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Category: Sports

KSU women hold off Texas Tech for fourth straight win

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riggertKansasStateLUBBOCK, Texas – Kansas State secured its fourth straight win with a solid first half defensive effort to defeat Texas Tech, 65-53, on Sunday at United Supermarkets Arena. This is the first four-game Big 12 winning streak for K-State since the 2011-12 season.

Megan Deines paced K-State with 20 points, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. Breanna Lewis tallied her second straight double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.

K-State secured an early 10-7 lead, as Deines drained a 3-pointer and a perimeter jumper to pace the Wildcats in the first five minutes.

The Wildcats’ defense clamped down on the Texas Tech (10-9, 1-7 Big 12) attack to end the quarter, holding the Lady Raiders scoreless for the final 6:09 of the frame. K-State used a 10-0 run to build a 15-7 advantage at the end of the first frame. Lewis converted her second layup of the period, while Kindred Wesemann completed a 3-point play with 1:10 remaining.

In the second quarter, the Wildcats held Texas Tech scoreless for the first eight and a half minutes to build a 27-7 lead with 1:33 to play. Kaylee Page knocked down 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, while Kayla Goth added a right wing jumper.

A running jumper by Wesemann with 34 seconds to play helped give the Wildcats a 29-11 lead at the half. The 11 points surrendered in the opening half by K-State were the fewest allowed in a first half this season.

The 11 points allowed by K-State in the first half were the fewest since K-State surrendered just 10 points to Dartmouth on Nov. 12, 2011.

Deines knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to open the second half for K-State and give the Wildcats a 35-11 lead with 8:27 to play.

Texas Tech used a quick 10-2 run to claw back to within 16, 37-21, with 6:41 to play in the third quarter.

K-State used an 8-2 run to build a 49-34 lead at the end of the third quarter, as Kelly Thomson provided the energy with a corner three-pointer.

Deines, Lewis and Page scored the first six points to increase K-State’s lead to 55-34 with 6:01 to play.

A late 7-0 run by Texas Tech brought the final score to 65-53. Despite the run, K-State was 5-of-8 from the field in the final quarter.

K-State will have the middle of the week off and will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 30 against (6/6) Texas at 7 p.m.

— KSU Athletics —

Kansas women get blown out by Oklahoma State

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riggertKULAWRENCE, Kan. – A 57 percent second-half shooting performance from Oklahoma State stifled Kansas’ hopes of a comeback on Sunday afternoon, as the Jayhawks fell on Superhero Day, 74-46.

The Cowgirls (15-4, 5-3 Big 12) entered Sunday’s matchup coming off an overtime victory against Iowa State, where they shot 53 percent from the field, their best shooting effort in conference play this season. The hot shooting continued for the visitors, ending the contest with a 52 percent field goal percentage to earn their third consecutive Big 12 victory.

Senior guard Brittney Martin, who leads the Big 12 in both points and rebounds per game this season, logged 24 points and tied her season-high with 17 boards, both game-high marks. Senior guard Roddricka Patton, scored only two points on 1-of-4 shooting, but recorded more assists than anyone else on the court with 13 dimes. Three other Cowgirls reached double-figure scoring, with sophomore center Kaylee Jensen, sophomore forward Mandy Coleman and freshman guard Karli Wheeler tallying 15, 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich led the Jayhawks (5-14, 0-8 Big 12) as the only player with double-digit points, finishing the afternoon with 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting. The Olathe, Kansas native drained two triples and remained solid from the charity stripe, converting on all four of her free throw attempts. Freshman forward Tyler Johnson made the most of her third career start, putting in a career-high nine points on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting performance. Kansas swiped a season-high 11 steals on Sunday, and freshman guard Aisia Robertson contributed the most for the Jayhawks with three takeaways.

Turnovers proved to be costly for the Jayhawks in the early going. Five giveaways before the five-minute mark of the first quarter put Kansas down by 13, with eight of the Cowgirls points coming off of turnovers. A quick 5-0 run from the Jayhawks with baskets on back-to-back possessions brought the lead back to single digits with 5:04 left in the opening period. Freshman guard Jayde Christopher came off the bench to put in a layup for the Jayhawks’ final points of the quarter, trailing 17-7.

Five-straight points from Kopatich in a span of just 20 seconds cut the Cowgirls’ lead to just six points at the 6:49 mark of the second quarter. A 6-0 run from OSU followed, pushing the lead to 12 points, Oklahoma State’s largest advantage to that point. Despite converting on their final six field goal attempts of the half, turnover issues manifested for the Cowgirls as well. Three giveaways in the final 3:09 of the half allowed the Jayhawks to remain within striking distance at the intermission, trailing 34-21.

