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No. 5 Jayhawks crush Chaminade 123-72 in Maui Invitational opener

riggertKULAHAINA, Hawaii — Kansas doesn’t seem to understand that you’re supposed to treat your host well.

The fifth-ranked Jayhawks had seven players score in double figures in a 123-72 victory over Chaminade, the Division II host of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, in the opening round Monday night.

It was the worst loss in the 32 years of the tournament for the Silverswords. The previous worst was a 48-point defeat to Kansas in 2005.

“Why don’t we forget about this game and just play another one,” Chaminade coach Eric Bovaird said. “They were as good as we thought. They come at you in waves and we didn’t think they would shoot from the outside the way they did.”

Wayne Selden Jr. and Sviatoslav Mykhaliuk both scored 18 points for Kansas while Devonte Graham had 15, Frank Mason III 14, Landen Lucas 13 and Hunter Mickelson and Perry Ellis both had 11 for the Jayhawks, who shot 64.4 percent from the field (47 for 73).

“We made shots and everybody looks better when you make shots,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “The defense got better as we went along.”

Kansas (2-1) will play the winner of the UNLV-UCLA game in the semifinals on Tuesday. The Jayhawks bounced back from a 79-73 loss to then-No. 13 Michigan State last week in the Champions Classic.

“I think tonight did a lot for some guys’ confidence,” said Lucas, who had 12 rebounds. “Defensively we still have a lot to work on. But it’s always good to see guys shoot like that.”

Chaminade, from Honolulu, dropped to 7-85 in the 32 years of the tournament. The only way to an upset was to beat Kansas from the outside and the Silverswords took almost as many 3-point field goals (33) as 2-point shots (36). Kansas beat them at their own game, however, finishing 15 of 29 from beyond the arc while Chaminade was 8 of 33.

“We have good shooters but tonight we didn’t make them,” Chaminade’s Rohndell Goodwin said. “It wasn’t their height that made us shoot from the outside. We have good shooters.”

Kiran Shastri had 17 points for the Silverswords (0-3) while Goodwin added 15.

The Silverswords, known for beating then-No. 1 Virginia and Ralph Sampson in 1982, had a moral victory of sorts. They pulled to 14-13 with 13:43 to play in the first half on a 3-pointer by Shastri, forcing Self to call a timeout. The Jayhawks took over from there and led 53-33 at halftime.

“Chaminade is the kind of team that can hang around and that’s what they did at the start,” Self said.

TIP-INS

Kansas: The Jayhawks won the Maui Invitational in 1996. This is their sixth appearance and in 1988 they were led by current Wake Forest coach Danny Manning. … Kansas was without junior guard Brannen Greene, who was suspended for six games by Self for unspecified conduct detrimental to the team. … Kansas’ largest margin of victory came in a 115-45 victory over Brown on Jan. 3, 1989. … The 123 points were the sixth-most in Kansas history and the most under Self.

Chaminade: The Silverswords’ last win in the Maui Invitational was in 2012, 86-73 over Texas. … Chaminade opened the season with two losses in a road trip to Alaska-Anchorage.

FREE DIALLO

Kansas fans chanted “Free Diallo” at the start of the second half. That was in reference to the NCAA still investigating freshman Cheick Diallo, who remains ineligible to participate in games. The NCAA has been investigating the 6-foot-9 Diallo’s classwork from a prep school in New York, along with the forward’s relationship with his guardian, Tidiane Drame. Diallo has been cleared to practice with the Jayhawks, and this past weekend the NCAA granted a waiver so that he could travel with the team to Hawaii.

“All I know is that our AD was contacted today and they’re working on it,” Self said.

UP NEXT:

Kansas: winner of UNLV-UCLA in Maui Invitational semifinals on Tuesday.

Chaminade: loser of UNLV-UCLA in Maui Invitational consolation round on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State women lose by 40 at No. 1 Connecticut

riggertKansasStateHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Thirty years to the day after winning his first game as head coach of UConn, Geno Auriemma earned his 919th victory.

The top-ranked Huskies routed Kansas State 97-57 on Monday night for their 39th straight victory. UConn is seeking its 11th national title and fourth in a row.

