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Holliday hits two doubles as Cardinals defeat Mets, 7-1

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CardsJUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Matt Holliday doubled in both at-bats and drove in two runs Sunday for the St. Louis Cardinals in a 7-1 win over the New York Mets.

Holliday didn’t play in the Cardinals’ spring training opener on Friday. He singled and walked in two plate appearances as the designated hitter Saturday.

“I feel good,” said Holliday, who played left field for the first time this spring. “It’s two days into spring training, so I don’t put too much into it, but having good at-bats is always a positive. You just try to roll it into the next day.”

Holliday’s first double came off starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, who’s competing for the fifth spot in the Mets’ rotation.

“I gave up a run in the first inning today, but I think all my pitches are very good at this point of the year except for my slider. I think that needs a little bit more work,” Matsuzaka said through a translator.

A 30-pitch first inning that included two walks kept Cardinals starter Michael Wacha from getting out of the second. He reached his pitch cap after retiring the first two batters of the second without allowing a run.

“I was happy with it,” Wacha said. “Arm felt great. Body felt great. Command wasn’t where I wanted it to be. Hopefully that will come along.”

— Associated Press —

Devers’ 40 not enough as short-handed Griffons lose at SBU, 100-97

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riggertMissouriWesternDespite falling 100-97 in their regular season finale against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats the Missouri Western men’s basketball team will make the MIAA Tournament as the 12th seed by virtue of Pittsburg State’s overtime loss against Washburn.

The Griffons end the regular season 10-17 overall and 5-14 in MIAA play. MWSU will travel to Edmond, Okla. to take on the Central Oklahoma Bronchos on Tuesday, March 4th at 7 pm.

Despite getting 40 points from Ryan Devers the Missouri Western men would come up short against Southwest Baptist. The Griffons have not had a Griffon score 40 points in at least 13 seasons. The record for points scored in a game is 49 which was done by Pete McNeal on March 1, 1982 against Avila.

The Griffons came out in the first half playing the Bearcats to a 7-7 tie. The next eight minutes belonged SBU opening up a 14 point lead at 34-20 after a Stephens Menas long range shot with 8:49 to play in the first half. The Griffons responded nicely ending the half on a 25-12 run cutting the lead to 46-45 at the half.

The Griffons continued to play well opening the second half on a 10-6 run claiming a three point lead at 55-52 after two free throws by Cortrez Colbert. At the 14:09 mark the Griffons claimed their largest lead of the game at 63-58 when Hans Thun nailed a three.

The Griffons held their five point lead til the 9:33 mark at 79-74 after a Devers layup. The next couple minutes belonged to the Bearcats using a 9-0 run claiming an 83-79 lead after a Preston Guiot three with 6:51 to play. Southwest Baptist led the rest of the way as the Griffons could not get any closer than one down the stretch.

The Bearcats improve to 14-14 overall 7-12 in MIAA play. SBU will be the 10th seed and will travel to Emporia to take on the 7th seed Emporia State Hornets. Southwest Baptist made 34-of-62 field goals and 11-of-25 long range attempts. Desi Barmore finished with 32 points on 14-of-20 shooting while Rashaad Brown-Peterson scored 23. Guiot finished with 20 points on 5-of-9 shooting from long range.

The Griffons made 32-of-70 field goals including 9-of-32 long range shots. The also made 24-of-30 free throws and out rebounded the Bearcats 44 to 31. Devers made 13-of-24 field goals and 5-of-11 long range shots. He also made all nine of his free throws. Cortrez Colbert and Kalvin Balque had 19 and 18 points respectively.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcats fall at UCM and share MIAA title with Mules

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Northwest2013riggertThe Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team fell to UCM in the final game of the regular season, 76-64, on Saturday at the Multi in Warrensburg, Mo. Northwest finishes the season as co-MIAA champions, going 21-7 overall and 16-3 in conference play. UCM secured a share of the MIAA title and finished the year with a 24-4 record, tying the Bearcats with a 16-3 league record.

Dillon Starzl scored a game-high 18 points but was saddled with four fouls midway through the second half. DeShaun Cooper finished with 16 points, three assists and a steal. He was a perfect 7-for-7 from the line. Zach Schneider hit four clutch three pointers to finish with 12 points. Matt Wallace had a team-high seven rebounds. Northwest shot 40 percent from the field (20-for-50) but turned the ball over 15 times. UCM shot 51 percent from the field (26-for-51) and blocked three shots.

