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Category: Sports

Small College Basketball Division II Classic and National Hall of Fame to return to St. Joseph

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Small College Basketball is excited to announce a return to St. Joseph, Missouri for the 2019 Small College Basketball Division II Classic, presented by Hillyard and the SCB National Hall of Fame Induction ceremony next November.

Formerly known as the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, SCB Division II Classic will return to the Civic Arena on Friday and Saturday, November 2-3, while the National Hall of Fame will now take place at the Missouri Theatre in St. Joseph, Missouri on Thursday, November 1.

“Missouri Western is proud to partner with Small College Basketball, Hillyard and the St. Joseph Convention & Visitors Bureau to bring the Small College Basketball Division II Classic back to Civic Arena in 2019,” said Missouri Western Director of Athletics Josh Looney. “The 2018 event proved to be NCAA Division II’s premier in-season men’s basketball tournament, highlighted by a national field and eight competitive games. We were very pleased with the economic impact of the event’s debut in St. Joseph and look forward to continuing to grow the tournament in our community.”

Tickets for the Hall of Fame Induction and Classic, featuring eight premier NCAA Division II basketball teams, will be available in the near future. The eight participating teams, along with match-ups and game times, will be announced in April.

The 2018 SCB Hall of Fame Classic had an estimated economic impact for the St. Joseph, Missouri community of $220,950.

“We’re excited to be back in St. Joseph for the 2019 Hall of Fame Induction and Small College Basketball Division II Classic,” said SCB Founder John McCarthy. “St. Joseph is a excellent fit for these events and we look forward to building upon our 2018 events and making them even better in 2019.

“We’re very grateful to Missouri Western State University and the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau for their partnership. It’s been a real pleasure to work with them. Additionally, and importantly, we’re excited and grateful to Hillyard for their continued partnership and we’re very thankful to the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association for providing the exemption for the SCB Division II Classic.”

This will mark the fourth Small College Basketball Classic and Hall of Fame, which began in 2016.

— MWSU Athletics —

Mizzou gets routed at Auburn 92-58

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AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Jared Harper scored 16 points while Chuma Okeke and Bryce Brown each had 14 to help Auburn snap a three-game losing streak with a 92-58 rout of Missouri Wednesday night.

Auburn (14-6, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) used a dominant second half to end the slide that sent the team tumbling out of the Top 25 following a six-week run in the Top 10. This one was actually close for the first 20-plus minutes.

Auburn matched its season-high with 41 3-point attempts and made 16 to help pick apart the league’s No. 2 scoring defense, especially after halftime.

Okeke had a career-high 12 rebounds and Brown made four 3-pointers.

Missouri (10-9, 1-6) got 15 points from Jeremiah Tilmon and 11 apiece from Jordan Geist and freshman Xavier Pinson, who made his first start. No. 2 scorer Mark Smith missed the game with an ankle injury.

Okeke scored 11 points in the final 7:32 of the first half to stake Auburn to a 34-31 lead that only grew when the rest of the team heated up, too.

Auburn’s offense snapped out of its funk for a 3-point flurry. Samir Doughty hit one 3 and Brown added two more, all in a 1:15 span, to push the lead to double digits for the first time.

Auburn made seven 3s in the first seven minutes after the half to help turn the game into a rout.

It was the most 3s Auburn had made since hitting 18 in the opener against South Alabama.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: Has dropped three straight and six of its last seven games. Made just nine shots in the second half (32 percent).

Auburn: Heated up after a lackluster first half to snap its three-game skid. Had plenty of empty seats after Auburn’s fall from No. 7 to unranked.

INJURED STARTERS

Auburn center Austin Wiley (lower right leg) and Missouri’s Smith (ankle) both remained out with injuries. Wiley has sat out the past four games but wasn’t wearing a boot on the bench. Smith, who has missed two games in a row, leads the SEC in 3-point percentage.

PURIFOY’S GAME

Danjel Purifoy had his best game since returning from an NCAA suspension that kept him out last season and the start of this one. He scored eight points and made two 3-pointers.