“If I’d have known that 30 years ago, that’s what was going to happen, I probably would have enjoyed it more the last 30 years, and said, `Yeah, I should really enjoy this because 30 years from now, our program is going to be legendary,” Auriemma said.

Auriemma remembered that first game at Iona, traveling on the bus and pooling together the team’s meal money so they could buy something more than sandwiches before the game.

Now the Huskies can afford to travel and eat a little bit better.

Breanna Stewart scored 25 points and Gabby Williams added 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Huskies.

Stewart became the ninth player in school history to reach 2,000 points with a 3-pointer from the right corner in the third quarter. She now has 2,009 for her career, moving past Renee Montgomery (1,990) and Bria Hartley (1,994).

Kaylee Page and Kindred Wesemann each had 11 to lead Kansas State (3-1).

The Huskies shot just under 51 percent from the floor and held Kansas State to 34 percent.

Morgan Tuck had 15 points and Moriah Jefferson had 14 points and seven assists.

Jefferson (1,102 points) also is moving up the scoring list, becoming the 37th Husky to reach the 1,100-point plateau.

Stewart moved into 10th place on the school’s scoring list with her fourth point, a layup that gave the Huskies an early 12-5 lead. A third quarter free throw put her in ninth place.

“When you have these type of milestones, you kind of just want to get it over with, because people keep talking about it,” Stewart said.

Kansas State’s Breanna Lewis, who had been averaging 18 points and six rebounds, picked up two early fouls guarding Stewart. She finished with 10 points.

The Wildcats hit three of their first five shots from 3-point range and hung with the Huskies early, trailing just 16-13 with 3:24 left in the first quarter.

“I think we challenged at times,” said Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie. “We battled harder than we had in our previous three games. You’re going up against the team that is playing at the highest level in the country.”

But UConn responded by scoring the final 10 points of the quarter and the first four points of the second. Williams had eight of the Huskies’ 14 points during that spurt.

Williams had her seventh career double-double before halftime, scoring 14 points and pulling down 11 rebounds as the Huskies took a 44-27 lead into intermission.

Kia Nurse quickly pushed the lead to 20 in the third quarter on with a 3-pointer, and it was 30 points a few minutes later after a jumper from Moriah Jefferson.

Auriemma’s first win came on Nov. 23, 1985, 73-67 at Iona. The Huskies won their first seven games that year, but finished the season 12-15. Since then, Auriemma has led the Huskies to 10 national titles, 16 Final Fours, 21 regular-season conference championships and 20 conference tournament titles.

The Huskies improve to 2-0 all-time against the Wildcats. Their only other meeting was in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, a 72-26 blowout.

TIP-INS:

UConn: The Huskies have now won 23 straight home openers. They are now 37-5 all-time and 30-1 under Auriemma. His only home-opening loss in his 30 years as head coach came on Nov. 29, 1990, when the Huskies fell to Iowa, 58-41. UConn ended that season 29-5, losing in its first Final Four appearance to Virginia.

Kansas State: The Wildcats blocked five shots, giving them 30 in four games. They have four starters that are a 6-foot or taller, and have six players on the roster with two or more blocked shots this season.

ELITE COMPANY: Stewart becomes the third fastest Husky to reach 2,000 points, doing it in her 117th game. Maya Moore needed just 108 games, and Kerry Bascom accomplished the feat in 113. Auriemma noted that Stewart has done it while averaging about 15 shots a game and filling up the stat sheet. She had eight rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots Monday.

UP NEXT

UConn: The Huskies are back in Hartford on Saturday to take on Nebraska.

Kansas State: The Wildcats have one more game before their Thanksgiving break, taking on Southern at home on Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

KU women suffer first loss as they fall at Arizona

riggertKUTUCSON, Ariz. – The Kansas women’s basketball team couldn’t overcome a second-half offensive surge as Arizona handed KU its first loss, 67-52, of the 2015-16 campaign on Monday, Nov. 23, inside the McKale Center. The first loss of the year and on the road, Kansas fell to 2-1 on the season.

