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Category: Sports

Missouri Western men defeat Upper Iowa for third straight win

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ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western improved to 3-1 in its 75-67 win over Upper Iowa (0-2) on Saturday night. The win gives the Griffons the 2-0 weekend at the 27th Annual Hillyard Tip-Off Classic.

NOTABLES

  • After Saturday’s win, the Griffons now have their first 3-1 start since 2013-14.
  • The Griffons shot well right from the opening tip and shot 53 percent in the first half.
  • Missouri Western’s 12 made three-pointers are a new season-high.
  • The Griffons took the lead three minutes into the game after an Alex Martin three-pointer and maintained the lead for the rest of the game.
  • Getting to the free-throw line did not come so easy for the Griffons as they finished with just 15 free throw attempts compared to the Peacocks’ 27.
  • Upper Iowa was held to just a 36 percent field goal percentage.

LEADERS

  • Tyus Millhollin posted a season-high 22 points in the win.
  • Millhollin did most of his damage from deep, making six three’s on 55 percent shooting from distance.
  • Jonathan Mesmacque pulled down double-digit rebounds for the second night and finished with a team-high 11 boards.
  • Lavon Hightower was the team’s second-leading scorer with 16.

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western will play outside of Civic Arena for the first time all season as they travel to Missouri S&T on Nov. 17.
  • The Miners are coming off of a 3-23 season in 2017-18.

— MWSU Athletics —

5th-ranked Northwest men shoot past Winona State 84-59

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ST. JOSEPH, Missouri – The No. 5-ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcat men’s basketball team improved to 4-0 with an 84-59 win over Winona State in the HIllyard Tipoff Classic at Civic Arena.

Northwest began the game on an 18-3 spurt and led 46-23 at the break. The Bearcats buried 10-of-21 three-point shots in the opening 20 minutes. For the game, Northwest drained 16 triples.

Redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins stuffed his stat sheet with 25 points and 11 assists in leading the Bearcats to their 25th straight win on a neutral floor.

Senior Joey Witthus scored a season-high 21 points. Witthus buried six three-pointers against Winona State.

Northwest will open its home season Friday at 7 p.m. against Truman State.

NOTES: It marked Northwest’s 19th straight win in the month of November … Hudgins is averaging a team-best 23.5 points per game and is shooting 55.7 percent from the field … Ryan Hawkins has made 17 three-pointers in the first four games and is shooting 51.5 percent from 3-point range while averaging 16.8 points per game.

— Northwest Athletics —

Griffons blow 23-6 fourth quarter lead and lose to Lindenwood

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ST. JOSEPH – Lindenwood (4-7) scored 21 unanswered points in the final five minutes and 20 seconds of its final game as football member of the MIAA conference to come back and spoil Griffon Football’s shot at a seven-win season.

The visiting Lions defeated Missouri Western 27-23 in the final game of the regular season. Missouri Western finished the regular season 6-5, the first winning season since going 6-5 in 2015.

NOTABLES

  • Missouri Western led 23-6 after a 21-yard Donnell Hawkins touchdown with 8:03 left in the game
  • Lindenwood made it 23-13 with a seven-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass with 5:20 left
  • A failed attempt at an onside kick by Lindenwood gave the Griffons the ball at the Lindenwood 41 with 5:20 left, but Missouri Western took a little over a minute off the clock and gained just one yard before Dom Marino punted to the Lindenwood one-yard line
  • The Lions rattled off an 11-play, 99-yard drive to pull within three with 2:14 left in the game
  • Lindenwood the had a successful onside kick that gave them the ball at the 50
  • The Lions had to convert a 4th and five at the MWSU-45 to keep what ended up being the game-winning drive alive. They scored three plays later to take their first lead since early in the second quarter.
  • Missouri Western still had a chance with the ball, 36 seconds left and one timeout.
  • Three complete passes got the ball from the Missouri Western-25 to the Lindenwood-29
  • With one second remaining, Dom Marino completed a pass to Joe Horn Jr. who lateraled to Keylan Mack. Mack was tackled at the three with no time on the clock, leaving the Griffons three yards short of a seventh win on the season.
  • Missouri Western had 291 yards of total offense while allowing Lindenwood 424 yards.
  • The Griffons were +2 on turnovers with two fumble recoveries and an interception. Lindenwood picked off Marino once
  • It was the final home game and regular season game for 16 Griffon seniors who were honored before the game

LEADERS

  • Donnell Hawkins led a balanced Griffon rushing attack with 41 yards on four carries, averaging 10.2 per rush
  • Marino finished 12-of-34 for 144 yards and an interception
  • Kyle Berry had a team-high three catches
  • Keylan Mack led the Griffs with 39 receiving yards
  • Luke Theis averaged 44.2 yards on five punts
  • Tyler Basch was 3-for-4 on field goal attempts, scoring all the Griffons’ points until Hawkins touchdown run in the fourth quarter
  • James Huskey led the team with 12 total tackles. Anthony Williams had 11

— MWSU Athletics —

Bearcats earn share of MIAA title with win at Central Missouri

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WARRENSBURG, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State Bearcat football team claimed a share of the program’s 29th MIAA title with a 48-21 whitewashing of the Central Missouri Mules at Walton Stadium.

