We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Category: Sports

No. 9 KU outlasts 24th-ranked Oklahoma State to stay perfect in Big 12

Posted on

riggertKULAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Just about the only thing that Kansas coach Bill Self liked about the ninth-ranked Jayhawks’ 67-57 victory over No. 24 Oklahoma State on Tuesday night was the outcome.

More from ESPN.com

Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre are developing at the right time for Kansas, Myron Medcalf writes. Story

Not their shot selection. Or their ball movement. Or even their poise.

Certainly not the fact that the teams combined for 71 fouls, creating a choppy affair that could have bled beyond 3 hours had the Cowboys managed to force overtime.

“It was a hard game to play. A hard game to coach. Probably a harder game to officiate,” Self said. “Good thing I didn’t drink a lot of water at halftime. I would have been in trouble.”

Frank Mason III had 16 points and nine rebounds to lead the Jayhawks (14-2), who moved to 3-0 in league play for the ninth straight. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 14 points, getting to the foul line 12 times as the Jayhawks finished 32 of 46 on free throws.

“It was just a lot of stop and go,” the Cowboys’ Michael Cobbins said. “In basketball, it’s hard to get into a rhythm when it’s stop and go, stop and go.”

Oklahoma State (12-4, 2-2) was still within 61-55 with 1:48 remaining, but Mason made two of his nine free throws and Devonte’ Graham added two more moments later to put the game away.

Le’Bryan Nash scored all but two of his 21 points in the second half to lead the Cowboys. Phil Forte scored all but two of his 18 points in the first half before hurting his right leg in the second, forcing the sharpshooting guard to spend long stretches on the bench.

“It’s almost like an uphill battle when we’re getting called for as many fouls as we were getting called for,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. “It was a hard-fought game.”

The rivalry between Kansas and Oklahoma State has become perhaps the most heated in the Big 12 over the past few years, picking up steam during a couple of fracases last season.

Nothing appeared to have changed Tuesday night.

After a physical first few minutes, Cliff Alexander was hit with the game’s first technical foul after he posterized Oklahoma State’s Anthony Allen with a dunk. Alexander flexed his biceps toward the scorer’s table and the freshman was immediately given the foul.

Forte knocked down two of his nine first-half free throws to give Oklahoma State a 14-7 lead.

The dunk seemed to energize the Jayhawks, though. Alexander made his own free throw to finish a three-point play, kicking off a 17-2 run over the next six-plus minutes.

During that stretch, Nash bumped Oubre after a dead ball, and the Jayhawks’ Jamari Traylor intervened, trigging a brief dust-up in front of the Kansas bench that had coaches from both teams dragging players away. Nash and Traylor both got technicals, making three in the first 8 minutes.

By the time the first half finally ended, the Jayhawks had emerged with a 32-28 advantage.

The foul-fest continued in the second half, but the Jayhawks slowly stretched their lead to 55-44 midway through. And while the game threatened to devolve into a battle of attrition, Kansas — despite its shorter bench — held tight to its lead the rest of the way.

“We missed a ton of easy shots around the rim, a ton of jump shots we normally make,” Mason said. “I think getting out in transition and getting easy baskets, that was the key for us.”

BENCH BONZANZA

Kansas may have the shorter bench, but it was also more productive. The Jayhawks had a 20-3 advantage in points from reserves, despite playing only nine guys. Oklahoma State played 12.

FORTE OK

Ford said that Forte, the Big 12’s leading scorer, should be fine after banging up his right leg. Forte’s only points in the second half came on jumper with 2:34 remaining.

TIP-INS

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys have won just two of the last 10 meetings with Kansas. … This was the first time in five matchups the outcome was decided by more than seven points.

Kansas: Mason was in double-figures scoring for the 13th straight game. … The Jayhawks won their 17th straight game at Allen Fieldhouse. … Kansas has held each of its first three Big 12 opponents below 60 points.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State visits No. 18 Oklahoma on Saturday to open this season’s Bedlam Series.

Kansas heads to No. 11 Iowa State on Saturday in a matchup of unblemished Big 12 records.

