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Category: Sports

No. 25 Mizzou women lose at 15th-ranked Kentucky 51-42

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Taylor Murray had 13 of her 21 points in the third quarter and No. 15 Kentucky turned back No. 25 Missouri 52-41 on Thursday night.

Tatyana Wyatt added 11 points for the Wildcats (17-3, 4-2 Southeastern Conference), who trailed 21-18 after an ice-cold first half.

Murray scored the first three baskets of the second half to put Kentucky on top for good. She added a basket and three free throws in a 7-0 run and the score was 36-28 after three quarters.

Wyatt hit a 3-pointer that made it a 10-point game early in the fourth quarter. The Tigers cut the deficit to five midway through the quarter, but Wyatt and Murray both had offensive-rebound baskets and Missouri missed its last seven shots.

Sophie Cunningham led Missouri (15-6, 4-3), which lost its second straight, with 17 points.

Kentucky wore specially designed shoes as part of the We Back Pat promotion. Assistant coaches Niya Butts and Kyra Elzy both played and assisted at Tennessee when Pat Summitt was the coach. The shoes were accented in orange and had Summitt’s picture on them.

— Associated Press —

Chiefs hire Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs are hiring Steve Spagnuolo as their defensive coordinator, moving swiftly to replace Bob Sutton after his unit’s dismal performance against the Patriots in the AFC title game.

Spagnuolo began his coaching career as Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s assistant in Philadelphia, where he worked with several position groups over the course of eight seasons. He left to become the Giants’ defensive coordinator, and has held similar roles with the Saints and Ravens.

He’s best known for his two stints as head coach, though. Spagnuolo went 10-38 over three seasons with the St. Louis Rams and 1-3 as the Giants’ interim coach during the 2017 season.

Spagnuolo spent last season out of coaching.

Sutton was fired Tuesday, two days after his defense collapsed in the fourth quarter and overtime in a 37-31 loss to New England. The Chiefs failed to stop the Patriots in OT, meaning star quarterback Patrick Mahomes never got an opportunity to step on the field.

— Associated Press —

MWSU gets donation to provide highly rated football helmets

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ST. JOSEPH – In an effort to provide all Missouri Western football student-athletes with the safest helmet options available, Griffon Football recently became the largest NCAA DII client of VICIS ZERO1 helmets which were the highest rated helmets in 2018 NFL and NFLPA testing. Additionally, the team also purchased top-rated Riddell and Schutt helmet models.

Funded exclusively by a private donation, the investment will allow all members of the 2019 Griffon football team to have two helmets – one black and one white – that meet the top-performance standards from recent studies by the NFL and Virginia Tech. The VICIS ZERO1 helmet was the highest rated in a 2018 NFL and NFLPA test and the Riddell and Schutt models purchased were also among the highest rated.

“We are extremely fortunate to have program supporters that share our vision for Missouri Western becoming a leader in NCAA Division II Athletics,” director of athletics Josh Looney said. “Prioritizing student-athlete health and safety is a crucial pillar in the continued development of Griffon Athletics. I believe this investment makes MWSU Football the most advanced D-II program in the country as it relates to student-athlete safety.”

After evaluating the studies conducted by both the NFL and Virginia Tech, Missouri Western officials saw the opportunity to make a significant investment in student-athlete safety through the purchase of highly rated helmets. The ratings in the NFL study were based on the helmets’ ability to reduce head impact severity measures in laboratory testing. Test conditions were intended to represent potentially concussive head impacts in the NFL. Several Griffons wore VICIS helmets during the 2018 season and were impressed with the performance and comfort of the helmets.

“Our players work hard to be the best,” head coach Matt Williamson said. “As coaches and as a program, we need to do our part to make sure our student-athletes have the best. That’s something we take a lot of pride in here at Missouri Western. Thanks to this donation, we believe our players will now have options that are not only the safest available, but also stylish and comfortable. These helmets are the total package.”

The 2019 season will be the 50th season of Missouri Western football. The anniversary will be celebrated throughout the season, and will include uniform selections featuring the new helmets.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest women’s basketball signs Iowa prep Kayla Chapman

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Northwest Missouri State University head women’s basketball coach Austin Meyer has announced the signing of Kayla Chapman to compete for the Bearcats in 2019-20.

