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Kansas State defeats Colorado State 61-56

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riggertKansasStateWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — As he replayed the shots in his mind, Kansas State guard Justin Edwards was still a little befuddled.

The Wildcats missed nine straight 3-point shots during one stretch of Saturday’s 61-56 victory over Colorado State.

“We were taking good 3s,” Edwards said. “I mean, they were wide open. We have to knock them down.

“Fortunately, we played defense and kept them from making their 3s, too.”

Edwards and Wesley Iwundu combined to score 19 second-half points to give Kansas State (8-2) just enough offense for the victory. Dean Wade scored all 13 of his points in the first half. Edwards finished with 12 points while Iwundu added 11.

Emmanuel Omogbo had 13 points and 14 rebounds for Colorado State (6-5). Prentiss Nixon scored 11 for the Rams, and Tiel Daniels had 10.

Colorado State played without senior guard, Gian Clavell, who averages 20.8 points. Clavell has an injured left hand.

It was one reason the Rams had an even longer streak of missed 3-point attempts, 12 in a 23-minute span.

“We lost our best player yesterday,” Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy said of Clavell. “He’s a leader, too. Every guy out there was playing a new role.”

Clavell’s absence was most felt during the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Down just four at halftime, Colorado State scored only four points during those 10 minutes. There were airballs. There was a shot-clock violation. There was an air-balled 15-foot shot to create a shot-clock violation.

“We got into them,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. “Our hedges were good on ball screens. Our weakside help was good, too.”

Colorado State made just one of its first 13 shots in the second half. It was surprising from a team that entered the game averaging 86.5 points.

“We missed shots we normally make,” Eustachy said. “It could be the environment, could be the team we played. We just normally shoot it better than that.”

Kansas State used the drought to build its lead. A methodical 10-1 run over nearly eight minutes gave the Wildcats a 43-30 lead, concluding with Carlbe Ervin’s three-point play with 9:52 remaining in the game.

But the Wildcats then went on a long dry spell of their own, not making a field goal for more than five minutes. Six free throws in that span helped the Rams cut the Kansas State lead to two, 48-46, on a Nixon 3-pointer with 4:15 remaining.

“I thought we got tentative,” Weber said. “I kept telling them to be players and make plays.”

The Wildcats responded with seven points in 62 seconds: a Stephen Hurt 3-pointer, Edwards’ running jumper and an Iwundu baseline drive.

That gave the Wildcats a 55-48 lead with 2:40 to play. Kansas State did not lead by less than four the rest of the way.

“I think Stephen’s 3 loosened us up,” Edwards said. “Then we could just make plays.”

The Rams did make some 3-point shots, four in a row in the first half to stay in the game. Two 3-pointers from Joe Di Ciman were followed by two 3-pointers by Nixon, the last one giving Colorado State a 12-11 lead with 11:19 remaining in the half.

But Wade, who had numerous fans from his hometown of St. John, Kansas, in attendance, scored nine of his 13 first-half points after that, helping the Wildcats to a 29-25 halftime lead.

“A lot of effort plays, really,” Wade said. “I was just trying to be aggressive and got some shots to fall.”

WOEFUL START

The bad news for Colorado State was the Rams did not score in the game’s first five minutes.

The good news was when Colorado State finally hit a shot, De Ciman’s 3-pointer, the Rams were only down 4-3.

The teams went a combined 1 of 13 to start the game. The score was 2-0 at the first media timeout.

TIP-INS

Colorado State: The Rams scored at least 90 points in five of their previous eight games. . The visitor has lost all 13 games in this series. . The Rams fell to 44-11 under Eustachy when hitting a better 3-point percentage than their opponent.

Kansas State: The Wildcats are now 7-2 in games played at Wichita’s Intrust Bank Arena or Kansas City’s Sprint Center. . The Wildcats have had the same starting five in all 10 games.

UP NEXT

Colorado State hosts South Carolina Upstate on Monday.

