Month: December 2013

Two Milestone Goals Lift Sharks Over Ducks

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By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE- In a 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, one Shark scored his first NHL goal, another scored his 100th, and the Sharks-Ducks home ice advantage grew a little more. In seven of the last eight games between the two, the win has gone to the home team. The Sharks’ win was tarnished, however, by an injury to Tommy Wingels. Wingels left the game in the first period and did not return.

Logan Couture’s recent trouble scoring goals might be explained in hindsight by the fact that it was his 100th he was trying to score. Such a milestone is bound to play a little hard to get. Bracken Kearns was chasing his first, though he hadn’t had may chances to score it. The audience at SAP Center was suitably appreciative of the occasion, and continued to respond enthusiastically every time Kearns turned up on the video screen.

The Sharks’ best line of late tore into the Ducks defense early, pelting Andersen with shots and staying just a step ahead of the Ducks defenders. Andersen did well to stop as many as he did but finally Brent Burns put one past him from just a few feet in front of the blue paint. The first goal of the game was scored just over a minute in. Assists went to Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton.

Pavelski was called for interference at 6:48. The second penalty killing unit to get on the ice included Andrew Desjardins, Joe Thornton, Justin Braun and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The unit set up a good short-handed chance for Thornton and Desjardins, who made their way into the Ducks’ zone two on one and managed a couple of shots on Anderson, even after the Ducks’ defense caught up with them.

Logan Couture got off the schneid with panache, carrying the puck through the neutral zone, skating around two Ducks defenders and stick-handling his way to the net to score his 100th career goal with a backhand. The goal put the Sharks up 2-0, at 10:07 of the period. Assists went to Brent Burns and Jason Demers.

With a little over five minutes left in the first, the Ducks had a series of good chances in the Sharks’ zone, while the Sharks were caught mid-line change and unable to get the puck out. Finally Niemi was able to glove it. Kearns, Brown and Kennedy took the ice for the defensive zone draw with Stuart and Demers on defense. Kearns won the faceoff and got the puck back to Demerws but Demers couldn’t clear it the first time. They had to try again. The third line managed to move play into the Ducks’ zone, where the Couture line took over, but the Ducks quickly drove them into the neutral zone.

Todd McLellan moved Matt Nieto to the second line when Tommy Wingels went awkwardly into the boards early in the first. Wingels appeared for another shift but then went to the dressing room and would not return to the game.

First period ended 2-0 Sharks, with shots on goal at 14-13 Anaheim.

Almost ten minutes elapsed in the second, including the end of a San Jose power play to start the period, when Andrew Desjardins carried the puck behind the Ducks’ net. Under pressure he managed to pass the puck out in front where the late-arriving Bracken Kearns picked it up in the slot and scored his first NHL goal. Assists went to Desjardins and Mike Brown.

With 7:50 left in the second, Daniel Winnik was caught in the face with the butt end of a Shark’s stick. He stayed down for some time and got up with blood near his eye but no penalty was called. Logan Couture represented the Sharks in a brief conference with the referee at center ice. It did appear to be incidental contact, but Winnik and the Ducks were understandably agitated about it.

The second period ended with the Ducks still ahead on the shot clock, 24-19, but the Sharks ahead 3-0 on the score board.

The Sharks got their second power play of the game at 8:47 of the third period when Corey Perry went to the box for a high hit on Brad Stuart. The Sharks’ power play didn’t pay off and a successful penalty kill energized the Ducks. It still took them a few shifts to score.

Antti Niemi’s shut-out bid ended at 11:32 of the third, when a quick pass from behind the Sharks’ net found Patrick Maroon with no one in front of him. A shot just indside the far post brought the score to 3-1. Assists went to Corey Perry and Cam Fowler.

The game ended without any further scoring and the Sharks won 3-1. The final shot count had the Ducks still on top with 31 to the Sharks’ 23.

The Ducks’ shots leaders for the game were Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Kyle Pamieri, credited with three each. For the Sharks, Brent Burns led the team with 5 shots. Mike Brown led the Sharks in hits with five, followed by Kearns with four. Mark Fistric and Patrick Maroon led the Ducks with five hits each.

The three stars of the game were Brent Burns, Antti Niemi, and Bracken Kearns.

