Sports – Page 896 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Ravens qualify for NAIA Football Championship Series; hosts Tabor this Saturday

Posted on November 17, 2013November 17, 2013

For the second time in the last three seasons, the Benedictine College football program has qualified for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Football Championship Series.

Benedictine, who finished the regular season at 10-1 and as co-champions of the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) finished at No. 8 in the final NAIA regular season NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll on Sunday and learned Sunday afternoon they will host No. 11 Tabor College in the NAIA FCS Opening Round on Nov. 23.

“We’re very pleased to have accomplished all of our goals so far this season,” said Raven head coach Larry Wilcox. “We’re really proud of our players for what they have done this season. To go from being selected as the fifth team in our conference in the preseason to finish as co-champs and ranked in the Top 10 are certainly great goals to have achieved.

“To host a home playoff game for our campus and for our family here at Benedictine College is a great thing.”

Tabor finished the regular season at 9-2 and finished second in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) behind NAIA FCS first-time qualifier Sterling (Kan.) College.

Benedictine and Tabor have face each other four times, but not since wrapping up a four-game series in 1977. The Ravens lead the series 4-0, which includes a pair of 56-0 wins over the Bluejays to conclude the series in 1976 and 1977.

“Tabor is a school that has made dramatic changes to their athletic department and specifically their football program since the last time we played each other,” Wilcox said. “They have a great coach in Mike Gardner. He has been able to bring credibility and great success to Tabor.

“They have a great running attack, a very aggressive defense and put a lot of emphasis on special teams.”

Benedictine will host the game at 1 p.m. Saturday on O’Malley Field at Larry Wilcox Stadium. More information on ticket sales will be released on Monday at www.ravenathletics.com with information regarding advanced ticket sales starting on Tuesday afternoon.

The appearance in the NAIA FCS marks the 12th time in the modern era of Benedictine football, which started with the return of football to campus in 1973, in which the Ravens have qualified for the postseason. The host bid marks the first time since the 2001 season that the Ravens will open the FCS on campus.

In 2011, the Ravens qualified for the NAIA FCS and traveled to Kentucky to take on Georgetown (Ky.) College. Georgetown beat Benedictine, 21-7.

— BC Sports Information —

Chiefs suffer first loss as they fall at Denver, 27-17

Posted on November 17, 2013

DENVER (AP) — Peyton Manning walked away a winner in the biggest game of the year so far and, as a bonus, the Broncos might not even have to send his uniform off to the cleaners.

Manning threw for 323 yards and a touchdown Sunday night and was barely touched by Kansas City’s sack-happy defense in Denver’s 27-17 victory over the NFL’s last undefeated team.

It means the ’72 Dolphins can rest easy for another year. And it puts Denver and the Chiefs in a tie atop the AFC West at 9-1, with a rematch set in two weeks.

Manning has another big game before that – at New England in yet another showdown against Tom Brady. If the Broncos’ offensive line does anywhere near as good a job in that one as it did against the Chiefs, the quarterback’s ailing ankles – mummified with athletic tape for this critical game – should be feeling much better.

”The protection was outstanding, we ran the ball consistently, tried to keep them off-balance,” Manning said. ”We wanted a mix of running and passing game and I’m really proud of those guys up front.”

With Lindsey Vonn and boyfriend Tiger Woods on the sideline to watch the NFL’s must-see game of the year, the Denver offensive line, featuring tackles Chris Clark and Orlando Franklin, shut out Kansas City’s sack duo of Justin Houston and Tamba Hali along with the rest of the KC defense, which came in with a league-leading 36 sacks.

It was even better than that, though. Manning was barely touched all night. In fact, his most notable contact came in the first quarter when he and Montee Ball flubbed a handoff that Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson scooped up.

Johnson was barreling toward the end zone and what could’ve been a 7-3 lead. Manning lowered his shoulder and tripped him up. The Chiefs’ offense came out and fullback Anthony Sherman promptly fumbled the ball back to the Broncos.

Three plays later, Manning made the game’s biggest play, spotting receiver Demaryius Thomas in single coverage on the sideline for a 70-yard gain that set up the quarterback’s lone touchdown pass – a 9-yard strike to Julius Thomas for a 10-0 lead.

The Chiefs’ defense, which came into the game also leading the league in points allowed (12.8), remained stout throughout against the league’s highest-scoring offense (41.2). But eventually, Manning and Co., overwhelmed them, going 79, 65 and 62 yards for their last three scores and a 27-10 lead.

Ball capped two of the drives, once from 1 yard and another time from 8, to atone for the fumble, which was actually charged to Manning.