Kansas State hosts North Dakota on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

Missouri State struggles at Valparaiso

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riggertMSUVALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — Alec Peters and Tevonn Walker scored 19 and 18 points, respectively, as Valparaiso rolled past Missouri State 74-45 on Saturday, running its win streak to five games.

The win also marked a coaching milestone for Valparaiso (10-2) as two generations of the Drew family combined for 1,000 wins. Dad Homer Drew coached 640 wins, Scott Drew 256 and his brother, current coach Bryce Drew, 104.

Walker, who missed the last four games to injury, and Peters sank back-to-back baskets to break a 5-5 tie. First, Walker rebounded his own miss and tipped it in, then he snared a defensive board and fed Peters for a jumper.

Peters also had 10 rebounds for his third double-double this season.

The Crusaders pushed the lead to 35-23 by halftime and led by as many as 31.

Dequon Miller was the only Missouri State player in double figures scoring 12 points. The Bears shot 32 percent (17-for-53).

— Associated Press —

No. 16 Missouri Western rallies past Lindenwood to stay unbeaten

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MWSUST. CHARLES, Mo. – The 16th-ranked Missouri Western Women’s basketball team narrowly avoided their first loss of the season, hanging on for a 79-77 win at Lindenwood Friday.

LaQuinta Jefferson scored the team’s final four points, tying the game and giving the Griffons their final lead. Jefferson’s 29th point of the game came on a layup off a Melia Richardson steal with :57 left. Richardson would pull down a defensive rebound on the ensuing Lindenwood possession but drove the length of the floor and had a layup attempt blocked with :20 left. Out of a Lindenwood time out, Sufulu Faavae blocked a Jenny Rocha layup with 10 seconds left. Lindenwood fouled Jefferson with three seconds remaining and the senior guard made both free throws to give the Griffons the lead and the win.

Missouri Western improved to 10-0 on the year and 5-0 in MIAA play. It’s the first time Missouri Western is 5-0 in the MIAA, officially, since the 1994-95 season and the first 10-0 start since 1998-99.

Jefferson led all scorers with 31 points, adding five rebounds and three steals. Mhykeah Baez went a perfect 8-8 from the field, scoring a career-high 16 points and pulled down a team-high six rebounds before fouling out. Richardson finished with nine points. Missouri Western shot 54 percent from the field for the game.

The Griffons stay on the road this weekend with a trip to Lincoln on Sunday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Bearcats suffer first MIAA loss at Lincoln

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Northwest2013riggertThe Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team lost to Lincoln Friday evening in Jefferson City, Mo., 79-74.

The Bearcats fall to 6-3 this season and 4-1 in the MIAA, while the Blue Tigers improve to 7-3 overall and 3-1 against conference opponents.

Justin Pitts led all scorers with a season-high 28 points.

Pitts hit 12 of his 17 shots in the contest while dishing out four assists and making two steals.  Chris-Ebou Ndow scored a career-high 14 points after knocking down 5-of-8 attempts from the field. The sophomore grabbed four rebounds and distributed a personal-best three assists.

Junior D’Vante Mosby was one rebound short of his third double-double this season, tallying 11 points and nine rebounds while swiping three steals.  Anthony Woods chipped in seven points, six rebounds and five assists.

The Blue Tigers hit 57.4 (27-of-47) percent of their shots, including 50 percent of their three-point attempts (10-of-20). Meanwhile, Northwest finished with a 46.7 percent shooting percentage (28-of-60).

Northwest opened the contest by scoring 14 of the first 20 points before the opening media timeout. Anthony Woods laid in the first bucket of the game after Justin Pitts made a steal. Chris-Ebou Ndow poured in a three-pointer on a pass from Woods on the ensuing possession. Pitts put in a layup one minute later before finding Zach Schneider for a triple, extending the lead to 10-2. Pitts and D’Vante Mosby made consecutive buckets after a steal for Schneider, giving the Bearcats an eight point advantage with 13:54 to play in the first half.

