Metro Sports Report

Kasperbauer triples his fun with Eagles

Connor Kasperbauer is one of the sweetest 3-point shooters in junior college basketball this season and he's been a sweet, sweet addition to the Kirkwood Eagles.

Kasperbauer popped in seven 3-pointers Saturday and scored 23 points as the fourth-ranked Eagles topped Little Priest Tribal College, 82-64, in an ICCAC conference game at Johnson Hall.

Kasperbauer, a 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman from Ankeny, is 39-for-77 on 3-pointers this year for 50.6 percent. That's the highest percentage of any NJCAA Division II player in the country who has made at least 3 1/2 triples per game.

He tossed in eight 3-pointers against Morton College last month and has hit at least two triples in all 11 games.

"I've always been told, 'Shooters shoot,'" he remarked. "Every time I'm open I step up with confidence and I know there's a pretty good chance it's going in.

"A lot of times I don't look," he said. "It just feels good."

Kasperbauer normally sets up in the corner and his teammates do a good job of finding him.

"He's a great shooter, a really high IQ, a really great teammate," said Kirkwood Coach Bryan Petersen. "There's a lot of great things to say about Connor."

Kasperbauer made 115 3-pointers during his prep career at Ankeny Centennial and set the school record for most triples in one season. He made third team all-state and spent one year at Truman State University, where he was red-shirted last season and moved to Kirkwood.

Bradford, Tull pace No. 13 Eagles

Paige Bradford and Ashley Tull stole the show for the 13th-ranked Kirkwood women's basketball team Saturday afternoon.

Bradford and Tull, a pair of freshman centers who share playing time in the post, combined for 32 points and 23 rebounds as the Eagles dumped Little Priest Tribal College, 77-44, in an ICCAC conference game at Johnson Hall.

Bradford, from Davenport, collected 17 points and 12 rebounds. Tull, from Troy Mills, finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Kirkwood led 31-23 after a fairly tight first half, but the Eagles blitzed the visitors 28-7 in the third quarter to take command.

Mustangs trimmed by Nazarene, 86-83

OLATHE, Kan. - Bailey Basala had a chance to be a hero for the Mount Mercy Mustangs for the second time in six days Saturday, but this time his 3-pointer in the final seconds did not ring true.

The Mustangs lost to MidAmerica Nazarene, 86-83, in a Heart of America Conference game when Basala missed a 3-pointer with three seconds left that could have forced overtime.

This past Monday, Basala canned a 3-pointer with a half-second remaining to give Mount Mercy a 93-90 victory over St. Ambrose.

Basala hit five triples Saturday and led the Mustangs (5-5, 2-4) with 17 points off the bench. Dennis McKinney scored 16 points, Mychael Brawner-Henley 14 and Antwain Strong 10.

Mount Mercy fell behind by 15 points in the first half, but fought back and held several small leads in the contest.

McKinney gave the Mustangs an 80-79 lead with 3:55 remaining with a 3-pointer, then he gave the Mustangs an 83-81 advantage with another triple with 2:16 left.

Mount Mercy women drop 7th in row

OLATHE, Kan. - The Mount Mercy women's basketball team lost its seventh straight game Saturday with a 73-60 setback against sixth-ranked MidAmerica Nazarene in a Heart of America Conference ballgame in Kansas.

Brianna Thomas popped in four 3-pointers and scored 18 points for the Mustangs (3-7, 0-6). Sarah Moffett added 15 points.

Jovana Jovovic pumped in 21 points for MidAmerica Nazarene (10-1, 7-0).