Sunday, December 18, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Crowder soccer players earn national recognition
Crowder College Roughrider Soccer Players were nationally recognized for their efforts. Marlon Freitas (Sao Paula, Brazil) was named 1stTeam All-American in Division I Men’s Soccer and NSCAA All-Region North 1stTeam. Ivo Santos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) was named NSCAA Scholar All-America.
Freitas started all 17 games for the Roughriders. He set many new records nationally as he was 1st in game-winning goals with 12, 3rd in goals scored 27, 5th in points with 56, and 8th in shots with 79.
Santos has a 3.4 gpa and started 15 of 17 matches for the Roughriders. Criteria to be eligible for the Scholar All-America is to have at least a 3.30 cumulative gpa, start more than 50 percent of all games, and be a sophomore in academic standing.
“Both of these players are deserving of these awards. They have been our leaders for the past two years and have worked hard both on the field and in the classroom. It is very satisfying when deserving players are rewarded and recognized for their efforts,” stated Coach Brad Smith
Crowder College’s Soccer program began in 2008 as an NJCAA Division I sport. This year’s season marked the most wins along with several record breaking statistics.
“Both of these players are deserving of these awards. They have been our leaders for the past two years and have worked hard both on the field and in the classroom. It is very satisfying when deserving players are rewarded and recognized for their efforts,” stated Coach Brad Smith
Crowder College’s Soccer program began in 2008 as an NJCAA Division I sport. This year’s season marked the most wins along with several record breaking statistics.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Friday, November 11, 2016
Friday, November 4, 2016
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Friday, October 28, 2016
Friday, October 21, 2016
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Crowder College to play host to first round Region 16 soccer match
(From Crowder College)
The Crowder College Soccer team earned the number three seed in Region 16 and
will host their first round match versus number six seed Maple Woods, Saturday, October 22, at 2pm.
The Roughriders are now 13-3 on the season, 5-2 in Region 16 play. The tournament is a single
elimination tournament. A win would have the Roughriders playing Tuesday, October 25, 2pm, versus the winner of the Jefferson/Blue River match.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Friday, October 7, 2016
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Crowder College soccer nationally ranked for first time in team's history
(From Crowder College)
The Crowder College Roughrider Soccer team marked another milestone as it received votes in NJCAA rankings for the first time in program history.
The National Junior College Athletic Association Men’s Soccer Coaches Association ranks teams based on record and opponents played. Currently, Crowder is ranked in the top 28 teams in the country in Division I programs. The next rankings will be released on Monday, October 10.
“We have been having such a good year – it is a wonderful recognition for the team. We have worked hard and believe that this is just recognition for the work that we have put in. Hopefully this will inspire us to work even harder and make this truly a season to remember,” stated Coach Brad Smith.
The Roughrider Soccer team travels to Jefferson College, Saturday, October, 8, for a Region 16 match. The next home match is Saturday, October 15, versus Ecclesia College.
Smith has been the head coach since soccer became an NJCAA program at the college in 2008.
The Crowder College Roughrider Soccer team marked another milestone as it received votes in NJCAA rankings for the first time in program history.
The National Junior College Athletic Association Men’s Soccer Coaches Association ranks teams based on record and opponents played. Currently, Crowder is ranked in the top 28 teams in the country in Division I programs. The next rankings will be released on Monday, October 10.
“We have been having such a good year – it is a wonderful recognition for the team. We have worked hard and believe that this is just recognition for the work that we have put in. Hopefully this will inspire us to work even harder and make this truly a season to remember,” stated Coach Brad Smith.
The Roughrider Soccer team travels to Jefferson College, Saturday, October, 8, for a Region 16 match. The next home match is Saturday, October 15, versus Ecclesia College.
Smith has been the head coach since soccer became an NJCAA program at the college in 2008.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Friday, September 23, 2016
Friday, September 16, 2016
Friday, September 9, 2016
Friday, September 2, 2016
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Friday, August 26, 2016
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Friday, August 19, 2016
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Friday, August 12, 2016
Cash-strapped Blasters sell top reliever to Winnipeg
Capellan is 2-1 with seven saves and a 2.37 ERA this season. He’s also struck out 44 batters in 38 innings while allowing just 22 hits.
The 29-year-old finished second in the American Association with 53 appearances last year.
Capellan was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks as an international free agent in 2007. The Dominican Republic product reached the Triple-A level with the Reno Aces in 2012.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
MSSU increases rosters for football, soccer teams
(From Southern News Service)
More athletes will be on Missouri Southern teams this fall thanks to a new recruitment effort by the Athletics Department and the Office of Admissions.
This year's total number of Missouri Southern football players is 141, compared to 101 last year.
"Having more guys out there will help with many things," said MSSU Head Football Coach Denver Johnson. “Most of these players will redshirt this fall. Some will play, but just having the numbers speeds up practice and provides depth not only for the varsity squad but also for the scout team."
A total of 37 total soccer players will be turning out this season, compared to just 18 the year before.
“My reasoning for having a larger roster is two-fold," said MSSU Head Soccer Coach Chris McNaughton. “Injuries occur in college athletics and having a larger roster will allow us to absorb any injuries we incur and continue training and competing.”
An increase in the number of student athletes has a positive impact on the university’s overall enrollment, said Derek Skaggs, director of admissions.
“They often bring another student or two along with them,” said Skaggs. “The Lion Pride Tuition area has created more opportunities for students from Texas, Illinois and other states in the region to attend college. Admissions is working closely with Athletics on this recruitment effort.”
Athletics is routinely the “front porch” for many colleges, said Director of Athletics Jared Bruggeman.
"It's no different here and one of our obligations to the university is to drive and grow enrollment. With the tremendous growth seen on the Missouri Southern campus – from the new residence hall complex and medical school partnership to the renovations and addition to Reynolds Hall – we're excited about this opportunity to add more than 60 new students,” he said.
“They want to be part of the collegiate experience, and so we’re expanding opportunities to have more athletes. While the number of athletic scholarships is not increasing, many of these students already qualify for other forms of financial aid. And if they prove themselves on the field, they’ll wind up getting athletics scholarships.”
Missouri Southern will open its football season at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1, at Fort Hays State in Hays, Kan. The Soccer Lions will present a home exhibition game against Drury at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, at Hal Bodon Field.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Monday, May 9, 2016
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Dedication for Pat Lipira Softball Complex planned at MSSU
(From Southern News Service)
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication for the Pat Lipira Softball Complex will be held at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, April 3, at Missouri Southern State University.
Lipira was the Missouri Southern softball coach from 1982-2000. She compiled a record of 632-275 during this period, guiding the Lions to six NCAA Regional appearances, four MIAA Championships and the NCAA National Championship in 1992. She was a five-time MIAA Coach of the Year, two-time Regional Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year in 1992.
Nineteen years after beginning her coaching duties, she stepped down to take on the duties of head of the Department of Kinesiology, and later accepted the post of interim vice president for academic affairs. She retired in 2015.
A committee was formed in order to help raise the funds necessary to honor Lipira, said Robert Corn, director of development for intercollegiate athletics.
“We felt like the best way to do something to honor Pat was to have something within the softball program named for her,” said Corn. “The committee members worked extremely hard to be able to name the Pat Lipira Softball Complex. It is a well-deserved honor and we thank the committee for their efforts and the community for making it a reality.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication for the Pat Lipira Softball Complex will be held at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, April 3, at Missouri Southern State University.
Lipira was the Missouri Southern softball coach from 1982-2000. She compiled a record of 632-275 during this period, guiding the Lions to six NCAA Regional appearances, four MIAA Championships and the NCAA National Championship in 1992. She was a five-time MIAA Coach of the Year, two-time Regional Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year in 1992.
Nineteen years after beginning her coaching duties, she stepped down to take on the duties of head of the Department of Kinesiology, and later accepted the post of interim vice president for academic affairs. She retired in 2015.
A committee was formed in order to help raise the funds necessary to honor Lipira, said Robert Corn, director of development for intercollegiate athletics.
“We felt like the best way to do something to honor Pat was to have something within the softball program named for her,” said Corn. “The committee members worked extremely hard to be able to name the Pat Lipira Softball Complex. It is a well-deserved honor and we thank the committee for their efforts and the community for making it a reality.”
Monday, March 14, 2016
Crowder basketball players named 1st Team All-Region
(From Crowder College)
The Crowder College Lady Roughriders had two players earn 1st Team All-Region 16 for the 2015-16 season, Kadesha Cooper and Baylee Tanner.
Cooper is a 5’10” freshman from Prattsville, AR. Her statistics for this season:
· 17.5 points per game
· 4.9 rebounds per game
· 82.1% free throw percentage
· 32 games played
Tanner is a 5’9” freshman from Jay, OK. Her statistics for this season:
· 14.4 points per game
· 6.9 rebounds per game
· 76.9% free throw percentage
· 32 games played
The Lady Roughriders finished the season 17-15.
The Crowder College Lady Roughriders had two players earn 1st Team All-Region 16 for the 2015-16 season, Kadesha Cooper and Baylee Tanner.
Cooper is a 5’10” freshman from Prattsville, AR. Her statistics for this season:
· 17.5 points per game
· 4.9 rebounds per game
· 82.1% free throw percentage
· 32 games played
Tanner is a 5’9” freshman from Jay, OK. Her statistics for this season:
· 14.4 points per game
· 6.9 rebounds per game
· 76.9% free throw percentage
· 32 games played
The Lady Roughriders finished the season 17-15.
Friday, March 11, 2016
MSSU track teams to compete at 2016 indoor championships Saturday
(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)
The Missouri Southern men's and women's track and field teams will compete at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, beginning tomorrow as the event is hosted by Pittsburg State University.
Jayce Thomas will start things off on Friday for the Lions as he'll compete in the heptathlon, starting at 9:30 am. He'll run in the 60m, the long jump, the shot put and the high jump to compete day one of the event.
Kaylee Morgan will compete in the long jump beginning at 2:05 pm, while both Emily Presley and Melanie Bower will take part in the women's pole vault beginning at 3:30 pm.
Eric Schott and Vincent Kiprop will run the 5k to round out the first day of competition and that race begins at 6:40 pm.
Thomas will again start things off for the Lions on day two as he will begin the 60m hurdles at 9:15 am. He will then compete in the pole vault and the 1,000 meters to round out the event. Thomas' day won't be complete, however, as he will then compete in the high jump, starting at 2:15 pm.
Kennan Harrison will compete in the triple jump at 2:20 pm, while Morgan Hold will compete in the pole vault, starting at 3:30 pm.
Emily Harris will run the women's mile at 5:05 pm, whileBrittani Reagan will be the final Lion to compete as she takes on the triple jump at 5:10 pm.
The Southern men come into the national meet ranked 15th nationally, while the women are ranked 16th.
The Missouri Southern men's and women's track and field teams will compete at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, beginning tomorrow as the event is hosted by Pittsburg State University.
Jayce Thomas will start things off on Friday for the Lions as he'll compete in the heptathlon, starting at 9:30 am. He'll run in the 60m, the long jump, the shot put and the high jump to compete day one of the event.