Nastic’s Career Day, 79-62 Win Over Cal Poly Wrap Up Cardinal Non-Conference Play

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By Matthew Harrington

STANFORD, Calif. – Away from the lights of the Barclays Center, removed from name-brand universities Michigan, Pittsburgh or Connecticut on the opposite side of the marquee, the Stanford Cardinal quietly tuned up for conference play with a 79-62 win over Cal Poly (4-8) at Maples Pavilion Sunday afternoon. Stefan Nastic set a career-high with 20 points for Stanford (9-3) on the eve of Pac-12 play and a showdown with rival Cal.

“I was really happy with the win,” said Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins. “I thought it was against a quality team, a team that’s going to do well in league play. We’ll benefit from having that type of challenge as we go forward.”

Cal Poly forward Chris Eversley netted a game-high 25 points in defeat, while Nastic ended the night a flawless seven for seven from the field and six of six from the free throw line in 26 minutes of play to top his previous personal high of 14 points.

“We wanted to get the ball inside,” said Dawkins. “Stefan’s really done a good job of getting inside and anchoring our post position. We want to go inside to him when we can. He did a good job of really producing for us.”

Senior center John Gage, coming off the bench to rest Nastic, dropped a tidy eight points on Cal Poly on a pair of threes and a field goal in ten minutes of play. He was also perfect from the field.

“John is a really good counter to Stefan,” said Dawkins. “He’s a total opposite to Stefan at that position. One guy is really more a face-up guy who can shoot jumpers, the other guy is a dominant low post scorer, so I really do think they play off each other nicely.”

“It’s always good to have a player like John,” added Dawkins. “He’s a terrific teammate. He’s a senior. He’s battled a lot of injuries early in the season. He pretty much wore a cast the first seven, eight games this season. He took that off during the break we had before finals and he’s really found his stroke again. He’s starting to blossom. He’s playing with confidence.”

Nastic, Gage and Dwight Powell (all listed at over six foot ten inches tall in the media guide) used their height advantage to pick apart the Mustangs, whose tallest player Zach Gordon is a six-foot-eight forward. Powell came a pair of rebounds shy of a double-double and, with three blocks in the game, passed Brook Lopez for seventh all-time in school history with 103 rejections.

The Cardinal frontcourt trio man-handled their undersized opponents in the post, drawing the focus off guard Chasson Randle. Randle struggled in the first half, with only one field goal in four tries and six points before igniting in the second half to tie Nastic for the team-lead with 20 points.

Stanford never trailed in the contest, leading by as much as 16 points in the first half before Cal Poly guard Kyle Odister nailed a trey with less than ten seconds till the hallway point for a 33-20 Cardinal lead. Stanford held the visitors to nine baskets on 35 attempts, including limiting Eversley to only seven points.

The Cardinal continued to put the game out of reach after the intermission, picking up its largest lead of the night with a 24 point edge on an Anthony Brown free throw with 5:45 left to play. Cal Poly would chip away at the margin, forcing Dawkins to put some of his starters back on the court late to ensure the win.

“You have to play for forty minutes,” said Dawkins. “We subbed out late. We subbed out with six minutes to go. Those kids kept fighting and playing. We ended up subbing our guys back in, some of our starters. That says a lot about their group.”

With non-conference play wrapped up and the Cardinal looking at a 9-3 record including an upset over no. 10 Connecticut on the road, Dawkins and co. have an idea what to expect from their squad when they take on Cal January 2nd for Pac-12 play at Maples Pavilion.

“I think the teams we played have really helped us prepare for conference play,” said Dawkins. “Our conference, from top to bottom, is one of the best conferences in the nation. I think it’s been proven by how preseason has gone for all of our teams. I think the way we scheduled is reflective of what we thought our conference schedule would be like.”

W’s come from behind, win in OT

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By George Devine, Sr.

The Warriors were down by 17 at one point in Cleveland, and it looked like the Cavaliers would run away with the game, after dominating the first quarter 35-20 with an 18-0 run. The onslaught included three-pointers by C.J. Miles and Kyrie Irving. But in the fourth quarter the visitors tied, then took the lead, and wound up going into overtime, where they would bang out a 108-104 win.

Stephen Curry led the attack with 29 points for Golden State, but was not consistent. In the first half of the game he was 5 for 5 on three-pointers. His crucial shot was with 13.5 seconds left, but most of his total was achieved in the first two periods. He had 11 assists and 9 boards. David Lee contributed nothing to the Warriors’ stats before halftime, but then poured in 19 points. It was as though he and Curry had traded places on offense.