After Kansas connected on its first two field goals of the third quarter, it appeared that the momentum might shift in the favor of the home team. A 1-of-9 shooting slump, unfortunately followed, allowing Oklahoma State to string together a 14-2 run to close out the third period. The Jayhawks’ deficit stretched to 23 points with a put-back shot at the buzzer from Oklahoma State’s Jensen to give the visitors the lead, 54-31.

After connecting on just 2-of-10 three-pointers in the first 30 minutes of play, the Jayhawks sank three of their last five long-range attempts, with Kopatich, Robertson and sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge all getting in on the action. Bright spots continued to appear for the Jayhawks in the waning moments of the game, as Robertson snatched away two steals and Christopher dished out two assists to bring her total on the afternoon to four. Martin and the Cowgirls had an answer for everything Kansas threw their way and Oklahoma State prevailed with the 74-46 win.

— KU Athletics —

No. 5 Missouri Western gets upset by UNK for first loss of the season

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MWSUST. JOSEPH – An unmatched winning streak to begin a season was stopped at 18 games Saturday afternoon as the No. 5 Missouri Western women’s basketball team fell 82-76 to Nebraska-Kearney inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Missouri Western found itself down by as many as 19 in the first half. The Griffons would slowly claw their way back into the game, cutting the deficit to single digits with 2:53 left in the third quarter, but couldn’t stop a hot-shooting Nebraska-Kearney team fresh off a 30-point loss at Northwest Missouri State. UNK shot 55.8 percent from the field, including 65.4 percent in the first half. Missouri Western was close to its season average, shooting 49.1 percent from the field but was just 6-17 from behind the arc and 50 percent at the free throw line.

LaQuinta Jefferson led Missouri Western with 19 points, one of four Griffons to finish in double-figures. Dwanisha finished with 14, Melia Richardson scored 13 and Julia Torres added 10. No Griffon had more than three rebounds, with the team totaling 24 rebounds to Nebraska-Kearney’s 37.

The loss drops Missouri Western to 18-1 and 12-1 in the MIAA. The Griffons hit the road next week, beginning at Pittsburg State on Wednesday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffons lose to hot shooting Nebraska-Kearney 85-66

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MWSUST. JOSEPH – A hot second half by Nebraska-Kearney put away the Missouri Western men’s basketball team on Saturday in the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Griffons lost 85-66 after trailing by four at the half.

MWSU falls to 6-13 this season and 4-9 in the MIAA.

Nebraska-Kearney shot 55 percent from the field in the second half and went 5-8 from behind the arc after the break, outscoring Missouri Western 46-31 in the half. The Griffons shot 55.6 percent from the field in the first half and went 39.3 percent in the second, going 1-10 from three-point range. For the night, Nebraska-Kearney shot 59.6 percent from the field and 53.3 percent, 53.3 percent from three-point range and 80.8 percent from the free throw line.

Mataika Koyamainavure was the only Griffon to score more than nine points, matching a career-high with 17 points. Aaron Emmanuel added nine. The loss dropped Missouri Western to 6-13 overall and 4-9 in the MIAA. It was the first time the men and women lost at home on the same night since Jan. 10, 2015 against Pittsburg State.

The Griffons travel to Pittsburg State on Wednesday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Bearcats’ Schneider sets career three-point mark in win over Fort Hays State

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Northwest2013riggertBy David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – With 10 minutes, 30 seconds left in the game, Northwest Missouri State junior forward Zach Schneider received extended applause.

The 1,254 fans at Bearcat Arena early Saturday evening clapped when Schneider’s long three-pointer gave Northwest a 24-point lead and caused Fort Hays State to call timeout.

The timeout gave the public address announcer the opportunity to inform the crowd that Schneider’s basket made him the all-time three-point leader in Northwest school history. It was his 216th trey, putting him ahead of Northwest current associate head coach Austin Meyer.

“It was pretty cool, especially in front of the home crowd, but I was just happy about the win, honestly,” said Schneider, who knocked down six three-pointers and finished with 18 points.

Schneider wasn’t the only one hot from the outside. Senior Conner Crooker and sophomores Justin Pitts and Chris-Ebou Ndow also made multiple three-pointers.