Kaylee Morgan will compete in the long jump beginning at 2:05 pm, while both Emily Presley and Melanie Bower will take part in the women's pole vault beginning at 3:30 pm.
Eric Schott and Vincent Kiprop will run the 5k to round out the first day of competition and that race begins at 6:40 pm.
Thomas will again start things off for the Lions on day two as he will begin the 60m hurdles at 9:15 am. He will then compete in the pole vault and the 1,000 meters to round out the event. Thomas' day won't be complete, however, as he will then compete in the high jump, starting at 2:15 pm.
Kennan Harrison will compete in the triple jump at 2:20 pm, while Morgan Hold will compete in the pole vault, starting at 3:30 pm.
Emily Harris will run the women's mile at 5:05 pm, whileBrittani Reagan will be the final Lion to compete as she takes on the triple jump at 5:10 pm.
The Southern men come into the national meet ranked 15th nationally, while the women are ranked 16th.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Friday, February 26, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Monday, February 22, 2016
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Thursday, February 4, 2016
MSSU softball complex to be dedicated to Pat Lipira
A ribbon cutting and dedication for the Pat Lipira Softball Complex has been scheduled for Sunday, April 3.
Lipira was the Missouri Southern softball coach from 1982-2000. She compiled a record of 632-275 during this period, guiding the Lions to six NCAA Regional appearances, four MIAA Championships and the NCAA National Championship in 1992. She was a five-time MIAA Coach of the Year, two-time Regional Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year in 1992.
Nineteen years after beginning her coaching duties, she stepped down to take on the duties of head of the Department of Kinesiology, and later accepted the post of interim vice president for academic affairs. She retired in 2015.
A committee was formed in order to help raise the funds necessary to honor Lipira, said Robert Corn, director of development for intercollegiate athletics.
“We felt like the best way to do something to honor Pat was to have something within the softball program named for her,” said Corn. “The committee members worked extremely hard to be able to name the Pat Lipira Softball Complex. It is a well-deserved honor and we thank the committee for their efforts and the community for making it a reality.”
“This is an honor that’s a long time coming for an individual who has meant so much to not only this university, but the Athletics Department and softball at Missouri Southern, as well,” said Jared Bruggeman, director of athletics. “Pat spent many, many hours at this facility that will now proudly don her name. This is an honor that suits her commitment not only to softball at MSSU, but the sport in general. She is truly an ambassador for Missouri Southern.”
For more information, contact Robert Corn at 417-659-5466 or Corn-R@mssu.edu.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Saturday, January 23, 2016
MSSU men to play Lindenwood today
(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)
The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will head to St. Charles to take on Lindenwood University in a battle of the Lions Saturday afternoon. Tip off from Hyland Arena is slated for 3 pm.
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (11-7, 8-4 MIAA) at Lindenwood (12-6, 8-4 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016
Tip-Off: 3 pm
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Site: Hyland Arena (3,000)
Series Record: Southern leads 3-2
Coaches: Jeff Boschee (31-18 overall/at MSSU). Lance Randall (90-50 overall/12-6 at Lindenwood)
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio:FM 99.7 KBTN - Mike McClure - Play-by-play
Internet Audio:www.mssulions.com
Live Video:www.mssulions.com
Live Stats: www.mssulions.com
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter:@mososports; @mssumensbball
The Series
This is only the sixth meeting ever between the two schools. The Lions have won three of the last four. Southern is 2-0 in Joplin nad 1-1 in St. Charles.
Taevaunn Amongst The Nation's Best
Taevaunn Prince leads the country in scoring, as well as free throws attempted and made. He also ranks 10th in defensive rebounds, 25th in double-doubles, 45th in minutes per game, 12th in rebounds per game, 53rd in total field goals attempted, 16th in total field goals made, 37th in total minutes, 3rd in total points and 8th in total rebounds.
NCAA Individual Stat Leaders
Taevaunn Prince isn't the only Lion that is amongst the National Leaders. Austin Wright ranks 29th in minutes per game, while ranking 48th in both three point shooting and total three pointers made and 25th in total minutes.
NCAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions rank 4th in free throw shooting, while ranking fifth in free throws made, 12th in free throw attempts, 31st in three point shooting and 54th in scoring.
MIAA Individual Leaders:
Prince leads the MIAA in defensive rebounds per game, double-doubles, free throw attempts and made, points per game, rebounds per game, total field goals made, total points and total rebounds. He also ranks second in total minutes and fourth in field goal percentage, minutes and offensive rebounds per game. Austin Wright leads the MIAA in total minutes, while ranking second in three point shooting and three point field goals per game and made. Wright ranks third in three point attempts and minutes per game, while Bruce Marshall ranks third in blocks per game.
MIAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions lead the MIAA free throws made and attempted, as well as scoring. They ranks second free throw shooting and total three pointers made, while ranking third in three point shooting and three pointers per game.
Record Breakers
Senior shooting guard Austin Wright set two records for the Lions last year, including the single-season three point record (79) and the single game three-point record (9). He also owns the single-season three point percentage mark (.493) and is also the current career-leader in that category (.454).
Record Breakers II
Wright also owns the career three pointers made record as he passed Skyler Bowlin for first all-time on that list. He made four three's at Pittsburg State on January 16 and has 228 in his career.
Three Point Streak
The Lions failed to make a three-pointer at Arkansas Tech in their match-up in 2012-13. It was the first time in 403 games that Southern had failed to hit a three pointer, dating back to Jan. 20, 1999 against Missouri S&T. The Lions have had a three in 101-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.
Taevaunn's On Fire
Taevaunn Prince is averaging 26.4 and 10.4 rebounds this season. He has led the Lions in rebounding every game but one, and in points in 15 of 18.
Block Party
Bruce Marshall had a career game against Southwest Baptist when the senior center had a career-high seven blocks. The seven blocks is tied for second-most in a single game at MSSU.
Free Throws By the Dozen
Taevaunn Prince tied a single-game (regulation) record against Southwest Baptist when he hit 19 free throws in the game. Prince broke his own single-season record at Lincoln and now has 188 free throws made this year. He is on pace for 292 this season, which would shatter the record he previously had.
Mr. 200
Austin Wright had seven three pointers against Central Oklahoma to give him 201 in his career. He currently has 228 and owns the all-time record at MSSU.
20-Point Man
Taevaunn Prince has scored 20 points or more in every game but one this season.
Approaching A Grand
Taevaunn Prince currently sits at 987 points in his career, while Austin Wright has 900.
Season-Ending Injury
Southern swing man LJ Ross will sit out the 2015-16 season after pre-season knee surgery revealed more damage than thought.
Bevo Francis Small College Player Of The Year Watchlist
Taevaunn Prince has been named to the Bevo Francis Small College Player of the Year Watchlist. The list, which includes 100 players over the ranks of D2, D3 and NAIA has five total MIAA players amongst the group.
Huge Fan Support
Missouri Southern ranks 10th nationally in average attendance with 1,659 fans per game coming to the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Lions rank 9th in total attendance with 16,590 fans this season. Southern ranks fifth in the MIAA in average attendance.
Lions In The D2 Basketball Writers Regional Poll
The Missouri Southern men's basketball program is ranked 8th this week, Northwest Missouri is fourth, Lindenwood fifth and Fort Hays sixth.
Up Next
Southern will finish its four-game road trip with a game at Northwest Missouri on January 27. Tip off from Maryville will be 7:30 pm.
The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will head to St. Charles to take on Lindenwood University in a battle of the Lions Saturday afternoon. Tip off from Hyland Arena is slated for 3 pm.
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (11-7, 8-4 MIAA) at Lindenwood (12-6, 8-4 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016
Tip-Off: 3 pm
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Site: Hyland Arena (3,000)
Series Record: Southern leads 3-2
Coaches: Jeff Boschee (31-18 overall/at MSSU). Lance Randall (90-50 overall/12-6 at Lindenwood)
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio:FM 99.7 KBTN - Mike McClure - Play-by-play
Internet Audio:www.mssulions.com
Live Video:www.mssulions.com
Live Stats: www.mssulions.com
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter:@mososports; @mssumensbball
The Series
This is only the sixth meeting ever between the two schools. The Lions have won three of the last four. Southern is 2-0 in Joplin nad 1-1 in St. Charles.
Taevaunn Amongst The Nation's Best
Taevaunn Prince leads the country in scoring, as well as free throws attempted and made. He also ranks 10th in defensive rebounds, 25th in double-doubles, 45th in minutes per game, 12th in rebounds per game, 53rd in total field goals attempted, 16th in total field goals made, 37th in total minutes, 3rd in total points and 8th in total rebounds.
NCAA Individual Stat Leaders
Taevaunn Prince isn't the only Lion that is amongst the National Leaders. Austin Wright ranks 29th in minutes per game, while ranking 48th in both three point shooting and total three pointers made and 25th in total minutes.
NCAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions rank 4th in free throw shooting, while ranking fifth in free throws made, 12th in free throw attempts, 31st in three point shooting and 54th in scoring.
MIAA Individual Leaders:
Prince leads the MIAA in defensive rebounds per game, double-doubles, free throw attempts and made, points per game, rebounds per game, total field goals made, total points and total rebounds. He also ranks second in total minutes and fourth in field goal percentage, minutes and offensive rebounds per game. Austin Wright leads the MIAA in total minutes, while ranking second in three point shooting and three point field goals per game and made. Wright ranks third in three point attempts and minutes per game, while Bruce Marshall ranks third in blocks per game.
MIAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions lead the MIAA free throws made and attempted, as well as scoring. They ranks second free throw shooting and total three pointers made, while ranking third in three point shooting and three pointers per game.
Record Breakers
Senior shooting guard Austin Wright set two records for the Lions last year, including the single-season three point record (79) and the single game three-point record (9). He also owns the single-season three point percentage mark (.493) and is also the current career-leader in that category (.454).
Record Breakers II
Wright also owns the career three pointers made record as he passed Skyler Bowlin for first all-time on that list. He made four three's at Pittsburg State on January 16 and has 228 in his career.
Three Point Streak
The Lions failed to make a three-pointer at Arkansas Tech in their match-up in 2012-13. It was the first time in 403 games that Southern had failed to hit a three pointer, dating back to Jan. 20, 1999 against Missouri S&T. The Lions have had a three in 101-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.
Taevaunn's On Fire
Taevaunn Prince is averaging 26.4 and 10.4 rebounds this season. He has led the Lions in rebounding every game but one, and in points in 15 of 18.
Block Party
Bruce Marshall had a career game against Southwest Baptist when the senior center had a career-high seven blocks. The seven blocks is tied for second-most in a single game at MSSU.
Free Throws By the Dozen
Taevaunn Prince tied a single-game (regulation) record against Southwest Baptist when he hit 19 free throws in the game. Prince broke his own single-season record at Lincoln and now has 188 free throws made this year. He is on pace for 292 this season, which would shatter the record he previously had.
Mr. 200
Austin Wright had seven three pointers against Central Oklahoma to give him 201 in his career. He currently has 228 and owns the all-time record at MSSU.
20-Point Man
Taevaunn Prince has scored 20 points or more in every game but one this season.
Approaching A Grand
Taevaunn Prince currently sits at 987 points in his career, while Austin Wright has 900.