”We knew that once we got down to the red zone, getting touchdowns was critical,” Manning said. ”They make teams settle for field goals down there.”

The Chiefs, who hadn’t lost since a 38-3 setback in Denver last December to close out a 2-14 season, hadn’t allowed more than 17 points all year – a simple and effective explanation for one of the biggest turnarounds in NFL history.

But the offense, led by Alex Smith, simply isn’t built to win a high-scoring showdown.

Smith finished with 230 yards and two touchdowns. He completed four passes for 57 yards to Dwayne Bowe, who started, as promised, while his legal case for marijuana possession plays out. Jamaal Charles, who came in leading the AFC in rushing with 725 yards, added 78 to that.

But there was no big-play ability and the cool weather – game-time temperature 43 degrees – that brought Manning’s blue-and-gray glove out for the first time this season didn’t slow the quarterback or his offense at all.

Knowshon Moreno ran for 79 yards and kept the chains moving for Denver, while Wes Welker took his turn as Manning’s favorite target, catching eight passes for 72 yards before leaving to be evaluated for a possible concussion.

Though one touchdown pass marked a season low for Manning, it gave him 71 in his year-plus with the Broncos, already tying him for third in franchise history with Jake Plummer and Brian Griese. His 34 on the season are still on pace to break the record of the man he’ll face next week – Brady – in yet another big game for the Broncos, this time at New England.

While the Chiefs got shut out on the sack end – didn’t even record a hit on Manning – Shaun Phillips had a monster game for the Broncos: 10 tackles, two quarterback hits, two pass deflections and 1.5 sacks to more than make up for an off night from Von Miller, who only had one tackle.

— Associated Press —

Northwest women fall to 0-3 with loss to William Jewell

Posted on November 17, 2013November 17, 2013

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team led William Jewell late in the second half Sunday at the Winstead-Reeves Classic, but fell 84-82.

Ariel Easton put on a shooting display in the first half for Northwest going 9 for 14 from the floor and 3 for 4 from the free throw line for 25 points.

It was a back and forth battle in the first half as the lead changed hands 15 times with Northwest going into the half up by one, 41-40.

The Bearcats pulled away from the Cardinals with 7:19 to play as they held a 10 point lead.

William Jewell was able to battle back and tie the game up 82-82 with :34 left on the clock. Jewell grabbed the lead with a layup with under 10 seconds to play and the Bearcats could not answer back as they fell 84-82.

Easton finished the game with 29 points and was named to the Winstead-Reeves Classic All-Tournament team. Ashleigh Nelson also finished in double digits in points with 16 while adding four rebounds and three assists.

Shelby Mustain made her presence felt as she posted a double-double off the bench for the Bearcats, scoring 14 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.

Northwest moves to 0-3 on the season and will host Kansas Wesleyan Friday in Bearcat Arena for their next contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Benedictine men’s soccer earns second straight NAIA Tournament berth

Posted on November 17, 2013

After moving to No. 16 in the final NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll early in the day Sunday, the Raven men’s soccer team learned of their postseason fate Sunday night as they earned their second straight berth in the NAIA National Championship Tournament.

Benedictine, who was listed at No. 6 in the final MRPI rating that was released at the same time as the 2013 tournament qualifiers, earned the No. 4 at-large bid this season.

“We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to play in the NAIA National Tournament,” said head coach Rob Herringer. “This will be our third appearance in five years and, as an alum of the college and soccer program, I couldn’t be more proud of our players for what they have accomplished.”

The Ravens earned a share of the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) this season and finished with an overall record of 11-4-1.

Benedictine’s MRPI was the highest among HAAC members as they finished the regular season at .809222. Missouri Valley College was listed at No. 9, followed by MNU at No. 10 while Baker University, the HAAC Tournament Champion, was the final HAAC team listed in the Top 30 at No. 15.

Baker finished the regular season at No. 3 in the final coaches’ poll, MNU at No. 6, Benedictine at No. 16 and Missouri Valley at No. 20 to give the HAAC four teams ranked in the final regular season poll.

The Men’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round pairings and bracket will be unveiled via a live graphical show on Monday, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. Monday.

The 32 teams are comprised of 23 automatic qualifiers – which earned berths by winning conference, independent and unaffiliated grouping tournament or regular-season titles – and nine at-large teams selected by the final Modified Ratings Percentage Index (MRPI), announced today.

