KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri reached an agreement Sunday with Eliah Drinkwitz to take over the Tigers’ once-proud football program, a person with knowledge of the hiring told The Associated Press, making Appalachian State’s successful coach the second-youngest in a Power Five conference. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract was still being drawn up and the school had not made an announcement. Drinkwitz was also being pursued by SEC rival Arkansas for its head-coaching vacancy. Tigers athletic director Jim Sterk said he wanted to move swiftly in hiring a replacement for Barry Odom, the former player and assistant coach who went 25-25 in four seasons leading the program. Odom was fired after the Tigers finished an underwhelming 6-6, which would have been good enough for a bowl berth had the school not been slapped with a postseason ban by the NCAA following an incident involving a rogue tutor. Drinkwitz will inherit a program that also must deal with scholarship and recruiting restrictions as part of the fallout. When asked what he was searching for in the next coach, Sterk replied: “I think someone that brings a lot of energy and experience to the program, a leader, quality individual that has had success in leading a program or as a coordinator at a high level. Those are some of the some of the qualities.” The 36-year-old coach is a considerable gamble for Missouri because of his scant head-coaching experience. Drinkwitz worked under Gene Chizik and Gus Malzahn at Auburn, Bryan Harsin at Arkansas State and Dave Doeren at North Carolina State, giving him plenty of experience from some of the best in the business. But his lone year in charge of a program — at any level, including high school — was this past season with the Mountaineers. Still, the season was a spectacular success. Appalachian State (12-1) rolled through its first seven games, beating North Carolina on the road, before stumbling against Georgia Southern. That wound up being the Mountaineers’ lone loss after they ripped off five straight wins, including one at South Carolina, and capped the run with a victory over Louisiana in the Sun Belt championship game. It’s unclear whether Drinkwitz will coach the Mountaineers against UAB in the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 21. He had signed a five-year deal with Appalachian State that paid him $750,000 this past season plus considerable performance incentives. The contract states that he will owe $425,000 for each year remaining if he leaves for another job, meaning a buyout of $1.7 million will be due to Appalachian State. Odom signed an extension through 2024 last December that increased his base salary this past season to $3.05 million. “We’re very excited about what we’re doing at App State,” Drinkwitz said after the Sun Belt title game, “but at the same time every opportunity, you know, I owe it to the family — my family — for my family to see what’s something that we’re interested in. But I’m not in any hurry to leave. I feel strongly that we’re building something special here.” Most of the questions Drinkwitz fielded Saturday had to do with Arkansas, and for good reason: He went to Arkansas Tech, started his coaching career at a pair of Arkansas high schools, and later coached two seasons at Arkansas State. “I don’t have a lot of answers for you right now,” he said. “I’m trying to process winning the first conference championship of my career, processing doing something that’s never been done before, and I understand that you all got jobs to do, and it’s going to be a crazy time, but the most important thing for me is just to enjoy the moment right now, and then we’ll figure it all out.” Earlier Sunday, the Razorbacks hired Georgia assistant Sam Pittman to be its head coach. Drinkwitz, widely considered a creative offensive mind, should stoke some passion from a Missouri fanbase that has grown tired of mediocrity to the point that attendance started to plummet this past season. And his hiring comes after reports that Sterk was interested in a series of candidates that included Army’s Jeff Monken, Louisiana Tech’s Skip Holtz and Arkansas State’s Blake Andreson — all with head coaching experience but none with what could be considered a high profile. Odom was hired four seasons ago to replace beloved coach Gary Pinkel, who had not only built Missouri into a consistent winner but helped carry that success into the SEC. He appeared to be on the right track, too, taking the Tigers to a couple of bowl games. But things began to fall apart with a season-opening loss to Wyoming, and Sterk said upon Odom’s firing that the program had lost the “momentum” that had been built with a recent stadium renovation project. Now, the Tigers are led by the second-youngest Power Five coach behind only Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, and can turn their attention to rebuilding a program and fan base that has grown weary of scratching just to make bowl games. --- Associated Press ---

AP Source: Missouri hiring Appalachian State's Eli Drinkwitz

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patrick Mahomes got some help from the Chiefs defense to hold off the New England Patriots and wrap up the division title. Kansas City clinched the AFC West when Bashaud Breeland knocked away Tom Brady's fourth-down pass attempt to Julian Edelman in the end zone and the Chiefs beat New England 23-16 win on Sunday. After building a 20-7 lead, the Chiefs survived a series of mistakes and questionable officiating to hold off a late rally by the defending Super Bowl champions. Combined with Oakland's loss to Tennessee, the Chiefs (9-4) clinched the AFC West. The loss ended the Patriots' 21-game home win streak in the regular season and playoffs, which was tied for the longest in team history. It also was the third-longest string in NFL history. Mahomes was 26 of 40 for 283 yards, a touchdown and interception, playing through a hand injury he suffered during Kansas City's second offensive series. Tight end Travis Kelce added a 4-yard TD run. Mahomes now is the third quarterback this season to earn his first win against the Patriots, joining Baltimore's Lamar Jackson and Houston's Deshaun Watson. All three were previously 0-2. "You want to beat the best. You want to go out and play against the best and give your best effort, "Mahomes said. "It wasn't pretty the whole time. It was just a tough, hard-fought win. He said he got creative after his injury. "I let the trainers look at it. They gave me to good to go," Mahomes said. "I went out there, battled and figured out ways to throw the ball across the middle. Maybe not shoot those long shots I usually throw. But enough to get them back and still score touchdowns." New England (10-3) has lost two in a row. Tom Brady was under pressure all game and finished 19 of 36 for 169 yards, a touchdown and interception. the 169 yards are his second-fewest passing yards this season. He spoke after the game with his right elbow heavily wrapped. "They threw a lot of different defenses at us," Brady said. "Some we handled well and some we didn't." Trailing 23-16, New England got the ball back on its 32 with 5:04 to play. The Patriots immediately gained 35 yards on a pass from halfback James White to Jakobi Meyers to get into Kansas City territory. Officials appeared to miss a pass interference call on a deep pass to Phillip Dorsett and the Chiefs forced a fourth-and-6 at the 29. But the 42-year-old Brady got free and scrambled 17 yards for a first down. The Patriots couldn't get into the end zone, however, losing the rematch of January's AFC title game in Kansas City. The Chiefs led 23-7 in the third quarter before they committed multiple miscues that helped the Patriots close the gap. First, Patriots special teamer Nate Ebner blocked Dustin Colquitt's punt, which rolled out of bounds at the Chiefs 19. It set up a 10-yard run by Brandon Bolden that made it 23-13, but James White was stopped short on his 2-point conversion run attempt. The Chiefs gave the Patriots another opportunity late in the third quarter. Kelce caught a pass and was hit by Devin McCourty, forcing a fumble and recovery by Stephon Gilmore, who had a clear path the the end zone. The play was blown dead, though, with Kelce ruled down by contact. It prompted an immediate challenge by Patriots coach Bill Belichick, which resulted in the call being overturned and the ball awarded to New England. The Patriots quickly drove to the Kansas City 15 and Brady found N'Keal Harry with a short pass. Harry weaved through multiple defenders and appeared to stretch the ball over the pylon. Yet he was ruled to have stepped out of bounds at the 3. "Yeah, I mean, it's -- yeah. Doesn't happen very often.," Brady said of the ruling. "So, it happened. We still had a chance and wish we could have scored there at the end." Brady was sacked three plays later and the Patriots kicked a field goal to close within 23-16. Referee Jerome Boger told a pool reporter after the game that the covering official on the Harry play was blocked out by defenders. "The downfield official who was on the goal line and looking back toward the field of play had that he stepped out at the 3-yard line," Boger said. "So, they got together and conferred on that. The final ruling was that he was out of bounds at the 3-yard line." The Chiefs were without two of their leading rushers, Damien Williams (rib injury) and Darrel Williams (placed on injured reserve Thursday with a hamstring injury). It left the rushing duties primarily in the hands of LeSean McCoy, with support from Darwin Thompson and Spencer Ware. They didn't get much traction in the run game other than from McCoy, who finished with 11 rushes for 39 yards. But after a slow start, Kansas City's receivers were able to find space and passing lanes for Mahomes. One notable example came early in the second quarter. Mecole Hardman got behind Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones and Mahomes withstood pressure to deliver a deep pass off his back foot for a 48-yard touchdown to put the Chiefs in front 10-7. Brady was intercepted by Breeland on the first play of the Patriots' ensuing drive and Kansas City went right back to work. Taking over on the New England 39, Mahomes found Kelce in the middle of the field for a 20-yard gain to get the Chiefs inside the 5. Two plays later Kelce took a direct snap and ran it in for a 4-yard TD. INJURIES Chiefs: LG Andrew Wiley left in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. Patriots: Harry left in the fourth quarter with a hip injury. TRICKERY The Patriots received the game's opening kickoff and needed just five plays to drive 83 yards and take 7-0 lead on a 37-yard flea-flicker from Brady to Edelman. The series was aided by a pair of third-down pass interference penalties called on Chiefs cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Breeland. BLOCKED Ebner's punt block in the third quarter was the Patriots fourth of 2019, setting a franchise record for a season. With one more they will tie the 1990 Chiefs for the most blocked punts in a season in NFL history MISSING EQUIPMENT The Kansas City Chiefs needed a police escort to get their equipment to Foxborough, Massachusetts, in time for kickoff. Chiefs spokesman Ted Crews confirmed that some of the gear was sent to the wrong place and had to be rushed to the stadium. It arrived about two hours before kickoff. The Massachusetts State Police tweeted that they helped the equipment get to the stadium from Logan Airport. UP NEXT Chiefs: host Broncos next Sunday. Patriots: visit Bengals next Sunday. --- Associated Press ---

Chiefs hold off Patriots rally for 23-16 win

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Coming off an 8-4 regular season under first-year head coach Chris Klieman, K-State Nation is heading to Memphis as Kansas State officials announced Sunday that the Wildcats have accepted an invitation to play Navy in the 61st Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Tuesday, December 31.&nbsp;It will be Kansas State's second appearance in the Liberty Bowl, the first being after the 2015 season. K-State and Navy will square off for the first time in school history inside Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium with kickoff slated for 2:45 p.m., shown to a nationwide television audience on ESPN.&nbsp;"We are excited to accept an invitation to play in the Liberty Bowl," said Klieman. "I am really proud of our team, especially our seniors, and our staff for continuing to work hard day after day and collectively getting better throughout the season. The story of the 2019 Wildcats still has one game left, and we look forward to spending the holidays in Memphis and preparing for a great Navy team in what will be an exciting Liberty Bowl."&nbsp;The Wildcats (8-4) will be playing in their 22nd bowl game in school history and are back in postseason play after a one-year hiatus. The Wildcats have won two-straight bowls and three of their last five. They will be in search of winning three-straight bowl games for the first time in school history.&nbsp;"I want to congratulate Coach Klieman and our football team and staff on a great regular season and getting our program back to a bowl game," said Athletics Director Gene Taylor. "We look forward to showcasing our football program and Kansas State University in the Liberty Bowl, and I know our fans are excited to show their outstanding support in Memphis while our football student-athletes, coaches and staff are provided a great experience."&nbsp;K-State, which was predicted to finish ninth in the Big 12, ended the year in a tie for third place in the league standings, the biggest jump from a preseason poll since 2014 (TCU). The Wildcats also claimed the only victory among the four College Football Playoff teams this year when they upended No. 4 Oklahoma.&nbsp;Kansas State raced out to a 3-0 start, highlighted by a 31-24 victory at Mississippi State, the Wildcats' first win inside an SEC venue in 12 tries. Following a pair of losses to open up Big 12 play, K-State came back with three more wins – a 24-17 triumph over TCU, a 48-41 upset of then-No. 5 and now College Football Playoff participant Oklahoma, and a convincing 38-10 win at Kansas.&nbsp;The victory over the Sooners was the Wildcats' first over a top-five team in 13 seasons and the first over OU in Manhattan since 1996. K-State's win in Lawrence was its 11th-straight Sunflower Showdown victory to tie the Wildcats' own record for the longest winning streak in by either team in the series.&nbsp;A pair of losses to Texas and West Virginia by a combined seven points – including one on a field goal on the final play of the game in Austin – preceded a pair of wins to close out the regular season as K-State won at Texas Tech, 30-27, before a 27-17 triumph over Iowa State on Senior Night, the Wildcats' seventh-straight home win over the Cyclones.&nbsp;Navy, K-State's Liberty Bowl opponent, holds a 9-2 record prior to the annual Army-Navy Game this Saturday in Philadelphia. The Midshipmen, who were ranked No. 24 in the final College Football Playoff Top 25, finished with a 7-1 mark in the American Athletic Conference to tie for first in the West Division. It will be the first meeting between K-State and Navy, the sixth for the Wildcats against a service academy and the first since hosting Army in 1987. Kansas State is 3-2 all-time against service academies, going 3-0 against Air Force and 0-2 against Army.&nbsp;--- K-State Sports ---

K-State to play Navy in Auto Zone Liberty Bowl

KANSAS CITY, Mo.&nbsp;– Mizzou Women’s Basketball (3-7, 0-0 SEC) dropped a close road contest to Kansas City, 59-56, on Sunday afternoon at the Swinney Recreation Center. Mizzou grew a 10-point lead in the game’s opening quarter, but was outscored by eight in the second half to drop its seventh game of the season.&nbsp;Mizzou had three players score in double figures, led by senior guard&nbsp;Amber Smith&nbsp;(Shreveport, La.) and freshman forward&nbsp;Hayley Frank&nbsp;(Strafford, Mo.), who each had 12 points to pace the Tigers. Freshman guard&nbsp;Aijha Blackwell&nbsp;(Berkeley, Mo.) joined the duo in double figures with 11 points, her third consecutive game in double figures.&nbsp;TURNING POINT&nbsp;In the fourth quarter, Mizzou held a 6-point advantage at 51-46 with 4:56 remaining the game, but the Roos were able to close the game on a 13-5 run to complete the comeback victory. Kansas City hit two timely three-pointers during the run, and Mizzou was unable to regain the lead after the second triple gave the Roos a 55-53 lead with 1:43 left in the game.&nbsp;TOP TIGERS·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blackwell stuffed the stat sheet once again for the Tigers, as she scored 11 points and set new career highs in rebounds (seven) and assists (six).·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Smith led Mizzou in scoring with 12 points while also recording four rebounds, two assists and two steals.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Frank also chipped in 12 points for the Tigers, marking her eighth consecutive game in double figures.NOTES·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With the loss, Mizzou falls to 13-2 all-time against Kansas City. It is the first time Kansas City has defeated Mizzou in Kansas City.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With 11 points, Blackwell scored in double figures for the third consecutive game and the fourth time in her career.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blackwell also recorded career highs in rebounds with seven and assists with six, and matched her career high in blocks with two.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Frank scored in double figures for the eighth consecutive game with 12 points. Over her eight game stretch, Frank is averaging 15.8 points per game.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Tiger freshman drained one shot from beyond the arc in the game, continuing her streak of making at least one three-pointer in every game this season. Frank is the first freshman in program history to mark 1+ three-pointer in her first 10 games, passing Kassie Drew, who made one three-pointer in her first nine games in 2004-05.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Senior guard&nbsp;Jordan Chavis&nbsp;(Lexington, N.C.) set a career high in steals with five, and matched a career high in rebounds with six.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Redshirt senior forward&nbsp;Hannah Schuchts&nbsp;(Tallahassee, Fla.) recorded three blocks in the game, marking the third time this season and the 13th&nbsp;time in her career she has recorded at least three blocks.UP NEXT&nbsp;Next, Mizzou will head to Springfield to face Missouri State on Sunday, Dec. 15. Tipoff from Springfield is slated for 3:00 p.m. --- Mizzou Athletics ---

