Author Archives: Jerry Briggs

Nebraska holds off hot-shooting UTSA, 104-94

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The Nebraska Cornhuskers probably didn’t expect to sweat out a visit from the UTSA Roadrunners.

They probably didn’t anticipate that the game would be tied with a little more than four minutes remaining.

But that was exactly the scenario that played out Wednesday night in Lincoln, when the Cornhuskers had to dig deep for a late push to turn back the Roadrunners, 104-94.

“They’ve done that to a lot of people,” UTSA coach Steve Henson told the team’s radio broadcast. “Boston College was a close game going into the last few minutes and they just shut ’em out down the stretch.

“(Against) Kansas the other night, they shut ’em out until the very last shot, pretty much (in a one-point loss for the Cornhuskers). So we knew they had the capability of screeching us to a halt.

“They’re a good team. They’ve got good depth. Good size. Good players. I got a lot of respect for them.”

UTSA freshman Jhivvan Jackson led the Roadrunners with 26 points. Both Jackson and Deon Lyle gave Nebraska fits by hitting five three-pointers apiece.

In all, the Roadrunners tied a season high with 15 treys. They also did reasonably well on the boards, getting beat only 44-34 despite a huge size disadvantage.

But Henson was most proud of the way his players battled in the first half. Falling behind by 14 once, they rallied to within seven at intermission.

“It was ugly,” Henson said. “It was not our style of basketball. We couldn’t get a run going. You know, we’ve got that ability to go on a run and get things in a flow. But they didn’t let us do it, and we hung in there. And that was good to see.

“I know we’re a good team when it’s easy and we’re flowing. When both teams are getting up and down the floor. But I like the stretch there when it was hard and our guys hung in there and found a way to keep the game within reach.”

Guard James Palmer, Jr., led the Cornhuskers with 25 points. Guard Anton Gill came off the bench for 21, and Evan Taylor added 16.

After UTSA tied the game 86-86 on a Jackson three-pointer with 4:23 remaining Gill sparked decisive 15-2 run with six straight points. He hit a three and then made three straight free throws.

Pretty soon, the Cornhuskers had opened a 101-88 lead with 55 seconds remaining, and the fans of the home team could finally breathe easier.

Nebraska (8-5) didn’t need to worry about its RPI being in jeopardy any more.

Nevertheless, UTSA (7-6) can use the game to build, with the Conference USA portion of the schedule looming next week.

“I feel really good about (our progress),” Henson said. “We were disappointed with the outcome here tonight. We had a chance. Wish we could have done a couple of things better. But like I told the guys, I like the progress we’re making.

“Guys are figuring some things out. We’re healthy. We’ve got a lot of guys playing pretty good basketball. Nick Allen’s playing with the most confidence (he’s had) in his life. He’s feeling great. We got good depth.

“We got all the pieces to make some noise in conference play. That was our message to our guys just now.”

UTEP rallies at home for 72-66 victory over Incarnate Word

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UTEPs Omega Harris (No. 2) drives on Incarnate Word guard Jalin Hart.

The UTEP Miners forced mistakes with their defense and rallied in the second half Tuesday night for a 72-66 victory over the University of the Incarnate Word.

Playing in El Paso at the Haskins Center, the Cardinals performed well for most of the night and held a 49-43 lead when Sam Burmeister buried a three-pointer with 10:26 remaining.

But, at that point, guards Kobe Magee and Omega Harris hit consecutive baskets to kick-start a 10-1 run for the Miners.

A Harris jumper capped the streak and gave UTEP a 53-50 edge with 6:57 left.

Down the stretch, the Cardinals (5-4) went cold, failing to make a basket for a span of 4 minutes and 43 seconds.

The Miners (4-6) did just enough to hold on for their third win in a row under interim head coach Paul Johnson. Johnson is 3-1 after taking over for Tim Floyd, who has retired.

Forward Paul Thomas led short-handed UTEP with 16 points and eight rebounds. Harris scored 15. Both Harris and Magee contributed three steals.

