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

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Luka Garza scored 23 points and Ryan Kriener added a career-high 20 as No. 25 Iowa closed its non-conference schedule with a 93-51 win over Kennesaw State. Joe Wieskamp had 18 points for the Hawkeyes (10-3), who also had a season-high 14 steals.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mecole Hardman and Damien Williams led the Chiefs to a 31-21 victory over the Chargers that allowed Kansas City to leapfrog New England for the No. 2 seed in the AFC and a first-round playoff bye. Hardman returned a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown and Williams ran for 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His second came just as the Dolphins were scoring the go-ahead TD in their 27-24 win in Foxborough. The combination of outcomes means New England will play next week while the Chiefs can begin preparing for the divisional round.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Haanif Cheatham scored 17 points and Nebraska opened up an 18-point, first-half lead and went on to beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 73-52. Nebraska, up by 13 at intermission, saw Texas A&M-Corpus Christi cut the lead to 10 at 38-28 early in the second period. But the Islanders were able to get no closer while Nebraska gradually stretched the lead, going up 20 on Jervay Green’s slam dunk and, six seconds later, layup that made it 57-37. Nebraska built its first half lead by holding the Islanders to just one field goal in a nearly 11-minute stretch.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Matt Pile totaled 18 points and nine rebounds and Marlon Ruffin hit two free throws with 6 seconds left in the game as Omaha held off South Dakota State 81-78. Noah Freidel sank two free throws with 2:11 remaining to give South Dakota State a 76-75 lead, but Pile and KJ Robinson answered with back-to-back layups to put the Mavericks up 79-76 with 26 seconds left.

WICHITA, Kansas (AP) — Grant Sherfield posted 15 points, shooting a perfect 6-for-6, grabbed 11 rebounds for his first double-double and Wichita State beat Abilene Christian 84-66. Sherfield scored 11 points after halftime when he grabbed five rebounds blocked a shot and had three steals. Tyson Etienne added 13 points for Wichita State (11-1), which earned its fifth straight victory. Jaime Echenique added 12 points and Jamarius Burton 11.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Cartier Diarra hit a crucial 3-pointer in the late seconds of the game that capped off a career-high 25 points along with a team-high seven assists with five rebounds and Kansas State defeated Tulsa 69-67. Diarra made 8 of 16 shots from the floor, including 6 of 11 from 3-point range, as the Wildcats (7-5) collectively shot 38% from the floor and 34% from distance.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sometimes, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said, teams can come back from Christmas break and not be focused. He knew that wasn’t going to happen with the Hawkeyes in Sunday’s game against Kennesaw State. The No. 25 Hawkeyes were sharp in a 93-51 home win to close the non-conference portion of their schedule.

Luka Garza scored 23 points and Ryan Kriener added a career-high 20 for the Hawkeyes (10-3). Kriener made all nine of his shots, while Garza was 9-of-11. Getting them the ball was a big part of Iowa’s game plan, and McCaffery knew his team understood. “I thought our guys recognized when Luka was hot early,” McCaffery said. “We recognized when Kriener was going.”

“We knew we had to get out here and take care of business,” Garza said. “I thought we did a good job of that, executing (the game plan). We all came back in shape. We really pushed each other every day in practice. For this game, we were focused, taking care of this.”

“This is probably the best shape this team has been in as a whole since I’ve been here coming off the winter break,” Kriener said. “That speaks a lot to our commitment. As a senior, that’s one of those little things that means a lot to me.”

The Hawkeyes had season highs with 14 steals and 27 assists. Iowa had 34 points off 24 Kennesaw State turnovers, and had 64 points in the paint, compared to just 22 for the Owls.
It was a season-high in points for the Hawkeyes, who shot 60% (39-of-65) for the game.

The Hawkeyes played their first home game in 20 days, and after a stretch of seven games that included three neutral-court games and three road games, needed an easy one. That is why McCaffery gave them three days off after a Dec. 21 win over Cincinnati in Chicago.

POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Hawkeyes got into the rankings last week and should stay with this win, although the Owls weren’t much of a challenge.
UP NEXT
Iowa: The Hawkeyes get back into the Big Ten schedule with a game against Penn State at the Palestra in Philadelphia on Jan. 4. Iowa went 1-1 in two conference games in early December, losing at Michigan and defeating Minnesota at home.

(By DAVE SKRETTA AP Basketball Writer) – Michigan State’s basketball team has always been considered among the Big Ten favorites this season, but the surprising start by coach Juwan Howard at Michigan has the Wolverines eyeing the top of the league standings.

Throw in Maryland, surprising starts by Ohio State and Indiana, and complete wild cards such as Iowa, and the Big Ten figures to be one of the most intriguing conference races in major college basketball.

Mecole Hardman and Damien Williams led the Chiefs to a 31-21 victory over the Chargers that allowed Kansas City to leapfrog New England for the No. 2 seed in the AFC and a first-round playoff bye. Hardman returned a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown and Williams ran for 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) intercepts a pass intended for Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams (81), as cornerback Rashad Fenton (27) watches, during the first half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

His second came just as the Dolphins were scoring the go-ahead TD in their 27-24 win in Foxborough. The combination of outcomes means New England will play next week while the Chiefs can begin preparing for the divisional round.

LINCOLN, Neb. (Via HawkeyeSports.com) — University of Iowa sophomore center Monika Czinano posted a double-double with 17 rebounds and 16 points in a Big Ten women’s basketball opener Saturday, but the Hawkeyes fell to Nebraska, 78-69, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Hawkeyes (9-3 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) lost for just the second time since Nov. 20; Nebraska improved to 11-1, 1-0.

Czinano, the nation’s field goal percentage leader, was 6 of 8 from the field. Iowa senior Kathleen Doyle scored a game-high 19 points and made 10 of 14 free throws. Freshman McKenna Warnock made all three of her 3-point attempts and scored a career-high 14 points.

The Hawkeyes shot just 37 percent from the field (21 of 57). Five Nebraska players scored in double figures, led by Kate Cain with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

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

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Ian Books threw for 247 yards and one touchdown to lead 14th-ranked Notre Dame to a 33-9 victory over Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl. Tony Jones Jr. scored on an 84-yard run and finished with 135 yards rushing. Game MVP Chase Claypool had seven receptions for 146 yards and one TD. Brock Purdy threw for 222 yards without an interception for Iowa State. The sophomore quarterback was unable to get the Cyclones in the end zone, though, after throwing for 27 touchdowns during the regular season. The Fighting Irish finished the season on a six-game winning streak a year removed from an appearance in the CFP national semifinals.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Marcus Zegarowski and Ty-Shon Alexander combined to make 14 of 19 shots from the floor, scoring 19 points apiece, and Creighton steamrolled NAIA-member Midland College 91-54. Zegarowski knocked down 7 of his 10 shots and added six assists, while Alexander nailed 7 of 9 shots for the Bluejays (11-2). Damien Jefferson had 13 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — David Roddy and Kris Martin each scored 17 points, Nico Carvacho was 7-for-7 shooting for 14 more and Colorado State put away Doane 87-62. The scrappy NAIA Tigers took a 5-3 lead on an Anthony Laravie 3-pointer and didn’t give it up until there were six minutes left in the first half. Even then, Doane twice came within a point of the Rams deep into the second half. That’s when the Rams righted themselves and tore off on a 23-4 run over 9:42 to put the win away.

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — Jake Hendricks had a season-high 21 points as Wyoming defeated Nebraska Wesleyan 82-68. Hunter Maldonado had 19 points and seven assists for Wyoming (5-9), which snapped its four-game home losing streak. A.J. Banks added 12 points. Kenny Foster had 11 points and eight rebounds for the home team. Wyoming totaled 41 points in the first half, a season best for the team.