College – Page 454 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Nebraska hires Mike Riley as head football coach

Posted on December 4, 2014

The University of Nebraska has hired Mike Riley as its new Head Football Coach, Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst announced Thursdayy. Riley will be formally introduced at a news conference on Friday, December 5th at 9:00 a.m. in the West Memorial Stadium – 3rd Floor Club.

Riley comes to Nebraska after 14 seasons as the head coach at Oregon State University, spanning two different tenures in Corvallis. Riley has led OSU to 93 wins and a 6-2 record in postseason bowl games. In addition to his time at Oregon State, Riley has served as the head coach of the San Diego Chargers, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, with whom he won two Grey Cup Championships, and the San Antonio Riders in the World Football League. He has served as an assistant coach at California, USC, Linfield College, Whitworth and Northern Colorado as well as with the New Orleans Saints and in the Canadian Football League.

Riley is a native of Idaho and a graduate of the University of Alabama, where he played for Paul “Bear” Bryant and won three SEC titles and one National Championship.

Mike and his wife, Dee, have two children, Matthew and Kate, and one grandchild, Eli.

Mike will assume his duties immediately but will not coach the Huskers in the upcoming bowl game as Interim Head Coach Barney Cotton will coach the team through the bowl.

Statement from Chancellor Harvey Perlman

“We have high expectations of the men and women who teach and coach our students and Mike Riley is an outstanding addition to our family. I want to welcome Mike and his family to Nebraska and thank Shawn Eichorst for his great efforts in bringing Mike to Lincoln.”

Statement from Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst:

“There was one coach who fit all the characteristics that I was seeking to lead our tradition rich football program. Mike Riley has a proven record of success, a sound approach to football and teaching, an understanding of the educational mission of our university and the integrity and values that we cherish at Nebraska. I have no doubt that Mike will assemble a tremendous staff and lead our student-athletes to win Big Ten titles and compete for national championships in the years ahead.”

Statement from Mike Riley:

“It is truly an honor to join the University of Nebraska family. Though we love Corvallis and Oregon State, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to coach at one of the nation’s most storied football programs and I can’t wait to get started. My sincere thanks to Chancellor Perlman and Shawn Eichorst for their confidence in me and I look forward to becoming a part of the Nebraska family and building upon the great history and tradition.”

— NU Sports Information —

Mizzou’s Ray named finalist for Hendricks Award

Posted on December 4, 2014December 4, 2014

Mizzou junior defensive end Shane Ray (Kansas City, Mo.) has been named a finalist for the 2014 Hendricks Award, as announced by the Ted Hendricks Foundation on Thursday (Dec. 4). The award honors the nation’s top defensive end and the list of six finalists was narrowed down from 18 players who were named to the watch list earlier this season.

Ray, a native of Kansas City, Mo., is third in the nation with his 20.5 tackles-for-loss and is sixth with his 12.0 total sacks. Ray leads the SEC in both categories and also leads the league in sacks per game and tackles for loss per game. He is a big part of a Mizzou defense that has been sensational in SEC play. In league games, Mizzou’s defense ranks first in rushing defense, first in total defense and second in both scoring and passing defense. Over the Tigers’ current six-game winning streak, Ray and the Tigers have held opponents to just 98.5 rushing yards per game and 281.5 total yards.

One of six finalists, Ray is joined by Ohio State’s Joey Bosa, Clemson’s Vic Beasley, Washington’s Hau’oli Kikaha, Utah’s Nate Orchard and USC’s Leonard Williams. He is one of just two juniors to be honored as a finalist, joining Williams. The remaining four are all seniors.

— MU Sports Information —

MWSU’s Jordan, Juergens earn 2nd Team All-Region honors

Posted on December 3, 2014December 3, 2014

Missouri Western junior cornerback Michael Jordan and senior linebacker Stephen Juergens have been named to the DAKTRONICS All-Super Region 3 second team. The two Griffons were among 19 MIAA student-athletes honored, the most of any conference in the region.

Jordan was also a first-team All-MIAA selection this season. The junior’s 16 passes defended were tops in the MIAA. He also tied for the MIAA lead with four interceptions this season. He took one of those interceptions back 39 yards for a touchdown at Washburn. He was the MIAA Freshman of the year and an honorable mention pick in 2012.

