PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) – Miles Bridges scored 21 points to help No. 24 Michigan State hold off Wichita State 77-72 on Friday in the Battle 4 Atlantis third-place game.
Eron Harris added 13 points for the Spartans (4-3), who followed Thursday’s loss to No. 20 Baylor by building a huge second-half lead – and then nearly blowing it.
They led by 18 midway through the half and held a 15-point lead with 8:05 left, only to see the Shockers (5-2) turn to fullcourt pressure to get back in it. Wichita State ran off a 14-0 run to get to 66-65 on Daishon Smith’s layup over Bridges with 4:13 left.
The Shockers ultimately had one more chance to tie it in the final seconds, but Smith missed a long straightaway 3. Bridges grabbed the rebound and hit two clinching free throws with 4.7 seconds left.
Darral Willis scored 16 points to lead Wichita State.
Doe celebrates after a sack and forced fumble vs. Washburn University this season. Photo by Everett Royer. Courtesy FHSU University Relations.
By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN FHSU University Relations
Fort Hays State University football fans might have wondered the past two seasons why the Tigers’ star defensive end was wearing the No. 8 jersey, a number more often worn by quarterbacks and players in skill positions.
That number must be special to him for some reason, fans concluded.
Even for those not familiar with how uniform numbers are assigned, it didn’t take long to realize that No. 8 — Sie Doe Jr., whose last name means “blessed” in his culture — was blessed with some special athletic talent.
Public address announcer Ken Windholz dragged out the name “See-ee-ee-ee Doe-oe-oe-oe” a lot during the 2015 and ’16 seasons.
Doe used his cat-quick moves to record 146 tackles, including a school record-tying 21.5 quarterback sacks, during his two-year FHSU career. He set the single-season school sacks record with 15 this fall en route to being chosen MIAA Defensive Player of the Year.
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The 6-foot, 1-inch, 230-pound Doe will try to help the Tigers accomplish something special when they take on Eastern New Mexico University in the Heart of Texas Bowl in Copperas Cove, Texas, on Dec. 3.
This marks the first time in FHSU football history that the Tigers (7-4) have advanced to postseason action in consecutive seasons. A win over Eastern New Mexico would be the first postseason win ever for the Tiger program.
Doe has one more time to don that No. 8 FHSU jersey, and he plans to make the most of it.
“This is another opportunity to take a step forward for our program,” he said. “I tell other players you need to leave this program better than what you found it.”
That’s the kind of leadership that Ike Equae, FHSU’s defensive line coach, has come to expect from Doe.
“He’s a team guy; he really wants everybody around him to be the best they possibly can,” Equae said. “He’s that kind of leader; he wants others to watch him perform and follow behind him.”
Equae wasn’t just talking about football, and neither is Doe when he calls himself “relentless.”
Doe revealed the reason for wearing the No. 8 jersey. Born on the Ivory Coast in May 1993, Doe escaped a civil war in West Africa with his mom and his younger sister, Kadija, when he was 12 years old. They landed in Buffalo, N.Y., then moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where his sister died at the age of 8 from an illness when Doe was in high school.
“My sister and I were really close, and I’ve worn No. 8 ever since she passed away,” Doe said.
Equae started recruiting Doe out of Butte College, a two-year community college in California, in the spring of 2015.
Doe had established himself as one of the best defensive ends in the country at the community college level, leading Butte to an undefeated season and national championship his freshman year, then earning multiple postseason honors as a sophomore. But Doe’s first question to Equae had nothing to do with performance or his chances of playing immediately at FHSU.
“I asked him if number 8 was available,” Doe said. “I explained to Coach Ike that if I couldn’t get that number, I wouldn’t come here.”
Lucky for Fort Hays State, standout defensive back Nathan Lindsey, who wore No. 8 for the two seasons prior to that, had moved on to the NFL.
The NFL is where Doe has aspirations to be someday, and Equae won’t bet against him.
“He is probably one of a handful of players who absolutely wants to be the best he can possibly be, in every facet of the game,” Equae said. “He is the one player up here in the office the most watching film. He wants to evaluate not only himself, but the people he is playing against, too.”
Equae witnessed that persistence in Doe’s first year at FHSU.
“After about the fourth or fifth game, people were double- and triple-teaming him and chip blocking,” Equae said. “But he did not let that stop him. He has a motor that will not stop.”
Then at the end of the 2015 season, Equae, who had just completed his second year of coaching at FHSU, learned that Doe had earned honorable mention honors in the MIAA, one of the top NCAA Division II conferences in the nation.
Doe appreciated the recognition, but he wanted more.
“He came into my office and was very upset about getting (honorable mention),” Equae said. “He wanted to know what to do to become one of the best in the conference. So we made goals, and he never wavered from that.”
Doe returned to California last summer to put in extra work.
“I’d wake up at 4 a.m. and go run, go lift then go to the field three times a day and work on my technique,” Doe said. “I’ve watched (NFL players) to see the things they do to be successful. It’s not just about talent. It’s about the work you put in during the offseason.”
