College – Page 541 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Ravens move into NAIA Top 25 at No. 13

Posted on December 10, 2013

For the first time since making the move to the NAIA Div. I level, the Raven men’s basketball team is nationally-ranked.

Riding a eight-game winning streak, the Ravens jumped from the receiving votes category to No. 13 in the first regular season NAIA Div. I Top 25 Coaches’ poll on Tuesday when the poll was released.

The Ravens were the biggest mover in the poll this week, jumping 20 spots from their preseason ranking. Benedictine received five Top 25 points in the preseason poll and were the ninth team listed in the others receiving votes category.

“The first NAIA Division I ranking for our program is exciting and a tribute to the hard work and dedication our players and staff have put in to this point,” said Raven head coach Ryan Moody. “We have a long season ahead of us, this is just a snapshot. We are honored but we know we have a tough road in front of us.”

Benedictine is one of three teams ranked in the first regular season poll with the conference chasing No. 5 Evangel. Off to a 9-1 start, the Crusaders moved from a preseason ranking of No. 9 while Culver-Stockton College, at 8-1, remained at No. 18.

MNU is the fourth team listed in the others receiving votes category while Graceland University also garnered seven top 25 points to give the HAAC five nationally-recognized programs.

Benedictine returns to HAAC play on Saturday with a 4 p.m. game against Central Methodist University. The Eagles are 7-5 this season and 0-1 in the HAAC. They have two losses against current NAIA Div. I No. 1 Columbia (Mo.) College and one of their wins is over preseason No. 21 Park University.

As a team, the Ravens currently rank No. 1 in NAIA Div. I 3-point field goal percentage at 47.4 percent. They are also ranked No. 7 in field goal percentage with an average of 52.2 percent.

Individually, the Ravens have two players through nine games ranked for their efforts from beyond the 3-point arc. Shawn Fleming Jr., ranks No. 1 at 60.0 percent as one of four players currently hitting that percentage. Brett Fisher is ranked No. 9 at 54.8 percent.

After taking on CMU on Saturday, the Ravens will host top-ranked Columbia College at 1 p.m. Dec. 18, to wrap up their 2013 schedule.

— BC Sports Information —

Turnovers hurt Jayhawks in 67-61 loss at Florida

Posted on December 10, 2013

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — As Scottie Wilbekin jogged off the court, students chanted his name.

It was a feel-good moment for a senior who was suspended to start the season and struggled in last week’s loss at No. 9 Connecticut.

Wilbekin scored a career-high 18 points, Dorian Finney-Smith added 15 and No. 19 Florida held on to beat No. 13 Kansas 67-61 on Tuesday night.

The Gators bounced back from a buzzer-beater loss against the Huskies and extended their home winning streak to 21 games. The latest victory came in the Big 12-SEC Challenge and surely will be meaningful when the NCAA tournament seeds are settled in March.

”It just feels like we’re coming together as a whole,” Wilbekin said.

Wilbekin, who injured his right ankle against UConn eight days ago, made 7 of 12 shots and added six assists. It was a much better performance than his last game, when he had more turnovers (3) than assists (2).

Some of his best work Tuesday came in the second half as Kansas kept slicing into Florida’s lead. Wilbekin had a teardrop runner, a driving layup and a three-point play.

”We were teetering there a little bit,” Gators coach Billy Donovan said. ”He made some plays that really helped our team.”

Freshman Andrew Wiggins led the Jayhawks (6-3) with 26 points and 11 rebounds – his first double-double and both career highs. Kansas has lost two straight, both on the road.

This one wasn’t nearly as heart-breaking as Saturday’s loss at Colorado, which hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win 75-72.

The Gators (7-2) went on a 21-0 run and led by as many as 18 points in the first half.

”I think we should have had an electrical shortage and canceled the game after (leading 10-3),” Kansas coach Bill Self said. ”We made a couple of shots and played pretty well the first four or five minutes. But we were awful after that. … That was not a good team playing there at all, and when things started to go bad, we didn’t do anything to stop it. That was frustrating.”

Self called several timeouts, but couldn’t do anything to stop Florida’s momentum.

Surely Florida’s four senior starters and playing at home were factors, especially when pitted against Kansas’ young and inexperienced lineup.

”I’m not sure young guys have ever faced a situation like that,” Gators center Patric Young said. ”We’ve been blown out before. We’ve blown people out before. We know both sides of the spectrum. … We did a great job turning them over.”

