Mens Basketball
Cowboys Sign Porter HS Star
Connors State head basketball coach Bill Muse has announced the signing of Porter High School’s Erick Braodnax to an NJCAA National Letter-of-intent.
Broadnax, 6-foot, 8-inch center, led Porter to a 24-7 record last season and to the area finals. He was a member of the Muskoge Phoenix All-Area Team.
Harrison Signs With Stephen F. Austin
Connors State’s Jared Harrison, 5-10 sophomore point guard from Slidell, La., has signed a NCAA Division I National Letter of Intent with Stephen F. Austin University, announced Cowboys head basketball coach Bill Muse.
Harrison, who was named to the Region II and Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference first teams, averaged 12.4 points a game for the Cowboys. He shot 82 percent at the free throw line, 49.2 percent from the field, including 43 percent from behind the arc. Harrison is averaged 3.2 assists per game and 1.3 steals.
Stephen F. Austin, located in Nacogdoches, Texas, competes in the Southland Conference and posted a 20-12 record last season under head coach Danny Kaspar.
Cowboys Rank Among Top 10 on NJCAA Statistical Charts
Connors State Cowboys finished among the top 10 in four categories of the NJCAA National basketball statistics for the 2011-12 season.
Cowboys led the nation in field goal shooting percentage at 54 percent for the season. CSC also ranked No. 4 in 3-point shooting at 40 percent and No. 8 in the nation in free throw shooting at 70 percent.
Connors was 10th on the NJCAA national scoring chart averaging 87 points per game.
The Cowboys under head coach Bill Muse completed the year with a 23-7 record.
Carl Albert Upsets Cowboys in Region II Tournament
SHAWNEE –It was a game of two halves and Carl Albert State won the one that counted…the second half.
The 10-seeded Vikings rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to score 53 points in the second to shock No. 2-seeded Connors State 71-64 in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Region II Basketball Tournament at Oklahoma Baptist University’s Noble Center Friday afternoon.
Connors ends its season 22-8, while the Vikings advanced to the semifinals with a 7-23 record.
“It was two completely different halves,” said Connors coach Bill Muse. “I don’t know what happened to our team in the second half. We came out with a 13 point lead, hold them to 18 points in the half and they come out and score 53 the second half.
“It was just unbelievable the performance. We got one good performance and that was (Shaquille) Shannon (who finished with a double-double, 25 points and 10 rebounds). Our point guard made the first shot of the game and then missed everything else.
“And, it was just a total breakdown on defense. We couldn’t guard them at all. We panic a little bit at the end when we got behind.
“It’s very disappointing. We can be happy we won 22 games, but to come into the first round of the tournament and play like this…..is really disappointing,” said Muse.
The Cowboys led 31-18 at the break opened but opened the second half cold from the field. Connors failed to score a field goal for six-minutes. Josh Cameron ended the drought scoring on a short jumper. He finished with 13 points.
During the Connors scoring drought, Carl Albert cut the margin to seven points, 33-26 at the 14:00 mark. Carl Albert took its first lead of the game 40-39 with 7:10, but it was short lived as Cameron scored on a reverse layup for a 41-40 Cowboys lead with 6:48 left.
However, that was the last time Connors would hold the lead as Jaymere Hadden scored giving the Vikings a 42-41 advantage, a lead they never relinquished. Carl Albert stretched its lead to as many as 10 points, 64-54 late in the game with Myron Williams leading the assault.
Williams led the Vikings scoring with 26 points, draining 9-of-18 attempts. Adrion Webber followed with 15 and Jamal Allston added 14.
Carl Albert shot 43 percent from the field (22-51) and 6-of-13 from behind the arc. Connors was 20-of-58 from the field for 34.5 percent and just 6-of-24 on 3-point shots for 25 percent. The Cowboys outrebounded Carl Albert 40-33, including 17-8 on the offensive end.
Cowboys jumped out to a 31-18 lead at the break behind the hot shooting of Terrance Walker and Shannon who scored 10 points each. The Cowboys shot 40 percent in the opening 20 minutes, canning 10-of-25 attempts.
Defensively Connors was outstanding as the Vikings managed only 29 percent from the field on 7-of-24 attempts. The Cowboys controlled the boards the first half outrebounding Vikings 22-13, including six offensive boards.
Connors largest lead of the half was 16 points, 26-10 at the 6:02 mark on a pair of free throws by Walker.
Carl Albert 71, Connors State 64
Carl Albert 18 53—71
Connors State 31 33—64
Carl Albert (7-23) –Harmon 26, Webber 15, Allston 14, Hadden 6, Gallion 6, Williams 3, Gracie 1.
Connors State (22-9) –Shannon 25, Cameron 13, Walker 11, Harrison 6, Henderson 4, Moore 3, Worthy 2.
Region II Games Can be Viewed on Webcast
Fans and students of Connors State Cowboys and Cowgirls basketball, who cannot attend the NJCAA Region II Basketball Tournament that begins on the campus of Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee Thursday, can view the games on a web cast presented by Infinity Sports.TV.
To get the web cast go WWW. Infinity Sports.TV and click on watch “Live” button or http://www.infinitysports.tv/region_2_webcast.html
The Cowgirls open the Tournament on Thursday at 1 p.m. against Murray State in the quarterfinals, while the Cowboys open quarterfinals play on Friday against Carl Albert State College at 1 p.m.
Semifinal play for both the men and women will be held on Saturday and the championship games on Sunday. All games will be held at Oklahoma Baptist University.
Cowboys to Play Carl Albert in Region II Tourney Opener
Connors State Cowboys, the No. 2 seed in the NJCAA Region II Basketball Tournament at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee will play Carl Albert State College in the quarterfinals Friday.
Carl Albert advanced to the 1 p.m. Friday quarterfinal game against Connors with a 73-70 overtime win over Northeastern A&M on Monday night in a first round contest at NEO. The Vikings enter the quarterfinals with a 6-23 record.
The Cowboys are 22-7 for the season and defeated Carl Albert twice in the regular season.
Top seed Eastern State will play Western State at 8 p.m. Friday after Western State eliminated Seminole State on their home floor 78-73. Eastern enters with a 27-3 record while Western State is 14-16.
NOC-Enid (2O-9) will open quarterfinal action against Arkansas Baptist (19-12) at 3 p.m. Friday. Arkansas Baptist advanced with a 95-92 win over Redlands Community College in El Reno Monday night.
NJCAA Region II Pairings Announced
The National Junior College Athletic Association Region II basketball pairings have been announced and the Connors Cowgirls will open play on Thursday, March 8 against Murray State at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee.
The Cowgirls (17-12) and Lady Aggies (17-10) will tip-off the tournament at 1 p.m. Other first round women’s games will have Northeastern A&M (20-9) playing the winner of Redlands (13-16) and Eastern State (9-20) which is played Monday night in Wilburton in a play-in game, at 3 p.m.
Seminole (18-8) will meet the winner of a play-in game between NOC-Tonkawa (15-15) and Arkansas Baptist (21-8) at Tonkawa Monday night, at 8 p.m. Thursday, while top seed NOC-Enid (27-3) goes against the play-in winner between Western State (8-17) and Carl Albert (11-17) at Altus, 6 p.m. on Thursday.
The semifinals will be played on Saturday, with the championship game to be played on Sunday.
In the men’s bracket, Connors Cowboys (22-7) will open play on Friday at 1 p.m. against the play-in winner of Northeastern A&M (12-18) and Carl Albert (5-23) Monday night at Miami.
Other first round pairings will have NOC-Enid (20-9) playing a 3 p.m. clash against the winner of the Redlands (14-14) and Arkansas Baptist (18-12) at El Reno Monday night. NOC-Tonkawa (17-13) will play a 6 p.m. game Friday against Murray State (13-14) while top seed Eastern State plays at 8 p.m. against the play-in game winner between Seminole State (9-19) and Western State (13-16) Monday night at Seminole.
The semifinals will be Saturday and the championship game is Sunday.
Cowboys Named to All-Region and OCAC Teams
Connors State’s Jared Harrison, 5-10 sophomore point guard from Slidell, La. was named to the Region II and Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference first teams.
Named to the OCAC third team were 6-1 freshman guard Josh Cameron from Racine, Wis., 6-8 sophomore forward Terrance Walker from Jonesboro, Ark., and 6-3 sophomore guard Shaquille Shannon from Philadelphia, Pa.
Harrison averaged 12.4 points a game for the Cowboys. He shot 82 percent at the free throw line, 49.2 percent from the field, including 43 percent from behind the arc. Harrison is averaging 3.2 assists per game and 1.3 steals.
Cameron is scoring at a 15.1 clip and is a 42 percent field goal shooter, while connecting on 81.6 percent of his free throws. On three-point shooting Cameron averages 43 percent.
Walker averaged 10.8 scoring with a 63 percent shooting mark from the field.
Shannon averaged 11.8 scoring, 75 percent at the line and is a 43.3 percent shooter from the field. He has averaged 1.5 steals per contest.
Cowboys Knock Off No. 6 Eastern State
WILBURTON – Connors State behind the double digit scoring of Jared Harrison, Terrance Walker, Shaquille Shannon, Denell Henderson and Josh Cameron, the Cowboys knocked off the National Junior College Athletic Association’s No. 6-ranked Eastern State Mountaineers 81-74 on their home floor.
The victory boosts the Cowboys record to 22-7 and 12-6 in OCAC play, while the Mountaineers fall to 15-3 in league action and 27-3 on the season.
Harrison led the Cowboys scoring assault with 18 points followed by Walker’s 16 point production. Shaquille Shannon pumped home 13 followed by Henderson’s 12 and Cameron’s 10 points.
“We played solid basketball,” said Connors head coach Bill Muse. “We held them below their 90 point scoring average with good defensive play. This gives us some momentum going into the Region II Tournament next week.”
The Cowboys knocked down 23 of 36 free throw attempts against the Mountaineers. Connors trailed 39-36 at the intermission, shutting down Eastern’s offense in the second half with tenacious defensive play.
Therone Chilton led the Eastern scoring with 19 points, followed by Mikel Terrance’s 14 points and Rod Lewis’ 12. Antwan Cathey scored 10 in the loss.
The Cowboys will now await the Region II Tournament pairings and All-Region selections which are due out on Friday.
CONNORS STATE 81, EASTERN STATE 74
Connors State 36 45—81
Eastern State 39 35--74
Connors State (22-7, 12-6) –Harrison 18, Walker 16, Shannon 13,Henderson 12, Cameron 10, Moore 6, Worthy 6
astern State (27-3, 15-3)—Chilton 19, Mi. Tarrance 14, Lewis 12, Cathey 10, Jones 6, Calloway 5, Ma. Tarrance 4, McClure 2, Ebondo 2..
Cowboys Roll Past Western State on Sophomore Night
It was Sophomore night at Connors State as six Cowboys played their last game at Melvin Self Field House Monday night, Jared Harrison, Devin Harris, Jerome Hamilton, Terrance Walker, Tyren Knight and Tevin Worthy .
The result was an 86-76 victory over Western State in an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference clash and snapped a two-game losing streak.
Cowboys placed five players in double-figure scoring led by Worthy and Shannon with 16 points each. Cameron followed with 13 with Walker and Devante Moore scoring 11 and 10 respectively.
Connors is now 21-7 going into the final regular season game on Thursday at Wilburton, against No. 6-ranked Eastern State. The Cowboys are 11-6 in OCAC play. Western State falls to 12-16 on the year and 5-12 in league play.
Connors broke open a tight ball game midway the second half with a 10-2 run to take a commanding 63-48 lead with 11:22 remaining. The Cowboys’ largest lead of the game was 17 points 67-50 with 9:28 left.
