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Category: Sports

Northwest baseball loses game two at Northeastern State

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TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – The Northwest Missouri State baseball team dropped the second game of a three-game series to Northeastern State Saturday, 12-8. The Riverhawks hit four home runs on the afternoon.

After a scoreless first inning, the Bearcats (5-7, 1-1 MIAA) jumped out to a 1-0 lead after senior catcher Alixon Herrera doubled to right-center field to lead off the top of the second. Sophomore infielder Peter Carlson singled to right, scoring Herrera from second.

Northeastern State took the lead away from the Bearcats in the home half of the third inning, scoring four runs on three hits. Junior first baseman Colton Burgess hit a three-run homer over the right field fence to cap a four-run inning for the Riverhawks.

The Bearcats answered in the top of the fourth, scoring two runs of their own. Herrera led off the inning reaching on an error and then advanced to second base on a single hit by Carlson. Both runners advanced bases on a sacrifice bunt by junior infielder Calvin Rudolph. After a double play, senior infielder Logan Rycraft stepped in and doubled to deep right center, scoring Rudolph and Carlson

Northwest retook the lead in the fifth with a two-out, three-run rally. Rudolph walked with the bases loaded for the first run. Enrique Gonzalez came through with a two-run single through the left side to give Northwest a 6-4 lead.

But a four-run fifth by Northeastern State gave the home team an 8-6 advantage. The Riverhawks used a sacrifice fly and another three-run home run to retake the lead.

NSU increased the lead by another run in the sixth when the home squad plated a run on a double play.

Rudolph doubled with two outs in the seventh and then scored on a triple by pinch hitter Matt Gastner. Gastner’s RBI pulled Northwest to within 9-7.

NSU added a solo homer in the seventh, a leadoff homer in the eighth and a two-out RBI double in the eighth.

Pinch hitter Matt Schingel came through with an RBI single with two outs in the ninth. But the Bearcats could get no closer when Logan Rycraft flied out to end the contest.

The Bearcats used five pitchers on Saturday. Joe Funkhouser made the start and took the loss as he went 4 1/3 innings. Funkhouse gave up nine hits and eight runs, while striking out four.

Northwest and Northeastern State will meet on Sunday for game three of the series at 1 p.m.

NOTES: Herrera is riding a nine-game hitting streak … Gutierrez, Hrdlicka and Quick extended their on-base streaks to 12 games.

— Northwesst Athletics —

Nebraska’s upset bid comes up short against No. 15 Purdue

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Purdue’s Grady Eifert headed toward the basket when he saw Carsen Edwards put up a 3-pointer and the No. 15 Boilermakers leading Nebraska by a point with two minutes left.

Flying across the lane, Eifert grabbed the partially blocked shot with a second on the shot clock and managed to get off one of his two key late shots that pushed Purdue to a 75-72 win Saturday.

“I saw it got tipped,” Eifert said. “I knew the shot clock was winding down. I knew I would be able to come down and gather myself. I just flicked it up there and it rolled. I couldn’t see it after I shot it. Everyone celebrating, I could tell it went in.”

A couple minutes earlier, Eifert beat the shot clock when he slipped to the basket for an uncontested layup off an inbound pass from Ryan Cline.

“That doesn’t happen unless Carsen sprints off there and makes a hard cut,” Eifert said. “Kline made a perfect pass for me to catch and go up with it right away. When it’s one second on the clock, everyone’s thinking Carsen’s getting the ball there. We just wanted to get something at the rim.”

Nebraska coach Tim Miles could only shake his head and toss a water bottle as Eifert did his thing.

“First of all, I think you just credit Purdue and Grady Eifert,” Miles said. “Those are very good plays. Credit the victor, right? Second of all, I don’t think we made a mistake. It was a scramble situation defensively. Sometimes the game breaks you.”

Matt Haarms had 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots for Purdue (20-7, 13-3 Big Ten), which won its second straight close road game, having beaten Indiana 48-46 on a tip-in with three seconds left Tuesday.

