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Category: College

No. 7 Kansas gets upset at West Virginia

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self left his postgame news conference, saw West Virginia’s Bob Huggins down a hallway and stopped for a handshake.

“Go win the rest of them,” Self said.

Wishful thinking, perhaps. But Huggins will gladly take this one over his friend in what has become a forgettable season.

Jermaine Haley hurried up the court and hit a layup with 8.5 seconds left, completing a late rally that lifted the Mountaineers over the No. 7 Jayhawks 65-64 on Saturday.

The Mountaineers (9-9, 1-5 Big 12) scored the final seven points to break a five-game losing streak.

West Virginia has fallen on hard times since being ranked No. 13 in the AP preseason poll. But three defensive stops down the stretch made a difference against the Jayhawks and gave the Mountaineers a reason to think there’s time this season to turn things around.

“It’s just a matter of being mentally tough enough to do the right things,” Huggins said. “I’m just happy to win. This isn’t where we thought we’d be.”

Haley, a junior college transfer, hit all five of his field goal tries and tied a season high with 13 points despite playing with a bandage on his injured left wrist. Huggins said he has implored Haley to drive to the basket.

“I know everybody has been waiting on me to attack and get a little bit more aggressive,” Haley said. “The more minutes I play, the more comfortable I get. I’m very aware of my game and what I can do, so I think this is just another stepping stone as far as the season is going.”

Dedric Lawson and Marcus Garrett made layups 29 seconds apart to give the Jayhawks (15-3, 4-2) their largest lead at 64-58 with 2:34 left. But Kansas didn’t score again.

Wesley Harris responded with a 3-pointer for West Virginia, and Derek Culver’s layup cut the deficit to 64-63 with 1:26 remaining. Culver then grabbed a rebound but threw the ball straight to Garrett with 54 seconds left.

West Virginia got another chance after Lagerald Vick’s airball. Haley rushed, drove past Quentin Grimes and made the go-ahead layup.

Self said he should have called timeout after Haley’s basket. His intention, with Kansas in a double bonus and down one point, was to drive to the basket and either score or force a foul.

Instead, Vick missed a 3-point try from the corner as time ran out, and West Virginia fans stormed the court after the Mountaineers’ fifth win over the Jayhawks in their past six meetings in Morgantown.

“You can’t get this one back,” Self said. “We’ll be OK.”

James “Beetle” Bolden added 12 points despite playing with an illness and Culver scored 12 for West Virginia.

Lawson and Garrett had 15 points apiece for Kansas, which had won three in a row. Vick scored 13.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: The Jayhawks committed 18 turnovers, including 13 in the first half, and missed several chances to put West Virginia away down the stretch. The Jayhawks got just four points from their bench.

West Virginia: It marked a good start to West Virginia’s toughest stretch of the season with four ranked opponents over six games. The Mountaineers also play at No. 3 Tennessee in the SEC/Big 12 challenge on Jan. 26, host No. 20 Oklahoma on Feb. 2 and play at No. 8 Texas Tech on Feb. 4.

HUGGINS BONUS

Huggins earned an extra $25,000 for beating Kansas — a contract bonus that he donates to cancer research in the name of his late mother.

BIG ATMOSPHERE

A little over a year ago, West Virginia was ranked No. 2. Saturday marked the first taste of a raucous home atmosphere for several new players, including Culver.

“That right there, I enjoy that,” he said “Me, being a freshman and a deer in headlights when it comes to things like that, that was fun. I’m not going to lie — that was fun.”

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts Iowa State on Monday night before traveling to Kentucky next Saturday for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

West Virginia hosts Baylor on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

Sneed, Wade lead Wildcats past Horned Frogs 65-55

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Bruce Weber was very confident about his team before the season started, but after a few injuries the season looked shaky.

After a 65-55 win for Kansas State over TCU on Saturday and everyone healthy again, the Wildcats look to be rolling at the right time once again.

“Right now we are hitting our stride and we are playing for each other,” Wade said. “We are playing at an all-time high and have lots of confidence.”

The win marked the Wildcats fourth straight after starting 0-2 in Big 12 play as TCU has now lost three of four.

K-State (14-4, 4-2) led from wire-to-wire for the second straight game as Barry Brown provided 10 points and Kamau Stokes ended with eight in the winning effort.

“It was a good team effort and we did a lot of good things,” Weber said. “We knew they were going to go zone, but I thought we had some good looks and the second half we got the ball where we needed to.”