Season-Ending Injury
Southern swing man LJ Ross will sit out the 2015-16 season after pre-season knee surgery revealed more damage than thought.
Bevo Francis Small College Player Of The Year Watchlist
Taevaunn Prince has been named to the Bevo Francis Small College Player of the Year Watchlist. The list, which includes 100 players over the ranks of D2, D3 and NAIA has five total MIAA players amongst the group.
Huge Fan Support
Missouri Southern ranks 10th nationally in average attendance with 1,659 fans per game coming to the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Lions rank 9th in total attendance with 16,590 fans this season. Southern ranks fifth in the MIAA in average attendance.
Lions In The D2 Basketball Writers Regional Poll
The Missouri Southern men's basketball program is ranked 8th this week, Northwest Missouri is fourth, Lindenwood fifth and Fort Hays sixth.
Up Next
Southern will finish its four-game road trip with a game at Northwest Missouri on January 27. Tip off from Maryville will be 7:30 pm.
Lions fare well in first day of MSSU Open
The Missouri Southern men's and women's track and field teams opened up the 2016 calendar year Friday as they played host to the MSSU Open inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
Kaylee Morgan had a solid first day as she started things off winning the long jump with a provisional mark of 19-00.00, nearly breaking the school record of 19-00.75 held by Tongula Walker set back in 1995. Brittani Reagan placed third in the event with a leap of 17-11.50, while Allie Heckemeyer was eighth and Sierra Barrett placed 24th.
Victoria Foley had a provisional distance in the weight throw with a heave of 56-07.25 to place third, while Katie Skeltonwas 14th. Morgan qualified for the finals in the 60m hurdles with a time of 9.12.
On the men's side, while he has no eligibility left for the indoor season, Jeff Fraley still has an outdoor season left and he competed tonight as an unattached athlete. He came into the event holding every sprint record at Missouri Southern and added another two bragging points as he set the building records in both the 60m and 200m dash, qualifying first in each event. He ran to a 6.65 in the 60m, and a 21.45 in the 200m.
Freshman Keson Payton nearly missed qualifying for the finals in the 60m, running a 6.93 in his heat. Jayce Thomas andDesmond Williams placed 10th and 11th, respectively in the long jump, while Payton and Kennan Willams placed 24th and 27th. Tyler Hovey placed third in the weight throw with a distance of 53-02.75, while Thomas qualified second overall in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.33. Warren Leak ran a 22.72 in the 200m prelims, placing 16th.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
MSSU Track and Field open to be held this weekend
(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)
The Missouri Southern men's and women's track and field teams will play host to the MSSU Open this weekend inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on the Mercy Indoor Track.
The meet will begin on Friday afternoon at 2:30 pm with the men's long jump and weight throw. Running events start at 5 pm on Friday with the prelims of the 60m. dash. Events begin on Saturday at 10:30 am with the men's shot put, as well as the women's pole vault and triple jump. Finals of the running events begin at 3 pm on Saturday.
Both teams are in action for the first time this calendar year and just the second time overall after opening the indoor season in December at Pittsburg State. The men have one automatic qualifier in Jayce Thomas who set a new school record in the heptathlon and won the event at PSU. Thomas currently has the top heptathlon score so far in Division II. Eric Schott also set a new MSSU record in the 3k and sits in 8th place in the early season rankings in the event. Morgan Holdhas the fifth-best pole vault so far, while Thomas' high jump mark ranks tenth-best.
On the women's side, Melanie Bower has the 12th best pole vault so far this season, while Brittani Reagan and Kaylee Morgan rank 7th and 17th, respectively in the triple jump and long jump. Morgan also ranks 12th in the pentathlon.
The meet will feature 20 different Division I and II, as well as NAIA squads. A host of junior colleges will also be coming in to compete.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
MSSU men to start second half of MIAA schedule at Lincoln
(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)
The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will start the second half of the MIAA schedule tomorrow night when the Lions travel to Jefferson City to take on Lincoln University. Tip off from Jason Gym is slated for 7:30 pm.
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (10-7, 7-4 MIAA) at Lincoln (11-6, 7-4 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016
Tip-Off: 7:30 pm
Location: Jefferson City, Mo.
Site: Jason Gym (2,500)
Series Record: Southern leads 24-9
Coaches: Jeff Boschee (30-18 overall/at MSSU). John Moseley (15-30, overall/at Lincoln)
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio:FM 99.7 KBTN - Mike McClure - Play-by-play
Internet Audio:www.mssulions.com
Live Video:www.mssulions.com
Live Stats: www.mssulions.com
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter:@mososports; @mssumensbball
The Series
The Lions lead the series between the two teams by a margin of 24-9. Southern is 12-4 at home against the Blue Tigers, while the Lions are 11-4 in Jefferson City. The Lions and Lincoln have split neutral site games, both at Pittsburg. The Lions and Blue Tigers have played in four overtime games in the series with the two teams splitting the games. The Lions have won 14 of the last 15 games against the Blue Tigers, including the last 11 in a row.
Taevaunn Amongst The Nation's Best
Taevaunn Prince leads the country in scoring, as well as free throws attempted and made. He also ranks 10th in defensive rebounds, 25th in double-doubles, 45th in minutes per game, 12th in rebounds per game, 53rd in total field goals attempted, 16th in total field goals made, 37th in total minutes, 3rd in total points and 8th in total rebounds.
NCAA Individual Stat Leaders
Taevaunn Prince isn't the only Lion that is amongst the National Leaders. Austin Wright ranks 29th in minutes per game, while ranking 48th in both three point shooting and total three pointers made and 25th in total minutes.
NCAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions rank 4th in free throw shooting, while ranking fifth in free throws made, 12th in free throw attempts, 31st in three point shooting and 54th in scoring.
MIAA Individual Leaders:
Prince leads the MIAA in defensive rebounds per game, double-doubles, free throw attempts and made, points per game, rebounds per game, total field goals made, total points and total rebounds. He also ranks second in total minutes and fourth in field goal percentage, minutes and offensive rebounds per game. Austin Wright leads the MIAA in total minutes, while ranking second in three point shooting and three point field goals per game and made. Wright ranks third in three point attempts and minutes per game, while Bruce Marshall ranks third in blocks per game.
MIAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions lead the MIAA free throws made and attempted, as well as scoring. They ranks second free throw shooting and total three pointers made, while ranking third in three point shooting and three pointers per game.
Record Breakers
Senior shooting guard Austin Wright set two records for the Lions last year, including the single-season three point record (79) and the single game three-point record (9). He also owns the single-season three point percentage mark (.493) and is also the current career-leader in that category (.452).
Record Breakers II
Wright also owns the career three pointers made record as he passed Skyler Bowlin for first all-time on that list. He made four three's at Pittsburg State on January 16 and has 225 in his career.
Three Point Streak
The Lions failed to make a three-pointer at Arkansas Tech in their match-up in 2012-13. It was the first time in 403 games that Southern had failed to hit a three pointer, dating back to Jan. 20, 1999 against Missouri S&T. The Lions have had a three in 100-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.
Taevaunn's On Fire
Taevaunn Prince is averaging 26.2 and 10.3 rebounds this season. He has led the Lions in rebounding every game but one, and in points in 14 of 17.
Block Party
Bruce Marshall had a career game against Southwest Baptist when the senior center had a career-high seven blocks. The seven blocks is tied for second-most in a single game at MSSU.
Free Throws By the Dozen
Taevaunn Prince tied a single-game (regulation) record against Southwest Baptist when he hit 19 free throws in the game. Already the single-season record holder for free throws made with 182 last season, he has 175 on the year and is on pace for 288 this season, which would shatter the record he set last year.
Mr. 200
Austin Wright had seven three pointers against Central Oklahoma to give him 201 in his career. He currently has 225 and owns the all-time record at MSSU.
20-Point Man
Taevaunn Prince has scored 20 points or more in every game but one this season.
Approaching A Grand
Taevaunn Prince currently sits at 958 points in his career, while Austin Wright has 885.
Season-Ending Injury
Southern swing man LJ Ross will sit out the 2015-16 season after pre-season knee surgery revealed more damage than thought.
Bevo Francis Small College Player Of The Year Watchlist
Taevaunn Prince has been named to the Bevo Francis Small College Player of the Year Watchlist. The list, which includes 100 players over the ranks of D2, D3 and NAIA has five total MIAA players amongst the group.
Huge Fan Support
Missouri Southern ranks 10th nationally in average attendance with 1,659 fans per game coming to the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Lions rank 9th in total attendance with 16,590 fans this season. Southern ranks fifth in the MIAA in average attendance.
Lions In The D2 Basketball Writers Regional Poll
The Missouri Southern men's basketball program is ranked 8th this week, Northwest Missouri is fourth, Lindenwood fifth and Fort Hays sixth.
Up Next
Southern will continue its four-game road trip with a trip to Lindenwood for a 3:30 pm tipoff Saturday.
The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will start the second half of the MIAA schedule tomorrow night when the Lions travel to Jefferson City to take on Lincoln University. Tip off from Jason Gym is slated for 7:30 pm.
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (10-7, 7-4 MIAA) at Lincoln (11-6, 7-4 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016
Tip-Off: 7:30 pm
Location: Jefferson City, Mo.
Site: Jason Gym (2,500)
Series Record: Southern leads 24-9
Coaches: Jeff Boschee (30-18 overall/at MSSU). John Moseley (15-30, overall/at Lincoln)
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio:FM 99.7 KBTN - Mike McClure - Play-by-play
Internet Audio:www.mssulions.com
Live Video:www.mssulions.com
Live Stats: www.mssulions.com
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter:@mososports; @mssumensbball
The Series
The Lions lead the series between the two teams by a margin of 24-9. Southern is 12-4 at home against the Blue Tigers, while the Lions are 11-4 in Jefferson City. The Lions and Lincoln have split neutral site games, both at Pittsburg. The Lions and Blue Tigers have played in four overtime games in the series with the two teams splitting the games. The Lions have won 14 of the last 15 games against the Blue Tigers, including the last 11 in a row.
Taevaunn Amongst The Nation's Best
Taevaunn Prince leads the country in scoring, as well as free throws attempted and made. He also ranks 10th in defensive rebounds, 25th in double-doubles, 45th in minutes per game, 12th in rebounds per game, 53rd in total field goals attempted, 16th in total field goals made, 37th in total minutes, 3rd in total points and 8th in total rebounds.
NCAA Individual Stat Leaders
Taevaunn Prince isn't the only Lion that is amongst the National Leaders. Austin Wright ranks 29th in minutes per game, while ranking 48th in both three point shooting and total three pointers made and 25th in total minutes.
NCAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions rank 4th in free throw shooting, while ranking fifth in free throws made, 12th in free throw attempts, 31st in three point shooting and 54th in scoring.
MIAA Individual Leaders:
Prince leads the MIAA in defensive rebounds per game, double-doubles, free throw attempts and made, points per game, rebounds per game, total field goals made, total points and total rebounds. He also ranks second in total minutes and fourth in field goal percentage, minutes and offensive rebounds per game. Austin Wright leads the MIAA in total minutes, while ranking second in three point shooting and three point field goals per game and made. Wright ranks third in three point attempts and minutes per game, while Bruce Marshall ranks third in blocks per game.
MIAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions lead the MIAA free throws made and attempted, as well as scoring. They ranks second free throw shooting and total three pointers made, while ranking third in three point shooting and three pointers per game.
Record Breakers
Senior shooting guard Austin Wright set two records for the Lions last year, including the single-season three point record (79) and the single game three-point record (9). He also owns the single-season three point percentage mark (.493) and is also the current career-leader in that category (.452).
Record Breakers II
Wright also owns the career three pointers made record as he passed Skyler Bowlin for first all-time on that list. He made four three's at Pittsburg State on January 16 and has 225 in his career.
Three Point Streak
The Lions failed to make a three-pointer at Arkansas Tech in their match-up in 2012-13. It was the first time in 403 games that Southern had failed to hit a three pointer, dating back to Jan. 20, 1999 against Missouri S&T. The Lions have had a three in 100-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.
Taevaunn's On Fire
Taevaunn Prince is averaging 26.2 and 10.3 rebounds this season. He has led the Lions in rebounding every game but one, and in points in 14 of 17.
Block Party
Bruce Marshall had a career game against Southwest Baptist when the senior center had a career-high seven blocks. The seven blocks is tied for second-most in a single game at MSSU.
Free Throws By the Dozen
Taevaunn Prince tied a single-game (regulation) record against Southwest Baptist when he hit 19 free throws in the game. Already the single-season record holder for free throws made with 182 last season, he has 175 on the year and is on pace for 288 this season, which would shatter the record he set last year.
Mr. 200
Austin Wright had seven three pointers against Central Oklahoma to give him 201 in his career. He currently has 225 and owns the all-time record at MSSU.
20-Point Man
Taevaunn Prince has scored 20 points or more in every game but one this season.
Approaching A Grand
Taevaunn Prince currently sits at 958 points in his career, while Austin Wright has 885.
Season-Ending Injury
Southern swing man LJ Ross will sit out the 2015-16 season after pre-season knee surgery revealed more damage than thought.
Bevo Francis Small College Player Of The Year Watchlist
Taevaunn Prince has been named to the Bevo Francis Small College Player of the Year Watchlist. The list, which includes 100 players over the ranks of D2, D3 and NAIA has five total MIAA players amongst the group.
Huge Fan Support
Missouri Southern ranks 10th nationally in average attendance with 1,659 fans per game coming to the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Lions rank 9th in total attendance with 16,590 fans this season. Southern ranks fifth in the MIAA in average attendance.
Lions In The D2 Basketball Writers Regional Poll
The Missouri Southern men's basketball program is ranked 8th this week, Northwest Missouri is fourth, Lindenwood fifth and Fort Hays sixth.
Up Next
Southern will continue its four-game road trip with a trip to Lindenwood for a 3:30 pm tipoff Saturday.
MSSU women to play at Lincoln Thursday
(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)
The Missouri Southern Women's Basketball squad (11-6, 5-6 MIAA) opens the second half of their MIAA schedule at Lincoln University on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. inside Jason Gym.
The Last Time Out for the Lions (11-6, 5-6 MIAA)
Pittsburg, Kan. - A cold shooting second half doomed the Missouri Southern Women's Basketball team Saturday afternoon as they fell to rival Pittsburg State 68-45 in John Lance Arena.
Both teams started slow as Pittsburg State (13-4, 7-4 MIAA) went 9-for-28 from the field while the Lions (11-6,-5-6 MIAA) went 8-for-22. Junior Deb Holcomb got the scoring started on the second possession of the game as she drained a jumper off the assist from sophomore Dru Clark. Pitt State scored three layups in a row to take a 6-2 lead and held the lead for the rest of the quarter despite a pair of layups from seniorSharese Jones that cut the Gorillas lead to one twice at 8-7 and 10-9.
The second quarter started with a pair of free throws for Pitt State's Mikaela Burgess to push the lead back to three before Clark drained a three to give the game its second tie of the afternoon. The Gorillas regained the lead on a Burgess three and never looked back in the quarter as they took a 24-18 lead into the locker room. Southern was held scoreless for 6:42 in the second before a layup from Holcomb with five seconds left.
Senior Kenya Wilson-Brown started the second half with a jumper off the assist from Jones to cut the Gorillas lead to 24-20. After a bucket from Pitt State, Holcomb cut the lead back to four at 26-22 off a pull up jumper. Pittsburg State then went on a 14-0 run to open a 40-22 lead with 4:51 left in the quarter and pushed their lead up to 20 at 47-27 on a three pointer from Shelby Lopez with 48 seconds left in the third.
The fourth quarter started with both teams trading buckets before back-to-back three pointers from PSU's Paige Lungwitz and Burgess gave the Gorillas a 58-34 with 6:19 to play. The Pitt State lead grew to as many as 29 on a layup from Paige Imhoff before the Lions scored the final three buckets of the game.
Holcomb led the Lions with 18 points going 8-for-18 from the field while pulling down six rebounds. Jones added 14 points going 5-for-11 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line and led the team in rebounds with eight and assists with three.
The Last Time Out for the Blue Tigers (7-10, 3-8 MIAA)
WARRENSBURG, Mo. - Four players scored double figures, with Hunter Yoakum and Zuri Hill each nearly posting double-doubles, as the Lincoln women's basketball team beat Central Missouri, 82-76.
Lincoln (7-10, 3-8 MIAA) scored 28 points in the first quarter, much of which came on a 15-5 run through the middle of the period. The Blue Tigers held Central Missouri to just 17 points in the first stanza en route to a 46-36 advantage heading into halftime. Lincoln made seven of its 10 shots from long distance in the opening half and shot .531 from the floor while holding a 24-9 edge in rebounding.
Central Missouri (6-9, 5-5 MIAA) made it interesting in the second half, out-scoring Lincoln, 19-15, in the third period to cut the Blue Tigers' lead down to 61-55. The Jennies then opened the fourth quarter on a 12-8 run to pull within 69-67 of the Blue Tigers with 4:29 remaining.
Lincoln scored the game's next eight points, however, with six of those points coming from the free throw line. UCM fought back, hitting a jumper, and then scoring five quick points of LU turnovers to cut the Lincoln lead down to 77-74. After Lincoln went 1-for-2 at the line, UCM hit a layup to once again cut the Blue Tiger lead down to two.
The Jennies employed a full court press through the game's final minute, but Sarah Neptune found a way through and was sent to the line with 28 seconds remaining. Neptune hit both free throws, the Hill came up with a rebound on the ensuing possession to give Lincoln back the ball. The Blue Tigers then hit two more shots at the charity stripe to end the game with a six-point win.
Yoakum led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds while dishing four assists. Hill finished with 20 points and a game-high nine rebounds while Neptune added 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Dorian Briggs also reached double digits, scoring 13 to go with a team-high five assists and four rebounds.
Lizzie Nessling and Asia McCaskill rounded out Lincoln's scoring with eight points apiece. Nessling also pulled down seven rebounds while McCaskill grabbed six, blocked three shots and dished an assist.Azaria Nave added four boards and three assists to the Lincoln effort while Jasmine Guthrie provided two rebounds.
For the game, the Blue Tigers shot .458 from the floor and .579 from long range while finishing with a 48-30 advantage in rebounding. The win was the first on the road for Lincoln this season and the first by the Blue Tigers over Central Missouri since 2011-12.
The Series
This is the 34th meeting between Southern and the Blue Tigers. Southern holds a 28-5 advantage over Lincoln including an 11-4 record in Jefferson City. The Lions are 15-1 in Joplin against Lincoln and 5-1 inside The Leggett & Platt Athletic Center while, Southern leads the series 2-0 on neutral courts. Since Lincoln rejoined the MIAA in 2010, Southern holds a 6-2 advantage over the Blue Tigers. The longest winning streak for the Lions is 14 games and started with an 86-60 win on Jan. 13, 1990 in Joplin and lasted through a 74-64 win in Joplin on Dec. 20, 1997. After departing the MIAA for the Heartland Conference in 1999-2000 the two schools only met twice until the return of Lincoln to the MIAA. Those two meetings were both won by Southern, 63-58 in Joplin on Nov. 27, 1999 and an 81-44 win in Joplin on Nov. 29, 2002.
Last Time vs. Lincoln
Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern women's basketball team secured a bid to Kansas City today as the Lions defeated visiting Lincoln 79-69 on Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. Southern (20-6, 14-5 MIAA) picks up its first 20-win season since the 1995-96 campaign when the Lions went 23-6. The Lions also secure at least the No. 4 seed in Kansas City with No. 3 still a possibility depending on the outcome of the Pittsburg State-Washburn game later in the evening. The Lions were led offensively by a career night fromJenson Maydew. Maydew scored a career-high 18 points and pulled down seven boards. Camila Lacerda came up just three rebounds shy of a triple-double when the senior scored 15, dished out ten assists and added seven rebounds. Sharese Jones picked up her seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and ten rebounds, while Shawnee Phillips scored 13. The Lions opened up an 11-3 lead at the 15:39 mark of the first half after a layup from Jenson Maydew off an assist from Lacerda. A three from Lacerda at the 10:31 mark gave the Lions a 12-point lead (19-7) and a pair of free throws from Jones pushed the Lions' lead up to 14 (21-7) the next trip down. The lead reached 14 twice more in the half, the last on a layup from Lex Fitzpatrick with 1:42 to go and the Lions took a nine-point lead (42-33) into the break after a layup from Lincoln as time ran out. Southern shot 50 percent in the half and Lacerda had eight points and six assists at the break. Jones led all scorers with nine points on 3-4 shooting. A three pointer from Lacerda with 16:54 left in the game put the Lions up by 15 (53-38) and a layup from Maydew with 7:30 to go gave the Lions a 21 point advantage (67-46). That would be the largest lead of the game for the Lions as a three from Fizpatrick with 6:46 left gave the Lions a 70-49 lead as well. Southern shot 51 percent from the field and 48 percent from long-range. The Lions made 74 percent of their free-throws and had a 12-6 advantage on the offensive boards, leading to a 16-2 lead in second-chance points. The Lions out rebounded the Blue Tigers 43-23.
The Coaches
Missouri Southern
Ronda Hubbard is in her 15th year on the staff at Missouri Southern and her third year at the helm. During her 15 years with the Lions, she has helped the team to a 240-164 record, including a 50-21 record in her first two plus seasons at the helm of the Lions program. Last season's 20 wins was the first time the women's team had won 20 games since the 1995-96 season.
Lincoln
After engineering the MIAA's biggest turn-around last season,Nicole Collier enters her fourth season as the head coach of the Lincoln women's basketball team in 2015-16.
In 2014-15, Collier led the Blue Tigers to a seven-win improvement, taking a program that won two games the year before into the MIAA Women's Basketball Championship. Lincoln went 12-14 last year with four of those losses coming in the game's final minute. Three Blue Tigers earned All-MIAA honors as Lincoln made its third postseason appearance in the past four years.