UCM jumped out to an early first half lead thanks to a 53.6 shooting percentage, as the Mules went 15-for-28 from the field. Starzl led all scorers with 14 at the break. The Mules led by as many as 14 points, 35-21, at the 6:23 mark.

Northwest will be the No. 2 seed in the upcoming MIAA tournament in Kansas City. The Bearcats will play the winner of the No. 10 and No. 7 seed game at 6 p.m. on Friday, March. 7 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

— Northwest Sports Information —

No. 9 Ravens earn outright HAAC title with win over 19th-ranked Evangel

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BCAfter battling through six ties and seven lead changes on Saturday afternoon in the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium, the battle for the outright HAAC Championship went to the No. 9-ranked Benedictine men as they earned a 68-65 win over No. 19 Evangel University.

For Benedictine (21-7, 14-4 HAAC) the win secured its first-ever HAAC Championship since joining the conference for the 1992-93 school year.

Benedictine took the lead for good with 45 seconds remaining and then held off several last-second attempts by Evangel (21-9, 12-6 HAAC) to hang on for the three-point win.

The Ravens connected on 4 of 8 over the games final 45 seconds while limiting the Crusaders to just one free throw to earn the win.

Evangel jumped out to as much as a nine-point lead on Benedictine before the Ravens went on a 15-6 run to pull the game to its first tie at 23 points with seven minutes and forty seconds left in the first half.

Benedictine took and brief lead only to have Evangel grab it back by five points before Benedictine closed the half outscoring the Crusaders 7-1 to take a 36-35 lead.

In the second half, the lead traded hands four times with Benedictine lead early by as much as six points before Evangel pulled ahead by five points.

Neither team was able to pull away setting up the Ravens final push to the win.

Evangel outshot Benedictine, converting on 41.1 percent to the Ravens 40.4 percent.

The Ravens connected on 12 of 19 from the charity stripe in the second half which helped them overcome just eight second-half field goals.

Zack Kleine scored a game-high 23 points while Kerry Tillery added 11 points for Evangel.

John Harris Jr. led Benedictine with 17 points and was one of three Ravens in double figures. Charlie Wallrapp added 15 while Brett Fisher finished with 10 points.

Benedictine held a decisive advantage off the bench, as they outscored Evangel 36-17 anchored by Harris Jr.

For Benedictine the win gives them the No. 1 seed in the HAAC Tournament beginning on Wednesday. The top seed also gives the Ravens one of the HAAC’s three automatic bids to the 2014 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Div. I National Championship Tournament.

The trip to Kansas City, Mo., for the National Tournament marks the Ravens first trip to the tournament since last qualifying in 1970.

— BC Sports Information —

Hot-shooting Missouri whips Mississippi State, 85-66

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MUCOLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Keanau Post made a long-awaited first trip to the podium. After threatening his season total with 14 points and also setting a career best in rebounds, the Missouri big man was at a loss for words.

“He feels a lot more comfortable out there than he does right now,” coach Frank Haith said after Missouri whipped Mississippi State 85-66 on Saturday.

Post: “Well, yeah.”

The 6-foot-11 Post was one of the top junior college players in the nation last season at Southwestern Illinois Community College, averaging 12 points and eight rebounds. During a rout that helped the Tigers move past losses at Alabama and Georgia, he was a standout again.

“We all anticipate Keanau being just a really big-time player for us,” Haith said. “I’m proud of Keanau, he’s kept working, he’s kept a positive attitude, and we’ve kept coaching him.”

Post had 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting and seven rebounds in 22 minutes, benefiting from extended playing time due to foul trouble on Johnathan Williams III and Ryan Rosburg. He totaled 18 points all season prior to Saturday and averaged 0.8 points and 1.3 rebounds.

“It felt great,” Post said. “I think it just felt great knowing that the whole team contributed to it. It wasn’t just me, it was the guards, for sure.”

Jabari Brown scored 21 points and Missouri (20-9, 8-8 SEC) set season bests with 62 percent shooting and 19 assists. Jordan Clarkson had 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

“That’s when it’s fun, when everybody has a hand in us winning,” Haith said. “And everybody truly had a hand in us winning.”

The school is 14-2 at home and reached 20 victories for the sixth straight season, dominating against an opponent that entered with an RPI of 223.

Inside men Post, Rosburg and Torren Jones finished off many of the assists, combining to make all 13 shots. Williams, Rosburg and Jones had two blocks apiece.