Senior running back Josh Caldwell scored four touchdowns and surpassed 100 yards on the ground for the first time as a Bearcat in the victory. Caldwell rushed for three scores (1, 34, 22) and caught another (20). Caldwell rushed for 182 yards on 15 carries. Caldwell caught two passes for 24 yards. Caldwell tallied a team-best 206 all-purpose yards.

Northwest put up 517 yards of total offense. The Bearcats gained 281 on the ground and 236 through the air. The Bearcats piled up 42:13 of time of possession and ran 88 total plays.

Central Missouri came into the contest averaging 494.1 yards per game which was tops in the MIAA and No. 11 in the nation. The Bearcats held the Mules to 187 total yards. UCM was also averaging 36.1 points per game. UCM had 10 first downs and ran only 53 total plays.

The Bearcats built a 45-0 lead through three quarters before the Mules found the end zone for a trio of cosmetic touchdowns in the fourth.

Northwest moves to 9-2 on the season, while Central Missouri falls to 5-6 on the year. Northwest will share the MIAA regular season title with Fort Hays State.

The 2018 NCAA Division II playoff selection show will air on Sunday at 4 p.m. on www.NCAA.com. The Division II playoffs will begin Sat., Nov. 17, at campus sites.

NOTES: Josh Caldwell had 15 100-yard rushing games for Missouri Western before surpassing the 100-yard mark for the first time in a Bearcat uniform … Northwest has won five of the last six MIAA regular season titles … Northwest has defeated Central Missouri six straight times … Braden Wright passed for 236 yards on 21-of-32 passing with three touchdowns … Wright connected with 10 different Bearcat receivers … Parker Sampson made two field goals (44, 30) … Jack Richards collected six tackles and an interception … Brody Buck picked off a pass and returned it 31 yards to set up a first-quarter touchdown … Nick Hess recovered a fumble … Spencer Phillips and Zach Howard combined for Northwest’s only sack of the game.

— Northwest Athletics —

Western women stay unbeaten with 82-70 win over SW Minnesota State

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HAYS, Kan. – Griffon Women’s Basketball used efficient shooting to move to 2-0 on the season with an 82-70 win over Southwest Minnesota State in Hays, Kansas on Saturday.

Missouri Western shot better than 48 percent from the field and close to 47 percent from three-point range.

NOTABLES

  • A two-point Griffon lead after one quarter got stretched out before halftime with Missouri Western outscoring SMSU 25-12 in the second period
  • An 11-0 run helped the Griffons end the third quarter with a 72-49 lead
  • Holding the comfortable lead, the Griffons were held to 10 fourth quarter points while allowing 21
  • The Griffons held SMSU to 33 percent shooting from the field (21-63) and 25 percent from three-point range (8-32)
  • Missouri Western won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding the Mustangs 47-31
  • The Griffons outscored SMSU 40-26 in the paint

LEADERS

  • Katrina Roenfeldt posted her first double-double as a Griffon, leading the team with 16 points and 11 boards
  • Melia Richardson scored 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 shooting from the free throw line
  • Kylee Williams was 3-of-5 from three point range and scored 11 points

UP NEXT
The Griffons travel to Kirksville, Missouri to take on Truman State on Tuesday, Nov. 13.

— MWSU Athletics —

Mizzou squeaks out 33-28 victory over Vanderbilt

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — When Missouri kicker Tucker McCann missed a 31-yard field goal to the left with 1:48 remaining in the game, the possibility opened up that Missouri could lose its third last-second contest of the season.

The Tigers were up 33-28. Quarterback Kyle Shurmur led Vanderbilt 55 yards down the field, setting up for a play on Missouri’s 25-yard line with five seconds remaining.

When the final pass came down untouched, Missouri had won its sixth game, becoming bowl-eligible for the second season in a row. The Tigers exhaled.

“I instantly just fell down on my knees and said `thank you God’,” Missouri running back Damarea Crockett said.

Missouri’s defense bent but didn’t break during Vanderbilt’s final drive.