UP NEXT

Missouri hosts Vanderbilt Saturday night.

Auburn hosts in-state rival Alabama Saturday night.

— Associated Press —

Griffons picked fifth in MIAA preseason softball poll

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MIAA Preseason Softball Coaches Poll was released on Wednesday and Missouri Western is picked to finish fifth in the league in 2019.

The Griffons will begin the season looking to improve on a fifth place regular season finish in 2018. It was just the second time in 15 seasons the program finished with a record below .500. Experience should prove to be valuable for this year’s team, as the Griffons return seven players that started at least 20 games in the field from last season.

MIAA PRESEASON SOFTBALL COACHES POLL

Position School Total Votes 2018 Finish 2018 Record
1. Washburn (11) 162 1st 39-14, 23-3
2. Central Oklahoma (2) 151 3rd 34-22, 17-9
3. Central Missouri 141 2nd 30-22, 19-7
4. Northwest Missouri 133 4th 27-19, 16-10
5. Missouri Western 113 t-5th 25-29, 15-11
6. Northeastern State 111 t-5th 30-26, 15-11
7. Lindenwood 103 t-7th 30-22, 14-12
8. Emporia State (1) 93 t-7th 30-31, 14-12
9. Pittsburg State 65 9th 22-33, 12-14
10. Missouri Southern 58 11th 23-29, 10-16
11. Nebraska Kearney 57 10th 16-29, 11-15
12. Fort Hays State 46 t-12th 13-37, 8-18
13. Southwest Baptist 28 t-12th 18-33, 8-18
14. Lincoln 13 14th 5-43, 0-26

The 2019 season could also be a season of career milestones for Missouri Western head coach Jen Bagley Trotter. She enters her 18th season at MWSU just two wins shy of her 600th coaching victory, all coming at Missouri Western. Already the all-time coaching wins leader at Missouri Western, Bagley Trotter is 17 wins from becoming the MIAA’s all-time leader in the same category.

Among the team’s most notable returners is 2017 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year, Shelby Uhl. Uhl started all 54 games in centerfield as a junior, committing just one error with a .990 fielding percentage. She was the team’s most productive hitter with a .345 average, 61 hits, and 45 RBIs. Fellow outfielder Morgan Frost also returns for the Griffons. Frost started all 54 games in left and was the team’s second-leading hitter with 57 hits, including a team-high 15 doubles.

Gabi Carter and Lonnie Groves highlight the returners for the infield. Carter was one of four hitters on the team to hit over .300 with a .305 batting average. Meanwhile, Groves was second on the team with eight home runs as the team’s primary shortstop.

In the pitching circle, the Griffons return both of their primary starters from last year’s team in Kenzie Hilzer and Kaili Hinds. Hilzer will be coming off her sophomore season in which she was named All-MIAA Honorable Mention. Hilzer finished with a 14-14 overall record with a team-high 88 strikeouts.

Joining the Missouri Western pitching staff are transfers Lexi Kinnaird and Olivia Goodale. Kinnaird transfers to Missouri Western from NCAA Division I institution Wisconsin Green Bay, where she appeared in 23 games with 11 starts. Goodale comes to Missouri Western after pitching two seasons at Indian Hills Community College, finishing with a career record of 27-17 with a 2.16 ERA.

Missouri Western Softball will begin the 2019 season at the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament in St. Cloud, Minnesota this weekend. The Griffons will play four games over the weekend, beginning with a matchup with Minnesota State – Mankato on Feb. 1.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 11 Jayhawks fall at Texas for second straight loss

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Dylan Osetkowksi scored 16 points and Texas used stifling defense to snap a 10-game losing streak to No. 11 Kansas with a 73-63 win Tuesday night.

Jase Febres made three 3-pointers late in the second half as Texas fought off a late rally that saw the Jayhawks get within three points. Texas hadn’t beaten the Jayhawks since 2014.

