College – Page 532 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Bearcats pull away from Central Missouri to stay atop MIAA standings

Posted on January 18, 2014January 18, 2014

The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team had five players reach double-figures in an 80-68 victory over Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena. The Bearcats increased their lead in the MIAA standings, improving to 8-1 in league play and 13-5 overall. UCM drops to 14-4 and 6-3 in conference action.

DeShaun Cooper had a team-best 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He had five rebounds to go along with five assists. Dillon Starzl shook of a slow start and finished with 15 points and six rebounds. Conner Crooker and Zach Schneider each had 14 points and Grant Cozad added 10 points off the bench. Cozad finished with a game-high seven rebounds.

Northwest shot 53.3 percent from the field (24-for-45) and hit 8-of-16 from beyond the arc. The Bearcats also converted 24-of-32 times from the line.

UCM tied the game twice in the opening minutes of the game but never again came within striking distance of Northwest. The Bearcats would lead by as many as 19 with 2:36 left in the first half. Northwest lead 39-27 at the break.

In the second half, UCM pulled to within six, 41-35, as Jon Gilliam hit a three pointer. But the Bearcats would respond, pushing the lead back out to double-digits. The win was Northwest’s first victory over UCM since Jan. 14, 2009, when the Bearcats won at home 61-57.

Up next, Northwest will host Missouri Southern on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Missouri uses big 2nd half to blow out Alabama

Posted on January 18, 2014January 18, 2014

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jabari Brown tied a career high with 24 points and Johnathan Williams III grabbed 14 rebounds to help Missouri defeat Alabama 68-47 on Saturday.

Missouri (14-3, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) entered the game having lost two of three, including a 78-75 setback at Vanderbilt on Thursday. The Tigers only led 31-30 at the break against the Crimson Tide, but opened the second half with a 14-4 run to create some breathing room.

After shooting 52.6 percent in its 80-61 win against Mississippi State on Wednesday, Alabama converted 29.2 percent of its shots from the field against Missouri and couldn’t pull closer than 13 points in the final 10 minutes.

Shannon Hale scored 12 points and Retin Obasohan added 11 points for the Crimson Tide (8-9, 2-2), which is 0-7 away from home this season.

Missouri benefited from the return of Jordan Clarkson in the second half after he sat the final 12 minutes in the first. Averaging 18.8 points per game, Clarkson scored four points before the break but finished with 16.

The Tigers yielded only five 3-pointers – one game after allowing 12 to Vanderbilt – and limited Alabama to 25 percent shooting from behind the arc. Coach Frank Haith had lamented the Tigers’ inability to make several layups against Vanderbilt, and the team missed several more against the Crimson Tide.

Missouri shot 42.6 percent overall, including 52.4 percent (11 for 21) in the second half.

For its part, Alabama wasn’t much better around the basket. Trevor Releford, a senior guard from Kansas City, Mo., leads the Crimson Tide with 18.9 points per game but tied a season low with 10 points on four of 16 shooting.

After its initial run after halftime, Missouri gradually kept pulling away in front of a season-high attendance of 11,003. Before the game, fans could receive autographs from six members of the St. Louis Cardinals, headlined by NL championship series MVP Michael Wacha.

The Tigers hoped to put their troubles behind them by scoring the first seven points of the game, but Alabama scored 12 of the next 14. The teams then traded baskets until Williams’ jumper put Missouri ahead 31-30 with 53 seconds remaining before halftime.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western women snap three-game skid with win over SBU

Posted on January 18, 2014

Ten Griffons scored for the Missouri Western women’s basketball team as they defeated Southwest Baptist 73-63 Saturday inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.

The Griffons were led by Quenisha Lockett and Sharniece Lewis with 12 points apiece. Missouri Western improves to 6-9 overall and 2-7 in MIAA play.

The Griffons had a fast start scoring the first 13 points of the game after a jumper in the paint by Lanicia Lawrence with 16:00 minutes left in the half. The Bearcats responded with the long ball cutting the Griffon lead to 22-20 with 8:13 to play in the frame. During that stretch the Bearcats hit four three’s, two apiece from Brook Duncan and Dilonna Johnson.

The rest of the half was a back and forth battle with the Griffons outscoring the Bearcats by four claiming the 38-32 lead at the break. The Griffons dominated the points in the paint with 24 to the Bearcats eight and had 23 points off 12 SBU turnovers.