The Jayhawks committed 16 turnovers in the first 20 minutes – as many as they had in any game this season.

”We’ve got to get everyone playing together,” Self said. ”I can’t blame it all on youth. … A lot of it may be youth, but I think we can still play better individually.”

Kansas clawed its way out of the huge hole and made it 60-55 on Wiggins’ 3-pointer with 55.8 seconds remaining. It was his second 3 in the final 1:20.

Florida closed it out from the free-throw line – barely.

The Gators made 20 of 34 free throws, including nine of their final 11.

Kansas got it as close as 65-61 with 10.9 seconds left. Florida’s Kasey Hill ended any chance of a comeback by draining two free throws.

Aside from Wiggins, who made 7 of 15 shots, Kansas had no one else score in double figures.

The biggest issue for the Jayhawks was 24 turnovers. Many of those came in the decisive early run.

The Gators, who missed six of their first seven shots in the game, got hot from the field. Hill, returning to the rotation after missing the last four games with a high-ankle sprain, got the spurt going with a driving layup.

Wilbekin had a 3-pointer, a floater in the lane and a driving bank shot in the huge run.

Finney-Smith and Young came up big, too. Finney-Smith, the former Virginia Tech starter who is finding his niche in Gainesville, hit two 3-pointers. And Young was a beast in the paint and on the boards.

Young’s three-point play gave Florida a 32-14 lead with 4:14 remaining in the first half.

But for everything the Gators did on the offensive end of the court, they were even better on defense.

Donovan had his team playing a 1-3-1 zone for much of the game, with big men on the wings and the team’s best defender (Wilbekin) running the baseline. It forced poor shots and mistakes.

”I think anything that could go wrong went wrong,” Self said. ”It’s just sad that you have to get down like that before you come out and play with reckless abandonment.”

— Associated Press —

Mizzou puts two on Coaches All-SEC First Team, four overall

Posted on December 10, 2013December 10, 2013

Awards keep pouring in for Missouri Tiger football players, as four standouts have earned All-SEC designation by league coaches, as announced today by the Southeastern Conference office. Senior DE Michael Sam and senior CB E.J. Gaines were named to the first team, while senior LT Justin Britt and junior TB/KR Marcus Murphy (All-Purpose) gained second-team mention.

Sam led the SEC in both quarterback sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (18.0), ranking in the top-10 nationally in both categories. Gaines led the Tigers with four interceptions and ranked third in tackles with 68, despite missing a pair of games midway through the season with a leg injury.

Britt was an anchor for an offensive line which paved the way for the Tiger offense to be one of the most improved in the nation in 2013. Murphy was chosen as an all-purpose back for his stellar work in the return game, as he averaged 22.1 yards per kickoff return and 5.6 yards per punt return.

Mizzou is off from practice this week as they focus on final examinations. The team will begin bowl preparations next week as they work to ready themselves for the 2014 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, set for Jan. 3rd in Arlington, Texas against Oklahoma State.

— MU Sports Information —

Kansas State rallies to edge South Dakota, 64-62

Posted on December 10, 2013December 10, 2013

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Marcus Foster had 18 points and Shane Southwell contributed 17 points and six rebounds as Kansas State beat South Dakota 64-62 on Tuesday night.

Kansas State (6-3) overcame a poor second-half performance from the foul line to top the Coyotes. While holding a 63-62 lead with 2 seconds left, Thomas Gipson converted on the first of two free throws to seal the victory.

Trevor Gruis matched his season high with 18 points for South Dakota (3-6), while Adam Thoseby added a season-high 16.

South Dakota opened strong, charging to a 15-4 lead with 10:59 remaining in the first half. Having returned four of its five starters from last season, the Coyotes used their experience to punish a depleted Kansas State frontcourt with 16 points in the paint in the first half.

The Wildcats twice cut the lead to three but South Dakota maintained a five-point advantage at the break.

Foster’s 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range kept Kansas State within breathing range.

But the Coyotes limited the defending Big 12 champions to 32 percent shooting in the first half while also forcing 11 turnovers.

Having seen limited offense before the break, Gipson opened up the second half with two consecutive baskets while Omari Lawrence added two of his nine second-half points.

Neither team was able to stake its claim on the lead as the second half alone carried 17 lead changes and four ties.

A 3-pointer from Southwell gave the Wildcats a 59-57 advantage with 4:52 left. The Wildcats held the lead for the remainder of the contest.

