The Missouri Western baseball opening series scheduled for this weekend in Searcy, Ark. against Harding University has been canceled due to the very poor weather forecast.
The series will not be made up.
The Griffons will hope to open their 2014 schedule next weekend in Russellville, Ark. against the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys.
The two teams will play doubleheaders on Saturday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 9. First pitch for both days is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
— MWSU Sports Information —
Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team put in a workmanlike effort in its 63-61 victory over Lindenwood Thursday evening at Hyland Arena.
“This was a grind-it-out game,” said Northwest forward Grant Cozad. “We knew we were going to get Lindenwood’s best shot. They have been playing well.
“On the road like this, we love it. We knew it was going to be a dogfight. That is what we like.”
While lacking the heart stopping theatrics of their buzzer-beating victory over Missouri Southern last week, the outcome was every bit as impressive for the Bearcats.
To win a conference championship, a team needs to pull out gritty road wins. That is what Northwest did against a Lindenwood team that was playing with pride. For much of the game, the Lions didn’t look like a team with a losing overall record and only three wins in 11 conference games.
“This was a great victory,” said DeShaun Cooper, who finished with a game-high 18 points. “When you come into an environment like this and get a victory, it is great.
“They had a great game plan. They were holding the ball and when they got offensive board, they did it again. They wasted as much time as they possible could. This is a great win. I’m proud.”
Lindenwood forced the Bearcats to make some plays and hit some free throws in the final 2 minutes to snatch a road win.
Because the Bearcats made five of six free throws in the final 15 seconds, they improved to 15-5 overall and 10-1 in the MIAA.
Northwest only has a day to rest before it hits the hardwood again on Saturday at home against Lincoln. A year ago, Lincoln came into Bearcat Arena and shocked the Bearcats.
“We will be ready,” Cozad said. “Lincoln got us last time at home. We need to be ready because they will be ready for us. We got to come out and play our best.”
Northwest played well in the final 10 minutes against Lindenwood.
There were eight lead changes in the second half. The Bearcats took the lead for good at 46-45 on an inside basket by Dillon Starzl with 9 minutes left.
“We needed to get a stop,” Cooper said. “We weren’t getting any stops in the first half. We pride ourselves on defense and we were letting their offense overtake our defense. We had to lockdown on defense.”
The Bearcats extended their lead to 54-48 and seemed to have gained control of the game. A free throw by Cooper with 2:07 left helped Northwest maintain its six-point lead at 57-51.
Lindenwood made one more push and closed to 57-56. Cooper made three of four free throws that gave Northwest a slight cushion at 60-56. The Lions followed with a basket. Bryston Williams made two more free throws. Lindenwood responded with a three-pointer with 4 seconds left.
With a 1-point lead, Cozad made the first of two free throws. The Lions still had a chance, but a three-point attempt by Garrett Reeg clanked off the side of the iron at the buzzer, allowing Northwest to win another nail biter.
“Coop came up with some real clutch free throws and so did Bryston towards the end,” Cozad said. “Those were key for us keeping that lead.”
Northwest probably felt good going into halftime trailing 28-27. It could have been worse.
The Lions put together a spurt near the end of the first half and turned an 18-18 tie into a 26-18 advantage.
At that point, the Bearcats played some of their best basketball of the half. It started with a three-pointer from Zach Schneider followed by an inside bucket from Cooper and another scoring drive from Williams.
Lindenwood scored once more to make it 28-25 and then Northwest had its most impressive stretch. On three different occasions, the Bearcats grabbed the offensive rebound. The final one resulted in a 7-foot jumper by Conner Crooker with 1 second left before halftime.
For the most part, it was a struggle for the Bearcats in the first half. They shot 41 percent from the field while allowing Lindenwood to make half its shots.
“We played all right in the first half and turned it up in the second half,” Cozad said. “We battled through it and came out with a victory.”
— Northwest Sports Information —
League coaches voted Missouri Western No. 2 in the 2014 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Poll released Thursday morning. This marks the second consecutive season that the Griffons were ranked second in the preseason poll. Last season the Griffons won their first ever MIAA Title finishing with a 40-12 overall record and 28-5 record in MIAA play. The 40 victories was a school record.
The Central Missouri Mules received 12 of a possible 14 first place votes earning the top spot with 168 points. Central Missouri finished second in the MIAA a season ago earning a trip to the NCAA Central Regional.
