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Category: Sports

Missouri women earn fifth straight win, down No. 25 Kentucky 73-67

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball continued its hot streak, topping No. 25 Kentucky, 73-67, at Mizzou Arena on Monday evening. The victory was the fifth straight for the Tigers, their longest streak in conference play since joining the SEC. Mizzou has now won four consecutive games over ranked opponents at home, dating back to last season. The Tigers improve to 16-7 overall and 6-3 in SEC play, moving in to a tie for third place in the league.

A host of Tigers led the way for Mizzou, as four players scored in double digits. Freshman guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) filled up the stat sheet with an impressive evening, scoring 15 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3FG) and hauling in a career-high eight rebounds. Smith’s performance follows up her stellar game against Auburn when she poured in 13 points on 85.7 percent shooting.

Senior guard Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) led all Tiger scorers with 19 points, nine of which came from behind the arc. Additionally, sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) and sophomore forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) were both effective, notching 14 points and 17 points, respectively. Porter sunk a career-high 11 free throws on Monday, making all 11 of her attempts.

The contest went back and forth in the early going, as both teams traded baskets. Mizzou trailed by three when senior guard Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) went on a personal 6-0 run, hitting back to back threes to give the Tigers a three-point lead. Mizzou attacked the glass in the opening frame, pulling in five offensive rebounds in the first quarter, including two by Smith. After one, Mizzou held a 15-14 lead.

In the second frame, the Tigers went a 7-0 run which was punctuated by a triple from Michaelis. The bucket gave Mizzou a 24-18 lead with 6:49 left in the half. Minutes later, after a Wildcat scoring spurt, Smith continued her all-around evening, drilling a three from the left wing to give Mizzou a 27-23 advantage. After Kentucky surged in front, Smith drained another trey from the same spot with 55 seconds left in the half to give Mizzou the lead back. Kentucky answered with a jumper and the Tigers trailed 31-30 at halftime.

The second half scoring was opened by a Michaelis triple from the right corner to give Mizzou a two-point lead less than three minutes into the third quarter. Minutes later, with the game knotted at 35, Michaelis knocked home a jumper to beat the shot clock after a scramble for a loose ball. Following a small run by the Wildcats, the senior guard slashed to the basket and converted another big bucket on a possession that was extended by a Sophie Cunningham offensive board. Two possessions later, Sophie Cunningham rolled in a tricky scoop layup with time winding down to give the Tigers a 48-45 lead at the end of the third.

After both teams traded buckets to start the final period, Smith made two gritty plays in the paint, one an offensive board and put back, and the other an inside layup. The two buckets gave Mizzou a 54-49 lead and forced a Kentucky timeout. Down the stretch, Mizzou’s free throw shooting proved to be vital. The Tigers converted on their first seven free throws of the fourth quarter. Mizzou made 20-of-24 attempts at the free throw line (83.3 percent) on Monday.

Mizzou’s first miss at the charity stripe in the fourth quarter was hauled in by Sophie Cunningham and the sophomore put it back up and in to give Mizzou a nine-point lead with 4:35 left. Following a Wildcat bucket, Cunningham struck again – this time converting a three-point play to push the Mizzou lead to double digits. The lead was a large enough cushion to hold off the Wildcats, as the Tigers claimed a six-point victory.

The win marked Mizzou’s first victory over Kentucky as a member of the SEC. Mizzou has now beaten every SEC team at least once since joining the league.

Next on the slate for the Tigers is a matchup on the road with No. 5 Mississippi State on Sunday. Tip is set for 1:30 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Four Griffons named to NCBWA preseason All-Region baseball team

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riggertMissouriWesternST. JOSEPH – Four members of the Missouri Western baseball team have been named preseason All-Central Region by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

Second baseman David Glaude and shortstop Landon Mason were both selected to the first team while third basesman Jeremy Alvarado and outfielder Nick Gawley were named to the second team. The Missouri Western baseball team was also selected ninth in the NCBWA preseason central regional poll.

Glaude was a first team selection on last year’s postseason NCBWA All-Region team while Mason picked up a second team honor. The NCBWA also named Glaude a second team All-American following the 2016 season.

Missouri Western was the only central region team with two first team selections and its four overall preseason all-region picks were most among any team in the region. The 2017 season begins Thursday, Feb. 2 at the Air Hogs DII Classic in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Click here for the NCBWA Preseason Regional Polls.
Click here for the NCBWA Preseason All-Region Teams.