— Associated Press —

Royals give manager Ned Yost contract extension

Posted on

YostDAVE SKRETTA, AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The AL champion Royals and Ned Yost have agreed on a one-year contract extension that will keep the manager with the franchise through the 2016 season.

Yost said after leading the Royals to an improbable pennant last season that he hoped to manage a few more years. His contract had been set to expire after the 2015 season.

Yost became the Royals’ manager in May 2010 and presided over a massive rebuilding effort that culminated with the end of a 29-year playoff drought. The Royals took the San Francisco Giants to the seventh game of the World Series before their season finally ended.

The longest-tenured manager in club history, Yost will soon become its winningest. He has 373 victories, trailing only Dick Howser (404) and Whitey Herzog (410).

Ohio State is No. 1; Mizzou, KSU finish top 20 in final AP Top 25 football poll

Posted on

Screen Shot 2015-01-13 at 5.34.34 AMRALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Football Writer
Ohio State is No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll and TCU finished third, in front of two teams that made the playoff ahead of the Horned Frogs.

The Buckeyes finished on top of the AP Top 25 for the fifth time in program history, matching Miami and Southern California for fourth most behind Alabama (nine), Notre Dame (eight) and Oklahoma (seven).

Ohio State beat Oregon 42-20 on Monday night in the first College Football Playoff national championship game and got all 59 first-place votes in the media poll.

The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, final records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:

Record Pts Pv
1. Ohio St. (59) 14-1 1,475 5
2. Oregon 13-2 1,402 3
3. TCU 12-1 1,349 6
4. Alabama 12-2 1,297 1
5. Florida St. 13-1 1,212 2
5. Michigan St. 11-2 1,212 7
7. Baylor 11-2 1,098 4
8. Georgia Tech 11-3 1,071 10
9. Georgia 10-3 925 13
10. UCLA 10-3 908 14
11. Mississippi St. 10-3 767 8
12. Arizona St. 10-3 756 15
13. Wisconsin 11-3 724 17
14. Missouri 11-3 710 16
15. Clemson 10-3 683 18
16. Boise St. 12-2 653 21
17. Mississippi 9-4 543 9
18. Kansas St. 9-4 509 11
19. Arizona 10-4 499 12
20. Southern Cal 9-4 315 24
21. Utah 9-4 302 23
22. Auburn 8-5 216 19
23. Marshall 13-1 161 NR
24. Louisville 9-4 116 20
25. Memphis 10-3 94 NR
Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 28, Stanford 27, Nebraska 22, Air Force 21, Duke 18, LSU 12, Utah St. 11, Arkansas 10, Minnesota 9, Oklahoma 7, Texas A&M 7, N. Illinois 4, Colorado St. 2.

MWSU’s Bishop, Jordan Among Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Honorees

Posted on

MWSUST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon Softball’s Jackie Bishop and Griffon Football’s Michael Jordan will receive Special Achievement Awards from the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame during an enshrinement ceremony on Jan. 25.

This award is to recognize student athletes that have received an award or accolade on the National level. This award individually is primarily given only to those athletes of First Team All-American honor.  They will be receiving personalized plaques distinguishing the award.

Bishop completed her record-breaking career with the Griffons last spring. The Kirksville, Mo. native was a First Team NFCA All-American and Second Team Daktronics All-American pitcher in 2014. She was also named the MIAA Pitcher of the Year and the Central Region Pitcher of the year. Bishop was a three-time First Team All-MIAA selection and left MWSU as the school’s all-time leader in wins (96), strikeouts (977), innings pitched (828.0), appearances (142) complete games (105) and shutouts (29). She also set single-season marks for strikeouts (291) and shutouts (12) and was an integral member of a senior class that went 159-62 in its time dawning the Black and Gold. She finished with a career record of 26-10 with a 1.36 ERA and was also named the MWSU Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2014.

