Month: December 2013

49ers provide the big finish in the final game at Candlestick

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By Morris Phillips

Like many of the truly great football games played at Candlestick Park over the years, this one was contentious and very much in doubt late in the fourth quarter.

And like all those great games of the past, someone in a red jersey and gold helmet made a game-winning play just as NaVorro Bowman did on Monday night.

The 49ers saved their best for last in the final regular season game at Candlestick, beating the Falcons, 34-24, in large part due to Bowman’s interception and 89-yard return for a touchdown with Atlanta driving for the winning score with less than two minutes remaining.

“(Bowman and Falcon Harry Douglas) were both going to the spot and the ball bounced up and that was a play that changed the game,” Falcons Coach Mike Smith recounted.

“The Catch is ‘The Catch.’  There will never be another catch, but this was a great moment,” Coach Jim Harbaugh said.

On a night that was preordained to be 49ers, start to finish, the Falcons obviously were presented a different script.  The NFC finalists from a year ago came in limping with a 4-10 record but they switched to a strut for much of the first half, and more significantly, late in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons led at the half, 10-3.   Then after the 49ers responded with 17 straight points, capped by Colin Kaepernick’s 4-yard touchdown run, the Falcons came up with two fourth quarter scores and an improbable recovery of Matt Bryant’s onside kick.  That set up the big finish with Atlanta driving deep in 49ers’ territory, trailing 27-24.

Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan attempted to squeeze in a pass to Douglas on a slant but the Atlanta tight end was immediately engaged with 49ers’ nickel back Tramaine Brock who fought Douglas for the ball until it popped up and free and into the hands of Bowman, who was closing in to make a tackle.

Bowman then turned on the jets, accompanied by Patrick Willis and Eric Reid, on a race down the sideline that ended with the All-Pro linebacker airborne into the end zone with the likely final touchdown at the 54-year old stadium.

“I was excited, it was an amazing play by T. Brock and Bowman,” Kaepernick said.  “For him to finish it out that way, it was great.”

While Bowman finished off the Falcons, Kaepernick started the process with one of his best running and passing performances of the season.  Kap finished 13 for 21 and 197 yards through the air, but his six carries for 51 yards sparked the 49ers’ second half rally.   The third-year quarterback also energized Michael Crabtree, who had his best outing since returning from the Achilles injury with five catches for 102 yards.

Crabtree’s 47-yard catch and run highlighted the 49ers’ opening drive of the second half that ended with Kaepernick connecting with Anquan Boldin on a 10-yard pass and score.

The 49ers (11-4) clinched a wild card berth with the win, but with the Seahawks losing to Arizona over the weekend, the 49ers remain alive for the NFC West title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed.  The unlikely path to the division crown would require that Seattle loses its home finale to the Rams, while the 49ers beat the Cardinals in Glendale, Arizona.

The 49ers will have to be wary of a loud and boisterous crowd in Arizona with the Cardinals still clinging to slim playoff hopes themselves.   Arizona would need to beat the 49ers while seeing the Saints lose their home finale to the Buccaneers.  The NFL has manufactured additional drama by scheduling the Saints game in the afternoon window at the same time as the 49ers-Cardinals game.

The all–to–sudden final football game at Candlestick Park came with plenty of ceremony courtesy of appearances by Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, Bubba Paris, Dwight Clark and Giants’ legends Wille McCovey and Willie Mays as well.  ESPN’s Chris Berman hosted a 15-minute post-game celebration that ended with a singing appearance by Philadelphia singing group Boyz II Men.Image

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Sharks win a thriller against the Avs

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By Ivan Makarov

SAN JOSE, CA — Ever since San Jose Sharks played Colorado Avalanche in the playoffs series back in in the 2010 Stanley Cup, the games between the two teams had a rivalry feel to them. They were often packed with big hits, fights and back and forth scoreboard. The next matchup at SAP Center on Monday night was no exception, and had all that. The Sharks came out on top against the Avs, winning their ninth straight at home against them, this time by the score of 5-4 in a shootout.

