(A-P) The Kansas City Chiefs are joining with the Missouri State High School Activities Association and the NFL Foundation to launch a state chapter of InsideOut, a national initiative that is designed to empower and equip school communities to implement purpose-based athletics. The InsideOut program has provided training for educational leaders, athletic administrators, coaches and others in the community since its inception in 2015. It supports schools in redefining and reframing sports as a platform for youth development.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved five more agreements with sports betting companies and casinos during its meeting this month. Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko says those companies are looking ahead to a change in registration rules. “With the in-person registration requirement going away on January 1st, there has been some rekindled interest in this market. And so, there are a number of sports wagering companies trying to enter this market by reaching agreements with casinos,” Ohorilko says.

In January sports betters have the option to sign up on-line — or go into a casino and sign up to bet. Casinos can have agreements with up to three different sports betting providers — and he says more and more of those agreements are being finalized. “Whether it will be January 1st of February 1st — the market hear in this state will look very different in the next few months simply because of the high volume of new companies that we are going to see trying to compete for on-line sports,” Ohorilko says. The casinos benefit from their partnerships with on-line betting companies.

“Typically what we see when these relationships happen is there is an up-front one-time fee that the online sportsbook pays the casino to enter the market — and then there is a smaller percentage of an ongoing revenue share,” according to Ohorilko. “And in some cases there is a minimal annual fee that is paid by these sports books.” Requiring sports bettors to sign up at casinos gave a boost to attendance at the facilities when sports betting started in the state. Ohorilko says there was a concern that dropping the requirement would lead to a drop in revenue from fewer people going to the casinos — but he says that thinking has changed.

“Many people in the industry are starting to think that really one is not impacting the other in a negative way. And because of that, we might not see as much drop off as we initially thought,” Ohorilko says. He says casinos are still able to make revenue from sports betting through their online agreements, and the bigger concern has been a drop in attendance brought on by the pandemic restrictions.

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

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Tommy Kuhse made a game-winning basket with 1.8 seconds left to help Saint Mary’s edge Northern Iowa 66-64. Kuhse, who had 19 points, six rebounds and three blocks, gave Saint Mary’s its first lead since 12-11 with a bank shot in the lane. Dan Fotu had 12 points and Alex Ducas added nine points and 10 rebounds for Saint Mary’s. AJ Green had 15 points for the Panthers (0-2). Austin Phyfe added 14 points and Bowen Born had 13 points.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jim Hanifan, the former St. Louis Cardinals coach who returned to the city as offensive line coach to help the Rams win the Super Bowl, has died. He was 87. Hanifan’s daughter, Kathy Hinder, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he died Tuesday at Missouri Baptist Hospital. She said the cause of death hasn’t been determined, but said it wasn’t related to COVID-19.

The Cardinals’ head coach from 1980-85, Hanifan is best known for his offensive lines as an assistant with St. Louis and Washington. Hanifan went 39–49–1 with the Cardinals, reaching the playoffs in 1982. He won Super Bowls as an assistant with Washington after the 1991 season and the Rams after the 1999 season.

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(Via Hawkeyesports.com) IOWA CITY – Highlighted by a 38-point third quarter, the University of Iowa women’s basketball team, shot its way to a season-opening 96-81 victory over Northern Iowa to open the 2020 season inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday night. Coach Lisa Bluder improves to a perfect 21-0 in season openers at Iowa, and it’s a bounce-back win from last season’s 88-66 loss to UNI.

Despite having no fans in the stands, Iowa put on an offensive clinic, scoring the most points against UNI since the 2002-2003 season. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a fast start, leading 19-4 midway through the first quarter, but the Panthers slowly chipped away in the second quarter, taking a 30-29 lead, which would be the first and only lead for UNI.

Iowa closed out the first half on an 8-0 run to lead 43-36 at the break, before shooting 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the floor, 75 percent (6-of-8) from deep, and 85.7 percent from the charity stripe (12-of-14) in a fast-paced third quarter. In a quarter that barely saw the shot clock below 20 seconds, Gabbie Marshall put an exclamation on the scoring outburst with a corner three as time expired in the third to give Iowa a 63-44 lead heading into the fourth.

