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Category: Sports

Griffons’ Colbert named MIAA Player of the Week

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MWSUMissouri Western senior guard Cortrez Colbert has been named the MIAA men’s basketball Athlete of the Week.

Colbert led all scorers in two games last week as he had 25 for the Griffons in a win over Northeastern State, and added 24 in a 62-57 loss to Central Oklahoma on Saturday.

For the week, the senior from Midwest City, Oklahoma, averaged 24.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 4.5 steals per game.

Colbert and Missouri Western are 5-5 on the season and 1-2 in the MIAA.  They’re off until January 3 when they play at Washburn.

No. 10 Kansas gets blown out at Temple 77-52

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riggertKUPHILADELPHIA (AP) — As he tried to recall some of the game’s most pivotal plays, Fran Dunphy called one shot “impossible” and shook his head in disbelief when recalling two others that somehow banked in.

Temple’s coach was as surprised as anyone by just how thoroughly his team dominated No. 10 Kansas.

Led by 19 points from Will Cummings and 18 from Quenton DeCosey, the Owls stunned Kansas with a 77-52 rout Monday night that snapped the Jayhawks’ eight-game winning streak.

Jesse Morgan added 17 points and keyed a dominant second-half performance from the Owls, who were swallowed up after the game by a sea of Temple fans rushing the court at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.

“I think we played about as well as we possibly could have,” Dunphy said. “It was our night.”

Frank Mason III scored 20 points for Kansas (9-2), which shot 32.1 percent from the field and committed 17 turnovers.

No one else on the Jayhawks hit double figures, and leading scorer Perry Ellis was held to five points on 1-for-10 shooting.

“We played tired,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “And we played like we were a half-step slow or even a full step slow, in my eyes.”

The win marked Temple’s first over Kansas since 1995 but continued an impressive streak for the Owls under Dunphy. Temple has beaten a top-25 team in each of the past eight seasons and has knocked off a top-10 team in six of the past seven seasons.

Temple’s last win over a top-10 team came against Syracuse at Madison Square Garden — two years ago to the day. Three seasons ago, when Cummings was as freshman, the Owls stunned Duke at the Wells Fargo Center.

“I really wanted it to happen again,” Cummings said. “I didn’t think the fans would rush the court again. It’s a great feeling for our fans to celebrate with us. It was a great crowd tonight, and we just wanted to give them something to celebrate.”

The Owls (8-4), who have won four of their past five, shot a blistering 58.3 percent from the field, including 69.2 percent in the second half.

Plagued by turnovers and poor shot selection, the Jayhawks never led. They cut a 10-point deficit to six after halftime, but the Owls went on a 26-9 run to build a 61-38 lead midway through the second half.

The stunning spurt was capped by back-to-back 3-pointers and a three-point play from Morgan, who made his second appearance for the Owls after transferring from UMass and sitting out the first semester due to NCAA eligibility rules.

The Owls have won two straight and outscored their opponents by an average of 22.5 points since Morgan and fellow transfer Devin Coleman (Clemson) made their Temple debuts.

Coleman added five points and hit a reverse layup to put Temple ahead by 25 with seven minutes left.

“Those two guys are great scorers,” Cummings said. “You can put the ball in their hands and trust them. That takes a lot of weight off my shoulders.”

After the game, Self said he was “very impressed” watching Temple’s guards drive through the lane almost at will and make a flurry of very tough baskets. But the Kansas coach was mostly disappointed his team couldn’t combat that by executing its own offense.

Kansas struggled right from the opening tip, missing nine of its first 10 shots to fall behind 12-2 about seven minutes into the game. Things didn’t get much better for the Jayhawks the rest of the first half, either.

After a few Temple played jumped on the floor to corral a loose ball, Texas transfer Jaylen Bond electrified the crowd with a one-handed slam that put the Owls ahead 22-10 with 9:46 left.

The Owls led by as many as 14 before two 3-pointers by Mason in the final minute cut Temple’s lead to 35-25 at halftime.

“They were so much better than us,” Self said. “It wouldn’t have mattered how much energy we had. They were far superior tonight.”

Temple and Villanova are a combined 3-0 at the Wells Fargo Center this season, while the 76ers are 0-14.

—

TIP-INS

Kansas: The Jayhawks had their three-game winning streak against Temple snapped. They still lead the overall series 8-4. … The Jayhawks committed 13 turnovers in the first half, matching their season average for a single game.

Temple: For the fourth straight time they’ve played at the Wells Fargo Center, the Owls took the subway to the game from their North Philadelphia campus. … The Owls hit 12 free throws in the first half, while the Jayhawks didn’t make any.

WISE MAN

When asked if he ever could have expected Temple to beat a top-10 team this season after the Owls lost three of their first seven games, Cummings smiled and nodded.

