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Category: College

Brown, Mawien help No. 12 K-State beat Kennesaw State 56-41

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Three of the veterans that led Kansas State to the Elite Eight last season spent the past week shuffling in and out of practice, each of them dealing with a nagging early season injury.

Barry Brown and Dean Wade were good enough to play against Kennesaw State on Friday night.

Xavier Sneed wound up sitting out the game.

Most of the way, the No. 12 Wildcats could have used him.

It wasn’t until Brown and Wade helped to trigger a run midway through the second half that Kansas State finally established a comfortable cushion. Brown finished with 15 points and Wade added 13 as the Wildcats persevered for a 56-41 victory in their season opener.

“We were our worst enemy when it came to missing a layup, making a turnover,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. “I hope they left with a sour taste in their mouth and come back and practice better tomorrow, but it’s good that we made some plays at the end.”

Makol Mawien added 15 points and Austin Trice had 12 rebounds in his debut for the Wildcats, who led just 31-27 at halftime before leaning on their stingy defense to go on that late run.

It was enough to help the Wildcats win their 24th consecutive non-conference game at Bramlage Coliseum even without Sneed, who sprained his ankle in practice and was held out as a precaution.

“If we were playing Kansas tonight,” Weber said, “he’s playing. We just have a big stretch coming up, Monday and then going to the Virgin Islands. We all felt it was better to rest him.”

Kosta Jankovic had 10 points to lead the Owls (1-1), who committed 21 turnovers and were no match athletically for their Big 12 foe. Kansas State had a 42-12 edge inside and 24-4 in transition.

“I mean, shooting 1 for 13 from 3 isn’t good,” Wade said of the Wildcats’ offensive struggles, “but it starts with defense. You get a couple stops, some easy layups, it gets everybody’s confidence up. It all starts on the defensive end.”

Still, the Wildcats probably could have used Sneed most of the way.

Wade was trapped and double-teamed inside throughout the first half, rendering him mostly ineffective, and nobody else could execute well in the half-court. That left the Wildcats’ offense to come almost entirely on the fast break, where Brown proved most successful at running the court.

Trice also got into the act early, making a highlight play by blocking Kennesaw State’s Pietro Agostini and taking the rebound to the other end for a scooping layup.

But otherwise, the Wildcats scraped and clawed their way through the first 20 minutes.

Most of their second 20 wasn’t a whole lot better.

Kennesaw State answered every time Kansas State tried to go on a run, and Kyle Clarke bookended a basket by Tyler Hooker to get the Owls within 41-37 with 9 1/2 minutes to go.

Cartier Diarra finally sparked the Wildcats by taking a run-out, spinning in the lane and getting a layup to go. Wade added a putback, Mawien converted in the paint and Brown scored on yet another fast break as the Wildcats ripped off eight straight points to take a 49-37 lead.

Kansas State slowly added to its advantage in the closing minutes.

“Like our coaches said in the locker room, we still won,” Brown said. “We’re 1-0 right now and that’s all that really matters.”

BIG PICTURE

Kennesaw State: The Owls proved they can hang tough for 30 minutes, but the Wildcats’ superior depth began to show in the second half. Kennesaw State also hurt its upset bid with a series of sloppy turnovers, including four in a span of just a few minutes in the second half.

Kansas State: Diarra and Kamau Stokes, the Wildcats’ two primary ball handlers, were shut out in the first half. Each finished with two points, going a combined 2 for 10 from the floor, putting some extra pressure on the rest of the team to score.

UP NEXT

Kennesaw State: Visits Samford on Monday night.

Kansas State: Plays Denver at Bramlage Coliseum on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

Bearcats’ Bruder named MIAA Player of Year; Woerth earns Coach of Year

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The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball has risen to the upper echelon of the MIAA and the program took another step toward elite status with the release of the league’s 2018 all-conference squads.