“I think first and foremost, those guys had some easy opportunities because of the penetration by the Missouri guards,” coach Rick Ray said. “I think there was actually like two legitimate post moves by those guys in the paint.”

Missouri shot just 32 percent its last time out, losing by 15 at Georgia.

“This is March now and we don’t want to lose any games in March,” Brown said. “March is our money time and we’re trying to make the most of it.”

Fred Thomas matched his season best with 18 points for Mississippi State (13-16, 3-13), which has lost 11 in a row — eight of them by double digits. The Bulldogs had a season-best 10 3-pointers, four by Thomas and three by Jacoby Davis.

“I’d be worried if our guys weren’t come to practice every day and working hard and competing,” Ray said. “I know everybody focuses in on the losing streak, but you’ve got to make sure your team is still coming out and working and being enthusiastic.”

Brown had five points and Missouri had a pair of 3-pointers in a 15-0 run that put the game away at 68-41 with 11:12 to go. Mississippi State went almost 6 minutes without scoring before Davis’ 3-pointer near the mid-point of the second half.

Clarkson went end-to-end twice, getting a layup and dunk, during an 11-2 run that gave Missouri its largest lead of the first half at 39-26 with 3:59 to go. Post’s tip-in at the buzzer, allowed after video review, put the Tigers up 45-32 at the break.

Mississippi State played without leading scorer Craig Sword, who attended his grandmother’s funeral in Alabama. Sword averages 13 points.

Gavin Ware added 13 points for the losers.

— Associated Press —

Western women lose at Southwest Baptist and fail to qualify for MIAA Tourney

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riggertMissouriWesternThe Missouri Western women’s basketball team went scoreless for six and a half minutes in the second half falling 62-57 against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats. With the loss the Griffons season ends at 10-16 overall and 5-14 in MIAA play. Senior guard JaQuitta Dever went out on a high not scoring 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting including 6-of-9 from the free throw line.

The first half was played very close with the largest lead coming at the 3:35 mark of the first half when SBU took a 25-19 lead after two Sarah  Magana free throws. The Griffons came right back scoring the next five points cutting the lead to 25-24 after an Alexis Gray layup. The Bearcats were able to outscore the Griffons by four the rest of the frame taking the 31-26 lead as Magana hit a jumper as time expired in the half.

In the half the Griffons made 10-of-25 field goals with Dever and Tiffanie Abrams leading the way with seven points apiece. The Bearcats made 11-of-25 field goals with Jacquie Zelenka leading the way with eight points making all four of her field goals.

Things looked good for the Griffons early in the second half tying the score at 31 after Kyrsten Crawford nailed a three with 19:12 to play in the game. From there the Griffons went cold scoring just six points the next 13 minutes of the game. On the other hand the Bearcats scored 11 points taking a 47-36 lead with 6:30 to play.

The Griffons continued to battle and with 32 second to play they cut the Bearcats lead to 59-55 after a Dever layup. The Bearcats hit three of its final four free throws putting the game out of reach. With the victory the Bearcats improve to 11-15 overall and 6-13 in MIAA play. They also earn a spot in next weeks MIAA Tournament.

The Griffons finished making 21-of-55 field goals and 12-of-19 free throws. They turned the ball over 19 times and had 10 steals.

The Bearcats made 18-of-44 field goals and 22-of-32 free throw attempts. They were led by Lissette Plasencis with 16 points while Zelenka and Brooke Duncan finished with 13 and 12 respectively.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest women lose big at No. 11 Central Missouri, 77-56

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NWMSUThe Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team fell to No. 11 Central Missouri, 77-56, on Saturday at the Multi in Warrensburg, Mo. The Bearcats finish the regular season with a 7-12 mark in MIAA play and were 10-16 overall. UCM claimed the outright conference title, going 17-2 with a 23-3 overall record, winning the last eight games of the season.

Ariel Easton scored a game-high 19 points, hitting four three pointers. Meridee Scott had 13 points for Northwest and Tember Schechinger added 11. The Bearcats forced 12 turnovers and had nine steals to go along with a pair of blocked shots.

Easton hit four first half three pointers to keep the Bearcats in it. She finished the opening 20 with 17 points. Northwest to within eight late, 39-31, but a buzzer beating three pointer gave UCM a 42-31 lead heading into the break.

Northwest has secured the No. 8 seed and will host No. 9 Northeastern State in the first round of the MIAA tournament on Monday, March 3, at 7 p.m. in Bearcat Arena. Tickets will be available at the arena on the day of the game.