Chapman, a 5’9″ guard from Treynor, Iowa, is averaging 15.0 points per game this season. She has helped lead Treynor to a 14-0 start to the 2018-19 prep season. Chapman has posted a mark of 85-5 during her high school career, including a trip to the 2017 state championship game and a semifinal appearance in the 2016 state tournament. She is a 1,000-point scorer as a prep for head coach Joe Chapman.

As a junior, Chapman averaged 16.8 points per game and earned all-state honors. She shot 50 percent from the field, including 37 percent from three-point range. She also averaged 5.0 rebounds per contest.

She scored 193 points as a freshman and 182 points as a sophomore.

Chapman is a four-year academic letterwinner and a multi-sport letterwinner in a volleyball, golf, track, soccer and basketball. She helped lead Treynor to the golf state title in 2017, while earning all-state accolades. She was a third-team all-state pick in volleyball in 2017.

— Northwest Athletics —

Kansas State takes down No. 14 Texas Tech for fifth straight win

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MANHATTAN, Kansas (AP) — Barry Brown Jr. had 15 points, Dean Wade had 13 and Kansas State’s defense shut down No. 14 Texas Tech in a 58-45 win Tuesday night.

The Big 12’s top-ranked defenses combined to force 30 turnovers. The Wildcats (15-4, 5-2) held Texas Tech to 33-percent shooting and never led the Red Raiders get their offense rolling.

Jarrett Culver led Texas Tech (15-4, 4-3) with 17 points. Tariq Owens had 12.

The Red Raiders struggled to contain Brown in the first half. He had two step-back 3-pointers and 11 points. Wade was a mismatch as well, with Red Raider big man Norense Odiase called for three fouls in the first half. He only played five minutes.

Owens scored seven points off the bench in Odiase’s absence, keeping Texas Tech in it. Kansas State led 32-24 at the half.

The Wildcats led 46-38 midway through the second half before Wade made two free throws and Xavier Sneed hit a 3. The Red Raiders got back within eight but couldn’t get any closer.

BIG PICTURE

Texas Tech has lost three straight games after starting 4-0 in conference play. They will need to get the ship going back in the right direction soon.

Kansas State has won five straight and looks to be one of the best teams in the Big 12.

UP NEXT

Texas Tech will be home Saturday against Arkansas in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

K-State plays at Texas A&M on Saturday

— Associated Press —

Chiefs fire defensive coordinator Bob Sutton

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton on Tuesday, just two days after Kansas City failed to stop Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on what turned out to be the only possession of overtime in a crushing 37-31 playoff defeat.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid announced the firing in a brief statement. It came one day after he said he would evaluate all aspects of the team but declined to address Sutton’s future specifically.

“Bob is a good football coach and a great person. He played an integral role in the success of our team over the last six seasons,” Reid said. “I’ve said before that change can be a good thing for both parties, and I believe that is the case here for the Chiefs and Bob.”

The 67-year-old Sutton had been defensive coordinator since 2013, when he joined Reid’s initial staff in Kansas City. The longtime college and NFL assistant had previously spent more than a decade with the New York Jets, including a stint as defensive coordinator.

His defenses performed reasonably well the first few seasons in Kansas City, but the bend-but-don’t-break approach began to grow stale. The Chiefs struggled to stop anybody last season, and many fans called for Sutton to be replaced then, only for Reid to give him another chance.

Despite investing heavily in the defense, both through free agency and the draft, the unit fared even worse this season. Kansas City allowed 405.5 yards per game, better only than Cincinnati, and was the ninth-worst scoring defense in the league. The Chiefs were especially poor against the run, and it showed in Sony Michel’s success against them in the AFC championship game.

Michel ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns, while Brady threw for 348 yards and another score, as the Patriots dominated time of possession and piled up 524 yards.

That includes 75 yards in overtime, when the Patriots won the coin toss and marched downfield for the winning touchdown. All-Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense, which led the NFL in scoring this season, never got an opportunity with the ball in overtime.

Even more damning to Sutton was the call by CBS analyst Tony Romo on the TV broadcast. Romo was uncanny in predicting exactly what New England would do, yet the Chiefs were unable to stop it.

“We wanted to do better there,” Reid said during his end-of-season news conference Monday. “When it comes down to the last drive, you magnify where it is, but this was the championship game. It was in overtime. When you really cut to the chase of it here, the few games we lost, we lost by minimal points, so we were obviously doing something right.”