“We went to Indiana, we were fortunate, but we found a way to win,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “We came here today and we were fortunate again. We still found a way. I think that’s what good teams do. To be able to hang in there, make our free throws, not turn the basketball over and outrebound them by 18, we’ll take that.”

The Boilermakers’ 14th win in 16 games pulled them into a brief three-way tie for first in the Big Ten with Michigan and Michigan State. The tie will be broken Sunday when those two teams meet in Ann Arbor.

Cline’s 3-pointer to end the first half gave the Boilermakers a two-point lead, and they never trailed again. Purdue made 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch and finished 23 of 26 from the line.

Glynn Watson Jr. scored a season-high 25 points and James Palmer added 15 points and a season-high eight assists for Nebraska (15-13, 5-12), which lost for the ninth time in 11 games.

Edwards and Cline had 13 points apiece for the Boilermakers. Edwards continued to struggle with his shot after going 4 for 24 overall and 0 for 10 on 3-pointers against Indiana. With Watson the primary defender on Edwards, the Big Ten scoring leader was 3 for 16 and 1 for 10 on 3s Saturday and had no field goals the final 34 minutes.

“I’m just going to step up to the challenge no matter what,” Watson said. “Try to bring it on defense, just trying to play with energy and confidence on defense.”

THE BIG PICTURE

Purdue: The Boilermakers are 16-5 all-time against the Huskers, 9-2 in Big Ten games and 3-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Purdue secured a fifth straight 20-win season and its 12th in Painter’s 14 seasons.

Nebraska: The crowd of 9,051 was the smallest of the season and one of the smallest since the Huskers began playing in Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14. The low turnout came during a winter storm and the public was urged to stay home. “To be able to come here in blizzard-like conditions and see all those fans, it’s pretty cool,” Painter said. “It shows the loyalty and support they get here at Nebraska.”

BURKHEAD’S BACK

Rex Burkhead, the popular former Nebraska running back who now plays for the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, was wearing a Huskers basketball jersey and a stocking cap as he shot T-shirts to the crowd during a timeout in the first half.

UP NEXT

Purdue hosts Illinois Wednesday.

Nebraska visits No. 7 Michigan Thursday.

— Associated Press —

Griffons roll to 85-71 win at Southwest Baptist

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BOLIVAR, Mo – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team (12-15, 6-10 MIAA) set the tone right from the opening tip of Thursday’s 85-71 victory at Southwest Baptist (12-13, 6-10 MIAA). The Griffons gained their first lead two minutes into the game before vaulting out to an 18-point lead in the first half and led throughout the remainder of the game.

NOTABLES

  • Missouri Western dominated both ends of the floor early in the game, using a 28-8 run to take a game-high 18-point lead in the first half.
  • The Bearcats trimmed that deficit to 33-17 at the halftime break. The Griffons held Southwest Baptist to just 33 percent shooting in the half while forcing 11 turnovers.
  • Tyrell Carroll led the charge offensively in the first half with 13 points and a pair of assists.
  • Southwest Baptist used a 10-3 run to pull within nine points in the opening minutes of the second half.
  • The Griffons settled in following the Southwest Baptist run, making five of their next eight shots to build the lead to 14.
  • Southwest Baptist never managed to cut the deficit to double digits for the remainder of the game.
  • Both teams’ offenses played better in the second half, as the teams combined for 106 points in the second half compared to just 50 points before halftime.
  • Missouri Western took advantage of its trips to the free-throw line. The Griffons shot 86 percent (18-of-21) from the stripe, their best percentage with at least 10 makes this season.
  • The Griffons hopes of making the MIAA Championships remain alive after Thursday’s road victory. Missouri Western has now moved into a four-way tie for ninth.
  • After earning its seventh road win, Missouri Western has now won its most road games in a season since the program won nine in 2001-02.