— Northwest Sports Information —

No. 5 KU gets tripped up on the road at Oklahoma State

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KUSTILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Marcus Smart scored 20 of his 21 points in the second half to help Oklahoma State defeat No. 5 Kansas 72-65 on Saturday night and give a major boost to the Cowboys’ once-fading NCAA tournament hopes.

Oklahoma State (19-10, 7-9 Big 12) overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half. The Cowboys improved to 3-0 since Smart returned from a three-game suspension for shoving a Texas Tech fan.

Andrew Wiggins scored 15 points for Kansas (22-7, 13-3), which already had clinched the Big 12 title outright before tipoff because Texas and Iowa State lost earlier.

The student section was filled nearly an hour before the opening tip. The crowd included Oklahoma City Thunder players Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and their coach, Scott Brooks.

Wiggins’ three-point play tied the game at 64 with just over 2 minutes to play.

Kamari Murphy’s layup gave Oklahoma State a 66-64 lead with 1:37 remaining. Kansas’ Naadir Tharpe missed a jumper, and Murphy pulled in the rebound.

Smart made a layup with 46.1 seconds left to push Oklahoma State’s lead to four, then he broke the press and hit another layup with 23.8 seconds to go to put the game out of reach.

The Jayhawks led 26-25 at halftime despite 35 percent shooting.

Oklahoma State shot just 24 percent in the first half but forced 11 turnovers. Le’Bryan Nash and Markel Brown scored nine points each to keep the Cowboys in the game. Smart had one point on 0-for-7 shooting.

Wiggins scored five points in the half but committed two fouls.

Brown hit a 3-pointer in the opening seconds of the second half to give Oklahoma State a 28-26 lead, but Kansas answered with a 3-pointer by Wayne Selden.

Smart made his first field goal, a 3-pointer, with 17:46 to play.

He drew the third foul on Joel Embiid with 14:19 to go and the Jayhawks up 38-36. Wiggins picked up his third foul 11 seconds later.

Kansas responded with a run. With both freshman stars on the bench, Tharpe and Selden drained 3-pointers that put the Jayhawks up 46-38. A three-point play by Perry Ellis pushed Kansas’ lead to nine, and a pair of free throws by Wiggins extended the margin to 10 for the first time.

Oklahoma State muscled its way back into the game with a three-point play by Nash and a long lob by Smart to Brown that cut Kansas’ lead to five and got the crowd back into the game. The Cowboys moved into the double bonus with 5:50 remaining, and Brown made two free throws to give Oklahoma State a 60-59 lead.

Nash picked up his fourth foul with 4:35 remaining, but Smart calmed him down after Nash disagreed with the call.

Wiggins picked up his fourth foul with 4:09 to play. Smart’s 3-pointer with 3:44 left put Oklahoma State up 63-61.

— Associated Press —

Benedictine women crush Evangel in regular season finale

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BCBefore the Benedictine women’s basketball team could honor their six-member Senior class, they had to take on Evangel University inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.

Benedictine (20-10, 12-6) forced 21 Evangel (8-20, 5-13 HAAC) turnovers en route to a convincing 90-64 win to secure the No. 4 seed in next weeks HAAC Tournament.

The Ravens came out firing offensively.

Tori Aubuchon connected on one of her two 3-pointers to set the tone for the Ravens just over a minute into the game.

By the midpoint of the first half, another 3-pointer from Rosie Youngstrom gave the Ravens their first double-digit lead of the night.

The Ravens scorched the nets, converting on 67.5 percent from the floor in the first half while holding Evangel to just seven first-half field goals as they built as much as 26 point lead before taking a 49-24 lead into the half.

Evangel heated up in the second half, knocking in 50 percent to outscore the Ravens 41-40 but couldn’t get any closer thatn 24 points as the Ravens cruised to the 26-point win.

For Benedictine head coach Chad Folsom, the win allowed the Ravens to reach the 20-win mark for the seventh time under his leadership.

Benedictine dominated the paint, outscoring Evangel 36-18 and also held a decisive advantage in bench scoring. Benedictine’s bench outscored Evangel’s 60-33 as five players reached double figures for Benedictine.

Youngstrom led the way with 14 points while Alexa Taff was close behind with 13. Justice Payne and Jackie Ziesel each scored 12 points while Claire Pedulla rounded out the Ravens double-figure scorers wtih 10.

The win allows the Ravens to earn the No. 4 seed in next week’s HAAC Tournament, which gets underway on Thursday.

— BC Sports Information —

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