Sports – Page 330 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Bearcat softball picks up two wins Sunday

Posted on March 19, 2017

The Northwest Missouri State University softball team beat Sioux Falls, 10-1, and rallied to defeat St. Cloud State, 8-7, on Sunday at the Hy-Vee Classic in St. Joseph, Mo.

– The Bearcats are now 13-9 on the year with the two victories.

– Northwest cruised in the first game against Sioux Falls, getting a complete game shutout from Taylor Blackford.

– In the second game, the Bearcats scored two runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to pull out the victory.
Game One Key Northwest Statistics (Northwest 10, Sioux Falls 1)
– The Bearcats scored one in the second, one in the third, six in the fourth and two in the sixth. Sioux Falls’ lone run came in the second.

– Northwest had 10 runs on 10 hits with no errors. The Cougars scored one run on three hits with three errors.

– The game was called after the sixth inning due to the run rule.

– Blackford picked up her sixth win of the year, throwing all six innings. She allowed one run on three hits. She walked two and struck out two.

– Abigail Gilson went 3-for-3 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. She was also hit by a pitch.

– Jessica Rawie was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a run scored and a double.

– Rebecca Maher was 1-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored. She had an RBI double in the third inning.

– Kaitlin Weis went 1-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. She had a double and a stolen base

– Torri Blythe was 1-for-3 with two runs scored. She was hit by a pitch and had a stolen base in the first game.

– Jaedra Moses went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt and scored a run.

– Kiana Baderdeen scored once and drove in a run, going 1-for-3 with a double.

– Chantel Adams had an RBI sacrifice fly and was hit by a pitch.

– Karli Allen had a sacrifice fly and had a sacrifice bunt in the game.
Game One Key Northwest Innings
– Rawie singled with one down in the second and went to third on Gilson’s double. Allen hit a sacrifice fly deep enough to right to score the game’s first run.

– Blythe reached on an error to start the third and stole second. After an out, Maher doubled to right center to score Blythe, giving Northwest the go-ahead run.

– In the fourth, Gilson singled and went to second on Allen’s sacrifice bunt. Baderdeen then hit a double down the left field line to score Gilson. After a pitching change, Blythe was hit by a pitch and Moses singled to load the bases. Maher reached on a fielder’s choice but Blythe and Baderdeen were both able to score on an error by the shortstop. Weis then reached on a fielder’s choice that allowed Moses to score to make it 6-1 Northwest. Adams hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Maher and Rawie followed it up with a double to drive in Weis to make it 8-1.

– With one down in the sixth, Weis doubled down the left field line and Adams drew a walk. Maher reached on a fielder’s choice but an error on the pitcher allowed Weis to score from second. Gilson hit a single back to the pitcher to drive in Adams, making it 10-1.
Game Two Key Northwest Statistics (Northwest 8, St. Cloud State 7)
– The Bearcats scored two in the second, one in the third, one in the fourth, two in the seventh and two in the eighth. St. Cloud State had one in the first, four in the third, one in the fourth and one in the eighth.

– Northwest finished with eight runs on 15 hits with three errors. The Huskies had seven runs on 12 hits with two errors.

– Allen went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored. She had a double and a triple.

– Weis was 2-for-5 with three runs driven in. She had a double and hit the would-be go-ahead home run in the eighth. She also pitched the final 5.2 innings for the win, striking out three while allowing just one earned run.

– Gilson was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a double and a walk.

– Adams was 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored.

– Maher was 2-for-5 with a run scored.

– Blythe went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base.

– Baderdeen was 1-for-3 with an RBI, a stolen base and a walk.

– Holly Posegate got the start. She went 2.1 innings, allowing just two earned runs. She did not walk a batter and struck out one.

Game Two Key Northwest Innings
– Adams singled with one down in the second. After a strikeout, Gilson drew a walk and Allen hit an RBI single to right, scoring Adams. Baderdeen’s single drove in Gilson from third to give the Bearcats an early 2-1 lead.

– With one out in the third, Maher singled to left center and scored one batter later as Weis doubled to left field.

– Gilson started the fourth with a double down the right field line. Allen drove her in with a double of her own to left, bring the score to 5-4, St. Cloud State.

– In the seventh, Adams singled to center to lead off the inning. After a pair of outs, Allen tripled down the left field line to score Adams, making it 6-5 St. Cloud State. Baderdeen then drew a walk and stole second.

