 points, which included eight trifectas. Witthus was 13-of-19 from the field.

Redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins collected a career-high 12 assists and scored 21 points. Hudgins went 8-of-13 from the field and knocked in both of his three-point shots. Hudgins notched his fourth double-double of the season and its the third time he’s had 20-plus points and 10-plus assists in a game.

Sophomore Ryan Hawkins snared a game-high 11 rebounds and contributed with 13 points. Hawkins has nine double-doubles on the year.

The contest was tied at 2-2 and then Northwest took off. The Bearcats quickly put together a 10-0 run to take a 12-2 lead with 16:54 left in the first half. The Gorillas was claw no closer than 10 points the rest of the game. Northwest opened up a 22-point bulge at 45-23 with 3:57 left in the half. Northwest would lead by as many as 25 points in the opening half.

Northwest’s lead would balloon to as many as 35 point the second half at 98-63 with 7:23 remaining in the contest.

The Bearcats will be back in action Saturday at home against the Missouri Southern. The Bearcats and Lions will tip at approximately 3:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

NOTES: Northwest has won 15 consecutive MIAA games dating back to the 2017-18 season … Northwest is 10-0 at home this season … the Bearcats are 72-7 in their last 79 MIAA games, including 38-1 in Bearcat Arena … Ryan Hawkins added three steals to up his MIAA-leading total to 50 on the year … Northwest’s 20-0 start ties it for the third-best start to a season in school history.

— Northwest Athletics —

MWSU women take down Missouri Southern 69-57

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ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western Women’s Basketball team jumped out to a 6-0 lead and never looked back in a 69-57 win over Missouri Southern (11-10, 3-8) Thursday night in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

The win was the Griffons’ (10-9, 5-5) sixth in their last seven games at home and third-straight home victory.

NOTABLES

  • Missouri Western shot 44 percent from the field on the night, its best shooting percentage in four games
  • The Griffons forced 24 Missouri Southern turnovers and led by as many as 15 points
  • A 10-0 Missouri Southern run cut the Griffons’ lead to 50-48 early in the fourth quarter, but it was the closest the Lions got all night
  • The Griffons took a 37-29 lead to the break after shooting 50 percent in the first half
  • After shooting just two free throws in the first half, MWSU made 16 of its 22 attempts in the second half
  • The win and some other results around the MIAA Thursday night left the Griffons tied for seventh with Nebraska-Kearney

LEADERS

  • Katrina Roenfeldt fell two points short of a career high, scoring a game-high 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Roenfeldt also tied for a team-high eight rebounds with Jessica Davies
  • Simone Walker took advantage of a spot in the starting lineup, scoring a career-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with four rebounds and three blocks
  • Brittany Atkins had a team-high three assists to go with her 13 points

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western stays home to host Pittsburg State (16-4, 8-3) on Saturday, Feb. 2
  • The Gorillas won 69-48 at Northwest Missouri on Thursday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest Missouri State women lose at home to Pittsburg State

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The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team lost to Pittsburg State 69-48 at Bearcat Arena Thursday. The Bearcats got off to a slow start and were never able to get into a rhythm against the Gorillas. They were held to 32.8% shooting from the field and 28.6% from behind the three-point line.

Jaelyn Haggard and Kendey Eaton led the Bearcats with 9 points. Mallory McConkey added 6 points and led the team with 9 rebounds. Northwest was able to take care of the ball well and won the turnover battle 13-14.

Pitt State was led in scoring by Maya Williams with 19. She was followed by Megan Scott who added 16 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double. Pitt State dominated the paint in the game, scoring 42 points in the paint and outrebounding Northwest 42-31.

Northwest will be back in action Saturday against Missouri Southern in Bearcat Arena at 1:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri Western picked fourth in preseason MIAA baseball poll

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2019 MIAA Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll was released on Thursday morning, with Missouri Western picked fourth.

2019 MIAA PRESEASON BASEBALL POLL
1. Central Missouri (6) – 115 points
2. Central Oklahoma (3) – 107 points
3. Pittsburg State (2) – 102 points
4. Missouri Western – 81 points
5. Emporia State – 80 points
6. Missouri Southern (1) – 67 points
T-7. Lindenwood – 60 points
T-7. Northwest Missouri – 60 points
9. Northeastern State – 38 points
10. Washburn – 34 points
11. Southwest Baptist – 26 points
12. Fort Hays State – 23 points

The Griffons will aim to improve off of a 29-24 finish in 2018. Last year was Missouri Western’s eighth-straight season above .500. Leading Missouri Western Baseball in his 20th season in 2019 is head coach Buzz Verduzco. Through his first 19 seasons leading the program, the Griffons have finished .500 or better in all but three seasons.