Texas held Kansas’ leading scorer Dedric Lawson without a point in the first half, and the Jayhawks to their fewest points in a half this season. Just three days earlier, the Longhorns gave up 98 in a loss to Georgia in Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Back in the Big 12, Texas (12-9, 4-4) got a much-needed win that also knocked the Jayhawks (16-5, 5-3) out of first place. Kansas, which has won at least a share of the Big 12 title the last 14 years, has lost three of its last four and this week fell out of the Top 10 for the first time this season.

Ochai Agbaji led Kansas with 24 points.

Osetkowski, who had said Texas was at a “crossroads” after the Georgia loss, was a physical presence under the basket that Kansas couldn’t match as he bullied his way to the basket for layups and rebounds or kicked out cross-court passes for 3-pointers.

Kansas cut the lead to 48-45 before Febres made two 3-pointers two minutes apart for the cushion Texas needed. Febres made another with 1:22 left that put Texas up 63-56.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: Kansas looked befuddled early by Texas’ aggressive defense, which harassed the guards on the perimeter and denied the Jayhawks on just about every chance at getting close to the basket. Kansas’ 23 points in the first half was a season low, and the Jayhawks looked like they could get blown out until an 11-1 run late in the period. Kansas never cleaned up sloppy ball-handling that led to 13 turnovers, several of them coming in the second half.

Texas: Freshman forward Jaxson Hayes set the defensive tone with two blocks in the first two minutes and a soaring, two-handed dunk on the other end. Hayes leads the Big 12 in blocks and ranked first nationally among freshmen with 2.65 per game coming in. That sort of defensive effort could carry Texas a long way through the second half of the Big 12 schedule.

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts No. 16 Texas Tech on Saturday.

Texas plays at No. 20 Iowa State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska loses at home to No. 24 Wisconsin 62-51

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Brad Davison scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half and fueled No. 24 Wisconsin’s decisive surge in the second half of a 62-51 win over Nebraska on Tuesday night.

The Badgers (15-6, 7-3 Big Ten) won their fourth straight game, frittering away a big first-half lead before pulling away in the second.

The Cornhuskers (13-8, 3-7), playing their first game without injured forward Isaac Copeland, lost their fourth straight and sixth in eight games. Their 51 points were a season low, and they made just two field goals over the last 8 1/2 minutes.

Ethan Happ and Nate Reuvers scored 10 points apiece for Wisconsin.

Isaiah Roby, who moved from center to power forward in Copeland’s absence, had 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks for the Huskers. James Palmer had 14 points and Thomas Allen added 10.

Davison scored 10 points during an 18-4 run that turned Wisconsin’s 40-37 deficit into a 55-44 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left. Roby drove the length of the floor for a lay-in that ended a five-minute field-goal drought and cut the lead to nine points.

The Huskers, who trailed by as many as 14 in the first half, tied it at 32-all when Roby spun around Happ for a left-handed lay-in. Nebraska coach Tim Miles went to one knee and pumped his fist as the ball went through the hoop and Happ was called for a foul.

The Huskers were up 40-37 before the Badgers began their decisive surge and Nebraska went into a long stretch with no field goals.

BIG PICTURE

Wisconsin: Any road win is good, and the Badgers have won six of their last seven in Big Ten play. This one wasn’t particularly pretty at times, but Davison and others stepped up on a night Happ was held mostly in check.

Nebraska: The Huskers are a mess as they try to adjust to the loss of Copeland and a crisis of confidence. Their habit of going on long scoring droughts was made worse by the fact they outrebounded Wisconsin 45-37 and a whopping 18-8 on the offensive end, but only mustered seven second-chance points.

UP NEXT

Wisconsin: Hosts No. 21 Maryland on Friday.

Nebraska: Visits Illinois on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Missouri State wins in OT at Valparaiso

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VALPARAISO, Ind. – Missouri State junior Keandre Cook’s two free throws with 2.3 seconds left in overtime lifted the Bears past Valparaiso, 55-54, at Valpo Tuesday.

Cook led all players with 17 points for MSU (11-11, 5-4 MVC), while Jared Ridder added 13, and Josh Webster scored 12.

The home standing Crusaders (12-10, 5-4 MVC) were led by Javon Freeman with 12 and Bakari Evelyn with 11 points.