The Horned Frogs (13-4, 2-3) couldn’t generate much offense with their second leading scorer, Kouat Noi, out with the flu. They were led in scoring by Alex Robinson who had 17 points, Desmond Bane who finished with 16 and JD Miller had 11.

“That hurt not having Kouat in there, but we can’t make excuses,” Jamie Dixon said. “They are experienced and stuck to their game plan tonight.”

K-State took advantage of 18 TCU turnovers and scored 21 points off turnovers.

“Obviously we didn’t have the right game plan in place,” Dixon said. “That’s what they do and they played well. I take the blame on this one for not having our guys ready, but we must take care of the ball to win.”

Sneed took over the first two minutes of the second half with two alley-oop dunks as K-State led 43-32, their biggest lead of the game up to that point.

“I was just picking and choosing my spot,” Sneed said. “I was just taking what the defense was giving me.”

The Horned Frogs got back within four at 47-43, but that was as close as TCU would get. The Wildcats led the entire first half led by Sneed who had eight points with four rebounds.

“We knew they were a good defensive team, but we have to play better,” Bane said.

K-State closed the half on a 9-3 run sparked by Wade’s 3-point play to give them a 37-30 lead at intermission.

BIG PICTURE

TCU: The Horned Frogs are ready for two straight home games next week after playing three of their last four on the road. The Horned Frogs haven’t won a true road game since Dec. 5.

Kansas State: The win marks the fourth straight for the Wildcats and that’s mainly because Wade and Stokes are back. If they beat Texas Tech on Tuesday, they will be in a tie for first in the Big 12.

UP NEXT

TCU is back at home when they host Texas on Wednesday night.

Kansas State will host Texas Tech Tuesday at 6 p.m.

— Associated Press —

MWSU track & field gets three event wins at Northwest Open

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MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Missouri Western Track & Field teams turned in three individual event wins and totaled 13 top-10 finishes on Saturday at the Northwest Open.

Jordan Garr bested his own school shot put record and turned in the 13th best throw in DII this year with a 56-1.25. Garr’s throw was also good for another NCAA DII provisional as was Julia Odir’s school record and event winning 39-1.75 in the women’s triple jump. Hanna Williams took a break from her dominance in the 400m but won the 600m and broke the school record with the third best MIAA time of the season, 1:25.34.

TOP FINISHERS

  • Jordan Garr, 1st, Men’s Shot Put, 17.10m (56′ 1.25″)
  • Julia Odir, 1st, Women’s Triple Jump, 11.93m (39′ 1.75″)
  • Hanna Williams, 1st, Women’s 600m, 1:25.34
  • Hunter Scaggs, 2nd, Men’s High Jump, 2m (6′ 6.75″)
  • Savannah Simmons, 3rd, Women’s 200m, 25.72
  • Megan Gillen, 3rd, Women’s 3,000m, 10:29.36
  • Savannah Simmons, 4th, Women’s 60m, 7.73
  • Men’s 4x400m, Dre’Shaun Sanders, Graham Buresh, Jalen Pauley, Chris Stanley, 3:22.36
  • Grace Bryant, 6th, Women’s Long Jump, 5.46m (17′ 11″)
  • DeShon Outley, 6th, Men’s 60m, 7.01
  • Women’s 4x400m, Savannah Simmons, Symonne Holland, Alison Nutt, Abbie Hale, 4:05.79
  • Derek Dixon, 9th, Men’s 600m, 1:16.20
  • DeShon Outley, 10th, Men’s 200m, 22.50

SCHOOL RECORDS

  • Jordan Garr, Men’s Shot Put, 17.10m (56′ 1.25″)
  • Julia Odir, Women’s Triple Jump, 11.93m (39′ 1.75″)
  • Hanna Williams, Women’s 600m, 1:25.34
  • Chris Stanley, Men’s 800m, 1:58.12
  • Riley Gorham, Men’s Mile, 4:28.03
  • Tara Bergman, Women’s Shot Put, 12.23m (40′ 1.5″)

UP NEXT

  • The Griffons head to Pittsburg, Kansas, for the Pittsburg State Invitational on Jan. 26

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri women bounce back with big win over Georgia 61-35

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball picked up its 15th win of the season, beating Georgia, 61-35, at Mizzou Arena Thursday night. The Tiger defense was dominant all night long, holding Georgia to just 35 points, the lowest total ever allowed by Mizzou in conference play.  It was also the lowest point total for the Bulldogs since they were held to 26 back in the 2014-15 season by Auburn. The Tigers now move to 4-1 in SEC play with the win.

Senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) was fantastic again for the Tigers, scoring 23 points while grabbing eight rebounds and snagging five steals, leading the team in all three categories. Junior forward Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) and freshman guard Akira Levy (Baxter, Tenn.) also had quality outings against Georgia, as Smith went for nine points and five boards, while Levy racked up seven points and five assists.

TURNING POINT

The Tigers and Bulldogs both struggled to score in the early going, as the team’s only combined for nine points midway through the first period. Then, Mizzou turned it on, going on a 21-8 run that spanned the second half of the first period and all of the second quarter.

Cunningham, Smith and redshirt freshman guard Haley Troup (Gadsden, Ala.) led the charge during the game-changing run, as the trio combined for 20 of the Tigers’ 25 first half points. The run was highlighted by a late shot clock heave from Troup that dropped in from about 35 feet and by Cunningham’s layup at the first half buzzer that stretched the lead to 12 going into the intermission.

TOP TIGERS

  • Cunningham finished the game with 23 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five steals. It was Cunningham’s seventh 20-point game of the season, and her seventh game of 18+ points in the last 11 games.
  • Senior forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) continues her upward trajectory since returning to the court, scoring eight points, while grabbing five rebounds.
  • Smith put up another balanced line, going for nine points, five rebounds three assists and a steal.
  • Levy scored seven points and recorded a season-high five assists.

NOTES

  • Mizzou held Georgia to 35 points, the fewest points ever scored against Mizzou in a conference game.
  • It was the fewest points allowed by the Tigers since Nebraska scored 35 during the 2016-17 season (11/14/16).
  • Those 35 points were also the Bulldogs’ lowest total since they were held to just 26 against Auburn during the 2014-15 season (2/22/15).
  • Mizzou had 15 assists against Georgia, the 10th time this season the Tigers have registered at least 15 helpers.
  • Cunningham dropped 20 points for the 40th time in her career against Georgia.
  • Cunningham registered 23 points and eight rebounds, her sixth performance this season with at least 20+ points and 5+ rebounds.
  • Cunningham also snatched five steals, a new career-high.
  • With her 23 points, eight rebounds and five steals, Cunningham is just the third Tiger in the last 21 seasons to record such a stat line, joining Jordan Frericks (27 points, 17 rebounds, six steals at Bradley, 12-6-14) and Christine Flores (25 points, 14 rebounds, five steals vs. Eastern Illinois, 12-7-11).
  • Levy had five assists in the game, the most in her young career.

UP NEXT

Mizzou next travels to Columbia, S.C., where they will take on the Gamecocks at on Monday, Jan. 21. Tipoff is set to tip at 6 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Nebraska’s upset bid comes up short against No. 6 Michigan State 70-64

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Cassius Winston scored a career-high 29 points, Nick Ward added 15 and sixth-ranked Michigan State pulled away from Nebraska late for a 70-64 win Thursday night.

Michigan State (16-2, 7-0) relied on tough defense to extend its school-record Big Ten winning streak to 19 games. The Cornhuskers (13-5, 3-4) had their school-record 20-game home win streak end.

The Spartans led by 12 points in the final 2 minutes, but Nebraska cut the lead to four twice before Matt McQuaid made a pair of free throws for his first points with 14.2 seconds to put the game away.

Nebraska shot a season-low 32.8 percent and was just 5 of 26 on 3-pointers, 1 of 12 in the second half.

James Palmer, who led Nebraska with 24 points, struggled mightily from the field, going 6 of 21, but he made all 11 of his free throws. Isaac Copeland added 13 for the Huskers.

Winston scored eight of the Spartans’ first 18 field goals and assisted on five others, but his teammates were the ones who finally created some separation.

Aaron Henry hit a 3-pointer, Kenny Goins scored off Ward’s great entry pass and Henry had a lay-in to finish a 7-0 spurt that gave Michigan State its biggest lead of the game to that point, 51-44.

Nebraska got it back to three points, but Ward’s layin and Winston’s 3-pointer made it 56-48.

The Huskers came out with the intent to slow the pace and were mostly successful.

Michigan State closed the half on an 11-2 run to lead 33-28 at the break. The Huskers, who trailed at halftime for the first time in 10 home games, shot just 28.6 percent and had only one field goal in the last 4:47.

BIG PICTURE

Michigan State: This was a gut-check win for the Spartans, who were without Joshua Langford (ankle) for a fifth straight game and Kyle Ahrens (back) for a second in a row.