When he returned to Hays for his senior campaign, “you could tell he was definitely on another level,” Equae said.
Indeed.
In addition to his 15 quarterback sacks, Doe had 18.5 tackles for loss this season and five forced fumbles, which ties him for first in the nation in NCAA D-II. He reached his goal of being named to the first team in the MIAA — and was named the top defensive player of the year to boot.
Doe said he always knew growing up he wanted to play professionally, but it was a different kind of football.
“I had played soccer my whole life, and I wanted to play professional soccer like my cousin,” he said of Darlington Nagbe, a midfielder for the U.S. men’s national soccer team who also plays for the Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer.
“But I transferred high schools my sophomore year, and the football coach said he wanted me to try football,” Doe continued. “He told me in the U.S., football is the thing, that I could get scholarships to get my college education paid for, so I thought, ‘OK, I’ll try football.’ So I grew into a football body.”
Doe took his soccer skills with him onto the football field.
“It’s all about your feet and quickness in soccer,” he said. “So that definitely helps me, having played soccer for so long.”
Doe said his work ethic comes from his mother.
“Her struggles, what I’ve seen her go through and still be relentless,” he said, “that’s my No. 1 focus and the thing that inspires me.”
But Doe also credits Eguae, who he calls a father figure, and Fort Hays State for a big part of his success. He is on track to graduate in December with a degree in organizational leadership.
“I have learned so much at Fort Hays State, mainly to put others first and deal with situations and hang in there no matter what,” he said. “Nothing I did this year was because of me. It was because of God, my mother, Coach Ike and my teammates. Had I gone anywhere else, I wouldn’t have been the player I am now. I wouldn’t have been the person I am now.”
Doe hopes for one final Tiger victory on Dec. 3 before pursuing his dream of playing in the NFL. Information about the bowl game, including ticket prices, can be found at www.fhsuathletics.com.
“We all have to do our job,” Doe said. “Every single one of us has to go out there and be a Tiger — and scratch and scratch and scratch.”
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) – Donovan Mitchell scored 14 points, including two critical 3-pointers in the final 4 1/2 minutes, to help No. 10 Louisville beat Wichita State 62-52 on Thursday, earning a trip to the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game.
Quentin Snider also scored 14 for the Cardinals (5-0), who locked down defensively in the first half, then turned away the Shockers’ second-half comeback.
Trailing 33-17 at the half and by 16 with about 14 minutes left, Wichita State (5-1) hit three straight 3-pointers to get back in it and twice got within six. But the Cardinals repeatedly came up with timely offensive rebounds or baskets to keep control.
Wichita State shot just 32 percent for the game, while Louisville – which shot 37 percent – helped itself by making 17 of 23 free throws and taking a 46-33 rebounding advantage.
Markis McDuffie and Shaquille Morris each scored 10 for the Shockers.
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State head women’s basketball coach Tony Hobson has announced the addition of three student-athletes for the 2017-18 season during the early signing period. Joining the Tigers next season will be Kayla Bush, Whitney Clampitt and Whitney Randall.
“All three of these players have traits and characteristics that fit perfectly with what we are trying to do here,” said Hobson. “They are all hard workers, they have all had success in the classroom and they come from successful high school programs. We are very excited to get them on campus and plugged into our system.”
Kayla Bush joins the Tigers from Morristown High School in Morristown, N.J. Bush will serve as the captain of the basketball team this season after helping the Colonials to a 40-11 record over the last two seasons. A 6-foot-3-inch post player, Bush averages seven points and 5.5 rebounds per game. She received Most Improved Player honors from the Daily Record. In the offseason, Bush plays for the NJ Panthers, a travel team sponsored by adidas. “Kayla is a very talented player, and it’s clear that she has a strong basketball mind and puts in the work necessary to succeed,” Hobson said.
Whitney Clampitt comes to FHSU from Chillicothe High School in Chillicothe, Mo. Clampitt, a 5-foot-9-inch guard, has earned first team all-conference and all-district honors after all three seasons of her high school career to date, in addition to a pair of all-state accolades. She earned Class 3 Player of the Year and Dream Team honors from KMZU. In three years with the Hornets, Clampitt averages nearly 14 points per game while pulling down four rebounds per night. She has received three academic letters for her work in the classroom. “Whitney is very athletic – she leaves everything out on the court each time she plays,” said Hobson.
Whitney Randall joins the Tigers from Alva High School in Alva, Okla., where she has helped her team to three-straight state championships. She earned second team all-tournament honors at the state tournament as a sophomore before picking up first-team accolades last season as a junior. The five-foot-ten-inch guard earned multiple conference all-tournament awards while averaging 13.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Goldbugs. Randall has been a member of the Oklahoma Honor Society since 2013, the National Honor Society since 2014 and will serve as the NHS secretary this year. Her team was also named academic state champions twice. “Whitney is a big, athletic presence in the backcourt,” said Hobson. “Her tenacity and physicality will fit perfectly in our system.”