Senior Maddy Bruder was named the MIAA Player of the Year and head coach Amy Woerth was tabbed the league’s Coach of the Year. It marks the first time since 1984 that the Bearcats captured both the player and coach of the year awards when Mary Beth Bishop was the MIAA MVP and Susie Homan was the MIAA’s best coach.

Bruder becomes the third Bearcat volleyball player to be named the MIAA’s Player of the Year. Mary Beth Bishop (1984) and Jill Quast (2000) are the only other previous Bearcats to be honored as the league’s top player.

Woerth guided the Bearcats to a program best 14 MIAA wins in 2018. The previous record of 11 MIAA wins was set in 2017. The Bearcats tied for third in the final MIAA standings and hosted a first-round match in the league tournament. Woerth saw the Bearcats reach 22 wins – the second 20-win season since 1999 – and 15th overall 20-win season in program history. Northwest registered eight road victories, which ranks as the third-best total in the school’s record book. Overall, Northwest went 22-8 on the season.

Not only did Northwest land two of the specialty awards, the Bearcats had three players on the MIAA’s First Team and two more players honored on the MIAA’s Second Team. Bruder (Firth, Nebraska) was joined on the first team by senior middle hitter Sofia Schleppenbach (Dallas, Texas) and sophomore setter Maddy Ahrens (Appleton, Wisconsin). Senior libero Olivia Nowakowski (Kansas City, Missouri) and sophomore outside hitter Hallie Sidney (Chesterfield, Missouri) secured second-team all-MIAA honors.

Bruder becomes the first Northwest player to be a four-time first-team all-MIAA performer. Jill Quast (1998-2000) and Kelly Greenlee (1983-1985) had been the only other previous three-time first-team all-MIAA honorees before Bruder bested them with her fourth straight first-team tag in 2018.

Bruder led the MIAA in kills (4.26 per set) and ranked No. 17 in the nation in that category. Bruder blew away the competition in MIAA matches by averaging 4.30 kills per set with 275 kills in 64 sets. Bruder notched a team-best 17 double-doubles, including 12 in MIAA play.

Schleppenbach was Northwest’s leader in service aces (35), solo blocks (8), block assists (80), total blocks (80) and hitting percentage (.343). Her .342 hitting percentage in league matches ranked second in the MIAA. Schleppenbach has 12 double-figure kill matches, including a season-high 16 kills at Central Missouri (10/20). Schleppenbach earned honorable mention all-MIAA honors in 2017.

Ahrens led the MIAA in assists (11.48 overall; 12.20 MIAA only). Ahrens’s MIAA total of 12.20 assists per set is nearly a full point higher than second place Ally Offerdahl (Central Missouri), who posted 11.22 assists per set in MIAA matches. Ahrens set a pair of career highs with 67 assists and 20 digs in a five-set match at No. 3-Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 3. Ahrens ranks second on the team in service aces (33) and double-doubles (15). Ahrens is the fifth sophomore in school history to post 1,000 or more assists in a season with 1,171 this year.

Nowakowski earned second team all-MIAA after previously being named to honorable mention status in 2016 and 2017. Nowakowski led the Bearcats in digs (503 – 4.75 digs/set). She posted seven matches of 20 or more digs and four matches of 30 or more digs in 2018. Nowakowski notched a season-high 40 digs at No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 3. She ranked third on the team with 29 service aces. Nowakowski finished her career ranked No. 3 on Northwest’s all-time digs list with 1,763.

Sidney ranked second in the MIAA in kills per set in conference matches only (3.53 kills/set). Sidney had seven double-doubles this season, including a 19-kill, 17-dig performance at No. 3-Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 3. Sidney registered a season-high 27 kills against Nebraska-Kearney in Bearcat Arena on Sept. 29. She also posted 24 kills and 18 digs in a five-set match vs. Central Oklahoma on Oct. 5. Sidney has produced 16 double-figure kill matches in 2018. She ranked second on the team in kills (335 – 3.16 kills/set).

