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Category: Sports

Winter Classic NHL game shines spotlight on Missouri

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A worker walks across the new ice rink installed inside Busch Stadium in St. Louis on December 29, 2016. Photo by Bill Grenblatt/UPI. Courtesy Missourinet.
A worker walks across the new ice rink installed inside Busch Stadium in St. Louis on December 29, 2016. Photo by Bill Grenblatt/UPI. Courtesy Missourinet.

(Missourinet) – Missouri is hosting what’s become one of the premier sports events in North America.

The 9th annual Winter Classic NHL hockey game will be played Monday outdoors at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

The contest is considered one of the league’s leading events, producing some of its highest attendance and TV ratings.

It’s also expected to be an economic boon for the region, generating an estimated $18.5 million – $9.6 million from direct activity at Busch Stadium, and $8.9 million from indirect spending in the region.

Anthony Paraino with Explore St. Louis says the event gives the city an opportunity to shine under the spotlight.

“St. Louis is going to be, really, the center of the hockey world for one day,” Paraino said. “We’re just really excited about the opportunity to showcase St. Louis, showcase our region and showcase everything Missouri has to offer visitors and guests.”

The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission estimates crowds of 45,000 for the Winter Classic as well as the NHL “Legions” Alumni Classic which takes place the day before.

Paraino says a special effort has been made to present a festive atmosphere.

“There’s banners up and down the downtown (area) welcoming fans to the game, and events and concerts and all kinds of things that are really going to be just a lot of fun for people to experience when they come in.”

He further notes the event places the region in front of a mass audience.

“It’s great exposure for our region to have such a national stage, to showcase Busch Stadium, showcase the Blues, showcase our downtown,” Paraino said. “And with The Arch in the backdrop, it’s going to be just a classic image and just a wonderful day.”

The event is billed as the centerpiece to the St. Louis Blues’ season long celebration marking its 50th year in the National Hockey League.

The franchise began play as an expansion team in the 1967-68 season. In honor of the event, the Blues will play the game in throw-back jerseys patterned after the one they wore in their inaugural season.

The contest at Busch Stadium, the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, will be the fifth time in nine games that the Winter Classic will have been played in a baseball stadium.  The venue joins two of the most legendary baseball stadiums in hosting the event – Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago.

The Winter Classic is promoted as a return to the sport’s outdoor roots, meant to capture memories of pond hockey.  It will be preceded by another outdoor hockey game over the same weekend as the NHL Centennial Classic will take place Sunday, New Year’s Day, in Toronto.

Kansas State beats Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl

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riggertKansasStateHOUSTON (AP) — Kansas State was unbeatable against teams from Texas in the regular season, and that didn’t change on Wednesday night in the Texas Bowl.

Jesse Ertz threw for 195 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more scores in Kansas State’s 33-28 victory over Texas A&M. He had 67 yards rushing to give him 1,012 this season.

The victory improved the Wildcats to 5-0 against teams from the Lone Star State this season after they downed Texas Tech, Texas, Baylor and TCU earlier this year.

“I think that’s a really cool thing to accomplish,” said Ertz, who was named MVP. “It gives the fans some bragging rights.”

Ertz had a 79-yard touchdown pass and scoring runs of 1 and 5 yards to help give Kansas State its fourth straight win and first bowl victory since the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

Nebraska snaps No. 16 Indiana’s home winning streak at 26

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riggertNebraskaBLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Glynn Watson Jr. scored 26 points and Tai Webster had 21 Wednesday night, leading Nebraska to a stunning 87-83 upset of No. 16 Indiana.

The Cornhuskers (7-6, 1-0) snapped Indiana’s 26-game home winning streak by finishing with their highest point total of the season in the Big Ten opener for both.

Indiana’s last loss at Assembly Hall was to Michigan State on March 7, 2015.

Robert Johnson finished with 19 points and Thomas Bryant had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Hoosiers (10-3, 0-1).

Indiana appeared to have seized control when it took a 42-35 lead early in the second half.

But the Cornhuskers answered with a 13-2 run and rebuilt a seven-point lead with 9 minutes to go.

Kansas State faces Texas A&M in Texas Bowl

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riggertKansasStateHOUSTON (AP) — Texas A&M is entering the Texas Bowl as the favorite, yet the Kansas State Wildcats are looking to improve their winning streak to four games in the matchup of old Big 12 foes.

The Aggies, meanwhile, are also looking to cap the season on a positive note after losing four of their last six games following a 6-0 start. Kansas State is in its seventh straight bowl game and the Aggies are appearing in a bowl for a school-record eighth straight season.

The key matchup pits Aggies star defensive end Myles Garrett against the Wildcats’ offensive line. This will likely be the final college game for Garrett, the junior consensus All-American who some predict will be the top overall pick in 2017 draft.

