CANYON, Texas — Pittsburg State built a 28-21 lead by the intermission and outscored West Texas A&M 14-7 in the second half to close out its abbreviated 2020 season with a 42-28 win on Saturday.
Pittsburg State closes the 2020 season with a 2-2 record, earning wins over Missouri Western and West Texas A&M and taking losses to Nebraska-Kearney and Stephen F. Austin.
The Gorillas gained 519 yards of total offense in a balanced attack, passing for 271 and rushing for 248. Pittsburg State won the time-of-possession battle 32:23 to 27:37 and scored on all four red zone opportunities. PSU converted on 7-of-11 third-down attempts and were 3-for-3 on fourth downs.
Quarterback Mak Sexton completed 21-of-30 passes for 271 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Running back Tyler Adkins rushed 15 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns, while Tucker Horak added 69 rushing yards and Drew Winn 52 rushing yards. Bryce Murphy, a Neosho product, led Pittsburg State with eight receptions and a team-high 137 receiving yards and a touchdown. Jalen Martin added six receptions for 70 yards and Dylan White, a Pittsburg High School graduate, caught four passes for 46 yards and a score.
West Texas A&M ran for 285 and passed for 215 with running back Khalil Harris leading the way on the ground with 22 carries for 133 yards. Prince Ugwu and Jordan Johnson added rushing scores. Quarterback Nick Gerber completed 16-of-25 passes for 215 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while rushing six times for 66 yards. Kenneath Redd and Maxwell Perez each caught touchdowns.
Pittsburg State jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter after Sexton scored from a yard out to open the game with a six-play, 70-yard touchdown drive. Kaden Roy, a Webb City product, scooped up a fumble and returned it 48 yards to the house less than two minutes later to give PSU a two-score advantage.
Redd halted in a 15-yard touchdown from Gerber to trim the margin to one score before a 1-yard rushing score by Adkins put the Gorillas on top 21-14 with 7:59 left in the first half.
West Texas A&M scored on a 3-yard rush from Johnson, but again Pittsburg State answered with 2:06 left in the half after Sexton hit White for a 17-yard passing score to send the Gorillas into the intermission with a 28-21 advantage.
Adkins added a 13-yard rushing score with 10 minutes left in the third to give the Gorillas the momentum for good. Murphy found the end zone on a 31-yard pass from Sexton at the start of the fourth quarter.
PITTSBURG, Kan. — It took less than 10 minutes of action for Pittsburg State men’s basketball to take control in a season-opening 109-49 win over Tabor in an exhibition contest on Saturday at John Lance Arena.
The Gorillas, who held the lead for all but 15 seconds, shot 60 percent from the field (46-77) in the win, limiting the Blue Jays to 33 percent shooting (20-59) in the loss. Pittsburg State also shot well from beyond the arc in the win, connecting on 14-of-25 attempts to finish at 56 percent.
“Defensive execution, which I thought we did a good job of,” Pittsburg State coach Kim Anderson said when asked what he was looking for out of his team in their exhibition with Tabor. “We did a pretty good job guarding the ball. Offensively, it’s efficiency. We are trying to be efficient and not turn the ball over a lot. We didn’t. … We shot the ball well, got to the basket and rebounded.
“I think they were thrilled to play today. … We are only going to play 22 games, at the most, in the regular season. Every game, I think, has maybe got a little more importance to it than it would in the past, when maybe you would play 30 games.”
Pittsburg State finished with five players in double figures, with forward Gwarren Douglas leading the way off the bench with a team-high 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, to go along with four rebounds. Forward Bobby Arthur-Williams Jr. finished with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 2-for-3 from the perimeter, and a team-high eight rebounds. Martin Vogts and Antonio Givens II each added 15 points, with Vogts adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals and Givens five rebounds and two steals. Ike Moore scored 10 points and was second on the team in assists with six.
The Gorillas didn’t take long to assert themselves as the better team, building up a 12-point advantage thanks to a 9-for-14 start from the field through the first six minutes for a 20-8 lead. Arthur-Williams and Givens each had six points during the early run. Pittsburg State’s margin hit the 20-point threshold, 36-16, with six minutes left in the first half, and the Gorillas closed out the first 20 minutes of action on a 20-3 run to head into the locker room with a 56-19 cushion.
“I thought we did a good job, especially in the first half defensively,” Anderson said. “We had worked a lot on some different things and did it. I thought our guys did a good job of controlling the game.”
Pittsburg State caught fire from the perimeter in the second half, knocking down 8-of-10 shots from 3-point range. The Gorillas limited the Blue Jays to 39 percent shooting in the second half, cruising to the win.
“We set a goal at halftime and every point that Tabor scored over that goal, (the team) was going to run,” Anderson said. “That motivated them pretty well. They actually made the goal, so they don’t have to run. I thought after the first five minutes we were a little sloppy in the second half. I thought we settled down and did a pretty good job.”