Yet the Chiefs allowed an average of 37.6 points during their four regular-season losses and their playoff defeat. And while they were among the best in the league at rushing the quarterback this season, they failed to sack Brady during the AFC championship game.

“I put this on the defense,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said afterward. “We’ve got to build from it, learn from it and we’ll be better next year.”

Reid did not indicate who his new defensive coordinator might be, though there are unsubstantiated reports Tuesday that there was mutual interest with longtime NFL coach Rex Ryan. Reid could also promote from within his own staff, something he has chosen to do often with offensive coordinators.

The job should be attractive on a number of levels.

The Chiefs have several building blocks in place, including Jones and pass rushers Dee Ford and Justin Houston, and are poised to invest even more in the defense this offseason. They have three draft picks in the first two rounds, giving them a chance to plug up some of their biggest holes.

They are also well-positioned to compete for championships for years to come with Mahomes entering his third season and a bevy of playmakers around him, such as Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill.

“I will tell you, this is a good group right here of young guys, the nucleus of this group,” Reid said. “And it is important in today’s football that the nucleus of this group gives you an opportunity to win football games and strive to win the championship.”

— Associated Press —

Klieman hires Scottie Hazelton as DC to complete K-State coaching staff

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman completed his inaugural coaching staff in Manhattan on Tuesday with the hiring of Scottie Hazelton as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

“I have known Scottie for a long time and couldn’t be more excited for him to be a part of our staff,” Klieman said of the 23-year coaching veteran. “He is one of the top defensive coordinators in the college game right now and has quickly asserted himself as a rising name in our profession. His experience at all levels of the game, including at Power Five schools and the NFL, and also his familiarity with our schemes makes him a great fit for our program.”

Hazelton comes to Manhattan after a successful two-year run as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Wyoming. Both seasons the Cowboys ranked in the top 25 nationally in total defense and top 30 nationally in scoring defense. Additionally, Hazelton saw 13 Wyoming defenders earn All-Mountain West honors, including four by linebackers.

His 2017 defense was one of the best in the country as the Cowboys led the nation in takeaways, forcing 38 opponent turnovers thanks to a nation-leading 18 fumbles recovered and a No. 2 ranking with 20 interceptions. Wyoming also ranked ninth in scoring defense (17.5 points per game), 13th in pass defense (174.9 yards per game) and 23rd in total defense (335.2 yards per game).

Hazelton’s defensive unit featured three First Team All-Mountain West honorees and nine all-conference players overall, including linebackers Jahmari Moore, Adam Pilapil and Logan Wilson.

Prior to his stint at Wyoming, Hazelton spent the 2014 through 2016 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars as the assistant linebackers coach. In 2016, he was part of a Jacksonville defensive staff that saw the Jaguars rank sixth in the NFL in total defense (321.7 yards per game) and fifth in passing defense (215.2 yards per game). Two linebackers in which Hazelton worked with, Paul Posluszny and Telvin Smith, each ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in tackles in 2015.

Hazelton and Klieman worked together at North Dakota State in 2011, which ended a five-year stint in Fargo for Hazelton. He was the defensive line coach from 2007 to 2009 before taking over as defensive coordinator and coaching the linebackers in 2010 and 2011.

During his first season as defensive coordinator in 2010, NDSU’s defense ranked seventh nationally in both scoring defense (18.21 points per game) and turnover margin (+1.07 per game) en route to a quarterfinal appearance in the FCS playoffs. The next season, the Bison defense led the nation in scoring defense (12.73 points per game) as they went on to win their first FCS national championship.

Hazelton moved from North Dakota State to his first Power Five job as he was the linebackers coach at USC in 2012, a year that ended with a Sun Bowl berth. The next year, he served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Nevada.

Hazelton’s coaching career began in 1996 at his alma mater, Fort Lewis College, working with the defensive backs for four seasons and serving as the interim defensive coordinator in 1998. Hazelton served his first stint at North Dakota State from 2000 to 2001 as a defensive graduate assistant before moving into a full-time coaching position at St. Olaf College in 2002 and 2003 where he was the recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach.

Hazelton was hired next at Missouri Southern for the 2004 and 2005 seasons as defensive coordinator and safeties coach. The next year, he coached the linebackers and special teams at Michigan Tech before returning to North Dakota State in 2007.