“I was wishing it was over before then,” Missouri head coach Barry Odom said. “But I had trust in what was called. I’m proud that our team ended up winning it on that last play.”

In the end, the Tigers (6-4, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) are going bowling, and the Commodores (4-6, 1-5) will need to win both its remaining games to guarantee bowl eligibility.

Vanderbilt had led all game until Missouri running backs Crockett and Larry Rountree III fueled a 99-yard drive to start the fourth quarter. The drive started after Vanderbilt failed to convert a 4th-and-goal opportunity on Missouri’s 1-yard line.

“Not putting the ball in the end zone on fourth-and-1 was the most critical play in the ballgame for us,” Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said. “Not getting that done cost us momentum.”

From there, the Tigers trekked down the field for a 14-play drive that lasted 5:38. Quarterback Drew Lock trotted three yards into the end zone to give Missouri its first lead of the game — 33-28 with 9:18 remaining.

Shurmur outplayed Lock for the majority of the game, with 249 yards and three touchdowns on 24-for-35 passing. Lock, a former Heisman hopeful, passed for 253 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 22-for-33 passing.

Crockett bolted for 122 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and Rountree added 92 yards on 21 rushes.

“Those guys put the game on their back,” Lock said. “Our o-line blocked their butts off.”

Vanderbilt’s Ke’Shawn Vaughn ran for 182 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries, good for 12.1 yards per carry.

THE TAKEAWAY

Vanderbilt: The Commodores showed promise on offense in the first half and proved that they could compete on the road. The victory would have immensely helped the team’s bowl chances, but Vanderbilt can still clinch eligibility with wins in home games against Ole Miss and Tennessee.

Missouri: It wasn’t as pretty as the Tigers’ 38-17 victory over No. 13 Florida, but Missouri is officially going bowling. After a rough first half, the defense locked down and offense stepped up in the second half. Finally winning a close game should help the Tigers’ spirits.

FOURTH QUARTER FUTILITY

Beginning with the failed fourth-and-goal attempt from the 1-yard line, Vanderbilt missed out on multiple opportunities in the fourth quarter. Vanderbilt was flagged on an unsportsmanlike conduct, which turned a 3rd-and-1 to a 3rd-and-16, which it didn’t convert.

The Commodores picked off Lock on the ensuing drive, putting themselves on Missouri’s 35. They managed just one yard on four plays.

“It’s been the same story all season,” said Vanderbilt tight end Jared Pinkney, who had five catches for 88 yards. “We can’t finish, for whatever reason.”

ON THE RIGHT SIDE

Missouri has lost a pair of last-second contests this season, 37-35 to South Carolina and 15-14 against No. 12 Kentucky. After winning on a last-second play, Odom and his players acknowledged how much better it feels to be on the good side of thrillers.

“Down to the last play, I’m kind of tired of those,” Odom said. “Excited for our team to show the resolve, the toughness and the grit when it wasn’t very pretty early on.”

UP NEXT

Vanderbilt returns home to play Ole Miss.

Missouri goes on the road to face Tennessee.

— Associated Press —

Northwest women fall to 0-2 with loss to Minnesota Crookston

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The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team fell to Minnesota Crookston in a neutral site game in Wayne, Nebraska Saturday, 79-71.

The Bearcats leading scorer was Kendey Eaton with 26. Kaylani Maiava had 12 and Jaelyn Haggard had 10 points. Haggard also led the team in assists with 4. Mallory McConkey led the team with 7 rebounds. The Bearcats led in bench points 21-2.

Kylie Post led Minnesota Crookston in points and assists with 21 and 4. The Golden Eagles had 3 other players score double digit points. They were Isieoma Odor with 19, Caitlin Michaelis with 15, and Paige Weakley who had 13 and went a perfect 3-3 from the three-point line. Minnesota Crookston used their size to outscore Northwest 40-26 in the paint.

Northwest will play their home opener Wednesday, Nov. 14 vs. College of Saint Mary (Neb.) at 7 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Athletics —

K-State rallies past KU 21-17 in Sunflower Showdown

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State’s defense gave up big plays, its offense struggled to consistently move the ball and its special teams made more mistakes in one game Saturday than they often do in an entire season.

The Wildcats were still good enough to beat Kansas.

Alex Barnes ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns, Alex Delton scored the go-ahead TD from 21 yards out in the closing minutes, and Kansas State managed to hold on for a frigid, wind-blown 21-17 victory — their 10th straight over their biggest rivals.

“They recognize there were things that could have been done that wouldn’t have necessarily kept it a close ballgame,” Wildcats coach Bill Snyder said of his players, “but to get the win when they’re in the jaws of defeat, so to speak, it was significant for them. It was important.”

