Warren Turner inducted into Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The All-time wins leader in baseball at Missouri Southern, Warren Turner, was part of a 15-member classtoday that was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Springfield, Mo. 

Turner coached at Southern from 1977-2007 and is the all-time wins leader in the history of MSSU baseball. With 852 career victories he also ranks 15th all-time in NCAA history. During his tenure, Turner took five teams to national tournaments. His 1978 squad finished second to Emporia State in the NAIA World Series at St. Joseph, Mo., and Turner was named NAIA national coach of the year that season. Turner's 1986 and 1987 squads competed in the NAIA World Series at Lewiston, Idaho, finishing seventh and fifth, respectively.

He coached MSSU to a pair of NCAA Division II World Series at Montgomery, Ala., with the Lions finishing as the national runner-up in 1991 and finishing fifth the following year. He led MSSU to the CSIC title in 1986, MIAA south division championships in 1990, 1991 and 1992 and MIAA titles in 1991 and 1992. His teams advanced to the NCAA-II regional tournament four times, finishing first in 1990 and 1991, Turner has been named conference Coach of the Year three times (CSIC in 1986 and MIAA in 1991 and 1992).

He was the NCAA Regional Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1992; NAIA District 16 Coach of the Year in 1978, 1985, 1986 and 1987; and NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1978. Turner was elected to the NAIA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2004 and into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2008. He also is a member of the MSSU Athletics Hall of Fame.

Also joining Turner this year in the Hall was former Missouri Western men's basketball coach Tom Smith, former St. Louis Cardinal Willie McGee, former Kansas City Royals Mike MacFarlane, and former Olympic distance runner and southwest Missouri native Jason Pyrah. Also going in with Turner will be Ed Podolak, Luke Snyder, Gary Link, Patty Viverito, Andy Hill, Bob Kendrick, Jack Steck, Becky Oakes, Dr. Mark Adams, and Robert Penn. The Hillcrest High School and American Legion baseball programs and the Parkway West High School swimming program were inducted as teams. 

Cardinal Caravan visit to MSSU to be aired on KGCS

(From Southern News Service)

The St. Louis Cardinals Caravan visited Joplin on Saturday, Jan. 18, and KGCS-TV was there to record the event.

The caravan featured current players Shelby Miller and Joe Kelly as well as former players Danny Cox and Tom Lawless. Cardinals broadcaster Mike Claiborne served as emcee for the program. The public session featured a chance for fans to ask questions to players.

It will be broadcast on the station at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28.

KGCS programming may be seen over the air on digital channel 22 and on regional cable television systems, including Cable One, Mediacom and Suddenlink. The station operates as a service of the Department of Communication at Missouri Southern State University.

MSSU Alumni raising $100,000 for scholarships; floor to be named for Bobby Corn

(From Southern News Service)

The Missouri Southern Alumni Association, in cooperation with the Missouri Southern Foundation, has launched a fundraising campaign that will provide scholarships to Missouri Southern student-athletes, members of the Missouri Southern pep band, and honor the legacy of the most successful men’s basketball coach in the university’s history.

An 18-person committee made up of Missouri Southern alumni and supporters of the basketball program are working to raise $100,000 that will culminate in naming the floor of the basketball court at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center after men’s basketball coach Robert Corn.

The money raised will fund scholarships for Missouri Southern student athletes, who – because of the time demands of their sport – need an additional fifth year to complete their degree. The money will also fund a scholarship for a member of the Missouri Southern pep band.

“As an alum, I feel it is a privilege to work with Mike Pound and other organizations at Southern in honoring such an outstanding individual,” said committee co-chair Keith Adams, class of 1949.

Blake Bard, class of 2002 and the executive director of development for the Freeman Foundation, played for Corn during the 1999-2002 seasons. He said the fund drive will not only provide scholarships for Missouri Southern students, but also honor a man who is more than just a basketball coach.

