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Category: Sports

MWSU tennis rolls to fourth straight win

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SILOAM SPRING, Ark. – Missouri Western Tennis (5-2) added another match to its now four-match winning streak, shutting out John Brown (0-4) by a score of 9-0 on the road on Friday.

The Griffons swept the doubles, beginning with Karolina Ström and Joanna Abreu Roman’s 8-1 win to improve the duo’s record to 5-0 in the spring. Mireia Birosta and Ciarra Gilmore walked away with a doubles win in what turned out to be the closest matchup of the day, winning by a score of 9-7.

Missouri Western would remain perfect throughout singles play, winning all six matches. Four of those six wins in singles came in 6-0, 6-0 fashion. Among those shutouts was Erica Dunn’s victory, giving Dunn her first win of the spring season. Ström remained unbeaten this spring with a 6-0, 6-0 win of her own.

Griffon Tennis will wrap up its Arkansas road trip on Saturday as the team takes on Arkansas – Fort Smith (2-3).

SINGLES
Strom, Karolina (MWSU) def. Julia McNeill (JBU) 6-0, 6-0
Birosta, Mireia (MWSU) def. Sydney Smith (JBU) 6-4, 6-0
Abreu Roman, Joanna (MWSU) def. Sabrina Paiz (JBU) 6-2, 6-0
Gilmore, Ciarra (MWSU) def. Jadyn Engel (JBU) 6-0, 6-0
Salmaso, Federica (MWSU) def. Natalie Mollan (JBU) 6-0, 6-0
Dunn, Erica (MWSU) def. Chloe Trusty (JBU) 6-0, 6-0

DOUBLES
Birosta/Gilmore (MWSU) def. McNeill/ Smith (JBU) 9-7
Abreu Roman/Strom (MWSU) def. Engel/Paiz (JBU) 8-1
Federica/Vuksan (MWSU) def. Mollan/Sandeno (JBU) 8-2

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 1 Bearcats defeat Ichabods to complete perfect regular season

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TOPEKA, Kansas – The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team closed out the first 19-0 MIAA mark in the history of the league with a 72-49 road win at Lee Arena over the Washburn Ichabods.

Northwest led by nine at the break, 35-26. The Bearcats then sprinted away in the second half on the strength of a 24-4 run. The Bearcats turned a 46-37 advantage into a 70-41 lead with 3:36 left in the game. The Bearcats locked in defensively and limited the Ichabods to 28.6 percent shooting from the field. Washburn shot 6-of-26 from the field in the second half (23.1 percent).

The Bearcats thrived at the line Thursday by draining 18-of-23 free throws. Senior Joey Witthus was 9-of-10 at the line. Northwest connected on 10 three-pointers, including four from junior Ryan Welty.

Witthus led all scorers with 19 points. Junior Ryan Hawkins secured 18 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Diego Bernard ripped down a team-best 10 rebounds – his second straight double-figure rebounding game.

Northwest will be the No. 1 seed at the MIAA Tournament set for March 6-10 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. Northwest will play its first game of the tournament on Thurs., March 7 against the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game at noon. The complete 2019 MIAA Tournament bracket will be announced Saturday night at the conclusion of league play.

NOTES: Northwest equaled the MIAA record for wins in a season (19) with Missouri Southern (2010-11) and Northwest (2015-16) … Northwest extended the nation’s longest win streak to 29 in a row … the Bearcats also lengthened the nation’s longest active road win streak to 15 straight … the Bearcats are the nation’s only undefeated team at 29-0 … Northwest has won 21 consecutive MIAA games dating back to last season … over the last three seasons, Northwest has compiled a record of 90-5 (.947 winning percentage) … Northwest is 81-7 over its last 88 MIAA contests, which dates back to the 2014-15 season.

