VALPARAISO, Indiana (AP) – Javon Freeman-Liberty and Donovan Clay both hit two free throws in the final 3 seconds and Valparaiso held off Drake 66-61. Clay hit all seven of his free throws and topped the Crusaders (9-8, 2-2 Missouri Valley Conference) with 18 points and seven rebounds.

Freeman-Liberty finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.Roman Penn paced the Bulldogs (12-5, 2-2) with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, but he also had five of Drake’s 18 turnovers.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – AJ Green had 28 points as Northern Iowa routed Missouri State 80-57. Green shot 6 for 8 on 3-pointers with Panthers 13 of 22 from the arc as a team. Isaiah Brown had 19 points and nine rebounds for Northern Iowa (14-2, 3-1 Missouri Valley Conference). Trae Berhow added 12 points.

Austin Phyfe had 10 rebounds for the visitors. Isiaih Mosley had 15 points for the Bears. Tulio Da Silva added 13 points, going over 1,000 for his career, and grabbed seven rebounds. Gaige Prim had 10 points.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Ric Hanson.

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Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs could be missing defensive tackle Chris Jones and tight end Travis Kelce when the AFC West champs face the Houston Texans in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs on Sunday. Jones showed up on the injury report Thursday after coach Andy Reid said he had “tweaked his calf” at practice the previous day. Jones did not practice Friday and Reid declined to say whether there was a chance he’ll play. Kelce has been limited all week with a knee injury that Reid characterized as “a bruise.” He also is questionable.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals and slugging outfielder Jorge Soler agreed to a $7.3 million contract for next season, allowing the sides to avoid salary arbitration Friday and keep things amicable between them as they explore a long-term deal. The contract includes a $50,000 bonus for making the All-Star Game and a $100,000 bonus for winning the Hank Aaron Award, which is voted by fans and the media and given out to the best hitter in each league. Soler hit .265 with a franchise-record 48 homers last season. He also drove in 117 runs.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Joe Wieskamp scored 26 points and Big Ten scoring leader Luka Garza had 21 as Iowa beat No. 12 Maryland 67-49. Garza added 13 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Wieskamp and Garza had 32 of Iowa’s 38 first-half points. The Hawkeyes improved to 11-5 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten. Maryland dropped to 13-3 and 3-2). The Terrapins were held to their second-lowest point total of the season. Jalen Smith scored 13 for the Terrapins. Iowa ended its two-game losing streak while Maryland had its thee-game winning streak snapped.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Big 12 is heading into its second week of conference play. A high-profile matchup between third-ranked Kansas and No. 4 Baylor on Saturday could set the stage for the rest of the season. The other big game Saturday features No. 17 West Virginia against Texas Tech. On the women’s side, sixth-ranked Baylor is flying high into the weekend after routing No. 1 Connecticut, ending the Huskies’ 98-game home winning streak.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Sydney Manning hit a 3-pointer as time ran out to give No. 20 Missouri State a 69-67 victory over Drake. Trailing 65-58 with 2 1/2 minutes to go, the Lady Bears finished the game on a 11-2 run, the first eight points coming on free throws before Manning’s shot. Sydney Wilson, trying to split two defenders in the paint, was falling to the floor as she tipped the ball to Manning who swished the winner. Sara Rhine scored 23 points to lead the Bulldogs.

SPRINGFIELD, Missouri (AP) – Sydney Manning hit a 3-pointer as time ran out to give No. 20 Missouri State a 69-67 victory over Drake. Trailing 65-58 with 2 1/2 minutes to go, the Lady Bears finished the game on a 11-2 run, the first eight points coming on free throws before Manning’s shot.

Sydney Wilson, trying to split two defenders in the paint, was falling to the floor as she tipped the ball to Manning who swished the winner. Sara Rhine scored 23 points to lead the Bulldogs.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Joe Wieskamp scored 26 points and Big Ten scoring leader Luka Garza had 21 as Iowa beat No. 12 Maryland 67-49. Garza added 13 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Wieskamp and Garza had 32 of Iowa’s 38 first-half points.

