Sports – Page 65 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Northwest’s Joey Witthus earns weekly MIAA honor

Posted on February 4, 2019

Northwest Missouri State senior Joey Witthus has been named the MIAA Men’s Basketball Player of the week for the second time this season after he averaged 32.0 points per game and 7.0 rebounds last week.

The Chanhassen, Minnesota, native shot 63.9 percent from the field and 64.3 percent from three-point range in leading Northwest to a pair of home MIAA victories.

Witthus went for a career-high 36 points in Northwest’s 111-83 win over Pittsburg State. Witthus buried 13-of-19 field goals, including 8-of-13 from three-point land vs. the Gorillas. Witthus grabbed four rebounds and handed out an assist vs. PSU.

Witthus tied his career-high with 10 rebounds and scored a game-high 28 points in Northwest’s 82-62 win over Missouri Southern. Witthus was 10-of-17 from the field and knocked in his only three-point attempt. Witthus also sank 7-of-8 free throws. He handed out two assists and secured two steals vs. the Lions.

Witthus leads the MIAA in three-point field goals made (69) and three-point field goal percentage (50.4). Witthus ranks No. 4 in the MIAA in scoring at 21.2 ppg. In MIAA games only, Witthus ranks No. 2 in the league at 23.7 ppg.

The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team (21-0 overall, 11-0 MIAA) will play a pair of road games this week with matchups at Lindenwood (Thurs., 7:30 p.m.) and Lincoln (Sat., 3:30 p.m.).

— Northwest Athletics —

KU’s Agbaji named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week

Posted on February 4, 2019February 4, 2019

IRVING, Texas – Kansas freshman Ochai Agbaji averaged 17.0 point and 8.5 rebounds in his first two career starts and has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers the league, the conference announced Monday.

Agbaji pulled his redshirt prior to the TCU game (1/9) and is coming off his first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in Kansas’ 79-63 win over No. 16 Texas Tech (2/2). The Texas Tech performance came after his first-career start at Texas (1/29), where the Kansas City, Missouri, guard posted a career-high 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting with seven rebounds and two steals. In just eight games, Agbaji is averaging 22.5 minutes, 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and is shooting 54.3 percent from the floor.

Agbaji becomes the fourth different Jayhawk to be named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week this season, a feat already claimed seven times in 2018-19 for Kansas. Redshirt-junior forward Dedric Lawson has been the league newcomer of the week four times (12/3, 12/17, 1/14, 1/28), while Quentin Grimes was named on Nov. 12 and Devon Dotson on Dec. 31. Including KU’s five Big 12 Player of the Week honors this season, the Jayhawks have amassed 12 league weekly accolades in 2018-19, which is more than any other league team. The program record for Big 12 weekly awards is 13 earned during the 2016-17 campaign.

No. 11/12 Kansas (16-5, 5-3) hits the road for the Dillons Sunflower Showdown at Kansas State (16-5, 6-2), Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 8 p.m. (Central) on ESPN. Kansas State and Baylor currently hold a half-game lead in the Big 12 race with 6-2 league records. Kansas and Iowa State are tied for second at 6-3.

— KU Athletics —

Griffons upset Pitt State in overtime 95-87

Posted on February 2, 2019February 3, 2019

ST. JOSEPH – It took five extra minutes of basketball, but Missouri Western (10-12, 4-7 MIAA) picked up one of its best wins of the season on Saturday, outlasting Pittsburg State (14-7, 7-5 MIAA) for a 95-87 overtime win.