Kansas State (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) trailed 17-14 when it got the ball back with 5:02 to go, and Barnes converted fourth-and-2 with a hard, hurdling run. Delton then connected with Dalton Schoen for 28 yards before taking a quarterback draw for a touchdown with 2:46 to go.

The Jayhawks (3-7, 1-6) reached the Kansas State 32 as they tried to answer, but Peyton Bender had the ball inexplicably pop from his hands while trying to pass with 20 seconds left to end the game.

“That last play is certainly not the play that lost us the game,” said Kansas coach David Beaty, who is finishing out the season after getting fired last Sunday. “There were a lot of other things that I can point to that probably kept us from being able to win.”

Bender finished with 232 yards passing and two TDs for the Jayhawks, who were trying to win their first road conference game since Oct. 4, 2008. Steven Sims had five catches for 113 yards and a score.

Bender’s turnover summed up a game that boiled down to which team made fewer mistakes.

Kansas State’s punt-block team was penalized for running into the kicker. So was its kick-block team. And punter Andrew Hicks was woefully short when he was summoned to try a 53-yard field goal.

Not to be outdone, Kansas answered with an 18-play, 94-yard drive that consumed nearly 10 minutes spanning the first and second quarters and was capped by … a field goal.

Then, when the Jayhawks got the ball back, they marched to the Kansas State 33 before dropping a certain TD pass. Referee Reggie Smith called a false start penalty on “multiple players,” a fumble and delay-of-game penalty followed, and the Jayhawks failed to run their field-goal unit on the field when they had a chance to kick a 56-yarder as time expired.

All that was missing from the first half was the circus music.

Kansas State special teams coach Sean Snyder’s frustration continued on the opening kickoff of the second half, when the wind popped it up and none of the Wildcats could recover it.

But in the ultimate game of one-upmanship, Kansas promptly went backward in four plays to give the Wildcats better field position than if they had fair caught the kickoff.

Kansas State took its first lead a few minutes later, when Barnes ran 24 yards for a score. And after the Jayhawks answered with a 75-yard drive that Bender capped with a TD pass to Jeremiah Booker, it was Barnes finding the end zone again to help the Wildcats regain the lead.

Lest they have too much success, the Wildcats botched a field-goal attempt a few minutes later.

Kansas regained the lead when Bender hit Steven Sims on a 65-yard touchdown reception, but the Jayhawks promptly squandered a chance to put the game away. They had two 50-yard-plus runs wiped out by holding penalties, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was tacked on when Jayhawks tight end Mavin Saunders apparently disagreed with the second holding call and tried to hide the flag.

“I saw it,” Snyder said, cracking a grin. “Somewhat amazed.”

The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was tacked on and Kansas was ultimately forced to punt, and that gave Delton and the Wildcats the opening they needed for one more score.

“It was really big to finally get off a losing streak,” said Barnes, who delivered the lead block on the go-ahead score, “and it’s always good to beat Kansas.”

QUOTABLE

“Our state deserves that game to be a good game and it was a good game today. It wasn’t good for the Jayhawks because we want to finish with a victory, but it was a good game.” — Beaty.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas: So much for giving Beaty a memorable victory. Despite being fired Sunday, he is finishing the season while athletic director Jeff Long crisscrosses the country in search of his replacement.

Kansas State: Sloppy as they were, the Wildcats managed to keep their bowl hopes alive. They still need to win their next two games to become eligible, though, and will need to play a whole lot better.

UP NEXT

Kansas visits sixth-ranked Oklahoma next Saturday.

Kansas State plays Texas Tech in its home finale Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Martinez leads Cornhuskers past turnover-prone Illini 54-35

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s high-powered offense made Illinois pay for its many mistakes Saturday.

The Cornhuskers converted four of the Illini’s five turnovers into 24 points while pulling away for a 54-35 win, their third in four games after an 0-6 start.

“We got some good breaks today. We were probably due for some good breaks,” Nebraska first-year coach Scott Frost said. “They made a couple mistakes and got us some good situations. You can’t take advantage of those if you’re not doing the right thing.”

The Huskers (3-7, 2-5 Big Ten) did plenty right. Wearing alternate uniforms to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, the Huskers rolled up 606 total yards on a raw afternoon when the wind chill dipped to 13 degrees. Illinois amassed 509 yards in the meeting of the Big Ten’s worst defenses.

“There early on in the game, watching our offense executing, man, it’s fun calling plays; it was a thing of beauty,” Frost said. “Those guys were executing everything we were calling.”

Adrian Martinez threw for 290 yards and accounted for four touchdowns and Devine Ozigbo ran for 162 yards and three scores.