The Bearcats will wrap up play this weekend when they travel to St. Charles, Mo. for a meeting with the Lindenwood Lions on Sunday, Dec. 20. First tip is scheduled for 3 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Griffons drop second straight as they lose at Lindenwood

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MWSUST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Missouri Western Men’s Basketball team dropped to 3-8 on the year and 1-4 in the MIAA after a 76-62 loss at Lindenwood Friday night.

Xavier Newson was not cold, scoring a game-high and career-high, 20 points on 6-10 shooting from the field. The junior also sank all seven of his free throw attempts. Aaron Emmanuel finished with another double-double, scoring 11 and pulling down 10 boards. Kevin Thomas finished with 10 points and two rebounds in 20 minutes.

Missouri Western had a tough night from the field, shooting 37 percent and just 17.6 percent from three-point range (3-17). Lindenwood shot 43 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc. The Griffons were outrebounded 42-30. Missouri Western forced Lindenwood into 11 turnovers. The game was tied three times and had six lead changes with Missouri Western grabbing a four point lead five minutes into the second half but saw the lead evaporate quickly.

The Griffons stay on the road for the weekend, visiting Lincoln on Sunday. Friday night, the Blue Tigers upset No. 25 Northwest Missouri State in Jefferson City.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest women let second half lead slip away at Lincoln

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Northwest2013riggertAfter leading by 10 at halftime, the Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball came up one possession short Friday evening at Lincoln, 66-64.

Following a Blue Tiger layup with 11 seconds left, Jasmin Howe’s three pointer from the left corner rattled out in the waning seconds.

The Bearcats fall to 2-9 overall and 0-5 in the MIAA, while Lincoln improves to 6-4 this season and 2-2 against conference foes.

Jaylah Jackson led the Bearcats with a career high 18 points.  Jackson hit eight of her 11 shots in the game, including all six attempts from inside the three-point line. The junior added one block and one steal on defense.

Tember Schechinger tied her season-best with 16 points, knocking down 7-of-11 shots. The senior grabbed five rebounds while dishing out two assists.  Junior Jasmin Howe chipped in 15 points, two assists and one steal.

The Bearcats scored 17 points off 21 Lincoln turnovers. The Bearcats gave away 14 turnovers in the contest.  Northwest hit 45.9 percent (28-of-61) of its shots, while the Blue Tigers knocked down 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the field.

After the Blue Tigers tied the score at 16 with 5:43 to play in the second quarter on a pair of free throws, Northwest closed the half with a 17-7 run. The Bearcats scored 13 straight points to open the run, forcing four Lincoln misses and two turnovers. Jaylah Jackson drilled a trey off a pass from Macy Williams before Tanya Meyer laid in an easy bucket from under the basket. Maria Dentlinger then hit a short jumper on another assist from Williams, followed by a swipe and score from Jackson. Consecutive jumpers from Tember Schechinger and Jackson extended the Bearcat lead to 29-16 with 2:25 to play in the half.

The Bearcats will return to the floor Sunday in St. Charles, Mo. when they take on the Lindenwood Lady Lions. First tip is scheduled for 1 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Nebraska volleyball defeats Kansas in four sets to reach national championship game

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NCAAVFFOmaha, Neb. – The fourth-seeded Nebraska volleyball team used a strong finish to push their way past No. 9 Kansas on Thursday, punching their ticket to Saturday’s NCAA Championship match. Nebraska won the final seven rallies of the match to defeat the Jayhawks in front of 17,551 fans at the CenturyLink Center, the largest volleyball crowd in NCAA history.

The Huskers led for all but six rallies in the first two sets, taking a 2-0 lead into the locker room following a 25-20 victory in set one and a 25-21 win in set two. The Jayhawks used six blocks to take the third set, 25-20. In the decisive fourth set, Kansas pulled within 18-16 on the strength of a 4-0 run, only to see Nebraska win the final seven rallies to advance to their seventh NCAA final.