The Hawkeyes improved to 11-5 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten. Maryland dropped to 13-3 and 3-2). The Terrapins were held to their second-lowest point total of the season. Jalen Smith scored 13 for the Terrapins. Iowa ended its two-game losing streak while Maryland had its thee-game winning streak snapped.

BOYS BASKETBALL

MOC-Floyd Valley 65, West Lyon, Inwood 51

OA-BCIG 58, Lawton-Bronson 40

Ridge View 53, Westwood, Sloan 45

POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

Boone vs. Carroll, ppd.

CAM, Anita vs. Paton-Churdan, ppd.

Carlisle vs. Winterset, ppd.

Council Bluffs, Thomas Jefferson vs. Louisville, Neb., ppd.

Denison-Schleswig vs. Creston, ppd.

East Union, Afton vs. Southeast Warren, Liberty Center, ppd.

Glenwood vs. Shenandoah, ppd. to Feb 3rd.

Glidden-Ralston vs. West Harrison, Mondamin, ppd.

Kuemper Catholic, Carroll vs. Atlantic, ppd.

Lenox vs. Nodaway Valley, ppd.

Sidney vs. East Mills, ppd. to Jan 30th.

Woodbine vs. Coon Rapids-Bayard, ppd.

Woodward-Granger vs. AC/GC, ppd.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Kingsley-Pierson 64, MVAO-CO-U 45

OA-BCIG 70, Lawton-Bronson 23

West Lyon, Inwood 45, MOC-Floyd Valley 36, OT

West Monona 85, River Valley, Correctionville 39

Westwood, Sloan 60, Ridge View 51

POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

Boone vs. Carroll, ppd.

CAM, Anita vs. Paton-Churdan, ppd.

Carlisle vs. Winterset, ppd.

Denison-Schleswig vs. Creston, ppd.

East Union, Afton vs. Southeast Warren, Liberty Center, ppd.

Fremont Mills, Tabor vs. Underwood, ppd.

Glenwood vs. Shenandoah, ppd. to Feb 4th.

Glidden-Ralston vs. West Harrison, Mondamin, ppd.

Lenox vs. Nodaway Valley, ppd.

Sidney vs. East Mills, ppd. to Jan 30th.

Woodbine vs. Coon Rapids-Bayard, ppd.

Woodward-Granger vs. AC/GC, ppd.

Dave Andrews

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell announced today that Dave Andrews, one of the most revered football strength and conditioning coaches in the nation, will join the Cyclone staff as Director of Football Strength and Conditioning.

Andrews’ official start date is pending successful background checks.

Campbell added one of the most respected strength and conditioning experts nationally in Andrews, who spent the last five years as the head strength and conditioning football coach at Pittsburgh. He replaces Rudy Wade, whose contract was not renewed.

“Dave is one of the best strength and conditioning practitioners in the country,” Campbell said. “His reputation in the profession is impeccable. He has outstanding leadership qualities and the proven ability to train athletes into peak performers. There is no doubt that Dave will make an impact on our student-athletes.”

Andrews joined the Pittsburgh staff in 2015 and his leadership in the weight room was a crucial factor in the Panthers’ rise in the ACC. Pitt played in four bowl games in his five seasons and the Panthers achieved the third-winningest conference record among the 14 ACC football schools during his five-year tenure.

The Panthers are coming off an 8-5 season and a victory over Eastern Michigan in the Quick Lane Bowl in 2019.

In 2018, the Panthers won the ACC Coastal Division championship. Andrews had his players in prime physical condition, helping the team record four second-half come-from-behind victories.

Pitt players bought into Andrews’ training regimens, and during the offseason, a large group of former Panthers in the NFL trained under his guidance, including two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald.

Andrews’ strong resume consists of 16 years of experience developing football players as a sports performance specialist. He also worked at Notre Dame (2014), Illinois (2012-13) and Cincinnati (2005-11).

Andrews graduated from Ohio State in 2004 and was a member of the Buckeyes’ 2002 National Championship squad as a tight end. He also owns a master’s degree from Cincinnati.