*Note – Nick Gawley was incorrectly listed as playing for Missouri Southern on the release from the NCBWA

— MWSU Athletics —

KU’s Jackson named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week

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riggertKUIRVING, Texas – Kansas freshman guard Josh Jackson has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers the league, the conference announced Monday. This is the fifth time this season Jackson has earned the honor which is a Kansas record for newcomers.

Jackson averaged 21.0 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Jayhawks during two road games against top-20 teams. The Detroit native connected on 6-of-9 3-pointers in the two contests.

Jackson’s highlight performance was his fifth double-double of the season when he had 20 points and 10 rebounds in Kansas’ 79-73 win at No. 4/4 Kentucky in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge Jan. 28. KU had gone 0-for-8 from 3-point range in the first half of the game and Jackson opened the second half with two treys to give the Jayhawks the lead and momentum en route to the victory. Jackson opened the week tying his career high with 22 points in the 85-69 loss at No. 18/18 West Virginia. Included was a 4-for-4 effort from 3-point range against the Mountaineers.

Jackson’s five times being named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week surpasses former KU guard Tyshawn Taylor’s four times during the 2010-11 season. His five newcomer accolades rank tied for fifth most on the Big 12 list with Clifton Cook of Texas A&M during the 1998-99 season.

— KU Athletics —

Huskers take lead in last minute, upset No. 20 Purdue 83-80

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riggertNebraskaLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An improbable trio led the way as Nebraska ended its five-game losing streak and upset 20th-ranked Purdue.

There was Jack McVeigh, who has a love-hate relationship with his 3-point shot, and Jeriah Horne, who didn’t even play in the Cornhuskers’ previous game by coach’s decision.

And then there was Michael Jacobson, who took intravenous fluids at halftime after getting sick to his stomach twice in the first half.

McVeigh and Horne came off the bench to combine for 37 points and 10 rebounds, and Jacobson’s putback gave Nebraska the lead with 42 seconds left in an 83-80 victory Sunday.

McVeigh said it was about time the Huskers (10-11, 4-5 Big Ten) had some good fortune. Two of the five straight losses came on last-second shots.

“We battled in the other games, where you put yourself in a situation where anything is possible,” McVeigh said. “Everyone who has watched the Big Ten, no game is a joke. Every win is a good win here in conference play. That was a big win for the morale, and in terms of positioning and everything.”

McVeigh matched season highs with 21 points and four 3-pointers after coming into the game a 33-percent shooter from deep. Horne was 7 for 12 with 16 points and seven rebounds three days after not playing in a loss at Northwestern. Horne said coach Tim Miles kept him on the bench to drive home the point that he needed to work harder in practice.

“The minutes haven’t been the same lately, and they’ve been on the bench a lot,” senior guard Tai Webster said of McVeigh and Horne. “It’s a true show of character for those guys to stay the course and (handle) the adversity. We couldn’t have done it without those guys tonight.”

Dakota Mathias made 5 of 7 3-pointers and scored 19 points to lead Purdue (17-5, 6-3), which lost for the first time in four games. Carsen Edwards had 16 points, and Caleb Swanigan had 14 points and 14 rebounds. Swanigan had one of his worst shooting games of the season, going 5 for 15 and committing four turnovers against a mix of defenses.

“They were just stunting all game,” Swanigan said. “You didn’t know what they were doing. You just had to go to your basketball instincts. I wanted to get my best shot. I took too many dribbles and should have shot it sooner.”

The Huskers took the lead for good after Jacobson stole the ball from Swanigan and was there to put back McVeigh’s missed 3-pointer for a 79-78 edge.

Swanigan passed out of a double-team to Vincent Edwards on Purdue’s next possession. Edwards tried to pass to Mathias, who bobbled the ball and had it swiped by Glynn Watson Jr. Watson got fouled and made two free throws for a four-point lead with 10.5 seconds left.

BIG PICTURE

Purdue: Coach Matt Painter said he would have thought the Boilermakers would win with their 14-for-24 3-point shooting, but with 13 turnovers and Swanigan not able to control the inside offensively, they were ripe for the upset.

Nebraska: The Huskers got 39 points from their bench and outrebounded the bigger Boilermakers 40-35, including 15-11 on the offensive end.

MORE 3s THAN 2s

Miles said the Huskers did an excellent job defensively against the 6-foot-9 Swanigan and the 7-2 Isaac Haas, or “Hercules and the other guy,” as he called them.

The Huskers allowed 14 3-pointers but just 13 2-pointers. They had the 6-11 Jordy Tshimanga and the 6-9 Jacobson guard Swanigan and Haas, often sending McVeigh on double-teams. The Boilermakers were 13 of 38 from inside the arc.