The Griffons shot extremely well from the field making 51.5-percent (17-33) of their shots with four coming from beyond the arc. Quenisha Lockett scored 10 first half points on 5-of-9 shooting which included a layup as time expired in the half. The Bearcats were led by Johnson and Duncan with nine points apiece. All of which came off three pointers. SBU shot 44.4-percent (12-27) from the field and 46.2-percent (6-13) from long range.

The Griffons controlled the second half as they led by double digits for most of the frame. A S. Lewis three with 12:42 to play in the game pushed the Griffons lead to 50-39. From there the lead continued to grow for the Griffons leading by as many as 16 at 66-50 after a free throw by Jallisa Lewis with 5:23 to play. The Griffons cruised the rest of the way dropping the Bearcats to 7-8 overall and 2-6 in MIAA play.

Missouri Western shot 47.3-percent (26-55) from the field and 33.3-percent (5-15) from long range. They shot free throws well making 16-of-22. J. Lewis finished with 11 points while Tiara Hall had 9 points and 7 rebounds.

The Bearcats shot just 37.7-percent (23-61) from the field and 33.3-percent (8-24) from long range. They were led by Johnson with 19 points while Duncan and Mackenzie Skupa finished with 14 and 15 points respectively.

The Griffons return to action on Tuesday, January 21 when they take on Missouri Valley at 6:00 pm in the fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest women’s upset bid comes up short against No. 8 UCM

Posted on January 18, 2014

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team fell short in their upset bid over No. 8 Central Missouri Saturday as they fell 67-62.

The Bearcats came out on fire in the first half jumping out to a 14-9 lead in the first five minutes. UCM went on top with 12 minutes to play and went into halftime holding a slim three point lead, 38-35.

Ariel Easton led all scorers in the first half with 12 points as she went 4 for 5 from behind the three point line. Northwest as team shot 58% from three point land as they went 7 for 12.

The UCM defense held the Bearcats to only two points in the first nine minutes of the second half, but Northwest refused to go away and tied it up 47-47 with 7:30 left to play.

It was a back and forth battle in the final minutes of the contest, as the Bearcats took a 54-52 lead with five minutes to play. A lead changed with 3:02 on the clock put UCM back up by two.

Ashleigh Nelson was able to get her team back to within one as she knocked home two foul shots with 1:27 remaining. That was as close as Northwest would get as UCM pulled away in the final minute to claim the 67-62 victory.

Easton would finish with a game high 22 points as she added two rebounds and two steals to her totals.

Annie Mathews and Ashleigh Nelson finished with 14 points and 11 points respectively. Monique Stevens posted nine points to go along with four rebounds and a team high five assists.

The Bearcats move to 5-11, 2-7 on the season and will play host to Missouri Southern Wednesday. Tip-off at Bearcat Arena is scheduled for 5:30 pm.

— Northwest Sports Information —

No. 15 Jayhawks hold on to defeat No. 9 Oklahoma State

Posted on January 18, 2014

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Bill Self was riding Naadir Tharpe so hard in practice earlier this season that the junior point guard began to wonder whether the Kansas coach even liked him anymore.

Not just as a player – personally.

Slowly but surely, though, Self began to build Tharpe back up. His confidence began to grow, and it showed on Saturday. He scored 21 points, including a key 3-pointer in the final minute, to help the No. 15 Jayhawks hold on for an 80-78 victory over No. 9 Oklahoma State.

”Sometimes you scratch your head with some of the decisions he makes,” Self said, ”but he played extremely well, and of course he made some big shots.”

Joel Embiid added 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks for the Jayhawks (13-4, 4-0 Big 12), who blew most of a 47-30 halftime lead before holding on at the finish.

Phil Forte hit seven 3-pointers and had 21 points for Oklahoma State (15-3, 3-2). Marcus Smart added 16 points, but he was just 3 of 14 from the field and 0 for 6 from the 3-point arc.

Still, it was Smart who nearly helped the Cowboys steal a win. His layup with 24 seconds remaining got them within 79-75, and after Frank Mason missed a free throw, Forte hit a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game with 5.7 seconds remaining.