A lack of bench production and poor shooting plagued the Jayhawks in their first road test of the season. After shooting a combined 45 percent in its first two games, Kansas shot 32 percent from the field. A 4-of-20 three-point shooting performance also marked the lowest percentage (20) of the season. After scoring 28 and 25 points in the first two games, respectively, the Kansas bench only logged 11 points against the Wildcats.

Sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge and junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen finished the game as the  double-figure scorers for Kansas, with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Aldridge also led her squad with four assists. Manning-Allen gathered a game-high eight rebounds and tied her career high in blocks with four.

Guard Taryn Griffey and guard Malena Washington combined for 33 of Arizona’s 67 points on 12-of-12 shooting. Griffey’s 17 points were a game-high, including three long-range baskets that were also the most of any player on the day. Washington tallied 16 points, ten more than any other bench player.

It took the Jayhawks just 22 seconds to score the first points of the game after Manning-Allen won the opening tip for the third time this season. Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich found Manning-Allen right under the basket for the easy layup. Junior guard Jada Brown gathered an offensive rebound and put back a layup at the 5:30 mark to give Kansas an early 8-2 lead. The Wildcats surged back in the bottom half of the quarter, putting together a 7-0 run to take their first lead of the game.

Both teams struggled to find their rhythm as they each began the game 1-of-6 from the field. An acrobatic play from Brown tied the game at 12-12 as she drew the foul and flipped a shot over her shoulder that rattled in with 24 seconds remaining in the quarter. After a missed free throw, neither team was able to score another point for the remainder of the period.

The shooting woes dictated the first 10 minutes of the game as the two teams shot a combined 24 percent in the opening quarter. Arizona earned five of its 12 points from the charity stripe and held Kansas to its lowest scoring quarter this season. Kansas’ previous season-low of 15 points came on three separate occasions, most recently in the second quarter against Memphis on Nov. 19.

Redshirt junior Timeka O’Neal drew a charge in the opening minute of the second quarter, giving her squad a much-needed spark. Still, the offensive cold streak continued as each team made only one of its first five field goals to being the period.

No more than two points separated the squads early, as the Wildcats made a free throw to take a 13-12 lead, but freshman forward Tyler Johnson answered with a layup to give the lead back to the Jayhawks. Arizona’s JaLea Bennett responded with a layup of her own as the Wildcats once again took the lead. After missing the mark on her first three attempts, Aldridge found the bottom of the net with a three-pointer to tilt the game back in favor of the visitors.

Foul problems compounded for the Jayhawks, as freshman guards Aisia Robertson and Jayde Christopher, as well as O’Neal each picked up their second fouls with over three minutes left in the half. After the quarter’s media timeout, the Wildcats put together a second run to claim their largest lead so far, at 26-21.

Arizona’s Washington contributed nine of Arizona’s 16 points in the final five minutes of the quarter. Kansas began to turn things around in the final three minutes of the half, making 3-of-5 field goals, including a layup from Aldridge right before the buzzer. Kansas entered the locker room trailing 31-28, marking the first time all season that the Jayhawks did not carry a lead into the second half.

26843Junior forward Caelynn Manning-Allen brought down a season-high eight rebounds

After 20 minutes of action, the game had seen nine lead changes and a combined 20 turnovers. Each team committed 10, while the Wildcats logged four assists to Kansas’ three. Arizona also held the edge in the shooting column, with a 35 percent field goal percentage, six better than Kansas (29).

Arizona kicked off the second half with an early long-range bucket, extending their lead to six. On Kansas’ next possession, Aldridge let a jumper fly from just inside the top of the arc as the shot clock expired. Despite the rushed attempt, the shot was pure and brought the Jayhawks back within four.

Just before the seven-minute mark, Arizona’s Bennett took the ball to the hoop, but Kopatich was there to send the ball out-of-bounds with her first career block. Kansas kept the home team from capitalizing on the following possession, while converting baskets on its next two trips down the court, tying the game at 34 apiece at the 6:10 mark.

Out of an Arizona timeout, the Wildcats exhausted the shot clock before Griffey accelerated past Johnson to roll in a layup as the buzzer sounded. The basket ended a streak of five-straight missed shots for Arizona. A Kansas turnover on the proceeding possession led to a run-out layup to push the margin to four points in favor of the home team.