Jordan wrapped up his junior season with plenty of hardware. The defensive back was named First Team AFCA All-American and Third Team AP Little All-American. The St. Louis native was also a First Team All-MIAA selection for the second straight year along with being named to the Don Hansen All-Super Retion 3 second team and the Daktronics All-Super Region 3 second team. Jordan led the MIAA with 16 passed defended and tied for the league lead with four interceptions.

The 2015 Enrshrinement Ceremony and Banquet will be held Jan. 25 at the University Plaza Convention Center in Springfield, Missouri. Along with Bishop and Jordan, longtime Griffon supporter and member of the MWSU Ahtletics Hall of Fame, Bob Roth, will be enshrined as a member of the 2015 Missouri Sports Hall of Fame class.

— Wayne State Sports Information —

Missouri Western’s Jefferson named MIAA Player of the Week

Posted on

MWSUAn unbelievable week by Missouri Western Women’s LaQuinta Jefferson has earned the junior guard MIAA Women’s basketball Athlete of the Week honors.

Jefferson scored 88 total points, averaging more than 29 points per game through three games this past week.

The Murfreesboro, Tennessee native shot 51 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range through games at Nebraska-Kearney; at home against No. 1 Emporia State and No. 5 Pittsburg State. Her 40 points at UNK last Monday were an MWSU single-game record.

She now leads the MIAA, averaging 22.1 points per game.,

— MWSU Sports Information —

KSU’s Snyder participates in college football’s title game

Posted on
KSU coach Bill Snyder on the field prior to Monday's Oregon -Ohio State game
KSU coach Bill Snyder on the field prior to Monday’s Oregon -Ohio State game- courtesy photo

ARLINGTON, TX -Kansas State coach Bill Snyder, Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and others selected for induction to the College Football Hall of Fame were introduced and participated in the coin toss prior to the College Football National Championship game between Ohio State and Oregon.

For decades the champion of major college football was decided by polls and then the Bowl Championship Series. Monday, for the first time, the title was decided in the final game of a four-team playoff won by Ohio State 42-20.

Kansas, Wichita State move up in AP Top 25

Posted on

Screen Shot 2015-01-12 at 3.02.16 PM

The Associated Press

 

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Jan. 11, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:

Record Pts Prv
1. Kentucky (63) 15-0 1,623 1
2. Virginia (2) 15-0 1,561 3
3. Gonzaga 16-1 1,446 6
4. Duke 14-1 1,432 2
5. Villanova 15-1 1,358 8
6. Louisville 14-2 1,264 5
7. Wisconsin 15-2 1,200 4
8. Utah 13-2 1,185 9
9. Kansas 13-2 1,100 12
10. Arizona 14-2 1,037 7
11. Iowa St. 12-2 922 17
12. Notre Dame 15-2 903 13
13. Wichita St. 14-2 832 15
14. Maryland 15-2 801 11
15. North Carolina 12-4 719 18
16. West Virginia 14-2 627 14
17. VCU 13-3 578 20
18. Oklahoma 11-4 485 16
19. Arkansas 13-2 431 23
20. Texas 12-4 345 10
21. Seton Hall 13-3 298 19
22. Baylor 12-3 278 21
23. N. Iowa 14-2 212 —
24. Oklahoma St. 12-3 132 —
25. Wyoming 15-2 71 —

Others receiving votes: Ohio St. 70, Michigan St. 67, Dayton 55, Providence 17, Indiana 15, LSU 12, St. John’s 10, Alabama 7, Georgetown 7, NC State 6, Green Bay 3, Syracuse 3, Butler 2, Oregon 2, San Diego St. 2, TCU 2, Colorado St. 1, Davidson 1, Hofstra 1, Old Dominion 1, SMU 1.

Missouri State falls at home to Illinois State

Posted on

riggertMissouriStateSPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Hunter hit 7 of 8 shots, including three 3-pointers, to score 17 points off the bench and lead Illinois State to a 69-55 win over Missouri State on Sunday.

Hunter had 12 points and MiKyle McIntosh had all 11 of his points as the Redbirds (10-6, 2-2 Missouri Valley) raced to a 49-27 lead at the half.