NOTABLES

Neither team could pull away in a back-and-forth first 11 minutes that featured seven lead changes.
Alex Martin’s put-back dunk sparked a 24-9 run that gave the Griffons their largest lead of the game at 14 points with 1:28 to play in the first half.
The Griffons held a 43-35 lead going into the intermission, limiting one of the top offenses in the MIAA to just 39 percent shooting.
Lavon Hightower had 16 points in the first half.
Tyrell Carroll knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the Missouri Western lead to six points with 2:17 remaining in the second half.
Tyus Millhollin’s three point attempt was no good on the Griffons’ final possession of regulation, giving the Gorillas the final possession with 23 seconds remaining.
Grant Lozoya, the MIAA’s leading scorer, missed the potential game-winner before the Gorillas’ tip-in layup rattled out, sending the game into overtime.
With 1:38 remaining in overtime, Hightower found Millhollin in the left corner for a game-sealing three.
The Griffons shot 11-of-14 from the free-line in overtime.
The 95 points scored by the Griffons is the programs’ most since a 97-57 win over Baptist Bible College on Dec. 14, 2014.
Saturday’s win gives Missouri Western its first MIAA home win.

LEADERS

Hightower set a new career-high with 33 points. His team-high 11 rebounds also gives Hightower his seventh double-double of the season.
Bryan Hudson scored 21 points, marking the ninth time in the last 10 games he has scored double-figures.
Millhollin and Carroll each added 14 points.
Lozoya finished with a game-high 35 points for Pittsburg State.

UP NEXT

The Griffons will travel to Lincoln (15-5, 8-3 MIAA) on Feb. 7.
Lincoln topped the Griffons 79-68 in the teams’ first meeting on Dec. 8.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 2 Bearcats roll past Missouri Southern 82-62

Posted on February 2, 2019February 3, 2019

MARYVILLE, Missouri – The No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat men’s basketball team improved to 21-0 on the year with an 82-62 triumph over the Missouri Southern State University Lions on Saturday at Bearcat Arena.

Northwest moves to 11-0 in the MIAA. Missouri Southern drops to 17-5 overall and 8-4 in the MIAA. Northwest holds a three-game lead in the MIAA standings over Lincoln (8-3) and Washburn (8-3).

The Bearcats turned a four-point halftime advantage into a 20-point win over the visiting Lions. Northwest shot 54.2 percent from the field, despite being limited to 4-of-13 shooting from three-point range. The Bearcats drained 14-of-15 free throws, while the Lions were 9-of-13 at the line.

Senior Joey Witthus teamed with a pair of freshmen to carry the offensive load for the Bearcats. Witthus tallied a game-high 28 points and grabbed 10 boards. Redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins secured 24 points and handed out a team-high four assists. True freshman Diego Bernard netted 16 points and was 6-of-6 at the free throw line.

Missouri Southern was led in scoring by Elyjah Clark with 22 points. Clark knocked in four three-pointers.

The Lions leapt out to an 8-0 lead 81 seconds into the contest. Northwest head coach Ben McCollum took a timeout and the Bearcats responded with an 11-2 run to give the home squad an 11-10 lead with 13:57 left in the opening half. The first half featured three ties and nine lead changes. The Lions final lead of the game came at 26-25 on a three-pointer from Clark with 4:27 remaining in the first half. Following a 31-31 tie, Northwest scored the final four points of the half on layups from Hudgins and Witthus to give the Bearcats a 35-31 lead at the break.

Northwest pushed its lead to double figures at 51-41 on a layup from Hudgins with 13:53 left in the game. Missouri Southern would get no closer the rest of the way. The Bearcats would lead by as many as 23 after a pair of free throws from Witthus gave Northwest a 79-56 advantage with 2:39 remaining in the game.

The Bearcats will travel to Lindenwood on Thursday. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. in St. Charles, Missouri.

NOTES: Northwest holds a 33-24 lead in the all-time series vs. Missouri Southern … Missouri Southern had won the previous two contests between the two schools … Northwest extended the nation’s longest win streak to 21 in a row … the Bearcats are a perfect 11-0 at home this season … Northwest is 83-5 over its last 88 home games … Northwest has won 15 consecutive MIAA games dating back to last season … it is the second-longest active conference winning streak in the nation … Northwest is 73-7 in its last 80 MIAA contests – which includes a mark of 39-1 in Bearcat Arena … Northwest is off to its third-best start in school history.