Cook scored Missouri State’s last four points in overtime to overcome a three-point deficit in the final two minutes of the extra period.

With a one-point lead on its final possession, Valparaiso ran the shot clock out for a violation, turning the ball back to the Bears with 12.7 seconds to go.

At the end of regulation, Cook penetrated deep into the Valpo defense, but could not get to the rim. After Daniel Sackey’s shot off the glass tied it for the Crusaders moments earlier, 49-49.

After being tied at the half, Missouri State opened its biggest lead of the night less than five minutes into the second period when Ridder dropped in his third 3-pointer of the game to push the visitors ahead 34-29.

Valparaiso answered with seven straight points to lead by two, but at the 11:33 mark, Ridder dropped in another triple, then made it a four-point play with the ensuing free throw to put the visitors back on top, 38-36.

The home side rallied with a 7-3 run of its own over the game’s next four-and-a-half minutes to lead 43-41 with Sackey scoring twice in the Crusader outburst.

But Cook retaliated for MSU with a 3-pointer from the right wing to give Missouri State a 44-43 advantage with 5:17 to go.

Neither team scored again until Jaume Sorolla hit a left-handed hook shot at the three-minute mark to put the home side up 45-44, and Deion Lavender added a pair of free throws to give the Crusaders a three-point advantage.

But once again, Cook had the answer, knocking down a contested triple at the 1:11 mark to knot the score, 47-47.

Ryan Kreklow gave Missouri State a lead briefly with a pair clutch foul shots with 35 seconds to go, but Valparaiso tied it 15 seconds later with on the late-game bucket by Sackey.

In an otherwise lackluster first half, Missouri State went on a 9-2 run over the last three minutes of the opening period to tie the game, 25-25, at the intermission.

Neither team led by more than three until Valparaiso used a 9-0 outburst to go from down 16-14 to a 23-16 lead over a three-minute span. Treys by Mileek McMillan and Bakari Evelyn sandwiched a traditional 3-point play by Javon Freeman to put the home side up by seven with 3:30 left before the break.

But Missouri State rallied late, getting four points from Jarred Dixon, a 3-pointer by Jared Ridder and a layup at the rim by Josh Webster at the horn down the stretch to even things up.

For the game, Missouri State shot 30.9 percent (17-of-55) from the field and 7-of-17 (.412) from long range. The Bears were out-rebounded 37-35, but converted 14-of-16 (.875) at the foul line.

Valpo made 38.8 (19-of-49) from the field, 4-of-12 (.333) from long range and 12-of-20 (.600) at the stripe.

The Bears wrap their two-game league road swing Saturday at UNI with a 7 p.m. tipoff from McLeod Center in Cedar Falls. Missouri State returns to JQH Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 6 to battle rival Southern Illinois in a regionally-televised showdown.

— Missouri State Athletics —

Chiefs, Missouri Western reach agreement to bring Training Camp back to St. Joe

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs and Missouri Western State University have reached an agreement that will keep the Chiefs in St. Joseph, Missouri, for training camp in 2019. It marks the 10th-consecutive year of Chiefs training camp at the home of the Griffons.

“After another outstanding season, excitement should be at an all-time high this summer when the Kansas City Chiefs return for their 10th training camp in St. Joseph,” Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president, said. “Thank you to Chiefs President Mark Donovan and Coach Andy Reid for continuing to embrace Missouri Western as their team’s summer training camp home. It truly is an honor. Hosting an NFL training camp is a team effort, and I’m grateful beyond words to everyone on campus and in the community that work together to make it a memorable experience for the fans.”

“Missouri Western State University has continued to deliver outstanding facilities and services for our annual training camp since we moved back to the state of Missouri prior to the 2010 season,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. “The university and the city of St. Joseph provide our team the unique ability to go away for camp, while also offering resources and amenities for fans throughout Chiefs Kingdom to have access to their favorite team. We are thankful to Missouri Western State University leadership, specifically MWSU President Dr. Robert Vartabedian and Director of Athletics Josh Looney, for their continued support. We are looking forward to another summer in St. Joseph later this year.”