Missouri Western who had their best season in school history earns the No. 2 spot with one first place vote and 144 points. The Griffons are ranked 17th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper preseason poll. The Griffons are followed by No. 3 Central Oklahoma who received the final first place vote and 139 points. The Bronchos finished last season with 29-19 overall record and 23-16 record in MIAA play.
The Emporia State Hornets and the Missouri Southern Lions are tied for the 4th spot with 128 points. The Lions are coming off a season where they earned a spot in the NCAA Regional by upsetting the Griffons in the championship game of the MIAA Tournament.
The Pittsburg State Gorillas come in 6th with 110 points while the Lindenwood Lions and Northeastern State RiverHawks come in 7th and 8th with 98 and 94 points respectively. Fort Hays State sits comfortably in 9th with 73 points while Nebraska-Kearney sits 10th with 57 points.
Northwest Missouri State (11th), Washburn (12th), Southwest Baptist (13th) and Lincoln (14th) wrap up the final four spots with 49, 37, 34 and 15 points respectively.
Griffon Baseball team opens the 2014 regular season on the road this weekend in Searcy, Arkansas as they take on Harding in a four game series. Doubleheader action begins on Saturday at 12 PM followed by a 1 PM start on Sunday. The Griffs set a school record for wins a year ago going 40-12 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second time. Saturday’s opponent Harding was picked to finish sixth in the Great American Conference this season and was 29-22 a season ago.
The Griffs open the home schedule at the Spring Sports Complex on Friday, February 21 as they host Northeastern State at 2 PM.
1. Central Missouri (12) 168
2. Missouri Western (1) 144
3. Central Oklahoma (1) 139
T4. Emporia State 128
T4. Missouri Southern 128
6. Pittsburg State 110
7. Lindenwood 98
8. Northeastern State 94
9. Fort Hays State 73
10. Nebraska-Kearney 57
11. Northwest Missouri 49
12. Washburn 37
13. Southwest Baptist 34
14. Lincoln 15
— MWSU Sports Information —
As well as Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team shot the ball, it was the defensive intensity and passion the Bearcats played with throughout that was most impressive.
The Bearcats never trailed in beating Lindenwood 70-59 Thursday evening at Hyland Arena in game they absolutely needed.
The victory lifted Northwest to 6-12 overall and 3-8 in the MIAA.
In resounding fashion, the Bearcats proved they no longer resemble the team that lost 80-74 at home to Missouri Southern a little over a week ago.
“I have to give a little props to this team because after the Missouri Southern loss, they got together in the locker room,” Northwest coach Michael Smith said. “They knew how much they let down in that game. Honestly, we have had great practices since then. I felt like our energy and focus the last few days of practice has been the best it has been all year.
“I told our kids that we have nine games left and that is it. You are going to miss this. You need to enjoy each other and the opportunity to put on this uniform for at least nine more games. I felt like we played as a team tonight. People contributed in different ways.”
Northwest wants to carry this momentum into its next game when it returns to action 1:30 p.m. Saturday against Lincoln at Bearcat Arena.
After playing a solid first half against Lindenwood, it was important for Northwest to show it could put together two strong halves. The Bearcats did exactly that, getting baskets from Annie Mathews and Ashleigh Nelson at the start of the second half that boosted Northwest’s lead to 42-32.
“A lot of us are sick of losing,” said Stevens, who finished with 15 points. “It is really hard on you. Coming out here and getting a road win and everybody contributing was really big for us.
“It should show everybody in the MIAA that we can compete when everyone is a part of it.”
Northwest maintained a double-digit lead through most of the second half. When Lindenwood closed to 46-38, sophomore Tember Schechinger drilled a three-pointer, giving the Bearcats a 51-38.
“This victory feels awesome,” said Schechinger, who scored 14 points. “It gives us that feeling that we are going to finish strong.”
Schechinger played aggressive the entire game. She looked for her shot, took it and made it.
It was a complete team effort by the Bearcats. Every player who stepped on the court contributed in a positive way. Mathews pulled down 10 rebounds, Nelson scored 16 points and Ariel Easton had a couple of key drives to the basket in the first half.
Every player made at least on significant play, including freshman forward Ashley Guenther, who came off the bench and hit 15-foot jumper that gave Northwest a 32-21 lead.
“It was all about keeping the energy the whole time,” Schechinger said. “We are just working as a team. It feels really good that we are all coming together.”