Colorado Avalanche is a young team on the rise. Having not qualified for a playoffs spot since that series against the Sharks almost four years ago, they were rebuilding through lottery picks in the NHL draft, including picking up Nathan MacKinnon as the first overall pick last summer (he went on to score in the game). They also went through a coaching switch, hiring their former player and a hockey legend Patrick Roy who made his NHL head coaching debut this season. All the changes are now paying off, as Colorado were just two points behind the Sharks in the stranding coming into this game.

Avs got the first lead in the game. Their rookie McKinnon scored his eighth goal of the season to break the scoring in the game half way through the first period, with a wrist shot on the power play. Sharks’ Jason Demers tied the game three minutes later, also on the power play, scoring with a big heavy slap shot from just above the face-offs circle as Joe Thornton laid a great pass for him.

Colorado took the next lead in the game, with their captain Gabe Landeskog scoring at the end of the first period, capitalizing on a fast transition, leaving him wide open in front of Antti Niemi, who was unable to react in time. That’s how these new Avs play – counter attacking, and moving the puck fast throughout the ice. That left the game 2-1 in favor of the visiting team, going into the first intermission.

Besides the exciting action, the game also featured two fights in that period. First Mike Brown knocked out Cody McLeod with repeated punches, sending his opponent to the dressing room with blood all over his face. Few minutes after that former Shark Jamie McGinn dropped the gloves with Brad Stuart to get the crowd even more riled up.

Sharks came back firing on all cylinders in the second period. They played faster, more focused and went to the net at every opportunity. The increased pressure resulted in two goals – one by Brent Burns and another one by Cody Irwin – both from the top of the face-off circles. The home team did not give much room for the Avs to come back either, and Joe Thornton said after the game that he thought that the Sharks played the best single period of the whole season, as they took 3-2 lead going into the third period.

It seemed as if the Sharks would finish the game with a victory as the game was winding down, but that’s not how the Avalanche saw it. They not only tied the game with less than two minutes left, but took 4-3 lead scoring just 12 second after the tying goal. San Jose pulled the goaltender for an extra skater, and climbed back into the game on a goal by Joe Pavelski.

Sharks could have ended the game in overtime, getting a golden 4-on-3 power play opportunity, but came up empty, taking the game into a shootout.

Antti Niemi stopped all his two tries by McKinnon and Matt Douchene, while Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau scored on their tries, letting the Sharks earn the extra point over their opponent.

While it was frustrating for the team and for the Sharks coach Todd McLellan to end the third period like that, the fact that they came back and still won the game helped them go on a short Christmas break in a happier mood.

“A wild finish,” said McLellan describing the game. “It’s disappointing that we couldn’t hold on, for whatever reason. You saw it in the third – we went on our heels. We didn’t back off. To come back and respond with a goaltender pulled, it alleviates some of that.”

The Sharks next travel to Phoenix where they take on another divisional rival Phoenix Coyotes on Friday.

Pelicans run away from Kings, 113-97

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By George Devine, Sr.

Going into the fourth quarter, the Kings were neck-and-neck with the New Orleans Pelicans, but the visitors broke away, scoring 36 points to the home team’s 23 in the final frame. The visitors won, 113-97, snapping a four-game losing streak.

A key factor was Tyreke Evans, who scored 25 points and contributed 12 assists to lead the Pelicans’ assault. 13 of his points were in the fatal fourth. Anthony Davis chipped in with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon each had 17 points, and Holiday also had 10 assists.

For Sacramento, DeMarcus cousins had 14 points and 14 boards, and Isaiah Thomas had 21 points. The key stat that hurt, though, was turnovers — a particular malady for the Kings of late — which tonight amounted to 22.

BYU hopeful in bowl game against Washington

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By George Devine, Sr.

