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Category: Sports

Nebraska loses national championship match to Stanford in five sets

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The celebration of Stanford’s NCAA-record eighth national volleyball title was in full swing, when the Cardinal players went flat on their backs to flap their arms and legs for some snow angels in the layer of confetti on the court.

There was some exhaustion amid the exhilaration, too, after being pushed to the limit by defending champion Nebraska.

Kathryn Plummer finished with 19 kills and 10 digs, Morgan Hentz had a career-high 32 digs and freshman Holly Campbell added a career-high 15 kills for the Cardinal in a five-set victory over the Huskers on Saturday night, 28-26, 22-25, 25-16, 15-25, 15-12.

“It took us a while to get there. Nebraska kept coming back and back,” Hentz said. “They put up an amazing fight.”

Audriana Fitzmorris added 14 kills, Jenna Gray had 57 assists and Tami Alade had eight blocks for Stanford, which won despite Plummer, the 6-foot-6 two-time national player of the year, hitting only .153 after entering with a .288 percentage for the season.

“We found out other ways to score when I wasn’t scoring,” Plummer said. “Other people stepped up.”

Mikaela Foecke had 27 kills and a game-high 29 points for seventh-seeded Nebraska, which had the crowd at Target Center on its side and effectively minimized the power and precision of Plummer but couldn’t pull away from this towering Stanford team that finished the season on a 32-match winning streak and was determined to avenge a loss to Florida in last year’s semifinals.

“I don’t know that I’ve been part of a match that was more interesting, more hard-fought,” Cardinal coach Kevin Hambly said, adding: “Foecke was unbelievable in that match. We couldn’t touch her. It’s sad to see her leave the NCAA. She’s going to have a long career ahead of her. I think we just all have a lot of respect for that team, how hard they play, the way they defend, the way they scrap.”

The Cardinal (34-1) had a much tougher time than in their three-set victory over BYU in the semifinals against the Huskers (29-7), who were champions in 2015 and 2017. They took a 3-1 lead in the final set, but the Cardinal proved they were much more than the power and precision of Plummer, who’s part of a star-studded junior class with Fitzmorris, who’s also 6-foot-6, Gray and Hentz.

“When you’re only playing to 15 points, you have to side-out very effectively. We let them get a few too many runs and weren’t able to come back. We fought hard at the end, but it wasn’t good enough,” said Foecke, who played in her program-record 22nd NCAA tournament match with fellow senior Kenzie Maloney.

Gray used a quick flip over the net to give Stanford a 13-10 lead, the largest of the fifth set to that point. Sidney Wilson’s serve was initially ruled wide, but Hambly challenged the call and a replay review reversal put Stanford in set point mode.

Foecke responded with a kill to cut the lead to 14-11, and the Huskers took the next point on a net violation. Foecke’s kill attempt on the ensuing play was thwarted by Hentz, who was consistently able to get exceptional height and control on her digs. That allowed Gray to set up Meghan McClure for the winner, sending Stanford into celebration mode. The party paused for a few seconds during an unsuccessful challenge by Nebraska on an attack line fault, but the looks on the faces of the Huskers revealed a team beginning to come to grips with a runner-up finish.

“They have a really huge block. They have really talented hitters. Jenna Gray is a phenomenal setter,” said Lauren Stivrins, who had 19 kills for the Huskers and led their surge in the fourth set.

With setter Nicklin Hames in rhythm, Stivrins scored three of their last seven points before Foecke notched the winner. Stivrins and coach John Cook were having a hard time coming to grips with the departure of Foecke and Maloney.

“They’ve created a legacy here over the last four years that we’re all going to be chasing,” Cook said. “I’m going to have to become a better coach. Our returning players are going to have to find a way to go to another level to reach what these guys have done.”

The “Go Big Red” chant broke out as soon as the national anthem ended, the NBA arena near capacity with a crowd of 18,113 tilted hard toward the Huskers with the Nebraska campus about a six-hour drive away. Those red-clad fans helped set the championship attendance record in Kansas City last year, with 18,516.

Most of the local ticket-buyers snagged seats months ago with the hope of cheering on host Minnesota in the final, but the second-seeded Gophers were felled in five sets by Oregon in the round of 16 and the Huskers emerged instead from that region to reach the NCAA semifinals for the fourth straight year.