— Northwest Athletics —

Northwest Missouri State women win at Washburn for the first time since 1985

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The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team broke a series of losing streaks Thursday with their defeat of the Washburn Ichabods 72-70. They broke their 10-game losing streak this season, the Bearcats broke their 12-game losing streak against the Ichabods, and they won at Washburn for the first time since 1985.

Northwest surged to an early lead, winning the first quarter 16-4. They led by 17, 29-12, with 5:09 left in the second quarter. Northwest let the Ichabods back into the game but shot lights out from the free throw line (11-12), as they’ve done all year, to the tune of a new Northwest record of 80.9% on the year, to seal the game late. The Bearcats were led by Mallory McConkey who had 23 points on 8-10 shooting. Kendey Eaton had 20, Kylie Coleman had 12 and Erika Schlosser had 11. Eaton went 2-2 from the free-throw line to get her to a new individual season record of 93.5%. Northwest won the turnover battle 9-16. Northwest shot 50% from the field and made 11-25 three-pointers.

The Ichabods were led in scoring by Taylor Blue with 20, followed by Shelbie Piggie with 13, Hunter Bentley with 12, and Alexis Mcafee with 10. Bentley also had a game high 14 rebounds to give herself a double-double. The Ichabods outrebounded the Bearcats 33-15. They shot 55.6% from the field but only went 4-17 from behind the arc.

Northwest ends the season 8-20, 4-15 in MIAA play.

— Northwest Athletics —

Nebraska loses at No. 9 Michigan 82-53

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — For the first time all season, Michigan needed to change its starting lineup.

The Wolverines didn’t miss a beat.

Jon Teske scored a career-high 22 points, and No. 9 Michigan easily rebounded from its loss to Michigan State with an 82-53 victory over Nebraska on Thursday night. The Wolverines were without Charles Matthews, out with a right ankle injury, but Isaiah Livers replaced him in the starting lineup and had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“Charles, he does a lot of great things. I tried to replace him as best I could,” Livers said. “Trying to grab 50-50 balls, just knock the open shots and go dunk on people’s heads — that’s Charles Matthews’ game.”

Livers started 22 games last season as a freshman, but this season, Michigan’s starting five for its first 28 games was Matthews, Teske, Iggy Brazdeikis, Jordan Poole and Zavier Simpson. That finally changed because of the injury to the 6-foot-6 Matthews, who had a boot on the injured ankle. Coach John Beilein didn’t give any details on Matthews’ prognosis.

The Wolverines (25-4, 14-4 Big Ten) raced out to a 22-point halftime lead behind Teske and Brazdeikis. It was the last home game for Michigan, which finishes the regular season with trips to Maryland and Michigan State.

The Wolverines lost only once at home in 2018-19 — 77-70 to Michigan State on Sunday. That dropped Michigan a game behind the Spartans in the Big Ten title race, but the Wolverines still look formidable — and they weren’t about to slip up against a struggling Nebraska team.

“If they’re going to play for a conference championship, you can’t lose at home — certainly can’t lose at home to a 10th-place team,” Cornhuskers coach Tim Miles said. “I think that just making shots early deflated our guys, but this is not a league to feel sorry for yourself.”

Brazdeikis went down holding his left knee near the end of the first half, but he walked off without assistance and was back at the beginning of the second. He finished with 20 points.

Nana Akenten scored 11 points for Nebraska (15-14, 5-13).

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers nearly shook up the conference title race when they played Purdue tough over the weekend but lost by three. They put up little resistance against Michigan. James Palmer, Nebraska’s leading scorer, was held to a season-low seven points.

“Obviously the wins aren’t there and we’ve been racking up a lot of losses, but give credit to the teams we’ve played,” forward Tanner Borchardt said.

Michigan: When Brazdeikis is shooting well, the Wolverines are tough to beat because they don’t need as much scoring from Teske or Simpson. And when Teske is also contributing — the 7-foot-1 center made all three of his 3-point attempts Thursday — that’s an additional bonus.