Miners’ injured 7-foot-1 center Matt Willms did not play.

For the Cardinals, forward Simi Socks led with 21 points, his second straight game with 20 or more. Socks hit 3 of 4 from three-point territory.

Forward Shawn Johnson scored 14, and Christian Peevy came off the bench for 10. UIW hit 9 three-pointers for the game but made too many mistakes, turning it over 25 times.

UIW plays on the road again at Florida on Friday night before opening Southland Conference play next week.

The SLC schedule starts with a road trip to Louisiana and games at McNeese State and Nicholls State.

TCU improves to 11-0 with win over Texas Southern

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JD Miller scored 20 points on 9 of 13 shooting Monday night, helping undefeated and 15th-ranked TCU to break away in the second half for a 91-72 victory over winless Texas Southern.

Vladimir Brodziansky (in the photo, above) added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Frogs (11-0).

Guard Demontrae Jefferson poured in 29 for the Tigers (0-12) in the game played on TCU’s home floor in Fort Worth.

The Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference stayed with the Big 12 powerhouse for a half, trailing by only two at intermission.

Texas Southern traded baskets with the home team early in the second half before TCU constructed a 10-0 run to open up a 53-43 lead.

The Tigers never got closer than five the rest of the way, with the Frogs pushing the lead to 25 down the stretch.

TCU remains as one of four unbeaten teams in the nation, joining No. 1 Villanova, No. 3 Arizona State and No. 6 Miami.

The Horned Frogs will play Friday at home against William and Mary before opening Big 12 play Dec. 30 at home against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Texas 47, Tennessee State 46

The Texas Longhorns hit a clutch shot with 11 seconds remaining Monday night, escaping with a 47-46 victory over the Tennessee State Tigers.

Matt Coleman’s runner allowed Texas (8-3) to avert disaster against Tennessee State (5-5) of the Ohio Valley Conference.

The Tigers, on their last possession, missed a wild three with the clock running down.

With the victory, Texas improved to 2-1 since they lost leading scorer Andrew Jones to a wrist injury.

No. 14 Kansas 109, Omaha 64

Svi Mykhailiuk tied his career high with six 3-pointers and scored 26 points as Kansas routed Omaha 109-64 Monday night.

Mykhailiuk hit the winning shot in the Jayhawks’ 73-72 victory over Nebraska in Lincoln on Saturday night.

Kansas, who have won 13 Big 12 regular season titles in a row, had lost two straight leading into the Nebraska game.

They Jayhawks (9-2) will now take a two-game winning streak on the road to play Stanford in California on Thursday.

It’s the last non-conference game for Kansas before it opens Big 12 play on Dec. 29 at Texas.

1-2-3 in AP poll? Villanova, Michigan State, Arizona State

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Undefeated Villanova remained as the No. 1 team in the nation, according to the Week 7 release of the Associated Press college basketball poll.

Michigan State, unbeaten Arizona State and Duke were ranked second through fourth, respectively, with defending NCAA champion North Carolina coming in fifth after Sunday’s victory at Tennessee.

Undefeated Miami placed sixth, with Kentucky at No. 7 and Texas A&M in the eighth spot. It was Texas A&M’s fourth straight week in the top 10. Xavier of Ohio was ninth and West Virginia of the Big 12 was 10th.

Other Big 12 programs that made the top 25 included twice-beaten Kansas at No. 14, undefeated TCU (15), Oklahoma (17), Baylor (tied for 18th) and Texas Tech (21).

Villanova, the 2016 NCAA champions, kept the No. 1 spot for the second straight week based on a 20-point blowout of Temple.

Jalen Brunson scored 31 as the Wildcats (11-0) pounded Temple 87-67 last week in a battle of Philadelphia-based powers.

Michigan State also played only once last week, knocking off Oakland (Mich.) on Saturday in Detroit, 86-73.

The Spartans won despite 35 percent shooting in a game that they dominated on the boards (45-30).

Arizona State sold out Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday afternoon and played to the 10,797 fans with a 76-64 victory over Vanderbilt.