Nebraska: The Huskers were feeling pretty good about themselves after an impressive win at No. 25 Indiana on Monday, and they had an amped standing-room crowd on hand for the Spartans’ visit. But they had no answer going against the nation’s No. 3 team in field-goal defense.

UP NEXT

Michigan State hosts No. 19 Maryland on Monday.

Nebraska visits Rutgers on Monday.

— Associated Press —

Mizzou stays winless in the SEC with home loss to Alabama

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Avery Johnson Jr. scored 14 points to lead Alabama to a 70-60 road victory over Missouri on Wednesday.

Johnson — the son of Crimson Tide head coach Avery Johnson — shattered his season high of four points. Johnson shot 5-for-10 from the field and compiled his highest points total since his career-high 23-point performance against South Carolina in February of 2017.

Alabama (11-5, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) took early control of the rebounding battle, and outrebounded the Tigers 37-29. The Crimson Tide has now outrebounded opponents in 15 of its 16 games this season.

Donta Hall scored 12 points and hauled in 11 boards, good for the senior forward’s fifth double-double performance in his past six games. Hall leads SEC players with eight double-doubles this season.

Mark Smith and Javon Pickett each added 13 points to lead Missouri (9-6, 0-3) in scoring. Smith — who entered the game shooting an SEC-leading 47.3 percent from 3 — drilled four of nine 3-point attempts. The Tigers also came into the contest leading the SEC shooting 39.4 percent from beyond the arc. They converted seven of 20 3-point tries.

Missouri’s reliable weapon Jordan Geist scored just nine points on 4-for-11 shooting, including 0-for-5 from 3.

BIG PICTURE

Alabama: After a second-half collapse against Texas A&M, the Crimson Tide picked up a much-needed road victory ahead of a difficult stretch in its schedule. Alabama needed a pick-me-up ahead of its next two matchups, which come against No. 3 Tennessee and No. 18 Mississippi.

Missouri: The Tigers have now lost three in a row following a promising six-game winning streak. This was a game Missouri really needed, as it now hits the road in conference play.

UP NEXT

Alabama stays on the road to play (No. 3) Tennessee on Saturday.

Missouri kicks off a two-game road trip Saturday against Texas A&M.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State beats No. 20 Oklahoma for second straight Top 25 road win

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NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Kansas State guard Barry Brown didn’t need any last-minute heroics this time.

After hitting game-winners in the final minute of the Wildcats’ previous two games, he helped Kansas State control Oklahoma from start to finish. Brown scored 25 points as Kansas State beat the 20th-ranked Sooners 74-61 on Wednesday night.

Brown, coming off his first Big 12 player of the week honor, is averaging 25.7 points during the Wildcats’ three-game win streak.

“Obviously, Barry’s playing at a really high level,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “But I love that he had five assists. That means at least he’s seeing some other things.”

Dean Wade added 20 points in his second game back since missing six in a row with a torn tendon in his right foot. It was Kansas State’s second straight road win over a ranked team — the Wildcats won at Iowa State last Saturday.

Kansas State (13-4, 3-2 Big 12) shot 50 percent from the field against an Oklahoma squad that was holding opponents to 37.7 percent, good for ninth nationally.

“Sometimes you line up and just get whipped,” Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. “We did that tonight. Kansas State whipped us. They kind of got us down a little bit and they kept working. We just couldn’t overcome that. We have to figure out a way to keep that from happening. But they whipped us tonight for sure.”

Christian James scored 20 points and Rashard Odomes added a season-high 17 for Oklahoma (13-4, 2-3). It was the Sooners’ first home defeat and their first loss to an unranked team this season.

Kansas State ran out to an 8-0 lead as Oklahoma went scoreless for more than three minutes to start the game. The Wildcats stretched their advantage to 20-7 before the Sooners found their footing. James hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half to cut Kansas State’s lead to 30-24.

The Wildcats kept the Sooners at bay, and an emphatic two-handed dunk by Wade with just over two minutes to play put the Wildcats up 71-56.

Kansas State forced Oklahoma into 16 turnovers and one of its lowest-scoring outputs of the season.

“I think our main priority as a team is defense,” Wade said. “It’s where we hang our hat. We’re a great defensive team.”

Oklahoma’s giveaways sabotaged a 47 percent shooting effort.

“I thought we were careless with the ball in the first half, especially,” Kruger said. “Drove into some gaps that were crowded and didn’t make very good decisions.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: The Wildcats are starting to look like the team that was ranked No. 12 in the preseason. With Brown and Wade clicking, they are gaining momentum. The two road wins early in Big 12 play put them in an ideal position to challenge for a spot near the top of the league standings.