— Associated Press —

No. 1 KU tops No. 17 Villanova 74-71 in Final Four rematch

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lagerald Vick had never watched last season’s Final Four loss to Villanova before this week, when top-ranked Kansas had to endure every minute of it while prepping for Saturday’s game against the Wildcats.

“We watched it for like, a week straight,” Vick said. “It was definitely hard.”

He’ll have better memories of the rematch.

Vick poured in 29 points Saturday, Dedric Lawson added 28 points and 12 rebounds, and both helped the Jayhawks make just enough free throws in the closing minutes to hold off the No. 17 Wildcats 74-71 in a game that was nip-and-tuck almost the entire way.

Devon Dotson added 11 points for the Jayhawks, including four effortless free throws in the final 1:10 to help Kansas (9-0) end a three-game losing streak to Villanova — the last two in the NCAA Tournament.

“This atmosphere was just awesome,” Wildcats coach Jay Wright. “We played a great program, just a great atmosphere — tough game — and they just did a great job getting Lagerald Vick in spots where he wanted it, and Dedric Lawson, you know you’re not going to shut them out.”

Still, the Wildcats (8-4) had chances in the final couple minutes.

Collin Gillespie’s three-point play drew them within 69-65 with 31 seconds left, and Vick gave them an opening when he threw the ball away on the ensuing inbounds play. But Vick atoned for the mistake by pulling down a defensive rebound, and then calmly made a pair of free throws at the other end.

Phil Booth’s deep, line-drive 3 got Villanova within 71-68, and after Lawson made the second of two foul shots for a 72-68 lead, Booth added another driving layup to trim the deficit to two.

Lawson added two more free throws to restore a 72-68 lead with 7.5 seconds left, and Gillespie was fouled at the other end. He made the first but was forced to miss the second on purpose, and the ball squirted toward the Wildcats’ bench, where a scrum ultimately gave Kansas the ball with 0.4 seconds left.

Once the Jayhawks inbounded the ball, they finally had a long-awaited win over the Wildcats.

Even if it came with far less on the line.

“We’re still 1-2 against Villanova,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. “We beat them in the Sweet 16. They beat us in the Elite Eight. They beat us in the Final Four. The game today was nice, but it wasn’t a real game like the others were real games.”

Booth finished with 29 points for the Wildcats. Eric Paschall scored 17 but was rendered ineffective down the stretch because of foul trouble, and Gillespie finished with 15 but was just 1 for 7 from 3-point range.

Kansas has now won 39 straight in Allen Fieldhouse as the nation’s top-ranked team.

“They’re a very good defensive team,” Booth said. “We missed some shots at the end, but they did some great things defensively with their length. They just did a great job.”

The Jayhawks led 33-31 at halftime, despite playing most of the way without Dotson and fellow starter Quentin Grimes. Grimes picked up three early fouls and Dotson had two, relegating them to the bench.

Their teammates picked them up with the kind of defensive effort Kansas sorely needed in their lopsided Final Four loss, when Paschall and Co. made just about shot they took. The Jayhawks harried the senior forward into a couple of crucial turnovers while largely shutting down the paint.

Villanova found its offensive stride in the second half.

Then again, so did Kansas.

And what most had envisioned as an up-and-down, back-and-forth showdown between national powers turned into precisely that. There were eight ties and eight lead changes, the majority of them in the opening minutes of the second half, as two of college basketball’s blue-bloods went toe-to-toe in the Phog.

“This was a good game that allows you to have a quality win,” Self said, “and you play through the experiences that make you better. But Jay would tell you, we’re both going to play in bigger games than this.”

NO QUINERLY

Villanova freshman Jahvon Quinerly watched from the bench after an Instagram post earlier in the week criticizing his own program. Wright said Quinerly had apologized and it would be used as a “teaching moment.” The five-star recruit has played in only eight games this season.

CELEB SIGHTINGS

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Hall of Fame Royals third baseman George Brett were in the crowd. So was a handful of former Kansas players, including Nick Collison, who is No. 2 on the school’s career scoring list.

BIG PICTURE

Villanova played much better than it did in a loss to Penn earlier in the week, putting a scare into the No. 1 team in the country. But the Wildcats were just 3 of 15 from beyond the arc in the second half, and they were dominated on the glass for the second consecutive game.

Kansas has certainly earned its ranking, beating a trio of ranked teams already this season. The one thing the Jayhawks haven’t done is win a true road game, and they’ll get that opportunity when they head to No. 20 Arizona State next weekend.

