BOYS
Central 81, Raytown South 68
VAN HORN TOURNAMENT – CONSOLATION SEMIFINAL
Kansas City Schlagle 69, Benton 67
MBCA CLASSIC @ SPRINGFIELD – CONSOLATION SEMIFINAL
Hillcrest 96, Lafayette 90 3 OTs
SAVANNAH TOURNAMENT – 5TH PLACE
Savannah 61, Bishop LeBlond 36
GIRLS
Benton 45, Lee’s Summit West 27
WINNETONKA TOURNAMENT – CHAMPIONSHIP
Park Hill 57, Lafayette 56
SAVANNAH TOURNAMENT – 5TH PLACE
Central JV 49, Bishop LeBlond 13
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball downed Missouri State, 73-49, behind a high-octane offense on Friday at Mizzou Arena. Mizzou (6-2) capitalized on timely three-point shooting and second half dominance in the paint and on the free throw line to secure a win over the Lady Bears.
Sophomore Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) racked up a team-high 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. She is the only Mizzou player this year to put up at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in a single game, reaching those marks for the third consecutive contest. Cunningham’s 22 points were a season-high as she recorded the 11th 20-point performance of her career.
Redshirt senior Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) poured in a season-high 13 points tonight to go along with a season-high three steals. She also matched her career high for three-pointers made in a game with three treys.
Senior Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) and sophomore Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) also reached double figures, contributing 15 points and 13 points, respectively. Porter has now scored at least 10 points in all eight of Mizzou’s games this season.
Redshirt senior guard Lianna Doty (St. Louis, Mo.) added two assists Friday. She has now surpassed the 400-career assist mark, becoming just the third Tiger ever to reach that plateau.
The Cunningham sisters sparked the Tigers early and often on the offensive end. The duo accounted for 14 of the 22 Tigers’ first-quarter points. Michaelis also accounted for eight points of her own in the opening quarter, shooting 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
The Tigers extended their advantage throughout the second quarter and led the Bears by as many as 14 points at the 4:35 mark. Michaelis hit another clutch three-pointer with just over a minute left in the first half while the stingy Missouri defense held the Bears scoreless for the last 2:16 of the half. The Tigers entered halftime leading 40-29.
Mizzou picked up right where it left off offensively in the second half. Freshman guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La) was a dominating force in the paint, racking up six points in the first five minutes of the third quarter. Michaelis knocked down another deep three-pointer with 4:50 left, which extended the Mizzou lead to 53-36.
Mizzou’s defense kept Missouri State scoreless for almost six minutes down the stretch in the fourth quarter and held the Bears to just 20 percent shooting from the field. The Tigers stretched their lead to as many as 27 at the 2:17 mark in the fourth quarter. The Tigers held the Bears to 27 percent shooting from the field Friday, marking the fourth time that Mizzou has held an opponent under 30-percent shooting in a game this season.
Sophie Cunningham scored nine of her 22 points in the final quarter to help cement the 24-point victory by the Tigers.
Mizzou finished its two-game homestand 2-0 and now hits the road for a matchup with IUPUI (5-1) on Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis. Tip is set for 1 p.m. CT.
— Mizzou Athletics —
LINCOLN, Neb. – The No. 1 seed Nebraska volleyball team began its quest for back-to-back national championships with a first-round sweep of New Hampshire in front of 8,014 fans inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center Friday night. The Huskers dominated the opening set winning 25-9, then rallied for a 25-23 victory in set two before closing out the match with a 25-18 win in the third set.
With the win, Nebraska advanced to play TCU on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament. The Huskers, who won their seventh straight postseason match, improved to 28-2 on the season. Nebraska hit .352 in the match behind 13 kills from sophomore Mikaela Foecke and 12 from senior Kadie Rolfzen. The duo combined for half of Nebraska’s 50 kills, while senior Andie Malloy added nine kills and junior Briana Holman chipped in seven kills in her Nebraska NCAA Tournament debut. Junior setter Kelly Hunter finished with 40 assists while adding eight digs and three kills. Defensively, senior Amber Rolfzen had four blocks, while senior libero Justine Wong-Orantes posted a match-high 14 digs.