LEADERS

  • Carroll finished with a team-high 19 points, five assists, and three steals.
  • JJ Jones set a new career-high with 16 points. Jones missed just one shot all night, going 8-of-9 while also grabbing seven rebounds.
  • Lavon Hightower scored 18 points to go along with his team-high nine rebounds.
  • Bryan Hudson added 17 points.

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western Men’s Basketball will travel to Central Missouri (13-13, 6-10 MIAA)
  • The Mules topped the Griffons on a buzzer-beating three-point in last week’s meeting.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 1 Bearcats defeat UCM to wrap up sixth straight MIAA title

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WARRENSBURG, Missouri – The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team became the first team in the history of the MIAA to win six consecutive league regular season titles with a 64-49 triumph at Central Missouri on Thursday.

Northwest moved to 26-0 overall and 16-0 in MIAA play, while UCM dropped to 13-13 overall and 6-10 in league play.

The Bearcats were led in scoring by redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins with 21 points. Junior Ryan Welty and freshman Diego Bernard each chipped in offensively with 14 points apiece. Welty drained 4-of-7 from three-point range in the victory.

Northwest shot 50.0 percent from the field and drained 10 three-pointers against the Mules. Northwest locked in defensively in the second half and limited the Mules to 26.7 percent shooting in the second half after UCM had made 52.2 percent of its shots in the opening half.

The Bearcats will be back in action Saturday at Southwest Baptist. Tip is set for 3:30 p.m. in Bolivar, Missouri.

NOTES: Hudgins made his first three throws in the game to set the Northwest record for consecutive free throws made at 36 … he surpassed Kelvin Parker’s mark of 35, but had to settle for a tie for the MIAA record with UCM’s Reggie Soward at 36 in a row as Hudgins missed his 37th attempt … Northwest has won 13 straight road games.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri Western women fall at Southwest Baptist 82-62

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BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Missouri Western women’s basketball team (12-13, 7-9) fell victim to a little revenge at Southwest Baptist (8-18, 4-12), Thursday night. After scoring 50 points in the second half last week against SBU in the MWSU Fieldhouse, MWSU was outscored 41-24 in the second half in round two of the series.

NOTABLES

  • Southwest Baptist scored 41 in each half, shooting 51 percent from the field on the night and 53 percent from three point range
  • The 82 points for SBU were the most allowed by Missouri Western since an 84-67 loss at Truman State on Nov. 13
  • Missouri Western led 22-21 after one quarter and trailed 41-38 at halftime
  • SBU opened up a big lead by outscoring MWSU 20-7 in the third quarter
  • The Griffons shot 42 percent from the field and shot better than 50 percent in the first and fourth quarters, but were held back by a 19 percent third quarter
  • Katrina Roenfeldt was held to a season-low three points

LEADERS

  • Melia Richardson scored a season-high 22 points, 14 in the first quarter. Richardson was 8-of-14 from the field and 6-of-7 at the free throw line.
  • KeShara Scott had a team-high five rebounds
  • Simone Walker led the team with three assists
  • Brittany Atkins scored 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western travels to Warrensburg for a re-match with No. 24 Central Missouri (19-5, 12-4)
  • The Jennies defeated Northwest Missouri 71-53 Thursday night.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest women lose at Central Missouri 71-53

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The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team fell to Central Missouri 71-53 in Warrensburg Thursday night. The Bearcats got off to a slow start, only scoring 17 points in the first half of the game, and were down 31-17. They were able to get it going a little more in the second half putting up 21 points in the third quarter.

Mallory McConkey and Jaelyn Haggard led the Bearcats with 13 points. Kendey Eaton was also in double digit scoring with 11. McConkey also led the team in rebounds with 5. The Bearcats shot 50% from the three-point line going 9-18. They also went 10-13 from the free throw line.