— BC Sports Information —

Kansas State wins second straight as they cruise past Long Beach State

Posted on November 17, 2013November 17, 2013

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — An upcoming trip to the Puerto Rico Tip Off didn’t look too good to Bruce Weber after his team’s first two games. He wanted to see his team perform from the opening tip and that’s exactly what came to be in its third game of the season.

Marcus Foster had 17 points and Shane Southwell added 14 as Kansas State beat Long Beach State 71-58 on Sunday.

It was the seventh all-time meeting between the programs. Kansas State now holds a 4-2 advantage in the series.

”The effort and emotion was so much better,” Weber said. ”Probably before Oral Roberts, we really pounded them with the Northern Colorado loss. They probably didn’t have quite the legs, but we gave them a day off finally. We had two of our better practices over the last two days with good energy.”

Kansas State used a 17-4 run to open up a 26-9 lead with 6:48 left in the first half.

After the run, Kansas State never saw its lead dip below 13 points.

Dan Jennings had 14 points and 12 rebounds to pace the 49ers. The senior forward has recorded a double-double in each of the 49ers’ first four games.

A basket from Jennings closed the Kansas State margin to 14 points with 2:20 left in the first half. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Foster quickly sent it back to a 20-point margin. The Wildcats went into the break with a 39-22 lead.

”Long Beach is a pretty good team,” Foster said. ”We came out and played hard. We got a lead on them early and we kept the lead. It set the tone for how we want to play in the (Puerto Rico) tournament.”

Foster’s 42 points through Kansas State’s first two games is the most for a freshman in back-to-back games since Michael Beasley in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

”I think he is obviously a quality player,” Monson said. ”For a freshman, he has great feel and aggressiveness.”

Long Beach State turned it over 10 times in the first half and finished with 20 for the game.

Those offensive miscues led to 19 Kansas State points off of turnovers and 15 in fast break opportunities. The Wildcats 13 steals were the most in nearly three seasons.

”They really dominated us with their defensive pressure early and set a tone,” Monson said. ”We couldn’t get in any offensive rhythm and it started putting so much pressure on our defense and our rebounding to get stops. We weren’t able to do that and they just took control.”

Kansas State limited Long Beach State’s leading scorer Mike Caffey to 9 points. The junior had averaged 18.7 points through the previous three games.

”We picked up our pressure,” Weber said. ”I’ve got to complement Will (Spradling), he did a great job. Caffey’s good and if you let him get going, he’s as good of guard as any we’re going to see.”

The 49ers pounded the paint against the Wildcats in the second half. They shortened the Wildcat lead to 13 with 11:47 left, but baskets from DJ Johnson and Wesley Iwundu quickly slammed the door on Long Beach State.

The Wildcats got to the free throw line and converted on nine of their final 10 attempts. The 71 percent performance was a season best for the defending Big 12 champions.

The game was the debut for Kansas State’s leading returning big man Thomas Gipson. The Wildcats hoped the junior’s season opener would help in improving their rebounding, but the 49ers came away with a 39-29 advantage.

”I was pleased with our rebounding,” Monson said. ”It was one thing we really challenged the guys on and that was a high point for us. It is a little misleading in that we out-rebounded a team, but we missed so many more shots than they did.”

— Associated Press —

Royals sign free agent catcher Francisco Pena to minor league contract

Posted on November 17, 2013November 17, 2013

The Kansas City Royals announced Sunday that the club has signed minor league free agent catcher Francisco Pena and added him to the 40-man roster.

Pena, 24, had spent six years in the New York Mets’ organization, splitting 89 games between Las Vegas (AAA) and Binghamton (AA) in 2013. He hit .257 for the Las Vegas 51s with 15 doubles, nine homers and 39 RBI in 68 games last year. In 57 contests behind the plate, he committed just three errors and threw out 30 percent (15-for-50) of would-be base stealers. He was a member of the World Champion Dominican Republic squad at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, going 1-for-2 with an RBI in two tournament games.

Originally signed as an international free agent by the Mets, Pena is the son of former Royals’ manager Tony Pena, while his older brother, Tony Jr., played in parts of three seasons for Kansas City (2007-09).

— Royals Media Relations —

No. 19 Griffons get blown out by 2nd-ranked Bearcats

Posted on November 16, 2013

Missouri Western wrapped up its regular season against Northwest Missouri State for the second straight season, but couldn’t produce a victory like 2012.

The No. 19 Griffons fell to the No. 2-ranked Bearcats 51-21 Saturday evening at Spratt Stadium. Missouri Western finishes the year 8-3 and 7-3 in the conference. Northwest goes through the conference undefeated for the first time since 2006.