Mizzou women lose at Kansas City 59-56

TEXARKANA, Ark. –&nbsp;The 300th&nbsp;all-time win for Missouri Western football came in the final game of its 50th&nbsp;season. The Griffons (9-3) trounced Henderson State (9-3) in the Agent Barry Live United Bowl to reach nine wins for the first time since 2012 and break a program record with its 11th&nbsp;straight win away from St. Joseph.&nbsp;Missouri Western controlled the line of scrimmage throughout and turned in one of its best defensive performances of the season.&nbsp;Anthony Williams&nbsp;intercepted the Reddies' second play from scrimmage, setting the tone for the Griffon defense early.&nbsp;Markel Smith&nbsp;gave MWSU a 7-0 lead with 2:38 left in the first quarter after both teams showed some rust early in the game. Missouri Western elected to twice go for it on fourth down inside the Henderson State red zone and failed to convert either time, allowing Henderson State to tie the game with 5:04 left in the first half.&nbsp;Blake Burau&nbsp;capped an 11-play, 68-yard drive that took 4:23 off the clock with a four-yard touchdown catch from&nbsp;Wyatt Steigerwald. Burau's TD put MWSU up 14-7 with 34 seconds left in the half. MWSU scored on its first four possessions of the second half. The final touchdown was a 16-yard pass to&nbsp;Luke Vang. The Griffons originally lined up to kick a field goal on 4th&nbsp;and two from the Henderson State 16, but kicker&nbsp;Sam Aviles&nbsp;motioned out as a receiver and Steigerwald to his quarterback position before hitting a wide open Vang to put MWSU up 35-14.&nbsp;NOTABLES<ul><li>Missouri Western became the first team to ever win the Live United Bowl twice.</li><li>Trey Vaval&nbsp;was named MVP after breaking the Live United Bowl record with 225 return yards. The freshman returned four punts for 143 yards and three kicks for 82. He actually broke the record in the first half and became the second Griffon specialist to win MVP of the game in as many years.&nbsp;Tyler Basch&nbsp;was named MVP as the team's kicker in 2018.</li><li>The Griffons out-gained Henderson State 463-263 even with Vaval's returns often setting the Griffs up with great field position.</li><li>Missouri Western had the ball for more than 39 minutes.</li><li>Henderson State was held to just 73 rushing yards on 24 carries.</li><li>Two Reddie quarterbacks were limited to 10 completions on 37 attempts for 290 yards. The Griffon defense also had three sacks.</li><li>MWSU rushed for 287 yards with&nbsp;Markel Smith&nbsp;(136) and&nbsp;Shamar Griffith&nbsp;(110) both going over 100.</li><li>The Griffons were 11 for 18 on third down.</li><li>Steigerwald threw two touchdown passes in a game for the 10th&nbsp;time in 2019.</li><li>Both touchdown passes were to tight ends, giving the position group 15 on the season.</li></ul> --- MWSU Athletics ---

Griffons roll past Henderson State 35-14 to win Live United Bowl

BIG RAPIDS, Michigan – The Northwest Missouri State Bearcat football team saw its 2019 season come to an end as the No. 2-ranked Ferris State Bulldogs posted a 25-3 victory in the quarterfinals of the 2019 NCAA Division II playoffs. The first half featured two turnovers from both squads and the only scoring play was a 35-yard field goal from Ferris State's Jackson Dieterle with 9:02 left in the second quarter. In addition to the pair of turnovers forced, the Bearcat defense came up with a pair of fourth-down stops in Ferris State's red zone. The last stop came at the one-yard line with :19 left in the opening half when Sam Roberts stuffed FSU's Marvin Campbell on a 4th-and-goal from the two. The Bulldogs were held to 1-of-9 on third-down conversions in the first half. Ferris State took the second-half kickoff and marched 76 yards on eight plays that was capped by a Travis Russell three-yard touchdown run. The Bulldog score gave the home squad a 10-0 lead with 11:44 left in the third quarter. Northwest inserted backup quarterback Jadyn Kowalski and he led the first Bearcat scoring drive of the game. Kowalski guided the offense on an eight-play, 57-yard drive that culminated in a 27-yard field goal by Parker Sampson. The key play on the drive was a 19-yard pass play from Kowalski to Alec Tatum on a 3rd-and-4 that put the ball at the FSU 18-yard line. For Sampson it was his 10th straight make of a field goal attempt from less than 50 yards this season. Ferris State hit the biggest play of the game on a 3rd-and-15 from its own 24 yard line. FSU quarterback Travis Russell hit Jevon Shaw on a wide receiver screen for a 69-yard gain to the Northwest 7-yard line. The Bearcat defense stiffened and held the Bulldogs to a 20-yard field goal by Dieterle after the long pass play. The field goal gave Ferris State a 13-3 lead with 10:34 to play in the game. The Bulldogs extended the lead to 16-3 on a 31-yard field goal by Dieterle. The Bulldogs took over at the Bearcat 15-yard line following a failed fake punt attempt by Mike Hohensee. Dieterle's third field goal of the game came with 6:28 left in the fourth quarter. Ferris State added a safety when Austin Edwards sacked Kowalski in the end zone with 3:03 left in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs would ultimately add another score with 1:26 to play on a 32-yard touchdown run by Campbell. The run capped Campbell's game where he rushed 27 times for 149 yards. Northwest finishes the 2019 season with a mark of 12-2 overall. Ferris State improves to 12-0 overall. NOTES: Senior safety Jacob Gassman recorded his third interception of the season and fourth of his quarter in the second quarter … Northwest has intercepted 24 passes this season … four different Bearcats threw passes in the game (Braden Wright, Jadyn Kowalski, Mike Hohensee and LaTroy Harper) … Hohensee tied a Northwest single-game record with 10 punts (Jeff LeBlanc vs. Nebraska-Omaha, Sept. 4, 1999; Matt Thorman vs. Central Missouri, Sept. 30, 2017; Matt Thorman vs. Fort Hays State, Nov. 4, 2017) … Justin Rankin led Northwest with 47 yards on the ground … Alec Tatum had a team-high five receptions for 55 yards … Braden Wright passed 6-of-16 for 54 yards … Jadyn Kowalski passed 5-of-11 for 44 yards … Blake Bayer tallied a game-high 16 tackles … Jackson Barnes notched 15 tackles. --- Northwest Athletics ---

Bearcats' season ends at Ferris State in the NCAA Quarterfinals 25-3

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. –&nbsp;Missouri Western Men's Basketball fell to 4-6 on the season in Jefferson City on Saturday, as the Griffons (4-6, 1-1 MIAA) lost to Lincoln (3-5, 1-1 MIAA) 89-66.&nbsp;The Griffons shot 54% from the field in the first half and kept it close through one period, but the Blue Tigers roared back in the second as they shot 62% from the field and 50% from three.&nbsp;NOTABLES:<ul><li>Tyus Millhollin&nbsp;led the way offensively scoring 19 points for the Griffons.</li><li>Beau Baker&nbsp;also chimed in for the Griffons scoring 11 points and added 9 rebounds.</li><li>The Griffons outscored the Blue Tigers 40-28 in the paint throughout the contest.</li><li>Missouri Western also out-rebounded Lincoln 34-33, including 10 from the offensive glass.</li><li>MWSU played without&nbsp;Tyrell Carroll&nbsp;and&nbsp;Reese Glover&nbsp;due to illness and injury,&nbsp;Will Eames&nbsp;left the game after 28 minutes with eight points, eight rebounds and a team-high five assists.&nbsp;</li></ul>&nbsp;UP NEXT:<ul><li>The Griffons will take a week and a half off before they travel to Springfield, Illinois to take on University of Illinois-Springfield.</li><li>The Prairie Stars are coming off a win over Oakland City University on Saturday, in which UIS topped OCU 108-71.</li></ul> --- MWSU Athletics ---

Shorthanded Missouri Western men come up short at Lincoln

WARRENSBURG, Mo. - The No.1 ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcat men's basketball team lost its first game of the season as they fell at Central Missouri 72-60 in their second MIAA game. The loss drops the team to 8-1 on the year (1-1 MIAA) and ends a 46-game winning streak for Northwest.&nbsp;&nbsp; Poor shooting plagued the Bearcats in this game, going only 19-of-52 from the field, and 7-for-29 from behind the three-point line. Trevor Hudgins scored 24 points to lead all scorers. The only other Bearcat in double figures was Diego Bernard with 14. Ryan Hawkins pulled down 11 boards in the game to lead all players.&nbsp; Central Missouri was led in scoring by Kendale Hampton with 20. He was followed by Gaven Pinkley with 16, and Matt Wilkinson and Garret Luinstra with 11 each.&nbsp;&nbsp; The Bearcats will be back in action December 16, in Bearcat Arena, against Central Methodist.&nbsp; --- Northwest Athletics ---

No. 1 Northwest gets upset at Central Missouri 72-60

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. –&nbsp;Missouri Western bounced back in Jefferson City, Saturday, as Griffon Women's Basketball (6-2, 1-1 MIAA) got a 66-47 win over Lincoln (1-8, 0-2 MIAA). Saturday's victory gave head coach&nbsp;Candi Whitaker&nbsp;her first MIAA victory at the helm as well as the first conference victory for the season.&nbsp;The Griffons shot 50% from the field and 33% from three-point range in the fourth quarter to seal it against the Blue Tigers. Missouri Western also contained Lincoln offensively as they only shot 31% from the field.&nbsp;NOTABLES:<ul><li>&nbsp;The Griffons began the game with a great start offensively, outscoring the Blue Tigers 19-9.</li><li>Corbyn Cunningham&nbsp;and&nbsp;Chris Wilson&nbsp;led the way in scoring for the Griffons, as Cunningham had 17 and Wilson added 16.</li><li>Wilson also led the team with 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.&nbsp;</li><li>Katrina Roenfeldt&nbsp;turned in her first double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds.&nbsp;</li><li>The Blue Tigers turned the ball over 18 times and the Griffons took advantage of those mistakes, tallying 11 points off the turnovers</li><li>The Griffons tallied 20 of their 66 points in the fourth quarter alone.</li><li>Lincoln went 0 for 14 from behind the arc.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>UP NEXT:&nbsp;<ul><li>The Griffons will take a week and a half off before they host Peru State on Monday, Dec. 16 at 11:30 a.m. in the MWSU Fieldhouse.</li><li>The Bobcats are coming off a 77-55 home loss to Clarke on Saturday.</li></ul> --- MWSU Athletics ---

Missouri Western women win at Lincoln Saturday 66-47

WARRENSBURG, Mo. - The Northwest Missouri Bearcats fall to 5-4 (1-1 MIAA) after losing to the Central Missouri Jennies 70-50. After getting off to a fast start which gave them a 37-36 lead at the half, the Bearcats struggled to find the basket in the second half, shooting only 3-28 in the second half.&nbsp; Kendey Eaton scored 16 points and was the only Bearcat to score in double figures. Jayna Green led the team with 6 rebounds. Paityn Rau had two blocks in the game, which led all players.&nbsp; Morgan Fleming led the Jennies with 26 points. Nija Collier had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Morgan VanHyfte also had double digit rebounds with 11.&nbsp; Northwest will be back in action next at the Malika Sports Christmas Classic, in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 19 against Alaska Anchorage.&nbsp; --- Northwest Athletics ---