The Griffons bring back a load of experience in the field, returning eights players that started over 30 games last season. Headlining Missouri Western’s returners is the infield duo of Dusty Stroup and Casey Danley. Following an All-MIAA selection as a junior, Stroup was named to the 2019 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Preseason All-Region Second Team. Stroup started all 53 games at shortstop for the Griffons and led the team with 68 hits and 44 RBI. Danley was the Griffons’ top hitter last season with a team-high .327 batting average. He also led the team with 11 home runs.

Second baseman Brooks Day returns for his senior season in 2019. Day received both a Gold Glove Award and All-MIAA Honorable Mention as a junior. Day was one of the team’s most consistent hitters, finishing with a .301 batting average and a team-high 14 doubles.

Returning to the mound for Missouri Western after an impressive 9-2 junior season is Jacob Miller. Miller was the team’s number one starter, finishing with 14 starts. He was named Third Team All-MIAA and ended the season with a 3.65 ERA.

Another probable starter for the Griffons is right-hander Carson Dwyre. Dwyre started five games last season and held a 2.40 ERA before suffering a season-ending injury.

Relief pitcher Kellan Richards is another key returner for the Missouri Western pitching staff. Richards returns for his senior season after being named All-MIAA Honorable Mention last year. Richards appeared in 35 games last season, holding opposing batters to a .264 average.

Missouri Western Baseball will this weekend with a three-game series at Oklahoma Baptist, with the 2019 season opener on Friday, Feb. 1.

— MWSU Athletics —

Small College Basketball Division II Classic and National Hall of Fame to return to St. Joseph

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Small College Basketball is excited to announce a return to St. Joseph, Missouri for the 2019 Small College Basketball Division II Classic, presented by Hillyard and the SCB National Hall of Fame Induction ceremony next November.

Formerly known as the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, SCB Division II Classic will return to the Civic Arena on Friday and Saturday, November 2-3, while the National Hall of Fame will now take place at the Missouri Theatre in St. Joseph, Missouri on Thursday, November 1.

“Missouri Western is proud to partner with Small College Basketball, Hillyard and the St. Joseph Convention & Visitors Bureau to bring the Small College Basketball Division II Classic back to Civic Arena in 2019,” said Missouri Western Director of Athletics Josh Looney. “The 2018 event proved to be NCAA Division II’s premier in-season men’s basketball tournament, highlighted by a national field and eight competitive games. We were very pleased with the economic impact of the event’s debut in St. Joseph and look forward to continuing to grow the tournament in our community.”

Tickets for the Hall of Fame Induction and Classic, featuring eight premier NCAA Division II basketball teams, will be available in the near future. The eight participating teams, along with match-ups and game times, will be announced in April.

The 2018 SCB Hall of Fame Classic had an estimated economic impact for the St. Joseph, Missouri community of $220,950.

“We’re excited to be back in St. Joseph for the 2019 Hall of Fame Induction and Small College Basketball Division II Classic,” said SCB Founder John McCarthy. “St. Joseph is a excellent fit for these events and we look forward to building upon our 2018 events and making them even better in 2019.

“We’re very grateful to Missouri Western State University and the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau for their partnership. It’s been a real pleasure to work with them. Additionally, and importantly, we’re excited and grateful to Hillyard for their continued partnership and we’re very thankful to the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association for providing the exemption for the SCB Division II Classic.”

This will mark the fourth Small College Basketball Classic and Hall of Fame, which began in 2016.

— MWSU Athletics —

Mizzou gets routed at Auburn 92-58

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AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Jared Harper scored 16 points while Chuma Okeke and Bryce Brown each had 14 to help Auburn snap a three-game losing streak with a 92-58 rout of Missouri Wednesday night.

Auburn (14-6, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) used a dominant second half to end the slide that sent the team tumbling out of the Top 25 following a six-week run in the Top 10. This one was actually close for the first 20-plus minutes.

Auburn matched its season-high with 41 3-point attempts and made 16 to help pick apart the league’s No. 2 scoring defense, especially after halftime.

Okeke had a career-high 12 rebounds and Brown made four 3-pointers.

Missouri (10-9, 1-6) got 15 points from Jeremiah Tilmon and 11 apiece from Jordan Geist and freshman Xavier Pinson, who made his first start. No. 2 scorer Mark Smith missed the game with an ankle injury.