After leading the Griffons in tackles for the third straight year and earning MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week once, Juergens landed a second team nod. The senior tallied 108 total tackles, including 59 solo stops. He also led the team with 12 tackles for loss and added 3.5 sacks and an interception. Juergens was also a key part of a Griffon defense that finished third in the MIAA in total defense and allowed the second fewest points in school history (179).

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcats rally past Emporia State in MIAA opener

Posted on December 3, 2014December 3, 2014

EMPORIA, Kan. – Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team blew two, double-digit leads in the first half and trailed the first 13 minutes in the second half.

It was quite the precarious position for the young Bearcats to be in for their MIAA opener on the road at Emporia State.

In the final 7 minutes, Northwest showed the composure of a veteran squad. The Bearcats played stellar defense, hit free throws and made several baskets in key moments.

All those things added up to an impressive 63-57 victory Wednesday night at historic White Auditorium.

“This is huge,” said Northwest sophomore Zach Schneider, who finished with 16 points. “That is about as big a confidence builder you can get in this league is a road win.”

The Bearcats, 6-1, will hit the road once again on Saturday, playing at Pittsburg State. They definitely want to build on what they achieved in crunch time at Emporia State.

Northwest stayed close to the Hornets most of the second half. Emporia State managed a little cushion at 46-41 with 7:34 left. The game was starting to slip away from the Bearcats.

At that moment, Schneider, who was 1-for-5 on three-pointers in the first half and was knocked to the ground while taking a charge in the second half, stepped up big time.

After he caught his breath and returned to the game, he promptly nailed a trey, bringing Northwest to within two at 46-44. Schneider followed that with a NBA-range three-pointer, giving the Bearcats their first lead in the second half at 47-46 with 6:32 left.

“The first half all of them felt good,” Schneider said. “I looked to keep shooting. That is one of my big roles on the team.”

Emporia State went back in front by one and that was when Northwest took the lead for good, starting at the free throw line. Junior Conner Crooker nailed two free throws that made it 49-48 in favor of Northwest with 5:16 left.

A minute later, Crooker made two more free throws, increasing Northwest lead to 51-48.

“I am pretty confident making free throws,” Crooker said. “I practice a lot. I like to be the one to step up and hit big-time free throws.”

He followed that about a minute later with a drive to the basket, giving the Bearcats a 53-48 lead with 3:20 left.

“It was definitely really big,” Crooker said. “I have been struggling all night. I was missing my shot. It felt good to go into the paint and make something happen, especially late in the game when it matters most.”

Northwest maintained control the rest of the way for an impressive conference road victory.

“They are a really good team,” Schneider said. “They came off two really good road wins in Texas. Especially for young team, this is going to be a big confidence booster down the road.

“We will be able to look back and see how we closed out a good team on the road.”

It was a complete team effort, from senior center Grant Cozad, who scored 12 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to freshman point guard Justin Pitts, who finished with a game-high 18 points.

In the first half, Northwest put together two nice spurts to twice build 10-point leads, but two lulls caused the Bearcats to go into halftime down 31-27.

The Bearcats started the game on fire from three-point range. Pitts hit a couple of treys. Schneider had one and in a blink of an eye, Northwest led 13-3.

Emporia State fought back and scored the next nine points, closing to 13-12. Northwest got hot again, scoring nine straight points for a 22-12 lead.

“I think it is a case of being young, honestly,” Crooker said. “We were still getting shots we wanted. We were inconsistent making them. Sometimes we lose concentration on defense.”

The rest of the first half, Northwest generated very little offense. Meanwhile, point guard Terrence Moore got hot for the Hornets. He broke the Bearcats’ 9-0 run with a basket.

Later, he scored four straight points, giving Emporia State its first lead at 23-22. A basket by Micah Swank completed an 11-0 run that put the Hornets up 25-22.

The Bearcats forged the first tie of the game on a three-pointer by Pitts, who was 3-for-4 from behind the arc in the first half. That basket didn’t stop the momentum by the Hornets. Emporia State scored the last four points in the first half.

— David Boyce, Northwest Sports Information —

Griffons’ Rottinghaus named honorable mention All-American

Posted on December 3, 2014December 3, 2014

The fifth postseason award for Missouri Western senior Erica Rottinghaus could be her biggest yet. The senior outside hitter for the Griffon volleyball team has been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American honorable mention team.