The Pioneers battled back to with seven points, 74-67 before the Cowboys took control with clutch free throw shooting down the stretch, connecting on 6-of-6 attempts.
“We let them get back into the game in the second half, but that’s been the story all year long for us,” said head coach Bill Muse. “We can’t put people away, we can’t sustain it. We have got to find a way the next couple of games or its going to be a short (Region II) tournament.”
Muse said he was “happy” with the Cowboys’ offensive output. But not defensively or at the free throw line.
“Our offense is fine, but we gave up too many points at home,” said Muse. The Cowboys were just 25-of-41 at the line. “We have got to concentrate at the line. We have shot 69 percent this year and last season we led the nation at 75 percent. It was one of those nights were it was a lack of concentration and not a lack of form.”
Cowboys held a precarious 41-33 lead at the break, as they managed to drain only 9 of 20 free throw attempts. However, Moore came off the bench to drain two consecutive back-to-back 3-point shots to put the Cowboys up 10 points, 36-26 at the two-minute mark. It was the largest lead of the half for Connors.
Connors State 86, Western State 76
Western State 33 43—76
Connors State 41 45—86
Western State (12-16, 5-12)—Jackson 15, Rowson 15, Williams 11, Grant 11, Patton 10, Hargrove 6, Lewis 3, Harp 3, Allen 2.
Connors State (21-7, 11-6)—Worthy 16, Shannon 16, Cameron 13, Walker 11, Moore 10, Henderson 9, Harrison 9, Knight 2.
CSC to Establish Athletic Hall of Fame
Connors State College will induct its first Athletic Hall of Fame class in October, announced Connors State Athletic Director and head basketball coach Bill Muse.
“We are very excited about establishing our Athletic Hall of Fame with athletes who excelled in athletics both on and off the playing fields at Connors State College,” said Muse. “This is an exciting time for Connors State and we are looking forward to our first induction in October.
“The Connors State Hall of Fame is the highest athletic honor that can be bestowed on a Cowboy and Cowgirl that participated in athletics. We are asking all former athletes and individuals, who coached, played, participated and were fans of Connors State sports, to make nominations for the first class,” said Muse.
Nominations can be made to CSC Athletic Director Bill Muse by clicking on the form on the athletic web site under Hall of Fame at Connorsathletics.com and sending it electronically or mailing the form to Bill Muse at Connors State College, Route 1, Box 1000 Warner, Okla. 74469-9700. All nominations must be received by July 15th.
A committee will be established to determine the inductees and the number to be accepted into the Hall of Fame each year.
Nominees must be persons of outstanding quality, high moral character, and fine leadership ability and must be held in high esteem by their colleagues, former coaches and former athletes. Nominations may be made any anyone.
Those inducted into the Connors State Athletic Hall of Fame will be honored at an October banquet.
“This will be an annual event at Connors and one that any former Cowboy or Cowgirl will cherish for a lifetime,” said Muse.
Cowboys Rally Falls Short, NOC-Tonkawa Gets Win
Connors State battled back from an 11-point second half deficit, only to have a last second shot by Josh Cameron miss at the buzzer and the Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa Mavericks escaped with a 67-65 victory at Melvin Self Field House Monday night in an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference clash.
The Cowboys fall to 20-6 on the year and 10-5 in OCAC league play, while the Mavericks improve to 14-13 and 9-6. Connors will go on the road Thursday night to play Northern Oklahoma-Enid in another OCAC clash.
“We let the game get away from us in the first half when they scored 40 points, that can’t happen,” said Connors head coach Bill Muse. “Start of the second half they kicked us. We got down five to 11 and then we just tried to grind it back out. When you do that you get what you deserve. They hit their last second shot and made it and we didn’t”
Cameron and Jared Harrison each scored 16 points for the Cowboys with Shaquille Shannon scoring 14, but it wasn’t enough as they were just 19-of-29 at the free throw line. Hans Thun led the Mavericks scoring with 21 points.
Northern opened the second half with six straight points to grab a 10-point lead 46-35 advantage. Connors behind Cameron and Harrison sliced the NOC lead to two points with 7:48 left. Cameron tied it for the first time in the second half on a drive to the bucket, 57-57 with 6:17 remaining.
Northern then took a 5-point lead 64-59 with 3:15 left. Shannon drained two free throws cutting the NOC lead to three points at the 2:12 mark. Cameron then sank two more free throws slicing NOC’s lead to a point 64-33 with 56 seconds left.
Following a missed NOC shot, Connors’ Harrison was fouled by B.J. McDonald and the Cowboy gave CSC the lead 65-64 when he sank both free throws with 22 seconds remaining.
NOC called timeout after getting the ball to midcourt with 14 seconds left. On the inbounds pass from Alex Moore to Thun, he dribbled free and took a 3-point shot that was all net with 5.3 ticks left for a 67-65 lead.
Connors then went the length of the floor and Cameron’s shot was off the mark at the buzzer.
NORTHERN OKLAHOMA-TONKAWA 67, Connors 65
Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa 40 27—67
Connors 35 30—65
Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa (15-12, 8-7)—Thun 21, Francis 11, Ndiaye 10, Thornton 6, Moore 6, Jones 5, Emmerllahu 4, McDonald 4.
Connors State (20-6, 10-5)—Cameron 16, Harrison 16, Shannon 14, Walker 8, Henderson 5, Worthy 4, Moore 2.
Cowboys Sweep Seminole State
SEMINOLE --- Connors State made it a season sweep of Seminole State Monday night as the Cowboys rolled over the Trojans for a 69-61 Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference victory on the Trojans home floor.
The Cowboys are now 20-5 on the year and 10-4 in OCAC play while Seminole falls to 7-16 and 5-8 in league action.
Connors rallied from an 8-point half time deficit, 40-32, to overtake the Trojans in the second half with freshman guard Josh Cameron leading the assault with a 24-point performance.
“We played a sloppy first half, but came back in the second with a good performance,” said Cowboys’ head coach Bill Muse. “Josh (Cameron) had a good first half with 11 points to keep us close and scored even better in the second.”
Cameron wasn’t the only Cowboy scoring in double figures. Terrance Walker scored 14 points and Denell Henderson scored 12 in the victory.
Connors won the game at the free throw line draining 19-of-26 attempts, while the Trojans were just 6-of-17. The Cowboys, who were outrebounded 16-9 by Seminole in the first half, turned up the defensive pressure in the final 20 minutes to outrebound the Trojans 37-35.
“We hit the boards hard the second half and that really helped our offense,” said Muse. “We just didn’t rebound well the first 20 minutes.”
Kendall Parks led the Trojans with 17 points with JoVaughn Love adding 13 and Brandon Wrobbel scoring 12.
The Cowboys return to action on Monday, Feb. 20 against Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa at Melvin Self Field House.
CONNORS STATE 69, SEMINOLE STATE 61
Connors State 32 37--69
Seminole State 40 21--61
Connors State (20-5, 10-4)—Cameron 24, Walker 14, Henderson 12, Shannon 7, Moore 4, Worthy 4, Harrison 4.
Seminole State (7-16, 5-8)—Parks 17, Love 12, Wrobbel 12, Bryson 8, Caporale 6, Mongold 5.
Cowboys Hold Off Norsemen
Miami, Okla. – Connors State made it a sweep of Northeastern A&M with a 76-74 victory over the Norsemen Thursday night in an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference clash on the NEO floor.
The Cowboys defeated the Norsemen 81-67 in a January 10 battle at Melvin Self Field House. Connors retains the “A&M” traveling trophy between the two schools with the latest victory.
Connors improves its season record to 19-5 and OCAC mark to 9-4, while NEO falls to 11-14 and 6-7.
The Cowboys will next meet Seminole State on Monday night in Seminole.
The Cowboys led 75-70 with 21 seconds left on the clock when NEO’s Frank Russell canned a 3-point field goal to create a 75-73 deficit with 14 seconds remaining.
Connors’ Josh Cameron sank the second of a two foul shots giving the Cowboys a 76-73 lead with 11 seconds showing on the clock.
NEO’s Bram Nivar then went to the free throw line and hit the front end of a two-shots at the 7-second mark. Nivar missed the second free throw, but rebounded the ball and tossed it outside to Quinones.
The 3-point attempt by Quinones bounced off the rim as the final buzzer sounded.
Sophomore Terrance Walker scored 12 of his game-high 16 points in the second half to lead the Cowboys’ scoring. Three other Cowboys scored in double figures with Jared Harrison and Josh Cameron scoring 15 points each. Shaquille Shannon added 12 in the win.
Connors held a 33-30 lead at the half and used its perimeter shooting against the Norsemen’s 2-3 zone defense to secure the victory.
“It was a very completive game and they played a two-three zone the entire game which we expected,” said Cowboys head coach Bill Muse. “We took good shots against them and we played well inside.
“Our perimeter played pretty good on the outside. Terrance (Walker) really helped us, especially in the second half. He got into foul trouble the first half, but came back in the second half to play very well and scored some big points for us.
“This was a good win for us on the road,” said Muse.
The Norsemen’s scoring was led by Quinones with 16 points with Brandon White, Frank Russell and Chris Cox with 13 points each.
CONNORS 76, NORTHEASTERN A&M 74
Connors State 33 43—76
Northeastern A&M 30 34—74
Connors State (19-5, 9-4)—Walker 16, Cameron 15, Harrison 15, Shannon 12, Henderson 7, Worthy 6, Moore 5.
Northeastern A&M (11-14, 6-7)-Quinones 16, White 13, Russell 13, Cox 13, Nivar 7, Francis 5, Bond 4, Isla 4.
Former Players, Coaches Return to CSC
Twenty-four former players and coaches returned to Connors State College on Saturday, Feb. 4 and were recognized at halftime of the Cowboys and Arkansas Baptist game at Melvin Self Field House by CSC President Dr. Tim Faltyn.
The group recalled their playing days for the Cowboys and renewed friendship at a reception before the game, where Athletic Director and Head Coach Bill Muse addressed the alumni and welcomed them back to Warner.
“I believe everyone enjoyed the day, recalling their playing days and meeting with this year’s team,” said Muse. “They all were talking about the changes at Connors. We hope to make this an annual event for our former players and coaches,” said Muse.
Those attending (player unless noted) were Lloyd Jerrigan, 1946-48; Jack Ogle, 1946-48; Bill Shahan, 1950-52; Harold Cagle, 1954-56; Coach Pete Cage, 1968-69; Charles Davis, 1962-64; Leon Dixon, 1956-58; James Cagle, 1957-59; Luther Martin, 1960-62; announcer Jim Kizzia, 1960-70; Nick Ditolla, 1962-63; Les Johnson, 1962-63; Bruce Shropshire, 1962-63; Coach Ed Hardeman, 1973-78; Winfred McDade, 1985-87; Anthony Jones, 1986-87; Bruce Williams 1987-88; Coach Ed Stepp, 1987-91; Reggie Tinch, 1989-91; Coach Mike Kelley, 1993-98; Clifford Marshall, 1993-95; Prince Barnes, 1996-97 and John Woods, 1996-97.
Cowboys Romp Past Redlands
Connors State trailed only one time against the visiting Redlands Cougars and that came in the opening two-minutes of play. It was all Cowboys the rest of the way as Connors rolled to an 89-66 Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference victory Monday night at Melvin Self Field House.
Connors improves to 18-5 on the year and 8-4 in OCAC play heading into an OCAC clash on the road t Northeastern A&M Thursday night. Redlands falls to 11-11 on the year and 6-6 in conference play.
The Cowboys had five players score in double figures with Jared Harrison leading the way with 20 points. Denell Henderson, who made his first start of the season, had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Josh Cameron score 17 points, including three, 3-pointers, Shaquille Shannon scored 13 and Devante Moore came off the bench to score 10 points.
