Month: November 2014

Sharks Lose to Blue Jackets, Again

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By Mary Walsh

For the second time this season, the San Jose Sharks fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Last time, the Sharks lost 5-4, this time it was 2-1. This was the Blue Jackets’ second win in a row, after a nine-game losing streak, mostly attributable to an unprecedented rash of injuries. The last game they won before that losing streak? October 25, in San Jose. It was the first game back for Sergei Bobrovsky after being out with a broken finger. This second win completes the Blue Jackets’ sweep of the season series between the teams.

After the game, Sharks forward Joe Pavelski said, of his team’s inability to string wins together: “That’s what it’s about, is winning, it’s always frustrating. This little seesaw here, win one, lose one, it’s… it gets old.

Pavelski scored the lone goal for the Sharks. Columbus goals were scored by David Savard and Cam Atkinson. Bobrovsky made 36 saves on 37 shots for the win, Antii Niemi made 26 saves on 28 shots for the Sharks.

Sharks head coach Todd McLellan did not see a lack of effort at the root of the Sharks’ loss:

This one, the effort was an honest one, so we have to live with an honest effort not winning at times. But we had a number of opportunities to put the puck in the net, we didn’t. Had a lot of pucks that were blocked or just deflected at the last second, probably not releasing it quick enough.

Defensively, McLellan saw some positives as well:

Defensively I didn’t think we gave up a lot, we had to open the game up a bit in the third, they had some chances. As far as stringing games together, there’s some frustration there, but the fact that for the most part we had a very competitive night was a positive.

The Blue Jackets scored first, near the end of the first period. Defenseman David Savard took a shot from above the faceoff circle, catching Niemi away from the post with Scott Hannan skating across in front of him. Assists went to Adam Cracknell and Artem Anisimov.

Brent Burns was called for tripping in the final seconds of the first period, putting the Sharks on the penalty kill to start the second. The Sharks took a second penalty 9:10 into the second when Andrew Desjardins was called for goalie interference.

The period ended with the Sharks barely ahead in shots 11-10, and trailing Columbus by one goal.

The Blue Jackets did not get a lot of shots in the period, despite that power play. With just over five minutes left, they only had credit for two shots on goal. The Sharks had eight in the same time frame, and had a power play as well at 11:17.

At 15:14, Mirco Mueller was called for interference and the Blue Jackets went back on the power play. Niemi made some good saves before Columbus beat him again. One cross- ice pass through traffic was followed by another that squeaked by in front of the crease. Cam Atkinson caught that pass and put it in to give the Blue Jackets a two goal lead. Assists went to Jack Johnson and Boone Jenner.

In the final minute of the period, Joe Pavelski broke Bobrovsky’s shut out and got the Sharks back in the game. Carrying the puck into the slot, Pavelski tried a backhand but could not get a handle on the puck. No one took it away from him so he turned around and shot it forehand.

At the end of the second, the Sharks led in shots 21-18.

During the first shift of the third period, Matt Nieto went awkwardly into the boards after a hit from Boone Jenner. He went to the dressing room after a stop at the bench, but came right back out.

Neither team sat back after that, staying even in shots and chances. With five minutes left in regulation, Alexander Wennberg high sticked Scott Hannan and drew blood, giving the Sharks a four minute man advantage. The Columbus penalty killers rose to the occasion and kept the Sharks from ever sustaining an attack. Bobrovsky ate up any chance of rebounds so that the blue paint became something of a dead zone for any puck that got close.

The penalty expired and McLellan pulled Niemi for the extra attacker but the Blue Jackets did not give an inch. The Sharks used their time out with under 30 seconds left. The Sharks did win the faceoff in the Blue Jackets zone, but they could not keep the puck in for long.

Final score: 2-1 Blue Jackets. The final shot count was 37-28 Sharks.

The Blue Jackets won 32 faceoffs to the Sharks’ 22. The Blue Jackets’ power play went 1/3, the Sharks was 0/3. The Blue Jackets blocked 19 shots to the Sharks’ 9.

Jason Demers and Patrick Marleau led the Sharks in shots with four each. Marc-Edouard Vlasic led the team in ice time at 22:03. Andrew Desjardins led the team in hits with three.

Cam Atkinson led the Blue Jackets in shots with five. David Savard led the team in ice time with 22:42, Nick Foligno led in hits with five.

San Jose’s scratches were Matt Irwin, Tye McGinn and John Scott.

The Sharks next play at 2:00 PT Sunday, against the Hurricanes in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Cuonzo Martin’s high-energy coaching style a fit in Cal’s season-opening rout of Alcorn St.

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Cuonzo

By Morris Phillips

The opening game of Cal’s basketball season was an exercise in change as Cuonzo Martin coached the Bears officially for the first time, and retired coach Mike Montgomery served as the color commentator on the Pac-12 Network TV broadcast.