“There are people that come into your life and change it forever, and I feel like Coach Corn is that man to a lot of people, including me,” Bard said. “I can say that the lessons he taught me not only on the court but off the court helped shape the man I am today.

“I learned from him on a daily basis the game of basketball, but the example he set living his life has had a profound impact on me. When you have someone that believes in you and truly invests in making you better, it is something you never forget. He was more than my basketball coach, and the program was more than just a sport. I not only feel like I owe it to him to see his legacy perpetuated here at the university he loves, but I feel like it is a blessing that I am able to be involved.”

Corn is a 1978 graduate of Missouri Southern. A native of Benton, Ill., where he was twice a special mention prep all-state performer, he played basketball for two seasons at Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis), including one year under the late Gene Bartow, before transferring to Missouri Southern. As a senior, he was co-captain of the 1977-78 squad that went 27-9 to capture the Central States Intercollegiate Conference and NAIA District 16 crowns and advance to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Tournament.

Corn was honored for his athletic and academic efforts that year as he was named honorable mention All-CSIC and all-district, as well as Missouri Southern's outstanding physical education major. 

Last week, he earned his 400^th career win against Lindenwood.

“I am very humbled by this tremendous honor,” Corn said. “As a coach, to have something named in their honor is something Cindy, Rob, Scott and I take a great deal of pride in.  To have the donations received from this to go for scholarships for our student athletes and pep band so our students can continue with their college education makes it even more meaningful. The Corn family would like to thank the committee and our friends for making this possible. It is a great day to be a Lion.”

 For information about making a tax-deductible gift to the scholarship fund, contact the Missouri Southern Alumni Association at 417-659-5466.

Video- Lions win number 400 for Bobby Corn

From KODE

Lions earn 400th win for Coach Bobby Corn

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern defense held Lindenwood scoreless for 10:19 in the second half and the Lions gave head coach Robert Corn his 400th win tonight in a 70-50 win at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. 

Southern (12-2, 6-1 MIAA) was led in scoring by Marquis Addison with 21 points on 8-14 shooting and 3-5 from long range. Cameron Cornelius had 17 points, nine of which from the free-throw line, and Jordan Talbertscored 10 and added nine rebounds and four blocks. Slim Magee had seven points and seven rebounds, while Lane Barlow added seven, as well. 

Lindenwood (8-10, 3-5 MIAA) had two score in double-figures, led by 11 points from Michael Boos. 

The Lions opened the game on a 9-4 run, but Lindenwood fought back and led 14-9 after a 9-0 run was capped off by a layup from Brandon Marquardt with 12:10 left in the game. Lindenwood's lead was 12 (25-13), but the Lions closed the half on a 15-1 run to go into the locker room up 28-26. 

Southern opened the half on a 20-4 run, extending the streak to 35-5 and holding Lindenwood scoreless for 10:19 in the second half. The lead reached 22 twice, once on a layup from Greg Renfroe to make the score 62-40 with 4:24 left and the other time on a jumper from Stephen Atkinson with 1:14 left. 

The Lions outscored Lindenwood 42-24 in the second half and held LU to just 35 percent shooting in the game. After shooting just 65 percent from the free-throw line in the first half, Southern amped it up and shot 89 percent in the second half. Southern shot 44 percent from the field in the game and outscored Lindenwood 36-18 in the paint.

Southern forced 19 Lindenwood turnovers and scored 18 points off of the miscues. The Lions had a 39-32 advantage on the boards and had a 13-6 advantage in second-chance points. 

The Lions will be back in action this Saturday, when Southern plays host to Lincoln at 3 pm inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. 

 

Southern women to play Central Oklahoma tonight

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Receiving votes in the USA Today WBCA Women's Basketball poll for the first time this season after defeating Fort Hays State at home on Saturday, the Missouri Southern women's basketball looks to continue their strong play hitting the road on Wednesday traveling to Central Oklahoma to face the Bronchos at 5:30 p.m. at the Hamilton Field House.