Probable Starters
Missouri Southern (11-6, 5-6 MIAA)
1 Dru Clark G 5-7 So. (Collinsville, Okla.)
11 Kenya Wilson-Brown G 5-5 Sr. (Arlington, Texas)
21 Desirea Buerge F 6-0 Fr. (Webb City, Mo.)
24 Deb Holcomb G 5-7 Jr. (Dallas, Texas)
44 Sharese Jones G 5-8 Sr. (St. Charles, Mo.)
Lincoln (7-10, 3-8 MIAA)
1 Hunter Yoakum G 5-6 Jr. (Dixon, Mo.)
5 Dorian Briggs G 5-8 Sr. (Fort Smith, Ark.)
10 Sarah Neptune G 5-6 Sr. (Marshfield, Mo.)
32 Zuri Hill F 6-0 Sr. (Covington, Ky.)
45 Lizzie Nessling G 5-8 Sr. (Thayer, Mo.)
The Missouri Southern Women's Basketball squad (11-6, 5-6 MIAA) opens the second half of their MIAA schedule at Lincoln University on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. inside Jason Gym.
The Last Time Out for the Lions (11-6, 5-6 MIAA)
Pittsburg, Kan. - A cold shooting second half doomed the Missouri Southern Women's Basketball team Saturday afternoon as they fell to rival Pittsburg State 68-45 in John Lance Arena.
Both teams started slow as Pittsburg State (13-4, 7-4 MIAA) went 9-for-28 from the field while the Lions (11-6,-5-6 MIAA) went 8-for-22. Junior Deb Holcomb got the scoring started on the second possession of the game as she drained a jumper off the assist from sophomore Dru Clark. Pitt State scored three layups in a row to take a 6-2 lead and held the lead for the rest of the quarter despite a pair of layups from seniorSharese Jones that cut the Gorillas lead to one twice at 8-7 and 10-9.
The second quarter started with a pair of free throws for Pitt State's Mikaela Burgess to push the lead back to three before Clark drained a three to give the game its second tie of the afternoon. The Gorillas regained the lead on a Burgess three and never looked back in the quarter as they took a 24-18 lead into the locker room. Southern was held scoreless for 6:42 in the second before a layup from Holcomb with five seconds left.
Senior Kenya Wilson-Brown started the second half with a jumper off the assist from Jones to cut the Gorillas lead to 24-20. After a bucket from Pitt State, Holcomb cut the lead back to four at 26-22 off a pull up jumper. Pittsburg State then went on a 14-0 run to open a 40-22 lead with 4:51 left in the quarter and pushed their lead up to 20 at 47-27 on a three pointer from Shelby Lopez with 48 seconds left in the third.
The fourth quarter started with both teams trading buckets before back-to-back three pointers from PSU's Paige Lungwitz and Burgess gave the Gorillas a 58-34 with 6:19 to play. The Pitt State lead grew to as many as 29 on a layup from Paige Imhoff before the Lions scored the final three buckets of the game.
Holcomb led the Lions with 18 points going 8-for-18 from the field while pulling down six rebounds. Jones added 14 points going 5-for-11 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line and led the team in rebounds with eight and assists with three.
The Last Time Out for the Blue Tigers (7-10, 3-8 MIAA)
WARRENSBURG, Mo. - Four players scored double figures, with Hunter Yoakum and Zuri Hill each nearly posting double-doubles, as the Lincoln women's basketball team beat Central Missouri, 82-76.
Lincoln (7-10, 3-8 MIAA) scored 28 points in the first quarter, much of which came on a 15-5 run through the middle of the period. The Blue Tigers held Central Missouri to just 17 points in the first stanza en route to a 46-36 advantage heading into halftime. Lincoln made seven of its 10 shots from long distance in the opening half and shot .531 from the floor while holding a 24-9 edge in rebounding.
Central Missouri (6-9, 5-5 MIAA) made it interesting in the second half, out-scoring Lincoln, 19-15, in the third period to cut the Blue Tigers' lead down to 61-55. The Jennies then opened the fourth quarter on a 12-8 run to pull within 69-67 of the Blue Tigers with 4:29 remaining.
Lincoln scored the game's next eight points, however, with six of those points coming from the free throw line. UCM fought back, hitting a jumper, and then scoring five quick points of LU turnovers to cut the Lincoln lead down to 77-74. After Lincoln went 1-for-2 at the line, UCM hit a layup to once again cut the Blue Tiger lead down to two.
The Jennies employed a full court press through the game's final minute, but Sarah Neptune found a way through and was sent to the line with 28 seconds remaining. Neptune hit both free throws, the Hill came up with a rebound on the ensuing possession to give Lincoln back the ball. The Blue Tigers then hit two more shots at the charity stripe to end the game with a six-point win.
Yoakum led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds while dishing four assists. Hill finished with 20 points and a game-high nine rebounds while Neptune added 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Dorian Briggs also reached double digits, scoring 13 to go with a team-high five assists and four rebounds.
Lizzie Nessling and Asia McCaskill rounded out Lincoln's scoring with eight points apiece. Nessling also pulled down seven rebounds while McCaskill grabbed six, blocked three shots and dished an assist.Azaria Nave added four boards and three assists to the Lincoln effort while Jasmine Guthrie provided two rebounds.
For the game, the Blue Tigers shot .458 from the floor and .579 from long range while finishing with a 48-30 advantage in rebounding. The win was the first on the road for Lincoln this season and the first by the Blue Tigers over Central Missouri since 2011-12.
The Series
This is the 34th meeting between Southern and the Blue Tigers. Southern holds a 28-5 advantage over Lincoln including an 11-4 record in Jefferson City. The Lions are 15-1 in Joplin against Lincoln and 5-1 inside The Leggett & Platt Athletic Center while, Southern leads the series 2-0 on neutral courts. Since Lincoln rejoined the MIAA in 2010, Southern holds a 6-2 advantage over the Blue Tigers. The longest winning streak for the Lions is 14 games and started with an 86-60 win on Jan. 13, 1990 in Joplin and lasted through a 74-64 win in Joplin on Dec. 20, 1997. After departing the MIAA for the Heartland Conference in 1999-2000 the two schools only met twice until the return of Lincoln to the MIAA. Those two meetings were both won by Southern, 63-58 in Joplin on Nov. 27, 1999 and an 81-44 win in Joplin on Nov. 29, 2002.
Last Time vs. Lincoln
Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern women's basketball team secured a bid to Kansas City today as the Lions defeated visiting Lincoln 79-69 on Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. Southern (20-6, 14-5 MIAA) picks up its first 20-win season since the 1995-96 campaign when the Lions went 23-6. The Lions also secure at least the No. 4 seed in Kansas City with No. 3 still a possibility depending on the outcome of the Pittsburg State-Washburn game later in the evening. The Lions were led offensively by a career night fromJenson Maydew. Maydew scored a career-high 18 points and pulled down seven boards. Camila Lacerda came up just three rebounds shy of a triple-double when the senior scored 15, dished out ten assists and added seven rebounds. Sharese Jones picked up her seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and ten rebounds, while Shawnee Phillips scored 13. The Lions opened up an 11-3 lead at the 15:39 mark of the first half after a layup from Jenson Maydew off an assist from Lacerda. A three from Lacerda at the 10:31 mark gave the Lions a 12-point lead (19-7) and a pair of free throws from Jones pushed the Lions' lead up to 14 (21-7) the next trip down. The lead reached 14 twice more in the half, the last on a layup from Lex Fitzpatrick with 1:42 to go and the Lions took a nine-point lead (42-33) into the break after a layup from Lincoln as time ran out. Southern shot 50 percent in the half and Lacerda had eight points and six assists at the break. Jones led all scorers with nine points on 3-4 shooting. A three pointer from Lacerda with 16:54 left in the game put the Lions up by 15 (53-38) and a layup from Maydew with 7:30 to go gave the Lions a 21 point advantage (67-46). That would be the largest lead of the game for the Lions as a three from Fizpatrick with 6:46 left gave the Lions a 70-49 lead as well. Southern shot 51 percent from the field and 48 percent from long-range. The Lions made 74 percent of their free-throws and had a 12-6 advantage on the offensive boards, leading to a 16-2 lead in second-chance points. The Lions out rebounded the Blue Tigers 43-23.
The Coaches
Missouri Southern
Ronda Hubbard is in her 15th year on the staff at Missouri Southern and her third year at the helm. During her 15 years with the Lions, she has helped the team to a 240-164 record, including a 50-21 record in her first two plus seasons at the helm of the Lions program. Last season's 20 wins was the first time the women's team had won 20 games since the 1995-96 season.
Lincoln
After engineering the MIAA's biggest turn-around last season,Nicole Collier enters her fourth season as the head coach of the Lincoln women's basketball team in 2015-16.
In 2014-15, Collier led the Blue Tigers to a seven-win improvement, taking a program that won two games the year before into the MIAA Women's Basketball Championship. Lincoln went 12-14 last year with four of those losses coming in the game's final minute. Three Blue Tigers earned All-MIAA honors as Lincoln made its third postseason appearance in the past four years.
Probable Starters
Missouri Southern (11-6, 5-6 MIAA)
1 Dru Clark G 5-7 So. (Collinsville, Okla.)
11 Kenya Wilson-Brown G 5-5 Sr. (Arlington, Texas)
21 Desirea Buerge F 6-0 Fr. (Webb City, Mo.)
24 Deb Holcomb G 5-7 Jr. (Dallas, Texas)
44 Sharese Jones G 5-8 Sr. (St. Charles, Mo.)
Lincoln (7-10, 3-8 MIAA)
1 Hunter Yoakum G 5-6 Jr. (Dixon, Mo.)
5 Dorian Briggs G 5-8 Sr. (Fort Smith, Ark.)
10 Sarah Neptune G 5-6 Sr. (Marshfield, Mo.)
32 Zuri Hill F 6-0 Sr. (Covington, Ky.)
45 Lizzie Nessling G 5-8 Sr. (Thayer, Mo.)
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Cold shooting hurts MSSU women in 68-45 loss to PSU
(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)
A cold shooting second half doomed the Missouri Southern Women's Basketball team Saturday afternoon as they fell to rival Pittsburg State 68-45 in John Lance Arena.
Both teams started slow as Pittsburg State (13-4, 7-4 MIAA) went 9-for-28 from the field while the Lions (11-6,-5-6 MIAA) went 8-for-22. Junior Deb Holcomb got the scoring started on the second possession of the game as she drained a jumper off the assist from sophomore Dru Clark. Pitt State scored three layups in a row to take a 6-2 lead and held the lead for the rest of the quarter despite a pair of layups from seniorSharese Jones that cut the Gorillas lead to one twice at 8-7 and 10-9.
The second quarter started with a pair of free throws for Pitt State's Mikaela Burgess to push the lead back to three before Clark drained a three to give the game its second tie of the afternoon. The Gorillas regained the lead on a Burgess three and never looked back in the quarter as they took a 24-18 lead into the locker room. Southern was held scoreless for 6:42 in the second before a layup from Holcomb with five seconds left.
Senior Kenya Wilson-Brown started the second half with a jumper off the assist from Jones to cut the Gorillas lead to 24-20. After a bucket from Pitt State, Holcomb cut the lead back to four at 26-22 off a pull up jumper. Pittsburg State then went on a 14-0 run to open a 40-22 lead with 4:51 left in the quarter and pushed their lead up to 20 at 47-27 on a three pointer from Shelby Lopez with 48 seconds left in the third.