Maintaining its edge on rebounding proved to be crucial for the Wildcats. Four different players grabbed at least five rebounds including Gipson leading the way with eight.

South Dakota attempted to close the gap by putting the Wildcats on the free throw line and it nearly paid off.

The Wildcats closed the game with a 3-8 performance from the line, and a half-court heave from South Dakota’s Brandon Bos fell short at the final buzzer.

— Associated Press —

Benedictine women ranked 15th in first NAIA regular season poll

Posted on December 10, 2013December 10, 2013

The NAIA released the first regular season Div. I Top 25 Coaches’ Poll on Tuesday and the Raven women’s basketball team was among the top 15 in the country.

Winners of four straight and five of their last six, Benedictine (8-3) dropped from their preseason ranking of No. 12 to No. 15.

The Ravens win over Grinnell on Monday did not factor into the poll but the current winning streak helped keep Benedictine ranked inside the top 15 along with their tough non-conference schedule.

Two of Benedictine’s three losses have come against NAIA Div. II nationally-ranked opponents – current No. 2 Northwestern (Iowa) College and No. 15 College of St. Mary (Neb.). The Ravens third loss was at the hands of Friends University, who is currently the third team listed in the receiving votes category of the NAIA Div. II poll.

Benedictine is one of three teams from the HAAC to be ranked in the first regular season NAIA Div. I poll. The conference is still chasing defending champ MNU, who is ranked No. 6, while Central Methodist University moved from the preseason receiving votes category to No. 19 in the poll with their 8-1 start to the season.

The Ravens take on Central Methodist at 2 p.m. Saturday in Fayette, Mo., in an early-season showdown for a foothold on one of the HAAC’s top spots.

As a team, the Ravens currently rank inside the top 20 in NAIA Div. I in several statistical categories. They ranked 11th in 3-pointer field goals (72), they are 16th in total assists (149), they are 16th in total scoring offense (762) and are 19th in both total offensive rebounds (430) and 3-pointers per game (7.2).

Individually, Justice Payne ranks in the top 10 in two three-point categories. She is ranked eighth in 3-pointers (31) and 3-pointers per game (3.1). Chayla Rutledge is ranked 16th in field goal percentage (54.9).

In addition to two games each against MNU and Central Methodist, the Ravens have a fifth game against a current member of the NAIA Div. I Top 25. They travel to Oklahoma City to take on No. 2 Oklahoma City University on Dec. 20 to close out their 2013 schedule.

The Mid-South Conference has the highest number of member schools ranked in the latest poll with four. Six other conferences, including the HAAC, have three members ranked in the poll.

— BC Sports Information —

K-State places four on Big 12 Broadcasters All-Conference team

Posted on December 10, 2013December 10, 2013

Kansas State landed four players, including Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Mueller, on the inaugural Big 12 Broadcasters All-Conference team.

Joining Mueller as a first-team honoree were wide receiver Tyler Lockett and defensive back Ty Zimmerman, while offensive lineman Cody Whitehair was named to the second team.

The Big 12 Broadcasters All-Conference team was voted on by either a play-by-play, color analyst or sideline reporter from one of the 10 Big 12 radio networks.

Mueller, who ranks second in the Big 12 with 11.5 sacks, tied the school record for single-season sacks, while he leads the league with 18.5 tackles for loss. The junior was named a First Team All-Big 12 honoree by the Associated Press.

A product of Tulsa, Okla., Lockett has tallied 1,146 receiving yards on 71 receptions to rank second and third in the Big 12, respectively. An Associated Press First Team All-Big 12 performer as both a receiver and all-purpose player, Lockett ranks fourth in school history but tops among juniors in both receiving yards and catches.

Zimmerman, who is a four-time All-Big 12 honoree after being named to the first team by the Associated Press on Monday, ranks third on the team with 69 tackles. The Junction City, Kan., product has three interceptions this season, including a Big 12-leading two he returned for touchdowns.

A 12-game starter at left guard, Whitehair has played in 25 career games with 24 starts. The sophomore was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the coaches last season.

The Big 12 coaches will reveal their all-conference honors and specialty awards on Wednesday beginning at 11 a.m. The specialty awards will be announced every 10 minutes on the conference’s official Twitter handle, @Big12Conference, while the entirety of its All-Big 12 teams will be announced following the specialty awards.