New Hampshire, which was making its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, saw its season end with a 21-11 record. The Wildcats hit .175 in the match, highlighted by a .333 mark in the second set. Gabri Olhava paced the Wildcats with 11 kills on 25 swings, while Demi Muses narrowly missed a double-double with eight kills and 10 digs.
On Saturday, Nebraska will look to become just the second team in NCAA history to record 100 victories in the NCAA Tournament.
Set 1: Nebraska got off to a hot start, bolting to a 10-2. The Huskers continued to blast kills and reeled off an 8-0 run to go up 19-4. After New Hampshire scored three straight points, the Huskers came back with kills by Amber Rolfzen, Kadie Rolfzen and Hunter, as well as a Kadie Rolfzen ace, to go ahead 23-7. Nebraska had 12 kills on its first 16 swings (.750) and finished the set with a .485 hitting percentage. The Huskers’ 25-9 win marked only the fourth time in the rally scoring era that the Huskers have held an NCAA Tournament foe to single digits.
Set 2: New Hampshire gained some momentum early in the set and took a 6-4 lead. The Huskers went on a 3-0 run with kills by Foecke, Holman and Kadie Rolfzen, but the Wildcats put up a much tougher fight this time around, engaging in a sideout affair for nine straight rallies that saw the set tied 15-15. After the Huskers hit wide twice, New Hampshire had a 17-15 lead. Kills by Kadie Rolfzen and Malloy brought the Huskers back level, but the Wildcats remained ahead 19-18 after a kill by Hannah Petke. Kadie Rolfzen and Malloy produced kills for the Huskers to give them a 20-19 lead, but Muses answered to knot the score at 20-20. Nebraska appeared to finally take control when a UNH service error and kill by Foecke gave the Big Red a 22-20 cushion. But the Wildcats, who’ve made four straight NCAA Tournaments, showed their experience in fighting back to a 22-22 tie on a kill by Muses. After a timeout, a dump by Hunter made it 23-22, and Foecke put down the final point for a 25-23 win. Nebraska was strong offensively again, hitting .342. But the Wildcats hit .333 with 13 kills and just two errors after hitting .062 in set one.
Set 3: Back-to-back kills by Foecke, followed by a stuff block by Hunter and Amber Rolfzen put the Huskers ahead 8-5 after a 4-0 run. Nebraska had two blocks through the first two sets, but posted four early in the third set on its way to a 13-9 lead. The Huskers flexed their muscles with a 4-0 run off of three kills and a Kadie Rolfzen ace to go up 18-12. Foecke and Holman tacked on kills for a 22-17 lead, and Kadie Rolfzen hammered match point to the floor at 24-18. A UNH hitting error finished off the match in the Huskers’ favor, 25-18.
Up Next: Nebraska advances to face TCU in the second round on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Horned Frogs topped Wichita State, 3-0.
— NU Athletics —
COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 18 Mizzou Volleyball (27-5) carried its momentum from Thursday evening into Friday at the Hearnes Center, earning a 3-1 (25-13, 22-25, 25-16, 25-21) victory over Purdue. The Tigers earned their first all-time win against the Boilermakers, while also supplying redemption from their previous meeting in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
Mizzou now advances to the Sweet 16 in this year’s NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament. It marks the Tigers’ first trip to the NCAA Regionals round since 2010.
Redshirt junior Melanie Crow (Wildwood, Mo.) delivered a memorable performance against Purdue, recording 25 kills on .426 hitting. Crow’s 25 strikes marked a new career high, while also establishing her sixth 20-plus kill match of the season.
The Tiger outside hitter’s performance against the Boilermakers will live in Mizzou Volleyball postseason lore for years to come. Crow’s 25 kills and 27.5 points both rank third-most in all-time Tiger NCAA Tournament action. In her first taste of NCAA postseason play, Crow has produced 42 kills (6.00 kills per set) on .393 hitting over two matches.