Garrett struggled with injuries this season but still managed to pile up 8 and a half sacks and 15 tackles for losses.

For Kansas State, defensive end Jordan Willis is considered key. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year led the conference in sacks with 11 and a half, which tied a school record.

Chiefs rout Broncos 33-10 to keep AFC West title hopes alive

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riggertChiefsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — With their postseason spot secured, the Kansas City Chiefs turned to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill to roll past the Denver Broncos 33-10 on Sunday night and keep their AFC West title hopes alive.

Kelce had 11 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown, and Hill took a handoff 70 yards for another score, as the Chiefs (11-4) beat the Broncos (8-7) for the third straight time and eliminated the Super Bowl champions from postseason contention.

Kansas City punctuated the win in style when 346-pound defensive tackle Dontari Poe, lined up at quarterback, threw a jump pass to Demetrius Harris with just under two minutes left.

The Chiefs were already assured of a wild card when Pittsburgh beat Baltimore earlier in the day. But a win next weekend in San Diego coupled with an Oakland loss in Denver would give the Chiefs their first division title since 2010, not to mention a first-round bye and home playoff game.

Meanwhile, the Broncos trudged through another inept offensive performance.

Trevor Siemian was 17 of 43 for 183 yards and a game-ending interception, and the only TD drive he led came after a pick gave him the ball at the Kansas City 6. Justin Forsett scored two plays later.

The lackluster performance came one week after a dismal showing in a 16-3 loss to New England led to a locker room shouting match between the Denver offense and defense. The Broncos downplayed any kind of disharmony this week , but their performance on a sloppy, soggy Christmas night at Arrowhead Stadium only seemed to underscore the rift during a most frustrating of seasons.

Kansas City took control of the prime-time matchup from the opening bell.

Alex Smith capped a 77-yard touchdown march with a 10-yard keeper in the first quarter, and Hill out-ran the banged-up Broncos a few minutes later to give the Chiefs a 14-0 lead.

It was the fourth TD scored by Hill against the Broncos this season.

Forsett’s touchdown gave the Broncos fleeting hope, but it was dashed moments later. Kelce took a screen pass and followed perfectly executed blocking for an 80-yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead.

The Chiefs’ defense took care of the rest to make it a festive night for their fans.

CLOSING SPEED

The biggest hit of the night came when a security guard tackled a fan that had run onto the field. Of course, it came after the fan already had run untouched about 90 yards, so in that respect the security force wasn’t a whole lot better than the Broncos’ first-half defense.

SCARY MOMENT

Broncos cornerback Kayvon Webster was taken from the field on a cart after getting hit high by Chiefs linebacker Terrance Smith while covering a touchback in the second quarter. Webster’s head was snapped back by the block and he was being evaluated for a concussion. He did not return.

OTHER INJURIES

Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe left in the first half with a neck injury and did not return. Denver was already without leading tackler T.J. Ward and tight ends Virgil Green and A.J. Derby because of concussions and linebacker Brandon Marshall because of a hamstring.

UP NEXT

Denver wraps up its disappointing season Sunday against Oakland.

Kansas City visits the Chargers on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

Josh Jackson leads No. 3 Kansas past UNLV 71-53

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riggertKULAS VEGAS (AP) — Josh Jackson scored 21 points, Svi Mykhailiuk had 20 and Frank Mason III added 13, as No. 3 Kansas beat UNLV 71-53 on Thursday night, extending its winning streak to 11 games.

Kansas got 12 rebounds and four points from Landen Lucas.

The Jayhawks (11-1) haven’t lost since a season-opening 103-99 overtime setback to Indiana, in Honolulu.

UNLV (7-6) was led by Tyrell Green’s 12 points, with Jalen Poyser and Uche Ofoegbu adding 10 points each. It was the Runnin’ Rebels’ third loss to a Top 25 team in their last five games.

UNLV tried making things interesting by opening the second half on a 15-7 run, cutting into Kansas’ lead, making it 49-35 at the 14:30 mark. In that span, the Jayhawks shot just 30 percent, while the Rebels hit 6 of 7 (85.7 percent).

Moments later, Jackson shifted momentum back in Kansas’ direction when he drove baseline for a vicious slam dunk to push the Jayhawks ahead 56-40, while igniting a 6-0 run. Kansas extended its lead to 64-44, while the Rebels missed eight of nine shot attempts.

But UNLV wasn’t done, as an 8-0 run by the Rebels cut the lead to 12 with a little less than 4 minutes remaining.

Mykhailiuk’s slashing layup down the right side of the key ended Kansas’ scoring drought, which he followed up with a 3-pointer a minute later to essentially seal the victory.