UNI, who was led by Kam Finley’s 22 points, outscored the Hawkeyes in the fourth, but the Hawkeyes left the court with a 15-point victory.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Taveion Hollingsworth scored 26 points as Western Kentucky beat Northern Iowa 93-87 in the first round of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic. Dayvion McKnight added 21 points for the Hilltoppers while Luke Frampton scored 14. AJ Green and Noah Carter led the Panthers with 28 points each.

Northern Iowa lofted a barrage of 3-pointers, making 20 of 39 from distance, 12 after halftime, but Western Kentucky dominated the paint 44-12 and got 42 points off the bench.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Luka Garza had 26 points and 10 rebounds and No. 5 Iowa opened the season with a 97-67 victory over North Carolina Central on Wednesday. Garza, the Big Ten player of the year last season and the lone unanimous selection on the preseason AP All-America team, had his 17th consecutive game of 20 points or more.

The senior center had just four points in the first 10 1/2 minutes before the Hawkeyes took control with a 20-2 run near the end of the first half. He had six of Iowa’s final nine points in the run. Redshirt freshman forward Patrick McCaffery, the son of Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, had 16 points. CJ Keyser led North Carolina Central with 15 points.

AMES, Iowa – The No. 15 Iowa State women’s basketball team (1-0) was dominant in a 69-43 season-opening victory over Omaha (0-1) at Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon. Junior Ashley Joens, a member of the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List, tallied a game-high 25 points, to go with seven rebounds.

Joens’ terrific effort came via a tidy 11-of-17 shooting performance, while adding two blocks, two steals and two assists in 25 minutes of action. Senior forward Kristin Scott joined Joens in double figures with 10 points and nine boards.

Four Cyclone freshmen made their collegiate debut on Wednesday, as Kylie Feuerbach, Emily Ryan and Lexi Donarski all started, while Aubrey Joens came off the bench to lead the quartet with seven points on the afternoon. Ryan posted a game-high seven assists in her first appearance as a Cyclone.

The win was the first for Jodi Steyer as ISU’s acting head coach, as Steyer has assumed the duties temporarily with head coach Bill Fennelly currently in quarantine protocol after being exposed to COVID-19.

How It Happened
It was a disjointed first quarter to open the season at Hilton Coliseum, as each team struggled to find an offensive rhythm. The teams combined for 12 turnovers and just nine made field goals in the opening stanza. However, the Cyclones jumped to a 14-7 advantage after 10 minutes.

Following four first-quarter points, star Cyclone junior Ashley Joens took over in the second period. The native of Iowa City, Iowa tallied 13 of ISU’s 19 points in the second quarter, shooting 6-of-8 from the field, to go with three rebounds and one assist. Kristin Scott chipped in five points in the quarter to extend the Cyclone advantage to 33-22 at the intermission.

The Iowa State offense continued to hum in the third quarter, putting up 22 points while Cyclones excelled at sharing the ball. Iowa State’s eight field goals in the quarter were scored by seven different players, as the Cardinal & Gold extended its lead to 54-31 with 10 minutes to play.

The Cyclones were able to cruise to victory in the fourth, as all 10 Cyclones that were available to play saw game action in the opener. In total, eight different Cyclones scored, including 21 combined bench points from the trio of Rae Johnson (8), Aubrey Joens (7) and Madison Wise (6).

Players of Note
Ashley Joens opened her junior campaign with the eye-popping numbers Cyclone fans have become accustomed to seeing from her. She stuffed the stat sheet with 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.

Kristin Scott flirted with a double-double in her senior season debut, putting up 10 points and nine rebounds to tie a team-high on the glass. She also had three assists and a block in 23 minutes of action.

Up Next
The Cyclones hit the road this weekend to take on South Dakota State in Brookings, S.D. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on MC22/ESPN3.