“Denell responded very well for starting his first game,” said Cowboys’ head coach Bill Muse. “He had a good game against Arkansas Baptist on Saturday, and played very tonight.
“I thought we played pretty well offensively tonight. If we would have made more free throws (28-of-43) we would have put the game away the first half. But, overall I thought we played pretty well.”
The Cowboys held a 37-26 advantage at the half and held its largest lead of the game, 26 points, 86-60 with 2:22 remaining in the contest.
CONNORS STATE 89, REDLANDS 66
Redlands 26 40—66
Connors State 37 52—89
Redlands (11-11, 6-6)— Walters 17, Campbell 16, Dixon 14, Chavis 5, Williamson 4, Frazier 4, D. Chavis 4, Buxton-Hill 2.
Connors State (18-5, 8-4)— Harrison 20, Cameron 17, Henderson 15, Shannon 13, Moore 10, Walker 9, Worthy 2, Hamilton 2, Harris 1.
Cowboys Drop Arkansas Baptist in Overtime
Jared Harrison drained three free throws with 3-tenths of a second left in regulation and Shaquille Shannon drained a 12-footer with 15 seconds left in overtime to give the Connors State Cowboys a 102-101 victory over visiting Arkansas Baptist Saturday afternoon at Melvin Self Field House.
The win improves the Cowboys to 17-5 on the season and the Buffaloes drop to 13-11.
“This wasn’t a typical Connors State game, we strive to not giving up so many points on defense,” said head coach Bill Muse. “We gave up to many the first half and in the second half also. They (Arkansas Baptist) panic at the end and it gave us a chance to send it into overtime.
“You have to give my guys credit for not quitting. We stuck around, hung on and made a couple of big plays.
“The three free throws that Jared (Harrison) made were huge. It’s not easy to make three free throws with no time on the clock. He had ice-water in his veins,” said Muse.
Connors had five players score in double figures with Josh Cameron leading the Cowboys’ offensive assault with 27 points, including 10-of-12 at the free throw line. The Cowboys drained 36-of-42 attempts at the charity stripe. Arkansas Baptist was 19-of-29 at the stripe.
Harrison finished with 22 points, including 7-of-7 at the stripe. He was followed by Denell Henderson who scored 18, with Shannon and Jerome Hamilton scoring 14 and 12 respectively.
Arkansas Baptist’s scoring was led by Michael Howard’s 35 points, with Donovan Shaw pumping home 22 points. Bryant Tardy and Marvell Bryant also scored in double figures with 11 each.
Connors trailed 42-32 at the half as the Buffaloes went on a 24-2 run for the intermission advantage. But the Cowboys quickly caught fire early in the second half taking an 11-point lead 59-48 with 11:14 left in regulation play.
The Buffaloes reeled-off 10 straight points to deadlock the game at 61-61 with 8:15 left. It was tied three more times, before Arkansas Baptist went up 8 points, 80-72 with 3:09 remaining.
Arkansas Baptist held a 92-89 lead with 36 seconds left in regulation when the Buffaloes’ Howard fouled Harrison with just three-tenths left on the clock on a 3-point shot attempt. Harrison calmly sank all three sending it into overtime.
The Buffaloes took a four-point lead in overtime 100-96 with 54 seconds left. Cameron hit from the outside cutting the lead to 100-98. The Buffaloes made it 101-98 on a free throw by Howard, but with 17 seconds left Henderson scored inside the lane making it a one-point game.
Connors’ Shannon stole the inbounds pass by Arkansas Baptist and the Buffaloes’ Donovan Shaw fouled Cameron as he drained a 12-footer giving Connors a 102-101 lead with 15 seconds remaining.
Howard then missed a shot at the buzzer and Connors escaped with the victory.
CONNORS STATE 102, ARKANAS BAPTIST 101 (ot)
Arkansas Baptist 42 50 9 —101
Connors State 32 60 10—102
Arkansas Baptist (13-11)—Howard 35, Shaw 22, Tardy 11, Bryant 11, Solanki 8, Carter 6, George 4, Milton 2, Knighton 2.
Connors State (17-5, 7-4)—Cameron 27, Harrison 22, Henderson 18, Shannon 14, Hamilton 12, Walker 7, Worthy 2.
Carl Albert Downs Cowboys at Buzzer
POTEAU— Carl Albert’s Jamal Allston drained a shot with no time left on the clock to stun the Connors State Cowboys 57-55 in an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference battle Thursday night on the Vikings home court.
It was the Vikings first conference win of the season as Carl Albert is now 1-9 in OCAC play and 4-17 overall. The Cowboys are now 16-5 and 7-4 in OCAC play. Connors now looks ahead to a 2 p.m. encounter with Arkansas Baptist on Saturday at Melvin Self Field House.
Connors led 36-32 at the half but could not overcome poor offensive execution in the final 20 minutes of play.
“I was very disappointed by the way we played on the road,” said Muse. “We only scored 19 points in the second half and that was very discouraging. We just had bad execution on offense.”
Terrance Walker led the Cowboys’ scoring with 14 points with Josh Cameron adding 10 and Dennell Henderson added eight. Connors played without freshman guard Devante Moore who did not make the trip due to the death of his grandmother, according to head coach Bill Muse.
The Vikings placed four players in double figure scoring led by Allston’s 15 points, with Jaymere Hadden scoring 12 points followed by Josh Harmon’s 11 and Myron Williams 10.
CARL ALBERT 57, CONNORS STATE 55
Connors State 36 19—55
Carl Albert 32 25—57
Connors State (16-5, 7-4)—Walker 14, Cameron 10, Henderson 8, Shannon 7, Worthy 6, Hamilton 6, Harrison 4, Harris 2.
Carl Albert (4-17, 1-9)—Allston 15, Hadden 12, Harmon 11, Williams 10, Balarabe 6, Webber 3.
Cowboys Topple Murray State
It wasn’t easy, but Connors State fought off a determined Murray State to capture a 71-61 Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference home coming victory Monday night at Melvin Self Field House.
The victory lifts the Cowboys to a 16-4 record on the season and 7-3 in OCAC action. Murray State is now 12-7 on the season and falls to 5-5 in league play.
Connors will now look ahead to another OCAC game on Thursday night, this time on the road at Carl Albert State College.
The Cowboys held a 19 point lead in the first half 40-21 with 2:10 showing on the clock. However, the Aggies came back in the final 20 minutes slicing Connors advantage to six points 64-58 behind Tim Smallwood, who led Murray with 18 points, with 1:10 remaining in the game.
“We let it get away in the first half,” said Cowboys head coach Bill Muse. “The last three minutes, we had a non-block out just before the half that led to four points for them. They then make a half-court shot that was for thee that cut it to 12 instead of being up 20 at the half. It was just sloppy play.”
Muse said Murray is dangerous because of Smallwood. “He can shoot the three. When he makes his bank shots, hits his threes, it becomes tighter and tighter. We just played too tentative down the stretch,” said Muse.
But the Cowboys, who drained 30-of-39 free throws, stepped up to the line and dropped 7-of-8 attempts at the stripe in the final minute of play to get the victory.
“I thought Jerome (Hamilton) played extremely well,” said Muse. “He made some clutch free throws down the stretch (4-of-4). ’’
Connors had double –figure scoring from Hamilton, who led the Cowboys attack with 15, followed by Shaquille Shannon’s 13 and Jared Harrison’s 10.
The Cowboys lead at the intermission 40-28 in complete command before Murray staged its rally.
Connors was 6-of-12 from behind the arc for 50 percent and finished 18-of-44 from the field for 40 percent.
CONNORS STATE 71, MURRAY STATE 61
Murray State 28 33 –61
Connors State 40 31—71
Murray State (8-11, 5-5)—Smallwood 18, Mitchell 16, Davis 11, Lamkster 10, Berry 4, Pantovic 2.
Connors State (16-4, 7-3)—Hamilton 15, Shannon 13, Harrison 10, Moore 8, Walker 8, Henderson 7, Cameron 5, Worthy 5.
Cowboys Fall to Eastern, Home Court Winning Streak Ends
The streak is over.
Connors State Cowboys 43-game home court winning streak came to an end Thursday night at Melvin Self Field House as the National Junior College Athletic Association’s No. 13-ranked Eastern State Mountaineers captured an 87-77 victory.
The loss drops the Cowboys to 15-4 on the season and 6-3 in Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference play. The Mountaineers are now 7-12 and 6-2 and sit atop of the OCAC standings all alone.
“We got into foul trouble and we couldn’t get out and defend against them,” said head coach Bill Muse. They (Eastern) beat us in every single area of the game. The pushed the tempo and that’s something we didn’t want to happen.”
Although the home court streak came to an end, Muse was proud of the accomplishment. “We’ve had some tremendous teams play here (Melvin Self Field House),” said Muse. “To have not lost a home court game in 2 ½ years is unheard of as much as things change every year in junior college.
“We’ll just have to start another one,” said Muse.
Eastern and the Cowboys battled to a draw at the intermission, deadlocked at 38-38. The last Cowboys’ lead came with 9:27 remaining in the game 58-57 when Terrence Walker connected on two free throws.
The Moutaineers then tied the game at 62-all at the 8:00 minute mark before striking from long distance.
Eastern, who drained eight 3-point shots in the game, hit back-to-back threes, one each by Marcus Tarrance and Bobby Jones to grab a 68-62 advantage with 7:03. The Cowboys were never able to recover from that barrage as they stretched their lead to the 10-point final.
Josh Cameron paced the Cowboys scoring with 21 points with Terrance Walker and Jared Harrison scoring 15 and 13 points respectively. Shaquille Shannon pumped in 10 points.
The Mountaineers were led by Therone Chilton’s 24 points, followed by Marcus Tarrance’s 16, who drained 10-of-12 free throws in the second half, with Allen Farmer scoring 13. Antwan Cathey and Devante Calloway scored 10 points each.
The Connors will next take on Murray State on Monday at Melvin Self Field House with tip-off at 8 p.m.
EASTERN STATE 87, CONNORS STATE 77
Eastern State 38 49—87
Connors State 38 39—77
Eastern State (17-2, 6-2)—Chilton 24, Ma. Tarrance 16, Jones 13, Cathey 10, Calloway 10, Lewis 8, Ebondo 4, Mi. Tarrance 2.
Connors State (15-4, 6-3)—Cameron 21, Walker 15, Harrison 13, Shannon 10, Moore 6, Worthy 4, Hamilton 4, Henderson 4.
No. 13-Ranked Eastern State Visits Melvin Self Field House
Connors State Cowboys will battle the No. 13-ranked National Junior College Athletic Association team in the country, Eastern State Mountaineers at 8 p.m. Thursday night at Melvin Self Field House for the top spot in the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference.
The Cowboys, 15-3 on the season and 5-2 in OCAC play, currently sit atop the conference standings one game ahead of the Mountaineers at 5-2. Eastern State is 17-2 for the season. The Cowboys will also bee seeking to keep its consecutive home court winning streak intact. The Cowboys have won 43 straight at Melvin Self Field House.
The Cowgirls and Lady Mountaineers will tip-off at 6 p.m. The Cowgirls are 11-9 for the season and tied for fourth place with Murray State at 4-4 in OCAC play. Northern Oklahoma-Enid leads the conference at 7-0 and 16-2 overall.
Eastern State enters the Connors clash with a 5-13 season mark and 0-7 in OCAC play.
Former Cowboy Basketball Players to be Recognized
All former Connors State College Cowboys basketball players mark down the date, Saturday, February 4th.
The former Cowboys are invited to attend a reception at Melvin Self Field House at 12:30 p.m. and attend the game against Arkansas Baptist, according to Head Coach and Athletic Director Bill Muse.