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) – Landry Shamet scored 16 points to help Wichita State beat LSU 82-47 on Wednesday in the opening game at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Markis McDuffie added 13 points for the Shockers (5-0), who dominated from the tip and scored the game’s first nine points to quickly turn this into a rout. And they did it much like their first four lopsided wins, with a balanced deep and offense with seemingly no shortage of scoring options.
Three days after scoring 116 points in a game, 12 Shockers scored while the team made 10 of 20 from 3-point range, shot 46 percent overall and dominated the glass.
Antonio Blakeney scored 12 points for the Tigers (3-1), who never recovered from that awful start. LSU didn’t manage its first point until the 14:32 mark, didn’t manage a basket until nearly 6 1/2 minutes in and shot 28 percent for the game.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Dean Wade had a season-high 13 points and DJ Johnson and Barry Brown added 12 points each to help Kansas State beat Robert Morris 61-40 on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats (4-0) never trailed and shot 47 percent on 23-of-49 shooting. Wade also grabbed nine rebounds and Johnson had eight.
Robert Morris (0-5) shot 23 percent on 13 of 57 shooting and Kansas State was able to separate during the Colonials’ scoring droughts. On top of their shooting woes, Robert Morris also committed 25 turnovers though the Wildcats had 21 of their own.
Isaiah Still led the Colonials in scoring with 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting and Aaron Tate grabbed 11 rebounds.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Frank Mason III had 19 points, Josh Jackson added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and fifth-ranked Kansas turned to its zone defense to beat Georgia 65-54 on Tuesday night in the CBE Classic championship game.
Devonte Graham added 14 points for the Jayhawks (4-1), who won their third consecutive in-season tournament title and second CBE Classic. They also won the tournament in 2012.
The Jayhawks hope it’s the beginning of a sweet ride at the Sprint Center this season. They play Davidson in the building in a couple of weeks, have the Big 12 Tournament in March, and then hope to land in the NCAA Tournament regional finals with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
WICHITA, Kan. – Fort Hays State scored the final six points after Newman went on a 7-0 to pull within two with 1:48 to play and the Tigers hold off the Jets 73-65 Tuesday at Fugate Gymnasium. Rob Davis, who hit a deep 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds to play to push the lead to six, led the Tigers with game-high 24 points. Hadley Gillum added 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, and Trey O’Neil, who hit a 3-pointer with a little over six minutes to play to break a 57-all tie and give the Tigers (3-2) the lead for good, added a career-high 12 points.
Mark Johnson Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
Fort Hays State used a 14-3 first half run to build a nine-point lead and led by seven at the half. They quickly pushed the lead to 13 a little over three minutes into the second half, but the Jets (1-4) used 21-8 run over the next 8 1/2 minutes to tie the game at 57 with a little over seven minutes to play.
The Tigers, who battled foul trouble much of the night, shot 48-percent including 7-of-18 from beyond the arc. Newman was held to a season-low 34-percent but knocked down 11 3-pointers and outscored the Tigers by eight at the free throw line.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Josh Jackson had 22 points, Frank Mason III and Devonte Graham were nearly as productive and No. 5 Kansas rolled to an 83-63 victory over Alabama-Birmingham in the CBE Classic semifinals Monday night.
Mason finished with 20 points and Graham had 16 for the Jayhawks (3-1), who advanced to play George for the title on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs beat George Washington 81-73 in the other semifinal.
Kansas raced to a big early lead, weathered several runs by UAB, then relied on their backcourt of Jackson, Mason and Graham to pull away from the Blazers down the stretch.
Dirk Williams led the Blazers (2-2) with 13 points. Tyler Madison had 12.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) – Cornerback Aqib Talib and defensive end Derek Wolfe fully participated in the Denver Broncos’ practice Monday following the team’s much-needed bye week.
Talib has missed the last two games with a bad lower back and Wolfe suffered a hairline fracture of his right elbow in a game against Oakland on Nov. 6.
Also, rookie fullback Andy Janovich ditched the cast he’d been wearing since breaking his right hand against the Texans on Oct. 24.
The only players who missed Monday’s practice were wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, whose wife is in labor, and center Matt Paradis, who is dealing with a sore hip and has been held out of practice for much of this month.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State wrestler Jon Inman was named the MIAA Wrestler of the Week on Monday (Nov. 21) for his winning effort at the UNK Holiday Inn Open in Kearney, Neb. this past weekend.
Inman was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the UNK Holiday Inn Open. Ranked No. 4 nationally at 197 pounds in Division II, he dominated to a 4-0 performance, picking up two technical falls, a decision, and a fall. He blanked Barrett Hamilton of Morningside 16-0 in the first round, defeated Cody Marquez 6-2 in the quarterfinals, blitzed past Ken Burkhardt Jr. of Concordia (Neb.), then pinned Trey Schlender, an unattached wrestler, at 4:27 in the championship match. Inman is now 11-0 on the season and has won all three tournaments he has competed in this season.
Click below to listen to Tiger Talk with “Voice of the Tigers” Gerard Wellbrock and Fort Hays State women’s basketball coach Tony Hobson and men’s coach Mark Johnson.
Tiger Talk airs on Monday evening at 6 p.m. on Tiger Radio Mix-103.