Northwest Missouri State women let halftime lead slip away, lose at UCM

PHILADELPHIA -- For Dru Smith and Missouri, it's been hard not to dwell on a stunning home loss to Charleston Southern earlier this week. Only thing to do was take it out on the next team on the schedule. Javon Pickett scored a season-high 16 points off the bench and Missouri snapped a three-game losing streak, beating Temple 64-54 on Saturday night. Smith added 12 points and six rebounds for the visiting Tigers (5-4), whose loss to Charleston Southern on Tuesday was one of the worst of coach Cuonzo Martin's tenure. "Obviously it's been on our minds," Smith said. "It's something we had to learn from. We had to move on. There's a lot of season left in front of us. I think we did a good job today using that as fuel and coming out and playing much better." Quinton Rose led the way for Temple (6-2) with 16 points, 10 of which came in the first half. The Owls committed a season-high 19 turnovers, including an overthrown pass in transition with a minute to go to dash any comeback hopes. They also shot 2 for 21 from 3-point range. "They didn't really pressure us; we were just careless with the ball," Rose said. "Maybe it is a lack of focus. We'll figure it out." Trailing by six early in the second half, the Owls reeled off the next 12 points to take their first lead since they were up 4-2. The run began with a Monty Scott 3-pointer and included a Jake Forrester dunk that electrified a previously frustrated Liacouras Center crowd. Forrester, an Indiana transfer who had to sit out the first four games until getting cleared to play by the NCAA, finished with 11 points in his first home game for the Owls. Pickett helped Missouri fight back to tie the game at 47-47 with eight minutes remaining, and the Tigers took the lead 53-52 on a Jeremiah Tillman transition dunk with four minutes to go. Mark Smith's 3-pointer put the Tigers ahead 57-52 with 2:53 left, and Xavier Pinson helped close out the win with a driving layup in the final minute. The Tigers outscored the Owls 15-2 over the final six-and-a-half minutes. "I think we're as good as any team in the SEC," Martin said. "But you have to do it on the floor every night. It's one thing for me to believe it. They have to understand and believe it. And this was a great win for us against a very talented team." Temple had more turnovers (11) than made field goals (eight) in the first half to fall behind 33-27 at halftime. No one on the Owls besides Rose scored until Forrester hit a free throw more than eight minutes into the contest. CAN'T OPEN THE PICKETT FENCE Martin credited Pickett for putting the defensive clamps on Rose, Temple's top scorer, in the second half. "I wouldn't be shocked if he spends 10 years in the NBA," the Missouri coach said of Rose. "And I thought Javon really embraced that challenge. He's not an easy guy to defend." Martin also praised the energy Pickett brings off the bench, which is a role the sophomore says has helped him. "I feel more relaxed," said Pickett, who started 31 games as a freshman last season. "Coach all the time is telling me to be myself. I feel like I'm starting to be myself more." BIG PICTURE Missouri: The Tigers avoided the slow starts that had been plaguing them, leading for most of the first half before staging their winning rally midway through the second half. They also scored a measure of revenge on an Owls squad that beat them in a thriller last year at Mizzou Arena, 79-77. Temple: Despite Saturday's setback, the Owls are showing promise under first-year coach Aaron McKie, who replaced Fran Dunphy. Their only losses have come to power conference teams, No. 3 Maryland and now Missouri, while they've beaten another Southeastern Conference squad, Texas A&amp;M, and also Southern California on the road. UP NEXT Missouri: The Tigers return home to face Southern Illinois on Dec. 15. Temple: The Owls host Saint Joseph's on Tuesday in one of Philadelphia's most intense rivalry games. --- Associated Press ---

Missouri beats Temple 64-54 to snap three-game skid

LAWRENCE, Kansas -- Colorado coach Tad Boyle was brutally honest after the Buffaloes' season-opening, seven-game winning streak came to an end. Ochai Agbaji scored 20 points and Devon Dotson added 18 points to lead No. 2 Kansas to a 72-58 victory over No. 20 Colorado on Saturday night. "KU beat us tonight, I mean very soundly," Boyle said. "People are going to see that score, but it really wasn't even as close as the score indicated." Ten days after claiming the Maui Invitational title, the Jayhawks (7-1) built an early 6-0 lead over their former conference foes. David McCormack fueled the hot start, contributing six of the Jayhawks' opening eight points. Holding leading scorer Tyler Bey scoreless from the field through the first half, Kansas used a 9-0 run to build a 19-9 lead. Colorado (7-1) shot 26.9% from the field in the first half and that allowed the Jayhawks to take a 34-22 lead at halftime. "We got a lot of open looks that just didn't fall for us tonight," McKinley Wright said "I wouldn't take back our game plan and what we did. I don't think we did nothing necessarily wrong." With Bey and D'Shawn Schwartz quieted, Evan Battey lead the way for the Buffaloes, scoring 14 points on a 5-for-8 shooting. Schwartz picked up a technical foul on a dunk that temporarily quieted the raucous Kansas crowd, and Agbaji knocked down four 3-point baskets in the second half to keep the Buffaloes at a distance. "I thought Ochai was by far our best performer today," Kansas coach Bill Self said. Colorado forced 21 Kansas turnovers, but the Jayhawks shot 52.9% to outlast the Buffaloes. "If we got a shot we were fairly efficient but obviously we've got to be better caretakers of the ball to play really good offensively," Self said. BIG PICTURE Kansas: The size of the Jayhawks overpowered Colorado inside, especially with a two-big lineup, outscoring the Buffaloes 38-22 down low. The Jayhawks also found some late success from outside, shooting 85.7% from 3-point range in the second half after missing all six first-half attempts. Colorado: With Bey contained by the swarming Kansas defense, the Buffaloes struggled to find any momentum offensively, turning the ball over 17 times and shooting 30% from the field. QUICK COMPARE Both Naismith and Wooden Award candidates, the matchup between McKinley Wright and Devon Dotson featured two of the most explosive point guards in the nation. Dotson boasted 18 points and six assists, while the Kansas defense limited Wright to eight points and two assists. POLL IMPLICATIONS A close loss may have allowed the Buffaloes to maintain their No. 20 ranking, but the 14-point deficit will likely cause Colorado to slip in the polls. With No. 1 Louisville topping Pitt 64-46, the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks will likely hold their position in the rankings. UP NEXT Kansas: Hosts Milwaukee on Tuesday. Colorado: Hosts Northern Iowa on Tuesday. --- Associated Press ---

No. 2 Kansas hands No. 20 Colorado first loss 72-58

OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton had its long winning streak against Nebraska end last year, and even though the Cornhuskers have a first-year coach and 14 new players, that didn't tamp down the Bluejays' desire for payback. The Bluejays sought to re-establish themselves as the dominant program in the state, and they left no doubt they are Saturday. Marcus Zegarowski scored 30 points to lead four Creighton players in double figures, and the Bluejays made fast work of rebuilding Nebraska in a 95-76 win at the sold-out CHI Health Center. Zegarowski made four 3-pointers, finished 13 of 19 from the field, grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and matched his season high with six assists for the Bluejays (7-2). "It's a huge deal not only for the team but for the whole fan base, everybody who supports Creighton," Zegarowski said. "Obviously last year didn't go like we wanted. This year we bounced back and won the game handily, although we wanted to win it more handily. Didn't happen. I'm still happy for my guys." The Bluejays lost 94-75 in Lincoln last year, ending their seven-game win streak in the series. They also had to endure taunts from fans after it was disclosed Creighton had come up in an FBI investigation into college basketball. "It really hurt a lot," said Ty-Shon Alexander, who had a season-high 22 points with four 3s. "Especially all the messages and the things people were saying down at Nebraska last year. We took it personal. We wish we could have beat them (by) more. We did what we had to do. Great win for us." Haanif Cheatham led the Cornhuskers (4-5) with 14 points. Cam Mack and Thor Thorbjarnarson had 12 apiece. With a pro-Creighton crowd of 18,068 that included Governor Pete Ricketts on hand, first-year Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg got a baptism by fire in the annual game between the state's top Division I programs. In a game reminiscent of 2013, when Creighton got out to a 38-8 lead against the Tim Miles-coached Huskers, the Bluejays were up 37-7 with six minutes left in the first half and were never threatened. "Give Creighton credit," Hoiberg said. "They threw the first punch -- the second, third and fourth punches as well." Damien Jefferson, who entered the game 1 for 15 on 3-pointers, and Alexander each made a couple shots from distance as the Bluejays opened an 18-2 lead. Zegarowski scored 12 points over the next eight minutes as the advantage ballooned to 42-11. Nebraska made just 2 of its first 19 shots and finished the first half 8 of 34 and down 48-22. Hoiberg said the game plan was to get back on defense and slow down the the up-tempo Bluejays. That didn't happen. On the offensive end, the Huskers settled for bad shots rather than getting the ball inside. "When you dig yourself that type of hole, it's hard," Hoiberg said. "You're putting a lot of pressure on yourself and expending a lot of energy trying to climb back." The Huskers whittled into the lead in the second half. They used an 18-7 spurt to pull within 67-48, but Zegarowski made a couple shots and Mitch Ballock hit a 3-pointer to get it back to 74-49. Nebraska never got closer than 20 points until the final minute, when the Huskers closed a 10-0 run with reserves playing for both teams. Hoiberg took some consolation in his team scoring 54 points and shooting 61% in the second half. "If you don't play a complete 40 minutes against a team like this," Hoiberg said, "you're going to be in trouble." BIG PICTURE Nebraska: One of Hoiberg's concerns has been his team tending to fold when adversity strikes. The Huskers easily could have quit after falling behind quickly, but they didn't. They missed more than two shots in a row only once after half. Creighton: The Bluejays reasserted their control in the series and have now won all six of their home games by no fewer than nine points. The Bluejays hold a 27-26 edge in the series and hasn't lost to Nebraska in Omaha since the 2004 NIT. HUSKER TRANSFERS Nebraska guard Samari Curtis has decided to transfer, Hoiberg announced. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound freshman from Xenia, Ohio, appeared in the first eight games and averaged 1.8 points and 0.9 rebounds. DON'T BE LATE Thorbjarnarson made his first start of the season for Nebraska. He replaced Mack, who started the first eight games at point guard. Hoiberg's reason: : "He was one minute late to the bus today. Be on time." UP NEXT Nebraska opens Big Ten play at Indiana on Friday. Creighton hosts Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Friday. --- Associated Press ---

Nebraska gets blown out at Creighton

<img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575621977668.jpeg">WARRENSBURG, Mo. –&nbsp;The Missouri Western Men's Basketball team (4-5, 1-0) rallied late to pick up its first win at Central Missouri (3-5, 0-1) since 2011, 67-64. The Griffons scored 44 second half points, shooting 57% in the half and getting 37 of those points from five freshmen to win their conference opener for the first time since 2013.&nbsp;Without leading scorer&nbsp;Tyrell Carroll, who was ill, the Griffons were in the game throughout, never trailing by more than five points. Central Missouri led by two with 3:27 left.&nbsp;Will Eames&nbsp;knocked down two free throws to tie the game at 59.&nbsp;Reese Glover's&nbsp;3-pointer with 2:49 left to give the Griffons a 62-59 lead that they never lost. Eames scored the final five points for MWSU, missing just one of six free throws down the stretch.&nbsp;NOTABLES<ul><li>Eames finished with his first career double-double, scoring a career and game-high 25 points with 10 rebounds and three blocks. He scored 19 in the second half making nine of his final 10 shots.</li><li>Reese Glover&nbsp;finished with 14 points, all in the second half.</li><li>Tyus Millhollin&nbsp;had 12 points and a team-high three assists.</li><li>Beau Baker&nbsp;pulled down nine rebounds.</li><li>The Griffons shot 84.6% at the free throw line, knocking down 22 of 26 attempts.</li><li>MWSU made two less shots than the Mules, but made nine more free throws.</li><li>Missouri Western had 38 rebounds to UCM's 26.</li></ul>&nbsp;UP NEXTThe Griffons play in Jefferson City at Lincoln on Saturday at 3:30. The Blue Tigers fell to 2-5 on the season with an 87-53 loss to Northwest Missouri on Thursday night. --- MWSU Athletics ---

Griffons rally for first win at Central Missouri since 2011

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri – Northwest Missouri State junior Ryan Hawkins scored 43 points and carried the No. 1-ranked Bearcats to an 87-53 road win over the Lincoln Blue Tigers at Jason Gym.&nbsp;Northwest moved to 8-0 on the season, 1-0 in MIAA play, and extended its win streak to 46 in a row. Lincoln fell to 2-5 overall and 0-1 in MIAA play.&nbsp;Hawkins tied for the second-most points scored ever by a Bearcat with his 43-point performance. Hawkins went 14-of-19 from the field and was 11-of-12 at the free throw line. Hawkins sank 4-of-7 from three-point range. He also added a team-best three steals. Hawkins scored 26 first-half points and built the Bearcats a 42-25 lead at the break at Lincoln.&nbsp;The Bearcats shot 54.3 percent from the floor and buried 28-of-31 at the free throw line. Lincoln was held to 39.3 percent from the field and made only 5-of-8 free throws. Diego Bernard was the only other Bearcat to reach double-figure scoring with 17 points. Bernard led all players with nine rebounds. Northwest will travel to Warrensburg, Missouri, to take on the Central Missouri Mules on Saturday. Tip is set for 3 p.m. following the women's game. NOTES: Northwest has won 24 straight MIAA games and 30 in a row against all MIAA foes if postseason tournament games are included ... Northwest has won 16 consecutive road contests to tie Queens (N.C.) for the longest active road win streak in all NCAA divisions ... it's the second 40-plus scoring game this season for Hawkins after he poured in 44 points vs. Southern Nazarene (Nov. 2) to set the Northwest single-game scoring record ... his 43-point performance tonight ties him with Ed Maxwell for the second-most points scored in a single-game by a Bearcat men's basketball player ... Hawkins one of three players in all NCAA divisions to score 40+ in two games this season ... Marquette's Markus Howard (40 vs. Davidson; 51 vs. Southern California), Wesley's Brian Cameron (43 vs. Manhattanville; 42 vs. SUNY Oneonta) are the other two ... Hawkins is the only NCAA Division II player with two 40-plus scoring games this season ... Northwest has shot 54.3 percent or better in six of its eight games. --- Northwest Athletics ---

Hawkins scores 43 to lead the No. 1 Bearcats past Lincoln 87-53

<img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575621614319.jpeg">WARRENSBURG, Mo. -&nbsp;The Missouri Western women's basketball team had their five-game winning streak come to an end Thursday as they lost at Central Missouri 62-53. UCM ended the game on a 12-2 run as MWSU falls to 5-2 this season and 0-1 in the MIAA. The Jennies outscored Missouri Western 22-10 in the fourth quarter, shooting close to 67% over the final 10 minutes. Missouri Western's last lead came with 5:02 left, 51-50 on a&nbsp;Simone Walker&nbsp;layup. On the night, Missouri Western led for 17:43, including a 43-40 lead after three quarters. NOTABLES<ul><li>Katrina Roenfeldt&nbsp;led the team with 14 points, scoring nine in the first half.</li><li>Roenfeldt also had a team-high eight rebounds, three assists and six steals.</li><li>The game was tied 16 times with 10 different lead changes.</li><li>The Jennies outscored MWSU by 14 in the paing (38-24)</li><li>Chris Wilson&nbsp;and&nbsp;Corbyn Cunningham&nbsp;were limited to 11 total points and four total rebounds. Both had a season-low two rebounds and Wilson was held to a season-low four points.</li><li>Missouri Western was 5 of 11 from the free throw line (45.5%) and UCM was 9 of 13 (69.2%).</li><li>The Jennies' Megan Skaggs scored 10 of her 15 points in the second half.</li></ul> UP NEXTThe Griffons play at in Jefferson City at Lincoln on Saturday at 1:30. The Blue Tigers fell to 1-7 on the season following a 56-32 loss at home to Northwest Missouri on Thursday. --- MWSU Athletics ---