K-State faces Michigan for the first time ever in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, December 28, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The game kicks off at 9:15 p.m. (CT) and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

— KSU Sports Information —

MU’s Sam named SEC Defensive Player of the Year; four Tigers earn 1st Team honors

Posted on December 9, 2013

The Mizzou Football team was one of the top turnaround stories in all of college football in 2013, and recognition is starting to come in for a team that far surpassed the pre-season expectations of the football world.

The Associated Press today released their 2013 All-Southeastern Conference football team, and seven different Tigers received mention, including four who landed on the first team, two on the second team and one honorable-mention selection.

Leading the way was senior DE Michael Sam, who not only won 1st-team honors, but he also won the league’s defensive player of the year award for his outstanding play. Sam led the SEC in both sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (18.0), ranking in the top 10 in both categories nationally. He is the second Tiger to ever win conference defensive player of the year honors, matching former standout Jeff Gaylord, who won the A.P. award in the Big Eight in 1981.

A pair of defensive teammates joined Sam on the A.P.’s first team, in senior CB E.J. Gaines and junior DE Kony Ealy. Gaines is now a two-time first-team all-conference performer, as he also won 1st-Team All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore in 2011. The last Tiger to lay claim to first-team honors in different leagues was Charles Rash, who was 1st-Team All-Big Seven in 1957 at guard, and who repeated at the same position in 1958 as part of the Big Eight. Ealy joined line mate Sam as one of the most disruptive pairs of bookends in the nation, as he added 7.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in 2013. Ealy forced a pair of fumbles in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game, one of which was returned for a touchdown in the second quarter by Gaines.

Senior LT Justin Britt represented the Tiger offense on the SEC first-team, as he helped pave the way for an offense which was one of the most improved in the nation in 2013. Britt is MU’s first offensive lineman to win first-team honors since Tim Barnes at center in 2010, and he’s the first Mizzou tackle to win first-team A.P. honors since Rob Droege in 2003.

Earning a spot on the A.P. second team were senior LB Andrew Wilson and sophomore WR Dorial Green-Beckham. Wilson, who was an A.P. honorable-mention All-Big 12 selection in 2011, led the Tigers with 98 tackles – marking his third straight year with the team’s top tackle total. Green-Beckham emerged as one of the league’s top threats as he grabbed 55 receptions for 830 yards and 12 touchdowns, the latter of which tied for most in the SEC. He caught six passes for a career-high 144 yards in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game, including two which went for scores.

A third Tiger defensive end earned all-league recognition as well, as junior DE Markus Golden was named to the A.P.’s honorable mention squad for his stellar play in 2013. Despite coming off the bench in all 13 games, Golden notched 6.5 sacks, 13.0 tackles for loss, and ranked 7th on the team with 51 total tackles. His 70-yard interception return for a touchdown against Toledo was a key play in MU’s 38-23 win on Sept. 7th.

— MU Sports Information —

Kansas State places six players on AP All-Big 12 teams

Posted on December 9, 2013

Led by first-teamers Tyler Lockett, Ty Zimmerman and Ryan Mueller, Kansas State placed six players on the Associated Press All-Big 12 teams, the organization announced Monday.

In addition to Lockett, Zimmerman and Mueller, the Wildcats’ second-team members included center B.J. Finney, offensive lineman Cornelius Lucas and linebacker Blake Slaughter.

Lockett was named to the first team as both a wide receiver and all-purpose player. He earned first-team honors for the first time in his career after leading the Big 12 in all-purpose yards during the regular season (151.4 per game), ranking second in receiving yards (104.2 per game) and third in receptions (6.5 per game).

A product of Tulsa, Okla., Lockett ranks fourth in school history in single-season receptions (71) and yards (1,146), while he is ninth in K-State history with eight touchdowns this season. Thanks in part to his 440 all-purpose yards against Oklahoma – which were the fifth most in FBS history – Lockett ranks eighth in school history in single-season all-purpose yardage (1,665) and ranks second in a career (4,096).

The first four-time all-conference honoree in school history, Zimmerman picked up his second-straight First Team All-Big 12 designation during his senior year. The safety ranked third in the conference in tackles among defensive backs (7.0 per game), while he tied for sixth in interceptions with three, including a Big 12-best two returned for touchdowns. Zimmerman ranks third in school history with 13 career interceptions.