Morgan Flemming led the Jennies with 21 points, Megan Skaggs had 19, and Paige Redmond had 13. Flemming added 10 rebounds to give herself a double-double. UCM shot 51.7% from the field and outrebounded Northwest 35-22.

The Bearcats take on Southwest Baptist on the road Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Bolivar, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

Bearcats hold down top spot in first NCAA Central Regional rankings

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The first NCAA Division II men’s basketball regional rankings were released today and the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats are in the top spot in the central region.

The top eight teams in each region will qualify for the NCAA Division II men’s basketball tournament. Northwest has served as the central region host in each of the previous two seasons.

Central Region
1. Northwest Missouri State
2. Washburn
3. Northern State
4. St. Cloud State
5. Missouri Southern
6. Southern Nazarene
7. Minnesota State, Mankato
8. Lincoln
9. Wayne State
10. Southern Arkansas

Northwest Missouri State women sign prep guard from Illinois

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Northwest Missouri State University head women’s basketball coach Austin Meyer has announced the signing of Savannah Guenther to play for the Bearcats in the 2019-2020 season.

Guenther (Grayslake, Illinois/Grayslake North HS) is a 5’11” guard. Guenther averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.7 blocks for head coach Rob Nicoletti. Guenther earned honorable mention all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association as a junior. She earned all-area accolades in 2017-18. She tallied all-conference honors the last two seasons.

Guenther is a member of National Honor Society. She is an Illinois State Scholar student. She is a four-time Northern Lake County Conference all-academic award recipient.

She is the daughter of Michael and Angela Guenther.

2019-20 Bearcat Women’s Basketball Signees
Kayla Chapman           5-9       G         Treynor, Iowa (Treynor HS)
Jayna Green                6-1       G/F      Omaha, Nebraska (Millard North HS)
Savannah Guenther    5’11     G         Grayslake, Illinois (Grayslake North HS)
Paityn Rau                   6-2       F          Waukee, Iowa (Waukee HS)

Mizzou loses at home to No. 4 Kentucky 66-58

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — PJ Washington and Tyler Herro scored 18 points each as fourth-ranked Kentucky slogged past Missouri 66-58 on Tuesday night.

Ashton Hagans added 12 points for the Wildcats (22-4, 11-2 Southeastern Conference), who looked a little sluggish three days after beating then top-ranked Tennessee. But Kentucky was good enough defensively to hold the Tigers to 37 percent shooting from the field.

Ronnie Suggs scored 13 and Jordan Geist finished with 11 for Missouri (12-13, 3-10 SEC).

After Missouri took an 11-10 advantage with 12:35 left in the first half, Herro scored seven points in a 42-second span to give Kentucky the lead for good. The Tigers got into foul trouble as Kevin Puryear and Jeremiah Tilmon each picked up two quick ones and Mitchell Smith was knocked out of the game after being hit in the head with an inadvertent elbow. Washington racked up 15 first-half points as the Wildcats opened a 41-23 halftime lead.

Kentucky had some attrition up front, also, as starting forward Reid Travis left the game in the second half with a sprained right knee. Missouri did most of its offensive damage late, narrowing its deficit to six points on Torrence Watson’s 3-pointer with 14 seconds left.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: Derrick Chievous, who starred for the Tigers from 1985-88, had his No. 3 jersey retired at halftime. Chievous, who was known for always wearing a Band-Aid during games for no medical reason, is Missouri’s career leading scorer with 2,580 points. He is the seventh Missouri player to have his jersey retired, joining Bill Stauffer, Norm Stewart, Willie Smith, Steve Stipanovich, Jon Sundvold and Doug Smith.

Kentucky: With his 297th victory in 10 years at Kentucky, John Calipari tied Joe B. Hall for second place in wins at the school. Calipari has some work to do to catch the man at the top of the list — Adolph Rupp won 876 games in 42 years leading the Wildcats.

UP NEXT

Missouri: The Tigers play Saturday at Florida.

Kentucky: The Wildcats play host to Auburn on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

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