Illinois (4-6, 2-5) had three turnovers in the first half — two muffed punts and a fumble by quarterback AJ Bush. Those led to 17 points for Nebraska, which led 38-21 at half.

Bush moved the Illini into Nebraska territory on the opening series of the second half but was intercepted when his pass went through Dominic Stampley’s hands into safety Aaron Williams’. The Huskers embarked on a 17-play, 82-yard drive that chewed nearly 8 minutes off the clock, with Ozigbo scoring his second touchdown for a 24-point lead.

“When you turn the ball over like that, it’s tough to win,” Illini coach Lovie Smith said. “When you continue to give up big runs on the defensive side of the football, run and pass, it’s tough duty. When you have a couple mishaps like we did in the special teams game against a team like this at home, it’s tough to win.”

Martinez was 24 of 34 and threw for three touchdowns, and he ran 13 times for 55 yards and a TD. His 345 yards of total offense pushed his season total to a school freshman-record 2,747.

Ozigbo broke a career-long 66-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and went 60 yards for another TD in the fourth.

Bush, playing against the school where he spent the first two years of his college career, threw for 126 yards but was intercepted twice. Nebraska couldn’t stop Bush as a runner, though. He rushed for a school quarterback-record 187 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries.

“It’s cool, but I didn’t get the most important stat I wanted,” Bush said. “You ball out, but LeBron scores 60 and they lose. It’s like that.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Illinois: Five turnovers can’t be overcome when the defense has no answer for an offense that’s rolling like Nebraska’s. It was the second straight week the Illini have had three or more turnovers and third time in four games.

Nebraska: The Huskers have scored at least 30 points in five straight games, including four straight in conference play for the first time since 2001, and have gone over 450 yards of total offense in seven straight games for the first time in program history. They’re averaging 537.9 yards over those seven games.

“I firmly believe we can move the ball on anybody,” Ozigbo said, “and we should score every drive.”

NUMBERS TO NOTE

Ozigbo is 42 yards short of becoming the Huskers’ first 1,000-yard rusher since 2014. … Stanley Morgan Jr. caught eight passes for 131 yards and two TDs and moved to No. 2 on the school’s all-time receiving list behind Kenny Bell. … Illinois’ 383 rushing yards were its second-most this season behind the 430 against Minnesota last week.

CORBIN INJURED

The Illini’s Reggie Corbin, who ran for a career-high 213 yards against Minnesota, left with an injury in the middle of the second quarter. He ran nine times for 59 yards and caught one pass for 34 yards. He favored his right leg as he was helped off.

UP NEXT

Illinois hosts Iowa on Nov. 17.

Nebraska hosts Michigan State on Nov. 17.

— Associated Press —

Griffons use late run to rally past Winona State 65-57

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ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western Men’s Basketball (2-1) earned its second victory of the early season in a 65-57 win over Winona State Friday at the Hillyard Tip-Off Classic at Civic Arena. Down five points with just over six minutes to play, the Griffons played some of their best defense of the season to come away with the win.

NOTABLES

  • Missouri Western played its best defense of the night to close out the fourth quarter. The Griffons did not allow a single field goal in the final 6 minutes of the game.
  • The Griffons closed the game on a 16-3 run over the last six minutes.
  • Lavon Hightower swung momentum away from Winona State after the Warriors stretched their lead to five points with under six minutes remaining. Hightower converted the and-one after Tyrell Carroll set him up for the layup.
  • Tyus Millhollin was fouled on a three-point attempt and sank three clutch free throws to give the Griffons the 55-54 lead.
  • Jonathan Mesmacque sealed the game with a three off of another cross-court assist from Tyrell Carroll.
  • Missouri Western held the Warriors to just 32 percent shooting in the second half.
  • The Griffons shot 40 percent from beyond the arc in the win.
  • Alex Martin and Lavon Hightower both picked up double-doubles for the Griffons on Friday night. It was the first time a player on Missouri Western recorded a double-double since Nov. 30, 2017.

LEADERS

  • Hightower led all scorers with 15 points on 50 percent shooting.
  • Mesmacque came off the bench and had the best game of his career. Mesmacque posted career highs in points (11), rebounds (7), and assists (4).
  • Freshman guard Tyrell Carroll played 30 minutes off the bench and was the team’s second-leading scorer with 13 points to go along with his five assists.
  • Alex Martin set several career marks in Friday’s win. Martin grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds and scored 12 points for his first career double-double.

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western will play Upper Iowa in its final game of the Hillyard Tip-Off Classic on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
  • Upper Iowa fell to Northwest Missouri 76-59 on Friday night.

— MWSU Athletics —

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