In a chaotic sequence of events last in the first half, Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley lost a championship ring from his days as a player at Duke, found it, and then led his team to victory.

Sports writer Doug Haller’s game story at azcentral.com is also a winner. Call it up by clicking the link in the following tweet.

Best in the nation? ‘Forever’ Trae Young states his case

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Oklahoma guard Trae Young just keeps stacking dominant performances, one on top of another.

You read about his exploits and you wonder if he can really be that good, and then he does it again.

After he led OU to a 91-83 victory at No. 3 Wichita State on Saturday, he stirred the discussion again.

Read a story by Taylor Eldridge in the Wichita Eagle for the latest on a player that is storming NCAA Division I basketball.

At the jbreplay.com, we will be singing the praises of “Forever” Trae Young, at least until someone figures out a way to stop him.

UTSA routs Bethany as offense continues to roll

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UTSA forward Nick Allen hits a three-pointer out of the corner in the second half Saturday night against Bethany College. Video: thejbreplay

UTSA guard Jhivvan Jackson told reporters Saturday night that coach Steve Henson delivered a mostly positive message in the dressing room after the Roadrunners scorched the NAIA Bethany College Swedes, 95-67.

“He said we played great, but we got to get better on the defensive end,” said Jackson, who led UTSA with 19 points. “Going into Nebraska, (we need to) have some good hard practices and play our best game.”

The Roadrunners (7-5) play at Nebraska on Wednesday night.

Thirteen UTSA players played against Bethany and 13 scored in Dan O’Dowd’s return to campus.

A former 10-year assistant with the Roadrunners, O’Dowd is the first-year head coach of the Swedes.

In spite of the lopsided score, O’Dowd took away a few positives from his first game back to the arena where he worked with former coach Brooks Thompson for a decade through 2016.

No. 1, the game didn’t count on his record.

No. 2, Bethany freshman point guard and former St. Anthony standout Isiah Saenz scored 21 points on seven three-pointers.

Saenz showed off a flashy game that included one-handed, no-look passes.

“He’s going to be good,” O’Dowd said.

Bethany point guard Isiah Saenz brings the ball up and drains a three-pointer. Video: thejbreplay.com

UIW holds on for 77-73 victory over Missouri-Kansas City

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UIW point guard Jalin Hart drives to the basket on Missouri-Kansas City. (Soobum Im / The University of the Incarnate Word)

The University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals recorded their first victory of the season against an NCAA Division I opponent Saturday afternoon, holding off the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos 77-73 at home in the Convocation Center.

Forward Simi Socks led UIW with 20 points and eight rebounds.

Socks scored 13 in the second half when UIW (5-3) built leads as large as 12 points against UMKC (3-9).

Freshman guard Xavier Bishop led the ‘Roos with 25 points on a dynamic long-distance shooting display. Bishop hit 5 of 10 from three-point territory.

Cardinals guard Shawn Johnson said “it’s big” for the team to beat a Division I opponent leading into the last part of December.

“We’ve been playing smaller teams or top-of-the line teams,” Johnson said. “We’ve been going back and forth with it. Back on our playing field, we need to win.”

Both Socks and Johnson sparked UIW in the second half.

Johnson finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for the game, but he proved to be especially effective after intermission, when he was seemingly everywhere, with 10 points and nine rebounds.

The 6-5 senior from New Orleans also pulled back into the paint on defense, recording three second-half blocked shots.

Forward Simi Socks rise up to shoot a jumper for the UIW Cardinals. (Soobum Im / The University of the Incarnate Word)

Bethany College coach’s trip to UTSA ‘like coming home’

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Bethany College coach Dan O’Dowd chats with his players during Saturday’s shoot-around at UTSA. Video: thejbreplay.com

Dan O’Dowd walked into the UTSA Convocation Center Friday and angled toward the corridor leading into the home team dressing room.

“I started heading in there and, ‘Oh wait,’ ” he said, smiling.