“We are looking forward for all the former Cowboy basketball players returning to campus to renew friendships, meet old teammates and recall the past,” said Muse. “This will also give them an opportunity to keep in touch with our program, meet the current team and tell them what it means to be a Connors Cowboy.”
The former Cowboys will be recognized at halftime of the Connors State and Arkansas Baptist game played on Feb. 4th. The game tips-off at 2 p.m. at Melvin Self Field House.
Cowboys Stop Western State on Road
ALTUS --- Connors State Cowboys captured a 68-63 Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference victory over Western State College Monday night with Josh Cameron and Jared Harrison leading the assault.
The victory improves the Cowboys’ record to 15-3 for the year and 6-2 in OCAC play while the Pioneers are now 9-10 and 2-6.
Cameron led the scoring with 19 points with Harrison following with 15. Connors held a 32-29 lead at the half, after leading by as many as nine points. The largest Cowboys advantage in the second half was seven points.
Freshman Devante Moore contributed nine points in the victory with Shaquille Shannon scoring eight.
Connors won the game at the line draining 13-of-18 attempts, while Western State, who shot 90 percent, but went to the line just 10 times, sinking nine.
Karim Rowson led the Pioneers’ scoring with 16 points followed by Jedarian Jackson’s 11. Dytrel Bracey contributed 9.
The Cowboys return home Thursday night to battle the NJCAA’s No. 11 ranked team in the country, Eastern State College at Melvin Self Field House. Tip-off is 8 p.m.
CONNORS STATE 68, WESTERN STATE 63
Connors State 32 36—68
Western State 29 34--63
Connors State (15-3, 6-2)—Cameron 19, Harrison 15, Moore 9, Shannon 8, Worthy 7, Hamilton 5, Walker 5.
Western State (9-10, 2-6)—Rowson 16, Jackson 11, Bracey 10, Lewis 8, Allen 4, Marshall 4, Grant 3, Hargrove 3, Harp 2, Mont 2.
Cowboys Roll Over Northern Oklahoma-Enid
Connors State coach Bill Muse told his Cowboys during Thursday’s shoot-around it was about protecting your home court. The Cowboys did exactly that for a 43rd consecutive time defeating Northern Oklahoma-Enid 85-70 at Melvin Self Field House in an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference clash.
The victory improves the Cowboys to 14-3 on the season and 5-2 in OCAC play. NOC-Enid is now 11-5 and 3-3 in conference play.
“We really didn’t get control of the game until the last 8-minutes and then we really, really turned it on,” said Muse. “We got some loose balls, got a big dunk and Josh (Cameron) made some big three’s down the stretch that broke the game open for us.
“It was a good win for us. We beat a good basketball team that is well coach,” said Muse.
The Cowboys placed four players in double-figure scoring with point-guard Jared Harrison leading the way with 23 points. Josh Cameron poured in 19 with Shaquille Shannon draining 17 and Darnell Henderson scoring 13.
Cowboys broke away from the Jets midway the second half, taking the lead for good on a Harrison 3-point shot, giving the Cowboys a 59-58 lead with 7:41. Connors then went on a 17-5 run, increasing its margin to 13 points 76-63 at the 3:09 mark behind the hot shooting of Josh Cameron.
The Cowboys will next travel to Altus on Monday to take on Western State.
CONNORS STATE 85, NORTHERN OKLAHOMA ENID 70
Northern Oklahoma-Enid 34 36 –70
Connors State 32 53—85
NOC-Enid (11-6, 3-3)—McLish 15, Qualls 11, Carbajal 10, Dudley 8, Brooks 7, Farmer 5, Espinoza 4, Cohee 4, Burns 4, Brown 2.
Connors State (17-3, 5-2)—Harrison 23, Cameron 19, Shannon 17, Henderson 13, Walker 5, Hamilton 4, Worthy 2, Moore 2.
Cowboys, Cowgirls Play Host to NOC-Enid Tonight
Connors State Cowboys and Cowgirls return home Thursday night (Jan. 19) to battle Northern Oklahoma-Enid in an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference basketball clash at Melvin Self Field House.
The Cowboys, who are 13-3 on the season and 4-2 in OCAC, will play the Jets at 8 p.m., who are 11-5 on the year and 3-2 in conference action.
Cowboys will seek to rebound from a disappointing 63-60 loss to NOC-Tonkawa on Monday. NOC-Enid is coming off a 72-54 victory over Western State.
The Cowboys are one-game back of Murray State (5-1), who sits atop the OCAC standings. Connors and Northeastern A&M are at 4-2 and Eastern State, ranked No. 11 in the NJCAA rankings is at 3-2.
The Cowgirls and Lady Jets will play at 6 p.m. The Lady Jets enter the game ranked No. 11 in the latest NJCAA poll with a 14-2 record and a perfect 5-0 mark in the OCAC.
Connors is 10-7 on the year and 3-3 in conference play.
Men’s OCAC Standings
Team Conf. Season
Murray State 5-1 8-7
Connors State 4-2 13-3
Northeastern A&M 4-2 9-9
Eastern State 3-2 15-2
NOC-Enid 3-2 11-5
Redlands 3-3 7-9
Seminole 2-3 4-11
NOC-Tonkawa 2-3 9-8
Western State 2-4 10-7
Carl Albert 0-6 3-13
Women’s OCAC Standings
Team Conf. Season
NOC-Enid 5-0 14-2
Seminole 4-1 10-3
Northeastern A&M 4-2 12-5
Murray State 3-3 10-5
Connors State 3-3 10-7
Carl Albert 3-3 11-6
NOC-Tonkawa 2-3 7-10
Western State 1-5 5-7
NOC-Tonkawa Stuns Cowboys
TONKAWA – Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa rallied from a 9-point first half deficit to tie the Connors State Cowboys at 32-at the half and went on to knocked off the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference leaders 63-60 at Piper Field House Monday night.
The loss drops the Cowboys to 13-3 for the season and 4-2 in league action, while the Mavericks improve to 9-8 and 2-3. Connors State will play host to Northern Oklahoma-Enid Thursday night at Melvin Self Field House at 8 p.m.
“We struggled making shots in the second half, and just couldn’t hit a groove,” said Cowboys head coach Bill Muse. “They outrebounded us also and that hurt.”
Freshman Josh Cameron led the Cowboys’ scoring with 16 points followed by Kevin Worthy’s 11 and Terrance Walker’s 10 points.
Andrew Guillory led the Mavericks’ scoring with 13 points followed by Julius Frances’ 12 points. Elhad Emmerllahyu followed with 10 points.
The difference in the game came at the free throw line as the Cowboys went to the line only 15 times converting 13, while the Mavericks drained 17-of-23 attempts.
NORTHERN OKLAHOMA-TONKAWA 63, CONNORS STATE 60
Connors State 32 28—60
NOC-Tonkawa 32 31—63
Connors State (13-3, 4-2) –Cameron 16, Worthy 11, Walker 10, Harrison 8, Hamilton 6, Moore 5, Henderson 4.
NOC-Tonkawa (9-8, 2-3)—Guillory 13, Francis 12, Emmerllahu 10, Grant 7, Ndiaye 6, Hooks 2.
Cowboys Crush Seminole State
The streak continues.
Connors State Cowboys captured their 42nd consecutive home court victory Thursday night at Melvin Self Field House crushing Seminole State 76-54 in an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference clash.
The victory lifts the Cowboys to 13-2 on the season and 4-1 in OCAC play, while the Trojans are now 4-10 and 2-2.
Cowboys now hit the road for a Monday night matchup with Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa in an OCAC encounter.
Connors placed four players in double figures with Josh Cameron leading the way with 17 points. However, Terrance Walker recorded a double-double with 14 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in the win. Point-guard Jared Harrison scored 12 and Shaquille Shannon added 10.
“I think our defensive intensity was the difference,” said Connors Coach Bill Muse. “We were up 29-10 at the 3-minute mark of the first half and they went on a 12-2 run to close it in at half time (31-22) and if we didn’t allow that we would have only given up 10 points the first 10 minutes of the game. I think that was pretty impressive. We are playing hard, defending well and that’s helping our offense,” said Muse.
The Cowboys shot 55 percent for the game draining 25-of-45 floor shots, but it was their defense that was impressive as they held Seminole to just 37 percent from the floor, 18-of-48. Connors outrebound the Trojans 37-24, which included 12 offensive boards.
Chase Mongold led the Trojans’ scoring with 14 points.
Connors blew the game opening the second half streaking to 24-point lead five times in the final 20 minutes of action.
“I thought Cameron played well tonight and along with Walker,” said Muse. “I am pleased with the effort and win.”
Connors State 76, Seminole State 54
Seminole State 22 32--54
Connors State 31 45--76
Seminole State (4-10, 2-2)—Mongold 14, Parks 8, Love 7, Bryson 7, Smith 5, Caporale 4, Lewis 4, Crolley 3, Wrobbel 2.
Connors State (13-2, 4-1)—Cameron 17, Walker 14, Harrison 12, Shannon 10, Moore 8, Henderson 6, Hamilton 5, Worthy 2, Harris 2.
Muse Reaches Milestone in Coaching Career
Bill Muse, who has guided the Connors State men’s basketball program for 20 years, won his 450th game as head coach of the Cowboys on Tuesday, January 10th against arch-rival Northeastern A&M 81-67 at Melvin Self Field House.
Muse, who took over the Cowboy program in 1992, has posted a 450-183 record for a .710 winning percentage. Muse has also guide the Cowboys to 41 consecutive victories at Melvin Self Field House.
“Those 450 wins belong to the current and former players who I’ve had an opportunity to coach during my tenure at Connors State, “said Muse. “I’ve been fortunate to have coached some very good players here. We hope to continue the tradition at Connors for many more years.”
Cowboys Swamp Northeastern A&M, Capture "A&M Rivalry Trophy"
Connors State broke a 43-43 deadlock at the intermission outscoring Northeastern A&M 38-24 in the second half, along with tenacious defensive play to record an 81-67 win over the Golden Norsemen in an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference clash at Melvin Self Field House Tuesday night.
It was the Cowboys 41st consecutive home court win and Coach Bill Muse’s 450th victory as the Cowboys head coach. Along with the victory CSC captured the first “A&M Rivalry Trophy” between the two schools.
The Cowboys, who are now 12-2 on the year and 3-1 in league action will return to OCAC play on Thursday night at Melvin Self Field House against Seminole State at 8 p.m. NEO drops to 7-9 on the year and 2-2 in OCAC play.
The Norsemen used a zone defense the entire 40-minutes of play and kept in the game by draining nine 3-point shots in the first half. Connors locked down the NEO perimeter game in the final 20 minutes to secure the win.
“We knew they were going to play zone against us, “said Muse. “NEO came out and shot the ball extremely well first half we knew we had to control their two best players in (Cesar) Mapeli and (Joel) Quinones.
“We gave up too many threes at the half and we addressed the issue at the half and our defense was very, very good in the second half,” said Muse.
Muse said he was pleased with the play of several players, Jerome Hamilton, who came off the bench to score 15 and Shaquille Shannon, who played outstanding defense, while scoring 16 points.
“We got the ball inside the second half, something we didn’t do in the first 20 minutes of play,” said Muse.
Josh Cameron led the Cowboys’ scoring with 18, and Denell Henderson added 10 points, all from the inside, that set up the Cowboys outside shooting.
The Cowboys took the lead for good with 17:49 left in the game on a Tevin Worthy bucket as he broke a 45-45 deadlock. Connors increased its lead to 14 points with 6:13 left in the game and the Norsemen were never able to recover.
NEO’s scoring was led by Mapeli with 18, with Quinones and Chris Cox scoring 16 and 13 each.