She is the first All-American for Griffon Volleyball since Missouri Western Hall of Famer, Shelly Lowery was named AVCA first team All-American in 1995.

Rottinghaus was a first-team AVCA All-District pick after leading the Griffons with 396 kills for a 3.6 average per set and ranked fifth in the MIAA in kills per set average. The Seneca, Kansas native was second on the team with 438.5 points and third with 59 total blocks. She was also second on the team with 279 digs.

The senior was a key part of a two-year turnaround for the program that won more MIAA matches in 2014 than any other MWSU volleyball team and won more overall matches than any team since 1998. Rottinghaus was also named first team All-MIAA, received an MIAA Scholar Athlete Award, first team CoSIDA Academic All-District and MIAA Academic Honor Roll.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest women get clobbered by No. 1 Hornets 80-44

Posted on December 3, 2014December 3, 2014

EMPORIA, Kan. – The best time to play the No. 1 ranked team in the regular season is the conference opener on the road. You might just shock the NCAA Division II world.

Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team surprised Emporia State in the first 10 minutes Wednesday evening at White Auditorium.

But after a competitive first half, Emporia State showed why it’s the No. 1 team in Division II.

The Hornets used their size, quickness and ability to make shots all over the court to beat Northwest 80-44.

Northwest dropped to 3-5 overall and Emporia State improved to 6-0. Senior Ariel Easton led Northwest with 13 points.

The reason why it was good for the Bearcats to face one of the best teams in the country so early in the season was because they can clearly see what they need to work on to beat the elite.

The final score was no indication on how well the Bearcats played through much of the first half.

However, the first 10 minutes of the second half was like a math student going into an advance calculus test with only pre-algebra knowledge.

Emporia State outscored the Bearcats 31-4 over those 10 minutes for a commanding 70-33 lead. The young Bearcats simply didn’t have an answer to slow Emporia State in any facet of the game.

Instead of dwelling on those minutes, Northwest should focus on what they did right in the first 10 minutes of the game.

In those 10 minutes, Northwest belonged on the same court with the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

The Bearcats fell behind 7-4 in the opening minutes and quickly fought back. A bucket by Tanya Meyer helped Northwest close to one and then Tember Schechinger put the Bearcats up 8-7 on a basket.

Northwest held a 15-12 lead on another field goal by Schechinger. It was at that point Emporia State started looking like a top-ranked team. The Hornets went on an 11-0 run and took a 23-15 lead.

The Bearcats showed enough fight in the closing minutes to keep the game somewhat close. When Emporia State built a 26-17 lead, Northwest pulled to 26-21.

Still, Emporia State had a bit too much firepower for Northwest to keep its deficit under double digits. Two free throws by Kelsey Barnwell near the end of the first half gave the Hornets a 39-28 lead at halftime.

Northwest basically had offense from two sources in the first half. Easton scored 12 points and Schechinger added eight.

— David Boyce, Northwest Sports Information —

Three Jayhawks named to Naismith Trophy men’s 50 watch list

Posted on December 3, 2014December 4, 2014

Kansas men’s basketball junior Perry Ellis, sophomore Wayne Selden, Jr., and freshman Cliff Alexander have been named to the Naismith Trophy Men’s 50 Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Wednesday.

Kansas is one of four schools with three student-athletes listed among the 50-member list, joined by Arizona, Duke and Kentucky. The KU trio makes up one-third of the Big 12’s nine players listed.

Named the MVP of the Orlando Classic, the Big 12 Player of the Week (12/1) and the CBSSports.com National Player of the Week (12/1), Ellis leads KU with 15.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The Wichita, Kansas, forward has scored 17 or more points in each of his last four games and has two double-doubles on the season. Alexander scores 9.7 points per game and is tied for the team lead with nine blocked shots through six contests. The Chicago forward averages 6.0 rebounds per outing and is shooting 56.3 percent from the field. Selden is tied for the team high with 22 assists. The Roxbury, Massachusetts, guard is scoring 7.7 points and pulls down 3.8 rebounds per game.

The watch list will be cut down to a midseason 30 on Feb. 12, 2015, with the 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Award announced March 6. Four semifinalists will be named March 22 with the winner announced April 5.