NOTES: The five players named to the first and second teams represents the most Northwest players named to the all-MIAA volleyball teams in the history of Bearcat volleyball … the previous best of four was set in 1984, 1985 and 2015 … it’s the first time since 1984 that Northwest has had three players named to the MIAA’s First Team.

2018 All-MIAA VOLLEYBALL SELECTIONS
Player of the Year – Maddy Bruder – Northwest Missouri
Freshman of the Year – Hannah Engelken – Central Missouri
Coach of the Year – Amy Woerth – Northwest Missouri

First-Team
Outside Hitter: Kylie Hohlen – Central Missouri – Sr.+
Outside Hitter: Taylor Bevis – Central Oklahoma – Sr.*
Outside Hitter: Julieanne Jackson – Nebraska Kearney – Jr.
Outside Hitter: Maddy Bruder – Northwest Missouri – Sr.*
Outside Hitter: Genna Berg – Washburn – So.
Outside Hitter: Erica Montgomery – Washburn – Jr.
Middle Blocker: Audrey Fisher- Central Missouri – So.
Middle Blocker: Jordan Spence – Central Oklahoma – Sr. ^
Middle Blocker: Tatum Graves – Emporia State – Sr.
Middle Blocker: Sofia Schleppenbach – Northwest Missouri – Sr.
Middle Blocker: Allison Maxwell – Washburn – So.
Setter: Lindsey Smith – Nebraska Kearney – Sr. ^
Setter: Maddy Ahrens – Northwest Missouri – So.
Setter: Shayla Conner – Washburn – Sr.
Libero/Defensive Specialist: Dominique Lipari – Central Oklahoma – Jr.
Libero/Defensive Specialist: Ellie McDonnell – Nebraska Kearney – Sr.
Libero/Defensive Specialist: Faith Rottinghaus – Washburn – So.
Tie in Voting
*-Four-Time First-Team Selection
^- Three-Time First-Team Selection
+-Two-Time First-Team Selection

Second-Team
Outside Hitter/Right Side: Yuchen Du – Emporia State – So.
Outside Hitter: Stephanie Doak – Missouri Western – Jr.
Outside Hitter: Kendall Schroer – Nebraska Kearney – Sr.
Outside Hitter: MK Wolfe – Nebraska Kearney – So.
Outside Hitter: Hallie Sidney – Northwest Missouri – So.
Outside Hitter/Right Side: Lauren Regier – Pittsburg State – Sr.
Middle Blocker: Sadie Kosciuk – Lindenwood – So.
Middle Blocker: Rachel Losch – Missouri Western – Sr.
Middle Blocker: Anna Squiers – Nebraska Kearney – So.
Setter: Ally Offerdahl – Central Missouri – So.
Setter: McKenzie Fyfe – Central Oklahoma – Sr.
Setter: Bre Becker – Fort Hays State – Jr.
Setter: Lauren Murphy – Missouri Western – Jr.
Libero/Defensive Specialist: Olivia Nowakowski – Northwest Missouri – Sr.

Honorable Mention
Central Missouri: Rylee Neigenfind – OH, Hannah Engelken – MB, Carly Offerdahl – L/DS
Central Oklahoma: Karyn Chrisman – RS, Amanda Desch – RS, Haley Deschenes – OH, Malia Kaaiohelo – MB,
Emporia State: Taylor Otting – OH, Emma Dixon – S, Allie Maloney – L/DS,
Fort Hays State: Azlyn Cassaday – OH
Lindenwood: Alexa Pressley – OH, Ally Clancy – S
Missouri Southern: Alicia Pickett – MB
Missouri Western: Shellby Taylor – RS, Ali Tauchen – MB, Audrey Keim – L/DS
Pittsburg State: Emily Reiger – MB, Lauren Dunn – L/DS
Southwest Baptist: Bailey Baumann – L/DS
Washburn: Makayla Maxwell – MB

— Northwest Athletics —

Six Griffons earn All-MIAA volleyball honors

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MIAA announced the All-MIAA Volleyball selections on Thursday and six Missouri Western players received All-MIAA honors.