In January 2018, the Chiefs and Missouri Western agreed to a contract extension that ensured training camp remained in St. Joseph in 2018 and provided both parties a mutual option for 2019. In the 2018 extension, the club and the university agreed to cost-reducing measures related to rental equipment and labor expenses to help drive down operating costs. Other conditions of the 2015 contract amendment and the original 2009 contract remain in place.

The Chiefs have held training camp on the campus of Missouri Western State University every year since 2010, when the club returned its training camp to the state of Missouri for the first time in 20 years. Of the five total training camp sites used throughout franchise history, the 10-year tenure in St. Joseph is the third-longest at any one location.

— Chiefs Press Release —

MWSU’s Dandridge, Basch earn Don Hansen All-America honors

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BROOKFIELD, Ill. – The Don Hansen Football Committee released the 2018 Don Hansen NCAA Div. II All-America Team on Tuesday, with Missouri Western’s Brandin Dandridge and Tyler Basch receiving honorable mention.

Dandridge was named honorable mention as a return specialist. Dandridge was the Griffons’ primary threat on special teams, averaging 13 yards per punt return with one touchdown and a season-long return of 58 yards. He was named Don Hansen First Team All-Region as a returner and was also named to the third team as a defensive back. At cornerback, Dandridge led the MIAA with 15 passes defended and was tied for second in the conference with four interceptions.

Basch receives honorable mention All-American at kicker after being named Don Hansen Second Team All-Region. In his senior season, Basch went 13-for-17 on field goal attempts, including an MWSU record-tying 58-yard field goal in the Agent Barry Live United Bowl on Dec. 1.

The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen, from Brookfield, Ill., started and published Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988. Don Hansen’s Football Gazette began selecting Division II All-Region squads in 2003.

— MWSU Athletics —

Tigers’ Cunningham named SEC Player of the Week

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) is the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week, announced by the conference office Tuesday. Cunningham averaged 23.5 points per game in Mizzou’s games against nationally-ranked Kentucky (Jan. 24) and Auburn (Jan. 27), and recorded her ninth career 30-point game Sunday.

Cunningham has now won a conference-leading 10 weekly honors in her career. This is the fourth time she has been named the SEC Player of the Week. In 2015-16, Cunningham earned a conference record six Freshman of the Week nods.

Cunningham scored 30 points and drained a season-high six three-pointers in Mizzou’s 74-65 win over Auburn Sunday, moving the Tiger senior moved into third-place on Mizzou’s all-time scoring list with 1,928 points. She surpassed Julie Helm, who scored 1,925 points from 1996-00. Cunningham also reached 200 made three-pointers in the game, becoming just the third player in Mizzou history to reach that mark.

Cunningham’s 30-point game was her second of the season, and the ninth of her career. She is the SEC’s only player this season to record multiple 30-point games, and now has the third-most 30-point games of any Mizzou player (nine), trailing only Renee Kelly’s 16 and Joni Davis’ 13. In Cunningham’s 30-point performances, Mizzou is 7-2 overall.

The Tiger senior also scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished two assists against Kentucky on Jan. 24. Cunningham was efficient in her shooting over the week, as she shot 51.9 percent from the field (14-for-27), 47.4 percent from three (9-for-19) and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (10-for-12).

Over her last four games, the two-time All-America Honorable Mention is averaging 23.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 85.0 percent (17-for-20) from the free throw line. On the season, Cunningham is leading the team in scoring (16.6 ppg) and assists (3.0 apg), while grabbing 5.9 rebounds per game.

After being the nation’s only player to shoot better than 54 percent from the field, 45 percent from three and 83 percent from the free throw line in 2017-18, Cunningham has been shooting efficiently once again this season. Cunningham is shooting 48.4 percent from the field (118-for-244), 40.2 percent from three (47-for-117) and 80.5 percent from the free throw line (82-for-105).

Mizzou returns to action on Monday, Feb. 6, when the Tigers head to LSU for a road contest in Baton Rouge, La. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

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