SEASON OUTLOOK
Pittsburg State, selected to finish seventh in the MIAA preseason coaches poll, open the season on Nov. 21 with a road matchup at Central Oklahoma. The Gorillas are projected to have the same starting five in the opener as their exhibition with Tabor—Arthur-Williams, Givens, Quentin Hardrict, Vogts and guard Ryan Pippins.
“I think we are going to shoot the ball pretty well,” Anderson said. “Defensively, we’ve had a scrimmage with (Southwest Baptist) and we’ve had this game, and maybe we are better than I thought. At least right now. We still have a lot to work on, but we will see what happens in the next week.
“I think there is a tremendous amount of competition on this team. I love that. I think we’ve got three or four guys who can play at point guard. We have some height on the inside, and hopefully we’ve got good shooters.”
Of course, the Gorillas will have plenty of depth this season. Figuring to see time in the rotation includes forward Xavier Womack, Douglas and guard Ike Moore, forward Zach Burch as well as guard Ray Elliott (DNP), forward Dejon Waters Jr. (DNP) and guard RJ Lawrence (DNP), with others in line for minutes as well.
“I think we are fairly deep,” Anderson said. “When we go play (Central Oklahoma) next week, we will find out if we are ‘good’ deep, if our depth is going to be a strength for us. We had four guys sitting out that would have played today, someway. I don’t know how I would have played them, but they all would have played significant minutes.”
“If you look at it now, I think this is probably the deepest team I’ve had (since coming over to Pittsburg State),” Anderson continued. “Obviously, when you have a team this deep, you have to do a good job of managing minutes and getting guys engaged. So, I’d rather have that problem than the other problem, which is not having enough (depth).”
As far as what Anderson would like to see his team improve on as the season gets underway?
“Just better execution and more consistency,” Anderson said. “I think sometimes we get a little sloppy, our mind wanders a little bit. I think that is probably the main thing.”
Just like every other collegiate, prep or professional program currently in session or on the verge of starting up, managing the COVID pandemic and safety protocols has been a top priority for the Gorillas, and Anderson has been pleased with how serious his players are taking their responsibilities to be as safe as possible.
“It’s just a part of their life now,” Anderson said. “They know that if they want to play basketball and continue to be here and get their education, they have to do this stuff. Everybody has to realize that, too. I think they’ve done a great job. I hope that we can continue and stay relatively healthy.”
And while the Gorillas have done all they can to ensure their health for the start of the season, they know, along with every other team in action, that playing out the season may be out of their hands. You can be sure, no matter how many games get played this season, each one of them will have a significant meaning.
“I think we just have to feel fortunate that we are getting the opportunity to play,” Anderson said. “The people who are in charge are working as hard as they can to give us that opportunity, and that includes our institution. But that also includes our city people and our county people. It’s for real. Day by day, we just have to approach it.”
Pittsburg State’s Quentin Hardrict dribbles up the floor in the Gorillas’ exhibition win over Tabor on Friday. Photo by Reid Williams.
PITTSBURG, Kan. — Pittsburg State University and the Crawford County CVB has been selected to host the 2024 Men’s and Women’s NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships, according to a press release by PSU.
“For the NCAA to choose Pittsburg State as a host site for the indoor track & field championships for a fifth time reflects the organization’s appreciation for jobs well done in hosting our three times previously,” PSU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Jim Johnson said in the release. “We certainly are excited on campus for this new opportunity and we have tremendous partners in the city of Pittsburg and the Crawford County CVB to help us be great hosts again with future championships.”
Pittsburg State will host the marquee event at the Robert W. Plaster Center. Pittsburg State has successfully hosted the 2016, 2018 and 2019 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships and already had been tabbed to host the 2022 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Additionally, the Robert W. Plaster Center has served as the host site for the 2017 and 2019 NJCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships.
The Pittsburg State Gorillas football program will take on Stephen F. Austin State at Homer Bryce Stadium in Nacogdoches, Texas on November 14, 2020.
The MIAA announced the suspension of all fall athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic on Aug. 14.
“Though the conference football season is canceled, we are committed to assembling an abbreviated non-conference schedule,” said Pittsburg State’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Jim Johnson in a press release. “This is important for next season, for our seniors who’ll soon leave us, and for our community. We look forward to it.”
For new head coach Brian Wright and his staff, any opportunity to compete is very welcome.
“This season is not what we planned, but our coaches and athletes have adapted and we’ve stayed prepared,” said Wright in the release. “Giving our athletes a chance to play the game they love, test themselves, and put in the work to stay game-ready for next season is our top priority. I’m happy for them, for our coaches, and for our fans.”
Pittsburg State will announce a total of no more than five non-conference games in the next few days. Plans are underway for two home games at Carnie Smith Stadium. Pittsburg State Athletics will work with the Crawford County Health Department and the Bryant Student Health Center to determine crowd capacity and spectator virus mitigation measures, with details being announced as they are determined.