Connors State 81, Northeastern A&M 67
Northeastern A&M 43 24–67
Connors State 43 38— 81
Northeastern A&M (7-9, 2-2)—Mapeli 18, Quinoes 16, Cox 13, Francis 9, Russell 5, Isla 4, White 2.
Connors State (12-2, 3-1)—Cameron 18, Shannon 16, Hamilton 15, Henderson 10, Moore 9, Walker 5, Worthy 4, Harrison 4.
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Standings
OCAC Standings Through Dec. 7
Team Conf. Overall
Murray 2-0 4-6
Connors 2-1 11-2
Western 2-1 7-3
NEO 2-1 5-5
Eastern 1-1 12-1
NOC-Enid 1-1 8-3
Seminole 1-1 2-9
Redlands 1-2 4-7
NOC-Tonk 0-2 6-5
Carl Albert 0-2 2-7
Walker Leads Cowboys Rout of Southwestern Christian JV
OKLAHOMA CITY – Connors State Cowboys placed five players in double-figure scoring paced by the 22-point performance of Terrance Walker to roll over Southwestern Christian Junior Varsity Tuesday night, 114-67.
The Cowboys held a comfortable 54-31 lead at the intermission and was never contested in the game as Connors improves its record to 11-2 for the season. Connors drained 24-of-37 at the free throw line.
Following Walker in double figure scoring for the Cowboys was Josh Cameron with 17, Denell Henderson 15, Jerome Hamilton 14 and Devin Harris 12.
The Eagles’ scoring was led by Deonta Samilton 10 points, with Jordan Naruisse scoring 9.
Connors returns to action on January 9, 2012, when it meets Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference member Northeastern A&M at Melvin Self Field House.
CONNORS 114, SOUTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN JV 67
Connors State 54 60—114
Southwestern Christian 31 36—67
Connors State (11-2)—Terrance Walker 22, Josh Cameron 17, Denell Henderson 15, Jerome Hamilton 14, Devin Harris 12, Shaquille Shannon 9, Tevin Worthy 8, Devante Moore 7, C.J. Bates 6, Tyren Knight 4.
Southwestern Christian JV –Samilton 10, Naruisse 9, G. Rawson 8, Knight 8, J. Rawson 7, Hood 7, Wilkey 7, Maloy 5, Collins 3, Hamm 2, Hammonds 1.
Cowboys Deadly Free Throw Shooting Stop Redlands
EL RENO – Connors State Cowboys drained 25-of-28 at the free throw line, including 12-of-12 in the final three minutes of play to hold off the Redlands Cougars for an 80-75 Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference victory Thursday night.
The win improves the Cowboys to 10-2 for the season and 2-1 in OCAC action while the Cougars fall to 4-7 and 1-2.
“We were deadly at the free throw line tonight and they were critical for us to win this game,” said Cowboys head Coach Bill Muse. “This was a good win for us.”
Shaquille Shannon and Jerome Hamilton were deadly at the free throw line in the final three minutes of play as both were perfect at the stripe connecting on all 12 of their attempts.
Shannon led the Cowboys’ scoring with 22 points and Hamilton scored 15 in the victory.
Connors held a 10-point lead at the intermission 41-31; however the Cougars battled back to within three points before the Cowboys put them away at the free throw line.
Jay Williamson led the Cougars’ scoring with 23 points followed by Ronquis Lewis with 15.
Connors returns to action on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City taking on Southwestern Christian.
CONNORS STATE 80, REDLANDS 75
Connors State 41 39—80
Redlands 31 44—75
Connors State (10-2, 2-1) –Shannon 22, Hamilton 15, Henderson 9, Cameron 9, Harrison 8, Worthy 6, Moore 5, Walker 4, Harris 2.
Redlands (4-7, 1-2) –Williamson 23, Lewis 15, R. Chavis 9, D. Chavis 6, Nix 5, Farquah 5, Walters 4, Campbell 3, Dixon 3, Kyle 2.
Cowboys Hammer Carl Albert
Connors State Cowboys rolled to an 81-51 win over Carl Albert State College Tuesday night in an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference contest at Melvin Self Field House, as the Cowboys posted their 40th consecutive home court victory.
The Cowboys are now 9-2 on the year and 1-1 in OCAC play, while Carl Albert falls to 2-7 and 0-2. Connors returns to action on Thursday night traveling to El Reno to play Redlands Community College.
“We played excellent defense in the first half and really contained them,” said Cowboys head coach Bill Muse. “We shot the ball well and I thought (Shaquille) Shannon responded very well after not playing so well down in Texas last week. He came back and guarded hard offensively and defensively.
“Muse was also happy with the play of Jared Harrison. “I thought he played very well. We run through him. How he plays, we play. And I thought our big guys played much better. Jerome Hamilton really stepped up in the second half.
“I am really pleased with the way we played tonight,” said Muse.
After a slow start the Cowboys took charge midway the first half rolling to a 40-21 lead at the intermission. The Cowboys were never in trouble as the Vikings made a run at Connors early in the second half, cutting a 19-point CSC lead to 10 points 52-42 with 11:14 remaining. It was the closest the Vikings would come to the Cowboys.
However, it was all Connors the remainder of the contest as the Cowboys’ offense increased its lead to 30 points.
Shaquille Shannon led the Cowboys scoring parade with 22 points, while Jared Harrison scored 12 with 7 assists. Carl Albert’s scoring was paced by Jaymere Hadden with 12 points with Jamal Allston and Adron Webber scored 10 each.
Connors State 81, Carl Albert 51
Carl Albert 21 30--51
Connors State 40 41--81
Carl Albert (2-7, 0-2) –Hadden 12, Allstom 10, Webber 10, Harmon 9, Galliom 6, Williams 4.
Connors State (9-2, 1-1)– Shannon 22, Harrison 12, Moore 9, Hamilton 8, Walker 8, Worthy 8, Henderson 7, Cameron 7.
Cowboys Fall to Mountain View
DALLAS, TEXAS – Mountain View College overcame an early Connors State lead and cruised to a 91-64 victory over the 19th-ranked Cowboys in the Richland College Classic Saturday night.
The loss dropped the Cowboys to 8-2 for the season, while the NJCAA Division II defending national champions and currently ranked No. 1 Lions improved to 9-1.
The Lions held a commanding 41-24 lead at the intermission and was never threatened in the second half by the Cowboys.
“We were out played in every phase of the game,” said Connors State head coach Bill Muse. “They absolutely crushed us on the boards. “They took better shots, hustled more. They just beat us every single aspect of the game.”
Denell Henderson led the Connors scoring with 13 points, while Tevin Worthy and Josh Cameron scored 12 points each in the loss.
Connors will play host to Carl Albert on Tuesday at Melvin Self Field House in an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference game. Tip-off is 8 p.m.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 91, CONNORS STATE 64
Mountain View 41 50—91
Connors State 24 40—64
Connors State (8-2) – Denell Henderson 13, Josh Cameron 12, Tevin Worthy 12, Devante Moore 9, Jared Harrison 8, Jerome Hamilton 3, C.J. Bates 2, Terrence Walker 2, Devin Harris 2, Shaquille Shannon 1.
Mountain View (9-1) –Tyran 28, Price 16, Collier 15, Bailey 7, Jones 7, Hicks 6, Mobley 5, Baker 3, Biggers 4.
Cowboys Roll Over Richland College
Dallas, Texas – Connors State behind the 17-point performance of Terrence Walker defeated Richland College 76-63 in the Richland Classic Friday afternoon.
It was the 19th-ranked Cowboys second win of the season over the Thunderducks, taking a 70-60 win at Melvin Self Field House on Nov. 12th.
The victory lifts the Cowboys to 8-1 on the season heading into a 2 p.m. clash Saturday against Mountain View College, the defending NJCAA Division III national champion. Mountain View defeated Southern College of Shreveport in the early Friday match up.
“I thought we played much harder today, much more focus,” said Cowboys head coach Bill Muse. “We rebounded very well and our inside-outside game was very good.
“Our bench played very well, they gave us 37 points off the bench. I thought we had a good mixture of inside and outside scoring.”
Connors broke a 31-31 deadlock at the intermission outscoring Richland 45-32 in the final 20 minutes.
The Cowboys also received double-figure scoring from Josh Cameron and Denell Henderson with 12 points each.
Richland’s scoring was led by Robert Sykes’ 12 points with D.J. Wilson adding 10 points in the loss.
CONNORS STATE 76, RICHLAND COLLEGE 63
Connors State 31 45—76
Richland 31 32—63
Connors State (8-1)—Terrance Walker 17, Denell Henderson 12, Josh Cameron 12, Shaquille Shannon 9, Jared Harrison 8, Tevin Worthy 6, Devante Moore 5, Devin Harris 4, Jerome Hamilton 3.
Richland – Robert Sykes 12, D.J. Wilson 10, Javier Soria 9, James Montue 8, Duke Hamilton 6, Nathan Smith 6, Tradarreon 6, McMichael Jamison 4, Billy Sherakas 2.
Cowboys Move to No. 19 in NJCAA Rankings
Connors State Cowboys moved up one spot in the National Junior College Athletic Association basketball poll released from the national headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Cowboys, 7-1 on the season, moved to No. 19 in the poll, despite its road loss to Murray State on Monday night.
Connors received 41 votes in the poll. Monroe College remains atop the rankings with a 6-0 record and 314 votes.
Connors will travel to Dallas, Texas, to participate in the Richland College Classic this weekend. The Cowboys will play host Richland on Friday and Mountain View College, Saturday. They return home Tuesday to play Carl Albert in an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference clash.
The Rankings:
1, Monroe College (6-0), 314. 2, Coffeyville (8-0) 295. 3, Northwest Florida State (6-0) 264. 4, Indian Hills (6-0) 254. 5, Palm Beach State (7-0) 254. 6, South Plains (6-0) 219. 7, Vincennes (9-0) 189. 8, Eastern Okla. State (7-0) 171. 9, Midland (5-1) 163. 10, Salt Lake Community (5-0) 155. 11, College of Southern Idaho (6-1) 138. 12, Howard College (6-1) 125. 13, Hutchinson (7-0) 113. 14, Utah State University-College of Eastern Utah (8-0) 82. 15, Lamar State College-Port Arthur (7-1) 63. 16, Barton County CC (9-0) 59. 17, San Jacinto College-Central (7-1) 51. 18, Seward County CC (6-0) 46. 19, Connors State (7-1) 41. 20, Shelton State CC (5-0) 29.
Murray State Upsets Cowboys
TISHOMINGO – Connors State Cowboys got into early foul trouble and lost the battle on the boards as the 20th-ranked Cowboys were upset by Murray State 67-63 in the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference opener for both teams Monday night.
It was the Cowboys first loss of the season as they go to 7-1 on the year and 0-1 in OCAC play. Murray State is now 3-3 and 1-0. The Cowboys will now look to a Friday night contest in Dallas, Texas, meeting host Richland College in the Richland Classic.
“We just got into early foul trouble and had to play too much zone against them,” said Connors State head coach Bill Muse. “Their big men just out-rebounded our big men.”
Connors State point guard Jared Harrison led the Cowboys’ scoring with 18 points with Shaquille Shannon scoring 10. Terrence Walker added 9 points in the loss.
The Aggies were led in scoring by Tim Smallwood and Devin Mitchell with 15 points each. Dusan Pantovic poured home 14 points and Dvonte Davis added 10.
Murray State held a 34-32 lead at the intermission.
MURRAY STATE 67, CONNORS STATE 63
Connors State 32 31—63
Murray State 34 33—67
Connors State (7-1)—Jared Harrison 18, Shaquille Shannon 10, Devante Moore 9, Terrance Walker 9, Denell Henderson 7, Josh Cameron 6, Tevin Worthy 4.