Kansas finished the game shooting 44 percent (28 of 63), while UNLV shot 35 percent (19 of 55).

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: The Jayhawks improved to 11-3 in games preceding Christmas under Self’s watch. Since a 14-point loss to Nevada in 2003, in his first season at Kansas, Self has put his players on notice there is no room for mediocrity heading into Christmas break.

UNLV: UNLV’s other Top 25 losses included a 20-point setback to Oregon and a 49-point thrashing at the hands of Duke. And despite starting the season with just three returning scholarship players, the Rebels concluded their non-conference slate above .500.

UP NEXT

Kansas will take eight days off before opening Big 12 play at Texas Christian on Dec. 30.

UNLV opens its Mountain West Conference schedule next Wednesday at Colorado State.

— Associated Press —

No. 24 K-State women get upset at Northern Iowa

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riggertKansasStateCEDAR FALLS, Iowa – For the first time since the 2011-12 season, Kansas State entered a game ranked among the Associated Press top-25 poll. K-State stumbled in the final non-conference game of 2016, falling at Northern Iowa on Thursday night, 67-59.

Kansas State (10-2) was led by junior guard Karyla Middlebrook with a K-State career-high 19 points and six assists. Senior guard Kindred Wesemann added 11 points and senior center Breanna Lewis chipped in with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Northern Iowa (7-4) was paced by senior Madison Weekly with 20 points. Hannah Schonhardt added a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

UNI finished the night shooting 43.8 percent (21-of-48) from the field, while K-State was held to a 38.6 percent (22-of-57) effort. The shooting performance by the Panthers was boosted by a 13-of-32 effort from beyond the arc.

The Panthers outrebounded K-State, 36-35. The Wildcats forced 15 Northern Iowa turnovers, which resulted in a 21-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

K-State built a 12-5 lead in the first quarter, as Wesemann buried a three-pointer from the corner to force a Northern Iowa timeout with 2:35 left. UNI answered with a 7-0 burst to even the game at 12-12 with 0:38 left. Peyton Williams pulled down an offensive board with 10 seconds left and knocked down the short jumper to give K-State a 14-12 lead at the end of the first period.

Middlebrook helped K-State take a 22-17 lead with 5:08 to play in the second quarter. She opened the quarter by knocking down her second 3-pointer of the game, then finished a 3-point play on a layup and free throw.

UNI ended the second quarter on a 9-4 run to even the game at the half, 26-26. A Schonhardt three-pointer started the rally and Madison Weekly continued the run with her second 3-pointer of the quarter.

Kansas State shot 31.0 percent (9-of-29) in the opening half and held UNI to a 35.7 percent (10-of-28) effort. K-State registered eight second chance points on four offensive rebounds, but the Panthers held a 21-18 edge on the glass in the opening half.

After Lewis registered her first field goal of the game to begin the third quarter, UNI went on a 13-4 run to build a 39-32 lead with 3:18 left in the frame. Schonhardt made layups on consecutive possessions and Mikaela Morgan buried a 3-pointer to force the K-State timeout. Schonhardt then added a 3-pointer of her own to increase the lead to seven.

K-State used a 7-1 run to open the fourth quarter to tie the game at 43. Middlebrook made a pair of free throws to start the rally. Kayla Goth followed with a backdoor layup and Wesemann knocked down her second 3-pointer of the night to even the game.

The Wildcats were unable to pull in front, as UNI made four 3-pointers in the final five minutes of the game to keep K-State at a distance to the end.

Following a break for the holidays, Kansas State will open Big 12 action on Thursday, Dec. 29 at (3/4) Baylor. Game time is 7 p.m.

— K-State Athletics —

Mizzou loses fourth straight against Illinois

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riggertMissouriST. LOUIS (AP) — As a timid freshman, Illinois forward Malcolm Hill wasn’t sure he would be able to make much noise in the annual rivalry game with Missouri.

“I was 190 pounds and I thought, `there’s no way I would be able to hang with these guys,” Hill recalled.

Fast forward four years.

Now, a chiseled 225 pounds, Hill did more than just hang on Wednesday. He took over.

The 6-foot-6 senior scored 21 points, on 6-of-12 shooting, and Maverick Morgan recorded his second successive double-double to lead Illinois to a 75-66 win over Missouri on Wednesday night. Morgan hit 7 of 8 free throws and finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.

Hill, a St. Louis-area native, fashioned his second successive strong performance against Missouri on the way to finishing his career unbeaten against the Tigers.

“It’s special, it’s awesome,” Hill said. “Not too many people can say they went 4-0 against Missouri.”

He had 21 points and five rebounds in a 68-63 win over Missouri last season.

This time around, Hill helped the Illini out to an early 15-5 lead and then played a key role in holding off a pair of Missouri rallies that trimmed the deficit to four in the second half.