Game Information

Teams: Missouri Southern (9-2, 3-1 MIAA) vs. Central Oklahoma (7-5, 2-3)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014
Tip-Off: 5:30 p.m., CT
Location: Edmond, Okla.
Site: Hamilton Field Huse (3,000)
Series Record: MSSU leads 14-6 (Home: 7-1, Away: 5-1, Neutral: 2-4)
Coaches: Ronda Hubbard (9-2 at MSSU, overall). Guy Hardaker (142-77 at Central Oklahoma, 142-77 overall).

Media Coverage

MSSU Radio: KZYM-AM 1230 The Talker, Mike McClure, Play-by-Play
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/uco/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.americaonesports.com/partner_members.asp?id=293
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/missourisouthernlions
Lions on Twitter: @mososports

Last time out for the Lions (9-2, 3-1 MIAA): With five Lions finishing in double figures, led by sophomore guard Sharese Jones, the Missouri Southern women's basketball team won a back-and-forth battle Saturday afternoon (Jan. 4) over Fort Hays State 76-71 at the the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The St. Charles native finished with a game-high 18 points, going 11-of-15 from the free throw line, while Shonte Clay added 14 points and grabbed a team-best eight rebounds. Nicole Hartzog added 13 points for Southern (9-2, 3-1 MIAA), all coming from the free throw line, while Samantha Soyez scored a career-high 12 points, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

With the Lions trailing by five coming out of halftime, Southern looked to cool off the hot-shooting Tigers, scoring the first four points of the second half on layups from Clay and Jones to pull within one. After a layup and free throw from the Tigers pushed their lead back to four, Jones nailed a three-pointer and Jones knocked down a pair of free throws to take their first lead of the second half going up 45-44 with 16:13 to play. Fort Hays proceeded to go on a 19-10 run to take a 63-55 edge, their largest lead of the game with 8:39 to play, before the Lions made some timely plays and found the hot-hand from the free-throw line to propel a comeback.

Pulling within a point at 66-65 with 5:21 to go, Soyez nailed her second three-pointer of the game to give the Lions a 68-66 lead, one they would not relinquish winning by a final of 76-71. The Lions shot 7-for-12 from the free-throw in the final 3:18. The Lions held Hays to 34.6% (9-26) shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes.

Last time out for the Bronchos (7-5, 2-3): Poor outside shooting led to a tough road loss for Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon (Jan. 4) as the Bronchos fell to MIAA rival Northwest Missouri 78-72. Jill Bryan led UCO with a career-high 28 points while adding five rebounds and four steals.  Britney Morgan and Julia Mason scored 14 points apiece, with Mason also pulling down eight rebounds.

The Bronchos trailed most of the game and were down eight (66-58) with 5:30 left to play before rallying to make it close at the end. Morgan hit a rare 3-pointer for UCO at the 5:01 mark to cut the deficit to five at 66-61 and it was 67-63 after Mason's layup with 3:15 remaining. Bryan followed a NWMSU bucket with one free throw at 2:17 and a Chelsea Robinson steal led to two Bryan foul shots at 1:58 to make it 69-66. The Bearcats turned the ball over again on their next possession and Mason drained two charity tosses with 1:21 left to pull UCO within one at 69-68. NWMSU pushed the lead back to 71-68 with two free throws at 1:17 and the Bronchos couldn't answer back. UCO had a turnover and missed shot on its next two possessions and the Bearcats hit four straight foul shots to put the game out of reach.