Because the Bearcats excelled on defense, too, their 77-55 victory over Hays was probably their best all-around game since they beat Central Oklahoma by 19 on Jan. 2.

The win lifted Northwest to 13-5 overall and 10-3 and alone in first in the MIAA.

Since Jan. 2, Northwest has lost only once, but the Bearcats had games when they squandered leads. That didn’t happen Saturday against Hays. Northwest entered the second half with a 36-24 lead. Like the first half, Schneider started the second half with a three-pointer, which quickly pumped Northwest’s lead to 39-24.

“That was the coach message at halftime,” Schneider said. “That is one of our weaknesses. Sometimes we let teams crawl back in the game. This is going to help us down the stretch, closing out teams.”

Northwest kept rolling after it quickly moved its advantage to 15 points. The Bearcats got a stop and Ndow drained a long three-pointer that forced Hays to call a timeout barely a minute into the second half.

“Guys like me and D’Vante Mosby are starting to find our rhythm with the team,” said Ndow, who finished with 12 points. “As soon as we start getting into a rhythm with the team, we can be really good because guys like Zach, Pitts and Conner have been here for awhile. They know how to move the ball.

“It definitely helps when Zach shoots the ball like he did today. It opens everything up for the other guys.”

Several minutes the 52-34 lead, Crooker took over when Hays closed to 46-33. Crooker hit a three-pointer and followed that with consecutive two-point field goals that increased Northwest’s lead to 53-33. Crooker finished with a game-high 19 points.

The only drama left was when Schneider was going to break Meyer’s record. Schneider took care of that with more than 10 minutes left in the game.

“I came into such a great situation,” Schneider said. “The coaches put me in a great spot. The five seniors set screens and looked for me my freshman year. The situation I was put in I was built to succeed. That’s the best part about it.”

Meyer was happy for Schneider.

“He is a team guy,” Meyer said. “He wants to win. That’s what we all want to do. He works as hard as anybody. He is in the gym at 7 a.m. getting shots in and after practice getting shots in. He is a heck of a lot better three-point shooter than I ever was, and there is a reason for that. He works extremely hard for it.”

Northwest opened the game with five straight points and never trailed in the first half. The Bearcats held a 36-24 lead at halftime.

Schneider started the game with a three-pointer, which was a great sign for him and the Bearcats. Through most of December and part of January, Schneider struggled with his outside shooting. He broke loose on Thursday with several clutch three-pointers.

“The first semester I kind of shorted it up a bit,” Schneider said of his outside shooting. “It was coming off in different ways. I put it back on my fingertips. It feels good, like it did last year and my freshman year. I’m ready to roll for the rest of the year.”

Schneider was hot from the start on Saturday. His second three-pointer gave Northwest a 10-5 lead, his third one made it 26-14 and his fourth one in the first half put the Bearcats ahead 29-16.

As a team, Northwest shot well from the field, hitting 12 of 24 shots for 50 percent while holding the Tigers to 35 percent shooting.

Strong defense and good offense allowed Northwest to hold a double-digit lead the last 7 minutes of the first half.

— Northwest Athletics —

Mizzou lets second half lead slip away in loss at No. 10 Texas A&M

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riggertMissouriCOLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M had trouble getting its offense going in the first half against Missouri on Saturday.

Jalen Jones made sure the Aggies got over those problems after halftime.

Jones scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half to lead No. 10 Texas A&M to a 66-53 victory over Missouri, extending the Aggies’ winning streak to 10 games.

Missouri (8-11, 1-5 Southeastern Conference) led by two points when Jones scored eight straight points to give A&M (17-2, 7-0) a 44-38 lead with about 13 minutes left. Jones started that stretch with his second three-point play of the half and capped it with a 3-pointer. The Tigers missed six straight shots and went 5 minutes without scoring as the Aggies built the lead.

Ryan Rosburg finally broke Missouri’s scoring drought with a dunk with just under 10 minutes left, but Jones made his third three-point play of the half to start a 10-0 run that made it 54-40 with less than 7 minutes remaining and the Tigers didn’t threaten again.

“We just had to settle down,” Jones said. “Coach said there would be games like this where you kind of start off sluggish. We’re a veteran ball club and we just knew that we had to settle down, execute the coach’s game plan and let the game come to us and that’s what we did in the second half.”

The Tigers stuck to a zone defense for most of the game and Jones was able to work around that in the second half.

“We got a little bit, I don’t want to say lazy, but careless in the middle of the zone and they did a good job of finding the hole,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said.

Wes Clark had 12 points for Missouri, which dropped its fourth straight.