As the teams prepare for the Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco, the Cougars of Brigham Young University feel confiden in opposing the Huskies from the University of Washington. Both teams finished their regular season schedules with 8-4 records, considerably better than the standard for bowl eligibility. This will be BYU’s ninth consecutive postseason game. “We feel we’re playing a fantastic opponent,” said coach Bronco Mendenhall, “the best postseason opponent in nine years! Washington will play very hard. Washington plays very fast and they are very strong defensively; I expect them to be tough!”|

When asked what effect the game would have on the 2013 experience for his team, Mendenhall said, “I’m already considering the season a success,” pointing to the tough opposition his players faced in their regular schedule opponents. “I’m very proud of my team,” he remarked, singling out senior linebacker Kyle Van Noy. “He kept his word. He graduated in four years and kept his commitment”, acknowledging the fact that the Reno native could have chosen otherwise by entering the draft.

Van Noy himself said, “I just want to make plays and be a difference maker,|” acknowledging that the Huskies have “great receivers and running backs, and a quarterback that can throw!”

Oddsmakers expect the game to be decided by as few as three points. Kickoff will be at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, December 27.

This will be the twelfth installment of the game, and the last to take place at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Beginning in 2014 the contest will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the new home of the San Francisco 49ers. From that year through 2019 the game will be played by opponents from the Pac-12 and Big 10.

Huskies to face Cougars in Fight Hunger Bowl

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{NCAA}

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Heading into their first ever Fight Hunger Bowl appearance, the Washington Huskies were hit a blow to the stomach that would have erupted Mt. St. Helens again.

Head Coach Steve Sarkisian, who was hired prior to the 2009 season, replacing Tyrone Willingham, who was fired after going 0-12 during the 2008 season left the program and headed to the University of Southern California as head coach.

Sarkisian is eventually being replaced by Boise State head coach Chris Petersen, but during the bowl game, the Huskies will be coached by Marques Tuiasosopo, who led the Huskies a Rose Bowl victory over the Purdue Boilermakers and current New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees on January 1, 2001.

The Huskies, who enter the game with an 8-4 record will face the Brigham Young Cougars, who also enter the game with an identical 8-4 record.

Bishop Sankey is the Huskies leading rusher, as the junior out of Spokane’s Gonzaga Prep High School topped the 1,000 yard plateau for the second year in a row, gaining 1,775 yards after gaining 1,439 yards in his sophomore season.

Senior Keith Price is the Huskies quarterback, and enters the game with 216 completions out of 330 attempts with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions.

The senior out of Compton, CA was named All PAC-12 Honorable Mention, and was a captain for the second consecutive season.

This is the fourth consecutive bowl game for the Huskies, who are just the second team in the last 50 years to have gone from a winless season to four bowl games in five seasons, joining the 1982 Florida Gators.

Bulls Give It A Go But Come Up Short, Lose To Eagles 6-4

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Photo Courtesy of The SF Bulls
Photo Courtesy of The SF Bulls

By Kahlil Najar

DALY CITY – The San Francisco Bulls (10-15-2-1) gave up two quick goals to the Colorado Eagles (17-6-3-2) in the first and were defeated 6-4. This is the fourth consecutive game in which the Bulls had to mount a come from behind fight but weren’t able to get on top today. Dean Ouellet, Brett Findlay, Luke Judson and Jordan Morrison scored for the Bulls and J.P. Anderson stopped 18 of 22 shots before being replaced by Tyler Beskorowany who stopped 8 out of 10 for the Bulls in net.  The Eagles Trent Daavettila scored three goals and garnered his first hat trick with the Eagles and the Eagles first hat trick of the season.

The Eagles jumped out to an early 2-0 lead behind goals from Riley Nelson and Trent Daavettila. Nelson scored from in front of the goal at 3:41 into the contest and Daavettila able to connect on a power play when he sent a shot over J.P. Anderson and gave Colorado the 2-0 lead. Dean Ouellet scored his fifth goal of the season just 20 seconds after the Eagles tally when he received some nice passes from Adrian Foster and Kalvin Sagert.

True to form, the Bulls scored first in the second period on a nice play from Brett Findlay who danced his way into the Colorado zone and was able to beat Adam Brown through his five hole. The Eagles responded with back-to-back goals in the fifteenth minute of the period when Daavettila got his second goal of the night and Kevin Ulanski tipped the puck over Anderson to give the Eagles a 4-2 lead going into the third.

