(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Hutchinson Community College sophomore Saquan Singleton showed a tremendous all-around game in leading the No. 7 Blue Dragons to three impressive victories last week.

On Tuesday, the Bronx, New York, product was named the Jayhawk Conference Men’s Division I Basketball Player of the Week.

Singleton is the second-straight Blue Dragon to capture weekly KJCCC honors. Last week, sophomore guard Tyler Brown was named the league’s player of the week.

Singleton had a triple-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in a victory over NEO on November 12. He added a double-double with 11 points and a career-best 13 assists in a 21-point victory over Iowa Western on Saturday in Great Bend.

For the week, the Blue Dragon sophomore averaged 9.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 31.3 minutes per game.

The triple-double is only the fifth recorded triple-double in Blue Dragon history.

Singleton is now eligible for NJCAA National Player of the Week honors. That award will be announced on Wednesday.

IRVING, Tex. – Kristian Doolittle (Oklahoma) and Oscar Tshiebwe (West Virginia) earned their first Big 12 men’s basketball weekly awards as Doolittle collected player of the week while Tshiebwe was recognized as the top newcomer.

Doolittle led the Sooners to a win over Oregon State with 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds along with four assists. He closed the first half by scoring OU’s final nine points, including the go-ahead bucket at the halftime buzzer. The senior forward made five of his final eight shots and sunk both of his 3-point attempts in the game.

Tshiebwe collected his first career double-double in his second collegiate game with 20 points and 17 rebounds at Pitt. The forward became the fourth freshman in WVU history to have at least 20 points and 17 rebounds in a game as WVU captured its fourth straight win in the series against Pitt.

Big 12 Men’s Basketball Weekly Honors

Player of the Week

Nov. 11: Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State, G, So.

Nov. 18: Kristian Doolittle, Oklahoma, F, Sr.

Newcomer of the Week

Nov. 11: TJ Holyfield, Texas Tech, F, Sr.

Nov. 18: Oscar Tshiebwe, West Virginia, F, Fr.

Tuesday Morning Sports Report from KWBW Radio

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team plays its final non-conference game before the Jayhawk Conference season begins on Tuesday night as the Hesston College Larks comes to the Sports Arena for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) at 6:50 p.m. with Glen Grunwald (play-by-play) and Dan Naccarato (color) calling the action. The game will also be videostreamed on the Blue Dragon Sports Network at 6:50 p.m.

Now No. 4 in the latest NJCAA Rankings, the Blue Dragons come off a pair of impressive victories over Monroe College and Iowa Western this past weekend at Great Bend.

Averaging 93.4 points per game through seven games – Hutch has reached the century mark twice this season – the Blue Dragons have been very balanced offensively with five players averaging in double figures.

Tyler Brown is the leading scorer at 16.7 points per game. Josh Baker is at 13.9 points per game, followed by Majok Kuath at 13.1, D.J. Mitchell at 12.6 and Saquan Singleton at 10.6.

Last week, Singleton posted the fifth recorded triple-double in Blue Dragon history and another double-double last week.

Hesston comes in 3-4 after dropping an 84-82 decision to Redlands last Friday. The Larks have lost 4 of 5 since starting 0-2.

The Larks are averaging 75.7 points while shooting 45.8 percent overall.

Langston Flowers is Hesston’s leading scorer at 18.9 points per game. Jacob Baker is second at 17.0 points per game.

The Blue Dragons are 16-0 all-time against Hesston College.

After Tuesday, Hutchinson will have eight days off until opening the Jayhawk Conference season on Wednesday, November 27 against No. 19 Coffeyville.

DRAGON TALK with STEVE ECK SHOW:
Catch the Dragon Talk with Steve Eck Show on Monday nights throughout the season. Join host Glen Grunwald and Coach Eck LIVE from 6-6:30 p.m. at A.J.’s Sports Grill at The Alley, or listen on KWBW (98.5 FM / 1450 AM).

Information Box

BLUE DRAGON MEN’S BASKETBALL

No. 4 Hutchinson (7-0) vs. Hesston College (3-4) When: Tuesday, November 19, 2019 Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson, KS Tipoff: 7 p.m. Live Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9); KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5), 6:50 p.m. Live Video: Blue Dragon Sports Network, 6:50 p.m. Twitter: @bluedragonsport

Courtesy Pittsburg State Sports Information

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Pittsburg State University announced Monday that head football coach Tim Beck has resigned from his position.