“Yes,” he said. “Coach Dunphy told us it was going to happen.”

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts Kent State next Tuesday.

Temple hosts Delaware State on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

MWSU Board of Governors approves Spratt Stadium architect

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MWSUThe Board of Governors at Missouri Western State University has approved the selection of Ellison-Auxier LLC to provide architectural and design services on the Spratt Stadium project.

Jeff Ellison of Ellison-Auxier provided some preliminary conceptual drawings and layouts for fundraising efforts and the public announcement of the plan to make approximately $7.8 million in improvements to Spratt Stadium, including the construction of a new concourse, concessions are, restrooms, club level (including suites) and press box on the home side.

In moving beyond the preliminary phase, board policy requires that the university issue a Request for Qualifications on projects over $1 million. Five architectural firms responded to the RFQ, which was issued Dec. 1. A selection committee comprised of two governing board members and six university administrators reviewed the proposals and voted 8-0 to recommend Ellison-Auxier based on:

·         Prior experience working with similarly sized institutions.
·         Significant prior experience with building design on Missouri Western’s campus and with all aspects of the university’s facilities, grounds and fiscal constraints.
·         Direct experience with similarly sized stadium renovation projects, in particular Northwest Missouri State University’s football stadium renovation.

Ellison-Auxier can now move forward to finalize design plans and prepare bid specifications.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri State rallies to defeat Oral Roberts Monday

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riggertMissouriStateSPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Camyn Boone scored only six points but hit a pair of clutch buckets and Missouri State collared four defensive boards late to fend off an Oral Roberts upset bid 52-45 on Monday night.

The Bears (6-6) made up a 10-point gap in the second half to defeat the Golden Eagles (4-7) for the second time in a week, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Marcus Marshall led the Bears with 16 points — 4 of 14 from the field but 7 of 9 at the line. Loomis Gerring added 10 points.

Oral Roberts never trailed in the first half, leading 31-21 at intermission, but made only four field goals after. The Golden Eagles still closed to 46-45 until Boone hit a jumper. ORU missed five shots, including four 3-point attempts, with Missouri State vacuuming all the rebounds.

Boone dunked with 33 seconds left and Marshall closed it at the line.

— Associated Press —

K-State’s Finney Accepts Invitation to East-West Shrine Game

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by RYAN LACKEY Assistant Director-K-State Athletics Communications

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior center B.J. Finney will participate in the 90th East-West Shrine Game on January 17, 2015, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The game will kick off at 3 p.m. (CT) and be televised by powercatNFL Network.

 

Finney, who has started all 51 career games at K-State, is the first Wildcat to play in the game since Tysyn Hartman following the 2011 season. He joins Tyler Lockett (Senior Bowl) as K-State seniors who are playing in postseason all-star games, but more could be announced at a later date.

 

The 2014 Big 12 Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year, Finney was a Rimington Trophy finalist as the nation’s top center and a First Team All-Big 12 selection. He also earned All-America honors from USA Today (second team), Athlon (third team) and Sports Illustrated (honorable mention).

 

Finney is one of just three players in school history to earn all-conference honors in four consecutive seasons as he has been named a first-team member each of the last three years. He is the first offensive lineman in school history and the fifth player overall to be named a team captain three times.

 

No. 11 Kansas State (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) will take on No. 14 UCLA (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12) in the 2015 Valero Alamo Bowl on Friday, January 2, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The game kicks off at 5:45 p.m., and will be televised nationally by ESPN. The game can also be heard across the K-State Sports Network and will be carried nationally on ESPN Radio.

Fans can order tickets through the K-State Athletics Ticket office online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets or by phone at 1-800-221-CATS. Fans are strongly encouraged to order through K-State’s official allotment to ensure that all Wildcat fans are seated in the official K-State sections of the stadium.

 

Oubre Named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week

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Obre- University of Kansas Athletics
Kelly Obre, Jr.,-  Photo-University of Kansas Athletics

University of Kansas Athletics

IRVING, Texas – Kansas men’s basketball freshman Kelly Oubre, Jr., has been named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, in a vote by a media panel, the conference office announced Monday.

Oubre is the first Jayhawk to capture newcomer accolades in 2014-15 after Kansas defeated Lafayette, 96-69, in its only game of the week. The New Orleans guard made his second start of the season and recorded his first career double-double with career-bests in points (23) and rebounds (10). Oubre was 9-of-15 (.600) from the field, including 4-of-7 (.571) from three-point range and added one steal in 25 minutes of action against the Leopards. Oubre is averaging 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in his last three outings.