Turnovers continued to plague the Jayhawks, as they failed to put a dent in the halftime deficit despite beginning the quarter 4-of-6 from the field. Six turnovers in a five-minute span resulted in the Wildcats claiming nine of their 45 points off turnovers by the end of the third period.

The bigger factor may have been bench scoring, where Arizona owned a 27-6 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes. Kansas’ nine-point third quarter set a new season-low of scoring, after the 12-point first quarter performance.

The final quarter commenced with Arizona owning an eight-point lead, the largest deficit for the Jayhawks all season. It also marked the first time this year that Kansas did not have the advantage with 10 minutes of game time remaining. The first basket of the period again went to the Wildcats, with a three-point bucket from Griffey establishing the first double-digit lead of the day. Thirty seconds later, she repeated the effort with her second three, putting Kansas in a 14-point hole with 8:36 to play.

Arizona found the bottom of the net on seven of its first eight shots of the final period. The final basket of that run came on a layup from Bennett, as she fought through a Kopatich foul. The bonus free throw re-established the 20-point advantage.

With under three minutes to play, O’Neal sunk a three, her first field goal of the day. Sophomore forward Lorraine Enabulele knocked down a hook shot in the paint on the next possession, as the 5-0 run brought the Arizona lead back to 15.

Kansas held the home team to 1-of-5 shooting to end the game, but the Jayhawks couldn’t overcome Arizona’s commanding lead. A three-point attempt by Robertson from two feet outside the arc failed to connect on Kansas’ final possession, and the Jayhawks fell to Arizona by a score of 67-52.

— KU Athletics —

Central’s Head Football Coach resigns

Wallace_JeffCentral High School Head Football Coach Jeff Wallace has resigned.

According to the St. Joseph School District Wallace resigned Monday from his football coaching position in a letter of resignation to Dr. Deborah Stephens, CHS Principal.

“We certainly thank Jeff for his years of service to our football team. Jeff is a passionate coach who loves the game. We wish him the best in his future endeavors,” said Dr. Stephens.

Wallace led the Central Indian football program from 2010-2015 and had an overall record of 30-34. He previously served as the offensive coordinator at Central from 2007-2009 under Head Coach Tony Dudik (1987-2009).

The district said it will begin the search for a new head football coach immediately

New trophy up for grabs in Mizzou-Arkansas Battle Line Rivalry

MizzouCOLUMBIA, Mo. – A new permanent trophy for the Battle Line Rivalry presented by Shelter Insurance® will be up for grabs when Southeastern Conference foes Missouri and Arkansas meet in Fayetteville, Ark. on Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

The Battle Line Rivalry series pits the SEC’s Eastern Division against the Western Division and provides a natural rivalry between Missouri and Arkansas. Missouri won the inaugural meeting of the Battle Line Rivalry in Columbia, Mo. last season, in a 21-14 comeback win that clinched Mizzou’s second-straight SEC Eastern Division title.

The Battle Line Trophy is made of silver and stands more than four feet tall and weighs more than 180 pounds. The trophy depicts the outline of the two states with the border of the two states being divided by interchangeable silver inserts with the words Battle Line in either gold or cardinal. The color of the battle line within the trophy will be reflective of the winner of the most recent game in the series.

Former Razorback football student-athlete David Bazzel was the designer and project lead for the building of the Battle Line Trophy. Bazzel also created The Golden Boot, the annual trophy given to the winner of the Arkansas-LSU football series, the Broyles Award and numerous other trophies and awards. Supreme Fixture and Sissy’s Log Cabin of Little Rock were the primary companies involved in the construction of the trophy.

The Battle Line Rivalry clashes against both geographic and historical boundaries – from disputed demarcations of the border separating the two states to notable alumni and former personnel with ties to both storied athletic programs. The historic rivalry between the two states will take on even more meaning now, as every Thanksgiving weekend the Battle Line is drawn on the gridiron. The Razorbacks or Tigers will ultimately stake claim to the “Line” – until the next meeting.