ALL-MIAA SECOND TEAM
Stephanie Doak – Outside Hitter
Rachel Losch – Middle Hittter
Lauren Murphy – Setter

ALL-MIAA HONORABLE MENTION
Shellby Taylor – Right Side
Ali Tauchen – Middle Hitter
Audrey Keim – Libero

Stephanie Doak was named Second Team All-MIAA after a stellar junior season. Doak has now received All-MIAA in all three of her seasons at Missouri Western. Doak finished second in the MIAA in both kills (421) and kills per set (3.66). Her single season marks also rank as some of the best in program history. Doak’s 3.66 kills per set are the fourth most all-time at Missouri Western, just behind the third place mark of 3.73 kills per set that she set last season. One of Doak’s most memorable performances of the season came when she eclipsed 1,000 career kills in a 17-kill performance in the Griffons’ sweep of William Jewell.

Rachel Losch receives Second Team All-MIAA honors for the second-straight season. Losch had a career year in her final season at Missouri Western. Not only did Losch have the highest hitting percentage on the team, but she also led the entire MIAA with her .348 hitting percentage. Her .348 hitting percentage also puts her name in the all-time ranks, finishing with the fifth-best hitting percentage in program history and the best the program has seen in 16 years. She was also the team leader in blocks with 115 on the season.

Lauren Murphy also earned All-MIAA honors in back-to-back seasons after being named First Team All-MIAA as a sophomore. Murphy finished the season with one of the highest assists per set average in the conference at 10.75. She was one of just five players in the MIAA to average double-digit assists. Murphy had three games this season with at least 50 assists, including a career-high 70 assists in the Griffons’ five set match against St. Edwards. Murphy dished out her 2,000th career assist early in the season and has moved up to fourth all-time in career assists with 2,842.

Shellby Taylor wrapped up her four-year career at Missouri Western as an All-MIAA Honorable Mention. She was third on the team with 2.37 kills per set. Her 272 kills on the season is the second-best single season total of her career. Taylor also joined the 1,000 kills club on Oct. 19 against William Jewell. Taylor finished her career at Missouri Western as one of the most consistent players in the program. A four year contributor, Taylor averaged over 2.2 kills per set in all four of her seasons at Missouri Western.

Ali Tauchen received All-MIAA Honorable Mention in just her second season with the program. Tauchen was near the top of the team leaders in multiple statistical categories. She finished second on the team in both kills (286) and kills per set (2.49). She finished with 92 total blocks and was also one of the top hitters on the team with a .230 hitting percentage. Tauchen set a career high in kills with 18 against Central Missouri early in the season. She also set a new career high in digs against Central Oklahoma with 27.

Audrey Keim was named All-MIAA Honorable Mention after being one of the most productive liberos in the entire MIAA. Keim took over the libero position as a senior and was the anchor of the Griffon defense all season. She finished fourth in the MIAA with 5.26 digs per set. Keim ended her career with the Griffons with some of the best numbers in program history. Her 5.26 digs per set and 605 digs this season were the second-most all-time at Missouri Western. Keim contributed to the Griffons in all four of her seasons and ends her career with the third-most career digs at Missouri Western with 1,445.

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri’s Cunningham named to Wooden Award preseason watch list

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) is one of 30 candidates named to the preseason watch list for the 2019 Wooden Award, as announced by ESPN. The list is comprised of student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.

Last season, Cunningham was named to the Wooden Award preseason top 30, midseason top 25, late season top 20 and the national ballot.

The list is chosen by a preseason poll of women’s college basketball media members. Cunningham is one of six players from the Southeastern Conference on the list. The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2019 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s, the nation’s top individual honor.

Players not chosen to the preseason list are eligible for the Wooden Award midseason list, late season list and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Voting will open prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games.

Last month, Cunningham was named to the Preseason Watch List for the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award (Oct. 24), and was named Preseason All-SEC First team by both the league’s coaches (Oct. 30) and media members (Oct. 16).