– In the eight with the international tie-break rule in effect, Rawie started the inning on second. After an out, Weis launched a two-run home run over the left center field fence to put Northwest up, 8-6.

Up Next
– Northwest returns to MIAA play on Saturday, March 24, at Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Okla.

— Northwest Athletics —

Mizzou women lose at Florida State in second round of NCAA Tournament

Posted on March 19, 2017

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Whatever adjustments Shakayla Thomas makes at halftime, it takes Florida State’s game up another level.

The junior forward scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half to propel the third-seeded Seminoles into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season with a 77-55 victory over No. 6 seed Missouri on Sunday.

Thomas, who was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, also had 11 rebounds for her second straight double-double game and fifth of the season. It is the 13th game this season where she has scored 10 or more points in the second half.

“I feel like I come out with a different mindset for the second half,” Thomas said. “We talk about it at halftime, put it into action and add more to it.”

Florida State (27-6) will face either second-seeded Oregon State or No. 7 seed Creighton in a regional semifinal game in Stockton, California on Saturday.

The Seminoles led 32-27 at halftime but put the game out of each by scoring the first eight points of the third quarter, which included four by Thomas. Nine of their 24 points in the quarter came off eight Missouri turnovers as they led 56-37 going into the fourth.

The Seminoles would be up by as many as 29 (66-37) after scoring the first 10 points of the fourth quarter.

“I feel like over the past couple games we are getting back to that mentality and style of the play that we had for much of the season,” said Leticia Romero, who was one of four FSU players in double figures with 14 points.

Brittany Brown added 16 points and Imani Wright scored 14 for Florida State, which shot 57.1 percent from the field for the first three quarters before finishing 24 of 52. They were strong from the perimeter the entire game, going 7 of 14 on 3-pointers.

Missouri (22-11) led 17-12 22 seconds into the second quarter on a Jordan Chavis 3-pointer before Florida State took the lead for good with a 17-2 run as Romero scored six points. The Tigers were held without a field goal for 7:12.

“There’s a different feel to the NCAA Tournament because there’s a lot of feeling out from teams in the first quarter. I was proud that we were able to weather that and then make adjustments,” Florida State coach Sue Semrau said. “When we had the run we said it was important to have another one.”

Missouri led the Southeastern Conference in 3-pointers but were 5 of 20, including missing its first seven. Sophie Cunningham scored 17 points and Cierra Porter added 12 for the Tigers, who were trying to get to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001.

“Florida State can go on runs and score a bunch of points in a hurry,” said Missouri coach Robin Pingeton. “We didn’t attack enough and missed some open shots. On defense they are very good. We never looked fluid on offense.”

MILESTONE FOR SEMRAU

Semrau, who is in her 20th season at Florida State, got her 400th career victory. She has 11 20-win seasons at the school, including the past five.

“It is very special to get that win for her,” said Brown, who is one of four seniors. “Coach Sue gives us the credit for all the wins but she has done so much for each and every one of us.”

TIP-INS

Romero has scored in double figures in all nine NCAA Tournament games she has played in for Florida State and is averaging 14.4 points. … Missouri finishes the season shooting 80.2 percent from the free-throw line, which is a team and SEC record.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The Tigers, who were ranked 25th in the final Associated Press poll, accomplished one milestone by winning NCAA Tournament games in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history. They will lose three starters due to graduation but will return first-team, All-SEC selection Cunningham along with Porter. They should be a factor again in the SEC after finishing third this season.

Florida State: The Seminoles, who are making their fifth appearance in the Sweet 16, are 3-0 in NCAA second-round games that have taken place at the Tucker Center. The previous two times — 2010 and ’15 — they would end up making it to the Elite Eight.

— Associated Press —

Griffon baseball gets blown out, swept by Missouri Southern

Posted on March 19, 2017

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Missouri Western baseball team got swept by Missouri Southern this weekend as they lost to the Lions on Sunday 21-8. Western drops to 11-11 and 8-4 in MIAA play.