No. 11/11 Kansas (5-1) will play host to No. rv/24 Florida (3-3) on Friday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m. (Central) in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on ESPN. Florida junior G Michael Frazier II is also on the Naismith Trophy Men’s 50 Watch List.

— KU Sports Information —

Mizzou rallies to defeat Southeast Missouri State

Posted on December 2, 2014December 2, 2014

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Johnathan Williams III laughed when asked what coach Kim Anderson told him at halftime Tuesday.

“He got on me a little bit,” the Missouri forward said. “And I think I kind of needed that. . And I think I did do better in the second half. I want to say thanks to Coach Anderson for pushing me.”

“You’re welcome,” Anderson responded.

Williams III scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Missouri past Southeast Missouri State 65-61 after trailing 30-24 at the break. The sophomore played with a brace on his right knee but otherwise showed no ill effects from soreness that limited him to just 7 minutes of playing time against Chaminade in the Maui Invitational.

The Tigers (4-3) took their first lead of the game with just 3:55 remaining on a 3-pointer by forward D’Angelo Allen. Keith Shamburger then hit his own 3-pointer with 17.2 seconds remaining to give Missouri a 63-58 advantage.

After the Redhawks’ J.J. Thompson answered with a basket from long range, Tramaine Isabell converted two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining to end the threat.

Jarekious Bradley scored 12 points and Thompson added 11 to lead Southeast Missouri State (3-4), which fell to 0-8 all-time against Missouri.

The Redhawks made their first four shots from the field and used a 9-0 run late in the opening half to take a 30-19 lead before Missouri scored the final five points heading into the break.

“We need that emotional leader, and right now we don’t have that established,” Anderson said. “We can’t just wait around and just think we’re going to turn it on. That’s not going to happen.”

Southeast Missouri State then held on for most of the second half before Allen’s 3-pointer provided the Tigers with a 57-55 lead. Freshman Montaque Gill-Caesar set up the lead change with two 3-pointers of his own on the Tigers’ previous two possessions.

Gill-Caesar, who entered the night leading Missouri with 13.7 points per game, scored 13 of his 15 points after the break. Shamburger finished with 11.

Missouri played without sophomore Wes Clark, who didn’t join the Tigers on the bench. Anderson said, without elaborating, that the guard was suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. Clark started the team’s first six games, averaging 9.2 points and a team-high 32 minutes per game.

Namon Wright started in Clark’s place after scoring 21 points on 7-of-7 shooting against Chaminade. A freshman from Los Angeles, Wright scored four points.

While both teams shot about 50 percent from the field, they struggled from the free throw line, as Southeast Missouri State converted 5 of 14 attempts while Missouri finished 13 of 23. Williams went only 8 of 14.

“Bottom line, it’s free throw shooting,” Redhawks coach Dickey Nutt said. “We had our chances — and I don’t take anything away from them — but it’s hard to swallow that. But we’ll move on.”

TIP-INS

Southeast Missouri State: The Redhawks fell to 1-19 against current members of the Southeastern Conference, with their only win coming at Arkansas during the 1924-25 season.

Missouri: In addition to Clark’s absence, freshman Jakeenan Gant continued to sit out while the school reviews his eligibility.

DEFENSIVE SETBACK

Southeast Missouri State limited Alabama A&M on Saturday to 31.3 percent shooting (15 of 48) — including 1 of 12 from 3-point range — the second-lowest field goal percentage by an opponent in coach Dickey Nutt’s six seasons with the Redhawks. Missouri shot 22 of 44 from the field, including 8 of 15 from long range.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

“Sometimes we’re a little too cool for school,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “I’ll be honest with you. That’s a habit we have to break.”

UP NEXT

Southeast Missouri State hosts Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday.

Missouri plays at Oklahoma on Friday.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State pulls away from Omaha in second half to win 84-66

Posted on December 2, 2014December 2, 2014

MANHATTAN, Kansas (AP) — Kansas State scored its fewest points in Bruce Weber’s three-year tenure to close the Maui Invitational, so he wasn’t particularly excited to see Nebraska-Omaha, who knocked off Marquette on the road, in the Wildcats’ first game since the tournament.

However, a near-career high performance from Nino Williams and a season-high 23 assists aided Kansas State (4-3) in its first home game in two weeks.