Cunningham averaged 18.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in her junior campaign, and was the only player in the nation to shoot better than 54 percent from the field (54.2 percent, 186-for-343), 45 percent from three (45.7 percent, 69-for-151) and 83 percent from the free throw line (83.6 percent, 133-for-159). She scored in double figures in 28 of 31 games she played in, and ranked fourth in the NCAA in three-point percentage as she earned AP All-America Honorable Mention and All-SEC First Team honors, each for the second consecutive season.

Cunningham helped lead Mizzou to its third straight NCAA Tournament berth and 24 wins in 2017-18, feats which have not been accomplished at Mizzou since the mid-1980s. The Tigers spent the entire season ranked in the AP Top 25, and ranked as high as No. 9 in the Coaches Poll, their highest ranking in that poll in program history.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Griffon volleyball ends its season with loss at No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney

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KEARNEY, Neb. – The Missouri Western volleyball season ended Tuesday night in the first round of the MIAA Championships with a three-set loss to No. 1 seed Nebraska-Kearney.

It was the No. 8-seeded Griffons third loss of the season to the Lopers who entered the weekend ranked No. 3 in the nation. Missouri Western and Nebraska-Kearney met five times in less than a year with three postseason match-ups. The Lopers won both MIAA Championships matches against the Griffons with Missouri Western ending the Lopers’ season last year in the NCAA Division II Central Region Championship quarterfinals.

NOTABLES

  • Missouri Western limited Nebraska-Kearney to a .201 team hitting percentage, holding the Lopers under .150 in the second and third sets, but hit just .038 itself
  • The Griffons were held to single-digit kills as a team in both the first and second sets before totaling 12 as a unit in the third set
  • The Griffons came close to extending the match in a back-and-forth third set that featured four lead changes and six ties. Missouri Western never led by more than two and the Lopers never led the set by more than four
  • Nebraska-Kearney ended the match with 57 points on 49 kills and ace and seven blocks. The Griffons had 36.5 points on 28 kills, two aces and 6.5 blocks
  • The 15-17 overall record for the Griffons was the first sub-.500 season for the Griffons since going 14-17 in 2011, two years before Marian Carbin took over as head coach

LEADERS

  • Rachel Losch tied for team-highs in kills (8) and blocks (3). In her final match as a Griffon, Losch hit .333
  • Stephanie Doak also had eight kills
  • Shellby Taylor and Ali Tauchen had three total blocks each. Tauchen added six kills and 14 digs
  • Lauren Murphy had a team-high 17 assists
  • Audrey Keim led the team with 15 digs in her final match as a Griffon

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri wins season opener over Central Arkansas 68-55

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Mark Smith scored 19 points on 5-for-8 shooting from 3 and Missouri triumphed over Central Arkansas 68-55 in its season opener Tuesday night.

Smith — a University of Illinois transfer — kicked off his sophomore campaign with a bang, providing the main source of offense for the Tigers in his team debut.

After trailing 5-3 to start, Smith led the Tigers on a 15-0 run to open up a commanding lead, drilling a trio of 3-pointers to fuel the stretch.

Missouri’s defense took care of the rest, limiting the Bears to 33 percent shooting.

Despite Smith’s strong performance, Missouri’s offense was held to just 32.4 percent shooting in the first half. The Tigers improved in the second half, shooting 55.6 percent.

The offense missed the versatility of sophomore forward Jontay Porter. The Tigers lost Porter to a torn ACL and MCL in a scrimmage with Southern Illinois in October.

Missouri’s lack of scoring at times opened up windows for the Bears to climb back into the game. Central Arkansas trimmed Missouri’s lead to four with 4:57 to go in the first half and seven with 10:51 in the second. The Tigers pulled away with an 11-1 run midway through the second half.

BIG PICTURE

Central Arkansas: The Bears missed the presence of last year’s top two scorers, Jordan Howard and Mathieu Kamba. Howard scored 25.1 points per game and Kamba averaged 13.8.

Missouri: This team is bound to endure some growing pains with the loss of Porter and the addition of a flurry of new faces. Missouri’s offense progressed as the game went on and the defense played a solid 40 minutes.

UP NEXT

Central Arkansas plays its first home game Thursday against Hendrix College.

Missouri hits the road for a matchup against Iowa State.

— Associated Press —

Northwest volleyball loses to Central Missouri in MIAA tournament first round

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MARYVILLE, Missouri – The No. 11-ranked Central Missouri Jennies scored a 3-1 decision over the Northwest Missouri State Bearcat volleyball squad in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament. UCM won by set scores of 25-15, 25-17, 24-26, 25-17.

When the final results were tallied, the Jennies posted their second win over the Bearcats this season.

UCM (25-6 overall) used a huge performance from Kylie Hohlen, who posted 16 kills and 33 digs. Hohlen gave the Jennies an early surge with seven kills in the first set.

Northwest (22-8 overall) saw senior Maddy Bruder notch 20 kills to lead the Bearcats. Bruder belted seven kills in 17 attacks in the second set without an error.

Senior Olivia Nowakowski secured 32 digs on the defensive side of the net. Nowakowski was credited with 12 digs in the third and 10 digs in the fourth.

The Jennies enjoyed a .244 hitting percentage with 61 kills and 17 errors in the match, while the Bearcats hit .109 with 55 kills and 33 errors.

UCM quieted a raucous white-out crowd in Bearcat Arena by taking a two-set lead over the home squad. Northwest refused to give in and took an 18-12 lead in the third set. However, UCM battled back to knot the set at 18-18. The Jennies scored a miraculous kick-save for a kill to even the set at 21-21. UCM would take a 24-22 lead and have two match points only to see the Bearcats even it up at 24-24 on a kill by Hallie Sidney and an attack error by UCM’s Aubree Bell. The Bearcats siezed the opportunity and Sidney put down another ball for a kill to give Northwest a set point. The Bearcats closed out the third set when Bell’s attack went awry, 26-24.

The Jennies used a decisive 7-1 run after the fourth set was even at 11-11. Northwest would get no closer than four points the rest of the way and UCM posted a 25-17 win in the fourth.

UCM advances to the semifinals to take on No. 1-seeded Nebraska-Kearney on Friday at 7 p.m. in Kearney, Neb. No. 2-seeded Washburn will take on No. 3-seeded Central Oklahoma at 4 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

No. 1 Kansas holds off No. 10 Michigan State 92-87 in opener

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Quentin Grimes scored 21 points in his college debut and Dedric Lawson added 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead No. 1 Kansas past No. 10 Michigan State 92-87 in the season-opening Champions Classic on Tuesday.

The Jayhawks won their third straight in one of college basketball’s premier events.

Michigan State was led by Joshua Langford with 18 points and Kenny Goins with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Spartans are now 4-21 all-time against No. 1 teams.

The game pitted two power-conference preseason favorites against each other, and the finish was every bit as intriguing as expected.

After Kansas was in control for most of the game, the Spartans frantically trimmed a 10-point deficit to 90-87 with 34 seconds left. They had a chance to make it a two-point game when Devon Dotson missed the second of two free throws with 15 seconds left.

But Cassius Winston missed a layup for Michigan State, Kansas grabbed the rebound and Grimes sealed it by making 1 of 2 free throws.

It sure didn’t look like it would be so close after Kansas withstood Michigan State’s early 3-point flurry.

The Jayhawks went on a 13-3 run midway through the first half to turn an 18-16 lead into a 30-17 advantage, extended the lead to 44-27 and never let the Spartans get closer than seven until the final minutes.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: The Jayhawks demonstrated why they earned the top ranking. They dominated the post, used 3-pointers to pull away and eventually found a way to close out the feisty Spartans.

Michigan State: The Spartans’ late surge showed they are capable of going toe to toe against the nation’s top teams. But this one got away from them because of poor free-throw shooting and sloppy overall play — things that need to be cleaned up quickly.

STAT PACK

Kansas: Lawson also had six assists. … Udoka Azubuike finished with 17 points. Dotson, another freshman, had 16. … Kansas improved to 15-1 under Bill Self in season openers. … The Jayhawks hadn’t played a ranked team on opening night since beating No. 8 Utah 79-68 in November 1995. … Kansas was 10 of 23 on 3-pointers.

Michigan State: Winston had 13 points and 11 assists. Matt McQuaid added 12 points. … The Spartans were outrebounded 42-40 and 11-5 on the offensive end. … Michigan State also committed 18 turnovers and was 23 of 35 from the free-throw line while going 12 of 23 on 3-pointers. … At 3-5 in the classic, Michigan State is the only team under .500.

UP NEXT

Kansas has a five-day break before opening its home schedule against Vermont on Monday.

Michigan State’s traditionally daunting non-conference continues Sunday when defending Atlantic Sun regular-season champion Florida Gulf Coast visits East Lansing on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

Cunningham scores 31 as 16th-ranked Mizzou women top Western Illinois

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MACOMB, Ill. (AP) — Sophie Cunningham scored 31 points and No. 16 Missouri opened the season Tuesday night with an 89-64 win over Western Illinois.

Lauren Aldridge and Amber Smith added 14 points apiece for the Tigers, who scored the first four points of the game and never trailed.

Annabel Graettinger and Olivia Kaufmann had 18 points apiece for the Leathernecks.

Missouri, which had a 52-32 rebounding advantage, held Western Illinois to 29 percent shooting (17 for 59). The Tigers went 33 for 71 (46.5 percent).

Missouri is the first Power Five team to play at Western Illinois since 1997.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska hammers Mississippi Valley State 106-37

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Glynn Watson, Jr. scored 19 points to lead Nebraska, which led by as many as 72, over cold-shooting Mississippi Valley State 106-37 Tuesday.

The 67-point victory margin was Nebraska’s largest at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The 106 points were the most the Huskers have scored at the five-year-old arena and the 37 points the fewest scored by a Nebraska opponent there.

Nebraska held the outmanned Delta Devils to just one field goal in the game’s first 10 minutes, using a 21-3 run to take a 24-5 lead on Thorir Thorbjarnarson’s fast break layup with 11:01 left in the first half. The Huskers shot 63 percent in the game’s first 9 minutes.

Mississippi Valley State made only three field goals in the first half, shooting just nine percent over the long, athletic Huskers. The Delta Devils reached double digits in scoring at the 5:07 mark on a layup by Dante Scott, their last basket of the period. MVSU’s 13 points tied a Pinnacle Bank Arena record for the fewest points scored in a half.

The MVSU cold shooting continued in the second half, missing their first four shots as Nebraska went 8-0 and took a 63-13 on Palmer’s dunk with 17:39 left. The Delta Devils hit just 13 of 68 shots in the game, 19 percent, a Pinnacle Bank Arena opponent record low.

Also scoring in double figures for Nebraska were Nana Akenten with 18 points, James Palmer, Jr with 17 points and Isaac Copeland with 10 points. Jordan Evans led Mississippi Valley State with 12 points. Scott had 10 for the Delta Devils.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska won its 18th straight season opener and 28th straight home season opener. The Huskers last season-opening loss came at Oral Roberts in 1990.

The margin of victory was the second largest in Nebraska history. The largest was 74 in a game against Crete in 1907.

Mississippi Valley State returns three starters from last year’s 4-28 team, aiming to build around the 3-point shooting of seniors Scott and Evans.

UP NEXT

Nebraska hosts Southeastern Louisiana Sunday in the second game of the Lincoln regional round of the Hall of Fame Classic.

Mississippi Valley State will face Texas Tech in Lubbock Friday in the second of five consecutive road games to open the season.

— Associated Press —

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