NOTABLES
– MWSU led 2-0 after an inning and a half and tied the game at five with a three-run top of the third

– The Griffons led 7-6 going into the bottom of the fourth, before giving up 12 runs in the Missouri Southern half of the inning

– Missouri Southern hit a program-record seven home runs in the game, three of them in the fourth inning

– All 21 Missouri Southern runs were earned

TOP PERFORMERS
– Bailey Zimmer went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and two runs scored

– David Glaude was 2-for-3 with a runs cored

– Dusty Stroup went 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored

– Logan Marston was 2-for-5 with a home run and a run scored
Ryan Smith and Connor Simpson also homered for Missouri Western

UP NEXT
Missouri Western travels to Emporia State (19-4, 8-1) for a single MIAA game on March 21 before returning home to host Northeastern State (11-9, 5-4) for three games March 24-26.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest baseball gets another win against Rockhurst

Posted on March 19, 2017

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team scored five runs in the seventh to beat Rockhurst, 6-1, on Sunday afternoon at the Bearcat Field in Maryville, Mo.

– Northwest improves to 14-8 overall while Rockhurst falls to 12-8.

– Logan Rycraft and Ozzie Adams each came up with key RBI hits in the seventh to help push the Bearcats to the victory.

– Rycraft was 2-for-3 on the day with two runs scored and two RBIs.

– Adams went 1-for-3 with three runs driven in and a run scored on a seventh-inning three-run home run.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats scored one run in the sixth and five in the seventh. Rockhurst’s lone run came in the sixth inning.

– Northwest had six runs on seven hits. The Hawks had one run on eight hits. Neither team committed an error.

– James Holler was 2-for-4 with a run scored.

– Jay Hrdlicka was 1-for-2 with a run scored with a pair of walks.

– James Holler was 1-for-3 with a run scored. He also had a sacrifice bunt.

– Landon Figg drove in a run and also had a walk.

– Joseph Hietpas got the start. He gave up no runs in 5.0 innings of work. He allowed five hits and struck out seven without issuing a walk.

– He struckout the side in the third and worked a perfect fifth inning.

– Brad Roberts got the win. He pitched 2.0 innings of relief, striking out one while not allowing a walk. He gave up just one run.

– Austin Battaglia and Nikko Pablo threw the final two innings without allowing a run. Each gave up one hit. Battaglia had three strikeouts and Pablo had two.

Key Northwest Innings
– Rycraft led off the bottom of the sixth with a single up the middle. Fort had a sacrifice bunt to move him to second and Adams grounded out to second to put him on third with two down. On a full count to Figg, the fourth ball got away from the Rockhurst catcher, allowing Rycract to come in from third for the Bearcats’ first run.

– In the seventh, Holler singled to lead off the frame and Hrdlicka reached on a bunt single to first that the pitcher couldn’t field cleanly. After a popout, the runners moved up on a Greenslade groundout to the right side. Rycraft came through with a two-RBI single to left, making it 3-1 Northwest. Fort reached on a bunt single to the right side to put runners on first and third. After a pitching change, Adams put the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for a three-run shot, making it 6-1 Bearcats.

Up Next
– Northwest returns to MIAA play with a 2 p.m. Tuesday home game against Nebraska-Kearney at Bearcat Field. A three-game home series with Central Missouri begins on Friday, March 24.

— Northwest Athletics —

No. 23 Missouri baseball sweeps Alabama, wins record 19th straight

Posted on March 19, 2017March 19, 2017

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Mizzou Baseball matched the longest winning streak in school history after sweeping Alabama with an 8-5 decision Sunday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Tigers, at 19-1 and off to the best start in school history, have won 19 consecutive games. That ties the school record, which was originally set by the 1964 team. The sweep is also Mizzou’s first SEC road sweep since March 15, 2015, at Georgia and just the third sweep for Mizzou since joining the league.

It was a wild, back-and-forth affair for the first four innings, but sophomore OF Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) delivered a crushing blow with a two-out, two-run single to spark a three-run fifth inning that seized momentum for the Tigers. From there, Mizzou got a scoreless frame in the bottom of the fifth from reliever Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) and LHP T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) closed the door from there, throwing the final 3.1 innings, striking out five with no runs, earning his third save of the season. Bartlett earned the win, his third of the season.

Just as it did in the first two games of the series, Mizzou scored in the first inning on Sunday. This time, Mizzou tallied three runs on four hits with clutch RBI singles from Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) and Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.), followed by a sacrifice fly to the warning track by Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.), who just missed a homer with the swing.

Alabama got two of those runs back as Mizzou starter Andy Toelken (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) struggled in the first inning, issuing a pair of walks and committing and error that led to a pair of unearned runs. After Mizzou stranded a runner on second base in its half of the second, Toelken got the first two outs in Alabama’s half, but a two-out double by Logan Carey and a single by Cobie Vance tied the game at 3-3.