UP NEXT

Villanova plays UConn next Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Kansas hosts South Dakota on Tuesday night.

— Associated Press —

Brown leads No. 25 Kansas State over Georgia State 71-59

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Barry Brown has been ready to step up when No. 25 Kansas State needs him.

With injuries to Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes, Brown delivered again for the Wildcats on Saturday night.

Brown scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half, propelling Kansas State over Georgia State 71-59.

“I don’t think it had anything to do with pressure,” Brown said. “I just tried to stay confident when Dean and Kam went down and keep our guys going.”

The biggest concern for the Wildcats is the ankle injuries to Wade and Stokes, which came minutes apart in the second half. Both players suffered injuries last year, too, and Wade missed almost the entire NCAA Tournament, making this familiar territory for K-State.

“With Dean, I don’t have a definite answer, but I do know he didn’t break anything and we’ll do an MRI tomorrow and see how severe it is,” coach Bruce Weber said. “Kam stepped on a player’s foot on their bench and he said he could’ve gone back in. It was the same foot he broke last year and he tweaked it and there is some swelling.”

Brown scored the first eight points for the Wildcats and was key during a later 7-0 run. K-State let the Panthers hang around with 19 turnovers leading to 25 points as Georgia State again competed well with a Power Five school after wins over Georgia and Alabama this season.

Jeff Thomas led the Panthers with 13 points, Nelson Phillips had 11 and D’Marcus Simonds had 10.

“(Jeff) kind of got going,” coach Ron Hunter said. “He had been struggling and has been in a slump. He got tired at the end and missed some wide open shots.”

Stokes had 15 points, Xavier Sneed had 14 and Wade ended with 12.

The Wildcats held a nine-point lead numerous times but couldn’t put away Georgia State until late. K-State was up 48-39 before the Panthers went on a 14-2 run with 10 minutes to go.

“I think we played a solid game up to about the last 7-8 minutes,” Panther senior guard Devin Mitchell said. “Those guys just did a really good job of just doing what they do — playing defense and really getting into us.”

After Georgia State took a 53-50 lead, the Wildcats ended the game on a 21-6 run highlighted by 11 points from Brown, including a trio of 3s, and five points by Xavier Sneed.

Georgia State was very active on the defensive end, forcing 19 turnovers that led to 25 points. The Wildcats won the rebounding battle 33-24.

“That looked like an NCAA Tournament game,” Hunter said. “That is what I told our kids. Maybe it is a different outcome if you are playing on a neutral court.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State will hope the injuries will not keep Wade and Stokes out for long as they play two games in the next seven days.

Georgia State is looking like it could be an upset threat if it makes the NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT

K-State will play its first weekday game in nearly a month when it hosts Southern Mississippi on Wednesday night.

Georgia State hosts the UNC-Wilmington on Wednesday night.

— Associated Press —

No. 22 Missouri women upset at home by South Dakota

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Ciarra Duffy scored 20 points and South Dakota beat No. 22 Missouri 74-61 on Saturday for the Coyotes’ first road win over a Top 25 team in program history.

The Coyotes (10-1) won their eighth straight game, a streak that includes a November victory over then-No. 23 Iowa. Their only loss came at Drake, which briefly made the Top 25 after that.

South Dakota took the lead for good early in the third quarter when the Arens sisters — senior Allison and sophomore Monica — combined for eight points in a 10-0 run. Missouri cut a 13-point deficit to two on Sophie Cunningham’s 3-pointer that capped 17-7 run over the first six minutes of the fourth quarter. But those were the Tigers’ final points — they missed their last six shots — while the Coyotes finished on an 11-0 streak.

Monica Arens finished with 13 points and Allison Arens 10.

Cunningham scored 19 points with 11 rebounds to lead the Tigers (8-3), who had a five-game win streak snapped.

Missouri made 12 3-pointers, five more than the Coyotes, but were outscored 30-16 in the paint and outrebounded 41-34.

— Associated Press —

Chiefs blow 14-point fourth quarter lead, lose to LA 29-28

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Philip Rivers and the Chargers finally beat the Kansas City Chiefs.

All it took was feverish fourth-quarter comeback, a questionable pass-interference call, a tense video review of the final touchdown and the gutsy decision to try a 2-point conversion.

The result: Chargers 29, Chiefs 28.