MWSU women let late lead slip away, lose at Central Missouri 62-53

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State Bearcat women's basketball team defeated the Lincoln Blue Tigers, 56-32. It's Northwest's first win in an MIAA opener since 2012-13 and the first road-opening win for the Bearcats since the 2007-08 season. After starting the first quarter slow and falling behind 8-5, the Bearcats used a dominant second quarter, that began with a 16-2 run, to take a 32-16 halftime lead. The Bearcats then leaned on their stellar defense in the second half, allowing only 16 points over the final 20 minutes. The 32 points allowed in the game ties a Northwest record for fewest amount of points allowed in an MIAA game (vs Nebraska-Kearney, Jan. 21, 2016). Jaelyn Haggard led the Bearcats with 13 points and was followed by Kendey Eaton with 12. Haggard hit 3-of-6 from behind the arc and went 5-for-8 from the field. Erika Schlosser led the Bearcats with four assists. Jayna Green set a career high with 12 rebounds and Paityn Rau added eight boards. Rau and Ellie Horn had two blocks each and played excellent post defense all game.&nbsp; The Bearcats will be back in action on Saturday, in Warrensburg, Mo., against the University of Central Missouri at 1 p.m. --- Northwest Athletics ---

Northwest women set program record in 56-32 win at Lincoln

St. Joseph, Mo. — Missouri Western State University has taken the first step toward launching its new esports programs, announcing that Christian Konczal will be the program’s first director/head coach. “The addition of esports provides students the opportunity to come together and collaborate in a team setting, providing not only recreational opportunities but academic opportunities in a variety of fields,” said Matt Wilson, Missouri Western’s president. “Christian is familiar with both the operational and academic sides of esports and I’m confident he will build an outstanding program that will attract top students and help them develop the critical skills of leadership, communication, team-building and collaboration.” Konczal is currently an adjunct professor at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont and serves as event staff for the University of Akron Zips Esports in Ohio. He received a Master of Fine Arts in Emergent Media from Champlain and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Vermont.&nbsp; “The challenge will be to build competitive distinctiveness in demanding conditions,” Konczal said. “Our initial focus will be on creating a physical and programmatic home for students in order to help contribute to the social capital of the campus community, while providing experiential learning opportunities that will propel our students into their chosen professional fields.” Esports is organized team-based, multiplayer competitive video gaming. In recent years, esports has transformed into a central form of entertainment around the world as it has been embraced by traditional media such as ESPN, TNT and the Big Ten Network. Global investors, professional sports organizations, brands, celebrities and consumers have powered this transformation. Competitions among collegiate teams and professionals take place in arenas in front of large live audiences and are streamed on the internet or broadcast on television. Collegiate esports is growing, with more than 130 universities nationwide with official competitive varsity teams, including 16 in Missouri. Missouri Western will become the third public university in the state with an esports team. Konczal will be responsible for building Griffon Esports from the ground up, recruiting varsity and club teams to compete in a variety of video games to be determined by student interest. He will also work with faculty to construct academic and career pathways involving gaming and esports. All Missouri Western students will have the opportunity to participate in this program in some form or fashion, whether gaming competitively or recreationally, serving in a support role or attending as a spectator.&nbsp;&nbsp; The competitive varsity team programs will be structured much like traditional varsity athletics, with team members participating in tryouts, wearing uniforms, maintaining practice schedules and adhering to a code of conduct and academic standards.&nbsp; The esports program will start next fall.&nbsp;&nbsp; Missouri Western is exploring areas on campus and in the community to install esports arenas, where players will practice and play, and where spectators can watch the teams compete.&nbsp;&nbsp; --- MWSU Press Release ---

Missouri Western launches Esports program and names head coach

Northwest Missouri State junior outside hitter Hallie Sidney has been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Central Region honorable mention team. She becomes only the second Bearcat volleyball player to earn AVCA all-region honors in the program's history.&nbsp;Maddy Bruder&nbsp;earned first-team all-region&nbsp;AVCA honors in 2018. Sidney (Chesterfield, Missouri) led the MIAA in kills (443) and kills per set (4.03). Sidney ranked No. 2 in the nation in attacks per set (13.02). Sidney was a five-time MIAA hitter of the week selection in 2019. Sidney recorded 22 kills and a career-high 23 digs in a five-set win at Missouri Western (Oct. 22).&nbsp;Sidney reached double-figure kill totals in 26 of her 29 matches. Sidney generated six 20-plus kill matches in 2019. Sidney tallied a team-best 18 double-doubles. Sidney also earned first-team all-MIAA honors in 2019. --- Northwest Athletics ---

Bearcats' Sidney earns All-Central Region volleyball honors

BOYSSAVANNAH TOURNAMENTBenton 68 (1-1)Smithville 60 MOUND CITY TOURNAMENTBishop LeBlond 80 (2-0)Nodaway-Holt 14 GIRLSSAVANNAH TOURNAMENTMaryville 44Benton 27 (0-3) WINNETONKA TOURNAMENTTruman 57Lafayette 23 (0-1) MOUND CITY TOURNAMENTBishop LeBlond 44 (2-1)Nodaway-Holt 24

City High School Basketball Scores - Tuesday, December 3

WACO, Texas – Missouri Western football freshman Trey Vaval was named second team All-American as an all-purpose player by the American Football Coaches Association.&nbsp;Vaval became the first-ever Griffon freshman to be named to the AFCA All-America team and the first from Missouri Western to receive the honor since Michael Jordan in 2015.&nbsp;In his first collegiate season, Vaval broke a 27-year-old MIAA record, averaging 35.2 yards per kickoff return. He led all of Division II with 1,110 combined kick return yards and led the MIAA in both kick return and punt return (17.7) average. Vaval's 35.2-yard kick return average was third best in DII and his 17.7-yard punt return average ranked fifth in DII. He led the MIAA and ranked second in the nation with two kickoff return touchdowns, becoming the 10th player in MIAA history to do so. Overall, Vaval returned 23 kicks for 809 yards and two touchdowns with 17 punt returns for 301 yards.&nbsp;The Blue Springs, Missouri, native was one of six MIAA players named AFCA All-American this season. Vaval and the Griffons face Henderson State, which had defensive back Mercardo Anderson named to the AFCA All-America second team, on Dec. 7 in the Agent Barry Live United Bowl. --- MWSU Athletics ---

Griffon freshman Trey Vaval earns AFCA All-America honors

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Charleston Southern came to Missouri with a losing record and one of the nation's worst offenses. The Buccaneers left with a stunning 68-60 upset over the Tigers on Tuesday. Charleston Southern made 8 of 11 3-pointers in the second half, including two 3s by Duncan Lexander and one by Travis Anderson in the last 2½ minutes when Missouri rallied. After the Tigers came within 59-57 with 1:54 left to play, Lexander dropped a 3 as did Anderson on the next Charleston Southern possession. The Bulldogs, of the Big South Conference, entered the game ranked 352nd out of 353 Division I teams in 3-point shooting, but made 10 of 22 Tuesday. Missouri made just 4 of 26 shots from beyond the arc. Lexander led the the Buccaneers (3-5) with 17 points, including five treys. Anderson scored 15, and Phlandrous Fleming 11. The Tigers (4-4) scored only three points in the first 10 minutes of the game, but forward Mitchell Smith scored 10 points in the last 10 minutes of the half to propel Missouri to a 28-23 lead at intermission. After going scoreless in the first half, Missouri forward Jeremiah Tilmon finished with 15. Guard Mark Smith scored nine for the Tigers. Starting point guard Dru Smith fouled out after scoring just two points with four rebounds, four assists and three turnovers. It was the third straight loss for the Tigers, who were favored by 26 points. BIG PICTURE Charleston Southern: The Buccaneers showed immense progress offensively against a Power 5 conference opponent. Charleston Southern had scored in the 40s in four of its previous five losses. Missouri: Slow starts have become a trend for the Tigers. In last week's losses to Butler and Oklahoma in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Missouri fell behind 15-3 each time. Against Charleston Southern, the Tigers trailed 12-3 midway through the first half and never regained the second-half momentum they've found in the past. UP NEXT Charleston Southern: The Buccaneers will face North Carolina Central on Saturday at home. Missouri: The Tigers will play Temple on Saturday in Philadelphia. --- Associated Press ---

Mizzou gets upset at home by Charleston Southern 68-60

Northwest Missouri State junior offensive tackle Tanner Owen&nbsp;has been named to the American Football Coaches Association's first-team all-America squad. Owen (Kearney, Missouri/Kearney HS/Univ. of Missouri) has started all 38 games of his collegiate career and is a two-time first-team&nbsp;all-MIAA&nbsp;selection. Owen bolsters a Bearcat offense that ranks No. 1 in the nation in red zone scoring offense. The Bearcats have scored 39 out of 40 times in the red zone for a 97.5% scoring clip. The Bearcats rank No. 6 in the nation in scoring offense (44.8 points per game). The Bearcats have scored 38 rushing touchdowns and 29 passing touchdowns in 2019. He becomes Northwest's&nbsp;23rd&nbsp;AFCA&nbsp;first-team all-America choice in the program's history.&nbsp; Owen and the Bearcats will travel to Ferris State on Saturday for the Super Region 3 title game. Kick is set for 12 p.m. (CT) at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Michigan. --- Northwest Athletics ---

Northwest's Owen named AFCA First Team All-American

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Keandre Cook sank a go-ahead 3-pointer and added two late free throws and Tulio Da Silva notched his second double-double of the season as Missouri State held off Murray State 71-69 on Tuesday night. Cook, who hit all seven of his free throws and scored 15, buried a 3 with 28 seconds left in the game to put the Bears (4-5) up 68-66. Cook hit a pair of foul shots with 3 seconds left to put Missouri State up 71-66. Tevin Brown hit a 3 at the buzzer for the Racers (4-4). Da Silva finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Missouri State, while Gaige Prim came off the bench to contribute 10 points, four boards and three assists. Brown paced Murray State with 19 points. Jaiveon Eaves had 14 points and six rebounds, while Anthony Smith totaled 12 points and 10 boards for his second double-double of the season. --- Associated Press ---

Cook's late burst lifts Missouri State over Murray State 71-69

Northwest Missouri State freshman Wes Dreamer has been named the&nbsp;MIAA's&nbsp;men's basketball athlete of the week. In a matchup of undefeated Division II foes, the true freshman Dreamer took off. Dreamer scored 29 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked three shots as No. 1-ranked Northwest moved to 7-0 and dropped the Prairie Stars to 5-1. Dreamer made seven of his first eight shots from three-point and land and finished the game 10-of-13 from the field, including 7-of-10 from distance. Dreamer (Lincoln, Nebraska) is shooting 61.5% from the field, while averaging 9.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Northwest will open&nbsp;MIAA&nbsp;play this Thursday at Lincoln and Saturday at Central Missouri. --- Northwest Athletics ---

Bearcats' Dreamer named MIAA men's basketball Player of the Week

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Xavier Sneed had 18 points, Mike McGuirl scored 16 and Cartier Diarra provided 11 and Kansas State beat Florida A&amp;M 76-58 on Monday night. Evins Desir led the Rattlers with 18 points and eight rebounds and M.J. Randolph scored 10. The Wildcats (5-2) forced 17 turnovers and scored 18 fast break points off those mistakes as Kansas State had 20 turnovers, tied for their most this season. Kansas State outrebounded Florida A&amp;M 35-25 and scored 13 points on 12 offensive rebounds. The Rattlers (0-6) couldn't get the outside shot to fall going 1-of-11, while the Wildcats hit nine 3s. McGuirl and Sneed combined for had six 3-pointers. Kansas State shot 54% and Florida A&amp;M went 45% from the field. The Wildcats scored the first nine points of the second half in which four of the five starters scored. Kansas State led by as many as 27 in the final 20 minutes. Florida A&amp;M is in the midst of a 13-game road trip to start the season. Their first home game comes on Jan. 11 against Morgan State. The Rattlers have lost 19 straight non-conference games while Kansas State has won 33 straight non-conference games at home. BIG PICTURE Florida A&amp;M had to play a near perfect game to beat Kansas State and they were far from it. Kansas State needed a win after two losses last week. It wasn't the prettiest, but the Wildcats are back in the win column. UP NEXT Florida A&amp;M travels to Tennessee to take on the Volunteers on Wednesday. Kansas State takes on Marquette at home on Saturday. --- Associated Press ---

Sneed, McGuirl lead Kansas State past Florida A&M 76-58

University of Missouri junior tight end Albert Okwuegbunam has announced that he will forego his senior season at Mizzou and enter the NFL Draft. Okwuegbunam was a 2018 John Mackey Award finalist and earned 2nd Team All-SEC honors as a freshman.&nbsp;He had 26 catches for 306 yards and six touchdowns this season, and finished his MU career with 98 receptions, 1187 yards and 23 touchdowns. He is the sixth ranked tight end in the 2020 draft according to ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr. "Ever since the first time I put on a helmet and shoulder pads, playing in the NFL has been my dream," Okwuegbunam wrote on Twitter. "God-willing I've been blessed with this opportunity and I have decided to embark on that journey now. ... I'm excited for what the future holds but always will be thankful to Missouri." Okwuegbunam helped Missouri go 6-6 this season, but the school fired head coach Barry Odom on Saturday.