Oubre’s selection marks the 33rd time a Jayhawk has been named Big 12 Newcomer/Rookie of the Week. Last season, KU had three different players earn newcomer of the week honors with Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid and Tarik Black. Earlier this season, KU junior Perry Ellis was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Dec. 1.

No. 10/10 Kansas (9-1) takes its eight-game winning streak into a road non-conference battle at Temple (7-4) on Monday, Dec. 22, at 6 p.m. (Central) on ESPN2. The game will be played at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.

Chiefs lose at Pittsburgh 20-12; playoff hopes still alive

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riggertChiefsPITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers spent two years rebuilding themselves on the fly, a necessary process that frequently looked more erratic than inspiring.

Consider the project nearly complete. The surging Steelers are heading back to January.

Ben Roethlisberger passed for 220 yards and a touchdown, Le’Veon Bell added a score and the Steelers locked up a postseason berth with a methodical 20-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

“It was such a sense of urgency this week, knowing what was at stake,” defensive end Cameron Heyward said. “I just thought we answered the challenge.”

Pittsburgh (10-5) faces Cincinnati next week for the AFC North title. Either way, the Steelers are in the playoffs for the first time since Tim Tebow and Denver stunned the defending AFC champions in the wild card round three years ago.

That group was on the tail end of a stretch that saw Pittsburgh put together three Super Bowl appearances in six years. This group is decidedly younger. The Steelers won their third straight and are 7-2 since an October loss at Cleveland left them at 3-3.

Those days suddenly seem long ago. Pittsburgh kept the Chiefs in check behind a resurgent pass rush energized by the return of James Harrison. The 36-year-old linebacker missed last week’s win over Atlanta with a knee problem. He returned to pick up 1.5 of Pittsburgh’s season-high six sacks.

“We’re headed in the right direction,” Harrison said.

The Chiefs? Not so much. Alex Smith passed for a season-high 311 yards, but Kansas City lost for the fourth time in five games. The Chiefs need to beat San Diego next week and get some help to make it back to the playoffs for a second straight year under Andy Reid.

Moving the ball wasn’t a problem. The Chiefs outgained the NFL’s top-ranked offense 327-288 but couldn’t seem to get the one momentum-turning play that mattered. Kansas City came in second in the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage only to see six drives into Pittsburgh territory end with four field goals by Cairo Santos, Jamaal Charles’ fumble and a fourth-down gamble late in the first half that fizzled.

“There are so many little things that happened,” Smith said. “They’re not big things, but just little stuff that gets magnified.”

That’s the case this time of year. And the Steelers, after a brief foray into 8-8 mediocrity in 2012 and 2013, are back playing their best football when the temperature drops. A roster that’s undergone a youth movement since a Super Bowl loss to Green Bay four years ago is growing up quickly, though with a few familiar faces leading the way.

The Steelers’ win also eliminated the Dolphins from the playoffs as the crowded AFC field thins. Pittsburgh heads into the final weekend of the regular season with a postseason spot assured. The only question now is the destination.

Roethlisberger wasn’t as dynamic as he’s been at times this season but led a pair of long touchdown drives. The second ended with a 3-yard strike to Antonio Brown that gave Pittsburgh a 17-6 lead late in the third quarter. Roethlisberger briefly went to the locker room with a right knee injury but returned after a Kansas City field goal to guide a 12-play, 70-yard march that ended with Shaun Suisham’s 23-yarder with 4:04 remaining to all but clinch it.

A team that struggled closing out opponents early in the year has won three straight, with each one featuring a dominant finishing kick.

“You can see us cutting down the mistakes,” Bell said.

Instead, the Chiefs flinched, though not for lack of imagination. Kansas City put together a successful fake field goal in the first half that extended a drive but didn’t lead to the end zone. Trailing 10-6 late in the half, the Chiefs drove to the Pittsburgh 12 and faced fourth-and-inches with 27 seconds to go.

Rather than opt for a chip-shot field goal that would have trimmed the deficit to a point, the Chiefs went for it. Charles was drilled by Lawrence Timmons behind the line of scrimmage, and when Will Allen piled on, the Steelers had the ball and the momentum with a postseason berth just 30 minutes away.

“When your back is to the wall, it shows what you’re about and what you stand for,” Timmons said. “That was huge for us.”

Game notes

Brown finished with seven receptions for 72 yards. He now has 122 catches on the season, the third-highest single-season total in league history. … Charles was held to 29 yards rushing on nine carries, his second-lowest total of the season. … Pittsburgh has won six straight games in December.

— Associated Press —

Griffons’ upset bid comes up short against Central Oklahoma

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MWSUBig free throws in the final seconds helped MIAA-leading Central Oklahoma hold off a comeback effort by the Missouri Western men’s basketball team Saturday in the MWSU fieldhouse.  UCO held off the Griffons for a 62-57 victory over MWSU.