The Bulls weren’t able to score first in the third period like they had been doing over all these come from behind games as the Eagles Jesse Mychan scooped up a rebound in front of the newly entered Beskorowawny and made it a 5-2 game. The Bulls then responded with their own back-to-back goals in the ninth minute of the period when Luke Judson and Jordan Morrison were able to get the puck past Brown and made it a 5-4 game with over 11 minutes left in the period. The Bulls were able to move the puck around well and take some great chances however Daavettila notched his third goal of the game when the Eagles were on a 5-on-3 power play after penalties to Foster and Judson and sealed the 6-4 victory.

On the loss, head coach Pat Curcio said, ““That was a tough loss. I thought we deserved better this weekend.”

The Bulls head back at it this coming Friday against the rivaled Stockton Thunder on Ugly Sweater night.

Cold shooting Bears fall at Creighton

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 By Morris Phillips

Questionable shot selection and poor shooting don’t add up to a good night on the hardwood.   Given that toxic mix, the Cal Bears spent the majority of the evening trailing by double digits before falling in their big test at Creighton on Sunday, 68-54.  And as a result, the Bears will enter Pac-12 conference play without a signature non-conference win.

The Bears shot just 33 percent in the first half and trailed the Bluejays, 30-19 at the break.  But what was surprising was the lack of aggressiveness at the offensive end where the Bears managed just 24 shots–half of those 3-point attempts—and one trip to the free throw line.  Creighton’s sticky man-to-man defense in part explains why the Bears’ offense got pushed out on the floor, but impatient Cal shooters deserve their share of the blame.

All-American Doug McDermott didn’t start off shooting much better, missing seven of his first eight attempts, but after that the coach’s son carried the Jays, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds.  McDermott also settled for some long distance shots, but made eight of his final 14 shot attempts by getting to his sweet spots inside the arch and relying on his signature step back jumpers.  McDermott has scored 20 or more points in all but one of Creighton’s games this season.

The Bluejays led by as many 19 points in the second half as Coach Mike Montgomery substituted frequently in attempt to find a hot hand.  But Montgomery was unable to find one as the Bears shot just 36 percent for the game and never made a sustained push in the second half. 

Justin Cobbs led Cal with 13 points and four assists, and  Tyrone Wallace (12) and David Kravish (11)  also scored in double figures.  

The Bears played without Ricky Kreklow who suffered a broken hand in practice this week.  Freshman Jabari Bird got the start in place of Kreklow but left early when he sustained an ankle injury.

The Bears final non-conference contest comes next Saturday against Furman at Haas Pavilion.   Cal opens Pac-12 play on January 2 at Stanford.   

 

Penalties and turnovers doom Raiders

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{Raiders} {NFL}

By Jeremy Kahn

Entering halftime, things looked to be going well for the Oakland Raiders, but unfortunately things did not end that way for the Silver and Black.

Two huge turnovers and 12 penalties did not help the hapless Raiders, as the San Diego Chargers outscored their longtime rivals in the second half 16-3 and defeated them 26-13 at Qualcomm Stadium.

The Chargers, who are playing for their playoff lives won their third straight, their longest winning streak of the 2013 season.

Philip Rivers put the Chargers up for good with five minutes remaining in the third quarter, as the veteran found former CAL star Keenan Allen for a four-yard touchdown pass.

Ryan Mathews gained 99 yards for the Chargers, as he eclipsed his career high with 1,111 yards on the ground.

Chargers kicker Nick Novak kicked four field goals for the victors, as the two rivals from old American Football League split their season series, with each team winning on their home turf.

Trailing by 13 with 4:39 in the game, Matt McGloin found Rod Streater, but Streater was unable to hold onto the ball; however the Raiders challenged the incompletion but the ruling on the field stood after it was reviewed by the replay officials.

McGloin got the Raiders all the way down inside the Chargers 10-yard line, but Marcel Reese was unable to hold to a sure touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal and the Chargers took over with :56 remaining the game.