Oklahoma: The Sooners got just 14 minutes from starting center Jamuni McNeace, who is still struggling after coming back from an ankle injury. He did not score and had only two rebounds. The Sooners could benefit from more production from him heading into games at Texas and Oklahoma State.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Kansas State, which was 33rd in votes in the AP Top 25 this week, positioned itself for a potential spot in the rankings pending Saturday’s game against TCU, which dropped out of the poll this week after losing to Oklahoma last Saturday. Oklahoma might lose its spot in the Top 25 after this home loss to an unranked opponent.

HE SAID IT

Weber, on Brown and Wade: “They’re seniors. They’ve been through it. They make you good coaches. They know what to look for.”

MILESTONE

James surpassed 1,000 points in his Oklahoma career.

UP NEXT

Kansas State hosts TCU on Saturday.

Oklahoma plays at Texas on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Missouri State comes up short at home against Evansville

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — K.J. Riley scored 16 points and Evan Kuhlman hit a key 3-pointer late to help Evansville beat Missouri State 70-64 on Wednesday night.

Evansville (9-9, 3-2 Missouri Valley Conference) has won eight of the last 10 against Missouri State (8-10, 2-3).

John Hall made a 3-pointer and Dainius Chatkevicius two free throws, and Devan Straub’s 3 capped an 8-0 surge to give the Purple Aces a 60-56 lead with 3:32 remaining. Jarred Dixon hit a jumper to pull the Bears to 60-58 before Kuhlman answered with another 3-pointer to make it 63-58 lead with 1:08 left.

Riley made 3 of 4 free throws and Shamar Givance added four more from the line to seal it.

Riley was 5-of-10 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Hall added 11 points and Shea Feehan had 10. Kuhlman finished with five points.

Tulio Da Silva and Keandre Cook each scored 14 points to lead Missouri State. Da Silva grabbed 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double.

— Associated Press —

Goth scores 20, Carr 19, K-State women upset No. 11 Texas

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kayla Goth had 20 points and tied her career-high with 12 assists and Kansas State used a big first half to defeat No. 11 Texas 87-69 on Wednesday night.

Christianna Carr added 19 on points 7-of-10 shooting, including four 3-pointers, for the Wildcats (11-6, 2/3 Big 12). Peyton Williams had 18 points with eight rebounds. Goth’s 12 assists were a conference high this season.

Williams had back-to-back 3-pointers in a 10-0 run and added a third in the first quarter as K-State jumped to a 23-13 lead. Carr scored four in a 6-0 burst to start the second quarter and Williams scored the last four before the half for a 42-23 lead.

Kansas State was 6 of 13 from distance and shot 50 percent overall. The Longhorns shot 35 percent and had 10 turnovers.

The lead remained in double figures throughout the second half when the Longhorns shot 52 percent but the Wildcats shot 58 percent. K-State finished 11 of 19 from distance (58 percent), shot 54 percent overall and was 16 of 18 from the foul line.

Sug Sutton had 22 points for Texas (14-3, 4-1), which had won seven straight and seven straight over KSU. Danni Williams added 18.

— Associated Press —

Kansas women lose to No. 2 Baylor 94-68

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Chloe Jackson scored a season-high 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting and had eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals to lead No. 2 Baylor to a 94-68 win over Kansas on Wednesday night.

Kalani Brown added 15 points, DiDi Richards 14 and Lauren Cox and NaLyssa Smith had 13 apiece for the Bears (14-1, 4-0 Big 12). With Texas losing at Kansas State, Baylor took over sole possession of first place in the Big 12.

Baylor was 13 of 16 from the field in the first quarter, racing to a 29-15 lead, and was 9 of 13 in the second to make it 53-36 at the half. With Jackson, Richards and Smith combining to go 15 for 15 from the field for 32 points, the Bears set a record for the most points at the half of a conference game. Richards scored 10 of the first 15 points on five backdoor layups.

Kansas kept it relatively close through three quarters by going 13 of 22 from 3-point range but the Jayhawks (11-4, 1-3) cooled off to go 1 of 6 in the fourth quarter. The last 3 was a school-record 14th, which doubled their season average.

Jessica Washington tied a school record with six 3-pointers for 18 points and Kylee Kopatich had five for 17, combining to go 11 of 16 from distance for Kansas.

— Associated Press —

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