“We are excited to unveil a new trophy as part of the Battle Line Rivalry,” said Mack Rhoades, University of Missouri Director of Athletics. “We appreciate Shelter Insurance’s investment in the series and believe the annual Missouri-Arkansas game has the opportunity to grow into one of college football’s great Thanksgiving weekend traditions.”

“Shelter started in Missouri and Arkansas and these two states are key to our business,” said Rick Means, President and CEO of Shelter Insurance®.  “We’re pleased to be part of this rivalry which helps support two of the major college football programs in both states.”

“We are proud that one of the nation’s newest rivalries now has one of the most stunning trophies in all of college football,” said Jeff Long, University of Arkansas Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics. “We are grateful to David for his vision and to all of those who worked to help create this beautiful silver work of art. With the support of Shelter Insurance®, we are quickly turning the Battle Line Rivalry into a budding college football tradition.”

The second annual Battle Line Rivalry presented by Shelter Insurance® kicks off Friday, Nov. 27, at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.  The game is set for a nationally televised broadcast at 1:30 p.m. (central time) on CBS.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Kansas State’s Burns earns second-straight Big 12 weekly honor

riggertKansasStateMANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior kick returner Morgan Burns picked up his second-consecutive Big 12 weekly honor on Monday as he was again named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance in K-State’s thrilling 38-35 victory over Iowa State, the conference office announced.

It marked the second time in the last three years a Wildcat has earned a weekly conference honor in consecutive weeks (Ryan Mueller, 2013 vs. Iowa State and Texas Tech), while it was the first in the special teams category since David Allen was honored following the Iowa State and Texas games in 1999. With Burns’ honor last week and Jack Cantele’s accolade following the Louisiana Tech game, K-State now has a staggering 18 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors since 2011 (3.6 per year).

For the second-straight week, Burns returned a kickoff for a score as he went 100 yards against the Cyclones in the second quarter. It was Burns’ third return for a score in 2015, while he became the first player in school history with two 100-yard returns in a season and first in the Big 12 since Fozzy Whittaker (Texas) in 2011. Burns is the only player nationally this year with two 100-yard returns, while his three kickoff return scores rank second in both school and Big 12 history.

A product of Wichita, Kansas, Burns ranks sixth nationally this season in kickoff-return average (30.2), while he is second in school history in single-season kickoff-return yards (846) and fifth for a career (1,280). Additionally, he ranks fourth in school history in both season and career (28.4) return average.

This week’s honor comes on the heels of breaking the school record with 221 kickoff-return yards at Texas Tech, which featured a 93-yard kickoff return touchdown.

The 113th edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown takes place on Saturday as the Wildcats travel to Lawrence, Kansas, to face KU at 3 p.m., in Memorial Stadium.

— KSU Athletics —

MWSU women’s basketball to host free youth clinic Saturday

riggertMissouriWesternST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western Women’s Basketball coaching staff and student-athletes will conduct a free youth clinic this weekend in conjunction with the 2nd Annual Holiday Inn Express Classic.

The clinic is open to girls in grades 2-6 and will be held from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 28 in the MWSU Fieldhouse. The first 250 participants will receive a free ticket to Saturday night’s games in addition to the free clinic. Registration for the clinic is at 8:30 a.m.

Participants in this year’s classic include William Jewell, Evangel University and Graceland University. Missouri Western hosts Evangel on the 27th at 7:30 p.m. after Graceland and William Jewell play at 5:30. On Saturday, Missouri Western will play Graceland at 5 p.m. after Evangel and William Jewell face-off at 3 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Chiefs cruise past San Diego 33-3 for fourth straight victory

riggertChiefsSAN DIEGO (AP) — Things are going so well now for the Kansas City Chiefs that they have a 346-pound defensive tackle leaping over the pile into the end zone.

Big Dontari Poe scored a 1-yard touchdown on fourth down and linebacker Justin Houston intercepted Philip Rivers and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown as the Kansas City Chiefs embarrassed the free-falling San Diego Chargers 33-3 Sunday.

With Alex Smith victorious again at Qualcomm Stadium, the Chiefs (5-5) won their fourth straight game following a five-game losing streak.

The Chargers (2-8) lost their sixth straight.