With Martin and Montgomery assuming new roles, it was up to returning stars David Kravish, Tyrone Wallace and Jabari Bird to give the smallish crowd some sense of normalcy and they didn’t disappoint, combining for 47 points, 21 rebounds and 17 assists in the Bears 91-57 win over Alcorn State on Friday night.

What wasn’t normal to Haas Pavilion was Martin parading up and down the sideline, exhorting the Bears throughout, in contrast to the more laid back style employed by Montgomery.   While Martin’s win total of 125 games pales in comparison to Montgomery’s 677 wins at Montana, Stanford and Cal, make no mistake, Martin can coach as he led his final Tennessee Volunteers team to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA’s last March, winning three games in the process. As a second comparison, Martin’s first NCAA team went further in the tournament than any of Montgomery’s final six qualifiers dating back to 2000-2001.

So for Bears’ fans who aren’t sure of the transition, it may be time to take a closer look at what the 43-year old Martin has to offer, including his frenetic coaching style.

“I don’t see a reason to sit down,” Martin said. “It’s the way I am in practice. I carry it over to the game. I just feel like when I sit down, the game slows down. I need to give the guys the energy they need to push them through.”

“After our two exhibition games and one real game, it’s kind of normal for us,” Bird said of Martin’s sideline style. “We are used to him being really animated on the sideline and right in your ear. Me personally, I enjoy his direction on defense. It’s really helpful.”

Martin’s Cal debut will be memorable for the 15-0 lead the Bears forged in less than five minutes of action. The cold-shooting Braves of Alcorn State, picked to finish in the middle of pack in the MEAC, did pick it up from that point, but trailed 50-32 at the half as the Bears shots 52 percent from the field. Martin’s high tempo attack, built to take advantage of the strengths of his returning trio of stars, seemed to work just fine as Bird, Kravish and Wallace combined to score 34 of Cal’s 50 points in the half.

Three other Bears finished with double figures in scoring as Jordan Mathews added 18, Christian Behrens had 10, and Cornell transfer Dwight Tarwater contributed 11.

LeAntwan Luckett, the leading returning scorer in the MEAC, led Alcorn State with 18 points, but missed 13 of his 18 field goal attempts. Marquis Vance had 17 and Tyrel Hunt 11 for the Braves. Alcorn State had only seven made baskets in the second half and shot 31 percent from the field for the game.

“We just weren’t patient enough,” Alcorn State coach Luther Riley said. “The first four possessions we took four ill-advised shots early in the shot clock. If you do that, you’re going to get scored on quick. It’s as simple as that.”

The Bears take on Kennesaw State on Sunday also as part of the season-opening 2K Classic. The four-game early-season tournament will also take the Bears to New York where they will face Syracuse and either Iowa or Texas.

Stanford Men win season opener

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By Robert Steward

PALO ALTO–The Stanford Men’s Basketball team opened their 100th season Friday night with a victory over Wofford, 74-59, in the Coaches vs Cancer Classic at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal is coming off a 2013-14 season that saw them advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers, out of the Southern Conference, returned all 5 starters from last season’s team that made it to the NCAA Tournament before bowing out in the first round against Michigan. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

The first half was mainly a back-and-forth affair, with neither the Terriers or the Cardinal able to build any type of momentum until late in the half when Stanford, down by 1, 24-23, went on a 9-0 spurt as part of a 13-3 run to end the half leading 36-27. Stefan Nastic, Stanford’s 6’11” force in the middle, started strong by hitting his first five shots, en route to 14 points by the break. 6-9 Freshman Forward Reid Travis, a McDonald’s All-American, started for Stanford and is expected to get his share of playing time due to Stanford losing both Dwight Powell and Josh Heustis to the NBA. In his first collegiate performance Travis was solid, helping Stanford to an 18-11 advantage on the boards by halftime.

Wofford’s biggest player was C J Neumann at 6’7″. The lack of size was a big factor in the second half, as the Terriers simply could not contain Nastic and Travis. Stanford picked up where they left off in the first half by opening up the second half with an 8-2 run to lead, 44-29, at the 16:31 mark. They eventually built the lead to 54-34 with 13:38 left in the game. Wofford could get no closer than 12 after that and the Cardinal eventually pulled away. Coach Johnny Dawkins played his starters all the way up to 3 minutes left in the game.

Nastic was dominating in the low post and also showed that he has a nice touch from the outside for a big man by draining some jumpers as well. He led all scorers with 26 points on 11-14 from the floor and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. Travis finished with 14, while guard Anthony Brown chipped in with 16 points on 6-8 shooting. After a slow start in the first half for last season’s leading scorer, Chasson Randle, he eventually finished with 12 points but was only 4-13 shooting from the floor. The Terriers were led by Jaylen Allen, who came off the bench to score 12, followed by their two leading scorers from last season, Karl Cochran and Spencer Collins, both of whom finished with 11.