Beck completed his 10^th season as head coach of the Gorillas Saturday (Nov. 16) with a 65-6 home victory over Missouri Southern State University. He compiled an 82-35 (.701) overall record as head coach.

The 33-year veteran of the Pitt State coaching staff helped the program post a 314-85-2 (.786) during his decorated tenure from 1987-2019, winning two national championships and 14 conference championships while earning 20 national playoff appearances.

“On behalf of everyone at Pittsburg State University, I want to thank Coach Beck for his tremendous service to his alma mater,” Pitt State athletic director Jim Johnson said. “We are grateful for everything Tim has done to help further the tradition and legacy of Pitt State football. We wish he and his family nothing but the best moving forward.”

Beck led his alma mater (PSU, ’88) to the 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship, earning national coach of the year honors from Liberty Mutual, the Don Hansen Football Committee and FieldTurf™.

Beck became the school’s 14th all-time head football coach in December 2009, after serving for 23 seasons as an assistant coach for the Gorillas. He served 16 years as the team’s offensive coordinator from 1994-2009.

Beck’s tenure as head coach included a pair of MIAA Championships and NCAA Division II playoff appearances in 2011 and 2014 as well as an 8-1 overall postseason record.

In 2011, Beck led the Gorillas to the program’s second NCAA national championship and the school’s fourth national title overall in a 13-1 campaign. Pitt State captured the MIAA Championship and ultimately the NCAA-II National Championship with a 35-21 victory over Wayne (Mich.) State University on Dec. 17, 2011.

During his 16 seasons as offensive coordinator, the Gorilla offense consistently ranked among the finest units in NCAA Division II.

In 2008, Beck was selected the inaugural NCAA Division II Coordinator of the Year byFootballScoop.com, following a vote of his coaching peers.

In 2004, Beck’s offensive unit established itself as the most prolific squad in the history of NCAA football. PSU shattered a 118-year-old scoring record, scoring an amazing 837 points (55.8 ppg). His squad also set the NCAA all division records for rushing (5,320 yards) and total offense (8,976 yards).

Prior to assuming the offensive coordinator’s role, Beck served two years as Pitt State’s defensive coordinator (1992-93). He became a full-time assistant on the Pitt State staff in 1989, after serving first as a student assistant (1987) and then as a graduate assistant (1988).

Johnson indicated the university will launch a national search to fill Beck’s position.

WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State men’s basketball player Jamarius Burton has been named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll for the week of Nov. 11-17.

Burton – a 6-foot-4 sophomore from Charlotte, N.C. — scored a career-high 18 points and hit four of Wichita State’s school record-tying 15 three-pointers in a 103-62 win over UT Martin.

Burton was 4-of-5 from deep and also tallied six rebounds and five assists in 22 turnover-free minutes. The Shockers were +35 with Burton on the floor and the team’s 29 assists tied for the fifth-most in American Athletic Conference history.

Burton is the second Shocker to make the honor roll this year, joining Dexter Dennis.

The Shockers (3-0) play host to Gardner-Webb (Tuesday, 7 p.m. CT) and Oral Roberts (Saturday, 2 p.m. CT) this week. Tickets are still available for both games at GoShockers.com/Tickets or via the Shocker Ticket Office at 316-978-FANS.

Photo courtesy kuathletics.com

LAWRENCE — No. 4/5 Kansas (2-1) will begin play in the Maui Invitational with the campus round contest against East Tennessee State (3-0) on Tuesday.

The Jayhawks and Buccaneers are slated to tip-off from Allen Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. (CT) on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Dave Armstrong (play-by-play), Chris Piper (analyst) and Kennetra Pulliams (reporter) will call the action.