Mike Jenkins committed a huge penalty, as he was called for taunting after he pushed Mathews out of bounds and then Allen scored six plays later.

Darren McFadden scored on a five-yard run to give the Raiders a 7-3 lead, but Mathews gave the lead back to the Chargers on a seven-yard run with 3;13 remaining in the half.

Sebastian Janikowski tied up the game with just 10 seconds remaining in the first half, as he kicked a 20-yard field goal.

Rashad Jennings led the Raiders in rushing, as he carried the ball 10 for just 45 yards, while McFadden carried the ball four times for eight yards, including that five-yard touchdown run.

McGloin ended the afternoon, going 20-for-36 with 206 yards passing and an interception.

The Raiders return home for the final game of the season against the Denver Broncos, as they look to stop a five-game losing streak and avoid going 4-12 for the second consecutive season.

Stanford Upsets Tennessee in a Tight One

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stanford womens bb

By: Joe Lami

Saturday marked the second time that two top ten teams matched up against each other this week, as number one Connecticut defeated number two Duke earlier in the week.  On Saturday it would be number six Stanford defeating number three Tennessee 76-70.

“It was a great environment” losing coach, Holly Warlick stated, as 6,044 were on to see two great rivals match-up once again.

Tennessee started the game on a 4-0 run with buckets from Isabelle Harrison and Bashaaara Graves.  Stanford would answer back with a run of their own, scoring 13 straight, eight of which came from Chiney Ogwumike.  The other five points from freshman, Lili Thompson.

“We dug ourselves a big hole early, and it was tough to get out of” said a Warlick after the game.

Stanford would hold the lead for the rest of the game, with their biggest lead getting to 12 points multiple times.  The game would tighten up towards the end as Tennessee made a really strong push, cutting the lead to two with only a minute to go.  However, Junior Guard, Amber Orrange would come up huge for the Cardinal getting a lay-up and a foul shot to extend the lead to five and really put the game away.

Stanford was led by Ogwumike who registered 32 points for the second straight contest, this time however she did it while playing all 40 minutes.  Ogwumike also had 20 rebounds, with 11 of them coming on the offensive side of the glass.

“She doesn’t take a possession off, we had trouble with her all night” said Warlick on the play of Ogwumike.

Stanford had a strong performance as well from Freshman Guard, Thompson, who scored 14 points, while bringing down two rebounds in the 35 minutes that she played.

Stanford head coach, Tara VanDerveer had nothing but praise for Thompson’s play “Lili isn’t a freshman for us, and this isn’t the type of game for freshman, you can’t make freshman mistakes.”

Mikaela Ruef had eight points and eight rebounds for the Cardinal.  Coming off of the bench huge for Stanford was Taylor Greenfield scoring 11 points, with nine of them coming from beyond the arc.  The junior also brought down a single rebound.

“Taylor’s threes were huge for us today, it seemed like they were always falling at the right time” VanDerveer commented on Greenfield ‘s play.

On the other side of the ball, Tennessee was led by Ariel Massengale with 17 points.  Meighan Simmons was right behind her with 15 points, and Graves scored 14.  Harrison was on the only Lady Vol to record a double-double as she scored ten points, and added 13 rebounds.

The biggest stat of the night would have to be that of the rebound, as Stanford out-rebounded Tennessee 43-40.  VanDerveer praised the teams rebounding performance as she said to the team before the game, “If you win the battle on the boards, you will win this game.”  Though Stanford did give up 21 offensive rebounds to the Lady Vols that led to 24 second chance points, the head coach was still thrilled about the performance.  She also said that rebounding and boxing out needs to be constantly worked on throughout the season, as Cal will be a very similar team to Tennessee.

With the win, Stanford has beaten the Lady Volunteers in three consecutive contests for the first time in series history.  Stanford also defends Maples Pavilion, as Tennessee has been unsuccessful there since the 2005-06 season.

Tennessee is handed their first loss of the season and moves to 10-1.  They will go on a holiday break and return to the floor on December 29th for the last time of 2013, as they host Lipscomb.  After the New Year, they will then start SEC conference play with their first game against LSU.