For Cleveland, the key player was Kyrie Irving, who scored 27. This was the fifth loss in a row for the Cavs; three of those shortfalls were in close games, one in a double OT against Atlanta.

Dawson’s last-minute FG sinks Cards; Niners to face Pack in playoffs

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By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Sunday, December 29, 2013

GLENDALE, Ariz. – For Phil Dawson, Sunday’s game was just another example of the highs and lows NFL placekickers endure as part of their job description.

In the third quarter, the San Francisco kicker saw his streak of successful field goal attempts snapped at 27 when he pushed a 24-yard attempt wide left.

But down the stretch, the 15-year veteran dialed long distance for a pair of field goals – a 56-yarder and a 40-yard field goal with 29 seconds remaining that gave the 49ers a 23-20 victory at University of Phoenix Stadium before a sellout crowd of 63,570.

“I hit it pretty good,” Dawson said of his game-winner. “I didn’t wait around to see how much I cleared it by. Coach (Brad) Seely asked me leading up to that, before third down, how I felt. I said, ‘Well, I’ll at least get it there,’ and fortunately, that proved to be true.”

The 49ers (12-4), who clinched an NFC playoff berth last week, are seeded fifth and travel to Green Bay next Sunday for a Wild Card contest against the North Division champion Packers (9-7-1). Game time is 1:30 p.m.

“This is only for the tough. We’ve known that for a while now,” 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Our guys have been coming through in tough ball games. We know it will be more of the same coming.”

Forty-Niners corner back Carlos Rogers added, “With an MVP quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) throwing the ball to their guys – he’s back. They’ve got some other guys back and their running game has picked up. Now, you have to focus on (Eddie) Lacy back there when they’re running the ball. Then all of our linemen have to get after Aaron (Rodgers).”

After losing the Super Bowl a year ago, 49ers running back Anthony Dixon addressed the subject of unfinished business.

“It left a nasty taste in our mouth,” Dixon said. “That’s what we think about – getting back to that big game. We know we have to take it a game at a time, but our eyes are on the prize.”

The Cardinals’ effort to beat San Francisco to reach the playoffs became moot when New Orleans downed Tampa Bay 42-17. Arizona finished its season 10-6.

“It doesn’t feel good, but it doesn’t diminish what we were able to accomplish as a team,” Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. “Coach (Bruce) Arians hit it on the head’ he said it’s just the beginning. … Obviously, we would love to be 11-5 and have an opportunity to get to the playoffs, but it didn’t work out that way for us.

“This is a great start for us, and something that we can truly build on.”

Dawson’s miss in the third quarter was his first since the 49ers’ Oct. 6 game against the St. Louis Rams.

“It was just poor execution on my part,” Dawson said. “You can’t take anything for granted. The two most hated words for me are ‘chip shots,’ and I had some opportunities to go back out there and contribute to the team.

“You live and learn on every kick whether you make them or miss them. I missed the earlier one, tried to look at what I did wrong and applied those to future kicks. I’m just glad it came down to the end where I could make one that helped our team win.”

Coming into the game, the Cardinals had the NFL’s best rushing defense, but 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick made that a non-factor, along with veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin.

Boldin, the former Cardinals wide receiver, came back to haunt his old club, snaring nine of Kaepernick’s passes for 149 yards and one touchdown. Kaepernick completed 21 of 34 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns without a pick.

“We liked the matchups we had with him,” Kaepernick said of Boldin. “We didn’t think their corners could match up with him very well.”

Boldin insisted there was no added incentive attached to facing his former team. “It’s another team; a division opponent,” Boldin said. “For me, there wasn’t any added motivation. I’m motivated by winning and that’s it.”

Neither team ran the ball particularly well, each finishing with 83 total rushing yards. Wide receiver Quinton Patton, whose 26-yard scamper on an end around set up Dawson’s first field goal, led all 49er runners with that play. Rashard Mendenhall gained 47 yards on 10 attempts to lead Arizona.

Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer threw for 407 yards, a pair of touchdowns and one interception, completing 28 of 49 passes. Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd each caught six passes – Fitzgerald for 113 yards and Floyd for 91.