TIP-OFF

• The Kansas-East Tennessee State contest is a campus-round game for the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Kansas is 14-6 all-time in the Maui Invitational, including 2-0 in campus round contests.
• Kansas and East Tennessee State are meeting for the fourth time in men’s basketball and first since Jan. 4, 1996. KU is 3-0 all-time versus ETSU.
• Kansas and East Tennessee State (Southern Conference) are their respective conferences preseason favorite to win the league for 2019-20.
• ETSU is the second Southern Conference team Kansas will face this season. The Jayhawks defeated UNC Greensboro, 74-62, on Nov. 8 in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas is 12-0 against current membership of the SoCon.
• Kansas’ 23-game homecourt winning streak is third-longest nationally behind Tennessee (28) and Gonzaga (25).
• Kansas’ 112 points in the win against Monmouth (11/15) marked the 117th game Kansas has scored 100 or more points in school history. Under Bill Self, Kansas has 26 of those 100-point games.
• Kansas is ranked No. 4 in the Nov. 18 Associated Press national poll. KU has been ranked in the top-five 339 times overall and 133 times in the Bill Self era.
• KU has been ranked in each of the last 203 AP polls dating back to 2008-09. The 203-consecutive weeks in the polls is the longest active streak in the nation. KU holds the same streak in the coaches’ poll at 211.
• Kansas head coach Bill Self is 682-212 in his 27th season overall as a head coach. He is six games from being the 30th active coach in the NCAA to have coached in 900 games.
• The Jayhawks’ added four standouts when the early signing period began on Nov. 13. Guard Tyon Grant-Foster (Kansas City, Kan.), guard Bryce Thompson (Tulsa, Okla.), who ranks No. 19 in the class of 2020, center Gethro Muscadin (Gonaives, Haiti) and guard Latrell Jossell (Keller, Texas) will all suit up for KU starting in 2020-21.

KANSAS IN THE MAUI INVITATIONAL

Going Kansas has a combined 14-6 record in this Maui Jim Maui Invitational (counting home games that are part of the tournament). KU is 12-6 in games played at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii.

In KU’s 1988 NCAA National Championship season, the Jayhawks placed fourth in the event, going 1-2. Kansas won the 1996 Maui Invitational, defeating LSU, California and Virginia. Raef LaFrentz was named the MVP. In 2001, KU finished third in the event with a 2-1 record. Drew Gooden was a member of the all-tournament team and was the first Jayhawk on the Maui Invitational all-tourney list, which began in 2000.

KU has appeared in the invitational three times under Bill Self. In 2005, the Jayhawks placed seventh, losing to Arizona and Arkansas before defeating Chaminade. In 2011, KU finished runner-up, defeating Georgetown and UCLA before falling to Duke in the title game. Jayhawk Thomas Robinson was named to the 2011 Maui All-Tournament Team. Later that season KU would advance to the Final Four, finishing runner-up. In 2015, Kansas won the event with victories over Chaminade, UCLA and Vanderbilt. KU’s Wayne Selden Jr. and Frank Mason III were named co-MVPs, and were joined on the all-tournament team by teammate and current staff member Perry Ellis.

UP NEXT

Kansas opens bracket play at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational against Chaminade on Monday at 6 p.m. (Central) at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii. The game will be televised on ESPNU

Kansas is 3-0 all-time against Chaminade with all three meetings at the Maui Invitational. KU last faced Chaminade in 2005, at Kansas 123-72 win.

The Jayhawks have a combined 14-6 record in the Maui Invitational, including 12-6 in games played in Maui. KU has won two of the titles in 1996 and 2015.

MANHATTAN — K-State continues its string of five games played in the month of November on Saturday as the Wildcats travel to Lubbock to face Texas Tech, looking to snap a two-game skid and elevate its bowl standing.

The game, which kicks at 6 p.m., will air on FS1 with Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play) and Ben Leber (analyst) on the call. The contest can be heard on SiriusXM (S: 211, X: 382, Internet: 971) in addition to the TuneIn app.

A LOOK AT K-STATE

K-State is bowl-eligible under first-year head coach Chris Klieman and is looking to get back on the winning track after two-straight losses by a combined seven points.

K-State has rushed for 1,911 yards this year on 425 carries which includes 26 rushing touchdowns after tallying only 20 rushing scores a year ago.

The Wildcats are on pace to finish the 2019 season in the top 10 in school history in team rushing yards.

K-State totaled 11 rushing scores over the Oklahoma and Kansas games, which were the most in the nation over that stretch. Skylar Thompson had seven of those scores, also the best in the nation during that stretch.

Thompson’s seven rushing scores against OU and KU were the most over a two-game stretch by a K-State quarterback since Collin Klein in 2012.

Thompson – who has four career game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or later, which includes one at Texas Tech two years ago – has thrown for 1,888 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions.