Forgive the first-year head coach of the Bethany College Swedes for making a wrong turn on his first trip back to the ‘Bird Cage.’

Some things you do in life are just reflex, especially if you’re O’Dowd, and you’ve spent 10 years of your career working out of the home of the Roadrunners.

O’Dowd admitted Saturday morning that it’s an emotional visit for him as his Kansas-based NAIA team prepares to play a road game against UTSA tonight.

Tipoff is at 7 p.m. between the Swedes and the NCAA Division I Roadrunners.

“You know, San Antonio is home,” O’Dowd said. “My wife and kids are still here. Our oldest finished high school last year. The youngest is a junior and we wanted him to finish school and sports with all the kids he’s grown up with.

“So, it’s like coming home. You know, I spent a lot of time in this gym. It’s just fun to see the changes and improvements that they’ve made.”

O’Dowd, a Colorado native and a Bethany graduate, worked for a decade at UTSA through 2016 under the late Brooks Thompson.

After UTSA, he moved on to work for a year at North Texas, before taking the job at Bethany last May.

Nick Allen, one UTSA’s hottest players at the moment, said it was fun to see O’Dowd again on Friday.

The two were able to catch up in a brief conversation.

“He just wanted to see how I was doing,” Allen said.

It was sort of like Allen’s first meeting with the coach, when O’Dowd visited his high school on a recruiting trip.

Of the first meeting, Allen remembers the coach being “really cool, really relaxed.”

“But you could tell he was serious,” said Allen, from Surprise, Arizona. “He was about his business when he came in. Just a good guy. I don’t know. I didn’t get any bad vibes from him. He’s the one that recruited me here. So I’ve got a lot of appreciation for him, a lot of respect for him.

“He’s a great coach. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be here. He’s a good dude. He means a lot to me.”

Dane Pavlovich, Bethany’s dean of athletics and student development, said it’s been fun to watch O’Dowd at work in his first year.

“He’s been a joy to work with,” Pavlovich said. “He also serves as assistant athletic director. So he helps us out with game management for football games and all the different other events.

“He’s really thrown himself into being a part of the Bethany culture. Being an alum, the job isn’t too small for him.

“He’s coached at some of the highest levels of NCAA basketball … but he’s thrown himself into (this job), being a part of the Bethany campus and the Lindsborg community … It’s been a lot of fun.”

O’Dowd, who has worked as an assistant at high-major jobs at Ole Miss and Arizona State, said he’s enjoying being the head coach.

“As an assistant coach for 30 years, you have a special relationship with your players, but you’re not the guy. Being head coach is fun, just the respect factor they have for you is a little bit different,” he said. “But it doesn’t change much. Biggest difference is that as an assistant you’re making suggestions. As a head coach you’re making decisions.

“I’ve been fortunate to work for coaches that prepared me for that. Whether its dealing with the media, going out (and) speaking at fundraisers, everything that I’ve needed to do to be prepared. So, it’s been a lot of fun.”

UIW’s Brown is dancing again after injury setback

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Video: Courtesy, UIW athletics

Forward Charles Brown III says the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals are striking just the right balance in staying disciplined, while also taking time to relax as the holidays approach.

On one hand, Brown says the Cardinals enjoyed the fun associated with production of a holiday music video promoting Saturday’s home game against the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos.

At the same time, he said his teammates also know that it is time to elevate their level of play, with the Southland Conference phase of their schedule looming at the end of the month.

“We’re more focused now than ever,” Brown said before practice Friday morning at Incarnate Word High School. “The Gonzaga game and the Houston game, kind of woke us up a little bit.

“(That) told us we need to step our game up if we’re going to make a run in the conference tournament.

“So, we’re more focused than ever. But, we still have a positive attitude. We still like to have fun. We’re not too tight. But we’re not too loose, either. Just right in between.”

Routed in road games at Houston and at nationally-ranked Gonzaga, the Cardinals (4-3) returned home last week to beat Division III Texas Lutheran, 91-63.

All this week, they’ve been busy taking final exams.