San Francisco was on its way to making the game look like a rout in the opening quarter, jumping to a 17-0 lead. Dawson’ first field goal, a 27-yarder at 10:37 following three incomplete passes in the red zone.

Two minutes later, an interception by 49ers linebacker NaVarro Burton at the Arizona 25-yard-line set up San Francisco’s first touchdown, a 4-yard pass from Kaepernick to Boldin on a fade route putting the Niners up 10-0.

Arizona’s offense began to show signs of life when the Cardinals drove to the 49er 23. But the Cards came up empty when Jay Feely missed a 37-yard field goal attempt wide right.

San Francisco extended its lead to 17-0 on the next possession. A 63-yard pass from Kaepernick to Boldin moved the 49ers to the Arizona 3. Two plays later, Kaepernick found Vernon Davis open in the end zone for a 3-yard scoring pass.

The Cardinals broke through in the second quarter on a 1-yard scoring pass from Palmer to Jake Ballard with 4:46 left in the first half. The score was set up by a 49-yard pass reception by Fitzgerald that moved the ball to the San Francisco 23.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Cardinals fought back and tied the game at 17-17. With 3:20 remaining in the final period. Palmer found a diving Andre Roberts open toward the left sideline in the end zone for a 34-yard score. The replay assistant challenged the touchdown ruling, and the play was upheld.

On San Francisco’s ensuing possession, the drive stalled at the Cardinal 38, and Dawson hit a 56-yard field goal – his longest of the season – and the 49ers again led 20-17.

Arizona answered with a 43-yard field goal by Feely with :29 remaining, set up, in part, by a delay of game penalty against the Niners that moved the ball to the San Francisco 25.

Feely’s ensuing kickoff sent LaMichael James five yards deep into the end zone, but he returned the kick 45 yards to the San Francisco 40. Though James fumbled, the replay assistant ruled that he was down by contact and credited with a 41-yard return.

An 18-yard pass from Kaepernick to Boldin and a 29-yard toss to Patton moved the 49ers to the Cardinal 22, setting up Dawson’s game-winning boot.

“My natural instinct was to just go get the ball,” Patton said. “I was just out there running the route. You have to ask Kap (Colin Kaepernick) if I was the first read.”

Kaepernick didn’t answer directly, but said, “It was press coverage over there. We had a double move on, and there was no safety on that side of the field. I thought I’d give him a chance. He’s shown he can go up and make those plays in practice, so he came up with it, and it was huge for us.”

The 49ers turn their attention to Green Bay, which now has quarterback Aaron Rodgers back in the lineup, and the weather factor.

“The team understands all of those things,” Harbaugh said. “They have some control, but little control about who you play. … The thing we have the most control over is how we play. The effort we give, how we play the game – that will be the most important thing, as it always is.”

(TAGS: San Francisco,49ers,Arizona Cardinals,Phil Dawson,Colin Kaepernick,Anquan Boldin)

Bulls Give Up Four Early And Lose To Thunder 5-1

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Photo Courtesy SFBulls
Photo Courtesy SFBulls

By Kahlil Najar

STOCKTON – The San Francisco Bulls (11-16-3-1) were defeated by the Stockton Thunder (16-10-0-4), 5-1 in the Bulls last game of 2013.  The Bulls gave up four goals in the first and one in the third and were only able to nab one goal in the second from Tyler Gron who scored his 15th goal of the year.

The Bulls and Thunder condensed enough action for one game into the first 20 minutes of play. The four goals secured by the Thunder’s Matt Bergland, James Henry, Mike Dalhuisen, and Nick Larson were accompanied by three fights from the Bulls Scott Langdon, Steven Tarasuk and Kris Belan. Berglan scored early in the period to give Stockton the 1-0 lead and then at 14:35 the Thunder scored three unanswered goals over the next 3:04.
Head Coach of the Bulls had seen enough after the fourth goal that he pulled regular starter Tyler Beskorowany and put in back-up goalie J.P. Anderson.

In the second, the Bulls leading scorer Tyler Gron received a nice pass from Adrian Foster and beat Parker Milner and brought the deficit to only three goals.

The Thunder sealed the victory in the third when Oslanki beat Anderson and slammed the door shut on scoring for the night and give the game its 5-1 finale.

The Bulls continue this rivalry into the New Year when they face Stockton again this Friday at 7:30pm in Stockton.