The fourth quarter started with both teams trading buckets before back-to-back three pointers from PSU's Paige Lungwitz and Burgess gave the Gorillas a 58-34 with 6:19 to play. The Pitt State lead grew to as many as 29 on a layup from Paige Imhoff before the Lions scored the final three buckets of the game.
Holcomb led the Lions with 18 points going 8-for-18 from the field while pulling down six rebounds. Jones added 14 points going 5-for-11 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line and led the team in rebounds with eight and assists with three.
Southern is back in action on Thursday as they travel to Jefferson City to take on the Lincoln Blue Tigers. Tip off from Jason Gym is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Wright sets MSSU three-point record, but Lions fall to PSU
Austin Wright became the all-time leading three-point shooter and Taevaunn Prince scored 32 points on 18-19 from the free-throw line, but the Missouri Southern men's basketball team couldn't pull out the road win, falling 89-80 at Pittsburg State Saturday inside John Lance Arena.
Southern (10-7, 7-4 MIAA) was led by Prince's 32 points and eight rebounds. He went 18-19 from the free throw line and is 52-56 from the charity stripe over the last three games, giving him 175 on the season. Isaac Kreuer scored 13 points on 7-9 shooting, while Austin Wright scored 12 points on four three pointers. The four three's gave him 225 for his career, passing Skyler Bowlin for the all-time MSSU lead in made three's.
Pitt State (9-8, 4-7 MIAA) had five score in double-figures, led by 19 points from Trey Starks. Dakota Jones scored 16 points, while Josiah Gustafson had 14.
The Lions opened up the game on a 7-2 run, capped by a jumper from Kreuer, but Pitt came back and ran up a 17-4 run of its own to take a 19-11 lead before a turnaround jumper from Kreuer stopped the run and made the score 19-13 at the 13:10 mark. A dunk from Kreuer the next trip down cut the lead to four (19-15) with 12:44 left at the first media timeout.
A 20-13 run for the Gorillas opened up a 39-28 lead for Pitt with seven minutes to play, and PSU led by as many as 14, but a pair of free throws from Prince with six seconds left in the half made the halftime score 51-39, PSU.
Southern got to within seven points (55-48) after a layup fromDJ Feitl, but an 11-2 run for the Gorillas doubled that lead to 14 (64-50) with 12 minutes left. A three from Wright with 10:49 left got the Lions to within 11 (66-55) and tied Bowlin for the all-time career record and a three with 10:11 left gave Wright the record by himself and cut the lead to ten (68-58).
A layup from Brown with 4:43 to go made the score 77-68, and a pair of freebies from Prince with just under four to go cut the PSU lead to nine (79-70). After a steal from Prince on the defensive end, he calmly made another two free throws to make the score 79-72.
A three from Brown with 2:07 left made the score 84-77 and marked the third time in the half Southern had got to within seven. After a pair of defensive stops, the Lions had the ball with under a minute to go and Brown was fouled sending him to the line, shooting two. Brown made one-of-two and made the score 84-78 with 54.5 seconds left.
Pitt made five-of-six free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
Southern shot 46 percent from the field and 92 percent from the free-throw line. Rebounds were nearly even with Pitt holding a one-board advantage and the Lions had a 32-30 advantage in the paint. Southern had 17 turnovers and Pitt scored 23 points off of those miscues.
The Lions will be back in action next Thursday when Southern travels to Lincoln University. Tip off from Jason Gym is slated for 7:30 pm.
Friday, January 15, 2016
MSSU women to face Pittsburg State
(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)
The Missouri Southern Women's Basketball team coming off their bye date in the first half of MIAA play prepare to close out first round action at Pittsburg State on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at John Lance Arena.
Last Time Out for the Lions (11-5, 5-5 MIAA)
Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern women's basketball team used a 9-0 run late in the third quarter to pull away and held on to defeat visiting Central Missouri 62-59 on Robert CornCourt inside the Leggrett & Platt Athletic Center today.
Southern (11-6, 5-5 MIAA) was led in scoring by Deb Holcombwith 18 points as she added a career-high seven assists.Sharese Jones had 16 points and eight rebounds, while Desirea Buerge scored 13 points and added a career-high eight rebounds.
Central had a five-point lead (9-4) after a layup from Winkelman with 6:03 left in the first quarter, but a layup from Holcomb as time expired in the quarter cut the Central lead to just one (15-14).
A layup from Dru Clark with 17:31 left in the quarter gave the Lions a 16-15 lead, but Central answered back the next trip down and led from that point on in the half. The Jennies led by as many as six (22-16) with 4:15 left in the half, but a layup from Tami Morice with 1:31 to go made the halftime score 22-20, UCM.
After the halftime break, the Lions made their move. A layup from Buerge with 7:18 left in the quarter tied the score at 28 and a three from Jones with 6:19 to go gave the Lions a 31-30 lead. A jumper from Holcomb with 3:12 left in the quarter capped off a 9-0 run by the Lions and gave Southern a 37-30 lead. The lead would be 41-36 at the end of the quarter.
After a Central bucket, an offensive rebound and a put back from Jones with two to go made the score 56-55, Lions and a three from Buerge with 1:30 to go gave the Lions a four-point advantage (59-55). On the ensuing possession, the Lions forced a defensive stop and after the rebound, Holcomb was fouled, making one of the two free throws.
A three from the Jennies cut the Lions' lead to 60-59 with 20 seconds to go and a turnover by the Lions on the in bounds play gave the ball back to Central with 19.3 seconds to go. However, solid defense from the Lions forced a bad shot from Central and Jones made both free throws to put Southern up 62-59 with 0.7 seconds on the clock. A last-second shot for the Jennies was no good.
Southern shot 38 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line. Southern forced 15 UCM turnovers and scored 15 points off of the miscues.
Last Time Out for the Gorillas (12-4, 6-4 MIAA)
PITTSBURG -- The Pitt State women's basketball team took an extra five minutes to earn an 87-84 win over Southwest Baptist on Saturday (January 9).
Pitt State trailed most of the game, but took the lead late in the in the fourth quarter thanks to some sharp shooting from Hadyn Herlocker, 76-74. SBU's Dilonna Johnson tied the game as she drained a jumper at the buzzer. Johnson finished the game with a game-high 27 points.
The heroics for Herlocker and Johnson continued to start the overtime period, as Herlocker scored on a layup first and Johnson answered with a three. Neither team scored again until Cathy Brugman sunk a jumper for the Gorillas to give her team the lead for good with 2:16 left in the overtime. Mikaela Brugess hit a three to give Pitt State its largest lead of the game. A three-pointer by the Bearcats' Lucy Morgan cut Pitt State's lead to one with four seconds left, but Brugman nailed two free throws for the final 87-84 win.
Brugman led the Gorillas with 25 points and was just short of a double-double with nine rebounds. Hadyn Herlocker added a season high 17 points. She and Mikaela Burgess, who finished the game with 21, made three threes a piece. Kylie Gafford rounded out the Gorillas in double figures with 13. She also had four blocked shots.
Pitt State had the lead only once in the first half, late in the second quarter on a Madison Northcutt free throw. Southwest Baptist quickly answered and led by three again with three seconds to go. Herlocker threw up a prayer from beyond half court as time expired and it gently settled in to give the Gorillas a 42-42 tie and a little adrenaline boost at the half.
The Series
This is the 86th meeting between the Trophy Series rivals, the second most played series in Southern history. Pitt State holds a 44-41 advantage, with the Lions winning two of the last three. Pitt State holds a 25-17 advantage inside John Lance Arena, while Southern leads 23-18 in Joplin and the series is tied 1-1 on neutral courts. The Lions have won the last two games in Pittsburg which includes a 72-68 overtime win last season on Feb. 21. Southern's longest winning streak was eight games from December 12, 1974 thru February 24, 1978. Pitt State's longest winning streak was at 10 from January 28, 1998 thru February 13, 2002.
Last Time vs. Pittsburg State
Pittsburg, Kan. - Southern (18-6, 12-5 MIAA) wins for the 17th time inside John Lance Arena in Pittsburg and the second time in a row. The Lions also defeated their second ranked opponent on the season as Southern also won at No. 7 Washburn earlier in the season.
The Lions were led offensively by 18 points and a career-high nine rebounds from Nic Hartzog. Camilla Lacerda had 14 points, while Sharese Jones scored 12. Jordan Dinyer had nine points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
The Lions opened the scoring when Hartzog put back a shot on the team's first possession. The game was tied at nine after a jumper from Tami Morice with 13:26 left to go in the half, and the Lions took a 11-9 lead on a tip-in from Hartzog with just under 12 minutes to go.
A jumper from Jenson Maydew with 7:52 to go capped a 9-3 run by the Lions and put Southern up 18-12. Pitt tied the game at 20 and went ahead 23-22 with 3:15 to go in the half, but the Lions closed the half on a 7-4 run and a three from Dinyer, her second of the half, as time expired gave the Lions a 29-27 lead at the break.
A pair of free throws from PSU cut the Lions' lead to just two (33-31) with 16:29 left to go in the second half. A 5-2 run by the Lions put Southern up 38-33, but Pitt tied the game at 41 with 11:01 left. Southern then went on a 7-0 run and led 48-41 after a pair of free throws from Lacerda with 9:17 left.
A three from Shawnee Phillips gave the Lions an eight point lead (54-46) with 6:52 to go, but Pitt tied the game again at 54 with 4:11 to go. The two teams traded buckets the rest of the way and headed into overtime.
The Lions got a three from Lacerda on the opening possession of overtime and a pair of freebies from Jones gave the Lions a 65-60 lead with 3:45 left in the extra frame. A layup from Lacerda with 2:18 to go made the score 67-62, Lions, but PSU went on a 4-0 run to get to within one (67-66) with 30 seconds left. A pair of free throws the next trip down from Hartzog gave the Lions a three-point lead back (69-66).
Pitt missed on an attempt at three with just over ten seconds to go and Dinyer pulled down the rebound, while getting fouled on the play. The freshman calmly made one of two free throws and PSU converted on a put back with 1.9 seconds to go making the score 70-68, Lions. Two freebies from Hartzog gave the Lions the 72-68 win.
The Coaches
Missouri Southern
Ronda Hubbard is in her 15th year on the staff at Missouri Southern and her third year at the helm. During her 15 years with the Lions, she has helped the team to a 240-163 record, including a 50-20 record in her first two plus seasons at the helm of the Lions program. Last season's 20 wins was the first time the women's team had won 20 games since the 1995-96 season.
Pittsburg State
Lane Lord enters his ninth season as head women's basketball coach at Pittsburg State University. Lord brings a fast-paced, fan-friendly style of basketball to Pittsburg and with his proven track record of success, the future of Pitt State women's basketball is bright. He has a 154-83 (.626) record in his time with the Gorillas. 2014-15 saw the Gorillas make their second consecutive trip the the NCAA Tournament and the third bid under Coach Lord. The team finished with a 27-7 record, saw three players, Lizzy Jeronimus, Kylie Gafford and Cathy Brugman earn All-MIAA honors and tied the 2012 Elite Eight squad with a school-record 27 wins.