Junior Courtney Eckenrode (The Woodlands, Texas) was sensational for the second-consecutive night at setter. Her 51 assists led to the Tigers tallying 59 total kills on .346 hitting. Similar to Thursday against Northern Illinois, Eckenrode excelled at divvying up Mizzou’s attacks on offense. Along with Crow’s stellar performance, four other Tigers posted seven-plus kills to keep the Purdue defense on its heels.
Redshirt junior Kira Larson (Fargo, N.D.) tallied one of her top individual matches this season, finishing with nine kills on .389 hitting, two aces and three total blocks. In Mizzou’s first and second round matchups at Hearnes, Larson posted 17 total kills on .412 hitting.
Top Tigers
– Crow: 25 kills on .426 hitting, 9 digs, 3 total blocks, 27.5 points
– Eckenrode: 2 kills, 51 assists, 1 ace
– Munlyn: 7 kills on .316 hitting, 5 total blocks
– Larson: 9 kills on .389 hitting, 2 aces, 3 total blocks
Up Next
Mizzou advances to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010. The NCAA Regionals will take place from Dec. 9-10 at four non-predetermined campus sites.
— Mizzou Athletics —
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas staved off six match points, including a near-match-ending call reversal, but Creighton’s Megan Ballenger flushed an overpass while playing out the seventh to lift the Bluejays to a 20-18 victory in the fifth set and 3-2 win over the Jayhawks. Creighton advanced to its second consecutive NCAA Championship Regionals while denying Kansas a repeat bid to the NCAA Final Four.
Playing in their second narrowly decided, fifth-set nail biter of the season, Kansas and Creighton traded their best shots, but despite dropping the opening set and seemingly losing momentum with a fourth-set defeat, the Jays played the aggressor in the final frame and knocked and knocked and knocked again before finally handing the No. 5 overall seeded Jayhawks their first five-set loss of the season.
“That was the best match I’ve ever been a part of,” a beaming Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said after the match. “I hate that someone’s season ends because the match could have gone either way. Hats off to (Kansas) for a great season. They gave us everything that we could handle, but it was surreal. We made our first Sweet 16 last year, that was pretty incredible, but this one is even bigger because KU is fifth in the country, to do it on their home court, with such a great atmosphere…we went for it tonight.”
Kansas head coach Ray Bechard had similar thoughts on the events of the evening but obviously had hoped for a different outcome.
“It was a special atmosphere in there, a special effort from both teams,” Bechard said. “I’m as proud as I can be for our group, but pretty devastated that we couldn’t flip the score.”
Kansas got 26 kills from All-American right-side hitter Kelsie Payne, including seven in the fifth set, but the Jayhawks spotted the Jays the first two points of the deciding set and despite leading at 10-9, seemed to be playing with their backs against the wall throughout.
Creighton’s first match point was at 14-12 but a just-wide serve by Brittany Witt moved Kansas within one and a double hit by Lydia Dimke evened the tally. Creighton All-American Jaali Winters and Kansas outside hitter Madison Rigdon traded kills on the next four points and the Jays saw match-point number five on a service error by Ainise Havili.
That’s when an already elevated tension level escalated further as an attack by Payne was initially ruled long, sparking a bench-clearing celebration by Creighton. One of the four officials however had correctly ruled a Creighton touch, extending the match at 17-17.
“There was an obvious touch, that should’ve gave us some momentum,” Bechard said. “Obviously we didn’t do enough. You wouldn’t want to end a match like that. Give Creighton credit, every time you turned around they were making a play.”
CU’s Marysa Wilkinson wrapped a pair of kills around another Payne blow to mark the sixth and seventh match points. There would not be another. Ballenger waited on an over passed ball on Creighton’s right side of the net and sent it down and the Jays into celebration mode again.
Kansas claimed the opening set, 25-21, behind six kills from Payne on 14 swings – her entire total from the First Round sweep of Samford Thursday night – and five from Rigdon. However, true to the September match-up in Omaha that saw Creighton take a 2-1 advantage, the Jays responded by taking 11 of the first 15 points in the second set while winning 25-20, then hit .414 in the third set with three service aces to win 25-17.