HONORED

Michigan honored Matthews on senior night. He has a year of eligibility left but is a candidate to leave early for the NBA.

“He’s one of the best kids I’ve ever coached,” Beilein said. “He’s a Kentucky transfer, and he just came in here and he just bought in a hundred percent.”

Matthews, who has played two seasons at Michigan, briefly addressed the crowd after the game, expressing his appreciation.

RESERVES

Michigan went deep into its bench in this blowout win. Freshman Colin Castleton scored 11 points in 9:09. He’d scored six points all season before Thursday.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Michigan took care of business while short-handed, but its next matchup this week is the more intriguing game.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers will try one more time to be a spoiler in the race for first place, playing at No. 6 Michigan State on Tuesday night.

Michigan: The Wolverines play at No. 17 Maryland on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western’s Shakeel, Frost earn weekly MIAA honors

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri Western baseball senior outfielder Fahd Shakeel has been named the MIAA Hitter of the Week.

Shakeel was one of several Griffon hitters to have an outstanding MIAA opening series at the plate. The Edwardsville, Illinois native batted .583, slugged .917 and had a .643 on-base percentage as MWSU swept a three-game series from Fort Hays State at Central Oklahoma. Shakeel had a double, a home run and drove in three runs. He also walked twice and stole two bases in two attempts. On the weekend he was 7-for-12 at the plate with seven runs scored. His five-hit performance in the series finale tied an MWSU record for most hits in a game.

As a team, MWSU batted .351 in the series while Griffon pitchers held Fort Hays batters to a .160 average with 36 strikeouts. Griffon pitcher Anthony Castaneda was nominated for MIAA Pitcher of the Week, striking out 12 batters in a three-hit, one-run victory in game one of the series.

The Griffons travel to Missouri Southern to face the No. 25-ranked Lions in a three-game series that begins Feb. 28.

And Missouri Western softball senior outfielder Morgan Frost has been named the MIAA Hitter of the Week.

Frost had an outstanding week for the Griffons who went 3-3 across three non-conference doubleheaders that were added to make-up for canceled games. The Gilbertville, Iowa native went 13-for-23 at the dish with four doubles, three triples and a home run. She had nine RBIs and seven runs scored along with a sacrifice bunt and two stolen bases on two attempts. All that for a line of .565/1.130/.565. She added 97 points to her season batting average and enters this weekend batting .421.

She wasn’t the only Griffon with an impressive week at the plate. Freshman Brea Blanton drove in 10 runs and batted .563 over the first five starts of her career. Gabi Carter hit .429. As a team, the Griffons batted .368 over those six games with 15 doubles, six triples and two home runs.

The team will head back to southwest Missouri to take on Cameron University in a single game Friday, March 1 at 2:30 p.m. in Joplin. It will be the fifth game out of the last seven the Griffons will play in Joplin with the other two coming Tuesday in Springfield.

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffons’ upset bid comes up just short at No. 1 Northwest 70-68

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MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team put a scare into the top-ranked team in the nation like they had not had all season. Trailing by 16 with 5:15 to go, Missouri Western (12-17, 6-12) cut the lead to one with 29 seconds left before falling 70-68 in front of a capacity crowd on senior night at Northwest Missouri State (28-0, 18-0).

Lavon Hightower completed a four-point play with 29 seconds remaining to cut the Northwest lead to 67-66. The senior knocked down a guarded three and was fouled before making his free throw. Kirk Finley made one of two free throws on the ensuing Bearcat possession. It was Hightower’s turn to possibly be the hero again with seven seconds left, but he missed a three point attempt. Ryan Welty then knocked down two free throws to make it 70-66. Tyrell Carroll made a layup as time expired to give the Griffons 68 points.