Stanford keeps their winning streak alive and moves it up to nine games, and ups their record to 10-1.  The Cardinal will also go on holiday break and return to action December 28th against the Fresno St. Bulldogs in Fresno.  After the New Year, Stanford will also start their conference play with their next home game against the Oregon Ducks on January 3rd.

Bulls Earn First Win Of The Year Against The Eagles In Thrilling Shootout 4-3

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Photo Courtesy of SF Bulls
Photo Courtesy of SF Bulls

By Kahlil Najar

DALY CITY – In a hard fought game the San Francisco Bulls (10-14-2-1) beat the Colorado Eagles (16-6-3-2) 4-3 with a come from behind victory that ended with a shootout game winner by assistant captain Jordan Morrison. The Bulls fell behind by two goals early in the game and have everyone in the Cow Palace thinking this game was goner but the Bulls scored two goals in third to tie the game and send it into overtime and ultimately into the shootout. Tyler Beskorowany turned away 20 shots and earned his ninth victory of the year.

Both teams played a very physical game which for the most part was allowed by the referees and really saw what was a budging rivalry between the Eagles and the Bulls.

“They’re such a great hockey team. To me they’re the best team in the league. They’ve been steam rolling teams and we’ve been fortunate enough to compete. That was a good team – it was a good test for us,” said Bulls Head Coach Pat Curcio.

Colorado got on the board first when the Eagles had the puck deep in the Bulls zone but lost it to the Bulls who flipped the puck up ice into the Eagles zone. An alert Eagles defender sent a laser of a pass to Trent Daavettila who was cherry picking on the Bulls blue line and found Kyle Ostrow streaking towards the goal who completed the play and beat Beskorowany to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. Less than five minutes later, the Eagles were handed an opportunity from the Bulls as they were called for too many men on the ice and gave the Eagles their first power play of the night. Right Winger Luke Fulghum received the puck from Kevin Ulanski and Trent Daavettila and was able to toss the puck at Besko who stopped it initially with the side of his body but it managed to deflect itself into the goal to bring the lead to two.

These events must have been disheartening for the team as they have trailed in their last two home games and saw the same thing happening again. However the Bulls didn’t lose hope and kept grinding away.

“You have a choice – lay over or be a hockey player – you battle. That’s what guys are doing,” said Forward Adrian Foster.

The Bulls struck back fast as Tyler Gron took a shot from the left circle that grazed the post and careened around the boards to Dylan King who was able to catch Colorado goalie Cheverie still admiring his post’s save and got the puck into the back of the net to give the Bulls their first goal of the game. The Eagles regained their two goal lead a few minutes later when Jonathan Parker was able to shove the puck over Besko for his sixth goal of the year and give the Eagles a 3-1 lead going into the third.

On being down again, Luke Judson said, “We knew we’ve come close to coming back from five (goals) last game so two goals wasn’t a big deal for us. We’re happy with the way we were playing minus a few mistakes.”

The Bulls attacked early again in the third when Brett Findlay scored on a shot from Collin Bowman that went wide and bounced off the back board and landed in front of the goal which Findlay was able to shove past Cheverie to make it a 3-2 Colorado advantage. At 9:43 of the third, the Bulls completed the comeback on a puck that found its way onto the stick of Adrian Foster who was in front  of the net and he knocked the water bottle off the roof of the net to tie the game at 3 and lead us into overtime.

After a scoreless overtime, the game headed into a shootout. It took seven goes but Jordan Morrison was able to beat Cheverie with a high shot that hit the post and bounced its way into the back of the net and secured the victory for the Bulls.

The Bulls last two victories have been come from behind shootout victories. The last one before tonight was the amazing game against the Stockton Thunder on Teddy Bear Toss night when Findley scored the game winner in the fifth round.

Curcio concluded,”What we’ve been through these past couple weeks and the adversary that we’ve been able to overcome these guys earn a lot of the credit.”

The Bulls and Eagles end their three game series this Sunday afternoon at 2:15 pm. The first 500 kids, 13 and under will receive a light-up Snowflake Wand.