Kings Lose Heartbreaker in San Antonio

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

Photo Credit: D. Clarke Evans

By Charlie O. Mallonee

If effort counted, the Kings would have defeated the Spurs on Sunday night in San Antonio. Unfortunately, effort counts but point totals decide the winner, and the Spurs outscored the Kings 112-104 to win the contest.

This game was the first of a “Texas Two Step” road trip that takes the Kings to San Antonio and to Houston to end the 2013 portion of the season. The toughest game of the trip was going to be the battle with the Spurs.

The Kings came out strong in the first quarter. Rather than falling 12-15 points down as has been the pattern, Sacramento stayed even with San Antonio. DeMarcus Cousins came out strong and put up 10 points in the first period. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker scored nine points each. When the Kings second unit took the floor, the Spurs were able to open up a small lead and end the quarter leading Sacramento 27-23.

The Kings second unit stayed on the floor to open up the second quarter and proved to be no match for the Spurs’ strong bench players. The Spurs quickly opened up a 15 point lead as the Kings tried to live on outside, low percentage shots that were not falling. Sacramento also hurt themselves at the free throw line hitting just 60.0% of their shots. The Kings starters came back on the floor and cut the Spurs lead to seven. The teams went to the locker rooms with San Antonio leading the Kings 57-49.

The Kings came out hot to start the third quarter. Big baskets by Cousins, Gay, Thomas and McLemore helped them to cut the Spurs lead to three points. Sacramento continued to hustle, take high percentage shots and took the lead with 5:28 to go in the period 69-67. Isaiah Thomas led the effort scoring 15 points in the quarter. With the Sacramento starters playing almost the entire time, the Kings scored 38 points in the third. That is the most points given up by the Spurs in one quarter this season. After three quarters, the Kings led the Spurs 87-81.

The Sacramento second unit started the fourth quarter. They began to attempt low percentage shots and were giving up points on defense. The San Antonio bench led by the incredible Manu Ginobili pulled the Spurs back into the game and cut the Kings lead to three. With 2:45 to play, Tim Duncan completed a three point play by hitting the free throw, and the Spurs took the lead 105-102. The Kings were not able to get decent open shots and were unable to score. Tony Parker hit a killer 3-pointer with 50.0 seconds to go to up the Spurs lead to 108-102. The Spurs would score four additional points to make the final score 112-104 in favor of San Antonio.

The difference in the game was the bench play of the Spurs. Ginobili scored 28 points off the bench while Boris Diaw scored 14. San Antonio’s bench never allowed the game to run away from them. When the Sacramento bench was on the floor, the team went backwards. That is the difference between an upper echelon team and a rebuilding team.

The Kings had some outstanding performances in the game. DeMarcus Cousins posted his 17th double-double scoring 29 points and gathering in 14 rebounds. After scoring just five points in the first half, Isaiah Thomas finished with 27. Rudy Gay recorded 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds. The big three did their job in the game. The Kings bench scored just 12 points and played poor defense. That is where the game was lost.

The Kings have Monday off and then they face another tough opponent on Tuesday in the Houston Rockets. It will take another strong effort by the starters if they are to defeat the Rockets in their own house.

Manning sets passing record in win

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{Raiders} {NFL}

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-When he finally decides to hang up his cleats, Peyton Manning may hold every record by a quarterback in NFL history.

Manning threw four touchdowns in the first half on 25-for-28 for 266 yards, as the Denver Broncos defeated the Oakland Raiders 34-14 before 51,500 at the Coliseum.

The 266 yards thrown by Manning broke Drew Brees’ two-year record for most yards in a season by a quarterback.

Manning finished the season with an NFL record 55 touchdowns, and threw for 5,477 yards, breaking Brees record by one yard.

Eric Decker, Knowshown Moreno, and Denaryius Thomas were on the receiving end of the four touchdowns, as the Broncos ended their season with a 13-3 record and finished with the number one seed in the AFC.

Terrelle Pryor finished his first season as the starter going 21-for-38 for 207 yards and two touchdowns.

Pryor was also the leading ground gainer for the Raiders, as he carried the ball nine times for 49 yards.

Rod Streater got the Raiders on the board, as he was on the receiving end of a Pryor 14-yard pass with 4:37 remaining in the game.