The Chiefs brought some defensive heat, even on offense.

After Charcandrick West was stuffed from the 1-yard line on third down on the Chiefs’ second possession, they went on fourth down, this time giving the ball to Poe. He got air and went in for his first NFL TD.

“I smelled the end zone, man,” he said. “At that point you’ve got to do whatever you need to get in there. I saw a couple of bodies there and didn’t want to take a chance. So I just did it man.”

The Chiefs have had the play in their playbook for a few years.

Poe is the heaviest NFL player to score an offensive touchdown, according to STATS.

“I needed it. I loved it. My eyes lit up,” Poe said.

“We keep putting him in as a blocker. I told him we’d give him the ball,” coach Andy Reid said. “I didn’t know he was going to jump over.”

Said Houston, with a laugh: “I told him I earned my touchdown. His touchdown was given.”

It was Houston’s first TD, as well.

“I was happy because we got a touchdown and it gave us seven points,” Houston said.

Houston had four of Kansas City’s seven sacks of Rivers in the 2014 season finale in which the Chargers were eliminated from the playoff race.

The Chargers pretty much melted down. Rivers had his worst game of the season, going 19 of 30 for just 178 yards. Tight end Antonio Gates was seen jawing at the quarterback on the sideline in the first half.

“Really what was said really doesn’t matter,” Rivers said. “Brothers fuss and fight, for any of you that have brothers. And I Iove Antonio and I think he will tell you the same thing.”

Rivers said Sunday’s face-plant “is about as tough as it gets and not like it hasn’t been tough the last five. This one, it gets even worse.”

Smith, who led Helix High to consecutive city championships at Qualcomm Stadium, completed 20 of 25 passes for 253 yards. He also ran seven times for 33 yards.

There’s a chance this was Smith’s last appearance at Qualcomm Stadium. Chargers chairman Dean Spanos has infuriated fans with his intention to move the team to an industrial suburb of Los Angeles, which would require approval of fellow owners.

“To have been able to play here and play high school football, it was a big deal,” Smith said. “To come back and play in college and in the pros, it’s been special.”

Smith broke Steve DeBerg’s team record of 233 consecutive passes without an interception. Smith threw his 234th straight pass without a pick on a 47-yard completion to running back Charcandrick West. Smith extended his record to 253.

The Chiefs turned to Poe to cap their second drive. The 6-foot-3 defender soared for a 6-0 lead. The PAT failed.

Cairo Santos kicked field goals of 28 and 24 yards, and Spencer Ware had two 3-yard TD runs in the fourth quarter.

San Diego’s only score was a 52-yard field goal by rookie Josh Lambo.

Game notes
At halftime, the Chargers inducted running back LaDainian Tomlinson into their Hall of Fame and retired his No. 21. … Chiefs WR De’Anthony Thomas suffered a concussion and West strained a hamstring. … For the Chargers, DT Sean Lissemore and S Jahleel Addae had concussions. RT Joe Barksdale had a hip injury. … This is the Chargers’ 20th nonwinning season in 32 years of Spanos family ownership.

— Associated Press —

Sophie Cunningham sets school record with 42 points in Mizzou’s 94-81 over Wake Forest

riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. – Freshman guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) established a new single-game school record with 42 points as the Missouri women’s basketball team (4-0) defeated Wake Forest (3-1) 94-81 at Mizzou Arena on Sunday evening. Cunningham went 13-for-18 from the field and 6-for-8 from 3-point range in 33 minutes. She added eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in her fourth career game.

The Tigers shot 43 percent (26-for-61) from the floor, 42 percent (11-for-26) from beyond the arc and 78 percent (31-for-40) from the free throw line. Mizzou scored 20 points off of 18 forced turnovers.

“I think our girls did a great job,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “I thought they came out with a ton of focus. Overall, just a great performance and gritty, great toughness. [There was] great energy from our team. I’m really happy for them and proud of them.

“Obviously, a special night for Sophie. It was just a tremendous night and she is a fierce competitor.”

Cunningham scored 25 points in the first half, going 9-for-10 from the field and 4-for-5 from long range during the first 20 minutes. In the second quarter alone, she scored 14 points. She broke the previous scoring record of 41 points by Renee Kelly that has stood since a Jan. 25, 1986 at Oklahoma.