Pushed to the brink, Kansas responded by scoring five straight to open set No. 4 and cruised to a 25-16 win while forcing the deciding fifth, but unlike the previous meeting this season, it was Creighton who struck first.
“They’re going to have a response, and they did,” Bechard said of his thoughts after the fourth set. “We had some opportunities at 4-3, 5-4 that were just as big (as some of the later points). We were out of character that we tipped some balls, you have to play clean in the fifth set. They were a little cleaner than us. That’s a good team guys, Creighton is a very good team.”
For Creighton, Winters (23), Wilkinson (15) and Kloth (12) led the way in kills while Big East Player of the Year Lydia Dimke logged a match-high 56 assists. Bluejay freshman Brittany Witt led all player with three service aces.
Payne’s kills led all players and the Kansas junior was joined in double digits by Jada Burse and Rigdon, who each had 12. Havili directed the offense with 53 assists and added 18 digs. KU libero Cassie Wait led all players with a match-high 27 digs.
Jayhawk seniors Maggie Anderson, Tayler Soucie and Wait ended their careers with 103 total victories, including the best four-year winning percentage in program history. Among a slew of other firsts, the trio helped Kansas to its’ first two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and last year’s Final Four berth. This season, KU claimed its first ever Big 12 Championship.
Creighton advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinal to meet No. 12 overall seed Michigan, which defeated Oregon, 3-1, Friday.
— KU Athletics —
ST. JOSEPH – Two members of the 2016 Missouri Western football team have been named second team All-Region by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA).
Running back Josh Caldwell and offensive lineman Travis Anderson both received the honor. It’s Caldwell’s fourth postseason honor so far as the MIAA’s leading rusher was also named unanimous first team All-MIAA, first team CoSIDA Academic All-District and second team CoSIDA Academic All-America.
It was Anderson’s second postseason honor of 2016. The senior guard was also named first team All-MIAA for the third straight year. The Derby, Kansas native was an honorable mention Don Hansen All-American a season ago and started 32 of 33 games over the past three seasons, blocking for the MIAA’s leading rusher twice in that same time span.
— MWSU Athletics —
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Tigers have dismissed wide receiver Keyon Dilosa from the team after he was accused of punching a woman in the face.
Missouri associate athletic director Chad Moller confirmed Thursday that Dilosa was no longer on the team.
Dilosa was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of third-degree domestic assault. He has not been charged.
Police say a witness reported seeing Dilosa hit a 20-year-old woman in the face after an argument outside a Columbia bar.
Dilosa, a native of Round Rock, Texas, played in only three games this season. He made 11 catches for 86 yards during his freshman season in 2015.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The University of Missouri’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has received $1.4 million for its proposed plan to build a new south end zone facility at its stadium.
The Columbia Missourian reports the funds are from an anonymous donor. The university has been accepting contributions for the new facility for several months.
The university has raised $68.4 million for the project, which is still in the planning and development stages. The goal is to raise $75 million.
(AP) – Former NFL player Joe McKnight has been shot to death following an argument at an intersection with another motorist outside New Orleans.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand says it happened about 2:43 p.m. Thursday in Terrytown, a suburb of New Orleans.
Normand says 28-year-old McKnight was standing outside his car when he was shot by 54-year-old Ronald Gasser.
Normand says Gasser stayed at the scene and relinquished his weapon to responding officers. He says Gasser is in custody and being questioned.
Sheriff’s spokesman Col. John Fortunato says they’re anticipating charging Gasser but it’s unclear with what.
McKnight, who played for the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, is the second NFL player this year to die as a result of a possible road-rage incident. Saints player Will Smith was killed in April.
BOYS
MBCA CLASSIC – 1ST ROUND
Nixa 95, Lafayette 63
VAN HORN TOURNAMENT – 1ST ROUND
Winnetonka 54, Benton 51
GIRLS
WINNETONKA TOURNAMENT – SEMIFINAL
Lafayette 37, Park Hill South 36