The Huskers (31-4) will face No. 3 Texas Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. The Longhorns defeated second-seeded Minnesota, 3-1, in Thursday’s first semifinal. Kansas ended the best season in school history with a 30-3 record. All three of the Jayhawks’ losses came to the two NCAA finalists.

Kadie Rolfzen led Nebraska with 14 kills on .343 hitting, and she added five digs and four blocks. Mikaela Foecke tallied 12 kills and Cecilia Hall had 10 kills and a match-high seven blocks. Justine Wong-Orantes totaled 17 digs, while Kelly Hunter dished out 47 assists for a Husker offense that had fewer kills than KU, but out-hit the Jayhawks, .207 to .159. Kansas’ Kelsie Payne led all attackers with 22 kills, and she hit a blistering .576.

Fans can watch the Huskers go for their fourth national title, as Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. final will be televised on ESPN2.

— NU Athletics —

Mizzou hires Josh Heupel as offensive coordinator

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MUCOLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Head Football Coach Barry Odom has recruited Josh Heupel to join his new coaching staff, as announced Thursday.  Heupel will serve as Mizzou’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Heupel brings with him an impressive track record of success, including four national championship game appearances, seven BCS bowl games and coaching oversight of two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks.   He has 13 years of coaching and recruiting experience at the highest level, including the last five seasons as offensive coordinator and play caller at Oklahoma and Utah State.  Heupel is currently finishing his first season as assistant head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach with Utah State, and will join the Mizzou staff shortly after the conclusion of the Aggies’ bowl game on Dec. 22nd against Akron in the Idaho Potato Bowl.  Details of Heupel’s contract will be released once fully executed, along with the completion of human resources procedures.

The upcoming bowl game will mean that Heupel has been part of 13 bowl games and six conference championship teams since beginning his coaching career in 2003, including 11 seasons on staff at his alma mater Oklahoma (2003-04, 2006-14).  During his coaching tenure at OU, the Sooners played in three national championship games (2003, 2004 and 2008 seasons), and Heupel helped mentor two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks in Jason White (2003) and Sam Bradford (2008), while a third, Landry Jones, won the Sammy Baugh Award in 2010 as the nation’s top passer.  Heupel’s name also carries a lot of clout in recruiting circles due to his prowess as a quarterback during his playing days, when he led Oklahoma to the BCS National Championship in 2000, while finishing as the Heisman runner-up that season.

“I’m really pleased to have someone the caliber of Josh Heupel join our staff,” said Odom.  “I’ve known him for a long time and have always respected him highly, as a player, a coach, a recruiter and a coordinator.  I’ve been impressed by the offenses that he runs, they’re very difficult to defend, and his achievements speak for themselves.  He’s a high-character person who has the type of leadership abilities that will be outstanding for our program, and he’s exactly what we’re looking for.  We’re excited to have him on board,” said Odom.

“I am very grateful to Coach Odom for this opportunity,” said Heupel.  “First and foremost I believe in the person Barry Odom is and what he stands for.  I believe in the vision that he has for this program.  I have a lot of respect for Mizzou and the football program, as someone who’s seen it from an outsider’s perspective for a long time.  I believe this is a special place that has just scratched the surface of what it can be, and it’s a program that is capable of winning championships on a consistent basis.  I want to be part of that.  I think it’s a great time to be at Mizzou, and I’m excited to get there and to go to work,” he said.

Utah State has reached a bowl game in 2015, despite losing all-star quarterback Chuckie Keeton to a season-ending knee injury after just three games.  Despite that loss, Heupel’s Aggie offense improved to 60th nationally in scoring (29.7 ppg), up from 81st in 2014, prior to his arrival there.

In his final season at Oklahoma, the Sooner offense led the nation in fewest sacks allowed (0.69 pg), and led the Big 12 and ranked 10th nationally by averaging 261.2 rushing yards per game, which was the best output by OU since 1991.  OU also ranked third in the Big 12 and 20th in the nation in scoring (36.4 ppg), and fifth in the Big 12 and 23rd nationally in total offense (464.7 ypg).