Murray State (3-3) –Tim Smallwood 15, Devin Mitchell 15, Dusan Pantovic 14, Dvonte Davis 10, Jordan Lankster 6, Stuart Wallensteen 5, Jamel Adams 2.
Cowboys Overcome Slow Start to Pound Bacone JV
Connors State overcame sloppy first half play and then cruised to its 39thconsecutive home court win in the second half, rolling over visiting Bacone JV 92-58 Thursday night at Melvin Self Field House.
The 20th-ranked Cowboys are now 7-0 and will go on the road to play Murray State on Nov. 21 at Tishomingo in the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference opener.
“I wasn’t pleased with our play in the first half and the first five minutes of the second,” said Connors State head coach Bill Muse. “We gave up 11 3-point baskets in the game and we can’t have that.
“We played hard at times, but to be honest, we just played sloppy for most of the game. We have to do better than that when we go on the road on Monday night. We can’t play like that in our conference.”
Cowboys placed six players in double-figure scoring led by Shaquille Shannon’s 15 points. Terrence Walker and Denell Henderson drained 14 points each, followed by Tevin Worthy’s 13 points. Devante Moore and Josh Cameron added 11 each.
Darnell Broadnax led the Warriors’ scoring with 13 points, while Irvine Levine and Willie Tatum scored 12 each.
Connors held a 39-34 lead at the intermission as the Warriors kept within striking distance with draining seven 3-point shots.
However, the Cowboys shored up its defense in the final 20 minutes of play to take charge.
Connors broke a 43-43 deadlock with 16:27 remaining in the game on a 3-point bucket by Shannon and it was all Cowboys the remainder of the contest.
CONNORS STATE 92, BACONE JV 58
Bacone 34 24 – 58
Connors State 39 53 – 92
Bacone –Darrell Broadnax 13, Irvine Levine 12, Willie Tatum 12, Cody Dooley 8, Ed Lee 6, Eric Jones 5.
Connors State (7-0)— Shaquille Shannon 15, Terrence Waker 14, Tevin Worthy 13, Denell Henderson 14, Devante Moore 11, Josh Cameron 11, Jared Harrison 8, Tyron Knight 3, C.J. Bates 2, Devin Harris 2.
Cowboys Ranked No. 20 in NJCAA National Rankings
Connors State College Cowboys have returned to the National Junior College Athletic Association top 20 it was announced Tuesday by the NJCAA national office in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Cowboys, who are unbeaten with a 6-0 record, are ranked No. 20 in the latest NJCAA poll. The Cowboys received 35 votes in the poll.
Connors will put its unbeaten record on the line Thursday night at Melvin Self Field House when the Cowboys play host to Bacone JV. Tip-off is 7 p.m.
Monroe College sits atop the national rankings with a 5-0 record, receiving 316 points, which includes 14 first place votes.
The Rankings:
1, Monroe College (5-0), 316. 2, Coffeyville (6-0) 287. 3, Palm Beach State (5-0) 282. 4, Indian Hills (6-0) 254. 5, Northwest Florida State (4-0) 241. 6, College of Southern Idaho (4-1) 201. 7, South Plains (4-0) 175. 8, Midland (3-1) 163. 9, Eastern Okla. State (5-0) 140. 10, Howard (5-1) 136. 11, Salt Lake Community (3-0) 123. 12, Wabash Valley (4-0) 120. 13, Casper (2-0) 118. 14, Vincennes (6-0) 76. 15, Hutchinson (6-0) 73. 16, San Jacinto College-Central (6-0) 67. 17, East Mississippi (2-1) 45. 18, Lamar State College-Port Arthur (4-1) 43. 19, Three Rivers (3-1) 40. 20, Connors State (6-0) 35.
Cowboys Win 6th Straight Game
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Connors State cruised to its sixth straight victory rolling past Arkansas Tech University JV 102-52 Monday night on the Wonder Boys home floor.
The Cowboys (6-0) held a 20-point lead at the intermission 50-30 behind Josh Cameron’s first half scoring burst as he scored 11 of his 18 points in the opening 20 minutes.
“Josh had a very nice game for us, along with (Jerome) Hamilton,” said Cowboys head coach Bill Muse.
The Cowboys played the game without its standout point guard Jared Harrison due to a wrist injury. “We just held him out and didn’t want to take a chance of him hurting it more,” said Muse.
“We got an opportunity of seeing other people play at the point-guard position and that will help us down the road. But we got off to a quick start which was good for us,” said Muse.
Cameron was 1-of-4 Cowboys to score in double figures. Jerome Hamilton led the Connors scoring with 20 points, followed by Cameron’s 18, with Terrence Walker adding 13 and Denell Henderson scored 10.
Josh Harper lead Arkansas Tech’s scoring with 11 points.
It was Connors’ second win of the season over Arkansas Tech. The Cowboys posted an 85-51 win over the Wonder Boys at Mel Self Field House on Nov. 3.
The Cowboys return to action on Thursday at Melvin Self Field House against Bacone JV. Tip-off is 7 p.m.
CONNORS STATE 102, ARKANSAS TECH JV 52
Connors State 50 52--102
Arkansas Tech JV 30 22 – 52
Connors State (6-0)—Jerome Hamilton 20, Josh Cameron 18, Terrence Walker 13, Denell Henderson 10, Devante Moore 8, Tevin Worthy 8, Devin Harris 8, Arthur Gray 4, C.J. Bates 3.
Arkansas Tech JV –Harper 11, Stevens 11, Evans 9, Holston 6, Luiz 5, Keith 5, Byers 2, McCoy 2, Anthony 1.
Cowboys Still Undefeated, Pop Richland
Connors State overcame a sluggish start and then held off Richland surges in the second half to remain unbeaten with a 70-60 win over the Thunderducks at Melvin Self Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon in the Cowboy Classic.
The Cowboys are now 5-0 on the season and will travel to Russellville, Ark., on Monday to battle Arkansas Tech JV.
In the first game Murray State defeated Southwestern Christian University JV 73-66. It was the Aggies first win of the season as they go to 1-1 on the year.
The Cowboys broke a 15-15 deadlock midway the first half on a pair of free throws by Devante Moore to regain a lead in never lost the remainder of the contest.
Connors won the game at the free throw line draining 30-of-42 attempts, as Jared Harrison led the Cowboys scoring with25 points. Terrence Walker followed with 12 points and just missed a double-double, pulling down 9 rebounds.
The largest Connors lead in the second half was 15 points 68-53 with 2:10 remaining in the game. Billy Shemakas led Richland’s scoring with 10.
Tim Smallwood led the Murray State scoring with 20 points with Jamel Adams, Dvonte Davis and Carlos Henderson scoring 10 points each.
CONNORS STATE 70, RICHLAND 60
Richland 30 30 – 60
Connors State 37 33--70
Richland (4-2)—Billy Shemakas 10, Tradron Moreland 9, Cory Pace 9, James Montue 9, Duke Hamilton 6, Nathan Smith 5, Javier Soria 3, Michael Richardson 3, McMichael Jamison 2, D.J. Wilson 2, Adam Dirlbeck 2.
Connors State (5-0)—Jared Harrison 25, Terrence Walker 12, Devante Moore 9, Tevin Worthy 9, Josh Cameron 7, Shaquille Shannon 6, Denell Henderson 2.
Cowboys Roll Past Southwestern Christian JV
Warner --- Connors State cruised to a 114-46 victory over Southwestern Christian University Junior Varsity in the opening night of the Cowboys Classic at Melvin Self Fieldhouse Friday night.
The victory improves the Cowboys to 4-0 on the year as they battle Richland College from Dallas, Texas at 4 p.m. Saturday.
In the opening game Richland (4-1) defeated Murray State (0-1) 89-81 in a contest in which both clubs combined registered 70 fouls.
"I thought we played well in a lot of different areas and again was able to play a lot of guys to get them some experience early in the season," said Cowboys' head coach Bill Muse. "I am hoping that if anything happens later we will have the experience to play well in key spots."
The Cowboys held a commanding a 55-26 advantage at the intermission. Connors was never contested in the clash as Jerome Hamilton scored the opening points of the game on a free throw and it was all Cowboys the rest of the game.
Arthur Gray put the Cowboys at the century mark with 4:00 remaining making it a 100-39 Cowboys advantage.
Connors placed six players in double figure scoring led by Shaquille Shannon with 17 points. He was followed by Terrence Walker with 14, Arthur Gray 13, Tevin Worthy and Jared Harrison 12 each. Josh Cameron pumped home 11.
In the opener Duke Hamilton led Richland’s scoring with 18 points, with Billy Sherakas adding 16 and McMichael Jamison 10.
The Murray State attack was paced by Devante Davis with 19 points, with Devin Mitchell and Tim Smallwood Jr. scoring 15 each. Jordan Lanskter added 14.
CONNORS STATE 114, SOUTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN JV 46
Southwestern Christian 26 20—46
Connors State 55 59—114
Southwestern Christian –Hood 9, Naruisse 6, Sullivan 6, Robinson 6, Knight 6, Samilton 5, Collins 5, Drake 3.
Connors State (4-0)—Shannon 17, Walker 14, Gray 13, Worthy 12, Harrison 12, Cameron 11, Knight 8, Henderson 7, Hamilton 7, Harris 5, Bates 5, Moore 3.
Cowboys Upend Arkansas Baptist, Remain Unbeaten
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Connors State Cowboys remained unbeaten defeating Arkansas Baptist 78-68 Wednesday night at Charles Ripley Fieldhouse.
Sophomore forward Terrence Walker led the Cowboys, who are now 3-0 on the year, with 16 points and Jared Harrison followed with 14.
Connors held a 41-24 lead at the intermission. However, the Buffaloes battled back to within three points late in the contest. The Cowboys then pushed its lead back to 10 points in the final two minutes of play to hold off the Buffaloes’ late threat. The Buffaloes are now 1-4 on the season.
“This was a good win for us to go out of state and get a victory on the road,” said Cowboys head coach Bill Muse.
“We were able to play a lot of people and a lot of people contributed. The guys who came off the bench, Devante Moore and Denell Henderson gave us a spark. Terrence Walker did a good job for us inside also.
“We were able to hold them off and get the win,” said Muse.
Arkansas Baptist’s scoring was led by Landon Carter with 19 points, followed by Jonah Calamese with 16.
Connors State returns to action on Friday at Melvin Self Fieldhouse with the Cowboy Classic. Connors will play Southwestern Christian at 7:30 p.m. with Murray State and Richland College opening at 5:30 p.m.
CONNORS STATE 78, ARKANSAS BAPTIST 68
Connors 41 37—78
Arkansas Baptist 24 44—68
Connors State (3-0)—Terrence Walker 16, Jared Harrison 14, Devante Moore 9, Denell Henderson 8, Shaquille Shannon 7, Tevin Worthy 6, Jerome Hamilton 5, Josh Cameron 5, Devin Harris 4, Arthur Gray 4.
Arkansas Baptist (1-4)—Landon Carter 19, Jonah Calamese 17, Marcus Knighton 9, Michael Howard 6, Donovan Shaw 5, Bryan Tardy 5, Terrell Eskridge 3, Howard Wilson 3, Mitchell Bryant 1.
Cowboys Roll Over Arkansas Tech JV
Sophomore Terrence Walker poured home 14 points in leading the Connors State Cowboys to an impressive 85-51 victory over Arkansas Tech JV Thursday night at Melvin Self Fieldhouse.
The Cowboys are now 2-0 on the season heading into a Nov. 9 clash with Arkansas Baptist in Little Rock, Ark.