The Bears (8-8, 2-2) never got closer than 14 in the second half. Tyler McCullough was the leading scorer with 12 points and Marcus Marshall added 11.

With Hunter going 3 of 4 behind the arc, Illinois State was 9 of 15 but the Redbirds were only 11 of 35 from inside the line. Missouri State made just 1 of 13 treys and shot 36 percent for the game. The Bears were also outrebounded 39-29.

— Associated Press —

Petteway leads Nebraska past Illinois, 53-43

Posted on

NebraskariggertLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The story of Nebraska’s 53-43 win over Illinois Sunday is found in the numbers.

Illinois made just 15 of 55 shots, 27.3 percent, the lowest an opponent has shot against Nebraska since Tim Miles became the Cornhuskers’ coach in 2012. The Fightin’ Illini’s 43 points were the second fewest allowed by a Miles-coached Nebraska team.

“A big part of our offensive struggles, Nebraska deserves a lot of credit for that,” said Illinois coach John Gross. “Their defense is ranked in top 25 in the country for a reason when it comes to efficiency. I thought they were very difficult to score on tonight. I thought they defended very well. They did a great job.”

Nebraska forward David Rivers said the Husker defense worked as planned.

“We played pack defense and just executed what the coaches have been preaching to us all week,” Rivers said. “We were solid on defense packing it in, keeping it tight, trying to get the shooters the best we could. I think our screen-and-roll defense was good tonight and that was something we were working on.”

Nebraska (10-6, 2-2 Big Ten) built an 11-point lead midway through the second half and made 4 of 4 from the line in the final two minutes to seal the win. The Huskers shot and made just one free throw in the first 38 minutes of the game.

Illinois (11-6, 1-3) cut the Nebraska lead to six late in the game but struggled to hit shots. The Fightin’ Illini made just 15 of 55 shots and didn’t have a basket after the 3:14 mark until Aaron Cosby’s short jumper with :14 left.

Nebraska took the first double-digit lead of the game on Petteway’s 3-pointer that put the Huskers up 34-24 with 16:48 remaining. But Illinois’ Kendrick Nunn countered with a 3 on the next possession.

But the Illini fell behind 40-29 on Petteway’s layup with 11:06 left. Nebraska then went cold, hitting just one basket over a five-minute span. Leron Black’s dunk with 8:09 left capped a 6-2 Illinois spurt, cutting the lead to 42-36.

“We’re sitting there at one point, late in the game, 6, 7 minutes left, we’re holding them to 27 percent and we’re only up six,” Miles said. “I’m like `what do we got to do?’ You can’t play much better defense than that. It wasn’t like we were awful turning the ball over. We were shooting a decent percentage. But it was just one of those nights. Nobody’s going to the foul line. It’s going to be a tight game. I was proud of our team effort.”

Nebraska again pulled away, outscoring Illinois 7-2 in the next five minutes and taking a 49-38 lead on Petteway’s 3-pointer with 3:25 left. Illinois got no closer than eight the rest of the game.

Illinois, which didn’t lead after the 15:49 mark of the first half, put up 17 3-point shots in the first half and made just three, but Nebraska couldn’t take advantage of the poor shooting and led by just six at the half.

Shavon Shields had 11 points for Nebraska. Nunn and Malcolm Hill each had 10 for Illinois.

TIP INS

Illinois: The Illini played its second game without leading scorer and rebounder Rayvonte Rice. The senior guard, who was averaging 17 points and 7 rebounds a game, fractured a bone in his left hand Monday and underwent surgery Wednesday. He will be out for several weeks.

Nebraska: Avery Harriman, the seven-year-old son of Nebraska assistant Chris Harriman, joined Rivers and Shavon Shields at Nebraska’s post-game press conference. Avery, who has been battling leukemia, had no evidence of cancer in his second biopsy this week.

“For what he went through he is like — I mean he is little, but everybody can look up at what he has been through,” Rivers said. “He is big to the team, we are like a family. So it is big for everyone.”

UP NEXT

Illinois visits Northwestern Wednesday.

Nebraska visits Wisconsin Thursday.

— Associated Press —

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File