Probable Starters
Pittsburg State (12-4, 6-4 MIAA)
10 Paige Lungwitz G 5-10 Jr. (Wichita, Kan.)
12 Hadyn Herlocker G 5-7 Jr. (Girard, Kan.)
15 Mikaela Burgess G 5-7 So. (Webb City, Mo.)
23 Kylie Gafford F 6-2 Sr. (Overland Park, Kan.)
34 Cathy Brugman G/F 6-1 Sr. (Wichita, Kan.)
Missouri Southern (11-5, 5-5 MIAA)
1 Dru Clark G 5-7 So. (Collinsville, Okla.)
11 Kenya Wilson-Brown G 5-5 Sr. (Arlington, Texas)
21 Desirea Buerge F 6-0 Fr. (Webb City, Mo.)
24 Deb Holcomb G 5-7 Jr. (Dallas, Texas)
44 Sharese Jones G 5-8 Sr. (St. Charles, Mo.)
The Missouri Southern Women's Basketball team coming off their bye date in the first half of MIAA play prepare to close out first round action at Pittsburg State on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at John Lance Arena.
Last Time Out for the Lions (11-5, 5-5 MIAA)
Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern women's basketball team used a 9-0 run late in the third quarter to pull away and held on to defeat visiting Central Missouri 62-59 on Robert CornCourt inside the Leggrett & Platt Athletic Center today.
Southern (11-6, 5-5 MIAA) was led in scoring by Deb Holcombwith 18 points as she added a career-high seven assists.Sharese Jones had 16 points and eight rebounds, while Desirea Buerge scored 13 points and added a career-high eight rebounds.
Central had a five-point lead (9-4) after a layup from Winkelman with 6:03 left in the first quarter, but a layup from Holcomb as time expired in the quarter cut the Central lead to just one (15-14).
A layup from Dru Clark with 17:31 left in the quarter gave the Lions a 16-15 lead, but Central answered back the next trip down and led from that point on in the half. The Jennies led by as many as six (22-16) with 4:15 left in the half, but a layup from Tami Morice with 1:31 to go made the halftime score 22-20, UCM.
After the halftime break, the Lions made their move. A layup from Buerge with 7:18 left in the quarter tied the score at 28 and a three from Jones with 6:19 to go gave the Lions a 31-30 lead. A jumper from Holcomb with 3:12 left in the quarter capped off a 9-0 run by the Lions and gave Southern a 37-30 lead. The lead would be 41-36 at the end of the quarter.
After a Central bucket, an offensive rebound and a put back from Jones with two to go made the score 56-55, Lions and a three from Buerge with 1:30 to go gave the Lions a four-point advantage (59-55). On the ensuing possession, the Lions forced a defensive stop and after the rebound, Holcomb was fouled, making one of the two free throws.
A three from the Jennies cut the Lions' lead to 60-59 with 20 seconds to go and a turnover by the Lions on the in bounds play gave the ball back to Central with 19.3 seconds to go. However, solid defense from the Lions forced a bad shot from Central and Jones made both free throws to put Southern up 62-59 with 0.7 seconds on the clock. A last-second shot for the Jennies was no good.
Southern shot 38 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line. Southern forced 15 UCM turnovers and scored 15 points off of the miscues.
Last Time Out for the Gorillas (12-4, 6-4 MIAA)
PITTSBURG -- The Pitt State women's basketball team took an extra five minutes to earn an 87-84 win over Southwest Baptist on Saturday (January 9).
Pitt State trailed most of the game, but took the lead late in the in the fourth quarter thanks to some sharp shooting from Hadyn Herlocker, 76-74. SBU's Dilonna Johnson tied the game as she drained a jumper at the buzzer. Johnson finished the game with a game-high 27 points.
The heroics for Herlocker and Johnson continued to start the overtime period, as Herlocker scored on a layup first and Johnson answered with a three. Neither team scored again until Cathy Brugman sunk a jumper for the Gorillas to give her team the lead for good with 2:16 left in the overtime. Mikaela Brugess hit a three to give Pitt State its largest lead of the game. A three-pointer by the Bearcats' Lucy Morgan cut Pitt State's lead to one with four seconds left, but Brugman nailed two free throws for the final 87-84 win.
Brugman led the Gorillas with 25 points and was just short of a double-double with nine rebounds. Hadyn Herlocker added a season high 17 points. She and Mikaela Burgess, who finished the game with 21, made three threes a piece. Kylie Gafford rounded out the Gorillas in double figures with 13. She also had four blocked shots.
Pitt State had the lead only once in the first half, late in the second quarter on a Madison Northcutt free throw. Southwest Baptist quickly answered and led by three again with three seconds to go. Herlocker threw up a prayer from beyond half court as time expired and it gently settled in to give the Gorillas a 42-42 tie and a little adrenaline boost at the half.
The Series
This is the 86th meeting between the Trophy Series rivals, the second most played series in Southern history. Pitt State holds a 44-41 advantage, with the Lions winning two of the last three. Pitt State holds a 25-17 advantage inside John Lance Arena, while Southern leads 23-18 in Joplin and the series is tied 1-1 on neutral courts. The Lions have won the last two games in Pittsburg which includes a 72-68 overtime win last season on Feb. 21. Southern's longest winning streak was eight games from December 12, 1974 thru February 24, 1978. Pitt State's longest winning streak was at 10 from January 28, 1998 thru February 13, 2002.
Last Time vs. Pittsburg State
Pittsburg, Kan. - Southern (18-6, 12-5 MIAA) wins for the 17th time inside John Lance Arena in Pittsburg and the second time in a row. The Lions also defeated their second ranked opponent on the season as Southern also won at No. 7 Washburn earlier in the season.
The Lions were led offensively by 18 points and a career-high nine rebounds from Nic Hartzog. Camilla Lacerda had 14 points, while Sharese Jones scored 12. Jordan Dinyer had nine points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
The Lions opened the scoring when Hartzog put back a shot on the team's first possession. The game was tied at nine after a jumper from Tami Morice with 13:26 left to go in the half, and the Lions took a 11-9 lead on a tip-in from Hartzog with just under 12 minutes to go.
A jumper from Jenson Maydew with 7:52 to go capped a 9-3 run by the Lions and put Southern up 18-12. Pitt tied the game at 20 and went ahead 23-22 with 3:15 to go in the half, but the Lions closed the half on a 7-4 run and a three from Dinyer, her second of the half, as time expired gave the Lions a 29-27 lead at the break.
A pair of free throws from PSU cut the Lions' lead to just two (33-31) with 16:29 left to go in the second half. A 5-2 run by the Lions put Southern up 38-33, but Pitt tied the game at 41 with 11:01 left. Southern then went on a 7-0 run and led 48-41 after a pair of free throws from Lacerda with 9:17 left.
A three from Shawnee Phillips gave the Lions an eight point lead (54-46) with 6:52 to go, but Pitt tied the game again at 54 with 4:11 to go. The two teams traded buckets the rest of the way and headed into overtime.
The Lions got a three from Lacerda on the opening possession of overtime and a pair of freebies from Jones gave the Lions a 65-60 lead with 3:45 left in the extra frame. A layup from Lacerda with 2:18 to go made the score 67-62, Lions, but PSU went on a 4-0 run to get to within one (67-66) with 30 seconds left. A pair of free throws the next trip down from Hartzog gave the Lions a three-point lead back (69-66).
Pitt missed on an attempt at three with just over ten seconds to go and Dinyer pulled down the rebound, while getting fouled on the play. The freshman calmly made one of two free throws and PSU converted on a put back with 1.9 seconds to go making the score 70-68, Lions. Two freebies from Hartzog gave the Lions the 72-68 win.
The Coaches
Missouri Southern
Ronda Hubbard is in her 15th year on the staff at Missouri Southern and her third year at the helm. During her 15 years with the Lions, she has helped the team to a 240-163 record, including a 50-20 record in her first two plus seasons at the helm of the Lions program. Last season's 20 wins was the first time the women's team had won 20 games since the 1995-96 season.
Pittsburg State
Lane Lord enters his ninth season as head women's basketball coach at Pittsburg State University. Lord brings a fast-paced, fan-friendly style of basketball to Pittsburg and with his proven track record of success, the future of Pitt State women's basketball is bright. He has a 154-83 (.626) record in his time with the Gorillas. 2014-15 saw the Gorillas make their second consecutive trip the the NCAA Tournament and the third bid under Coach Lord. The team finished with a 27-7 record, saw three players, Lizzy Jeronimus, Kylie Gafford and Cathy Brugman earn All-MIAA honors and tied the 2012 Elite Eight squad with a school-record 27 wins.
Probable Starters
Pittsburg State (12-4, 6-4 MIAA)
10 Paige Lungwitz G 5-10 Jr. (Wichita, Kan.)
12 Hadyn Herlocker G 5-7 Jr. (Girard, Kan.)
15 Mikaela Burgess G 5-7 So. (Webb City, Mo.)
23 Kylie Gafford F 6-2 Sr. (Overland Park, Kan.)
34 Cathy Brugman G/F 6-1 Sr. (Wichita, Kan.)
Missouri Southern (11-5, 5-5 MIAA)
1 Dru Clark G 5-7 So. (Collinsville, Okla.)
11 Kenya Wilson-Brown G 5-5 Sr. (Arlington, Texas)
21 Desirea Buerge F 6-0 Fr. (Webb City, Mo.)
24 Deb Holcomb G 5-7 Jr. (Dallas, Texas)
44 Sharese Jones G 5-8 Sr. (St. Charles, Mo.)
MSSU men to play host to Central Missouri
(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)
The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will look to make it two in a row against Central Missouri as the Lions play host to the Mules this Saturday. Tip off from Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center is slated for 3 pm.
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (10-6, 7-3 MIAA) at Pittsburg State (8-8, 3-7 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016
Tip-Off: 3:30 pm
Location: Pittsburg, Kan.
Site: John Lance Arena (5,000)
Series Record: Southern leads 50-45
Coaches: Jeff Boschee (30-17 overall/at MSSU). Kevin Muff (84-75, overall/at PSU)
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio:FM 99.7 KBTN - Mike McClure - Play-by-play
Internet Audio:www.mssulions.com
Live Video:www.mssulions.com
Live Stats: www.mssulions.com
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter:@mososports; @mssumensbball
The Series
The Lions lead 50-45 in the all-time series with 20 wins in their last 34 tries vs. the Gorillas. The series now has some extra bragging rights as the two schools will be vying for a pride Trophy that pitts the two athletic departments against each other in a total points series. The Lions are 33-13 at home all-time vs. the Gorillas with wins in ten of the last 13 home meetings. Southern is 15-30 at Pittsburg. Sixteen of the last 28 games between the two border rivals have been decided by seven points or less. Pittsburg State defeated MSSU 91-65 in last year's MIAA Tournament Championship. The 95 games played between the two schools is the most played between any two schools in MSSU history.
Taevaunn Amongst The Nation's Best
Taevaunn Prince leads the country in free throws made and attempted, while ranking second in both points per game and total points. He ranks fifth in total rebounds, while ranking 8th in defensive rebounds per game. He ranks 13th in total field goals and rebounds per game, while ranking 17th in double-doubles, 26th in total minutes and 36th in both total field goals attempted and minutes per game.