Mason was fouled and made the first of two free throws, and the Cowboys raced up court with the rebound on the miss. L’Bryan Nash tried to get off a shot from the arc as time expired, but Mason was there to pop the ball loose and preserve the victory.

”We had the ball in our hands with a chance to win it,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. ”If he missed the free throw, I knew we’d get a shot off. We knew what to do.”

Markel Brown finished with 15 points for Oklahoma State, but he also earned two of the six technical fouls that were handed out. The second of them fouled him out.

”We lost our cool a couple times in key moments of the game,” Smart said.

The animosity between the teams really started to simmer last season, when the Cowboys came into Allen Fieldhouse and ended the Jayhawks’ 33-game home win streak. Smart celebrated by doing a backflip, a stunt captured on film that Kansas coach Bill Self showed his team this week.

It reached a rolling boil shortly before the season, when Smart declared that Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins had yet to warrant the considerable hype that the star freshman had been receiving.

Naturally, most figured Smart and Wiggins would be the stars when their teams met. Instead, they were relegated to supporting roles – Wiggins scored just three points.

Tarik Black took the spotlight first, fueling a 13-0 run for Kansas midway through the first half. The backup forward’s basket for a 29-15 lead left a sellout crowd that included Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers roaring its approval.

In fact, the noise was so deafening that Brown didn’t hear Ford call a timeout. He instead raced up court and found himself in the midst of the Kansas huddle, triggering a benches-clearing fracas that the officials had to separate.

Brown and the Jayhawks’ Jamari Traylor were each hit with technical fouls.

Things didn’t cool off, either. Later in the half, Smart was hammered by Wayne Selden on his way to the rim. Selden was shoved by the Cowboys’ Stevie Clark, drawing another technical.

The Cowboys tried to mount a comeback on the second half. Forte got hot from behind the arc, and Brown hit four 3-pointers in the span of a few minutes to make it 59-56 with 11:02 left.

Kansas stoically answered the challenge.

Mason’s 3-pointer triggered seven straight points by the Jayhawks, and when Smart finally hit his first field goal with 5:53 left, Embiid answered with a thunderous jam.

As the Jayhawks slowly rebuilt their lead, Oklahoma State began to lose its poise. Brown was whistled for a foul on Embiid, and voiced his frustration within earshot of official John Higgins, earning his second technical of the game and a seat on the bench.

The Cowboys got within 77-73 on a basket by Smart with 1:29 left, but Tharpe answered again with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The Jayhawks then held on in the closing seconds to put some distance on one of its biggest threats in the Big 12 race.

”Definitely, I feel like we’re sending a message,” Tharpe said. ”Even though we have a lot of young guys on the team, we’re here to play. We’re here to defend our title. I feel like we have a great chance of doing it.”

— Associated Press —

Kansas State rolls to big win against West Virginia, 78-56

Posted on January 18, 2014

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Shane Southwell and Thomas Gipson scored 20 points apiece and Marcus Foster added 15 as Kansas State beat West Virginia 78-56 on Saturday.

Eron Harris had 21 points while Juwan Staten contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Mountaineers (10-8, 2-3 Big 12).

Kansas State’s lockdown defense continues to blossom as the Wildcats limited West Virginia to 32.7 percent shooting (16 of 49).

The Mountaineers entered averaging 79.9 points per game while shooting just under 46 percent. The 22-point loss was the largest loss of the season for the Mountaineers.

The game was West Virginia coach Bob Huggins’ second trip back to Manhattan after spending one season at the helm of the Wildcats program during the 2006-2007 season.

Kansas State (14-4, 4-1) trailed for just 2:19 of the contest and led for the final 35 minutes.

The Wildcats shot 54.9 percent, their best percentage of the season, surpassing their previous high of 52.5 percent against TCU.

After two quick 3-pointers from Harris, the Wildcats answered the lone push of West Virginia by going on a 17-5 run and opening up a 20-13 lead with 8:43 left in the first half.

The Wildcats shot 58.3 percent from the field in the first half as well as going 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

Southwell paced the Wildcats with 12 first-half points while Gipson contributed eight points.

Southwell’s performance included an assist on an alley-oop dunk for Wesley Iwundu as well as a dunk of his own, pushing the Kansas State lead to its largest first-half lead of 15 points with 1:15 left till the break.