In the last 10 minutes, the game was never in doubt. The Bearcats built a 65-48 lead with under 5 minutes left.
Northwest was able to maintain its double-digit lead because the Bearcats hit their free throws down the stretch. Stevens led the way.
“Free throws were the dagger at the Missouri Southern game,” Smith said. “We go 26 for 31 from the free throw line tonight, and Monique Stevens went 9 for 9.
“We got some big stops when we needed them. Our team made adjustment at halftime how to defend their leading scorer and they listened.”
Northwest played one of its best half in conference play and went into halftime with a 38-32 lead. It could have been more if Lindenwood didn’t finish the first half making three, 3-pointers.
From the start, the Bearcats came out with energy. It helped that Nelson drained the first basket of the game, a 3-pointer. Easton followed with a basket, giving Northwest a quick 5-0 lead.
The Bearcats never trailed, and when they were challenged, they responded. The first came when Lindenwood tied the game at 7-7 and 10-10. Each time Northwest went back in front with a three-pointer.
Northwest put together a nice stretch when it expanded its lead from 15-12 to 24-14. Schechinger gave the Bearcats a 10-point lead when she drained a three-pointer, got a steal near midcourt and raced down the court for a layup.
The Bearcats twice held 11-point leads. The last one came at 34-23 on a basket by Mathews.
Aside from giving up the 3-pointers in the final couple of minutes in the first half, the Bearcats excelled at both ends of the court. They shot 52 percent from the field while holding Lindenwood to 42 percent. Northwest also held the rebounding edge 18-14.
“In our warm ups, we had lots of energy and that just carried into the game,” Stevens said.
— Northwest Sports Information —
Kansas men’s basketball signees Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre will participate in the McDonald’s All-America game on April 2 at the United Center in Chicago.
Alexander, from Curie High School in Chicago, is currently listed the No. 4 overall recruit according to rivals.com and averaging 27 points, 17 rebounds and five blocked shots per game this season. Oubre, from Findley Prep in Henderson, Nev., is ranked No. 12 by rivals.com and scoring 23 points per game. Oubre grew up in New Orleans and moved to Houston following Hurricane Katrina before moving the Nevada to finish his high school career.
The duo were two of the 10 selected to the Naismith Trophy High School Player of the Year Early-Season Watch List in December. Additionally, Alexander and Oubre were named to USA Basketball Junior National Select Team announced Jan. 20. The 2014 USA Junior National Select Team will take on a World Select Team in the 2014 Nike Hoop Summit on April 12 at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore.
Kansas currently has three McDonald’s All-Americans on its roster with sophomore F Perry Ellis, freshman G Wayne Selden, Jr., and freshman G Andrew Wiggins. Alexander and Oubre bring Kansas’ all-time McDonald’s All-Americans total to 36, including 15 that have played for current KU head coach Bill Self. The first McDonald’s All-America Team was named in 1977 and included KU great Darnell Valentine.
Kansas McDonald’s All-Americans
Darnell Valentine (1977)
Greg Dreiling (1981)
Danny Manning (1984)
Rick Calloway (1985)
Tony Guy (1985)
Mark Randall (1986)
Mike Maddox (1987)
Darrin Hancock (1990)
Ben Davis (1991)
Calvin Rayford (1991)
Jacque Vaughn (1993)
Raef LaFrentz (1994)
Paul Pierce (1995)
Ryan Robertson (1995)
Lester Earl (1996)
Eric Chenowith (1997)
Kenny Gregory (1997)
Jeff Boschee (1998)
Nick Collison (1999)
Aaron Miles (2001)
Wayne Simien (2001)
J.R. Giddens (2003)
David Padgett (2003)
Mario Chalmers (2005)
Micah Downs (2005)
Julian Wright (2005)
Darrell Arthur (2006)
Sherron Collins (2006)
Cole Aldrich (2007)
Xavier Henry (2009)
Josh Selby (2010)
Perry Ellis (2012)
Wayne Selden, Jr. (2013)
Andrew Wiggins (2013)
Cliff Alexander (2014)
Kelly Oubre (2014)
— KU Sports Information —
The Missouri Western men’s basketball team continued to play well at home cruising to a 99-71 victory over the Lincoln Blue Tigers. The Griffons shot a season best 66.7-percent (38-57) from the field improving to 9-10 overall and 4-7 in MIAA play.