With 10 rushing yards against TTU, Thompson can become the fourth signal caller in school history with 3,000 career passing yards and 1,000 career rushing yards.

Receivers Dalton Schoen and Malik Knowles each have over 300 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

The K-State defense enters the week ranked highly in many statistical categories, including third down defense (4th; 26.9%), first downs allowed (16th; 169) and passing yards allowed (30th; 198.7).

K-State has given up just eight passing TDs this season, which are tied for the sixth fewest nationally this year.

The Cats have surrendered only 29 total third down conversions this season – the fewest in the FBS – while they were the final team to allow a fourth-down conversion when they did so against Texas.

Safeties Wayne Jones (45) and Denzel Goolsby (44) along with linebacker Elijah Sullivan (43) lead the team in tackles.

Eleven different Cats have at least 2.0 TFLs – led by Wyatt Hubert’s 8.5 – and Hubert leads the team with 5.0 sacks.

The Wildcats possess a great kicker/punter duo as Blake Lynch ranks seventh nationally in field goal percentage (92.9%), while Devin Anctil ranks 21st in the nation with a 44.3-yard punting average.

A LOOK AT TEXAS TECH

Texas Tech enters the game with a 4-6 overall record and a 2-5 mark in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders dropped a tight 33-31 contest at home last week to TCU.

On offense, the Red Raiders are one of the top passing teams in the country, averaging 312.9 yards a game through the air.

Jett Duffey has thrown for 2,107 yards and 14 touchdowns, while the Red Raiders have eight wide receivers with 20 or more catches, led by T.J. Vasher’s 37.

On defense, Tech boasts the Big 12’s leading tackler in Jordyn Brooks (102), while Douglas Coleman leads the league with eight interceptions.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES

K-State leads the all-time series, 10-9, including a 7-1 mark over the last eight years and a 10-6 advantage since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996.

One of those games was the first-ever Big 12 game, as the Cats topped Tech, 21-14, on Aug. 31, 1996.

K-State is in search of its fourth-straight win over the Red Raiders, which would tie the Wildcats’ longest winning streak in the series.

Two years ago in Lubbock, K-State trailed by 11 early in the fourth quarter but Skylar Thompson engineered a five-play, 80-yard drive that was capped with his own one-yard touchdown rush before throwing a pass to Dalton Schoen for a game-tying two-point conversion. In overtime, K-State scored on its first possession on a Thompson-to-Byron Pringle eight-yard pass before a Red Raider fourth-down pass attempt went out of the back of the end zone to seal a 42-35 Wildcat victory.

CATS IN NOVEMBER

Over the past decade, Kansas State has been at its best in the final month of the season as the Wildcats hold a 23-14 record in November since 2010.

K-State has not had a sub-.500 mark in November since 2009.

The Cats are in the midst of playing five games in the month of November for the first time since 2013 when they finished off the final month of the season with a 4-1 mark.

By GREG BEACHAM

AP Sports Writer

MEXICO CITY — Daniel Sorensen picked off Philip Rivers’ fourth interception at the goal line with 18 seconds to play, and the Kansas City Chiefs stayed on top of the AFC West with a 24-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night at Azteca Stadium.

Patrick Mahomes passed for 182 yards and hit Travis Kelce for his only touchdown, while LeSean McCoy and Darrel Williams rushed for touchdowns as the Chiefs (7-4) hung on to win the fourth regular-season NFL game played in Mexico despite a few problems with Azteca’s grass field and a one-sided first half favoring the Chargers (4-7), who racked up 312 yards without a touchdown.

After throwing his second interception of the season in the first half, Mahomes led two sharp scoring drives in the third quarter with help from Kelce, who caught seven passes for 92 yards. The Chiefs held Los Angeles to eight points in the second half, and Sorensen grabbed Rivers’ underthrown pass to Austin Ekeler at the goal line to secure the Chiefs’ 10th win over Los Angeles in 11 meetings.

Rivers passed for 353 yards during his first four-interception game since November 2016 for the Chargers, whose playoff hopes are nearly dead after five losses in seven games. Keenan Allen caught his first TD pass since Week 3 in the third quarter, but the Chargers had three inept drives in the scoreless fourth quarter.

On the Bolts’ last gasp, Mike Williams made a spectacular 50-yard catch with 44 seconds to play. Los Angeles reached the Kansas City 14 before Rivers’ final mistake. Rivers, who turns 38 next month, has thrown seven interceptions in the Chargers’ last two games.

One year after the NFL called off a game at Azteca Stadium on short notice because of poor field conditions, these teams played an entertaining game in the 7,200-foot elevation and on the Azteca grass, which yielded several significant divots from sharp stops or changes of direction.

The Rams and Chiefs were scheduled to play here last season, but severe damage to the turf field compelled the NFL to relocate the game to Los Angeles on six days’ notice.

Azteca removed its hybrid turf and installed natural grass this year, and the field had been untouched since Club América’s last home soccer game Nov. 2. The grounds crew came onto the field at halftime and during timeouts in the second half to attend to the worst spots.

The NFL and the stadium still threw an impressive party for 76,252 of Mexico’s football-loving fans, who packed the arena and mostly supported the Chargers, the nominal home team.

Although the teams spent less than 48 hours in Mexico’s capital city, the NFL has deep roots among fans around the country. Commissioner Roger Goodell met Monday with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador while the league and the federal government are considering extending the Mexico game series beyond its current deal through 2021.

The game was particularly special to Chargers cornerback Michael Davis, the son of a U.S. immigrant from Mexico City. Davis got to play in front of his grandparents for the first time.

But the Chargers trailed 10-9 at halftime despite outgaining Kansas City 312-109 and making five drives into Chiefs territory. Rivers threw two interceptions and Michael Badgley missed a 40-yard field goal attempt while making three others, wasting a defensive effort that included Rayshawn Jenkins picking off Mahomes.

Tyreek Hill left the field with a right hamstring injury after the Chiefs’ second offensive series, although it didn’t appear to be caused by the turf. The speedster watched the second half from the sideline.

Tyrann Mathieu’s 35-yard interception return set up McCoy’s 6-yard TD run for the game’s first touchdown in the second quarter. After Williams scored on the Chiefs’ opening drive of the second half, Mahomes hit Kelce with a picture-perfect 23-yard TD throw on the next drive.

Rivers and Allen answered with a TD connection late in the third quarter and a 2-point conversion. The two-time Pro Bowl receiver improbably hadn’t caught a TD pass since Week 3.

INJURIES

Chiefs: Along with Hill, RB Damien Williams was lost to a rib injury and safety Jordan Lucas went out with a shoulder injury. … Center Austin Reiter was evaluated for a concussion but returned.

Chargers: LT Russell Okung missed his second straight game with a groin injury. … Allen went down hard on the final play of a drive in the second quarter but returned.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: A bye week followed by an important visit from the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 1.

Chargers: After a bye week, a trip to face the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 1.

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Nov. 17, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:

Record Pts Prv
1. Duke (52) 4-0 1608 2
2. Louisville (8) 4-0 1501 4
3. Michigan St. (4) 2-1 1496 3
4. Kansas 2-1 1389 5
5. North Carolina 3-0 1262 6
6. Maryland 3-0 1240 7
7. Virginia (1) 3-0 1232 9
8. Gonzaga 4-0 1227 8
9. Kentucky 2-1 1110 1
10. Ohio St. 3-0 1006 16
11. Oregon 4-0 998 14
12. Texas Tech 3-0 947 11
13. Seton Hall 3-1 837 12
14. Arizona 4-0 644 19
15. Utah St. 4-0 619 17
16. Memphis 3-1 574 13
17. Villanova 2-1 560 10
18. Xavier 4-0 463 21
19. Auburn 4-0 420 22
20. Tennessee 3-0 402 —
21. VCU 4-0 365 —
22. Texas 4-0 238 —
23. Colorado 2-0 208 25
24. Baylor 2-1 179 24
25. Washington 2-1 150 20

Others receiving votes: Florida St. 91, Florida 67, LSU 61, Saint Mary’s 55, Evansville 43, Oklahoma 29, Vermont 11, Michigan 11, Marquette 11, Purdue 11, Butler 10, Mississippi St. 9, Virginia Tech 7, West Virginia 6, Providence 5, Wisconsin 5, Liberty 4, Arkansas 3, Missouri 2, UConn 2, Southern Cal 2, New Mexico 2, San Diego St. 2, Dayton 1.