— Northwest Athletics —

Missouri Western women fall at home to Pittsburg State

Posted on February 2, 2019February 3, 2019

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western Women’s Basketball (10-10, 3-8 MIAA) went toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the MIAA in Pittsburg State (17-4, 9-3 MIAA) on Saturday. The Griffons led for nearly half of the game, but fell 79-68 at home.

NOTABLES

The Griffons had one of their best offensive starts of the season on Saturday. The Griffons outscored Pitt State 23-16 in the first quarter, shooting 50 percent from the field.
The second quarter was much of the same offensively for the Griffons, as the team added 21 more points to take a 44-41 lead into halftime.
Katrina Roenfeldt led all players in scoring with 13 points at the half.
The Gorillas took their first lead of the game two minutes into the third quarter.
Pitt State outscored the Griffons 13-2 to open up the second half, holding the Griffons without a field goal for the first 3:47 of the half.
KeShara Scott pulled the Griffons within one possession at 57-55 near the end of the third.
The Gorillas outscored the Griffons 19-12 to pull away in the final quarter.
Missouri Western scored 24 points in the second half compared to 44 in the first half.
The Griffons shot an efficient 7-for-17 from three in the loss.

LEADERS

Roenfeldt led all players with 20 points. It was her seventh game of the season with at least 20 points.
Melia Richardson was the team’s second-leading scorer with 14 points.
Brittany Atkins added nine points with a team-high four assists.

UP NEXT

Missouri Western Women’s Basketball will travel to Lincoln (9-11, 1-10 MIAA) for its next game.
The Griffons topped the Blue Tigers 62-61 at home in the teams’ first meeting when Melia Richardson sank the game-winner in the final seconds.

— MWSU Athletics —-

Northwest women lose to Missouri Southern on buzzer beater

Posted on February 2, 2019February 3, 2019

The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team fell to Missouri Southern 61-58 on a buzzer beater three-pointer by Chelsey Henry.

Northwest fell victim to poor shooting again shooting only 26.8 percent from the field.

The Bearcats were led in scoring by Jaelyn Haggard with 16. Mallory McConkey added 14 and Kaylani Maiava had 12. Mallory McConkey also had 18 rebounds, which is tied for eighth in school history. Northwest outrebounded Missouri Southern 39-36.

Missouri Southern was led in scoring by Chelsey Henry with 24. Chasidee Owens added 11 and Krista Clark scored 10. Jorda Schoenberger led the Lions in rebounds with six. The Lions shot 44 percent from the field.

Northwest will play again Thursday at Lindenwood in St. Charles, Mo. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Chiefs QB Mahomes takes MVP and top offensive player awards

Posted on February 2, 2019February 2, 2019

ATLANTA (AP) — Patrick Mahomes’ breathtaking breakthrough season earned him the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award.

The Chiefs quarterback landed a pair of honors at NFL Honors on Saturday night, taking The Associated Press 2018 MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards. In his second pro season, Mahomes led Kansas City to its first AFC title game since 1993 with some of the most creative and clutch plays the league has seen in years.

“I’m so humbled,” he said. “This is just the beginning. We’ve got a long ways to go.

“It is an honor. It’s a hard award to win. The next award I hope I can get is the Super Bowl.”

Mahomes received 41 votes from a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the league. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees got the other nine.

With only one previous start, Mahomes entered the season as something of a curiosity in Kansas City after the Chiefs traded veteran Alex Smith to open up the job. It didn’t take long to erase any doubts as Mahomes led the Chiefs to their first AFC title game since the 1993 season, throwing for 50 touchdowns, 5,097 yards and had a 113.8 QB rating, trailing only Brees.

Mahomes’ ingenuity — the guy can throw from all angles and make plays inside and outside the pocket — energized the Chiefs’ fan base and excited fans across the league.

“The play is never dead. He can find new ways to get you the ball,” Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce said. “It may look like a screwball, a slider here or there, but it’ll get to you eventually.”

Mahomes is the sixth straight quarterback and 11th of the past 12 years to win MVP. No Kansas City player had won the award since the Chiefs joined the NFL in 1970.