NOTABLES

  • It was the closest any team had come to the undefeated MIAA champions since Northern State lost to Northwest by two in overtime in the first game of the season
  • Missouri Western held Northwest to 14 percent three-point shooting in the first half to trail by six at the break
  • For the game, Northwest shot 23 percent from three, its second lowest total of the season
  • MWSU won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding Northwest 39-34
  • The Griffons out-scored the Bearcats 34-30 in the paint and 12-6 on second chance points thanks to 12 offensive boards
  • The game featured seven lead changes and four ties, all in the first half

LEADERS

  • Hightower finished with 20 points, all coming in the second half, and a team-high 11 rebounds
  • Tyrell Carroll had 18 points and five rebounds
  • Bryan Hudson finished with 14 points

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western ends the regular season, Saturday, at Washburn (21-5, 14-3).

— MWSU Athletics —

Lafayette boys defeat Benton to advance to district championship game

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The Lafayette boys basketball team advanced to the Class 4 District championship game with a 59-41 win over Benton Tuesday at Winnetonka High School.

The Fighting Irish improves to 17-7, while the Cardinals’ season comes to an end at 11-15.

Lafayette will play Winnetonka in the championship game Friday at 7:00 p.m. The Griffins won the other semifinal game Tuesday night over Platte County 54-50.

The girls championship game will take place at 5:30 p.m. Friday as Benton will play Smithville. Both championship games will be broadcast on 680 KFEQ.

Missouri Western women rally to defeat Northwest Missouri State 66-56

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MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Missouri Western women’s basketball team (13-14, 8-10) officially clinched its spot in the MIAA Championships with a 66-56 win at Northwest Missouri State (7-20, 3-15) on Tuesday night.

Down by three at halftime (33-30), Missouri Western held Northwest to just 23 second half points and shot 68 percent in the half to run away with the rivalry win.

NOTABLES

  • After Northwest went 6-of-11 from three-point range in the first half, the Griffons held the Bearcats to 1-of-5 from long range in the second half
  • Overall, the Griffon D held Northwest to 37 percent shooting in the second half on just 19 shots
  • MWSU came out of the gate red-hot, jumping out to a 10-2 lead, but Northwest rallied back to tie the game at 10 then take a 13-12 lead
  • Missouri Western went to the line just nine times in the game, but made eight
  • The Griffons out-scored the Bearcats by 16 in the paint (38-22)
  • Missouri Western and Central Oklahoma both won Tuesday night, securing the entire 10-team field for the MIAA Women’s Basketball Championships
  • The regular season will have to play out to determine final seeding

LEADERS

  • Katrina Roenfeldt led the Griffons with 18 points, seven steals and five assists
  • Brittany Atkins scored 17 on 8-of-11 shooting and added five rebounds
  • Jessica Davies also had five rebounds to go with 10 points

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western ends the regular season, Saturday, at Washburn (18-8, 13-4).

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri loses by 19 at Mississippi State

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Tyson Carter came to Mississippi State two years ago as a super-skinny shooter who coach Ben Howland hoped would grow — literally and figuratively — into a larger role on the team.

Gaining the pounds hasn’t come easy, but the points are starting to come in bunches.

Carter scored a season-high 22 points, Quinndary Weatherspoon added 20 and Mississippi State led the entire game in a 68-49 victory over Missouri on Tuesday night.

“Tyson had it going,” Howland said. “He really did a great job. Made big shots.”

Carter shot 7 of 12 from the field, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. The 6-foot-4 junior’s production has come at a good time: He’s averaged 15 points over the past four games since starting guard Nick Weatherspoon was suspended for an undisclosed violation of team rules.

Carter’s gained about 20 pounds since coming to Starkville two years ago, though he grinned and said it “doesn’t look like it.” Even though he’ll never be a bruiser, he’s gained enough strength to find cracks in the defense and create space to make shots.

“It’s just playing harder, playing tougher,” Carter said. “Three years brings a lot of experience. You learn ways not to get pushed around as much.”

Mississippi State (21-7, 9-6 Southeastern Conference) has won five straight league games for the first time since 2008. Now the Bulldogs are essentially assured a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009 and Howland said the discussion has turned to improving their seed on Selection Sunday.