Andrews is a certified strength and conditioning coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA) and USA Weightlifting (USAW) as a level one sports performance coach.

The Atlantic Archery Club recently held a raffle fundraiser and gave away a bow. The winners of the bow were Briley and Troy Dunning. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone that contributed to the fundraiser.

Front Row: Jaylen McDaniel, Xander Cook, Hayden Kline, Rylee Bengel, Mariah
Hadley, Troy Dunning raffle winner, Henry Knudsen, Kaydee Pedersen, Kaylee
Stetzel, Conner Johnson
Second Row: Halie Kelsey, Rylie Vandevanter, Bennet Whetstone, Connor Sarsfield,
Cayleigh Sarsfield, Aubrey Graham, Lily Johnson, Margaret McCurdy, Zander Pieken,
Kipp Namanny, Brett Dreager, Dylan Comes, David Retallic, Mason Dougherty, Head
Coach Clint Roland, Volunteer Coach Rob Kirchner
Third Row: Volunteer Coach Tyler Petty, Volunteer Coach Dent Petty, Wyatt Simons,
Braden Spurr, Belle Berg, Kyler Edie, Rio Johnson, Savanah Cameron, Clayton Jipsen,
Zane Berg, Derek Dreager, Cooper Jipsen, Dayna Dreager, Koby Namanny

Bow Winner
Briley Dunning & Troy Dunning

ST. LOUIS, MO., January 9, 2020 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced a four-player trade with the Tampa Bay Rays this evening, acquiring top pitching prospect lefty Matthew Liberatore, minor league catcher Edgardo Rodriguez and the Rays Compensation B draft pick (66th overall), in exchange for outfielders Randy Arozarena, Josè Martínez and the Cardinals Compensation A draft pick (38th overall).

“We are extremely excited to be adding a top pitching prospect in Matthew Liberatore to our organization, and this trade also helps us to create more opportunity in the outfield for players like Tyler O’Neill, Lane Thomas and others,” stated Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak.

Liberatore, 20, was the Rays 1st round draft pick in 2018 (16th player overall) out of Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Ariz., and is ranked as the no. 3 prospect in the Rays system.

The 6-5, 200-pound Liberatore has compiled an 8-4 mark with a 2.59 ERA in 25 games (24 starts) in the minors, striking out 113 batters in 111.0 innings pitched, allowing just two home runs to go along with a 1.22 WHIP and .224 opponent’s batting average. Liberatore was 6-2 with a 3.10 ERA in 16 games (15 starts) for Bowling Green of the Midwest League (A) this past season.

Liberatore went 8-1 with a 0.93 ERA and 104 strikeouts as a senior at Mountain Ridge High School and was Arizona’s Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year. He was named a first-team Rawlings/Perfect Game All-American, and helped lead Mountain Ridge to the Class 6A state championship game.   In 2017, Liberatore pitched 12 scoreless innings for USA Baseball’s 18U National Team and recorded the win in its gold medal game victory over Korea, and in the 2017 Under Armour All-America Game he threw scoreless 9th, 10th and 11th innings for the American League to get the win and earn Most Valuable Player honors.

The Rays selected Liberatore higher than any other high school pitcher in club history, and he became the fourth high school pitcher selected by the Rays in the first round, following Jason Standridge (No. 31) in 1997, Taylor Guerrieri (No. 24) in 2011 and Blake Snell (No. 52) in 2011.

Rodriguez, 19, a right-handed hitting catcher from Valencia, Venezuela, was signed by the Rays as an international free agent in July of 2017.   The 6-0, 205-pound Rodriguez has produced a .338 batting average, six home runs and 40 RBI in his first two seasons as a professional.   He batted .330 with 6 HR’s and 34 RBI in 51 games in the Dominican Summer League in 2018, ranking among the Rays minor league leaders in batting (3rd), slugging (.492, 6th) and on-base pct. (.384, 9th).  In limited action with the GCL Rays, he batted .400 in 2019.

Today’s trade reduces the Cardinals current 40-man Major League roster to 38 players.