Mizzou TE Albert Okwuegbunam declares for the NFL Draft

IRVING, Texas – After earning co-MVP honors of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, Kansas sophomore Devon Dotson has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday. Dotson won the weekly accolade in a vote by a media panel which covers the conference. This is the second time Dotson has earned a Big 12 weekly honor as last season he was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 31. In guiding Kansas to the Maui Invitational title, Dotson averaged 21.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and had 13 assists and eight steals in three KU victories against Chaminade, BYU and Dayton last week. The guard out of Charlotte, North Carolina recorded career highs in points (31) and steals (5) in the 90-84 overtime win against Dayton in the Maui title game while playing all 45 minutes in the contest. Dotson was co-MVP of the Maui Invitational along with Kansas senior center Udoka Azubuike who averaged 18.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and shot 82.8 percent from the field for the tournament. Both were also named to the Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team. Dotson leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.7 points per game. He is also among the conference leaders in steals (fourth at 2.1), field goal percentage (sixth at 50.0), assists (sixth at 4.3), free throw percentage (sixth at 87.0), assist-to-turnover ratio (14th at 1.4) and minutes played (second at 35.6). No. 2 Kansas (6-1) will next play host to former conference foe No. 20 Colorado (6-0) on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. (Central) in Allen Fieldhouse. The contest will be televised on ESPN2. Colorado is coached by former Kansas forward Tad Boyle who lettered at KU from 1982-85 playing for coaches Ted Owens and Larry Brown. --- KU Athletics ---

KU's Dotson named Big 12 Men's Basketball Player of the Week

MANHATTAN, Kan. – With his 93-yard kickoff-return touchdown to open the game and set the tone for Kansas State's 27-17 victory over Iowa State, freshmen wide receiver/returner Joshua Youngblood earned his second-consecutive Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honor, the conference office announced Monday.&nbsp;Youngblood is the only true freshman in the conference this year to earn offensive, defensive or special teams player of the week honors, while he is the Big 12's first true freshman to do so in back-to-back weeks since Oklahoma's Samaje Perine won two-straight offensive honors in November of 2014.&nbsp;A native of Tampa, Florida, Youngblood became the first freshman in school history and third player overall to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown. It was his nation-leading third KOR score, a mark that ranks third in school and Big 12 history. He ranks first in K-State and league history in kickoff-return touchdowns among freshmen, breaking the mark of current Seattle Seahawk Tyler Lockett, who had two for the Wildcats in 2011.&nbsp;Youngblood's house call against the Cyclones was his second-straight game with a return touchdown as he took one back 100 yards against Texas Tech. He is the only player in the nation this season with KOR scores in consecutive games and the first Wildcat to do so since Morgan Burns, which was also at Texas Tech and against Iowa State.&nbsp;Youngblood leads the Big 12 in kickoff-return average at 38.1 yards per return – 12.0 yards better than any other player – and he would rank first in the nation if he had two more attempts to meet the NCAA's required minimum.&nbsp;Thanks to its 8-4 record under first-year head coach Chris Klieman, Kansas State will learn its bowl destination and opponent this Sunday, December 8. --- K-State Athletics ---

K-State's Youngblood earns weekly Big 12 football honor

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Patrick Mahomes looked up at the scoreboard late in the third quarter and was stunned to see the Kansas City Chiefs had taken a 31-0 lead over the AFC West rival Oakland Raiders. "I felt like we'd only scored a couple of times," he said. That's because the Chiefs' high-powered offense didn't need to do a whole lot Sunday. Their defense and the inept Raiders took care of the rest. Mahomes did throw for a touchdown and run for a touchdown, but it was Juan Thornhill's pick-6 and a long list of blunders by Derek Carr and Co. that really made the difference. They allowed Kansas City to cruise to a 40-9 victory and into a two-game lead over the Raiders in the division race. "That's what we expected all season long, and you've seen it week by week the defense getting better," Mahomes said, "and the offense just played in the flow of the game. We've been in every type of game so far and we've been finding ways to win them." LeSean McCoy and Darwin Thompson also had TD runs for the Chiefs (8-4), who can clinch a fourth straight division title with a win over New England and an Oakland loss to Tennessee next weekend. Oakland (6-6) sure didn't play like a team fighting for a piece of the division lead. Carr dropped to 0-6 at Arrowhead Stadium with another miserable outing, throwing for 222 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The Raiders failed to score twice in the red zone, were penalized 12 times for 99 yards, and watched Kansas City put together a 9 1/2-minute drive almost entirely on the ground that soaked up most of the fourth quarter. When the Raiders finally scored a touchdown in the last minute, the Chiefs blocked the extra point and returned it for two points -- one more insult to Oakland in a game full of them. It was the Raiders' seventh straight loss in Kansas City, and the continuation of a major late-season spiral. The blowout came on the heels of a 34-3 loss to the Jets last weekend. Josh Jacobs was Oakland's lone bright spot, running for 104 yards on 17 carries. "We put ourselves in horrible situations," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. "We had turnovers in the kicking game, I think four (offside), a pick-6 and we just never found our rhythm at all." Meanwhile, the Chiefs were not penalized once in a game for the first time since Dec. 8, 1974. "Do that and be productive in the red zone," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, "good things happen." Both teams struggled to move the ball at times with frosty winds whipping at 40 mph out of the west. Flurries even fell during halftime, adding to the misery for fans huddled in the stands. As if those dressed in silver and black weren't depressed enough. In the first half alone, Carr threw both of his interceptions. The Raiders lost a fumble on a kick return; failed to convert on fourth-and-1; committed seven penalties; and watched Daniel Carlson yank a 44-yard field-goal attempt about 20 yards wide left. The Chiefs took advantage of all the squandered opportunities. Mahomes, who perhaps more than anyone benefited from a week off, capped a 47-yard drive in the first quarter with a short TD pass to Darrel Williams. Then, late in the first half, the reigning MVP scrambled to his left and ran untouched 13 yards for another touchdown. The Chiefs put the game out of reach in the third quarter. First, they moved swiftly downfield on the opening possession before Harrison Butker drilled a 50-yard field goal into the wind. Then, on their next possession, Mahomes threw a pick in the end zone that was overturned when replay showed wide receiver Demarcus Robinson was held on the play. The penalty gave Kansas City the ball back and McCoy scored moments later. Oakland finally ended the Chiefs' streak of 59 straight points against them when Carlson hit a chip-shot field goal in the fourth quarter. The streak dated to their Week 2 matchup and was a record for a 122-game series that traces its roots to the earliest days of the AFL. It also ended the Raiders' streak of 15 drives against Kansas City without a point. "Every team that makes the playoffs, it's about what their defense can do. I think this week we were able to refocus," Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said. "Our coaches did a good job of challenging us. Coming off the bye week, we knew what we needed to work on. I'm just proud of our guys. We haven't played well at home. This type of performance against a division team is pretty good." REID ALL ABOUT IT Reid improved to 25-3 against the AFC West going back to 2015. The Chiefs coach also improved to 18-3 in games after a bye, including an 11-1 mark at home, going back to his days in Philadelphia. INJURIES Chiefs: RB Damien Williams (ribs) was inactive. ... CB Rashad Fenton (hamstring) departed in the second quarter, while Darrel Williams (hamstring) and DE Frank Clark (shoulder) left in the third. UP NEXT Oakland: begins a two-game homestand against the Titans on Sunday. Kansas City: visits the Patriots in an AFC title game rematch on Sunday. --- Associated Press ---

Chiefs rout Raiders 40-9 to seize AFC West control

COLUMBIA, Mo. – For the fifth consecutive year and 16th time in program history, Mizzou Volleyball earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers will head north and match up against Northern Iowa in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament. Joining Mizzou in Lincoln, Nebraska, will be No. 5 national seed Nebraska, Ball State and aforementioned Northern Iowa. First serve between the Tigers and Panthers on Friday, Dec. 6, is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT. With a first round victory, Mizzou would then face the winner of Nebraska and Ball State on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. CT. "It's an awesome feeling and it has become an expectation at the University of Missouri," said Mizzou Volleyball head coach Joshua Taylor. "It's a big deal. To be one of the 64 Division I women's programs to make it is huge. We're focused on the first point Friday against Northern Iowa and then we'll go from there." Mizzou's current streak of five consecutive years in the NCAA Tournament ranks second-best all-time, trailing only the team's eight-straight bids to the NCAA Tournament from 2000-07. The 2019 Tigers finished the regular season 21-7 overall and 13-5 in Southeastern Conference action. In Coach Taylor's first-year campaign at the helm, Mizzou has produced six Top 50 RPI wins, 10, Top 75 RPI victories and 12, Top 100 RPI triumphs. Since 2000, Mizzou has now produced 13, 20-plus win campaigns. First and second round action of the 2019 NCAA Tournament across 16 campus sites will take place from Dec. 5-7. Regionals are set from Dec. 13-14, while the Final Four is scheduled for Dec. 19 and Dec. 21 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For ticket information on this year's NCAA Tournament, visit NCAA.com/Tickets. Fans can also visit NCAA.com/Championships for a complete bracket and breakdown of this year's postseason lineup. --- Mizzou Athletics ---

Mizzou volleyball gets at-large bid to NCAA Tournament

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -&nbsp;The Missouri Western men's basketball team fell to 3-5 on the season with a 86-82 loss to Western Colorado (3-3) in the Holiday Inn Thanksgiving Classic hosted by Colorado Mesa. Missouri Western outscored the Mountaineers 51-47 in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome a Western Colorado team that shot 49% on the afternoon and better than 59% in the second half. A&nbsp;Tyrell Carroll&nbsp;layup with 44 seconds left in the game capped a 15-3 Griffon run that tied the game at 82. Western Colorado scored the final four points, two on a layup and two on free throws as the Griffons missed two 3-point attempts in the final five seconds of the game. NOTABLES<ul><li>Tyus Millhollin&nbsp;followed up his career-high night on Friday with a new career-high on Saturday, scoring a game-high 21 points on 8 of 16 shooting from the field, 5 of 11 shooting from 3-point range and 10 of 12 free throw shooting.</li><li>Carroll was one point shy of tying his career-high with 28 points. He had seven assists one night after dishing out 10.</li><li>Zach Anderson&nbsp;scored a career-high 10 points and had four blocked shots.</li><li>After four starters fouled out on Friday at Colorado Mesa, three fouled out Saturday against Western Colorado with&nbsp;Jonathan Mesmacque,&nbsp;Will Eames&nbsp;and&nbsp;Alex John&nbsp;all fouling out.</li><li>Missouri Western shot 39% in the game after shooting 44% in the second half.</li><li>The Griffons were 10 of 35 from 3-point range.</li><li>Western Colorado pulled down 50 rebounds to the Griffons' 29.</li><li>MWSU was outscored by 14 in the paint.</li></ul> UP NEXTThe Griffons open conference play Thursday at Central Missouri (3-4). --- MWSU Athletics ---

Griffons' rally comes up short again as they lose to Western Colorado 86-82

MARYVILLE, Missouri - The Northwest Missouri State University football team lit up its postseason record book in a 63-7 NCAA Division II second-round playoff victory over the&nbsp;Lindenwood&nbsp;Lions on Saturday at Bearcat Stadium. The Bearcats gashed the Lions for 413 yards on the ground in the largest postseason victory in Northwest history, 63-7. The 63 points is also a Northwest postseason record for a single game. Entering into the day the Bearcats were set for success,&nbsp;Lindenwood&nbsp;was coming in as the No. 104 rush defense in the country, allowing 175 yards per game. Northwest as a run-heavy team with the No. 23 rush offense in the country, knew it was its time to shine. The Bearcats went out and proceeded to rush for eight touchdowns – another Northwest postseason record. Seven players contributed to this rushing milestone, with Isaiah&nbsp;Strayhorn&nbsp;rushing for a career-high 178 yards and two scores and Braden Wright rushing for 116 yards and three scores. Justin Rankin tallied two scores and 73 yards as he averaged 9.1 yards per carry. Northwest averaged 8.4 yards per carry in the game. This historic victory began with the Bearcats scoring on the opening drive of the game for the third straight week. Rankin found plenty of daylight to score on a 39-yard run and just like that, the onslaught had started only 3:30 into the first quarter. In a game where the rushing attack blistered and dominated the Lions defense, the touchdowns came quickly for both Rankin and Wright to begin the game. Wright captured his first score at the 6:56 mark of the first quarter. This touchdown came after the Bearcats recovered a muffed punt on their own 33. Wright took advantage with a QB power play from 7-yards out that gave them a 14-0 lead. Rankin and Wright alternated scores as Rankin took it in from two yards out with 13:05 left in the second. Then Wright scored on a 15-yard scramble at 8:48 in the second to make the score 28-0. Although those two started the scoring trends,&nbsp;Strayhorn&nbsp;got his fair share of the spotlight when he opened up his scoring endeavors with 2:00 left in the half.&nbsp;Strayhorn&nbsp;found the outside and pushed his way to an 18-yard touchdown to put Northwest up 35-0 at the break. In a 35-0 halftime lead, it was easy to highlight the Bearcats’s offensive power that plagued the&nbsp;Lindenwood&nbsp;defense, but that mark was there also because of a stout Bearcat defense. Going into the break, the Lions offense had only mustered two rushing yards and 138 passing yards. For a team that averages 309.1 yards passing per game, this was significant. One of the most biggest factors that allowed the defense to be so successful was their ability to force turnovers. The Bearcats forced and recovered two fumbles on the day to go along with four interceptions. Three of those interceptions came from Blake Bayer, including one 20-yard pick-six to make the score 56-7 early in the fourth. Bayer is the sixth Northwest player to have three interceptions in a game and he is first to accomplish the feat in the postseason. Before Bayer could make his impact on the final score, the Bearcats continued their rushing rampage with the two-headed rushing monster of Wright and&nbsp;Strayhorn. Wright opened the second half scoring at the 10:39 mark in the third. He found a seam and&nbsp;juked&nbsp;out a defender in the open field before sprinting to a comfortable 40-yard touchdown run to make it 42-0. Strayhorn&nbsp;found his second score with 10:39 to play in the third as he sprinted to the outside for a 35-yard touchdown. Lindenwood&nbsp;finally dented the scoreboard at 4:41 when they scored on a 21-yard pass from Cade&nbsp;Brister&nbsp;to tight end Erik&nbsp;Henneman, but that was the only breath of life during the entirety of the game. Bayer’s third pick of the day turned into instant offense as he returned the interception 23 yards for a touchdown with 2:29 left in the third quarter to give Northwest a 56-7 lead. After Bayer scored his pick-six, Mike&nbsp;Hohensee&nbsp;finished the scoring early in the fourth with a quick and easy one-yard rush to make the score 63-7. The Northwest defense made their stance known while the offense enjoyed their success.&nbsp;Lindenwood&nbsp;finished the day with only 205 yards passing and 21 yards rushing. With the help of the offense and the defense, the Bearcats eclipsed their previous largest margin of victory in a playoff game at 47 points (54-7 vs. Humboldt State (Nov. 28, 2015). The Bearcats move onto the Super Region 3 title game as they head to Big Rapids, Michigan, next Saturday to take on the No. 1 seed Ferris State. It will be a rematch of last year’s second matchup where the Bulldogs scored a 27-21 win over the Bearcats on Nov. 24, 2018. NOTES: Northwest becomes the fourth NCAA school to record 50 postseason victories joining Mount Union (104), North Dakota State (62) and Wisconsin-Whitewater (52) … Northwest improves to 50-17 all-time in the Div. II playoffs … Northwest has won 24 straight home playoff games at Bearcat Stadium … Northwest is 31-3 all-time at home in the playoffs … it’s the&nbsp;13th&nbsp;time in school history that Northwest has reached 12 or more wins in a season … this was&nbsp;Strayhorn's&nbsp;second postseason game over 100 yards, as he rushed for 171 yards last year against Grand Valley State … Northwest eclipsed its previous postseason scoring mark of 59 points vs. St. Cloud State in 2013 …&nbsp;Strayhorn&nbsp;led all rushers with 178 yards on 16 carries for an average of 11.1 yards per carry … Wright finished with 152 yards passing and 116 yards rushing as well as two rushing touchdowns … Jacob&nbsp;Gassman&nbsp;led Northwest with five tackles … Elijah Green (1.0), Noah Williams (1.0), Mike&nbsp;Ehlke&nbsp;(0.5) and Jackson Barnes (0.5) each recorded a sack … Williams added his first career interception in the second half to go along with a sack … Alec Tatum caught a team-high five passes for 57 yards …&nbsp;Imoni&nbsp;Donadelle&nbsp;tallied four catches for 39 yards … Northwest posted a season-high 29 first downs Bearcat Postseason Records SetLargest Margin of Victory – 56 (previous mark of 47 set vs. Humboldt State – Nov. 28, 2015)Most Points Scored – 63 (previous mark of 59 set vs. St. Cloud State – Dec. 7, 2013)Most Rushing Yards – 413 (previous mark of 356 at Grand Valley State – Nov. 17, 2018)Most Rushing Touchdowns – 8 (previous mark of 7 set vs. St. Cloud State – Dec. 7, 2013)Most Touchdowns – 9 (previous mark of 8 set three times) --- Northwest Athletics ---