With Heupel calling the signals of a balanced Oklahoma offensive attack in 2013, the Sooners led the Big 12 by averaging 223.9 rushing yards and 423.0 yards of total offense.  Despite three different quarterbacks seeing action over the course of the season, the Sooners registered an 11-2 campaign, culminating with a 45-31 win against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

In 2012, Oklahoma ranked fifth in the nation in passing (336.5 ypg) and 12th in total offense (497.9 ypg) as Jones became the Big 12’s all-time leader in passing yards and total offense.  Jones also finished his career third all-time in passing yards (16,646) and fifth all-time in touchdowns (123) in FBS history.

In 2011, Heupel’s unit finished fourth nationally in both total offense (512.3 ypg) and passing offense (349.4 ypg).  Jones ranked third in the nation in total offense that year after finishing second in the nation in passing yards in 2010 when he won the Sammy Baugh Award as the nation’s top passer.  Jones led all FBS freshmen with 26 touchdowns after Bradford was lost to injury in the 2009 season opener.

In 2008, Heupel tutored Bradford, who won the Heisman Trophy, Davey O’Brien and Sammy Baugh Awards, after throwing for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns with just eight interceptions and leading the nation in passing efficiency.

Prior to being a full-time assistant at Oklahoma, Heupel spent the 2005 season as the tight ends coach at Arizona.  He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma as he helped the Sooners to the 2004 (Sugar Bowl) and 2005 (Orange Bowl) national championship games.  A native of Aberdeen, S.D., Heupel began his collegiate playing career at Weber State where he played in four games as a redshirt freshman in 1997.  He then spent his sophomore season at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, where he earned All-American honors as he passed for 2,308 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Heupel then transferred to Oklahoma for his final two seasons, and he was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy as a senior in 2000 while leading the Sooners to an undefeated regular season and a national championship victory against Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl.  As a senior, Heupel was named the Associated Press Player of the Year, the Walter Camp Award winner, the Archie Griffin Award winner and a consensus All-American. Overall, Heupel was OU’s first consensus All-America quarterback and first Oklahoma quarterback since 1971 to earn All-America honors.

During his two years at Oklahoma, Heupel posted a 20-5 record as the starting quarterback as he passed for 7,456 yards with 53 touchdowns. Overall, Heupel still ranks among the top three quarterbacks all-time in school history in passing yards (7,456), completions (654) and touchdowns passes (53) despite playing just two seasons.

Following his collegiate career, Heupel was drafted in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.

— Mizzou Athletics —

MWSU’s Jordan named finalist for Harris Award, earns another All-America honor

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MWSUST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western senior defensive back Mike Jordan has been named a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, given to the nation’s top small-college defensive player.  Also Thursday, he was named a first team AP Little-All-American.

They are two in a growing list of postseason honors for the senior corner back. Jordan finished the regular season second in all of Division II football with 22 passes defended. His 16 career interceptions tied him for second on the career list at Missouri Western. Already this postseason, Jordan has been named unanimous first team All-MIAA, first team AFCA All-American and first team D2CCA All-American. Jordan was also named to the AFCA and AP All-America teams last season. The Hazelwood, Missouri native will be one of just two Division II participants in the East-West Shrine Bowl.

A prestigious selection committee made up of former college and pro football greats will select the winner of the Cliff Harris Award. In addition to the overall winner, the top vote getter from each division will also be announced.

The CLIFF HARRIS AWARD winner will be announced on Dec. 24 and honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s annual awards banquet in February 2016. The winner will receive the $3,000 CLIFF HARRIS AWARD trophy presented by Cliff Harris. The inaugural winner of the award in 2013 was Lindenwood University cornerback Pierre Desir now with the Cleveland Browns. The 2014 winner was Darius Allen of Colorado State University-Pueblo.

— MWSU Athletics —

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