Thanks to a quick 3-pointer from Marcus Foster, the Wildcats opened up the second half on a 15-6 run and continued to dominate the defensive end of the floor.

Outside of the production from Harris and Staten, West Virginia struggled mightily, shooting 22 percent (6 of 27) from the field.

With the win, Kansas State has now held 15 of its last 17 opponents under their scoring average. It has also held 10 opponents under 60 points.

Six points capped off Gipson’s performance in the final 3 minutes of the game, including his last with 1:25 left.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Athletics announces new Hall of Fame class

Posted on January 17, 2014January 17, 2014

Four outstanding former student-athletes have been selected for induction into the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. They will represent the 24th induction class since the inception of the Hall in 1990.

The class will be formally inducted Saturday, February 15th, 2014 in a ceremony and celebration to be held at the Reynolds Alumni Center on the MU campus beginning at 11 a.m. Later that day, when the Mizzou men’s basketball team takes on Tennessee, the group will be recognized at halftime of the game.

Here is a look at this year’s inductees, with more extensive biographical information to follow:

Aaron Crow – Baseball (2006-08) [Native of Wakarusa, Kan.]

One of the most dominant pitchers to ever throw for MU; Won the Roger Clemens Award in 2008 as the nation’s top pitcher, and was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year as well;

Dan Pippin – Men’s Basketball (1944, 47-49) [Native of Waynesville, Mo.]

Two-time 1st-Team All-Conference performer on the hardwood who helped guide MU to its first-ever NCAA Tournament in 1944; Was a captain on the USA Olympic Team in 1952;

John Putnam – Men’s Swimming (1965-68) [Native of Carthage, Mo.]

Was part of the first-ever men’s swim team at Mizzou and helped build the program from scratch; Won eight Big 8 Conference medals and held nine school records at one time;

Ashley Wysong – Women’s Track/Cross Country (1998-2000) [Native of Nevada, Mo.]

A four-time All-American who excelled at 800 meters and who still holds MU school records both indoors and outdoors at that distance;

Here’s a more extensive look at this year’s class:

Aaron Crow – Baseball (2006-08)

Established himself as one of the most feared pitchers in the nation during the late 2000s in a time of great success for Tiger baseball under Head Coach Tim Jamieson. During his junior season of 2008, Crow was arguably the most dominant pitcher in the game, as he won the Roger Clemens Award, given annually to the top pitcher in college baseball, in addition to being named a consensus 1st-Team All-American. His stats in 2008 were stellar – a perfect 13-0 record, an earned run average of 2.35, four complete-game shutouts and 127 strikeouts (10.65 per nine innings). Had a 43-inning scoreless streak during the 2008 season.

Turned in a solid 9-4 record as a sophomore (3.60 ERA) in 2007, winning 1st-Team All-Big 12 honors for the first of two straight years. Split time as a starter and reliever in his freshman season, but turned in one of the top starts by a Tiger freshman ever when he earned his first career victory by throwing a complete game 4-1 win against Pepperdine to stave off elimination in the 2006 NCAA Regional. Mizzou went on to win the regional, becoming the first #4 seed ever to win an NCAA Regional.

In his three years at Mizzou, Crow started 46 games, and had a final record of 23-8 with a 3.27 ERA, and following his junior season, became a first-round draft pick as the ninth selection overall in the 2008 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals. He was the second Tiger ever to be drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft. After sitting out a year, later was again drafted in the first round (#12 overall) in 2009 by the Kansas City Royals. Made the Royals’ opening day roster in 2011, and has been with the club ever since, logging 186 appearances. He’s got 172 strikeouts in 173.1 career major league innings, and he’s got 14 career wins and an ERA of 3.22. Crow won seven games in 2013 for the Royals, and was the club’s lone All-Star during his rookie season of 2011.

Dan Pippin – Men’s Basketball (1944, 47-49)

A native of Waynesville, Mo., who became a two-time 1st-Team All-Conference performer for the Tigers, and who helped lead Mizzou to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1944. Ended his Tiger career with 802 points scored, which was the most in school history at the time of his departure. Pippin led Mizzou in scoring with a 10.7 points per game average in 1948, and he won 1st-Team All-Big 6 Conference honors in both 1944 and 1947.