Mizzou got the lead back in the top of the third inning on an Alex Samples (Bridgeport, Texas) two-out single through the right side to plate Harris, who walked and stole second. Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) then just missed a homer, settling for a double as Mizzou put runners on second and third with two outs, forcing Alabama to go to the bullpen. After a walk, Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) roped one into the gap in right center with the bases loaded, but it was hauled in for the out.

Alabama tied the game in the bottom of the third on a one-out single into center by 3B Connor Short. The run was charged to Toelken but the hit came off Mizzou reliever Cameron Dulle (St. Louis, Mo.). Mizzou then regained the lead on a double steal in the fourth. Misner broke from first and forced the throw, but Alabama forgot about Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) on third and he trotted home to give Mizzou the lead.

After Alabama again tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, Brumfield delivered a big two-out, two-run single in the fifth, followed by a Glendinning RBI single as Mizzou hung a three-spot in the fifth. Bartlett then allowed the first two men to reach in the bottom of the fifth, but Glendinnig made a leaping catch to snare a line drive for out No. 1 and then a 6-4-3 double play ended the frame as Mizzou finally hung a zero on the board.

Both teams settled things down from there and Mizzou tacked on another run in the ninth on an RBI single by Brumfield. Sikkema then closed it out in the ninth.

Mizzou returns home this week for the start of an eight-game homestand, beginning Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch vs. UALR.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Griffon baseball loses another heartbreaker at Missouri Southern

Posted on March 18, 2017

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Missouri Western baseball team fell at Missouri Southern 5-4 Saturday. MSSU scored the game winning run on a walk in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Lions won in walk-off fashion for the second straight game.

NOTABLES
– The Griffons broke a 3-3 ninth inning tie on a David Glaude single that scored Alex Heuring, Glaude is now two RBIs shy of the career record.

– After MWSU took a two run lead in the sixth inning, MSSU answered with a two run rally in the seventh inning.

– A pitching duel was displayed early in the game as both starters allowed one run each on eight combined hits.

– Missouri Western carried a one hit advantage in the game, 9-8, the eighth straight game it outhit the opponent

– All nine MWSU hits came from the top third of the lineup

TOP PERFORMERS
– Bailey Zimmer was a perfect 4-for-4 from the plate with three RBIs and a home run

– David Glaude batted 4-for-4 with one RBI

– Missouri Southern’s Max Hogan was 2-for-4 with three RBIs

UP NEXT
Missouri Western closes the series with Missouri Southern tomorrow, March 19 at 1 p.m. in Joplin.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 23 Tigers win at Alabama to extend streak to 18 games

Posted on March 18, 2017

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 23 Mizzou Baseball defeated Alabama, 7-4, on Saturday afternoon (March 18) at Sewell-Thomas Stadium to push its national-best winning streak to 18 games. The win streak is the second-longest streak in school history while the 18-1 record is the best start in the history of the program. The Tigers have also won their first SEC series since April 29-May 1 last season when they swept Tennessee. It is Mizzou’s first SEC road series win since April 1-3 at Arkansas a year ago. Mizzou is now 18-1 and 2-0 in SEC play.

Sophomore OF Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) tallied a career-high five hits to lead an offense that pounded out 12 hits and drew eight walks. He is the second Tiger with a five-hit game this season after Mizzou had not accomplished that feat since 2011. Junior Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and freshman OF Kameron Misner (Polar Bluff, Mo.) also drove in two runs.

Junior LHP Michael Plassmeyer (St. Louis, Mo.) earned his fourth win of the year after going 5.0 innings, striking out three while allowing just three earned runs and Mizzou has now won all five of his starts this season. Alabama LHP Dylan Duarte took the loss as the Tide fall to 10-9 (0-2 SEC).

For the second consecutive game, Brumfield led off the contest with hit, this time a triple into deep left center. He scored on a Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) sacrifice fly to give Mizzou a 1-0 lead. Misner then hit a two-out, RBI single to give Mizzou a 2-0 lead. The Tigers saw 48 pitchers off Duarte in the first. Plassmeyer then came out and cruised through the first on 11 pitches.

Alabama got its first run of the series on a solo homer by C Kyle Kaufman with two outs in the bottom of the second, cutting the lead to 2-1. Mizzou got that run back in the fourth on an RBI bunt single from Brumfield and that knocked Duarte out of the game as Mizzou took a 3-1 lead. Junior Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) then nearly cleared the bases with a liner into the right centerfield gap, but it was run down as he had to settle for a sacrifice fly. That gave Mizzou a 4-1 lead.