Northwest started the day off with a seven-play, 80-yard drive capped off by quarterback Trevor Adams’ 1-yard scamper. The score marked it 7-0 with 11 minutes, 33 seconds to play.

After Clint Utter score on a 6-yard grab from Adams, the Bearcats went up 14-0 which is where the first quarter ended.

The Griffons responded with a nice 12-play, 85-yard drive that took up over six minutes to start the second quarter after Northwest turned the ball over.
Bearcats back-up quarterback Brady Bolles ran up the middle for 22 yards but sophomore Michael Jordan forced the quarterback to fumble at the end of his run. Safety Marc Harrison immediately recovered it for the turnover.

Raphael Spencer scored on a 1-yard run to cut the Bearcats’ lead in half. The Bearcats went ahead 21-7 after Reuben Thomas’ 25-yard touchdown reception.

Missouri Western had a chance to cut the lead even more late in the opening half, but a blocked field goal gave the Bearcats the ball, and they finished it with another score. Kicker Simon Mathieson made it 24-7 right before half with a 36-yard field goal.

At the half Travis Partridge was 7 of 12 for 60 yards. He also led the team with 55 yards.

In the third quarter, a 3-and-out hurt the Griffons chances of completing the comeback. Northwest made it worse after Adams score from 2-yards out with 9:33 left in the third stanza. Another score added on to the 24-0 run for the Bearcats.

Stephon Weaver ended the run with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Partridge. The score came with 20 seconds to play and marked it 38-14.
Reggie Jordan grabbed what may have been him most impressive grab of his career.

On 4th-and-15, the Griffons showed their competitiveness still left. Partridge avoided two potential sacks and threw the ball up for Jordan, who jumped up and snagged the pass down in the end zone.

The touchdown put the game at 44-21, and after that he Griffons successfully recovered an onside kick. But they couldn’t do anything with the football, thus ending the final regular-season game for Missouri Western.

Spencer finished with 72 yards on 15 carries. Weaver had six catches for 50 yards to lead the team. Partridge finished 14 of 36 for 178 yards. Adams went 14 of 21 for 237 for the Bearcats, who were also led by Robert Burton’s 16 carries for 105 yards. Stephen Juergens added nine tackles for the Griffons.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Western men lose to No. 13 Midwestern State, 82-64

Posted on November 16, 2013November 16, 2013

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team lost its second game of the year on the final day of the Hillyard Classic as the Griffons lost to No. 13 Midwestern State 82-64. Western is now 3-2 while the Mustangs are 4-0.

The Mustangs jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead after one minute of play. The Griffons responded just as quickly.

Cortrez Colbert nailed a 3 followed by a three-point play to tie the game at six. Adarius Fulton added a 3-pointer to make it 9-6, and a back-and-forth game began.

Midwestern State began to increase its lead after the 10-minute mark of the opening half.

After a 25-24 ball game, the Mustangs went on a 15-7 run to lead by 10, 41-31, with with less than one minute to play.
Ryan Devers hit two free throws to cut the lead to eight, but DeJuan Plummers’ trey marked it 44-33 at halftime.

At the break, Colbert led the Griffons with 10 points. Plummer led the Mustangs with 14.

The Mustangs continued to increase their lead and made it 72-51 with 6:32 left in the game. Derek Kastner received an alley oop from Cam Adderley late in the game as Midwestern State took an 80-61 lead with one minute remaining.

Colbert led the game with 18 points. Behind him was Cedric Clinkscales who had 17. Two Mustangs players had 16 – Plummer and Monzaigo Williams. Eddie D’Haiti and Kastner had eight rebounds for Midwestern State. Devers led Missouri Western with six.

The Griffons return to the court next week against Illinois-Springfield on Nov. 23. The game is on the road with time set for 5 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest men’s basketball team snaps two-game skid with win over Jewell

Posted on November 16, 2013November 16, 2013

Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team needed a victory.

The Bearcats came into the second night of the Hillyard Tip-Off Classic Saturday evening in St. Joseph on a two-game losing streak after falling toMidwestern State on Friday.

Northwest showed its hunger for a win by scoring the first nine points of the game against William Jewell. But when halftime arrived, the Bearcats were locked in a tied game.

It remained close through most of the second half. In the latter portion of the game, reserved junior forward Grant Cozad used his 6-foot-8 frame and dominated the paint.

Clinging to a two-point lead, the Bearcats consistently found Cozad and he finished. He scored eight straight points that pushed Northwest’s lead to 10 and that was enough for the Bearcats to pull out a 78-71 victory.