Okeke scored 11 points in the final 7:32 of the first half to stake Auburn to a 34-31 lead that only grew when the rest of the team heated up, too.

Auburn’s offense snapped out of its funk for a 3-point flurry. Samir Doughty hit one 3 and Brown added two more, all in a 1:15 span, to push the lead to double digits for the first time.

Auburn made seven 3s in the first seven minutes after the half to help turn the game into a rout.

It was the most 3s Auburn had made since hitting 18 in the opener against South Alabama.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: Has dropped three straight and six of its last seven games. Made just nine shots in the second half (32 percent).

Auburn: Heated up after a lackluster first half to snap its three-game skid. Had plenty of empty seats after Auburn’s fall from No. 7 to unranked.

INJURED STARTERS

Auburn center Austin Wiley (lower right leg) and Missouri’s Smith (ankle) both remained out with injuries. Wiley has sat out the past four games but wasn’t wearing a boot on the bench. Smith, who has missed two games in a row, leads the SEC in 3-point percentage.

PURIFOY’S GAME

Danjel Purifoy had his best game since returning from an NCAA suspension that kept him out last season and the start of this one. He scored eight points and made two 3-pointers.

UP NEXT

Missouri hosts Vanderbilt Saturday night.

Auburn hosts in-state rival Alabama Saturday night.

— Associated Press —

Griffons picked fifth in MIAA preseason softball poll

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MIAA Preseason Softball Coaches Poll was released on Wednesday and Missouri Western is picked to finish fifth in the league in 2019.

The Griffons will begin the season looking to improve on a fifth place regular season finish in 2018. It was just the second time in 15 seasons the program finished with a record below .500. Experience should prove to be valuable for this year’s team, as the Griffons return seven players that started at least 20 games in the field from last season.

MIAA PRESEASON SOFTBALL COACHES POLL

Position School Total Votes 2018 Finish 2018 Record
1. Washburn (11) 162 1st 39-14, 23-3
2. Central Oklahoma (2) 151 3rd 34-22, 17-9
3. Central Missouri 141 2nd 30-22, 19-7
4. Northwest Missouri 133 4th 27-19, 16-10
5. Missouri Western 113 t-5th 25-29, 15-11
6. Northeastern State 111 t-5th 30-26, 15-11
7. Lindenwood 103 t-7th 30-22, 14-12
8. Emporia State (1) 93 t-7th 30-31, 14-12
9. Pittsburg State 65 9th 22-33, 12-14
10. Missouri Southern 58 11th 23-29, 10-16
11. Nebraska Kearney 57 10th 16-29, 11-15
12. Fort Hays State 46 t-12th 13-37, 8-18
13. Southwest Baptist 28 t-12th 18-33, 8-18
14. Lincoln 13 14th 5-43, 0-26

The 2019 season could also be a season of career milestones for Missouri Western head coach Jen Bagley Trotter. She enters her 18th season at MWSU just two wins shy of her 600th coaching victory, all coming at Missouri Western. Already the all-time coaching wins leader at Missouri Western, Bagley Trotter is 17 wins from becoming the MIAA’s all-time leader in the same category.

Among the team’s most notable returners is 2017 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year, Shelby Uhl. Uhl started all 54 games in centerfield as a junior, committing just one error with a .990 fielding percentage. She was the team’s most productive hitter with a .345 average, 61 hits, and 45 RBIs. Fellow outfielder Morgan Frost also returns for the Griffons. Frost started all 54 games in left and was the team’s second-leading hitter with 57 hits, including a team-high 15 doubles.

Gabi Carter and Lonnie Groves highlight the returners for the infield. Carter was one of four hitters on the team to hit over .300 with a .305 batting average. Meanwhile, Groves was second on the team with eight home runs as the team’s primary shortstop.

In the pitching circle, the Griffons return both of their primary starters from last year’s team in Kenzie Hilzer and Kaili Hinds. Hilzer will be coming off her sophomore season in which she was named All-MIAA Honorable Mention. Hilzer finished with a 14-14 overall record with a team-high 88 strikeouts.

Joining the Missouri Western pitching staff are transfers Lexi Kinnaird and Olivia Goodale. Kinnaird transfers to Missouri Western from NCAA Division I institution Wisconsin Green Bay, where she appeared in 23 games with 11 starts. Goodale comes to Missouri Western after pitching two seasons at Indian Hills Community College, finishing with a career record of 27-17 with a 2.16 ERA.