NCAA Individual Stat Leaders
Taevaunn Prince isn't the only Lion that is amongst the National Leaders. Austin Wright ranks 52nd in three pointers attempted, 36th in minures per game, 33rd in total three's made, 59th in three point shooting, and 18th in total minutes. Bruce Marshall also ranks 51st in blocks per game.
NCAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions rank fourth in free throws made and seventh in free throw percentage. The team ranks ninth in free throw attempts, while ranking 26th in three point shooting, 57th in fewest turnovers and 59th in scoring offense.
MIAA Individual Leaders:
Prince leads the MIAA in defensive rebounds per game, double-doubles, free throws attempted and made, as well as scoring, rebounding, total field goals made and total rebounds. He ranks second in total minutes and fourth in total field goal attempts. Austin Wright leads the Miaa in total minutes, while ranking second in total three pointers made and third in both three point percentage and three pointers per game. He also ranks third in three point attempts. Marshall ranks third in blocks per game.
MIAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions lead the MIAA in free throw attempts and free throws made, as well as total rebounds. The team ranks second in scoring, three point shooting, total three pointers made, and free throw percentage, while ranking third in three point attempts, three point defense and total three pointers made per game. Southern ranks fourth in defensive rebounds per game.
Record Breakers
Senior shooting guard Austin Wright set two records for the Lions last year, including the single-season three point record (79) and the single game three-point record (9). He also owns the single-season three point percentage mark (.493) and is also the current career-leader in that category (.457).
Record Breakers II
Wright is climbing the charts in career three pointers made at MSSU. He moved into the top five last year and into second place this after the game at Fort Hays, passing Jason Adams. He currently has 221 and needs just 4 to break Skyler Bowlin's record of 224.
Three Point Streak
The Lions failed to make a three-pointer at Arkansas Tech in their match-up in 2012-13. It was the first time in 403 games that Southern had failed to hit a three pointer, dating back to Jan. 20, 1999 against Missouri S&T. The Lions have had a three in 99-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.
Taevaunn's On Fire
Taevaunn Prince is averaging 25.9 and 10.4 rebounds this season. He has led the Lions in rebounding every game but one, and in points in 13 of 16.
Block Party
Bruce Marshall had a career game against Southwest Baptist when the senior center had a career-high seven blocks. The seven blocks is tied for second-most in a single game at MSSU.
Free Throws By the Dozen
Taevaunn Prince tied a single-game (regulation) record against Southwest Baptist when he hit 19 free throws in the game. Already the single-season record holder for free throws made with 182 last season, he has 157 on the year and is on pace for 274 this season, which would shatter the record he set last year.
Mr. 200
Austin Wright had seven three pointers against Central Oklahoma to give him 201 in his career. He currently has 221 and is 4 away from breaking the all-time record at MSSU.
Blocks By The 100
Greg Renfroe picked up his 100th career block this past week against Northeastern State. He currently has 106 and is nine away from tying Keane Thomann for fourth all-time in MSSU history. Renfroe had 62 blocks as a junior, second all-time in a single-season at MSSU.
20-Point Man
Taevaunn Prince has scored 20 points or more in every game but one this season.
Approaching A Grand
Taevaunn Prince currently sits at 926 points in his career, while Austin Wright has 873.
Season-Ending Injury
Southern swing man LJ Ross will sit out the 2015-16 season after pre-season knee surgery revealed more damage than thought.
Bevo Francis Small College Player Of The Year Watchlist
Taevaunn Prince has been named to the Bevo Francis Small College Player of the Year Watchlist. The list, which includes 100 players over the ranks of D2, D3 and NAIA has five total MIAA players amongst the group.
Huge Fan Support
Missouri Southern ranks 9th nationally in average attendance with 1,659 fans per game coming to the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Lions rank 4th in total attendance with 16,590 fans this season. Southern ranks fourth in the MIAA in average attendance.
Lions In The D2 Basketball Writers Regional Poll
The Missouri Southern men's basketball program is ranked 5th this week, while Lindenwood is sixth. Northwest Missouri and Lincoln are 9th and 10th, respectively.
Up Next
Southern will continue its four-game road trip with crucial road games at Lincoln and Lindenwood next week.
The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will look to make it two in a row against Central Missouri as the Lions play host to the Mules this Saturday. Tip off from Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center is slated for 3 pm.
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (10-6, 7-3 MIAA) at Pittsburg State (8-8, 3-7 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016
Tip-Off: 3:30 pm
Location: Pittsburg, Kan.
Site: John Lance Arena (5,000)
Series Record: Southern leads 50-45
Coaches: Jeff Boschee (30-17 overall/at MSSU). Kevin Muff (84-75, overall/at PSU)
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio:FM 99.7 KBTN - Mike McClure - Play-by-play
Internet Audio:www.mssulions.com
Live Video:www.mssulions.com
Live Stats: www.mssulions.com
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter:@mososports; @mssumensbball
The Series
The Lions lead 50-45 in the all-time series with 20 wins in their last 34 tries vs. the Gorillas. The series now has some extra bragging rights as the two schools will be vying for a pride Trophy that pitts the two athletic departments against each other in a total points series. The Lions are 33-13 at home all-time vs. the Gorillas with wins in ten of the last 13 home meetings. Southern is 15-30 at Pittsburg. Sixteen of the last 28 games between the two border rivals have been decided by seven points or less. Pittsburg State defeated MSSU 91-65 in last year's MIAA Tournament Championship. The 95 games played between the two schools is the most played between any two schools in MSSU history.
Taevaunn Amongst The Nation's Best
Taevaunn Prince leads the country in free throws made and attempted, while ranking second in both points per game and total points. He ranks fifth in total rebounds, while ranking 8th in defensive rebounds per game. He ranks 13th in total field goals and rebounds per game, while ranking 17th in double-doubles, 26th in total minutes and 36th in both total field goals attempted and minutes per game.
NCAA Individual Stat Leaders
Taevaunn Prince isn't the only Lion that is amongst the National Leaders. Austin Wright ranks 52nd in three pointers attempted, 36th in minures per game, 33rd in total three's made, 59th in three point shooting, and 18th in total minutes. Bruce Marshall also ranks 51st in blocks per game.
NCAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions rank fourth in free throws made and seventh in free throw percentage. The team ranks ninth in free throw attempts, while ranking 26th in three point shooting, 57th in fewest turnovers and 59th in scoring offense.
MIAA Individual Leaders:
Prince leads the MIAA in defensive rebounds per game, double-doubles, free throws attempted and made, as well as scoring, rebounding, total field goals made and total rebounds. He ranks second in total minutes and fourth in total field goal attempts. Austin Wright leads the Miaa in total minutes, while ranking second in total three pointers made and third in both three point percentage and three pointers per game. He also ranks third in three point attempts. Marshall ranks third in blocks per game.
MIAA Team Stat Leaders
The Lions lead the MIAA in free throw attempts and free throws made, as well as total rebounds. The team ranks second in scoring, three point shooting, total three pointers made, and free throw percentage, while ranking third in three point attempts, three point defense and total three pointers made per game. Southern ranks fourth in defensive rebounds per game.
Record Breakers
Senior shooting guard Austin Wright set two records for the Lions last year, including the single-season three point record (79) and the single game three-point record (9). He also owns the single-season three point percentage mark (.493) and is also the current career-leader in that category (.457).
Record Breakers II
Wright is climbing the charts in career three pointers made at MSSU. He moved into the top five last year and into second place this after the game at Fort Hays, passing Jason Adams. He currently has 221 and needs just 4 to break Skyler Bowlin's record of 224.
Three Point Streak
The Lions failed to make a three-pointer at Arkansas Tech in their match-up in 2012-13. It was the first time in 403 games that Southern had failed to hit a three pointer, dating back to Jan. 20, 1999 against Missouri S&T. The Lions have had a three in 99-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.
Taevaunn's On Fire
Taevaunn Prince is averaging 25.9 and 10.4 rebounds this season. He has led the Lions in rebounding every game but one, and in points in 13 of 16.
Block Party
Bruce Marshall had a career game against Southwest Baptist when the senior center had a career-high seven blocks. The seven blocks is tied for second-most in a single game at MSSU.
Free Throws By the Dozen
Taevaunn Prince tied a single-game (regulation) record against Southwest Baptist when he hit 19 free throws in the game. Already the single-season record holder for free throws made with 182 last season, he has 157 on the year and is on pace for 274 this season, which would shatter the record he set last year.
Mr. 200
Austin Wright had seven three pointers against Central Oklahoma to give him 201 in his career. He currently has 221 and is 4 away from breaking the all-time record at MSSU.
Blocks By The 100
Greg Renfroe picked up his 100th career block this past week against Northeastern State. He currently has 106 and is nine away from tying Keane Thomann for fourth all-time in MSSU history. Renfroe had 62 blocks as a junior, second all-time in a single-season at MSSU.
20-Point Man
Taevaunn Prince has scored 20 points or more in every game but one this season.
Approaching A Grand
Taevaunn Prince currently sits at 926 points in his career, while Austin Wright has 873.
Season-Ending Injury
Southern swing man LJ Ross will sit out the 2015-16 season after pre-season knee surgery revealed more damage than thought.
Bevo Francis Small College Player Of The Year Watchlist
Taevaunn Prince has been named to the Bevo Francis Small College Player of the Year Watchlist. The list, which includes 100 players over the ranks of D2, D3 and NAIA has five total MIAA players amongst the group.
Huge Fan Support
Missouri Southern ranks 9th nationally in average attendance with 1,659 fans per game coming to the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Lions rank 4th in total attendance with 16,590 fans this season. Southern ranks fourth in the MIAA in average attendance.
Lions In The D2 Basketball Writers Regional Poll
The Missouri Southern men's basketball program is ranked 5th this week, while Lindenwood is sixth. Northwest Missouri and Lincoln are 9th and 10th, respectively.
Up Next
Southern will continue its four-game road trip with crucial road games at Lincoln and Lindenwood next week.
Taevaunn Prince added to Small College Player of the Year watch list
(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)
Missouri Southern senior guard Taevaunn Prince has been named to the Bevo France Award Watch list, an award that is given to the top player in small college basketball.
The watch list includes players from D2, D3, NAIA, the USCAA and the NCCCAA. The list includes 100 of the finest players this year in small college basketball.
This season, Prince is among the best in Division II. He leads the country in free throws made and attempted, while ranking second in both points per game and total points. He ranks fifth in total rebounds, while ranking 8th in defensive rebounds per game. He ranks 13th in total field goals and rebounds per game, while ranking 17th in double-doubles, 26th in total minutes and 36th in both total field goals attempted and minutes per game.
In the MIAA, Prince leads the league in defensive rebounds per game, double-doubles, free throws attempted and made, as well as scoring, rebounding, total field goals made and total rebounds. He ranks second in total minutes and fourth in total field goal attempts.
Prince is among five total MIAA players on the list. The Lions will be back in action tomorrow afternoon as Southern plays at Pittsburg State at 3:30 pm.
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