Earlier, he was selected as the top offensive player, beating Brees 30 votes to 16.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s awesome … I got put into a great situation,” he said. “I got to learn behind a great quarterback in Alex Smith. I got to be on a team with a lot of playmakers who helped me excel my game and make me look really good on a daily basis. And, then, to be able to go out there and win football games in front of a passionate fan base is something I get the luxury of doing.”

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who will play in Sunday’s Super Bowl against New England, took his second straight Defensive Player of the Year award.

Donald, the only unanimous All-Pro this season and the first Rams player selected for top defensive honor, joins Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt as players to win the award in back-to-back seasons. Donald led the NFL with 20½ sacks.

“Any time you put a body of work into it and then it pays off,” Donald said, “and you’re rewarded for it, it means a lot. It’s a blessing.”

Chicago’s Matt Nagy, in his first season with the Bears, was voted Coach of the Year.

Nagy has overseen the development of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who blossomed in his second pro season, and saw a defense befitting the “Monsters of the Midway” dominate opponents at times. He is the fifth Bears coach to win the award, joining team founder George Halas (1963, 1965), Mike Ditka (1985, 1988), Dick Jauron (2001) and Lovie Smith (2005).

“It’s crazy to think this is one person, so for me, it’s being a part of this organization and for our players,” Nagy said. “Just being able to believe in what we wanted to do with our culture and then follow through with it.”

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was chosen the Comeback Player of the Year, following a lost 2017 season to a shoulder injury with a sensational 2018 campaign.

“I truly believe there are players on every team, every roster that could be Comeback Player of the Year in their own ways,” he said. “Honestly, the best part was playing football again — having fun playing football and being pain free.”

Giants running back Saquon Barkley was the top offensive rookie, while the defensive rookie award went to Indianapolis linebacker Darius Leonard.

Described by some as a “generational running back,” Barkley rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns behind a weak New York offensive line. He drew 26½ votes and edged Baker Mayfield. The Cleveland quarterback who was selected first overall in the draft, one spot in front of Barkley, earned 21½ votes.

Barkley also made a team-high 91 receptions for 721 yards, and his 2,028 yards from scrimmage led the NFL.

For his work as defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, Vic Fangio got the head coaching gig in Denver. He also won The Associated Press 2018 NFL Assistant Coach of the Year Award on Saturday.

Philadelphia Eagles DE Chris Long won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for community service.

“I don’t know, I’m very humbled,” Long said. “It’s hard to feel deserving with those guys on stage and, obviously, this guy right here on the statue. It’s a very heavy statue and it makes sense because his legacy is immense. I’m just honored.”

— Associated Press —

Trotter gets win No. 600 as Missouri Western goes 2-0 Saturday

Posted on February 2, 2019February 2, 2019

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Griffon Softball (3-1) avoided a late scare from the host school to end the final day of the Kelly Laas Memorial Invite with a 9-8 win over St. Cloud State (1-1).

Missouri Western looked like it was going to cruise to its second win of the day after scoring six runs in the top of the sixth to take a 9-2 lead, but the Huskies answered with six runs of their own in the bottom half of the sixth. Starter Kenzie Hilzer re-entered with no outs in the sixth and MWSU leading by one. She retired three of the next four and worked around some trouble in the seventh to get her first win of the season.

NOTABLES

Griffon batters combined for 13 hits in the game after totaling 19 through the first three games of the season
The Griffons got three in the first after the first five Griffs reached base in the game
Missouri Western really turned on the offense in the sixth, batting around in an inning that included six runs on five hits
After retiring the first two batters in the seventh, Hilzer hit a batter then gave up a double
With runners on second and third, Hilzer walked the next batter to load the bases with two out
She coaxed a ground out to second to secure the win

LEADERS

Morgan Frost went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored
Shelby Uhl broke out for two hits, two RBIs and two runs
Gabi Carter continued her hot start, driving in two
Emma Hoffart also had a good weekend at the plate, going 2-for-4 in game two with an RBI
Lauren Houston was 2-for-4 with a stolen base
Hilzer struck out six in seven innings of work. She allowed two earned runs on six hits

UP NEXT

The Griffons travel to Bentonville, Arkansas next weekend
Missouri Western will play four games over two days in the Arkansas-Monticello DII Challenge, beginning with Arkansas Tech and Ouachita Baptist on Feb. 9.