Alabama hit back-to-back, two-out double in the fourth to score a run, cutting the lead to 4-2 and then got an RBI single up the middle to cut the lead to 4-3. Mizzou stretched the lead to four runs with a three-spot in the sixth inning, taking advantage of three hits and three walks in the inning.

Junior RHP Nolan Gromacki (Smithville, Mo.) relived Plassmeyer in the sixth inning and was helped out by two tremendous plays by Ian Nelson (Lake St. Louis, Mo.), who entered the game in that inning as a defensive replacement. He pitched two perfect innings, picking up a pair of strikeouts.

Sophomore LHP Ty Shoaff (Akron, Ohio) came on in the eighth and he walked the leadoff man. Alabama wound up loading the bases with no outs, but Mizzou limited the damage as Misner ran down three hard hit balls into left, allowing just one run to score. Mizzou led 7-4 moving to the ninth. Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) closed the door from there.

Mizzou will be back in action tomorrow, looking for the sweep at noon.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Bearcat baseball gets non-conference win at Rockhurst

Posted on March 18, 2017

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team beat Rockhurst, 8-1, on Saturday afternoon at the Loylola Park Baseball Field in Kansas City, Mo.

– Northwest improved to 13-8 overall with the non-conference victory. Rockhurst falls to 11-7 on the year with the loss.

– James Holler was 4-for-5 with two runs scored and a pair of doubles.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats scored three in the first, two in the third, two in the sixth and one in the seventh. Rockhurst scored its lone run in the third.

– Northwest had eight runs on 14 hits with two errors. The Hawks had

– Landon Figg scored three times, going 2-for-5 with a double.

– Jay Hrdlicka drove in a pair of runs, going 2-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and a walk.

– Kolby Greenslade went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs.

– Ozzie Adams went 2-for-5 with a run scored.

– Luke Hassman went 1-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored. He hit his third home run of the year in the first inning.

– Anthony Caenepeel pitched 5.1 innings. He allowed one run on five hits and just one walk. He struck out five, giving him 206 for his career.

– Quintin Van Ackeren, Jacob Wagner, Austin Battaglia, Cole Otto and Nikko Pablo combined to throw 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. Wagner, Otto and Pablo all recorded a strikeout.

Key Northwest Innings
– With two down in the first, Figg singled to center and Hassman launched his third home run of the year for an early 2-0 advantage. Holler followed that with a double and Hrdlicka singled him home to make it 3-0 Northwest.

– In the third, Adams singled to lead off and went to second on a wild pitch. Figg reached on an error by the second baseman, allowing Adams to score. After a pair of outs, Hrdlicka tripled to right, scoring Figg to make it 5-0 Bearcats.

– Holler led off the sixth with a double and Hrdlicka was hit by a pitch. After a pitching change, Herrera laid down a sacrifice bunt and Greenslade roped a double down the left field line to drive in two more runs.

– Figg hit a one-out double to right center in the seventh and went to third on a balk. Hassman drove him in with a groundout to short, making it 8-1.

Up Next
– Northwest returns to MIAA play with a 2 p.m. Tuesday home game against Nebraska-Kearney at Bearcat Field. A three-game home series with Central Missouri begins on Friday, March 24.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri Western softball goes 1-1 on day two of Hy-Vee Classic

Posted on March 18, 2017

ST. JOSEPH – No. 18 Griffon Softball’s (21-5) bats played hot and cold on Saturday as the team split a pair of games in the Hy-Vee Classic Saturday at the Griffon Spring Sports Complex.

Missouri Western was held to just one run for the first time in 18 games with a 6-1 loss to Minnesota Duluth, before the Griffons bounced back with a 14-4 win in six innings over St. Cloud State.

NOTABLES
– Morgan Rathmann hit her 26th career double in the Minnesota Duluth game. Already Missouri Western’s career leader, Rathmann needs six more to break the MIAA record.