Justin Jackson’s touchdown run with a couple minutes left gave the Chargers a chance. They quickly got the ball back from Patrick Mahomes and the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, and Rivers led a tense final drive that included a fourth-down dart to Travis Benjamin and that crucial penalty on Kendall Fuller in the back of the end zone.

The flag gave the Chargers the ball at the 1, and Rivers found Mike Williams along the sideline on the very next play. And when his TD catch with 8 seconds left was confirmed, coach Anthony Lynn sent his offense back onto the field to end five years’ worth of frustration.

Williams found himself alone in the end zone to secure the 2-point conversion.

Not only did the Chargers (11-3) clinch a playoff berth, they forged a first-place tie with the Chiefs (11-3) in the AFC West while ending a nine-game losing streak to their longtime division rivals.

Rivers threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns, though he also tossed a pair of interceptions, and Williams had seven catches for 76 yards and two scores while adding another on the ground.

Jackson ran for 58 yards and a touchdown in place of the injured Melvin Gordon.

Mahomes was held to just 243 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas City, and his inability to pick up a first down in the closing minutes proved costly. The Chiefs forced the Chargers to burn two timeouts on their last drive, but Mahomes was sacked by Isaac Rochell and Kansas City had to punt.

The Chiefs never got the ball back on offense.

Hyped by the return of star safety Eric Berry, it looked for a while as if the Chiefs would simply resume their vexation of Rivers at Arrowhead Stadium. Steven Nelson leaped to snag a jump ball for an interception on the second play of the game, and Rivers tossed another just before halftime.

Mahomes and Co. took advantage of their early momentum.

Kansas City breezed downfield after Nelson’s interception, and the young MVP candidate threw a dart to Demarcus Robinson — while in the grasp of Chargers safety Adrian Phillips — for a 7-0 lead.

Then after a punt, Darrel Williams took a screen pass for his first career touchdown.

The Chargers finally reached the end zone in the second quarter, when Mike Williams caught a short TD pass. But it came moments after wide receiver Keenan Allen hurt his hip while trying to make a leaping grab in the corner of the end zone — he briefly returned before sitting out the rest of the game.

Mike Williams continued to pick up the slack the rest of the game.

After the Chiefs pushed their lead to 21-7 on Damien Williams’ touchdown run, the Chargers’ big, rangy wide receiver answered with a 19-yard end-around for a score. And when then Chiefs went on another methodical scoring drive to take a 28-14 lead with just over 8 minutes left in the game, Williams helped the Chargers head the other way for another answering touchdown to stay in the game.

TONY G’S AWARD

The Chiefs added TE Tony Gonzalez to their Hall of Fame at halftime. The six-time All-Pro played his first 12 seasons with the Chiefs before finishing his career in Atlanta. His name was unveiled next to that of WR Carlos Carson on the ring of honor inside Arrowhead Stadium.

INACTIVE STARS

Gordon (knee) tried to warmup before telling coach Anthony Lynn that he couldn’t play, joining Ekeler (concussion) on their inactive list. RB Spencer Ware (hamstring), WR Sammy Watkins (foot) and OL Cam Erving were the starters out for Kansas City.

INJURIES

Chargers: Allen received treatment on the sideline after nearly making his spectacular TD catch, and he returned briefly before slowly walking off. He left for the locker room and did not return.

UP NEXT

Chargers: Return home for a primetime game against the Ravens on Dec. 22.

Chiefs: Visit the Seahawks for another primetime game Dec. 23.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska rallies from two sets down to stun Illinois in NCAA volleyball semifinal

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Reigning Most Outstanding Player Mikaela Foecke ripped her 15th kill to cap defending champion Nebraska’s rally for a 22-15, 25-16, 25-23, 25-20, 15-11 victory over Illinois on Thursday night in the NCAA volleyball semifinals.

The Cornhuskers (29-6) will go for their sixth title Saturday night against Stanford (33-1), which swept BYU in the other semifinal.

Nebraska led 12-11 in the fifth game when a Foecke kill was ruled out of bounds. However, Nebraska challenged and the call was reversed after officials went to the video monitor and determined an Illinois blocked had gotten a finger on the ball.

The Cornhuskers then went up 14-11 on an Illinois error before Foecke, also the 2015 MOP when Nebraska won the championship, closed it out.

Lexi Sun had 10 kills and 10 digs for the Huskers, who have won 13 straight since losing at home to Illinois in late October.