“You never want to lose three straight so we needed to focus on this game and get this win,” said Cozard, who finished with a team-high 22 points. “It was a good boost for us. We have to move forward.”

The win evened Northwest’s record at 2-2. The Bearcats get four days off before they return to action 7 p.m. Wednesday at home against Baker.

“This game was pretty important,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “We didn’t play well or real hard. Jewell played really well. They had a great game plan.

“I don’t think we understand that we don’t have a big margin for error. They have a misconception that because we were picked second in the MIAA, we have a margin for error, we can do anything we want and still comeback. We don’t have that. We have to make sure we correct it.”

The critical point in the game came with 7 minutes left. Northwest had built a 60-54 lead and then watched it shrink to 61-59.

Cozad took over. He positioned himself nicely in the paint and his teammates found him. His eight straight points gave the Bearcats a 69-59 lead. Northwest added a free throw to make it 70-59.

“Those last 10 minutes were extremely important for us,” Cozad said. “We started to buckle down and get stops. We hit free throws. That was a big thing. I think the last 10 minutes was the best we played the whole game.”

Cozad gave credit to Dillon Starzl, who set screens to free him open.

“They were trying to take away Dillon,” McCollum said. “I was more impressed with Grant’s rebounding. His defensive rebounding was excellent. We got some huge rebounds and obviously we finished some of those for lay-ups. We did agood job.”

Unlike the first half, William Jewell didn’t have enough time to make up that deficit.

Northwest started the game well, taking a 9-0 lead. But the Bearcats failed to maintain it. Midway through the first half, Northwest led only 18-15. Several minutes later it was tied 27-27.

The game stayed close the rest of the first half and at halftime it was tied 40-40.

Northwest shot well from the field, making 59 percent of their shots. But the Bearcats defense wasn’t as good, allowing William Jewell to make 55 percent of its shots, including four of eight from three-point range.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Mizzou returns to Sprint Center and survives scare from Hawaii

Posted on November 16, 2013November 16, 2013

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jabari Brown scored 23 points and Jordan Clarkson added 13 as Missouri defeated Hawaii 92-80 Saturday night in its first game at Kansas City’s Sprint Center as members of the Southeastern Conference.

The Tigers’ lead remained in single digits for most of the game until Wes Clark fed Ryan Rosburg with a nifty pass for a two-handed dunk and a 10-point lead with just less than 8 minutes remaining. It gave the crowd a dose of energy on a night when both teams struggled to put together any sort of momentum or extended run.

Moments later, Clark drilled a 3-pointer to extend the Tigers’ lead to 13 points. Still, Hawaii’s Garrett Nevels responded with a 3-pointer of his own. But the Rainbow Warriors couldn’t get closer than 7 after that.

Rosburg emphatically ended Hawaii’s upset bid with another dunk with 2 minutes remaining.

Christian Standhardinger led Hawaii with 22 points before fouling out. The Rainbow Warriors lost their fifth-straight game on the mainland.

The Tigers were playing in the Sprint Center for the first time since winning the 2012 Big 12 Tournament final against Baylor. That was Missouri’s final game before bolting to the SEC. It was their sixth-straight victory in the venue.

Videos welcoming Missouri back to Kansas City from local business leaders and politicians were played on the video board during timeouts, but a chunk of empty seats littered the arena.

Hawaii made sure Missouri didn’t have an easy return to its Big 12 roots. After trailing by one at the half, the Tigers used a quick 12-6 spurt to grab the lead early in the second half.

Just like in the first half, the Rainbow Warriors responded to both runs.

Hawaii wasn’t as flashy as the Tigers, but they used timely 3-pointers and free throw shooting to take its halftime lead. The Rainbow Warriors outscored Missouri 16-6 from the free throw line in the first half before the Tigers scored a multitude of free throws to ice the game.

For most of second half, Hawaii stayed hot from the free-throw line, but it shot only 1 of 8 from 3-point range.

Missouri weathered Hawaii’s attack by using penetration to drive the ball and then either kick out to an open guard for a 3-point attempt or to an open big man down low when help defense arrived on the ball. Missouri dominated the points in the paint 56-36.

The Tigers stayed undefeated in their third game without coach Frank Haith, who was suspended by the NCAA for five games for his role in the Nevin Shapiro scandal while Haith was the head coach at Miami. He is eligible to coach his first game of the season Nov. 28 against Northwestern.

Missouri held Isaac Fotu, who leads Hawaii in scoring with 16.7 points per game, to only 7 points, helping offset the other four Rainbow Warriors who scored in double figures.

— Associated Press —