Jalen Coleman-Lands scored 12 for the Illini (10-3), who have won six in a row overall and the last four in the border series.

Kevin Puryear led Missouri (5-6) with 17 points. Terrence Phillips had 14 points and Jordan Geist added 12.

Illinois shot 61.5 percent in the first half on the way to a 39-29 lead.

Hill’s second 3-pointer of the night put Illinois up 58-49 with just over 12 minutes left.

Missouri charged back to within 63-59 on a pair of foul shots by Reed Nikko. But Michael Finke answered with a free throw and a 3-pointer to push the lead to 67-59.

The Tigers trailed by at least six the rest of the way.

Illinois hit 10 of its first 15 shots to take control early as Missouri missed 10 of its first 12.

Illinois has won 24 of 36 games since the series was moved to St. Louis.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Illinois coach John Groce said. “They showed some poise. We had some quality possessions down the stretch.”

Morgan converted an old-fashioned 3-point play early in the second half to stretch the lead to 49-39.

“He’s been a beast,” Hill said.

Missouri managed to overcome a slow start with a solid second-half performance that impressed coach Kim Anderson.

“The first half they came out and punched us a little bit,” Anderson said. “But I thought we played well in the second half.”

Anderson was not pleased with his team’s shooting. The Tigers missed 24 shots in the second half and have hit 41.1 percent or less in their last six games. He indicated that there might be some changes in the starting lineup around the corner.

“We’re just not shooting the ball well,” Anderson said. “When that happens, you’ve got to mix it up a bit.”

Puryear agreed, “We got some good looks, we just have to knock them down.”

BIG PICTURE

Illinois: The Illini won nine successive games against Missouri from 2000-2008, the longest streak in the 36-year history of the event. The series has featured five one-point games.

Missouri: The Tigers’ three-game losing streak is their longest of the season. The series drew at least 19,586 fans from 1994-2014, but only drew 12,409 on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Illinois: The Illini open Big Ten Conference play on Dec. 27 at Maryland.

Missouri: The Tigers host Lipscomb on Dec. 29 before opening Southeast Conference play at home against LSU on Jan. 4.

— Associated Press —

Stokes, Johnson lead Kansas State past Gardner-Webb 67-54

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riggertKansasStateMANHATTAN, Kansas (AP) — Kansas State point guard Kamau Stokes limped off the floor early in the first half with an injury to the same knee he had hurt a year ago. Coach Bruce Weber had worried that he might’ve had another serious injury for the second-straight season.

This time though, Stokes returned to the game and helped spark the Wildcats to victory.

Stokes scored a season-high 18 points and Kansas State used a 19-1 run late in the first-half to defeat Gardner-Webb 67-54 on Wednesday night.

“We just had to pick up our defense,” Stokes said. “Coach got on us about that. We were playing lazy. Teams do that sometimes and we’ve got to stop that whenever it happens.”

While Kansas State (11-1) was 5 of 7 from the field during that late first-half stretch, Gardner-Webb (7-6) struggled from the field as they missed all 11 shot attempts in the final 7:02 of the first half.

Stokes and DJ Johnson were the only Wildcats to score in double figures on the night. Johnson scored 16 points and was a perfect 8 for 8 from the field in the victory.

This was the final game for the Wildcats before they venture into Big 12 conference play.

“I feel like we are prepared,” Stokes said. We are ready to go into conference play. We missed out on a lot of close games that we should’ve pulled out.”

Gardner-Webb scored the first eight points of the second half but once again struggled as they shot 10 for 25 from the field.

Jamaal Robateau scored 17 points and Tyrell Nelson 14 to lead the Runnin’ Bulldogs.

BIG PICTURE

Gardner-Webb: The loss by Gardner-Webb breaks the Runnin’ Bulldogs two game winning streak and brings their record to 4-2 in the month of December.

Kansas State: Kansas State wraps up their non-conference slate with a 7-0 record at home.

STAT OF THE NIGHT: Kansas State’s DJ Johnson was the first Wildcat to be a perfect 8-8 from the field since Luis Colon shot 9 for 9 in a 2009 game against Southern Mississippi.

HE SAID IT: DJ Johnson on Kamau Stokes:

“This is my buddy. He passes me the ball and I screen for him. I make sure he does not get his head knocked off on screens. We are best friends on the court. He’s going to help us in conference play. We were missing a true point for last year. Carlbe (Ervin) stepped up, but he did not play that position in practice. We have a true point guard going into conference play.”

UP NEXT

Gardner-Webb: The Runnin’ Bulldogs next game is their conference opener as they host High Point on December 29.

Kansas State: Kansas State will host Texas in the first game of Big 12 Conference play on December 30.

— Associated Press —

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