On their next possession, Pryor then found Nick Kasa for a nine-yard touchdown pass with 37 seconds remaining.

Sebastian Janikowski troubles kicking field goals continued, as he missed a 42-yard field goal wide to the right on the Raiders first possession in the second half.

Soccer on television doesn’t do well

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That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary

Back in 1994 during the World Cup USA ’94, I covered that event for Telemundo Bay Area. I had the privilege of interviewing the incomparable Edison Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé); considered the Babe Ruth of Fútbol in the world. Pelé was traveling as a an ambassador of soccer, with the Brazilian team, who won the cup that year. Among my many questions, I asked Pelé was the future of fútbol here in the United States? He told me: “In about twenty years, it will be one of the top sports in this country”.

It is true, a lot of kids are playing soccer nowadays in the United States, but that has not translated to world class talent in the world professional stage for the United States. No sport can succeed today in this country without a big television contract. I have talked about the MLS from the very beginning, the only thing it has that is “major”is the name, but the talent is not. They have tried, bringing great starts, like David Beckham and such.

Since my interview with Pelé in 1994, kids have played and are playing soccer in the US, but how many American born soccer stars do we have? We are knocking on the door of 2014, It has been twenty years since my interview with Pelé. Is Soccer/Fútbol, any competition in television ratings or revenues to the other professional leagues here in the US? No, not even close. The World Cup is it, but that happens every four years, and yes it is the second sporting event in the world, only second to the Summer Olympics.

Many, many words have been spent on other websites, forums and social media theorizing why MLS ratings were poor in the past. FOX Soccer was blamed for its poor production value. FOX upped their game but the ratings didn’t prosper. Many MLS fans argued that NBC would be the answer with its better production values and ability to show games on national television. However, despite better ratings than FOX Soccer (it couldn’t have gotten much worse), those vocal critics of the poor job that FOX did and how NBC would change everything are now silent.
The bottom line is that Major League Soccer is sub par to the other leagues that are available on television.

Even with a more consistent schedule, a night dedicated to a game of the week, and other changes, the fact is that it’s not going to make that much of a difference.
Based on TV ratings, the growth of soccer in the United States has been largely fueled by the US Men’s National Team, the US Women’s National Team, the Mexican national team and English Premier League. Major League Soccer is not on the map compared to the other pro-sports league in the US.

For Telemundo and Univisión it is a big deal, but although this country is becoming more bilingual by the minute, still MLS (Major League Soccer) is not even close to the NFL, MLB. NBA or NHL.

I still believe that for soccer to be a success and a rival to the other leagues here in the United States, this country has to produce American superstars in the world scene, even though it is not a sport in which Americans have been raised with, not a part of this culture, the public in this country wants to see stars. Does US soccer have a LeBron James? Soccer is not indigenous to the country, marketing and the American public do better when they have-home grown stars they can promote, otherwise it will continue to be an imported product. Now, I remember when I first arrived in California, back in 1969, California wines were good, but could not rival those of Europe, today California grows some of the best wines in the world, but that has taken over 40 years. Maybe soccer in the USA can catch up with Europe in ten or 40 years from now.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is in the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame and does News and Commentary each week for Sportstalk Radio

Cal, Powers enjoy offensive explosion in victory over Furman

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By Morris Philips

Jeff Powers hadn’t played much thus far this season.  But given an opportunity, the senior forward not only played well, he provided the injury-riddled Cal Bears a much-needed lift.

Cal overwhelmed final non-conference opponent Furman, 90-60 on Saturday at Haas Pavilion, and the game was firmly in the grasp of the Bears when the Powers’ show started, but it was a show nonetheless with reserve hitting six straight three-pointers after missing his first attempt 12 minutes in.

For Coach Mike Montgomery Powers’ display wasn’t just a feel good story, but a potential strategic wrinkle for the Bears with three straight road games coming up to start the Pac-12 schedule.  The Bears are currently without swingman Ricky Kreklow who has a broken hand, and top freshman Jabari Bird, who twisted his ankle in the previous game against Creighton.  Given the absence of those two, the Bears need offense, even better if that offense comes from the perimeter.

“If somebody watched the game and scouted they’d say we need to guard him, we can shoot it,” Montgomery said.  “It means now that the floor is more open for the other people to move because they need to guard him.  Creighton just packed the box.  They put everybody in the paint and dared us.  Nobody was scoring the ball.”