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri Western women fall at home to Pittsburg State

Posted on February 2, 2019February 3, 2019

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western Women’s Basketball (10-10, 5-6 MIAA) went toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the MIAA in Pittsburg State (17-4, 9-3 MIAA) on Saturday. The Griffons led for nearly half of the game, but fell 79-68 at home.

NOTABLES

The Griffons had one of their best offensive starts of the season on Saturday. The Griffons outscored Pitt State 23-16 in the first quarter, shooting 50 percent from the field.
The second quarter was much of the same offensively for the Griffons, as the team added 21 more points to take a 44-41 lead into halftime.
Katrina Roenfeldt led all players in scoring with 13 points at the half.
The Gorillas took their first lead of the game two minutes into the third quarter.
Pitt State outscored the Griffons 13-2 to open up the second half, holding the Griffons without a field goal for the first 3:47 of the half.
KeShara Scott pulled the Griffons within one possession at 57-55 near the end of the third.
The Gorillas outscored the Griffons 19-12 to pull away in the final quarter.
Missouri Western scored 24 points in the second half compared to 44 in the first half.
The Griffons shot an efficient 7-for-17 from three in the loss.

LEADERS

Roenfeldt led all players with 20 points. It was her seventh game of the season with at least 20 points.
Melia Richardson was the team’s second-leading scorer with 14 points.
Brittany Atkins added nine points with a team-high four assists.

UP NEXT

Missouri Western Women’s Basketball will travel to Lincoln (9-11, 1-10 MIAA) for its next game.
The Griffons topped the Blue Tigers 62-61 at home in the teams’ first meeting when Melia Richardson sank the game-winner in the final seconds.

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri snaps three-game skid with win against Vanderbilt

Posted on February 2, 2019

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jeremiah Tilmon scored 19 points and Missouri fended off a second-half comeback attempt to defeat Vanderbilt 77-67 Saturday night.

As the contest crept under four minutes with Vanderbilt down just five points, Missouri freshman Torrence Watson drilled a 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring. Jordan Geist knocked down a trey of his own on the next possession to put the Tigers up by 68-59.

Missouri (11-9, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) set the tone on offense in the first half, shooting 48.4 percent from the field. Tilmon and three Missouri freshmen — Watson, Javon Pickett and Xavier Pinson — led the charge, scoring 29 of the Tigers’ 37 first-half points. Tilmon compiled his highest points total since Dec. 18, when he scored 23 against Xavier.

Vanderbilt (9-12, 0-8) struggled in the first half, shooting just 34.8 percent and missing all 10 of its 3-point attempts. But a couple of hot stretches — including a mid-half 11-0 run to cut Missouri’s lead to three — helped the Commodores stay close down the stretch.

Aaron Nesmith scored 19 points and Saben Lee added 15 for Vanderbilt. But those were the only two who could find rhythm, and the Commodores couldn’t produce enough offense to complete the comeback.

The Tigers entered the contest averaging 17 turnovers per game in conference play. But Missouri gave the ball up just nine times against Vanderbilt. Its first turnover did not come until the 6:08 mark in the first half. The Tigers now move to 8-0 this season when committing fewer turnovers than their opponent.

BIG PICTURE

Vanderbilt: Chalk this one up as another close loss in the midst of a nasty nine-game losing streak for the Commodores. After starting the season 9-3, Vanderbilt is having a difficult time finding ways to win.

Missouri: It wasn’t easy, but the Tigers took care of business in a game they needed to win. Missouri had lost six of its previous seven games, so a victory against the conference cellar-dweller was crucial.

UP NEXT

Vanderbilt stays on the road to face Arkansas on Tuesday.

Missouri visits No. 1 Tennessee on its home court Tuesday.

— Associated Press —