“I’m so excited for our players,” Howland said. “For me, it’s all about the players and their chance to experience and compete in the NCAA Tournament. I got to do it twice as a player and it’s the greatest experience you can have in college basketball.”

Weatherspoon, a senior, passed 1,900 points for his career and made 3 of 4 3-point attempts. Reggie Perry had 15 points and nine rebounds. Abdul Ado blocked five shots.

Missouri (12-15, 3-12) lost its fourth straight game. The Tigers were competitive in their previous three losses to Ole Miss, Kentucky and Florida and hung close in this one for much of the night, but they couldn’t overcome a tough night on offense.

Missouri’s 49 points were a season low. The Tigers shot just 33 percent from the field and had 15 turnovers. Torrence Watson led Missouri with 12 points. Jeremiah Tilmon added 11.

“We just couldn’t get baskets to go for us,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. “They made enough to win the ballgame.”

Mississippi State dominated most of the first half, pulling out to a 27-12 lead with 6:46 remaining. Missouri rallied to cut the deficit to 33-26 by halftime, but could get no closer than five points during the second half.

SEVEN-MAN ROTATION

Because of Nick Weatherspoon’s suspension, Mississippi State’s regular playing rotation has been cut to seven players.

So far, it hasn’t been an issue. Howland credited his team’s endurance for the five-game winning streak.

Carter played 37 of 40 minutes. Quinndary Weatherspoon played 35. Lamar Peters and Perry played 34.

“Those seven guys who played tonight, they’re unbelievably well-conditioned right now,” Howland said.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The Tigers continue to compete, but fell apart in the second half of this one. Missouri has two of its final three regular season games at home.

Mississippi State: It wasn’t a pretty performance, but the Bulldogs controlled this one the entire night. Carter’s consistent scoring over the past two weeks has been a plus, Perry doesn’t look like a freshman anymore and Ado has added 11 blocked shots over the past two wins.

UP NEXT

Missouri: The Tigers host South Carolina on Saturday.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs travel to Auburn on Saturday.

— Associated Press —-

Western softball loses two walk-off games at Drury Tuesday

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Missouri Western softball team (9-7) was the victim of two seventh inning comebacks on Tuesday at Drury (9-4).

The Griffons lost both game 4-3, leading 3-2 in both games heading to the bottom of the seventh.

Game 1
Drury 4, Missouri Western 3

  • MWSU led 3-2 heading to the bottom of the seventh after allowing just two hits through the first six innings
  • Drury scored the winning run on a two-out, bases loaded single
  • Morgan Frost continued her red-hot stretch, going 3-for-4 in the game with another double, her fourth in the last three games
  • Brea Blanton drove in two, going 1-for-3 at the plate
  • Kenzie Hilzer (2-3) held Drury to two hits in the first inning and no more until giving up four in the seventh

Game 2
Drury 4, Missouri Western 3

  • The script in the seventh was much the same. Drury got the leadoff batter on via single and moved her over with a sacrifice bunt.
  • Another single tied the game and put runners at first and second with one out
  • The Griffons intentionally walked the next batter
  • A wild pitch put two runners in scoring position before a walk-off single won the game for Drury
  • MWSU led 3-0 after two innings on an RBI single by Emma Hoffart in the first
  • Lauren Houston had a two-out RBI double in the second and Frost drove in one with a two-out single
  • Houston went 2-for-4
  • Gabi Carter went 2-for-3 and Taylor Hoelscher was 2-for-3
  • Kaili Hinds (4-1) took her first loss of the season, giving up four earned runs on 10 hits. She struck out four and walked two

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western is scheduled to take part in the now shortened Teri Mathis-Zenner Memorial Tournament in Joplin on Friday
  • The Griffons opponent(s) and game time(s) are yet to be announced.

— MWSU Athletics —

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