“It was another good performance,” said Connors head coach Bill Muse. “We got the opportunity to get a lot of guys playing time. I thought we played some solid defense.”
Connors romped to a 41-16 lead at the intermission and cruised the win.
Freshman Devante Moore followed Walker in the scoring with 10 points. Jerome Hamilton and Shaquille Shannon added 9 points each in the victory.
CONNORS STATE 85, ARKANSAS TECH JV. 51
Arkansas Tech 16 34 – 51
Connors State 41 44 –85
Arkansas Tech JV—Keith 16, Harper 10, Byers 9, Lee 5, Stevens 5, Evans 5, Nichols 3, McCoy 3, Moore 2, Gioielli 1.
Connors State (2-0) –Terrence Walker 14, Devante Moore 10, Jerome Hamilton 9, Shaquille Shannon 9, Josh Cameron 8, Tevin Worthy 8, Jared Harrison 7, Denell Henderson 7, Devin Harris 5, C.J. Bates 3, Arthur Gray 3, Tyren Knight 2.
Cowboys Roll Over Mid-America University in Season Opener
Connors State Cowboys open the 2011-12 basketball season Tuesday night and it was no contest as the Cowboys rolled over Mid-America Christian Junior Varsity 108-42 at Melvin Self Fieldhouse on Patriotic Night. Connors State will take a 1-0 record into a Thursday night contest against the Arkansas Tech Junior Varsity at 7 p.m. in Melvin Self Fieldhouse. Cowboys head coach Bill Muse was pleased with the performance of his club in its season opener. “It was a good opening win for us,” said Muse. “A lot of people played and we played hard. We have only one returning player back, so I was really anxious to see how the guys would react with the fans, cheerleaders and another opponent. “I thought they stood up to the challenge pretty good. I was pleased.” The Cowboys had five players score in double figures, led by the 22-point performance of sophomore Tevin Worthy from Little Rock, Ark. Worthy was followed by Devin Harris with 15 points and Jerome Hamilton 12. Terrence Walker and Denell Henderson poured in 11 points each. Connors State’s Walker scored the opening points of the game with 19:43 on the clock and it was all Cowboys the rest of the way. The Cowboys held a 60-14 lead at the half and hit the century scoring mark with 3:57 remaining in the game on a basket by freshman Devante Moore of El Reno, for a 100-34 Connors State advantage. Muse said he liked the play of his freshman, such as 6-8 center Henderson and Worthy. “I don’t think anyone had a bad game. I was pleased with our overall performance,” said Muse. Worthy was playing in his first game in two seasons said, “I thought I played really well after sitting out for almost two years. “It felt good to get back out there and get back in my groove. We did really well as a team. To hold you opponents to only 42 points is really great. I liked the way everyone played. No one was selfish and sharing the ball.” Kody English led Mid-America Christian’s scoring with 10 points. CONNORS STATE 108, MID-AMERICA CHRISTIAN JV 42 Mid-America Christian 14 28—42 Connors State 60 48—108 Mid-America Christian –Kody English 10, Ryan Pendergraft 9, Grant Middlebrook 9, Keith Toles 9, Demetreos Hamilton 5, Torrey Torrance 2. Connors State (1-0)—Tevin Worthy 22, Devin Harris 15, Jerome Hamilton 12, Terrence Walker 11, Denell Henderson 11, Shaquille Shannon 9, Jared Harrison 8, Josh Cameron 8, Devante Moore 6, C.J. Bates 4, Thyren Knight 2.Cowboys Open Season Nov. 1 with Patriotic Night
Connors State Cowboys open the 2011-12 basketball season on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at Melvin Self Fieldhouse against Mid-America Christian University. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
It will be Patriotic Night and Connors State College will be honoring all military personnel, veterans, firemen, policemen and emergency community services personnel with free admission.
A patriotic program begins at 6:50 p.m. and includes halftime entertainment. CSC would like to recognize and thank all Veterans and Emergency Service Personnel. Please give us the honor of recognizing you for the service you do for our country.
The Cowboys are coming off a 30-4 season record and are the two-time defending Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference champions. Connors State is ranked No. 18 in the nation by the Sporting News Magazine.
Magazine Ranks Cowboys No. 18
Connors State Cowboys have been named among one of the best of the rest in the 2011-12 Sporting News College Basketball preseason magazine just released.
The Cowboys under head coach Bill Muse is ranked 18th in the Sporting News preseason junior college basketball poll.
Muse’s Cowboys, who was ranked No. 1 in the nation last season for two weeks, opens the 2011-12 basketball season on Nov. 1 against Mid America Christian at Melvin Self Fieldhouse. Tip-off is 7 p.m.
Basketball Season Tickets on Sale
Connors State College basketball season tickets are now on sale, according to Athletic Director Bill Muse.
The tickets are $50 for chairback seats for 15 Cowboys and Cowgirls home games. Contact Muse at (918) 463-6231.
Men's Basketball Schedule Announced
Connors State Cowboys Athletic Director and men’s basketball coach Bill Muse has announced the 2011-12 schedule.
The Cowboys will play a 29-game schedule which tips off the season on Nov. 1 at home against Mid-American Christian at Melvin Self Fieldhouse in Warner.
The Cowboys, who were ranked No. 1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association last season, a first for Connors State, will open Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference play at Murray State on Nov. 8 in Tishomingo.
The Cowboys finished the 2010-11 season ranked No. 5 in the final NJCAA rankings and will open the upcoming season with a 34-game home winning streak. The Cowboys are the two-time defending OCAC champions.
The Cowboys first OCAC home game is Nov. 29 against Carl Albert Community College. Connors State will host the Cowboy Classic on Nov. 11 and 12 and will participate in the Richland Classic in Dallas on Nov. 25-26.
Connors State Cowboys Schedule
NOVEMBER
1—Mid-American Christian 7 p.m.
3—at Arkansas Tech JV 7 p.m.
9—at Arkansas Baptist 7 p.m.
11—Cowboy Classic 5:30 & 7:30 p.m.
12—Cowboy Classic 2 p.m. & 4 p.m.
14—Arkansas Tech JV 7 p.m.
17—Bacone 7 p.m.
21—at Murray State 8 p.m.
25—at Richland Classic (Dallas) 8 p.m.
26—at Richland Classic (Dallas) 4 p.m.
29—Carl Albert 8 p.m.
DECEMBER
1—at Redlands 8 p.m.
6—at Southwestern Christian (OKC) 7:30 p.m.
JANUARY
9—Northeastern A&M 8 p.m.
12—Seminole State 8 p.m.
16—at Northern-Tonkawa 8 p.m.
19—Northern-Enid 8 p.m.
23—at Western State 8 p.m.
26—Eastern State 8 p.m.
30—Murray State 8 p.m.
FEBRUARY
2—at Carl Albert 8 p.m.
4—Arkansas Baptist 2 p.m.
6—Redlands 8 p.m.
9—at Northeastern A&M 8 p.m.
13—at Seminole State 8 p.m.
20—Northern-Tonkawa 8 p.m.
23—at Northern-Enid 8 p.m.
27—Western State 8 p.m.
MARCH
1—at Eastern State 8 p.m.
9-11—Region II Tourney at Shawnee TBA
20-24—NJCAA National Tournament at Hutchinson, Kan. TBA
Sutton Speaks to Connors Athletes
Sean Sutton had his ups and downs during his collegiate basketball coaching career, but none was so life changing as the battle he had with prescription drugs which led to his eventual arrest.
Sutton, along with the help of his family battled through his addiction and returned to coaching and is taking his story around the state, country warning athletes and anyone who wants to listen to his story about what the addiction of prescription drugs can do to one’s life.
The former Oklahoma State University head basketball coach, and now an assistant coach at Oral Robert University with his brother Scott, told his story to Connors State College athletes at a student-athlete seminar.
Sutton served as head coach at Oklahoma State from 2006-08 posting a 39-29 record. He previously spent 13 years as an assistant to his father Eddie, who coached the Cowboys for 16 seasons. Sutton is a graduated of OSU, where he guided the Cowboys to the Sweet 16 in 1991 and 1992. He also played two seasons at the University of Kentucky in 1987 and 89.
“It was a horrible experience (prescription drug addiction),” said Sutton. “I went through a lot and my family went through a lot. In a way it was a blessing in disguise that shook me out of my comfort zone. I realized there wasn’t a chance to kick the addiction on my own.
“I embarrassed myself and my family. It was probably the best thing for me,” said Sutton.
Sutton was arrested in February, 2010 by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs after he picked up a shipment in another individual’s name that included anti-anxiety drugs and stimulants.
That arrest led to a three-year probation sentence and being cleared of any felony conviction if he stayed sober until Aug. 9, 2013. Sutton pleaded guilty to four charges related to illegal prescription drugs, admitted a drug problem and entered a rehabilitation center.
However, just one year into Sutton’s three-year probation on felony drug charges, a Payne County judge dismissed the case and expunged the record on Aug. 17, 2011.
Sutton guided his Cowboy squad in 2007 to a 15-1 record and a No. 9 national ranking then 14 months later his world came crashing down.
“A year and two months later, I am out of a job and a year and a half after that, I’m sitting in jail,” said Sutton.
During a question and answer session with the Connors athletes, Sutton was asked what the biggest mistake he made during his ordeal was.
“Refusing to get help,” said Sutton. “I got too deep. I didn’t go to my brothers and parents and say I’m deep trouble. Nobody can win the battle of addiction by themselves. It’s impossible, a losing cause. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way.”
When Sutton was asked what set off his addiction he was quick to answer, “I think it started with the plane crash.”
What Sutton was referring to was the 2001 plane crash in Colorado when one of the Oklahoma State basketball team’s plane went down following a game in Boulder, Colo. In that crash 10 members of the travel group died.
“Ten people were killed in the flight and nothing in coaching or life can prepare you for something like that,” said Sutton. “What happened to me was I had recurring nightmares about the plane going down. Shortly after, I had migraine headaches and I was taking prescribe Vicodin.”
Sutton admitted that was the beginning of his addiction to prescription medication and two years later he had lost his job at Oklahoma State.
“I fell into a situation where I was battling depression,” said Sutton. “I started taking pain medicine to offset the depression.”
But Sutton has overcome his nightmare and credits his wife and three sons for getting him through the tough times.
“I have been very fortunate to have a strong family behind me,” said Sutton.
Now he has been sharing his story with groups across the state, visiting high schools, colleges and at clinics, warning student athletes about the dangers of prescription drugs and how they can ruin your life if you become addicted.
“It has been a battle, but now I have to be careful every day of my life not to slip back,” said Sutton.
Cowboys Sign El Reno's Moore
WARNER -- Connors State men’s basketball coach Bill Muse has announced the signing of Devante Moore of El Reno High School to a NJCAA national letter-of-intent.
Moore- a 6-1, 205-pound guard, led the Indians to three state tournament appearances and scored 1,312 points in 93 games for El Reno. He pulled down 484 rebounds and had 107 steals during his high school career.
Moore averaged 23 points his senior year, grabbing 8 rebounds per game, 2 assists and 2 steals in leading the Indians to a 20-10 record and carried the Class 5A Indians to their first state finals appearance since 1998.
“Devante brings depth to the guard spot for us,” said Connors’ Muse. “We expect him to give us immediate help.”
Moore was a Daily Oklahoman first team All-State selection, second team Tulsa World All-State selection, Big All-City first team, MVP of conference, and will be playing in the Big City All-Star game Friday in Del City and the Coaches All-State game in August.
In the state tournament this season, Moore scored 39 points in the area consolation finals against Bishop McGuinness and 14 scored of his 33 points in the fourth quarter against Central for a 63-61 win in the state quarterfinals.
Moore was the state tournament’s leading scorer with 74 points and averaged 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals.