Bearcats rout Lindenwood 63-7 in second round of NCAA Playoffs

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SCOREBOARDSaturday, November 30 8-MAN STATE CHAMPIONSHIPMound City 82Southwest Livingston 46 CLASS 1 SEMIFINALSValle Catholic 37Mid-Buchanan 14 Lincoln 46Marceline 20 CLASS 2 SEMIFINALSLutheran North 38Lathrop 24 Ava 20 OTClark County 14 CLASS 3 SEMIFINALSOdessa 31Kennett 14 Cassville 13Trinity Catholic 0 CLASS 4 SEMIFINALSPlatte County 15St. Mary's 14 Webb City 35Ladue Horton Watkins 0 CLASS 5 SEMIFINALSJackson 20Staley 7 Carthage 20Fort Zumwalt North 17 CLASS 6 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPDeSmet 35Joplin 20

High School Football Playoff Scores - Saturday, November 30

ST. JOSEPH -&nbsp;A strong second half effort by the Missouri Western Women's Basketball team (5-1) pushed the Griffons to their fifth consecutive win, 74-67 over Florida Southern (4-4), Saturday in the Fairfield Inn Classic. The Griffons outscored the Mocs 43-27 after halftime to overcome a solid first half by the visitors. Missouri Western scored 27 points in the third quarter on 10 of 16 shooting to flip what was a nine-point halftime lead for Florida Southern into a two-point Griffon lead heading into the final quarter. Missouri Western held the Mocs to 28% shooting in the final quarter to stretch the lead to as many as eight points. NOTABLES<ul><li>MWSU shot 52% in the second half and made 16 of 23 free throw attempts to flip the script on Florida Southern. The Griffons shot 51% in the game.</li><li>Chris Wilson&nbsp;scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half. Wilson was 7 of 10 from the field.</li><li>Corbyn Cunningham&nbsp;pulled down eight of her 14 rebounds in the second half and added 17 points in the game with three assists.</li><li>Kylee Williams&nbsp;knocked down her first two 3-point attempts of the game and another early in the second half and didn't miss all afternoon. She made all four field goals, all three 3-pointers and all three free throws for 14 points.</li><li>Mychaell Gray&nbsp;added 10 points with four rebounds.</li><li>MWSU trailed much of the first half and early in the third quarter, leading for just 14 minutes total.</li><li>Florida Southern went to the line just six times in the game, four in the second half.</li></ul> UP NEXTThe Griffons play their first true road game of 2019 and the first MIAA game Dec. 5 at Central Missouri (3-3). --- MWSU Athletics ---

Missouri Western women use big second half to defeat Florida Southern

SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. - The Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team fell to the McKendree Bearcats 77-69 in OT in the MWSU Thanksgiving Classic Saturday.&nbsp; The Bearcats battled each other all game, in a game that featured seven lead changes and was tied seven times. Northwest led by two at half 28-26. Mia Stillman made a free throw to tie the game at 66 and send it into OT. The two stats that haunted Northwest in this game were rebounds and fouls. They were out rebounded 46-26 which resulted in 13 second chance points for McKendree. Northwest committed 27 fouls as a team and had both Paityn Rau and Jayna Green foul out. McKendree attempted 38 free throws as a result of this, compared to Northwest's 11 attempts.&nbsp; Kendey Eaton led Northwest in scoring with 23 points, and Erika Schlosser added 14. Jayna Green led the team with 7 rebounds. Ellie Horn had 2 blocks which was the most of any player in the game.&nbsp; Jordan Heberg led McKendree in scoring with 20 points, followed by Megan Jensen with 17 and Brianna Johnson with 13. Jensen and Madison Hart led the team with 8 rebounds each.&nbsp; The Bearcats will be back in action Dec. 5, for their conference opener at Lincoln at 5:30 p.m.&nbsp; --- Northwest Athletics ---

Northwest Missouri State women lose in OT to McKendree 77-69

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Chris Klieman gathered his players in the locker room after a heart-stopping win at Texas Tech and challenged not his seniors, who soon would be playing their final game for Kansas State, but the rest of the guys who would be around for years to come. The first-year coach wanted his youngsters to lay it on the line for the veterans. "Without question," he said, "they played an excellent football game." Jacardia Wright ran for a touchdown, fellow freshman Joshua Youngblood returned a kickoff 93 yards for another score, and the Wildcats' aggressive defense shut down Brock Purdy and high-flying Iowa State to win a 27-17 defensive slugfest on a cold, windy Saturday night. The Wildcats (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) only managed 57 yards passing and 288 yards of total offense, but they scored the final 13 points while holding the Cyclones in check. "At halftime I told the guys, `We just have to make some more plays. If we make some plays we'll be fine," Klieman said. "I could sense a lot of life on our sideline. We just had to make a play." There wasn't a whole lot of life left in the Iowa State sideline by the final whistle. Purdy was just 15 of 30 for 185 yards passing and a touchdown, and the Cyclones (7-5, 5-4) only had 236 yards in all. Their biggest problem came in converting third downs -- they were 1 of 13 -- and that in turn led to a massive advantage for Kansas State in time of possession. The result: The Wildcats beat the Cyclones for the 11th time in 12 meetings in the game known as "Farmageddon." They also have won seven straight in Manhattan against their fellow land-grant college. "Give credit to Kansas State. On a night like tonight, I thought they were the more physical team," Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said. "The reality of it is, my hat's off to them. They did what they needed to do to win the game and we didn't." It was Senior Day in Manhattan, but it was a freshman that provided the early fireworks. Youngblood fielded the opening kickoff on blustery night and angled toward the Iowa State sideline, then headed up field. There was nobody in a chrome red helmet between him and the end zone, and the fleet-footed receiver cruised to his nation-leading third kick return TD of the season. Kansas State's offense soon got on track, too. After taking possession inside its own 10-yard line for the third straight time, the Wildcats used nearly 7 minutes to march 98 yards for the score. They converted three third downs, got some help from a personal foul penalty and capped it with Wright's 12-yard touchdown run. "I had the same play in pregame warmups and I busted it the same way," said Wright, who hadn't played since Sept. 7 because of an ankle injury. "I was like, `OK!" Iowa State finally gave Purdy time to answer, and the record-setting sophomore quarterback used it to pick apart Kansas State's well-regarded secondary. Purdy threw a 15-yard strike to Sean Shaw Jr. for a touchdown, then connected with Tarique Milton for 60 yards to set up Breece Hall's tying touchdown. That score came on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line, and after Campbell and Klieman hilariously traded running downfield and frantically calling a total of four total timeouts. After trading field goals during an offensively inept third quarter, the Wildcats took advantage of good field position set up by their defense to pull ahead 24-17. Brown finished the methodical eight-play drive -- entirely on the ground -- by going untouched 15 yards with 10:24 left in the game. The Cyclones were forced to punt on their next possession, and Wright and Youngblood tore off long runs to set up Blake Lynch's chip-shot field goal that effectively put the game out of reach. "There's been some rough times, you know that," Klieman said. "We've been on a little bit of a rollercoaster, but we continued to get better. The guys continued to buy in and learn more and get more invested in the program. Let's credit where credit is due and that's with the players." BIG PICTURE Iowa State's offense came into the game sixth nationally in passing at 330.5 yards per game, but Purdy struggled with the stiff, cold wind out of the west. He also got little help from his receivers, who dropped several passes -- a few of them on crucial third downs. Kansas State stuck to its persona by running the ball, even though Iowa State led the Big 12 in rush defense, and it paid off. The Wildcats wore the Cyclones down at the line of scrimmage in the fourth quarter and that allowed them to break the 17-all tie. UP NEXT Both teams will await their bowl destinations next weekend. --- Associated Press ---

K-State upsets No. 23 Iowa State 27-17

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- No. 11 Baylor tuned up for a rematch with Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game in fine fashion. JaMycal Hasty ran for three touchdowns, the Bears forced lowly Kansas into committing six turnovers and they cruised through the second half to a 61-6 victory on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Charlie Brewer threw for 182 yards and a touchdown as Baylor (11-1, 8-1 Big 12, No. 9 CFP) equaled the school record for wins in Matt Rhule's third season as coach. Trestan Ebner, Gerry Bohanon, Qualan Jones and Jacob Zeno also rushed for TDs as the Bears piled up 263 yards on the ground. Only three times since the program's founding in 1899 have the Bears won 11 games in a season. "I'm really proud of them not just today but over the past two years, the process that they've had, the toughness, the grind," said Rhule, who now has a chance to avenge a meltdown loss to the seventh-ranked Sooners earlier this month -- their only loss of the season. With a spate of upsets Saturday, the Bears are still in the College Football Playoff picture, too. Kansas (3-9, 1-8) finished Les Miles' first season as coach with its fourth straight loss. Carter Stanley was just 13 of 25 for 92 yards with three of the Jayhawks' four interceptions in his final game. Manny Miles also threw an interception while Pooka Williams was held to 97 yards rushing. Baylor jumped on the Jayhawks midway through the first quarter when Gerry Bohanon scored from six yards out. Brewer found Tyquan Thornton with a 51-yard touchdown pass a few minutes later, and Hasty scored the first of his trio of touchdowns to make it 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. The rout was most certainly on. Baylor added a pair of field quals along with Trestan Ebner's 14-yard touchdown run to carry a 34-0 lead into halftime, and Hasty tacked on a pair of touchdown runs to start the second half. The lone highlight for Kansas came when Miles, the backup quarterback and the coach's son, threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Parchment. And even that was spoiled by a failed two-point conversion. "Whatever could've gone wrong," Les Miles said, "did go wrong." PUNT SUCCESS Kansas punter Kyle Thompson landed three punts inside the 20, including one that dropped at the 1-yard line. But it's rarely a good day when the punter is the standout performer. REDZONE PERFECTION The high-powered Baylor offense entered the Kansas red zone nine times, converting each time. It was an impressive display by a team that could be headed for a shootout against the Sooners. 1,000-YARD MARK Williams became the second player in program history with consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He accomplished the feat despite missing the season opener because of a suspension. BIG PICTURE Baylor: The Bears were rolling against Oklahoma when the teams met earlier this month, only to let a big lead slip away in a 34-31 loss. But they've taken care of business the past two weeks, and their defense has been a big reason. They knocked off Texas 24-10 before shutting down the Jayhawks. Kansas: Another lackluster season in Lawrence came to an end, though there is hope for the future after a couple of impressive performances. The Jayhawks finally won a road game by beating Boston College and they had Texas on the ropes before losing a shootout in Austin. UP NEXT Baylor meets Oklahoma in the rejuvenated Big 12 title game while the Kansas coaching staff hits the recruiting trail in search of more talent on both sides of the ball. --- Associated Press ---

Kansas ends season with 61-6 loss against No. 11 Baylor

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Director of Athletics Jim Sterk has relieved fourth-year Tigers’ football coach Barry Odom of his coaching duties and launched a national search to find the program’s next head coach. “I want to thank Coach Odom for his contributions to our program,” Sterk said. “He and his staff have worked diligently during the past four years. “Coach Odom has represented our program with integrity and dedicated himself to developing our student-athletes on and off the football field for which we are grateful. We wish the very best for him and his family in their future endeavors.” Odom, hired as Mizzou’s 32nd head football coach on Dec. 3, 2015, compiled a 25-25 on-field record in four seasons along the Tiger sideline, including a 6-6 mark in 2019 that ended with Friday’s 24-14 victory over Arkansas in Little Rock. After a 4-8 debut season in 2016, Odom’s Tigers went 7-6 and earned an invitation to the 2017 Academy Sports + Outdoor Texas Bowl. Mizzou went 8-5 in Odom’s third season, which ended with a 2018 AutoZone Liberty Bowl bid. “As a program, we had tremendous momentum coming into the 2019 season with the opening of the new south end zone facility as well as other strategic investments in our football program,” Sterk said. “However, we lost a great deal of that energy during the last half of the season. This decision was difficult to make but was necessary.” Odom spent 18 seasons at Mizzou, including eight as a coach (2009-11, 2015-19), six in an administrative capacity (2003-08) and four as a student-athlete (1996-99). “Mizzou enjoys a winning football tradition and has the necessary resources and commitment to compete at the highest level,” Sterk said. “We strive to achieve excellence, and we expect to compete for Southeastern Conference titles, consistently play in the postseason and represent Mizzou the right way on and off the field. “A national search is underway and confidentiality during the process is critical. Thus, I will have no further public comments regarding the search process until the announcement of our next head football coach is made.” --- MWSU Athletics ---