– Missouri Western had seven extra base hits against St. Cloud State including three home runs and three doubles

– The Griffons scored their 14 runs in the St. Cloud State win on 13 hits

– Missouri Western was limited to five hits in the loss to
– Minnesota Duluth, the team’s lowest total since just five hits in a win over Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 19 in Bentonville, Arkansas

– MWSU hit .340 on the day with a .660 slugging percentage and committed just one error in the field

TOP PERFORMERS
– Katie Klosterman went 4-for-5 (.800) on the day with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored

– Paige Shifflett went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored. She’s raised her average 137 points in the last month and is now batting .280

– Morgan Rathmann went 3-for-6 with three runs scored and an RBI

– Shelbie Atwell was 2-for-5 with four RBIs, a home run and a double

UP NEXT
The Griffons get two more at home Sunday in the Hy-Vee Classic, closing out its portion with Wayne State (5-17) at 11 a.m. and Minnesota State (21-3) at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

K-State women defeat Drake to advance to 2nd round of NCAA Tournament

Posted on March 18, 2017

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State was on the defensive end late in its NCAA Tournament opener, and Breanna Lewis was standing near the lane with Drake guard Paige Greiner waving a hand right in her face.

Lewis looked at the nearby official and ruefully smiled.

The size mismatch between the seventh-seeded Wildcats and No. 10 seed Bulldogs was never more evident than that moment. Lewis used it to her advantage, too, pouring in 23 points and pulling down 11 rebounds while leading Kansas State to a 67-54 victory on Saturday.

“I thought this was going to be a game of style, who could get it in their style,” Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie said. “The challenge of playing Drake for us, with a true center, is they’re going to try to make her run all over the floor.

“When Bre has the post-presence she had today, we’re a pretty good basketball team.”

The Wildcats (23-10) took the lead in the game’s opening minutes and never relinquished it, even though the Bulldogs (28-5) never made things easy. That allowed Kansas State to ease into a matchup with No. 2 seed Stanford on Monday night for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Like they had against Drake, the Wildcats will again have the benefit of playing at home.

The NCAA selection committee awarded them the right to host the opening rounds when Stanford had a conflict at Maples Pavilion, a testament to the crowd support Kansas State has enjoyed over the years.

“They were so loud. They brought the energy,” said Kindred Wesemann, who added 16 points for the Wildcats. “If they bring the same energy Monday night, it’ll be a lot of fun to play.”

Lizzy Wendell scored 17 for Drake, which carried the nation’s second-longest winning streak at 22 games into the tournament. Becca Hittner added 13 points and Sammie Bachrodt had 10.

“We’ll get into reflective mode at some point because every time I start to go there, tears start to come,” Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “But I’m really proud of our team, I’m really proud of our senior class for taking us on this amazing journey this season.”

The Wildcats raced to a 20-13 lead after the first quarter Saturday, but the game quickly devolved into a sloppy, muddled affair where turnovers seemed to be more popular than shots.

Kansas State had 12 in the first half. Drake had 10.

The turnovers were a big reason why the Bulldogs were able to chip away at their deficit, which grew to 27-20 early in the second quarter. It certainly wasn’t their shooting: When Wendell knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:20 left, it was Drake’s first field goal in nearly seven minutes.

The Bulldogs’ cold shooting continued in the second half. They missed all seven of their 3s and were 4 for 16 from the field in the third quarter as Kansas State pressed its lead to 43-35.

It took a buzzer-beating basket by Wendell just to stay that close.

“We kind of let the defense get to us and we stopped moving the ball,” Wndells aid. “We could have moved the ball a little better, found those open shots.”

Shaelyn Martin’s nifty reverse layup and Kaylee Page’s long 3-pointer early in the fourth pushed the Wildcats’ lead to double-digits for the first time in the game, but the Wildcats still couldn’t quite shake the first team ever to roll through the Missouri Valley unbeaten.

Drake was still within 54-47 when Wesemann hit the first of two 3-pointers down the stretch, and the Wildcats finally managed to put the game away to set up a date with Stanford.

NO JONAS
Drake’s size disadvantage was made even bigger when Becca Jonas was unable to play because of a lingering injury. “Becca is our best post defender, so missing that piece didn’t help us,” Baranczyk said. “She tried, and we all knew she would give everything she had to try.”

BIG PICTURE

Drake’s coach was hoping for a better return to Manhattan, where she got her start as an assistant under former coach Deb Patterson. Baranczyk spent much of the game feuding with the officials, especially down the stretch, when a couple of 50-50 calls went against her team.

Kansas State improved to 14-3 at Bramlage Coliseum this season, and its only losses were to No. 1 overall seed Connecticut and Big 12 powerhouses Texas and Baylor.

UP NEXT

Kansas State gets second-seeded Stanford for a spot in the Sweet 16.

— Associated Press —