Powers’ first make came with the Bears already leading by 13 with eight minutes remaining in the first half.  In the next three minutes, the catch-and-shoot specialist buried a couple of more as the Cal lead ballooned to 18 points at the half.  With the game out of hand midway through the second half, Powers came on and buried three more long distance shots.

Not bad for a guy who transferred from tiny University of Denver only to spend a lot of time on the bench over the last 2 ½ seasons.  Coming in, Powers had scored just two points and played 21 minutes in Cal’s first 12 games.

“I really wasn’t coming into tonight’s game saying I want to have 18 points and shoot 6-for-7,” Powers said.  “The shots fell, nothing really else I can say. When I put in the amount of hours I have over the years, I expect them to go in.  I just think my teammates did a really good job of finding me when I did start hitting a couple with Justin, Sam.”

According to disappointed Furman coach Nico Medved, the defense Powers faced wasn’t very good.  Medved felt that when his Paladins didn’t enjoy success offensively early in the game, they lost their zest at the defensive end.  The Southern Conference opponent from Columbia, South Carolina trailed by as many as 35 late in the game, and lost for the third time in their last four games.

“As a young team, when things go well, we play pretty well, but when things don’t go well for stretches, it’s when we kind of collapse and go our separate ways.  I think that’s what happened tonight,” Medved said.

William Gates, Jr. led Furman with 13 points.  Larry Wideman and Stephen Croone contributed 11 points each.

Cal got 18 points each from Justin Cobbs and Tyrone Wallace as the pair combined to make 17 of 23 shots.  The Bears shot 60 percent for the game, canned 10 3-pointers and committed just five turnovers on the afternoon.

The Bears open conference play on Thursday at Stanford before a trip to Oregon the following week to face the Ducks and the Beavers.

Bulls Can’t Hang On To Late Lead And Fall To Thunder 7-6 In Overtime

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Photo Courtesy SF Bulls
Photo Courtesy SF Bulls

By Kahlil Najar

STOCKTON – The San Francisco Bulls (11-15-3-1) couldn’t hang on to a late lead and lost 7-6 to the Stockton Thunder (15-10-0-4) in overtime Saturday night. Dean Ouellet, Adrian Foster, and Chris Crane shined for the Bulls as they each had three-point nights and Tyler Beskorowany and J.P. Anderson were able to turn away 31 shots.

The Bulls took a 3-1 lead in the first period with goals from Crane, Tyler Gron and Foster. Crane was able to score off a deflection on a nice shot from Kalvin Sagert at 6:33 and Gron got his goal 81 seconds later when he was able to get a great shot past the Thunders Brian Foster. The Thunder’s Mitch Bruijsten scored the teams first goal of the game and his first goal of the season when he beat Tyler Beskorowany with 11:33 gone in the first. Dean Ouellet scored his sixth goal of the season on a nifty one-timer on with a nice feed from Adrian Foster and gave the Bulls a two goal lead going into the second.

The Thunder turned the table on the Bulls in the second when they outscored the Bulls 4-1 and gave them a 5-4 lead going into the third. The Thunder’s Greg Miller scored 36 seconds into the period and Bruijsten tied the game with his second goal of the game with a little over 8 minutes left in the second. Collin Bowman was able to put the Bulls back on top 4-3 when he scored less that two minutes later. The Thunder then scored two unanswered goals from Joey Martin and Alex MacLeod.

The Bulls then answered with two of their own unanswered goals when Chris Crane scored his second goal of the game 4:33 into the third period and tied the game at five and Adrian Foster got his fifth goal of the year when he beat Brian Foster of a nice tip at 7:31 and brought the score to an unbelievable 6-5 Bulls advantage. Then with 12:39 gone in the third, Stockon’s Alex MacLeod scored his second goal of the game and tied the game at six at the end of regulation.

Greg Miller, who scored earlier in the game notched the game winner with only 45 seconds left to go in the extra frame with a nice pass from Garet Hunt and gave Stockton the 7-6 victory.

The Bulls and Thunder meet again tomorrow afternoon at 4pm.

Notes: Dean Ouellet now has 12 points (2g, 10a) in his last eight games… Tyler Gron and Kalvin Sagert extended their point-streaks to six games apiece.