Following his days at Ol’ Mizzou, Pippin went on to national acclaim as a he turned in a stellar post-collegiate career on the hardwood. Was a two-time Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) All-American playing for the Peoria Cats of the National Industrial Basketball League, winning honors in both 1952 and 1953. He also had the distinct honor of being the team captain for the United States Olympic Team which eventually won the gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. That team defeated rival Russia two times, including in the gold medal contest. Pippin scored in double figures three times in the Olympics.

His 1952 Peoria Cats team won the AAU National Championship. A 1992 inductee into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, Pippin is being inducted posthumously into the Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame, as he passed away in 1965 at the age of 38.

John Putnam – Men’s Swimming (1965-68)

One of the true pioneers for men’s swimming at the University of Missouri, John Putnam (a native of Carthage, Mo.) arrived at Mizzou as a prep All-American in 1964, the first year that the school fielded a swim team. He helped set the standard and got the program started, as he was the team’s high-point scorer, most valuable performer and team captain for all four years.

Became the first-ever Mizzou swimmer to score a point at the Big 8 Conference Swim Meet, and later ended his career in 1968 with three individual and eight total Big 8 medals, as well as being the holder of MU records in nine different events, including five individual and four relays. Placed 6th in the 100-yard freestyle in 1966, was part of 3rd-place and 6th-place relay teams in 1967, and in 1968 placed 5th in both the 200 and 500-yard freestyle events, while also being part of 5th-place teams in three relay events at the conference meet, setting school records in five events that year.

When he completed his swimming career at Mizzou, Putnam held school records in the 100-yard freestyle (49.3 seconds), 200-yard freestyle (1:49.7), 500-yard freestyle (5:06.6), 1,000-yard freestyle (10:51.5), 1,650-yard freestyle (18:42.0), 400-yard medley relay (3:45.3), 200-yard freestyle relay (1:30.7), 400-yard freestyle relay (3:17.9) and 800-yard freestyle relay (7:30.2).

Ashley Wysong – Women’s Track/Cross Country (1998-2000)

Was the prototype for a high-achieving student-athlete, who was a national-level competitor on the track and also in the classroom. During her time at Mizzou, Wysong was a four-time All-American in track, specializing in the middle distance races, while she was a four-time USA Track & Field Academic All-American at the same time.

On the track, Wysong, a native of Nevada, Mo., placed 3rd in the NCAA Championships in the outdoor 800 meters as a junior, running an MU-record time of 2:02.94. That came one year after winning her first outdoor All-American honors as a sophomore, when she placed 5th in the 800. Also was a two-time NCAA indoor 800-meter All-American, finishing 4th in the race as a junior, while taking 6th as a sophomore. Wysong left Mizzou holding both the school’s indoor and outdoor 800 meter records, and those marks still stand to this day, as does the record she helped establish for the indoor distance medley relay team, as well as ourdoor 4×400 and 4×800 relay teams on which she ran.

At the conference level, she was dominant, winning All-Big 12 honors 12 times, winning the Big 12 title in the outdoor 800 meters as a junior. Following that season, she qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 800 meters. Went on to finish her academic career at Stanford, where she earned a medical degree.

The Hall’s constitution and bylaws express its purpose – “…to recognize and honor those individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the achievements and prestige of the University of Missouri in the field of athletics, and who have continued to demonstrate in their lives, the values imparted by intercollegiate athletics.”

The current class will up the membership to 190 individuals and four teams in the Hall of Fame. Inductees are honored in a display located in the main entrance at Mizzou Arena.

— MU Sports Information —

Bearcats win fourth straight with 35-point victory at Southwest Baptist

Posted on January 16, 2014

The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team set a season high in first half points with 54 as the Bearcats defeated Southwest Baptist on Thursday, 104-69.

Northwest jumped out of the gate on an offensive tear with a 19-4 run. The defense also stepped up in the first half, holding SBU to 32 points on just 35% field goal shooting as they went into halftime with a 54-32 lead.

DeShaun Cooper led the Bearcats in scoring in the first half with 15 points as he was 8-for-8 from the free throw line. As a team, Northwest was 17-of-20 from the line.

The offense did not slow down in the second half as they added another 50 points to their totals for a final score of 104-69 in the victory.

The Bearcats had six players finish with double figures. Cooper led the way with 22 points on the night followed by Bryston Williams who had 18.