Five Cowboys Sign Division-I Basketball Letters-of-Intent
Warner – Connors State College men’s basketball coach Bill Muse announced the signing of five Cowboys to Division I national basketball letters-of-intent.
Those signing D-I scholarships are Corey Wilford, 6-1 guard from Hopkinsville, Ky., has signed with Southeast Missouri State; Jarvis Garner, 6-6 forward from Conway, Ark. And Robert Crawford, 6-6 guard from Broken Arrow, with Central Arkansas; Corderio Maclin, 6-8 forward from Memphis and Jeremy Washington, 6-7, forward from Little Rock, Ark., have signed with the University of Tennessee-Martin.
Wilford was a second team NJCAA All-American and the Region II Player of the Year. He averaged 16 points per game to ranked 19th in the nation in 3-point field goal shooting percentage (61-of-178) last season. Wilford broke a single-game school record with 11 three-pointers against Northeastern A&M.
“We are extremely excited that Corey is joining our program,” said Southeast Missouri State head coach Dickey Nutt. “Corey can do a lot of different things. He can create his own shot and get to the basket. We felt like we needed a guy with experience, who can shoot and score the basketball,” said Nutt.
Garner averaged 14 points and nine rebounds for the Cowboys. Garner played at Conway High School., where UCA is located before playing two seasons at Connors.
Crawford averaged 17 points and seven rebounds was named to the Region II first team last season, and was a NJCAA honorable mention All-American. At Victory Christian High School in Tulsa he was an All-State selection, where he averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
“We’re excited about having Jarvis (Garner) come back home,” said UCA head coach Corliss Williamson. “He brings a lot of versatility. He can bring two or three positions in our style of play and in our conference.”
Crawford returns to UCA where he redshirted a season and played in three games for the Bears in 2009 before transferring to Connors.
“Robert is a good talent,” said Williamson. “He has a great knowledge of the game and brings versatility as well. Robert has the ability to knock down the three and can post up smaller guards,” said Williamson.
Maclin averaged 7.3 points for the Connors and pulled down 3.9 rebounds, while shooting a team-best 60.1 percent from the floor.
“Tennessee-Martin head coach Jason James said, “I love Corderio’s size and athleticism. He is crafty around the basket and can score on the block. On the defensive end his length causes a lot of problems for opponents.”
Washington, who is also headed to UT-Martin, averaged 9.7 points and 6.6 rebounds a game for the Cowboys, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 73 percent from the free throw line.
“Washington is a prototype forward in our system,” said James. “He can score on the block with either hand and can also step out and shoot the three-pointer or score off the dribble,” said James.
Cowboys’ Muse has now sent 61 players to the Division I basketball level in his 19 seasons as head coach of the Cowboys.
Cowboys Named All-Americans
Connors State College’s Corey Wilford and Robert Crawford have been named National Junior College Athletic Association All-Americans.
Wilford, 6-1 sophomore guard from Hopkinsville, Ky. was voted to the second team and Crawford, 6-6 sophomore guard from Broken Arrow, was an honorable mention selection.
The selections were made by each division's respective (Division I, II, III) basketball committee at the 2011 NJCAA annual meeting held March 26-29 in Tampa, Fla.
“Both these young men are deserving of the honor and had great seasons for the Cowboys,” said Connors State head coach Bill Muse. “I know they will do very well at the next level and we wish them the very best. They have been outstanding representatives of Connors State,” said Muse.
Wilford averaged 16.1 points per game last season, shooting 47 percent from the floor, connecting on 157 of 333 attempts. He shot 46 percent from behind the arc, draining 81-of-78 and was an 83 percent free throw shooter. At the line he sank 89-of-107 attempts and pulled down 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists a game.
Wilford had four games of 30-plus scoring performance and nine games of 20 or more. He established a school record for 3-point goals in a game when he drained 10 against Bacone College on Nov. 12, 2010.
Crawford averaged 16.1 points and shot 45 percent from the field connecting on 142-of-313 shots. He averaged 7.0 rebounds, two assists and two steals a game.
Crawford had 25 double figure scoring games, including a season high 30 points against Eastern State. He also had four double-doubles on the year.
Cowboys Top NJCAA Free Throw Shooting Chart
Connors State Cowboys basketball team under the guidance of head coach Bill Muse led the National Junior College Athletic Association in free throw shooting for the 2010-10 basketball season.
The Cowboys drained 582-of-779 attempts for a 75 percent mark at the free throw line to top the NJCAA chart.
Jared Harrison sank 63-of-75 attempts for 84 percent from the stripe to lead the Cowboys with Robert Crawford connecting on 124-of-148 attempts for 85 percent and Corey Wilford sinking 86-of-108 attempts for an 80 percents shooting mark.
Cowboys Upset in Region II Tournament
SHAWNEE – Northern-Enid’s Tyler Patterson drained a 3-point shot with 3-seconds remaining to shocked fifth-ranked Connors State 67-64 in the quarterfinal round of the Region II Men’s Basketball Tournament Thursday night.
The Cowboys close the season at 26-4, while the Jets advance to the semifinals with a 16-16 record to play Redlands, who defeated Western State 107-75.
Connors the two-time defending Region II champion was seeking their third consecutive trip to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.
Patterson’s basket was only his second of the game as he finished with just five points.
The Cowboys held a 13-point advantage 49-36 with 14:53 remaining, but could not hold the lead as the Jets came flying back, taking advantage of Connors’ turnovers.
The Cowboys raced to a 34-29 lead at the intermission behind Jarvis Garner, who rammed home 10 points to lead the offensive attack as the Cowboys shot 51 percent from the floor, connecting on 14-of-27.
The two clubs battled to a deadlock three times in the final 20 minutes, the last with 1:36 remaining when Garner tied it at 64-all when he sank the back end of two shots at the stripe.
Both clubs then missed scoring opportunities the rest of the way before Patterson drained his shot for the victory.
Connors’ scoring was balanced with four players scoring in double figures with Corderio Maclin leading the assault with 14, while Robert Crawford, Corey Wilford and Garner scoring 13 each.
Basketball Tournament Brackets
The Cowboys and Cowgirls both received #1 seeds in this year's Region II Tournaments. See how their pairings look by downloading our printable tournament brackets below:
March Madness
March Madness has arrived for the Connors State Cowboys and Cowgirls.
Beginning Thursday the Cowboys will begin its March toward the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., with a quarterfinal game in the Region II Tournament at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee against Northern-Enid at 6 p.m.
Cowgirls and Cowboys fans can view and hear all the play-by-play of every Connors State game on your computer during the Region II Tournament in Shawnee with a webcast.
The webcast for the Region II Tournament can be reached by going to www.infinitysports.tv and click on the Region II icon. That will direct you to the Connors State icon to get the game.
The Cowgirls begin Region II play on Friday at 6 p.m. against Carl Albert State College as they begin their quest for a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament in Salina, Kan.
If you can’t make the trip, the next best way to support the Cowgirls and Cowboys is go to the webcast. Thanks for your support.
Basketball Honors and Pairings
Connors State men’s basketball coach Bill Muse and women’s coach Eddie Kite were named the Region II Coaches of the Year at the region meeting Sunday at Oklahoma Baptist University.
It is Muse’s seventh time to receive the honor and it’s Kite’s second time to receive the award.
Cowboys’ Corey Wilford, 6-1 sophomore guard from Hopkinsville, N.Y. was named the Region II Player of the Year and Robert Crawford, 6-7 sophomore guard from Broken Arrow, was named to the first team along with Wilford.
Four Cowgirls were named to the All-Region squad, Kendra Fleming, 5-9 sophomore guard from Ft. Smith, Ark.; Sierra Cornwell, 5-8 guard from Preston and Shakayla Love, 6-2, freshman center from Preston were named to the second team. Freshman guard Nikki Lewis from Tahlequah was named to the third team.
The fifth-ranked Cowboys (26-3) will open Region II play on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee against the winner of Monday’s play-in game between Carl Albert (5-23) and Northern-Enid (14-16).
A win by the Cowboys would put them into Saturday’s semifinals against the Redlands (17-11) and Western State (21-8) winner at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The championship game will be played Sunday at 2 p.m.
Monday’s other play-in game involves Northeastern A&M (14-16) and Arkansas Baptist (14-15). The NEO-Arkansas Baptist winner will play Northern-Tonkawa (18-12) at 8 .m. Friday.
Eastern State (18-9) will play the winner between NEO and Arkansas Baptist at 3 p.m. Friday.
The No. 1 seed Cowgirls (26-4) will play the winner of Monday’s Carl Albert (8-18), and Eastern State (8-19) game at 6 p.m. Friday at OBU.
The other play-in game on Monday involves Northern-Tonkawa (20-10) against Arkansas-Baptist. That winner will play No. 3 seed Northeastern A&M (19-8) at 8 p.m. Friday.
Seminole State (18-10) will take on Murray State (15-12) at 1 p.m.
The semifinals will be play at 6 p.m. Saturday with the championship game at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Cowboys and Cowgirls Take Titles
Connors State Cowboys and Cowgirls are both the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference champions after posting victories Thursday night in Enid.
The Cowboys won their second consecutive OCAC crown with a 73-62 victory over Northern-Enid. The victory gives the Cowboys the top seed in the Region II Tournament to be played at Oklahoma Baptist University next week in Shawnee.
The Cowboys are 25-3 for the season and 14-3 in conference play.
The Cowgirls defeated the 16th-ranked Northern-Enid Lady Jets for a sweep of the season rivalry 76-71 to take the title and secure the No. 1 seed in the Region II tournament next week in Shawnee. The Cowgirls are now 24-4 overall and 14-3 in OCAC play.
The last time the Cowgirls won the OCAC championship was 2008 and went on to win the Region II championship and advance to the NJCAA National Tournament in Salina, Kan.
The Cowboys and Cowgirls end regular season play Saturday at Melvin Self Field House. Tip-off is 2 p.m.
Cowboys Remain 5th in NJCAA rankings, can clinch share of OCAC title
The Cowboys remained in fifth in the NJCAA national rankings with a 24-3 record and can clinch at least a tie for Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Association title with a win over Northern Oklahoma-Enid Thursday in Enid. Tip-off is 8 p.m.
The Cowboys are 12-3 in OCAC play and the Mountaineers 12-4 and 18-8 on the year. The two clubs will play at 4 p.m. Saturday at Melvin Self Field House. If both win on Thursday, a Cowboys victory on Saturday gives them the championship and a top seed in the Region II Tournament at OBU beginning March 4th
Basketball Homecoming vs. Seminole State College
CSC will celebrate basketball homecoming tonight as both basketball teams are ready to take on Seminole State College. The festivities will take place at halftime of the men’s game. The Cowgirls will start things off right with a 6:00pm tip-off followed by the Cowboys playing at 8:00pm.
Tonight is also being deemed Creek Nation Casino night. The first 300 fans to show up tonight will receive a Creek Nation Casino koozie at the ticket window.
A mini-camp performance to be put on by the future cheerleaders of Connors State College is also scheduled for tonight.
Come cheer both teams on as we are fighting for conference championships. This is the last week of regular season games and Connors State home games. We hope to see you there!
Basketball Final Home Games
The Connors State College Basketball Teams play their final home games of the season on Monday, February 21st, 2011 starting at 6:00pm at Melvin Self Fieldhouse. Please see the Women's Basketball schedule and the Men's Basketball schedule for more information on all the games and the upcoming playoffs.
Men's Basketball Final Home Games
The Connors State College Men's Basketball Team plays their final home game of this season on Monday, February 21st, 2011 8:00pm at Melvin Self Fieldhouse. Please see the schedule for more information about all the games and the upcoming playoffs.