“Our goal was to have them beat us from 2, and that worked out really well,” Miles said.

HE SAID IT

“It surprised me he played. Most guys who don’t play in the game before don’t play. He was on the scouting report and we talked about him. He’s made shots before but not a lot. Any time you play sparingly, it’s hard to gauge a guy because it’s not who they are.” — Painter.

UP NEXT

Purdue hosts Northwestern on Wednesday.

Nebraska hosts Michigan State on Thursday.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western women use big second half to blow out Bearcats 78-57

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mwsuST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western women’s basketball team (15-5, 7-4 MIAA) used a furious second half to dominate Northwest Missouri State (7-11, 2-9) 78-57 Saturday afternoon in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

NOTABLES

– Six Griffons scored in double figures

– Missouri Western outscored Northwest by 20 in the second half

– The Griffons shot better than 58 percent from the field in the second half after shooting just better than 41 percent in the first half

– It was Missouri Western’s seventh-straight win in the series

– The Griffons forced 30 Northwest Missouri turnovers

TOP PERFORMERS

– Chelsea Dewey led the Griffons with 18 points despite being limited to 21 minutes due to early foul trouble

– Melia Richardson scored a career-high 14 points on 5-9 shooting from the field

– Julia Torres recorded a double-double with a career-high 14 rebounds and 11 points. She also added a career-high six rebounds

– Sefulu Faavae scored 14 points with five assists

UP NEXT
Missouri Western hits the road next week beginning at Lindenwood, (8-11, 4-8) Thursday, Feb. 2.

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffons fall at home to No. 1 Northwest Missouri State

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mwsuST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team (7-13, 3-8 MIAA) could not overcome a cold second half from the three-point arc, falling to #1 Northwest Missouri 74-53 Saturday inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.

NOTABLES
– Missouri Western shot 11.1 percent from three-point in the second half
– Despite a cold second half, the Griffons shot 50 percent from the field
– MWSU outscored NWMSU 10-0 in fast break points
– Northwest Missouri had 23 points off the bench
– The Bearcats went on a 14-0 run with 14:10 left in the game after their lead was cut to one

TOP PERFORMERS
– Aaron Emmanuel finished with 20 points, his third highest performance of the season

– TJ Evans scored 14 points and shot 50 percent from the field

– Justin Pitts finished with a double-double for the Bearcats on 13 points and 11 assists

– Zach Schneider went 7-11 from the three-point arc, ending with 23 points

UP NEXT
Missouri Western hits the road next week beginning at Lindenwood with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 2 Kansas rallies for 79-73 win at No. 4 Kentucky

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riggertKULEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Frank Mason III scored 21 points, Josh Jackson had 20 points and a pair of big 3-pointers and No. 2 Kansas rallied past No. 4 Kentucky 79-73 on Saturday night in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

The Challenge’s marquee matchup between college basketball’s two winningest programs ended with the Jayhawks earning their second straight win over the Wildcats on Kentucky’s home floor. Three-point shooting was critical for Kansas (19-2) as it shook off an 0-for-8 first half to make 5 of 11 after halftime, with Jackson’s consecutive 3s starting things for the Jayhawks. They shot 59 percent in the second half.

Mason had 13 second-half points and Landen Lucas contributed 13 points — including a layup with 4:41 remaining for a 69-59 lead — and five rebounds before fouling out. Jackson also had 10 rebounds.

Malik Monk and Derek Willis each had 18 points for Kentucky (17-4), which dropped its second straight.

THE BIG PICTURE

Kansas: Unfazed by first-half perimeter woes, the Jayhawks made their first three attempts from long range to change the momentum. They also forced 17 turnovers for 21 points. Devonte’ Graham had 12 points, and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk provided a big lift in place of suspended forward Carlton Bragg Jr., scoring eight points. This was Kansas’ first game since coach Bill Self acknowledged Thursday that police are investigating an alleged rape at the team’s dormitory.

Kentucky: The Wildcats’ ragged stretch just before halftime resulted in 10 turnovers, and their problems continued in the second half. They gave the Jayhawks all kinds of opportunities that not even 40-percent 3-point shooting could overcome. The Wildcats don’t lose often at Rupp Arena, but they now have two home defeats this season, both in marquee games against ranked teams — they lost to now-No. 8 UCLA in December.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Kansas’ gutsy win in a tough environment might be enough to convince some poll voters to put the Jayhawks on top. Kentucky figures to drop several spots with a home loss following an SEC defeat at mid-pack Tennessee.