Texas A&M’s winning streak is its longest since it won 13 straight from Nov. 26, 2010 to Jan. 15, 2011, and its 7-0 start in the SEC is its best conference start since it also started 7-0 in 1993-94 to begin Southwest Conference play.

Jones struggled in the first half, missing all three of his field goal attempts, and making three free throws. He had no such trouble in the second half when he scored almost half of A&M’s points to fuel the victory.

“He finishes at the rim,” Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. “He took it to the basket hard. He’s so quick and attacks the basket. I can’t say enough about him. He’s playing really well right now.”

The Tigers couldn’t find a rhythm offensively in the second half and went more than 3 1/2 minutes without scoring after the dunk by Rosburg that ended an even longer stretch without scoring.

Danuel House added 17 points and a career-high seven assists for A&M, which hasn’t lost since Dec. 5.

Missouri scored the first eight points of the second half to take a 33-29 lead with 17 1/2 minutes remaining.

The Aggies finally got on the board in the second half with a three-point play by Jones soon after and a jump shot that House made under heavy pressure just before the shot clock expired cut the lead to 35-34 about a minute later.

Namon Wright hit a jump shot near the end of the first half to cut A&M’s lead to 29-25 at halftime.

TIP-INS

Missouri: Rosburg, who had 10 points, fouled out with about 4 1/2 minutes left. … Puryear finished with 11 points and six rebounds. … The Tigers made just 3 of 19 3-point attempts.

Texas A&M: Alex Caruso had five assists and four rebounds. … A&M’s bench outscored Missouri’s 21-5. … Tavario Miller had 10 rebounds.

MISSING THE BIG GUY

Texas A&M freshman center Tyler Davis missed the game with a left foot injury. Kennedy said the Aggies missed the presence of Davis, who has started 16 games this season and is averaging 11.2 points and 5.8 rebounds.

“Any time you’ve got somebody that’s 6-10, 270 that’s got hands like he has and is a force, you miss him,” Kennedy said, adding the injury isn’t serious and that they hope to have him back “real quick.”

WATCHING FROM AFAR

Former Texas A&M star Khris Middleton, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, has kept an eye on the Aggies this season and is proud to see their return to prominence. Middleton played at Texas A&M from 2009-12 and was part of A&M’s last NCAA tournament team in 2011.

“It’s definitely exciting,” he said. “You always want to see your college do great, so to see that they’re in the Top 10 and winning all these games is great.”

UP NEXT

Missouri: Visits No. 23 Kentucky on Wednesday.

Texas A&M: Visits Arkansas on Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

No. 3 Kansas uses big second half to rally past Texas

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riggertKULAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The way Kansas had labored over the past two weeks, coach Bill Self headed into Saturday’s game against Texas firmly believing it was the Jayhawks’ most important of the season.

Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden Jr. rose to the occasion.

Ellis had 26 points in a dominant performance, Selden led a big second-half run and finished with 19, and the Jayhawks overcame a slow start to beat the Longhorns 76-67.

“We needed to eliminate the negative momentum because we were in a rut. We were in a funk,” Self said. “I thought our experience gave us our best chance to do that.”

Along with Ellis and Selden, Self stuck with his three other starters for the majority of the game. He played just three guys off the bench for a total of 29 minutes.

“This isn’t a popularity contest,” Self said. “This isn’t having cookies and milk after the game.”

Devonte Graham finished with 14 points, and Frank Mason III had 13 for the Jayhawks (16-3, 5-2 Big 12), who had played dismally during a two-week stretch since their victory over No. 1 Oklahoma.

Along with losses to West Virginia and Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks struggled to beat TCU.

The Longhorns (12-7, 4-3) looked as if they would keep Kansas’ malaise going when they built an early lead. But they were unable to get any stops in the second half, when the Jayhawks used a 24-6 run covering more than nine minutes to seize control in front of another raucous crowd at Allen Fieldhouse.

“You know a run is coming and the crowd is going to be behind this team,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said. “Kansas made some great plays. You have to give them credit.”

Connor Lammert had a career-high 15 points before fouling out for Texas. Isaiah Taylor and Eric Davis Jr. scored 13 apiece, and Javan Felix finished with 12.

It was the Jayhawks’ 34th consecutive victory at the Phog, the fourth-best winning streak in school history. It was also their 14th victory in 15 times the Longhorns have visited Lawrence.

In other words, little changed in Smart’s first trip.