Missouri fires football coach Barry Odom after four years

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. –&nbsp;The Missouri Western men's basketball team finished regulation on a 14-1 run to force overtime at Colorado Mesa (3-2), but without four starters for much of the overtime period, the Griffons (3-4) fell 94-92 on Friday night.&nbsp;Down by 13 with 3:37 to play in regulation, MWSU finished the final 3:09 going 4 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the line while holding Colorado Mesa without a field goal down that stretch. Alexander John sunk a layup with 28 seconds left that tied the game at 84 and helped the Griffons overcome a Maverick lead that reached as many as 19 points in the second half. The Griffons outscored the home team 42-25 over the final 13:12 in regulation, but saw some of their stars exit the game with fouls.&nbsp;Will Eames&nbsp;fouled out with 3:37 left in regulation after scoring 14 points.&nbsp;Jonathan Mesmacque&nbsp;fouled out with 5:24 to go.&nbsp;Tyrell Carroll&nbsp;picked up his fifth foul one minute into overtime after scoring 17 with a career-high 10 assists. John picked up his fifth with 1:14 left in overtime and the Griffons down by four.&nbsp;As the only starter left, Tyus Milhollin led the Griffons with a career-high 23 points. He got MWSU within a point on his fifth 3-pointer of the game with two seconds remaining in overtime. Down by two after a made free throw with one second left, the Griffons couldn't get a game-winning shot off before the buzzer.&nbsp;<ul><li>NOTABLES</li><li>The lead changed 10 times with seven ties.</li><li>Colorado Mesa took a five-point lead to halftime, but led by 20 with 11:31 to go.</li><li>MWSU outscored the Mavericks 44-26 in the paint.</li><li>CMU won the battle on the glass, pulling down 50 rebounds to MWSU's 38.</li><li>Missouri Western was whistled for 31 personal fouls to CMU's 18, but the Mavericks made just six more free throws (26) than the Griffons on 16 more attempts.</li><li>CMU was 8 of 21 from 3-point range while the Griffons were 14 of 42.</li><li>20 of Millhollin's 23 points came in the second half.</li><li>Reese Glover&nbsp;scored a career-high 22 points on 8 of 17 shooting (6-14 from 3-point range).</li><li>Sam Siganos&nbsp;pulled down a career-high six rebounds to tie with Millhollin, who also notched a career-high rebound total, for the team lead.</li></ul>&nbsp;UP NEXTMissouri Western continues play in Grand Junction on Saturday with a 3 p.m. tip-off against Western Colorado (2-3). The Mountaineers lost 73-71 to Montana Western on Friday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Griffons rally to force OT, but fall at Colorado Mesa 94-92

ST. JOSEPH -&nbsp;Tamia Cunigan scored all four of her points in the final 47 seconds and her final two points lifted the Missouri Western Women's Basketball team (4-1) to a 52-50 win over McKendree (4-1), Friday night in the Fairfield Inn Classic. It was Missouri Western's fourth straight win and the first loss of the year for McKendree. Cunigan's game-winning layup rolled home with six-tenths of a second remaining after McKendree knocked down a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to go that tied the game at 50. The layup wasn't Cunigan's only important contribution late in the game. She also blocked a McKendree 3-point attempt with 47 seconds remaining and sunk a couple free throws to give MWSU a 50-47 lead. Cunigan's layup came off a&nbsp;Chris Wilson&nbsp;steal, one of 19 for the Griffons in the game. NOTABLES<ul><li>Corbyn Cunningham&nbsp;made a layup with 1:10 remaining that put MWSU up 48-47.</li><li>Cunigan scored the rest of MWSU's points with a free throw with 47 seconds to go and another with 16 seconds to go then the game-winner under one second.</li><li>The game was tied seven different times with eight lead changes. MWSU led for just over 18 minutes.</li><li>The two teams combined for 77 missed shots, 48 turnovers and 45 personal fouls.</li><li>MWSU overcame 3 of 14 (21.4%) shooting in the first quarter and 20% shooting in the third.</li><li>In the first quarter, the teams were a combined 5 of 21 from the field and in the third they were 6 of 29 from the field.</li><li>MWSU got 22 of its points off the bench with&nbsp;Kyra Hogan&nbsp;scoring a team-high 11 points on 5 of 9 shooting.</li><li>The Griffons outscored McKendree 30-16 in the paint.</li><li>Chris Wilson&nbsp;continued her impressive rebounding pace, leading the team with 13 and scoring seven points.</li></ul> UP NEXTMissouri Western closes out the Fairfield Inn Classic at 3:30 p.m., Saturday, against Florida Southern. The Mocs fell to 4-3 on the season with a 52-37 loss to Northwest Missouri, Friday in St. Joseph. --- MWSU Athletics ---

Cunigan's layup with 0.6 seconds left lifts MWSU women past McKendree

SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team defeated the Florida Southern Mocs, 52-37, in their first game of the MWSU Thanksgiving Classic.&nbsp; After winning the first quarter 9-8, the Bearcats started the second quarter on a 19-3 run. The Bearcats led 28-15 at the end of the first half. The Mocs scored the first six points of the second half. The Bearcats battled back to play the third quarter to a 10-10 tie. -The fourth quarter featured back-and-forth scoring and the Bearcats were able to pull out the quarter by a score of 14-12. The Bearcats led nearly the whole game, with the Mocs last lead coming near the end of the first quarter (8-7). The Bearcats shined defensively holding the Mocs, who were averaging 68.5 ppg, to nearly half their average, allowing 37 points, the Mocs lowest scoring total on the season. The Bearcats forced the Mocs to commit 20 turnovers and held them to 32.1% from the field. The Bearcats also did not allow a single made three-pointer on the night, forcing the Mocs to go 0-11 from behind-the-arc. Ellie Horn had 3 blocks and Jayna Green had 2. Kylie Coleman led the Bearcats with 17 points, Mia Stillman and Kendey Eaton added 9 points each. Erika Schlosser led the team in assists with five. The Bearcats will back in action tomorrow against McKendree in their second game of the MWSU Thanksgiving Classic in St. Joseph at 1:30 p.m. --- Northwest Athletics ---

Northwest women knock off Florida Southern 52-37

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- In a game started by third- and fifth-string quarterbacks, the outcome was decided by one of their backups. It was appropriate enough for Arkansas and Missouri, two teams facing their longest losing streaks in decades. Fayetteville High School graduate Taylor Powell entered for injured Connor Bazelak in the second quarter and led Missouri over his hometown Razorbacks 24-14, snapping a five-game skid for the Tigers and furthering Arkansas' spiral to 19 straight SEC losses. Missouri coach Barry Odom ran around the field after the final whistle, congratulating every player he could find individually. They were all emotional just three days after the NCAA's surprising decision to uphold its bowl ban on the team after a nearly year-long appeals process. "The mental toughness of creating the noise and controlling the noise between your ears, that's up to you alone," he said. "These guys, they responded, they didn't like it. But at the end of the day, nobody cares. It's what we've got. It was about us." Powell entered in the second quarter after Bazelak, in his first career start, left after injuring his knee on a scramble. Powell's third pass was a 30-yarder, setting up a field goal to give Missouri (6-6, 3-5) a 10-7 lead. It was the first of three scoring drives he directed. The three drives would have been enough by themselves. Arkansas interim coach Barry Lunney Jr. started junior Jack Lindsey, who was only placed on scholarship in August. Lindsey began the year as the fifth-stringer but was pushed into duty after ineffectiveness and injury plagued the position to the point that coach Chad Morris didn't win an SEC game in his season-plus before being fired November 10. Lindsey completed just two of his first 13 passes, though both went for go-ahead touchdowns. The second score came on the first Arkansas drive of the second half after Greg Brooks Jr. intercepted Powell on the first play after the break. Lindsey, who finished 10 of 26 for 75 yards, began the drive at the Missouri 26, ran for 15 yards and, two plays later, found Grayson Gunter uncovered in the corner of the end zone to give the Razorbacks (2-10, 0-8) their first post-halftime lead against in any game since October 12 against Kentucky. Two drives later, Powell led Missouri on an 8-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that would ultimately be the game-winner. He added a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to former Arkansas wide receiver Jonathan Nance for the final score of the game. Powell finished 8 of 14 for 105 yards. Fellow Fayetteville High product Barrett Banister had six catches for 60 yards. "I know what it's like to go back and play your home school," Odom said. "I'm proud of the effort and the focus. It's not easy. It's not easy a lot of times to handle those things." Arkansas will search for answers for a third straight offseason. The Razorbacks have finished 2-10 for back-to-back years, their worst stretch in school history. They need to find a quarterback after using eight different starters, including five in 2019, over those two seasons. They also need to find a coach as Lunney Jr. isn't expected to be named Morris' permanent replacement. Lunney Jr., who has been on the Arkansas staff since 2013 with Bret Bielema and was the Razorbacks quarterback in the early and mid-1990s, coached the last two games of the season. "We obviously didn't play well enough to win. We didn't deserve to win," he said. "But for two weeks, these guys, they were in a very difficult situation, and they very clearly gave everything they had in an effort to win the game tonight. So for that I'm very thankful." It's also unclear whether Odom will return for a fifth season leading Missouri. He has a 25-25 record after four years and the recent five-game losing streak leaves his job status in jeopardy. He is focused on returning to work Monday, happy with the way his team finished during a trying week that also kept all 23 of Missouri's wins from 2012-13 vacated. "It wasn't pretty, we all know that, but it was a win and I'll take as many of those as we can get," Odom said. "Wish we had an opportunity to go play in a bowl game somewhere, but they can't take those six from this team." A QUIET EXIT Both teams had graduate-transfer quarterbacks begin the season as the starter, with each team's hopes banked on the new face. Only one saw the field in the finale. Missouri's Kelly Bryant, who dealt with leg injuries for the last month, was unable to go Friday and finished his one season with 2,215 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. Arkansas' Ben Hicks, who hadn't played since November 2, came in for the final Arkansas drive of the game and completed one pass for two yards, finishing his one year with the Razorbacks with 736 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. FEW SAW IT Attendance at War Memorial Stadium on Friday was 33,961, the lowest total for an Arkansas game in its home away from home since 1996. Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville had already achieved its lowest and second lowest attendance figures since 1997 earlier this year. SICK AND WOUNDED Arkansas was without 14 players in its last game. Some, like offensive lineman Colton Jackson and linebacker Hayden Henry had pre-existing injuries. Others, including starting safety Kamren Curl, were late scratches. The university had experienced an outbreak of mumps earlier in the week that affected several students, though Arkansas would not comment on the reasons for some of the missing players. THE TAKEAWAY Missouri: The Tigers have been a thorn for Arkansas since joining the SEC. Missouri has won the last four meetings and six of the last seven between the two teams. Arkansas: Arkansas is in the midst of the worst two-year stretch in school history, having finished 2-10 in back-to-back seasons and riding a 19-game SEC losing streak. UP NEXT Missouri: Eyes turn to Odom's status as Missouri's postseason ban keeps them from a bowl bid in the winter. Arkansas: Lunney Jr. is unlikely to be named permanent head coach and the search for a replacement for Morris is entering its third full week. --- Associated Press ---

Powell, Missouri snap five-game skid with win over Arkansas

LINCOLN, Neb. -- It was cold and damp, Iowa had the ball at its 26-yard line with 32 seconds left in regulation in a tie game, and the Hawkeyes' offense hadn't done much since the first quarter. Instead of being content to play for overtime against border rival Nebraska, coach Kirk Ferentz went for the win Friday. The Hawkeyes got it when Keith Duncan kicked a 48-yard field goal with one second left, giving No. 17 Iowa a 27-24 victory over Nebraska that leaves the Cornhuskers out of the postseason for a third consecutive season. "We thought we had a chance if we executed," Ferentz said. "There's some risk and reward involved there. We thought the reward outweighed the risk. At least we came out the right side this time." The Hawkeyes (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) beat the Huskers (5-7, 3-6) for a fifth straight year and second year in a row on a late field goal. Duncan, who walked on with Iowa in 2016, had more to celebrate than just helping the Hawkeyes hold onto the Heroes Game trophy for at least another year. Ferentz announced after the game that he was giving Duncan a scholarship. "The culmination of all these four years of hard work," said Duncan, who also kicked a 49-yarder against the Huskers and now owns the Big Ten single-season record with 29 made field goals. "These 12 weeks have been really hard for us, just working 100 percent. There's been some setbacks, but we finished here. Team goals will lead to individual goals, and that's where we are today." Iowa, which saw its 14-point lead wiped out in the third quarter, got the ball back after forcing a Nebraska punt in the final minute. A long Nate Stanley completion to Nico Ragaini was overturned on video review, but Stanley then completed a pair of 22-yard passes to Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Sam LaPorta to bring on the reliable Duncan. The Huskers called two timeouts before Duncan drilled the winner down the middle and with plenty of distance. "Every field goal I'm hungry for, especially in a situation like that with tough conditions," Duncan said. "That's why you become a kicker. You've got to be hungry and not scared." Nebraska, down 24-10 at half, tied it with back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter. Luke McCaffrey entered the game for a play in place of quarterback Adrian Martinez, rolled to his left and hit JD Spielman with a perfect 39-yard TD pass. The Huskers ran on 12 of 13 plays while covering 60 yards on their next drive, converting a fourth-and-6 before Wyatt Mazour ran in from 9 yards. Smith-Marsette scored on a 45-yard on a reverse run and ran back a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and Tyler Goodson broke a 55-yard TD run as Iowa got out to its lead in the first half. Iowa had 18 plays for 191 yards in the first quarter but just 131 yards on 38 plays for the remainder of the game. Iowa gained 11 yards in the second quarter and 7 in the third. Stanley completed 11 of 24 passes for 99 yards, his lowest total since throwing for 86 against Maryland last season. Goodson ran 13 times for a season-high 116 yards. The Huskers are in their longest bowl drought since 1955-61, but coach Scott Frost is encouraged by the progress he saw during the second half of the season. "There's a lot of things that needed to get fixed, and I think a lot of those have been addressed," Frost said. "I think when you plant a seed, you don't necessarily see sprouts right away. There's a lot going on underneath the ground before you see things shooting out of it. I know a lot of things have gotten better." EPENESA'S BIG DAY Preseason All-America defensive end A.J. Epenesa set career highs with 14 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in Friday's victory. "You always love to win this game," Epenesa said. "They joined the Big Ten not too long ago but it's turned into a pretty hard-headed rivalry between the two of us. If it's between whose corn is better, which team you like more or what state you're from, there's a lot of pride on both sides of this. When you can come out and win it, especially in other people's stadium, it adds a little extra to it." THE TAKEAWAY Iowa: This was a hard-fought win for the Hawkeyes and one they'll savor because it came against their border rival. Except for the big-play touchdowns, their offense continued to be middling. Nebraska: The Huskers dropped to 0-6 against Top 25 opponents over two seasons under Frost. POLL IMPLICATIONS Iowa will stay in the Top 25 thanks to Duncan's late field goal. --- Associated Press ---