Mueller, who ranks first in the Big 12 with 18.5 tackles for loss and second in the league with 11.5 sacks, picked up all-conference honors for the first time in his career. His 11.5 sacks are tied for the school record with Ian Campbell (2006) and Nyle Wiren (1996), and he ranks ninth in school history in tackles for loss. He also needs just a half sack to appear on the Big 12’s single-season top-10 list.

Finney earned All-Big 12 accolades for a third-straight season, while Lucas was honored for a second-consecutive year.

Slaughter, who redshirted what would have been his senior season in 2012, broke out in 2013 to tally a team-leading 103 tackles during the regular season en route to his first-ever All-Big 12 honor. The Missouri City, Texas, native ranks fourth in the Big 12 in total tackles, while his 103 stops are the most by a Wildcat in a regular-season since 2003 (Josh Buhl, 171).

The coaches’ All-Big 12 teams will be announced on Wednesday beginning at 11 a.m., as the conference will announce the specialty awards every 10 minutes on its official Twitter handle, @Big12Conference. The entirety of its All-Big 12 teams will be announced following the specialty awards.

Kansas State takes on Michigan in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, December 28, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The game, which kicks off at 9:15 p.m. (CT), will be televised nationally on ESPN.

— KSU Sports Information —

Tigers’ Clarkson adds SEC Player of the Week award

Posted on December 9, 2013December 9, 2013

Missouri junior guard Jordan Clarkson was named the SEC’s Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 23.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals in wins against West Virginia (80-71) and No. 17 UCLA (80-71).

Clarkson has scored 20 or more points in five consecutive games, the most by a Mizzou player since Thomas Gardner in 2005-06. He dished out a season-high six assists in Saturday’s win over the 17th-ranked Bruins and currently leads the SEC in scoring at 20.2 points per contest. In fact Clarkson and fellow junior guard, Jabari Brown, (19.4 ppg) are the top scoring tandem in the SEC this year.

The honor is Clarkson’s second of the season from the league office. The San Antonio, Texas, native was also named Player of the Week on Nov. 18 after helping Mizzou to wins over Southern Illinois and Hawaii. Clarkson scored a career high 31 points in that win over SIU.

The two wins last week pushed Missouri to 9-0 on the year, the second time the Tigers have been 9-0 under the direction of Head Coach Frank Haith.

Missouri returns to action on Sunday at 6 p.m. vs. defending MAC-West champions, Western Michigan. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

— MU Sports Information —

Kansas’ Sims, Heeney earn All-Big 12 football honors

Posted on December 9, 2013December 9, 2013

Kansas running back James Sims was selected as a member of the Associated Press All-Big 12 First Team and for the second consecutive year linebacker Ben Heeney was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team as the news organization released its annual selections Monday afternoon.

Sims and Heeney joined a total of 52 Big 12 football student-athletes selected by a panel of 20 media who regularly cover the league. Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty and Texas defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat were named the offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively, while West Virginia running back Charles Sims and Oklahoma linebacker Dominique Alexander were the newcomers of the year.

James Sims, a senior from Irving, Texas, was the Big 12’s leading rusher in conference games with 92.1 yards per contest and finished the 2013 campaign with a league-best 1,110 yards overall. That mark made Sims the first player in Kansas history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Sims rushed for at least 70 yards in nine of 12 games this season, including a career-best 211 and three touchdowns in KU’s win over West Virginia.

An AP All-Big 12 Second Teamer last season, Sims closed his Kansas career among the leaders in several categories. Sims’ 3,592 rushing yards rank third on KU’s all-time charts, his 34 career rushing touchdowns is second, and his surge against the Mountaineers was the 15th-best single-game rushing total by a Kansas player.

An injury was the only thing that slowed Heeney, a junior from Hutchinson, Kan., who had a breakout season in 2012 and continued as KU’s leading tackler in 2013. Heeney missed two games in the middle of the conference slate but still finished with 88 total stops, including 11.5 tackles for loss and the first three interceptions of his career. Heeney was fourth in the conference with 8.7 tackles per game and ranked fifth in tackles-for-loss per game with 1.15.

Heeney, a second team honoree last year, reached double figures in tackles in six of his 10 games played, including four Big 12 contests. Heeney posted 12 tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, and an interception in the Jayhawks’ conference opener against Texas Tech before leaving the TCU game a week later with a knee injury and missing two starts.

The Associated Press will announce its selection for Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year in the coming days.

Kansas closed its second year under the direction of Charlie Weis with a 3-9 overall record, including the team’s first win over a Big 12 Conference opponent since 2010.

— KU Sports Information —