Jacqueline Quade had 21 kills for the Illini (32-4), who had won 17 straight.

— Associated Press —

Prosecutors charge Mizzou player with domestic assault

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri defensive end Tre Williams was charged Wednesday in a domestic assault case.

The probable cause statement alleges Williams and his girlfriend argued early Sunday and that he hit her several times while she was driving and at one point began choking her. The woman eventually was able to drive away. Williams, a 21-year-old redshirt sophomore, remains indefinitely suspended from the team.

Boone County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Susan Boresi told media outlets earlier Wednesday the case had been dismissed after the office received new information. However, Boone County Attorney Dan Knight later said the case was not dismissed. He did not explain the reason for the confusion and said his office would have no further comment.

No. 24 Missouri (8-4) will play Oklahoma State (6-6) in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on Dec. 31.

Kansas State officially introduces Klieman as head football coach

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Chris Klieman needed no better reminder of the monumental task ahead of him Wednesday than the one sitting in the front row of his introductory news conference at Kansas State: Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder.

Klieman was hired this week to replace what Wildcats athletic director Gene Taylor called “a legend.” Snyder won 215 games during two tenures lasting 27 seasons, and a large statue of him sits just outside the recently renovated football stadium that now bears his name.

“I’ve looked up to Coach Snyder since the early ’80s, growing up in Waterloo, Iowa,” he said. “Coach was working for Hayden Fry and I’d go attend his camps and stand in the quarterback line and spin it around and talk to him a little bit.

“I know the shoes I have to fill,” Klieman added, turning toward Snyder in a packed auditorium. “I’m going to make you proud, Coach.”

Klieman was hired after winning three national titles in his first four seasons at North Dakota State. And he will have a chance to continue the pursuit of a fourth when he returns to Fargo to lead the Bison in Friday night’s national semifinals against South Dakota State.

It will cap what has been a whirlwind week.

Klieman accepted the job Monday night, right in the midst of a practice, then took a late flight to Kansas State on Tuesday. He was greeted by fans at the airport, had a team meeting with returning players and spent Wednesday morning in a series of staff meetings. The early signing period begins Dec. 19.

He planned to spend the rest of the week with North Dakota State while simultaneously laying the groundwork at Kansas State, including the piecing together of a coaching staff.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be here,” he said. “I’m even losing my voice.”

Klieman’s hiring has been met with tepid response from who wonder whether a coach with little experience in major college football can succeed.

“I’m still going through my email,” said Taylor, who also hired Klieman to succeed Craig Bohl at North Dakota State. “I had about 300 and now I’m down to about 120. What I love about it is our fans passion and they care a great deal, which is what makes this a special place.”

Klieman said he understands their concerns. But after helping the Bison beat the Wildcats as their defensive coordinator in 2013, he made it clear that “football is football.”

“Our whole team is already on board and we are ready to get back here in January,” said Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson, who attended the press conference. “What sticks out to me the most is how much he talks about winning and wanting to win national titles here.”

Taylor emphasized that Klieman has great credentials, including a sterling 67-6 record with the Bison that includes wins over such Power Five programs as Iowa. But it ultimately came down to fit, and Taylor thought Klieman was the best candidate for Kansas State.

There are no doubt challenges at Kansas State, many of which Snyder was able to overcome. The school has a local airport but is a long drive from a major metropolitan area, and only a handful of Division I recruits are produce within the state each year.

Klieman also has little experience recruiting Texas, Oklahoma and other Big 12 hotbeds.

But he also went head-to-head with big-name schools in recruiting at North Dakota State, and he pointed out that three years ago he coached quarterback Carson Wentz, the No. 2 pick in that draft.

“You don’t always need five-star recruits,” Klieman said, “but you need guys that have great character, leadership and hold each other accountable. Make no mistake about it, when you put guys between the lines there is no one looking across the field wondering what star recruit a guy was.

“I know many people in Oklahoma and Texas,” he added, “so I will be getting a hold of them soon to help me out.”

Klieman acknowledged the challenge of being the head coach of two programs simultaneously, but he learned a bit about how to handle it from Bohl, who left North Dakota State to take over at Wyoming.

“We still have some work to do at North Dakota State and part of the reason I’m here is because of the support I have there,” Klieman said. “I love every one of those kids, but they know this is a great opportunity and wanted me to do this today and be ready for a game on Friday.”

— Associated Press —

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