Early on, it looked as if the Longhorns had brought the momentum from their win at West Virginia on the road with them. They roared to a 12-2 lead in the first couple of minutes with Lammert doing most of the damage from the arc, though Kansas helped the Longhorns out with some woeful shooting. The Jayhawks were 2-of-12 from the field with four turnovers at the 12-minute mark.

Texas never trailed in the first half and was tied 25-25 in the waning minutes before Davis and Taylor willed the Longhorns to a 35-30 halftime lead.

Graham’s 3-pointer to start the second half put a charge in Kansas, but it was Ellis who finally got the Jayhawks over the hump. With a contortionist’s flexibility in the paint, Ellis made a series of tough buckets at the rim, finally giving Kansas a lead at 44-42 with 12:29 remaining.

Ellis added another basket a few minutes later, and Selden curled in a 3-pointer on its heels for a 57-46 lead, forcing Smart into a timeout that did little to quiet the crowd.

The Longhorns made a run in the closing minutes, but the Jayhawks never let it get close again.

“We didn’t get off to that kind of fast start, but we knew we were going to come back the whole game,” Graham said. “We just had to settle down and get comfortable, I guess.”

HOME MARK

Self improved to 200-9 in his career at Allen Fieldhouse. Asked what he would have said upon his hiring if someone told Self he would have that record, he replied: “I know what the fans would have said: ‘Why did you lose those nine games?'”

HURTING HORNS

Already without big man Cameron Ridley, who has a broken foot, the Longhorns lost Shaquille Cleare to a shoulder injury early in the game.

“He wanted to come back and play, but our athletic trainer decided he couldn’t go,” Smart said.

TOP RECRUITS

Kansas had arguably the top prospects from the 2016 and 2017 recruiting classes on visits: Josh Jackson, a 6-foot-7 guard from Detroit, and DeAndre Ayton, a 6-11 center from Phoenix.

TIP-INS

Texas: Prince Ibeh had seven points, seven rebounds and seven blocks. … The Longhorns had eight turnovers, their fifth straight game with eight or fewer. … Their only win at Allen Fieldhouse came on Jan. 22, 2011, when they ended the Jayhawks’ 69-game winning streak there.

Kansas: Landen Lucas had 10 rebounds. … Roy Williams (201-17) and Ted Owens (206-47) are the only other coaches with at least 200 wins at the Phog.

UP NEXT

Texas tries to avenge its loss to TCU on Tuesday night.

Kansas visits No. 19 Iowa State on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

K-State rolls to 89-73 win against Oklahoma State

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riggertKansasStateMANHATTAN, Kansas (AP) — Kansas State coach Bruce Weber has long insisted that when it comes to practice, the rim likes attention.

“If you come in the gym and give it attention,” Weber said, “it’ll like you and good things will happen.”

By that token, the Wildcats must’ve put in work the last few days, because it certainly appeared to favor them on Saturday.

Kamau Stokes and Justin Edwards scored 13 points apiece, and Kansas State hit nine 3-pointers to help snap a two-game losing streak, topping Oklahoma State comfortably 89-73.

Dean Wade and Wesley Iwundu finished with 12 points apiece, and Stephen Hurt added 11 points and five rebounds.

“I think our coaching staff did a good job trying to get them to them realize there’s still a lot to play for,” Weber said. “Even though we’ve lost these games, if you play the right way — hard and as a team — good things will happen.”

Lackluster shooting had plagued Kansas State (12-7, 2-5) in Big 12 play so far, but it was the 3-point ball that propelled the Wildcats to a second conference win. The Wildcats converted 9 of 17 3-point attempts, led by Stokes with four makes.

Even when the deep ball wasn’t connecting, Kansas State still found a way to score. D.J. Johnson rose above two Oklahoma State defenders to throw down an emphatic put-back dunk with 13:02 to play after Barry Brown missed a 3-point attempt.

Tyree Griffin led Oklahoma State (10-9, 2-5) with 18 points and five assists. Jeff Newberry added 14 points and five rebounds.

“Both teams were teams that needed wins,” Cowboys coach Travis Ford said. “Two different scenarios, but the question was who was going to respond, and we didn’t respond. Give them all the credit.”

The 3-point shot caused an offensive surge early and often for Kansas State. The Wildcats connected on 6 of 8 3-pointers in the first half, including four during a 27-13 run to close out the half. Stokes buried two of the triples, while Wade bookended the barrage with a 3-pointer at the top of the key to give Kansas State a 45-28 advantage with 1:41 to play. Brown later finished a tough layup at the buzzer as the Wildcats went into halftime with a 19-point lead, 49-30.