The Griffons shot a sizzling 64.5-percent (20-31) taking a 51-30 lead into halftime against Lincoln. The 51 points is the most points in the first half this season by the Griffons. Missouri Western had eight players score with Ryan Devers, Adarius Fulton and Dzenan Mrkaljevic each dumping in nine.
The Griffons used a 31-14 run opening up a 20 point lead at 36-16 lead after a Wes Mitter layup with 5:35 to play. The Blue Tigers tried to make a comeback cutting the Griffon lead to 14 with 2:50 to play but the Griffons outscored the Blue Tigers 8-1 down the stretch taking their biggest lead of the game into the locker room.
The Griffons dominated the points in the paint outscoring Lincoln 30-8. The Griffons mad 5-of-9 long range shots and 6-of-7 free throws. Fulton made three of the Griffons five long range shots in the frame.
The Blue Tigers shot just 37.9-percent (11-29) from the field with Joshua Buie leading the way with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
The Griffons continued to play well offensively in the second half leading by as many as 31 points at 92-61 with 5:12 to play. The Griffons outscored the Blue Tigers 28-14 in the paint in the frame. The Blue Tigers drop to 2-17 overall and 0-11 in MIAA play.
The Griffons dominated the points in the paint outscoring Lincoln 58-22. Missouri Western had five players score in double figures with Devers leading the way with 24 on 8-of-9 shooting. Cortrez Colbert, Dareon Jones, Charlie Marquardt and Mrkaljevic all finished with 16, 15, 14 and 13 respectively.
The Griffons had 21 assists on the night with Mrkaljevic leading the way with five. Nine different Griffons had an assist in the game.
The Blue Tigers had two players score in doubles figures with Buie leading the way with 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting. Jeremy Jackson pitched in 12.
The Griffons return to action on Saturday, February 1st with an MIAA afternoon game against the Lindenwood Lions. Game time is set for 3:30 pm in the MWSU Fieldhouse and will be broadcast on 680 KFEQ AM.
— MWSU Sports Information —
Missouri Western held Lincoln without a field goal for more than 16 minutes throughout the course of the game as the Griffons won 42-28 Wednesday night at MWSU Fieldhouse.
The 28 points given up by the Griffons were the third fewest in their history, and the fewest points given up in a conference game.
For most of the second half, the suspense of Missouri Western’s outcome was over with. The Blue Tigers didn’t score a basket from the 9:27 mark of the first half until the 13:23 mark of the final frame. As Lincoln guard Jennifer Rosado knocked down a jumper. The span helped the Griffons dominate throughout in their conference matchup.
Neither team could establish much offensively in the first few minutes as each team swapped three turnovers before Lincoln took a 2-0 lead. Quenisha Lockett added a layup for the 2-2 tie with 16:57 left in the opening half, and the tie was soon broken up by Tiara Hall’s layup. The Griffons continued on an 11-0 run with Sharniece Lewis’ back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 11-2.
The Griffons continued to take control in the half, grabbing a 22-9 lead with a Lewis jumper late in the half. Missouri Western led 22-12 at the half. The Blue Tigers didn’t help themselves, having as many turnovers, 12, as they did points in the first half.
Missouri Western didn’t let the game get any closer, jumping out to a 17-point lead after a layup by Lockett early in the second half. Lincoln pulled within 12 as it was 29-17, but that score was followed by four more Griffon points to establish another large lead. Lincoln finished with 24 turnovers, which was more than the Blue Tigers could score until Rosado knocked down a triple with less than a minute to play. Rosado added two more free throws to close the game 42-28 which kept them winless in the conference. The Blue Tigers are 3-15 overall. Missouri Western is now 8-10 overall and 3-8 in the MIAA.
The Griffons were led by JaQuitta Dever and Lewis, who each had 10 points. Dever also collected five steals. Jallisa Lewis added a game-high 11 rebounds. Rosado paced Lincoln with 13 points.
Missouri Western’s 42 points were the least amount of points scored in a victory in its history. Before that, the Griffons defeated Peru State 48-47 on December 3, 1991.
Next up for the Griffons is a Saturday matchup against Lindenwood at 1:30 p.m. and it’ll air on 680 KFEQ AM.
— MWSU Sports Information —
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Andrew Wiggins has finally started to live up to the hype.