The Coaches: Ronda Hubbard (9-2) is in her 13th year on the staff at Missouri Southern and was promoted to the position of Interim Head Coach on July 2, 2013 after the retirement of Maryann Mitts. During her 12 years with the Lions, she has helped the team to a 189-145 record, including winning marks and a trip to the MIAA post season tournament in all but one of those 12 seasons. In 2000-01, Hubbard helped the University of Texas-Pan American post its most wins in a season since becoming an NCAA Division I institution in 1985, and the second most victories in school history. Prior to her stint at Texas-Pan American, she served on current Lions head coach Maryann Mitts' staff as an assistant at Rockhurst University from 1996-2000. There, she helped the Lady Hawks post a 68-45 record and advance to the 1997-98 Sweet 16.

Guy Hardaker (142-77) is in his eighth year as Central Oklahoma's head women's basketball coach turning the Bronchos into a perennial NCAA Division II national tournament contender. A member of the UCO Athletic Hall of Fame, Hardaker took over the helm in 2006 after a highly-successful stint as boys high school basketball coach. He's led UCO to its first four Division II national tournament appearances and the Bronchos won 20-plus games a school-record four consecutive seasons.  Guy guided Central to a top-two finish in the Lone Star Conference North Division from 2008-12 (two firsts, three seconds) in the league.

The series between the two schools: The Lions lead the overall series with the Bronchos 14-6. Southern has a 7-1 edge at home, while they are 5-1 at Central Oklahoma and are 2-4 at a neutral site. The Lions took both games in the series last year winning at home 68-66 and in the regular season finale at UCO 63-59. Southern has won 13 of the previous 14 matchups with the Bronchos.

Scouting the Bronchos: Central Oklahoma comes into Wednesday's game coming off a loss to Northwest Missouri last Saturday 78-72. The Bronchos are led in scoring by senior guard Jill Bryan with 15.0 points per game while sophomore forward Julia Mason is averaging 11.5. ppg. Olivia Mason is leading the team in boards with 5.8 rpg while her sister Julia is right behind her grabbing 5.7 rpg. Former MSSU Lion Haley Weathers, who played at Southern in 2011-12, has started all 12 games at guard for UCO averaging 9.2 ppg, while shooting 38% from the field. UCO ranks 9th in the MIAA in scoring average with 72.0 ppg., 7th in free-throw percentage at 72.5% and 9th in three-point percentage at 31.5%.

Lions receiving votes in the WBCA Women's Poll: For the first time this season, Southern received votes in the USA Today WBCA Women's basketball poll garnering 14 votes. Along with top ten ranked Emporia State and Central Missouri, the Lions and Fort Hays State are currently the only ranked MIAA teams. 

MIAA Team Rankings: The Lions rank 1st in the MIAA in free-throw percentage (.765), 2nd in FG percentage (.455), 4th in assists per game (16.3), 4th in scoring margin (+9.9 ppg.), rebounding defense (35.0 rpg) & steals (9.3 spg), 5th in assist/turnover ratio (1.0). and 7th in scoring offense (75.3 ppg.).

MIAA Individual Rankings: Samantha Soyez continues to lead the MIAA in assists averaging 5.2 apg as she has dished 52 helpers in 10 games. Alexis Fitzpatrick ranks 4th averaging 4.2 apg. 

Shonte Clay ranks 6th in the MIAA in FG percentage as she is shooting 56.2% from the field hitting 50-89 on the year. Dominique Mosley ranks 10th hitting 53.8% (78-145). Sharese Jones is 11th at 53.4% (47-88).

Nicole Hartzog ranks 3rd in the MIAA in FT percentage at 84.3% hitting 43-of-51 on the year. Jones ranks 7th at 80% (64-80).

Fitzpartick leads the MIAA in steals averaging 2.4 swipes per game. She also leads the MIAA in assist/turnover ratio at 3.5 as she has 46 assists and only 13 turnovers.

Jones ranks 4th in the league in rebounding grabbing 8.3 rpg. Mosley is 10th grabbing 7.3 rpg.

Mosley ranks 4th in the MIAA in scoring averaging 17.5 ppg.  Jones is 10th at 14.9 ppg. Clay is 20th with 11.9 ppg. Hartzog is 26th w/ 11.0 ppg.