UP NEXT

Kansas: The Jayhawks have a few days to savor this win before hosting No. 5 Baylor on Wednesday night in a battle of the Big 12’s top two teams. Iowa State comes in next Saturday.

Kentucky: Looks to end its two-game slide at home against Georgia on Tuesday night before traveling to Florida next Saturday.

— Associated Press —

K-State digs deep hole early and loses at Tennessee

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riggertKansasStateKNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s young roster is starting to come of age.

Grant Williams scored 17 points Saturday as Tennessee defeated Kansas State 70-58 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge for the Volunteers’ third consecutive victory.

Rather than letting down in their first game after an 82-80 stunner over No. 4 Kentucky, the Vols built on their momentum. That represents a major achievement for a team that had struggled to establish consistency much of the season.

“Throughout the season, we would have a good game and then we’d take a step back,” said Williams, one of Tennessee’s three freshman starters. “We just preached to each other we’ve got to play hard and play our game. We did a good job of that.”

Tennessee also showed it has different formulas for success.

Robert Hubbs III carried Tennessee in the Kentucky game by collecting 25 points, but he wasn’t quite as productive against Kansas State. Hubbs was scoreless in the game’s first 16 minutes and finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Vols instead relied on their ability to dominate the boards Saturday as they led by as many as 19 and never trailed all day.

Tennessee outrebounded Kansas State 43-29 and outscored the Wildcats 23-6 in second-chance points.

“We didn’t compete as hard as we needed to,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “They competed and played hard, and we didn’t match it.”

Jordan Bowden had 13 points for Tennessee. Kansas State’s Barry Brown scored 17 points, including 15 in the second half. Wesley Iwundu had 14 and Kamau Stokes added 11 for the Wildcats (15-6), who lost their second straight.

Tennessee built a 39-22 halftime lead by capitalizing on Kansas State’s cold shooting. Kansas State shot just 8 of 22 and missed all six of its 3-point attempts in the first half, which ended with Tennessee on a 9-0 run

The Wildcats made five of their first six 3-point attempts in the second half, but they never got the deficit below nine.

“What we’ve done really the last two games for certain and really (the last) three is when teams have made a push back at us, we’ve been able to handle it,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: The Wildcats need starting forwards D.J. Johnson and Dean Wade to get healthy. Weber said that nagging injuries have kept them from practicing and limited their effectiveness Saturday. Kansas State’s rebounding struggles resulted in part from the fact Johnson and Wade weren’t at full strength.

Tennessee: The Vols got a big contribution from Kyle Alexander, who had played just three minutes against Kentucky. His eight points represented his second-highest total of the season, and his nine rebounds were a season high. The 6-foot-10 sophomore was particularly effective in the opening minutes to help Tennessee take control for good.

“I’m really happy (for) and proud of Kyle Alexander,” Barnes said. “I thought he was just terrific to start the game. He was just going after rebounds. I thought he was terrific. I thought he was a guy who set a great tone for us on both ends really in terms of what he was trying to get done.”

KEY SEQUENCE

Tennessee’s ability to dominate the boards was most evident in what amounted to a six-point possession during the first half.

The Vols led 18-11 midway through the first half when Alexander was fouled after getting an offensive rebound. Alexander made his first free throw and missed the second, but Tennessee got the ball back when Hubbs won the rebound. On the ensuing possession, Jordan Bone scored and was fouled.

Bone missed the free throw but got a rebound that led to a Bowden 3-pointer that made it 24-11.

QUOTABLE

“I was kind of hoping they’d have a letdown a little bit after the two wins (over Mississippi State and Kentucky),” Weber said. “Obviously they didn’t. They took it to us right from the start.”

UP NEXT

Kansas State hosts TCU on Wednesday.

Tennessee is at Auburn on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

City High School Basketball Scores – Friday, January 27

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riggertBasketballBOYS
Raytown 54
Central 51 (15-3, 2-1 Suburban)

Lafayette 56 (7-9)
Leavenworth (KS) 36

NIXA TOURNAMENT – SEMIFINAL
Ozark 64
Benton 59 (11-5)

CAMERON TOURNAMENT – 5TH PLACE GAME
Bishop LeBlond 52 (7-13)
Smithville 43

GIRLS
Central 47 (11-5, 1-2 Suburban)
Raytown 29

LEBANON TOURNAMENT – CONSOLATION
Benton 35 (10-6)
Belton 28

CAMERON TOURNAMENT – 7TH PLACE GAME
Bishop LeBlond 47 (3-15)
Excelsior Springs 37

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