“We were at a magic level, just like Oklahoma State was at a magic level against Kansas,” Weber said. “We made those threes, but we also got to the paint.”

The Cowboys shot 30 percent (7 of 23) from the field in the first half, including a seven-minute cold spell where the visitors shot just 2 of 12.

Oklahoma State guard Jawun Evans entered the game as Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after posting 42 points against No. 1 Oklahoma, a near triple-double at Texas and 22 points against No. 3 Kansas. But after scoring seven points in the first half, Evans was forced to the bench with 15:18 left after picking up his fourth foul. He didn’t return until the 6:18 mark.

Lacking an offensive spark, Oklahoma State could only get as close as 13 points before the Wildcats opened up a 21-point lead with four minutes remaining.

“It’s always good to get a win, but from here on out it doesn’t get any easier,” Iwundu said. “We want to enjoy this win but get back to work tomorrow for the next game.”

—

TIP-INS

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys have lost five-straight games at Bramlage Coliseum, with their last win coming on Jan. 23, 2010, and are still winless in true road games this season (0-4).

Kansas State: The 89 points are the most in Big 12 play since scoring 94 against Texas Tech on Jan. 15, 2011.

ACCOUNTABILITY

“His parents have made sure since we’ve come back from Christmas break that he’s in the gym,” Weber said of Stokes. “They even make him FaceTime from the gym to show that he’s there.”

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State: Hosts No. 13 Baylor on Wednesday.

Kansas State: At No. 6 West Virginia on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

Northwest women fall at home to No. 3 Fort Hays State

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NWMSUBy David Boyce, Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – For three quarters, Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team nearly matched the No. 3 team in the country point-for-point. The Bearcats entered the fourth quarter trailing by just three to Fort Hays State.

But Northwest gave up the next seven points at the start of the final quarter and never recovered from it, falling 61-46 to Hays Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena.

“We can play with anybody when we are locked in,” Northwest interim head coach Buck Scheel said. “Defensively, for the most part, we played pretty solid.”

The Bearcats showed plenty of fight late in the third quarter when it trailed 38-31. The game appeared to be slipping away when a basket by senior Tember Schechinger, followed by two free throws by junior Shelby Mustain, pulled Northwest to within three at 38-35 to close out the third period.

Hays junior Jill Faxon shifted the momentum back to Hays at the start of the fourth quarter with a three-pointer. Hays added two more baskets, which gave them a 45-35 lead.

“We just can’t have that,” said Schechinger of the three-pointer. “No matter what point in the game, we can’t have that happen.”

The 10-point deficit was too much for the Bearcats to overcome against a team that is holding opponents to 55.7 points per game.

“We were struggling to get into a flow,” Scheel said. “We were getting looks, but we were passing up shooting opportunities and passing up post-entry opportunities. That’s not how we’ve been playing. We were very passive on offense and that let to our turnovers.”

Northwest didn’t help its cause by turning the ball over 30 times compared to only nine turnovers for Hays. The Tigers also pulled down 15 offensive rebounds. That combination allowed Hays to take 23 more shots.

“Offensively, we were just giving them the ball and more opportunities and they were capitalizing on those opportunities,” Scheel said. “Twenty-two points off of turnovers is going to hurt you.”

The focus for the Bearcats shifts to their next game. They will play at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at home against Missouri Southern. It was at Southern on Dec. 9 that the Bearcats started to gain confidence in their ability with a five-point loss.

“The Missouri Southern game turned us around as a team,” said Schechinger, who finished with her sixth double-double this season (13 points, 11 rebounds). “I think this is a game we can definitely get. If we don’t get it, it is going to be a big deal.”

Northwest played a gritty first half and went into halftime trailing only 27-23 against the highly-ranked Tigers.

The Bearcats showed their spunk late in the first quarter when they gave up six straight points and stared at a 13-7 deficit. Scheel called timeout. Northwest regrouped and scored the final five points in the first quarter and the first four points in the second quarter for a 16-13 lead.

Hays answered with the next six points to grab a three-point advantage. The Bearcats stayed close the rest of the second quarter, even pulling to 25-23 with less than a minute left in the quarter.

Both teams played solid defense. Northwest shot 37 percent from the field in the first half and Hays made 36 percent of its shots.

Schechinger played well in the first half for the Bearcats, making three of four shots from the field and pulling down five rebounds.

— Northwest Athletics —

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