The 42 points by Cunningham are the most in the SEC this season. She leads the conference in scoring with 21.5 points per game.

Junior guard Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) added a season-high 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting and a 4-for-8 mark from 3-point range. She has drained seven triples over the last two contests. Michaelis scored 13 points in the first quarter, connecting three times from beyond the arc.

Freshman forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) established new season-highs with 14 points and five assists to go along with three rebounds and a blocked in 22 reserve minutes. Junior forward Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.) added nine points and 12 rebounds (six offensive) with three blocks, two steals and an assist.

Mizzou returns to play on Tuesday evening with a 7 p.m. CT tipoff vs. SIU Edwardsville at Mizzou Arena.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Missouri State remains winless with loss to Mississippi State in Puerto Rico

riggertMSUSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Ben Howland finally got his wish for Mississippi State to play with a halftime lead. Now he wants the Bulldogs to do a better job protecting that margin when they’ve got it.

Gavin Ware scored 25 points to help Mississippi State beat Missouri State 84-70 in Sunday’s seventh-place game at the Puerto Rico Tipoff.

Freshman Malik Newman added 14 points to lead the Bulldogs (2-3), who salvaged a win out of the trip to San Juan by shooting 70 percent in the opening half and leading by 20 — an unusually fast start for a team that had trailed at half in each of its first four games.

They blew much of that lead as the Bears (0-4) twice got as close as four midway through the second half but kept control and eventually stretched the lead back out to double figures.

“We haven’t been up 18 at halftime yet,” said Howland, in his first year with the Bulldogs. “Hopefully we have that experience again some day when we can try to then put two halves together. This is a first.”

It hadn’t been an easy week for the Bulldogs, who lost to Southern at home on Monday then boarded a plane for Puerto Rico the next day. Once here, they watched Miami roll to 105 points in a blowout win in Thursday’s opener then missed two shots inside of 10 feet on the final play of Friday’s 74-72 loss to Texas Tech.

The Bulldogs finally played from in front Sunday, with Ware scoring 11 to lead a 19-for-27 shooting performance that had Mississippi State up 45-27 at the break. Ware finished 12 for 16 on the day, capping a strong three-game performance in the Tipoff.

Missouri State hadn’t had an easy time of it, either. Like Mississippi State, the Bears started with a blowout loss, theirs 93-59 to No. 22 Butler. Then they erased most of an 18-point before falling to Minnesota 74-69 in Friday’s consolation bracket, a performance that had coach Paul Lusk happy with his team’s fight but being quick to add, “no moral victories.”

He was left in the same position Sunday.

“We’ve got some kids that won’t quit, but we just have to improve,” Lusk said. “We dig ourselves some holes.”

TIP-INS

Missouri State: Chris Kendrix scored a team-high 17 on 6-for-7 shooting. … The Bears shot 54 percent after halftime after a 9-for-28 (32 percent) opening half. … Camyn Boone scored 13 despite playing through a left ankle injury.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs cooled in the second half but still finished at 59 percent for the game. … Mississippi State scored 22 points off turnovers. … I.J. Ready had 13 points and 11 assists.

BUMPY START

The Bears are off to their worst start since going 0-6 to open the 1980-81 season.

ROLLING WARE

Ware averaged 20 points on 28-for-40 shooting (70 percent) over three Tipoff games. And Howland wants to keep feeding the 6-foot-9 senior the ball and getting him ready for extra defensive attention.

“When Gavin’s in the post and he’s 1-on-1, he pretty much scores every time,” Ready said. “I think most of the field goals he did miss, he probably had two or three defenders around him.”

TURNOVERS

Aside from the Bulldogs’ hot shooting, Lusk pointed to his team’s 11 first-half turnovers as reasons for the big deficit.

“When we don’t turn it over and we execute and share it and play the right way, good things happen,” he said. “But when you’re turning the ball over at that rate in the first half, it’s hard to get anything done.”

UP NEXT

Missouri State hosts William Woods on Friday.

Mississippi State hosts Tennessee-Martin on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

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