Nebraska loses on last second field goal to No. 17 Iowa 27-24

MARYVILLE, Missouri - Freshman Wes Dreamer notched his first career double-double with 29 points the 14 rebounds as No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State rolled to a 91-56 victory over Illinois-Springfield at Bearcat Arena in men's basketball action. The Bearcats moved to 7-0 and extended the nation's longest win streak to 45 games in a row. Illinois-Springfield dropped its first game of the season after winning its first five contests. Northwest scored 90 or more points for the fourth straight game and fifth time this season. The Bearcats have a scoring margin of +27.3 in their seven victories. The Bearcats jumped out to a 17-4 lead only six minutes into the contest. UIS climbed to within eight points at 17-9 but that would be as close as the Prairie Stars would get in the contest. Northwest used a 14-4 run to push the margin to 18 at 31-13 with 8:48 to play in the half. Northwest would lead 46-32 at the break. Northwest blew the game wide open with a 17-0 run that turned a 59-42 lead into a 76-42 advantage with 11:38 left in the game. Dreamer did damage from deep as he drained seven of his first eight three-point attempts and finished the game shooting 7-of-10 from three-point range. Dreamer went 10-of-13 from the field and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds. Dreamer swatted a career-high three blocks. Sophomore Diego Bernard scored 15 of his 19 points in the opening half. Bernard went 7-of-15 from the field, secured three rebounds, handed out three assists and recorded three steals. Sophomore Trevor&nbsp;Hudgins&nbsp;reached double-figures in assists for the third straight game with 11 helpers against the Prairie Stars.&nbsp;Hudgins&nbsp;also tallied six rebounds and two steals. Northwest will open up&nbsp;MIAA&nbsp;play on Dec. 5 at Lincoln and Dec. 7 at Central Missouri. NOTES: Northwest won for the&nbsp;20th&nbsp;straight time at home ... Northwest is 112-9 at Bearcat Arena since the start of the 2011-12 season ... Northwest has won 29 consecutive games in the month of November ... the Bearcats drained a season-high 17 three-pointers ... Northwest is shooting 53.6 percent from the field as a team through seven games ... the Bearcats shot 47.8 percent against the Prairie Stars - marking only the second time this season the 'Cats has shot less than 50 percent from the field in a game.

Dreamer's double-double helps No. 1 Northwest blowout Illinois Springfield 91-56

LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Devon Dotson seemed to be running on fumes as the game wore on, but he still made big shots and continually found ways to get to the rim. Big man Udoka Azubuike bulled his way through Dayton's defense all day, particularly in overtime, and even hit his free throws. The duo is one of the best Bill Self has had in 16 seasons at Kansas. They're certainly a big reason the Jayhawks won their third Maui Invitational title and will be among the favorites to cut down the nets in April. Dotson scored 31 points, Azubuike had seven of his 29 in overtime and No. 4 Kansas outlasted Dayton 90-84 in the Maui Invitational championship game on Wednesday. "When he has it going and the attention is on him, that opens up for other players," Dotson said. "So it's just kind of a 1-2 punch. We read the defense, take what's given to us." The Flyers and Jayhawks spent much of the afternoon trading leads and highlight-reel plays in a bleacher-shaking atmosphere inside the bandbox Lahaina Civic Center. Kansas (6-1) looked as if it would run away with a late 11-0 run in regulation. The Flyers refused to back down, tying it when Jalen Crutcher buried a 3-pointer from about 5 feet behind the new, deeper arc with 2.1 seconds left. "When he had the ball in his hands I went straight to the rim and I told him, `Just let it go," said Ryan Mikesell, who led Dayton with 19 points. "He's a competent shooter and fortunate enough it went in." The Jayhawks absorbed the blow and delivered a few in overtime with their 7-foot, 270-pound center. Kansas went to Azubuike early in the overtime and the big man delivered, scoring three baskets at the rim. A 32% free throw shooter entering the game, he also hit three from the line in overtime. Marcus Garrett made three free throws in the final 18 seconds to seal Kansas' second Maui title in four years. "I do think we got some competitive pieces that, if we improve a little bit, this could be a pretty dangerous team down the stretch," Self said. Dayton made a name for itself by winning the first two Maui games, then went toe-to-toe with a blue-blood in the final. The Flyers (5-1) came up short against Azubuike and the Jayhawks, but they figure to be a popular pick when the brackets come out in March. Obi Toppin had 18 points and Dayton finished 16 for 33 from 3-point range to keep Kansas within reach. "Obviously, it's a tough loss, but like I told them in the locker room, whatever it was, five, six days ago when we came here we wanted to find out what we needed to do as a team to continue to move forward, I think these guys did a great job of answering that," Dayton coach Anthony Grant said. "They fought obviously to the very end." Toppin dominated the first two games, scoring 49 combined points while hitting 19 of 25 shots. The Flyers took down Georgia of the SEC and Virginia Tech of the ACC in Maui. The Jayhawks imposed their massive will on two undersized opponents to open the tournament, taking down Division II Chaminade and BYU. As expected, Dayton and Kansas played a fast-paced, high-level game with the championship on the line, trading dunks, 3-pointers and buckets in transition. With Kansas doubling Toppin in the post on every touch, the Flyers worked their kickout game, hitting their first five 3-pointers and eight in the first half to lead 37-36. The Jayhawks had success getting the ball down low early for dunks and that opened things up for Dotson, who had 17 points by halftime. The shots kept falling, the crowd kept roaring and the lead stayed tight to start the second half. "That was a great basketball game," Self said. "Two good teams competing against each other and in a terrific atmosphere." BIG PICTURE Dayton burst into the national consciousness with its run in Maui, beating two larger-conference schools and taking Kansas to the wire. Kansas survived a tying shot at the end of regulation and wore the Flyers down with its size in the overtime. With top-ranked Duke and No. 3 Michigan State both losing, the Jayhawks should move up in Monday's AP Top 25. UP NEXT Dayton hosts Houston Baptist on Tuesday. Kansas hosts Colorado on Dec. 7. --- Associated Press ---

No. 4 Kansas defeats Dayton in OT to win Maui Invitational

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Nate Kennell scored 22 points and Bradley beat Kansas State 73-60 as the 2019 NCAA Tournament teams met in the third-place game of the second annual Fort Myers Tip-Off on Wednesday night. Kennell made 6 of 8 3-pointers for the Braves (5-2) and Darrell Brown, who made 4 of 8 behind the arc, added 15 points. Kansas State didn't score for the first 6:09 of the second half to fall behind 44-37. The Wildcats never could catch up. Xavier Sneed led the Wildcats (4-2) with 15 points and Cartier Diarra and Shaun Williams both added 10 points. After strongly criticizing his team's play in a 78-51 loss to Northwestern on Monday, Brian Wardle saw his Braves get off to a great start by going up 14-6 early. "That was out of character," forward Elijah Childs said. "We didn't go out and do what we were told in the game plan. Tonight, we listened to each other instead of bickering." When Kansas State made a 19-9 run to go up 25-23, Bradley didn't back down and led 38-37 at halftime. Wardle liked his team's competitive spirit. "We competed and defended and that's how the program has grown every year," he said. "It wasn't there Monday, I don't know why. It's November. I challenged them and there are high-character kids in the locker room." Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said his team has to go back to the drawing board. "We all tried to make plays but we gotta play for each other," Weber said. "We gotta admit we got our butts kicked, that we'll get better and that we have to practice better. It starts with us as a staff but they gotta want to get better." BIG PICTURE Bradley: The Braves, who added nine players to a team that gave Michigan State all it could handle in the NCAAs, had the kind of bounce-back effort that will make it a factor in the Missouri Valley Conference. Kansas State: The Wildcats, who didn't have Montavious Murphy (knee) for the tournament, struggled inside and went into scoring lulls. Those are areas they'll have to improve on if they want to avoid a ninth-place predicted finish in the Big 12. KEY STATS Bradley made 13 of 23 3-pointers and 24-of-48 overall. It helped overcome 23 turnovers. "I loved our pace," Wardle said. "I didn't like the defense. We were running and shooting quickly and I wanted us to continue. I think both teams ran out of gas in the second half and that's when it came down to execution." MVC LESSON Weber, who coached at Southern Illinois, said he warned his team Bradley would play with a lot of pride. "I coached in the Valley and I know how important it is to them," Weber said. "They pushed it up on us. Our defense has been good but they had a lot of guys making 3-pointers." NEXT YEAR Wisconsin, Butler, Colorado and South Florida will play in the 2020 Fort Myers Tip-Off. Wisconsin made Final Four trips in 2014 and 2015 and Butler went in 2010 and 2011. Next season will be third Fort Myers Tip-Off. Boston College won the inaugural event. UP NEXT Kansas State will return home on Monday to play Florida A&amp;M. Bradley will travel to No. 16 Memphis on Tuesday. --- Associated Press ---

Kansas State loses to Bradley in 3rd place game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off

The St. Joseph Central girls and boys basketball teams swept their doubleheader at Benton High School Tuesday night as it was the season opener for all four teams. The Central girls led wire-to-wire as they beat the Cardinals 47-27, while the Indians won the boys game 53-28. In the girls game, Central used an 8-0 run in the first quarter to take a 13-4 lead and eventually led 27-14 at halftime.&nbsp;The Indians went on a 15-0 run in the third quarter to extend their leads and cruised to the 20-point win.&nbsp;Lauren Eiman and Gracie Moodie had eight points each to led CHS, while Olivia Walters scored nine points to lead Benton. In the boys game, the Cardinals led Central after the first quarter 8-3 but the Indians then outscored Benton 25-4 in the second quarter and rolled to an easy win.&nbsp;A.J. Redmon led Central with 17 points and LaVar Felder added 11.&nbsp;Kason Mauzey had eight to lead Benton. OTHER CITY SCORES FROM TUESDAY NIGHT BOYSCenter 68Lafayette 54 St. Joseph Christian 59DeKalb 30

Central basketball teams open season with sweep at Benton

LAHAINA, Hawaii -- David McCormack scored 16 points, Ochai Agbaji added 14 and No. 4 Kansas turned a huge second half into a trip to the Maui Invitational title game with a 71-56 victory over Brigham Young on Tuesday night. The Jayhawks (5-1) dominated inside against the smaller Cougars and did a good job of rotating out to their shooters to earn a shot at their third Maui Invitational championship. Kansas opened the second half with a big run to build a double-digit lead and outscored BYU 42-18 in the paint. The Jayhawks will face Dayton in Wednesday's title game. BYU (4-3) was bothered Kansas' length on defense, finishing 9 for 33 from behind the 3-point line. TJ Haws had 16 points, but Cougars leading scorer Jake Toolson was held to seven on 3-of-9 shooting. Kansas overwhelmed Division II Chaminade 93-63 in its Maui opener by utilizing its massive size advantage. The also-undersized Cougars used ball movement and perimeter shooting to blow past UCLA 78-63 in their opener. Neither team was particularly efficient offensively early in the semifinals, trading turnovers and clanks on the soft Lahaina Civic Center rims. The Jayhawks found a small semblance of rhythm late in the first half and locked on the Cougars defensively, holding them scoreless for 7 1/2 minutes. BYU finally hit a few shots late and was within 29-27 at halftime. Kansas got on a roll to start the second period by getting the ball inside, opening with a 13-2 run to go up 42-31. The Jayhawks piled on after that with a 19-4 spurt and hit 17 of 32 shots in the second half. BIG PICTURE BYU pulled off one upset by knocking off UCLA in its opener, but had a hard time matching Kansas' size in the semifinals. The Jayhawks shook off some early ugliness on offense with a dominant second half to earn a shot at adding to the 1996 and 2015 titles in their trophy case. UP NEXT Kansas plays Dayton in Wednesday's title game. BYU faces Virginia Tech in the third-place game. --- Associated Press ---

No. 4 Kansas beats BYU 71-56 for spot in Maui title game

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Brady Manek made sure Tuesday night was nothing like Monday night for Oklahoma. With Manek, who scored 17 points, hitting four 3-pointers, Oklahoma scored 23 points in the first six minutes and beat Missouri 77-66 in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Classic. The Sooners hit their first eight shots, including five 3-pointers. It was a stark contrast to their loss to Stanford a night earlier, when it took the Sooners six minutes to score a single point. "We got off to a horrible start last night so this jumpstarted us tonight," head coach Lon Kruger said. Austin Reaves scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Sooners (6-1). Kristian Doolittle added 14 and Alondes Williams 12. Mark Smith scored 18 and grabbed eight rebounds for the Tigers (4-3). Jeremiah Tilmon finished with 13 points and Torrence Watson had 11. For the second straight game, Missouri was down 15-3 after four minutes of play. "We really have to come out in the first five to seven minutes and play better," Smith said. "This loss will motivate us and we have to come back locked in for practice on Friday." Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin blamed stagnant offense and defensive breakdowns as the main culprits for the slow starts. "I think we dig ourselves these holes and then we say let's play defense," Martin said. "That's too hard to do against teams that score the ball." Tilmon had a tip-slam to cut the deficit to 49-46 and get a Missouri heavy crowd back on their feet midway through the second half, but the Sooners used a 6-0 run late in the game to close the door on Missouri. "Usually it comes down to making a shot or two," Kruger said. "Made some buckets and widen that margin out a bit." It was a rough first three halves of the classic for Tilmon, who scored his first basket of the tournament with two minutes left in the first half. The junior averages the third most points this season for Missouri at 10 per game. "He's a talented player and a physical guy," Martin said. "You take what they give you and I think it's simply that for him." Missouri had 15 turnovers which turned into 15 points for Oklahoma. "To bounce back from last night to battle a good Missouri team today and I thought our guys played well," Kruger said. "They came out and battled in the first half, but our guys hung tough." BIG PICTURE Oklahoma: After a sluggish start on Monday night, the Sooners started strong and held off a stingy Missouri team. They are in the midst of five straight games away from home. Missouri: The Tigers didn't start the game well for the second straight game and it cost them. After the game, Martin said Xavier Pinson suffered a knee injury. WE MEET AGAIN This was the first time the two teams have met since Missouri left the Big 12 in 2012. UP NEXT Oklahoma goes to North Texas on Dec. 5. Missouri has a week off before they host Charleston Southern Next Tuesday. --- Associated Press ---