A native of Thornton, Colorado, Hazelton was a three-year letterwinner at linebacker for Fort Lewis College from 1992 to 1994. He earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Fort Lewis in 1997.

2019 K-State Football Coaching Staff
Chris Klieman (Head Coach)
Scottie Hazelton (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)
Courtney Messingham (Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends)
Brian Anderson (Running Backs)
Joe Klanderman (Safeties)
Collin Klein (Quarterbacks)
Van Malone (Cornerbacks)
Jason Ray (Wide Receivers)
Conor Riley (Offensive Line)
Blake Seiler (Defensive Ends)
Mike Tuiasosopo (Defensive Tackles)

— K-State Athletics —

25th-ranked Mizzou women lose at No. 19 South Carolina 79-65

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Tyasha Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan scored 16 points apiece on Monday night and No. 19 South Carolina defeated No. 25 Missouri 79-65 in a game that started with both teams gathering at midcourt to defuse any lingering tension from a testy game last season.

A minor scuffle broke out during the game last February and afterward a Missouri player said South Carolina fans spit on the Tigers. Missouri’s athletic director Jim Sterk said racial epithets were directed at the Tigers and said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley promoted the atmosphere.

Sterk was fined by the Southeastern Conference and Staley sued for defamation. Sterk apologized and Staley received an out-of-court settlement.

Leading up to the game, Staley and Missouri coach Robin Pingeton downplayed the past and said the focus should be on the battle for second place in the SEC. The players and coaches circled midcourt and held hands during the national anthem, though the teams didn’t intermingle.

There was one minor incident in this game Missouri never led and was down by double-figures from late in the second quarter.

A personal foul was called on Missouri’s Sophie Cunningham with 2:39 left in the third quarter. She was defending South Carolina’s Lele Grissett on the low block and Missouri’s Akira Levy doubled down on Grissett, grabbing for the ball as the whistle blew and both were given questionable technical fouls. At that point, the Gamecocks were up 57-44. The lead reached 24 in the fourth quarter.

Bianca Cuevas-Moore and Alexis Jennings added 14 points for South Carolina (13-5, 5-1).

Cunningham had 21 for the Tigers (15-5, 4-2), Amber Smith added 16 and Levy 12.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska comes up short at Rutgers 76-69

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PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Montez Mathis registered career highs with 20 points and nine rebounds while Myles Johnson added a double-double with 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds and Rutgers rallied to beat Nebraska 76-69 on Monday night.

The freshman Mathis appears to have found his way as he now has scored in double figures in five of the last six games. Johnson’s 13 points tied his career high.

Rutgers (9-9, 2-6 Big Ten) went on a 15-0 run and took a 33-31 lead after a Mathis layup on a fast break started by Ron Harper Jr. Nebraska (14-6, 3-5) called timeout with 1:54 left in the first half before going on a run of its own capped off by James Palmer Jr.’s a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to give Nebraska a 38-33 lead at the half.

Palmer lead Nebraska with 22 points, while Isaac Copeland Jr. added 16 points and with eight rebounds.

Geo Baker had 16 points for Rutgers, while Johnson was 6-of-8 shooting and had a key block in the waning moments of the game.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: After splitting games versus Top 25 opponents in a win at Indiana and loss to Michigan State, Nebraska received 66 votes in the latest AP Poll ranking them 29th. The Cornhuskers will need to protect home court versus Ohio State this weekend to recover from the loss.

Rutgers: A much-needed win for the Scarlet Knights got them back to .500 and ended a three-game skid.

RUGGED RETURN

Just 12 days removed from dislocating his left knee cap Ohio State, Eugene Omoruyi checked in with 14:59 left in the first half. Omoruyi leads the team in points (14.6) and rebounds (7.5). Wearing a big bulky brace, Omoruyi finished with eight points and six rebounds.

YOUTH VS. EXPERIENCE

Rutgers has one of the youngest teams in the nation with just a little more than a year of experience, ranking 318th in the country. The Scarlet Knights have just one senior. With three senior starters, Nebraska averages a little more than two years of player experience — 34th in the nation.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: Hosts Ohio State Saturday.

Rutgers: Travels to Penn State Saturday.

— Associated Press —

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