Williams had 19 points and Marcus Foster added 16 points as Kansas State beat Nebraska-Omaha 84-66 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools on Tuesday night.

It is already the fourth 80-point game for the Wildcats. They only surpassed the mark twice during the 2013-14 season.

C.J. Carter had 22 points to pace the Mavericks, who were held to their lowest score of the season.

Nebraska-Omaha (3-3) overcame two nine-point leads just after halftime, but 10 points from Foster in the first eight minutes of the second half never allowed the Mavericks to close within six points through the remainder of the game.

A 3-point play from Marcus Tyus closed Kansas State’s lead to 56-48 with 11:19 left, but Williams scored nine of Kansas State’s next 13 points to open a 69-50 lead.

“We were pretty good defensively,” Weber said of the stretch. “We turned them over, got some easy baskets off of it and were in the right spots. That first 10-12 minutes of the second half, we were pretty solid and we extended (the lead) to six to 10 and to 15 and kept it going.”

The Wildcats won the rebounding battle 43-25, which led to 38 points in the paint and substantial foul trouble for the Mavericks.

Forward Jake White was out for Nebraska-Omaha and his replacement Tre’Shawn Thurman and starter Mike Rostampour both picked up two early fouls.

“Like I told our team, `There are some things you can control and some things you can’t,” Nebraska-Omaha coach Derrin Hansen said. “One of those things we can’t control is that they can bring bigger bodies than anyone we’ve played. Whether that be Marquette, Nebraska or whoever, that hurt us tonight.”

It didn’t start well for the Wildcats, as they didn’t lead until a Jevon Thomas 3-pointer with 7:32 left in the first half.

Nebraska-Omaha opened up a 16-10 lead with 11:29 left in the first half, shooting nearly 50 percent during the stretch.

However, the Mavericks’ largest lead opened up the floodgates for Kansas State.

After struggling through his first six games, Justin Edwards followed a Foster basket with a spinning layup through traffic that aided a 12-3 first-half scoring run. He also knocked in his second 3-pointer of the season.

“We didn’t play to our potential like we should have,” Carter said of letting their foot off the gas pedal. “The first we did, but they’re a great team. For a six-minute stretch, like coach said, we just fell apart.”

The Mavericks trailed 37-31 at halftime, but Carter’s 14 first-half points kept them in range after making only four shots in the final six minutes.

Williams led the Wildcats with eight points in the first half, including the first five points of the game.

—

TIP-INS

Nebraska-Omaha, who was picked sixth in conference preseason polls, leads the Summit League in points per game, field goals made per game, 3-point percentage and total rebounds.

Kansas State is now 36-0 in December home games, dating back to a 76-66 loss to Rutgers Dec. 28, 2004.

STAT LINE

Jevon Thomas reached double figures for the first time in his Kansas State tenure, scoring a career-high 12 points. The performance surpassed a nine-point outing at Kansas on Jan. 11.

UP NEXT

Kansas State will go to Tennessee on Saturday.

Nebraska-Omaha will play at Air Force next Monday.

— Associated Press —

Griffons blow out Hannibal-LaGrange to stop 3-game skid

Posted on December 2, 2014December 2, 2014

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team snapped its three-game losing streak with a 72-43 win over Hannibal-LaGrange Monday night in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Hannibal-LaGrange hung with the Griffons for the first five minutes of the game but Missouri Western used a 24-1 run to end the first half and begin the second half.

Western had a 32-16 halftime lead and led by as many as 32 points in the second half.

MWSU outscored the Trojans 40-27 in the second half on their way to their first win since defeating William Jewell in the fieldhouse on Nov. 22. The win moves the Griffons to 3-3 overall on the year and 3-0 at home.

The Griffons dominated despite shooting just 38 percent from the field and allowing Hannibal-LaGrange to shoot 42 percent. Missouri Western finished with a 38-33 advantage on the boards and scored 30 points off Trojan turnovers to just two for Hannibal-LaGrange.

Missouri Western was paced by Ryan Devers 20 points. Seth Bonifas had his first career double-double, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Cole Clearman scored 10 points.

The Griffons hit the road this weekend when they travel to Fort Hays State on Saturday for their first MIAA action of the season. The tip is at 4:00 p.m. and it’ll be broadcast on 680 KFEQ and here on StJosephPost.com.

— MWSU Sports Information —