Missouri Western Softball will begin the 2019 season at the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament in St. Cloud, Minnesota this weekend. The Griffons will play four games over the weekend, beginning with a matchup with Minnesota State – Mankato on Feb. 1.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 11 Jayhawks fall at Texas for second straight loss

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Dylan Osetkowksi scored 16 points and Texas used stifling defense to snap a 10-game losing streak to No. 11 Kansas with a 73-63 win Tuesday night.

Jase Febres made three 3-pointers late in the second half as Texas fought off a late rally that saw the Jayhawks get within three points. Texas hadn’t beaten the Jayhawks since 2014.

Texas held Kansas’ leading scorer Dedric Lawson without a point in the first half, and the Jayhawks to their fewest points in a half this season. Just three days earlier, the Longhorns gave up 98 in a loss to Georgia in Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Back in the Big 12, Texas (12-9, 4-4) got a much-needed win that also knocked the Jayhawks (16-5, 5-3) out of first place. Kansas, which has won at least a share of the Big 12 title the last 14 years, has lost three of its last four and this week fell out of the Top 10 for the first time this season.

Ochai Agbaji led Kansas with 24 points.

Osetkowski, who had said Texas was at a “crossroads” after the Georgia loss, was a physical presence under the basket that Kansas couldn’t match as he bullied his way to the basket for layups and rebounds or kicked out cross-court passes for 3-pointers.

Kansas cut the lead to 48-45 before Febres made two 3-pointers two minutes apart for the cushion Texas needed. Febres made another with 1:22 left that put Texas up 63-56.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: Kansas looked befuddled early by Texas’ aggressive defense, which harassed the guards on the perimeter and denied the Jayhawks on just about every chance at getting close to the basket. Kansas’ 23 points in the first half was a season low, and the Jayhawks looked like they could get blown out until an 11-1 run late in the period. Kansas never cleaned up sloppy ball-handling that led to 13 turnovers, several of them coming in the second half.

Texas: Freshman forward Jaxson Hayes set the defensive tone with two blocks in the first two minutes and a soaring, two-handed dunk on the other end. Hayes leads the Big 12 in blocks and ranked first nationally among freshmen with 2.65 per game coming in. That sort of defensive effort could carry Texas a long way through the second half of the Big 12 schedule.

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts No. 16 Texas Tech on Saturday.

Texas plays at No. 20 Iowa State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska loses at home to No. 24 Wisconsin 62-51

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Brad Davison scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half and fueled No. 24 Wisconsin’s decisive surge in the second half of a 62-51 win over Nebraska on Tuesday night.

The Badgers (15-6, 7-3 Big Ten) won their fourth straight game, frittering away a big first-half lead before pulling away in the second.

The Cornhuskers (13-8, 3-7), playing their first game without injured forward Isaac Copeland, lost their fourth straight and sixth in eight games. Their 51 points were a season low, and they made just two field goals over the last 8 1/2 minutes.

Ethan Happ and Nate Reuvers scored 10 points apiece for Wisconsin.

Isaiah Roby, who moved from center to power forward in Copeland’s absence, had 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks for the Huskers. James Palmer had 14 points and Thomas Allen added 10.

Davison scored 10 points during an 18-4 run that turned Wisconsin’s 40-37 deficit into a 55-44 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left. Roby drove the length of the floor for a lay-in that ended a five-minute field-goal drought and cut the lead to nine points.

The Huskers, who trailed by as many as 14 in the first half, tied it at 32-all when Roby spun around Happ for a left-handed lay-in. Nebraska coach Tim Miles went to one knee and pumped his fist as the ball went through the hoop and Happ was called for a foul.

The Huskers were up 40-37 before the Badgers began their decisive surge and Nebraska went into a long stretch with no field goals.

BIG PICTURE

Wisconsin: Any road win is good, and the Badgers have won six of their last seven in Big Ten play. This one wasn’t particularly pretty at times, but Davison and others stepped up on a night Happ was held mostly in check.

Nebraska: The Huskers are a mess as they try to adjust to the loss of Copeland and a crisis of confidence. Their habit of going on long scoring droughts was made worse by the fact they outrebounded Wisconsin 45-37 and a whopping 18-8 on the offensive end, but only mustered seven second-chance points.

UP NEXT

Wisconsin: Hosts No. 21 Maryland on Friday.

Nebraska: Visits Illinois on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

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