Zach Schneider followed up is 19 point performance against Northeastern with 16 points, while pulling down eight rebounds. Conner Crooker, Grant Cozad and Dillon Starzl finished with 15 points, 13 points and 12 points, respectively.

Northwest moves to 12-5 overall and leads the MIAA at 7-1 on the year. The Bearcats will be in action Saturday, at home, as they take on Central Missouri with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Mizzou falls on the road at Vanderbilt, 78-75

Posted on January 16, 2014January 16, 2014

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Rod Odom scored a career-high 24 points, hitting six 3-pointers, and the short-handed Vanderbilt Commodores beat Missouri 78-75 Thursday night in the Tigers’ first visit to Memorial Gym as a member of the Southeastern Conference.

Vanderbilt (9-6, 1-2) snapped a two-game skid by avoiding foul trouble and hitting a season-high 12 3-pointers. The Commodores are down to seven scholarship players after leading scorer Eric McClellan first was suspended from the university, then kicked off the team for good last week. They lost their first two games without McClellan.

Missouri (13-3, 1-2) now has lost two of three. The Tigers were looking for their third road win this season trying to work their way back into the Top 25.

Kyle Fuller added 22 points for Vanderbilt. Dai-Jon Parker had 11, and Damian Jones added 10.

Jabari Brown scored 22 points for Missouri, while Jordan Clarkson had 18 and Ross 11.

The Tigers opened the second half by scoring the first eight points in taking their first lead since the opening bucket on a layup by Williams at 40-39. The teams swapped the lead back and forth before Fuller finished off a fast-break with a layup for Vanderbilt putting the Commodores back ahead 45-44 with 13:30 to go. That started a 10-2 spurt featuring a pair of 3s from Odom, the second giving Vandy a 53-46 lead with 10:52 remaining.

Misssouri pulled within 60-57 on a jumper by Brown with 4:17 left. First Fuller hit a 3-pointer, then Odom added his sixth 3 to push the lead to 66-59 with 2:00 left. The Tigers couldn’t get closer than the final score on a 3-pointer by Clarkson with 2 seconds left as Vanderbilt went 6 of 7 at the free throw line in the final 40 seconds with Fuller hitting all six of attempts at the line to seal the win.

These are two of the SEC’s best shooting teams and the league’s best defending against the 3-pointer with Vanderbilt (27.8 percent) just ahead of Missouri (28.6 percent). The Commodores shredded Missouri’s defense as they knocked down 3 after 3 and finished 12 of 32 (37.5 percent) – both season-highs allowed by the Tigers. That more than made up for Missouri outrebounding Vanderbilt 45-35 and the Tigers’ 36-16 scoring edge in the paint.

Missouri opened the game with a 3 by Brown for the Tigers’ biggest lead of the game.

Then Vanderbilt went on a 17-2 run started by a 3-pointer from Odom and Parker. Missouri countered with its own 14-4 run to get close. But the Commodores led 39-32 at halftime because they shot better from beyond the arc than they did inside as they hit 8 of their first 16 3-pointers.

— Associated Press —

Northwest women remain winless on the road with loss at SBU

Posted on January 16, 2014January 16, 2014

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team could not complete the comeback as the Bearcats fell to MIAA foe Southwest Baptist on Thursday, 84-72.

SBU started the game by not missing a shot and pulled out to an early 21-5 lead in the first eight minutes of the contest. From then on Northwest was battling to get back in the game.

Northwest shot 41% in the first half compared to SBU who had shot a season high 68% from the floor and headed into halftime with a 16 point lead, 46-30.

Ariel Easton finished the first half leading the Bearcats in scoring with 10 points.

Northwest worked hard in the second half to claw their way back into the game. At one point in the first half the Bearcats were down 23, but with under two minutes to play, Annie Mathews had a steal which led to Ashleigh Nelson scoring on a layup. The lead was cut to five, 73-68.

The Bearcats were unable to pull off the comeback as they fell to SBU 84-72.

Annie Mathews finished one rebound shy of a double-double as she led the team in scoring with 20 points. Easton had 19 points, seven assists and added four rebounds.

Northwest falls to 5-10 overall and 2-6 in MIAA action. The Bearcats will be back in action in Bearcat Arena Saturday as they take on No. 8 Central Missouri with tip-off scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —