We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Category: Sports

No. 10 Kansas hangs on to defeat TCU 71-64

Posted on

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Devonte’ Graham scored 24 points, Udoka Azubuike added 16 and No. 10 Kansas beat TCU 71-64 on Tuesday night.

The Jayhawks (19-5, 8-3 Big 12) have struggled this season to dominate at home as they traditionally have, but were able to avoid dropping two straight in Allen Fieldhouse thanks to a grind-it-out finish.

Kouat Noi led the way for the Horned Frogs (16-8, 4-7) with 17 points. Vlad Brodzianksy had 15 points and eight rebounds.

Foul trouble limited Azubuike to play just seven minutes in the first half for Kansas, but the rest allowed him to play 18 in the second. He finished with a game-high 11 rebounds.

Mitch Lightfoot played 22 minutes and had six points in his first career start for the Jayhawks after replacing the struggling Lagerald Vick earlier this week. Vick, however, played seven more minutes than Lightfoot in the first game since the move was made.

Alex Robinson finished with nine assists, passing coach Jamie Dixon for seventh place on TCU all-time list. Kenrich Williams moved into fifth place on TCU’s rebounding list, going ahead of Mickey McCarty.

TCU is 1-4 against top 10 teams this season. The Horned Frogs haven’t won a road game against a ranked opponent since 1998.

Kansas is now 16-2 all-time against TCU, and is a perfect 7-0 inside Allen Fieldhouse.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas earns a much-needed win after dropping its third Big 12 game this past weekend to Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks now sit in first place in the conference, one-half game ahead of Texas Tech.

TCU continues its slide since losing star Jaylen Fisher, whose knee injury in January sidelined him for the rest of the year.

UP NEXT

Kansas travels to Baylor Saturday for a matchup with the last place Bears.

TCU returns home to host Texas on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska defeats Minnesota for third straight road win

Posted on

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sophomore Isaiah Roby led a balanced attack with a career-high 21 points and eight rebounds as Nebraska defeated Minnesota 91-85 on Tuesday night.

James Palmer Jr. had 19 points and nine assists for the Huskers (18-8, 9-4 Big Ten), who won for the sixth time in seven games. Anton Gill scored 12 points, while Glynn Watson Jr. and Isaac Copeland each scored 10 for Nebraska.

Nate Mason poured in a career-high 34 points and added six assists for the Golden Gophers (14-12, 3-10), who have lost six in a row. Jordan Murphy scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while freshman Isaiah Washington scored 10 points and dished out eight assists.

Nebraska ranks 13th out of 14 Big Ten teams in shooting percentage, but the Huskers came out firing. They hit nine of their first 15 shots from the floor, including 5 for 7 on 3-pointers, as they pulled out to a 23-18 lead.

That was all without a point from Palmer, who had averaged 25.2 points over his last six games. But he ran off seven straight points before Gill hit a transition layup and a 3 to push Nebraska’s lead to 37-22.

Washington hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut Nebraska’s halftime lead to 44-37. The Huskers shot 59 percent from the floor and hit 8 of 12 from 3-point range in the first half.

Mason almost single-handedly willed the Gophers back into the game in the second half. Trailing by eight, the senior guard hit three free throws, and after a Thomas Allen 3-pointer, Mason made a driving layup, dished to Bakary Konate for a dunk, and drained a 3 to cut Nebraska’s lead to 60-59 with 10 minutes to play.

Minnesota tied the game 62-all on a 3-point play by Michael Hurt, but Nebraska immediately answered with an 8-0 run to restore its cushion. Gill hit a pair of free throws during that run after Gophers coach Richard Pitino was assessed a technical foul for arguing with the officials.

Mason hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute to pull Minnesota to within four, and after a steal Washington had a chance to cut the deficit to one point but his 3-pointer was long. Palmer then hit four straight free throws to close it out.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: Since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12, the Huskers have one fourth-place finish and a combined .289 winning percentage in their other five seasons. This year’s club now stands alone in fourth place, and its five remaining opponents are a combined 21-40.

Minnesota: Coming off an overtime loss at No. 24 Michigan on Saturday, the Gophers again showed heart but were outgunned by a deeper, more athletic team. Minnesota felt the absence of starting forward Amir Coffey (shoulder). The Gophers also lost starting guard Dupree McBrayer, who has been battling leg injuries all season and didn’t play in the second half.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: Hosts Rutgers on Saturday.

Minnesota: Visits Indiana on Friday.

— Associated Press —

Johnson scores 28 as Missouri State wins at Indiana State

Posted on

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Alize Johnson drilled a 3-pointer to open the scoring and drained another for the final score as he finished with 28 points to lead Missouri State to an 81-62 win over Indiana State on Tuesday night to halt a five-game skid.

Johnson nailed 5 of 9 from long range and finished making 9 of 15 from the field. He also had eight rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Jarred Dixon added 13 points and Jarrid Rhodes scored 11 for Missouri State (16-10, 6-7 Missouri Valley Conference). Tanveer Bhullar also had four of Missouri State’s 12 blocked shots, two shy of the school record set in 1990.

The Bears, who led throughout, jumped to a 9-0 lead and held a 36-25 halftime advantage. They pushed the lead to 64-50 after Johnson drained his third trey at the 8:31 mark. He quickly made another 3 and Missouri State cruised to the win.

Brenton Scott had 19 points for the Sycamores (11-14, 6-7).

— Associated Press —

MWSU’s Thompson named Co-MIAA Field Athlete of the Week

Posted on

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In a season of firsts for the Missouri Western track and field team, the biggest one may have come Tuesday as Phil Thompson was named Co-MIAA Field Athlete of the Week.

The transfer from St. Joseph’s College won the triple jump and long jump at the Fred Beile Classic in Crete, Nebraska this past weekend. His 23-5 1/2 long jump gave the senior an NCAA provisional mark in the event. He has hit provisional marks twice already this year in the triple jump. It was a 48-11 triple jump that won him the Fred Beile. Thompson’s long jump at the Fred Beile was the seventh best mark in the MIAA this season. His 49-5 at the Graduate Classic was the second best triple jump in the MIAA so far this season.

Thompson finished 12th in the triple jump at the 2017 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships as a member of the St. Joseph’s College track & field team.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest’s Mahgoub earns weekly MIAA track honor

Posted on

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University’s Hiba Mahgoub has been named the MIAA co-Track Student-Athlete of the Week in a release by the conference office on Tuesday. Mahgoub won the 400 meter dash this weekend in Mankato, Minn.

Mahgoub’s time of 55.63 is the sixth fastest time in the NCAA this year and is the second fastest time in Northwest history. The Bearcats head to South Dakota State this Friday and Saturday.

— Northwest Athletics —

Griffons softball, baseball games moved up due to inclement weather

Posted on

ST. JOSEPH – The 2018 Griffon softball season will begin two days earlier than originally scheduled.

Missouri Western will now open play in the Arkansas-Monticello Division II Challenge on Thursday, Feb. 8 in Bentonville, Arkansas. A less than favorable forecast in the area forced the crossover to be moved up two days. The Griffons’ opponents and game times will remain the same as scheduled.

Missouri Western begins the event against Harding on Feb. 8 at noon. That game is followed by a match-up with Arkansas-Monticello at 2 p.m. on Feb. 8. The Griffons close out the event on Feb. 9 with a 10 a.m. non-conference game against Emporia State and a noon game against Arkansas Tech.

Just like Griffon softball, Missouri Western’s baseball team will not have to wait as long for this week’s competition. The Griffons’ weekend series at Arkansas Tech became a Thursday, Friday series due to the threat of inclement weather in Russellville, Arkansas.

Missouri Western and Arkansas Tech will now play doubleheaders on Thursday, Feb. 8 and Friday, Feb. 9. Both doubleheaders will begin at 2 p.m. The series was originally scheduled to be played Feb. 9-11. The Griffons are 2-1 after a season opening series win at Harding. Arkansas Tech entered the week 3-1 with wins over Central Oklahoma, Emporia State and Washburn last week in Grand Prairie, Texas.

— MWSU Athletics —

Porter scores 27 as No. 15 Missouri women hold off Florida

Posted on

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Cierra Porter scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help No. 15 Missouri hold off Florida 66-64 on Monday night.

Sophie Cunningham, averaging 18.4 points per game, scored her final points of the game, 10, on a baseline jumper to extend Missouri’s lead to 64-59.

Florida guard Funda Nakkasoglu sank a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:01 remaining to pull to 66-64. Missouri took some time off the clock after a defensive foul but Florida deflected the ball out of bounds off Cunningham’s knee at 12.1. The Gators’ offense stalled near the 3-point arc and Haley Lorenzen didn’t hit the rim on a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Jordan Frericks scored 12 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter for Missouri (18-5, 6-4 Southeastern Conference). Porter scored 21 of Missouri’s 32 first-half points as she was 8 of 12 from the field and the rest of the team was just 5-of-19 shooting.

Delicia Washington led Florida (10-13, 2-8) with 23 points.

— Associated Press —

Northwest Missouri State baseball loses finale at Arkansas-Fort Smith

Posted on

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team fell to Arkansas-Fort Smith, 11-3, on Monday at Crowder Field in Fort Smith, Ark.

The Bearcats are now 0-3 overall on the year while the Lions improve to 3-0.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest scored all three runs in the seventh inning. UAFS scored two in the first, six in the third, one in the fourth and two in the seventh.

– The Bearcats finished with three runs on three hits with three errors. The Lions had 11 runs on 11 hits with two errors.

– Alixon Herrera was 3-for-4 with a run scored.

– Jay Hrdlicka went 2-for-4 with a run scored.

– Logan Rycraft was 1-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

– Nick Howard picked up an RBI and also scored a run.

– Kevin Handzlik, Landon Figg and Luke Hassman all drew walks in the game.

– Nathan Russell worked 3.1 innings of relief, allowing one run on two hits. He struck out three and did not issue a walk.

Key Northwest Innings
– Northwest got on the board in the seventh. Hrdlicka started the rally with a single up the middle and went to second on a balk. Herrera followed that with a single to put runners on the corners. Howard was called upon to pinch hit and reached on an error by the first baseman. On the play, Hrdlicka and Herrera both came around to score as the second baseman was also charged with an error, allowing Howard to reach third safely. After an out, Rycraft hit a sacrifice fly to left to drive in Howard for Northwest’s third run.

Up Next
– Northwest will take on Lynn College on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m. in Batesville, Ark.

— Northwest Athletics —

KU’s Graham named to Wooden Award Late Season 20

Posted on

LOS ANGELES – Kansas senior Devonte’ Graham has been named to the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s Late Season Top 20, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Monday evening on ESPNU.

The is the second honor Graham picked up on the day as he was named one of 10 candidates for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award early Monday afternoon. Graham is vying to become the second straight Jayhawk to win the Cousy and Wooden awards as Frank Mason III was the 2017 recipient of both honors.

Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the first half of the 2017-18 season, the list comprises of 20 student-athletes who are currently the front-runners for the John R. Wooden Award and the 10-member Wooden All America Team.

Graham is the only player in NCAA Division I averaging 17.0-plus points, 7.0-plus assists, 1.8-plus steals and fewer than 3.0 turnovers per game. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native is fifth nationally in assists per game at 7.5 and he leads the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.8. Graham is scoring 18.7 points per game in Big 12 play and averaging 17.2 points in all games, which is third in the Big 12. He is second in the conference in assists (7.5), fifth in free throw percentage (84.9), fifth in 3-point field goals made (2.9) and fourth in steals (1.9).

Graham recently became just the third player in school history to tally 1,400 points, 500 assists and 175 steals in a career. Darnell Valentine and Kirk Hinrich are the only other Jayhawks to hit those numbers. Graham is 25th on the Kansas career scoring list (1,471), 10th in assists (523) and 10th in steals (178). He is also on pace to became the No. 2 3-point shooter in school history. His 253 treys trail Billy Thomas (269 from 1995-98) by 16 for second on Kansas’ career 3-pointers list.

The Big 12 leads all conferences with five selections; followed by the Big East and Big Ten with four apiece, the Pac-12 with three; the ACC with two; and the SEC and WCC with one selection apiece.

Players not appearing on this list are still eligible for the National Ballot, which will be announced in early March and will consist of 15 top players. Prior to being listed on the National Ballot, each player must be certified by their university to meet the qualifications for the Award, including: candidates must be a full-time student making progress toward graduation and have a cumulative 2.00 grade point average since enrolling in their school; candidates must exhibit strength of character, both on and off the court; candidates should contribute to team effort; candidates must excel in both offense and defense; and candidates should be considered based on their performance over the course of the entire season. Players not listed on the National Ballot will no longer be eligible for the Wooden Award nor the John R. Wooden Award All America Team. Voting begins at the end of the season, and voters, consisting of 1,000 members of the national college basketball media, will take into account the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

John R. Wooden Award Presented By Wendy’s
2017-18 Men’s Late Season Top 20
Name, School (Class, Position)
Deandre Ayton, Arizona (Fr., F)
Marvin Bagley III, Duke (Fr., F)
Mohamed Bamba, Texas (Fr., F)
Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State (Jr., F)
Trevon Bluiett, Xavier (Sr., G)
Mikal Bridges, Villanova (Jr., G/F)
Miles Bridges, Michigan State (So., G/F)
Jalen Brunson, Villanova (Jr., G)
Jevon Carter, West Virginia (Sr., G)
Carsen Edwards, Purdue (So., G)
Vincent Edwards, Purdue (Sr., F)
Keenan Evans, Texas Tech (Sr., G)
Marcus Foster, Creighton (Sr., G)
DEVONTE’ GRAHAM, Kansas (Sr., G)
Tra Holder, Arizona State (Sr., G)
Jock Landale, Saint Mary’s (Sr., C)
Luke Maye, North Carolina (Jr., F)
Collin Sexton, Alabama (Fr., G)
Allonzo Trier, Arizona (Jr., G)
Trae Young, Oklahoma (Fr., G)

— KU Athletics —

Western baseball scores 11 unanswered runs to take series at Harding

Posted on

SEARCY, Ark. – Eleven unanswered runs on Sunday propelled the Missouri Western baseball team to a 13-7 win at Harding and a 2-1 season opening series win.

After falling behind 7-2 through two innings, the Griffon bats awoke for one run in the third, three each in the fifth and sixth, another in the seventh and three more insurance runs in the ninth. The Griffon bullpen allowed just one unearned run through 7 2/3 innings. Trevor Carroll picked up the win in relief. He allowed one unearned run on two hits while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings.

NOTABLES
– Levi Schreiner went 3-for-3 at the plate and walked three times. He had three RBIs and a double, Sunday. Schreiner came home with a 4-for-4 series with three runs scored and three RBIs

– Dusty Stroup was the only other Griffon with multiple hits, going 2-for-6 with 2 RBIs and a triple

– Brooks Day drove in two runs and had a double

– Will Jibas drove in a pair Sunday and went 4-for-8 in the series with two doubles and three RBIs

– Stroup’s RBI-triple in the third gave the Griffons the lead. His RBI-single started a three-run fifth

– Day drove in both of his runs with a double in the sixth

– Schreiner picked up two RBIs with a double in the ninth

– Kellan Richards and Miles Kilgore combined for a perfect eighth and ninth, respectively. Kilgore struck out the side in the ninth. Richards struck out one in the eighth.

UP NEXT
The Griffons go back to Arkansas next weekend for a four-game series at Arkansas Tech that begins with a single game on Friday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File