The superstar freshman scored a career-high 29 points, including six straight late in the game, to lead No. 6 Kansas to a 92-81 victory over Iowa State on Wednesday night and help push the Jayhawks’ winning streak to seven straight games.
Wiggins, the nation’s No. 1 recruit, has caught fire after a slow start to his college career. He had 27 points in Saturday’s win at TCU, and matched that with an emphatic dunk that gave Kansas an 81-72 lead with just under 3 minutes remaining in the game.
The Jayhawks (16-4, 7-0 Big 12) put away the Cyclones (15-4, 3-4) from there, something they failed to do after building a 16-point first-half lead and a 13-point second-half cushion.
Perry Ellis added 20 points for Kansas, which has won five straight over the Cyclones. Joel Embiid added 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Naadir Tharpe had 12 points and 12 assists.
Georges Niang led the Cyclones with 24 points. DeAndre Kane added 22 points and Melvin Ejim, battling foul trouble much of the game, finished with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Iowa State started the season with 14 straight wins, but has now dropped four of its last five. That includes a 77-70 loss to the Jayhawks earlier this month in Ames.
The Jayhawks held on despite a shortened bench. Forward Tarik Black missed his second game with an ankle injury while guard Conner Frankamp did not suit up because of a knee injury.
It didn’t seem to matter early in the game.
The Jayhawks roared to a 30-14 lead in the opening minutes, dominating on the offensive glass and taking advantage of rapidly retreating Cyclones on the defensive boards.
Just as quickly, though, Iowa State whittled into the lead.
The comeback began with a jam off an alley-oop pass by Ejim, and picked up momentum when the Cyclones hit 3-pointers on four straight trips down court. By the time Monte Morris finished off the run, done mostly while Wiggins sat on the bench, the lead had been trimmed to 37-34.
Ellis, who had 15 first-half points, finally got Kansas back on track with an easy dunk, and Embiid made two free throws to give the Jayhawks a 46-43 halftime lead.
The Cyclones pulled even for the first time when Kane buried a 3-pointer out of halftime, but the Jayhawks responded with 11 straight points to regain control. Wiggins did most of the work, hitting a long jumper and a scooping layup while also getting to the free throw line.
By that point, a packed crowd that included Kansas City Royals Billy Butler and Jeremy Guthrie and Grammy nominated musician Trey Songz was on its feet.
Iowa State made one more charge. Ejim scored to draw within 73-69 and force Kansas coach Bill Self to call a timeout, and Niang drained a 3-pointer moments later to make it a one-point game.
Embiid responded with a thunderous dunk, and after Kane turned it over at the other end, the Cyclones intentionally fouled Wiggins on a fast break. He made both free throws, and then added a putback off Embiid’s miss to make it a four-point trip.
Wiggins added a run-out dunk after another turnover to give the Jayhawks an 81-72 lead, and the defending Big 12 champions managed to hold on from there.
— Associated Press —
Missouri Western tight end Reggie Jordan has been named an honorable mention All-America by D2Football.com, which was released Wednesday.
Reggie Jordan (TE, 6-3, 240, Sr., Hazelwood, Mo.) was named second team All-MIAA for the first time in his career. This marks his second season in a row that he was named honorable mention All-American by D2Football.com. This past season he had 23 catches for 366 yards and four touchdowns which included a two touchdown performance against Pittsburg State. He had two catches for 81 yards in that game. He also had three rushes for 22 yards on the season. Last sason he was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection as well as an honorable mention D2Football.com All-American.
Reggie Jordan has also been invited to the 2014 NFL Combine to be held February 19-24 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The Griffons finished the season with an 8-3 overall record and 7-3 MIAA record. It was the eighth time in the past nine seasons and 11th time in Head Coach Jerry Partridge’s tenure that the Griffons have won eight or more games.
— MWSU Sports Information —
Northwest Missouri State junior Matt Longacre was named the D2Football.com Defensive Player of the Year and Adam Dorrel was named the Coach of the Year by D2Football.com in a release today. Longacre and cornerback Brandon Dixon both earned first-team All-America honors. Cornerback Brian Dixon wastabbed on the second team and linebacker DJ Gnader earned third team honors.
The D2Football.com All-America Team was selected by the staff of D2Football.com with input from coaches, scouts, media members, and sports information directors from around the country.
D2Football.com has named an All-America Team since its inception in 2000.
— Northwest Sports Information —