But they did break away from the grind one day to shoot a video, “A Charles Brown III Christmas,” a take off on the popular, animated holiday classic, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.

It was a perfect script for Brown, the gregarious native of New Orleans, who joined the team this summer.

Not only does the 6-7, 215-pound forward have double-double ability on the court, but he also has impressed his teammates with his impromptu dance moves in the locker room.

Brown said he thinks the video turned out well.

“I thought it was hilarious,” he said. “A nice promotion video. The guys had fun doing it. I love dancing, so I didn’t mind it at all. It was nice.”

As one of UIW’s best newcomers, Brown played well and contributed heavily in the team’s 3-0 start to the season.

But late in Game 4, when the Cardinals hosted Loyola Marymount on Nov. 22, it looked as if his dance moves — not to mention his season — might be in jeopardy.

Trailing a fast break, he was hit from the side and fell to the floor near the top of the key, clutching his knee.

The action stopped. He was helped off the floor to the bench. A few minutes later, he was assisted to the locker room. It looked bad.

But in a pleasant surprise, medical staff told Brown that it wasn’t serious. That the knee was bruised, and he could be back in a few weeks. He was.

Brown returned on Dec. 5 against TLU, played 18 minutes and contributed six points and five rebounds. In subsequent practices over the past week, he seems to have regained his old form.

“Charles is back,” UIW coach Ken Burmeister said. “He can go at full pace, at 100 percent, which is what we need because he’s a double double machine when he’s going good.

“You can see the difference (in our team) when he’s in there. We were up seven against Loyola Marymount, when he got hurt. (Then) we went down seven … He’s very valuable to us.”

UIW NOTEBOOK

Tipoff time for UIW (4-3) and UMKC (3-8) is at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center …

Burmeister said point guard Jalin Hart should be able to play after returning to practice Friday. He had missed some time earlier in the week with concussion symptoms …

Reserve guards Augustine Ene and Jorden Kite, who sat out against TLU, are both expected to be ready for UMKC. Ene was nursing an ankle sprain and Kite has experienced back issues …

UIW plays at UTEP next Tuesday and and at nationally-ranked Florida next Friday. The Cardinals open their SLC schedule Dec. 28 at McNeese State …

Seven-foot center Konstantin Kulikov, who has yet to see action this season, will be eligible to play at Florida after being cleared by the NCAA …

UIW center Konstantin Kulikov (32) hits a jumper during shooting drills Friday morning. Video: thejbreplay.com

Baylor’s Lual-Acuil scores 18 in front of his proud parents

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The video from Baylor athletics says it all.

Senior center Jo Lual-Acuil, Jr., running ahead of the competition on the fast break, fielding a pass and dunking.

Lual-Acuil punctuated a big day in his college basketball career with 18 points, as the 21st-ranked Bears ran away with a 99-68 victory Thursday night over the Texas Southern Tigers.

What was so big about a game in December? Well, for starters, his parents traveled from Africa to Waco to see him play.

According to ESPN, his parents made the trip to see their son play and to attend his graduation, which is scheduled Saturday.

For more on Lual-Acuil’s amazing story, here is an article authored by John Werner of the Waco Tribune-Herald.

Published in January last season, it’s a fascinating chronicle of Lual-Acuil’s journey from the Sudan, to Uganda, to Australia, to Chanute, Kansas, and, finally, to Waco.

Lual-Acuil is listed on the roster at 7-feet and 225 pounds.

After sitting out the 2015-16 season with a heart condition, the transfer from Neosho Community College (in Kansas) emerged last year as one of the top shot-blockers in the nation.

Lual-Acuil had 87 blocks in 35 games.

This year, his game is expanding. Both his scoring and rebounding numbers are up. Coming into the Texas Southern game, Lual-Acuil was averaging 13.9 points and 10.1 rebounds.

After blocking two shots against the Tigers, he has produced 14 rejections in 10 games for the Bears (8-2).

Baylor, in a push to prepare for the start of Big 12 play later this month, hosts Savannah State at home on Sunday.

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