A free throw from Western’s Cortrez Colbert tied the game at 57 with 1:15 remaining. It was the first time the Griffons had not trailed since the 6:22 mark of the first half. Missouri Western never took the lead and the Bronchos made five free throws down the stretch to complete the five-point victory.

The Griffons drop to 5-5 on the season and 1-2 in the MIAA.

A 14-1 run in the final 9:29 of the first half proved to be too much for Missouri Western. The Griffons led 15:13 with just 11 minutes to go before halftime. The Griffons scored just three points the rest of the half as Central Oklahoma scored 14 to take a 27-18 lead to the break. The Bronchos stretched the lead to 10 early in the second half but Missouri Western was able to claw back before ultimately coming up short.

The Griffons shot 39 percent from the field, 13 percent from three-point range and 73 percent from the line. They forced 22 UCO turnovers and had 13 steals. The Bronchos dominated the boards, outrebounding the Griffons by 10.

For the second straight game, Cortrez Colbert led all players with 24 points. Colbert also finished with four rebounds and five steals. Kevin Thomas finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Dareon Jones added 12 points and four rebounds.

Missouri Western will enjoy a break from action with their next game coming on Jan. 3 at Washburn.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcats win overtime thriller over Fort Hays State

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NWMSUBy David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. – In a game it never trailed in, Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team definitely would have preferred to beat Fort Hays State in regulation.

But the Bearcats showed their grit and resiliency to overcome blowing a 13-point lead late in the second half and pulling it together in overtime for an impressive 74-66 victory Saturday evening at Bearcat Arena.

Christmas will certainly be merry for the Bearcats and their enthusiastic fans who showed up for an instant MIAA classic. The win sent Northwest into Christmas break 8-2 overall and 2-1 in conference.

“It is always nice to go into our seven days off with a positive memory, going out with a win, especially a big win against Hays,” said Northwest senior guard Matt Wallace. “If you lose, it is on your mind Christmas Day, thinking, man, we dropped that one.”

Leading only 52-48 with 8:04 left in the game, Northwest put on a clinic of doing the right things to increase its lead. It started with a nice pass from freshman Justin Pitts that led to an easy layup by senior Grant Cozad.

On the next offensive possession, junior Conner Crooker went strong to the basket for a layup, making it 56-48. Sophomore Zach Schneider followed with three free throws after he was fouled on a three-point shot.

And with 3:44 left, Cozad scored on another layup after receiving a great pass from Schneider, making it 61-48.

“When you know you have shooters on the wings that can knock it down, it makes our offense run that much smoother,” Cozad said. “We get the ball moving and Pitts is a playmaker. He can drive in the lane and give our shooters on the wing open shots. That helps our inside-outside game that much more.”

The Bearcats looked like they had the game won, but Fort Hays battled back. The Tigers were down 62-58 with one minute left and then proceeded to tied things up at 64 with 10 seconds remaining on a three-pointer by Jeremy Wilson.

Pitts potential game-winning three-pointer bounced off the front of the rim, sending the game into overtime.

The momentum rested with Fort Hays. Northwest, though, had something working in its favor.

“We knew since we were up the whole time, we knew we could get back up in overtime,” Crooker said.

Cozad put Northwest back in front with two free throws. The lead grew to five on a three-pointer by Crooker with 2:57 left in overtime.

“It was a big shot but Zach also hit a big one,” Crooker said. “It was big for me because I missed a couple earlier and I was a little shaky on my confidence.”

With 1:09 left, a three-pointer by Schneider gave Northwest a 72-66 lead and sealed the victory.

Pitts finished with 19 points, Schneider scored 18, Cozad had 17 and Crooker added 15.

“This helps us a lot and it is going to help us down the road,” Wallace said. “If we did this at the beginning of the season and got into overtime, we probably would have lost. It shows how much we have grown, coming back after messing up a few times. We are going to grow on that and keep getting better.”

Northwest never trailed in the first half, but went into halftime with a narrow 36-33 lead.

Through the midway portion of the first half, the Bearcats played as well as they possible could at this point in the season. When they took their lead from 12-9 to 25-11, four different players scored.

On the defensive end, Northwest forced Fort Hays into rushing its shot and the Bearcats were in position for the rebounds.

Fort Hays, though, is too good to be blown out of a conference game in the first half. The Tigers stormed back, scoring 12 straight to make it 25-23.

Northwest stopped the run with a three-pointer by Zach Schneider, making it 28-23. The rest of the first half, Northwest’s lead fluctuated from one to five points.

“For a young team to handle their runs and hold the lead is a testament to us,” Cozad said. “It shows how mentally strong we are, but there is a lot more room for improvement. We need to bring it in January.”

— Northwest Athletics —

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