Next up the Cardinal will host South Dakota in another Coaches vs Cancer Classic on Sunday at 3pm.

Nastic Overpowers Wofford in Paint, Leads Cardinal to 74-59 Victory

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By: Ben Leonard

–PALO ALTO, CA

In the season opener for both Stanford and Wofford, both squads were clearly full of anticipatory energy before and during the game. In the all-time first meeting between the two schools, the favored Cardinal prevailed 74-59 behind strong play in the post. Center Stefan Nastic led the way for the Cardinal, with twenty-six points and five rebounds.  The media-poll favorite in the Southern Conference for 2014-15, Wofford finished 20-13 in the 2013-14 season, despite being the third smallest Division One School in terms of enrollment. On the other hand, Stanford went 23-13 in the superior Pac-12 Conference.  Friday’s lightly-attended game was a part of the regional round of the 2014 Northwestern Mutual Coaches vs. Cancer® Classic, which will culminate in the Championship Rounds at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The Terriers put up a strong fight early, taking an early 17-13 lead with 10:56 left to go in the first. This was due to several missed opportunities by the Cardinal, who struggled at the free-throw line in the incipient stages of the game. Stanford converted  three of their first eight attempts, including an fruitless trip by center Reid Travis, missing both of his tries. Dawkins attributed these misses to inexperience and jitters, as the “guys who missed free-throws had limited experience” and were still “trying to find their way.” Dawkins appreciated their numerous trips to the line (28), but they simply “had to convert.”

Wofford’s strong three point shooting in part gave them the early advantage, as they converted on three of their first five attempts. In addition, their bench players took a vital role, scoring eleven points against the Cardinal’s two points off the bench with 7:57 left in the first. It was a very physical, hard-fought game early, with players fighting for rebounds and diving on the floor for loose balls.

After the first ten minutes, forward Stefan Nastic started to physically overpower an undersized Wofford squad down low.  He led Stanford to an 18-7 run, starting with 9:07 left and stretching to halftime. The 6’11”, fifth-year senior bodied up Wofford players down low, and the Terriers simply had no answer for him. He dominated the glass, burning the Terriers’ zone defense for twenty-six points. As Dawkins put it, he “stepped outside and knocked down shots” like “one of the best centers out there.” Wofford’s lower three players in the zone were all of 6’1″, 6’4″, and 6’1″, creating an easy matchup for the Canadian center to exploit. Combining with the freshman forward Travis down low for forty points and nine rebounds, Nastic overcame his tendencies to fall into foul trouble and was able to play thirty-two minutes. Nastic praised Travis’ work ethic, a player who “brings it every day and works really hard.”

After taking a 36-27 halftime lead, Stanford continued its success into the second half, going on a 16-7 run to start the period and pulling away to take a 58-34 lead, effectively icing the game for the Cardinal. Despite an uncustomary off game from star guard Chasson Randle, Stanford found a way to come together and beat, as Dawkins put it, “a good team.” Randle had a poor shooting game, as he made just four of thirteen attempts and gathered just twelve points. Four starters were in double figures for the Cardinal, and their success was, as Nastic put it, because every player “knows what their role is.”

Wofford’s star player, Karl Cochran, also struggled, making four of his twelve attempts from the field and scoring just eleven points. He now needs just 179 points this season to enter Wofford’s all-time top ten scoring list. His struggles came mostly from behind the three-point arc, where he made just one of six attempts, despite being sixth on the school’s all-time list in three pointers made. While holding a big lead at the end of the game, Dawkins elected to rest his starters, clearly looking ahead to their next game this Sunday against North Dakota. The game will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks at 3 PST, a far cry from the 9 PST start in Friday’s game, the latest at Maples Pavillion since 1998.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: The Cuban invasion of the Y

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by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–This week José Abreu was named American League Rookie of the Year. The Chicago White Sox first baseman won the honors as he finished the season with a .317 average 36 home runs and 107 runs batted in, if the White Sox had won the Central Division, José Abreu would have been in contention to win the Most Valuable Player, and you can make an argument that even with his team finishing in fourth place, Abreu’s performance is among the very best in baseball.

Other Cuban-born players, like the extremely talented Yasiel Puig, with the big market Los Angeles Dodgers got much more publicity than José Abreu, there is little doubt that Abreu had the best season among the newly arrived talented crop of players born in the largest island of the Antilles. A lot of the young people in this country are “rediscovering Cuba”, like it is a new place for baseball, but that could not be anything further from the truth.

For Cuba, baseball is nothing new. The first ever Hispanic player to play professional baseball in the United States was Esteban Bellán.

Bellán was born in La Habana Cuba in 1850. Bellán and his brother were sent to the United States to study at Fordham, a Jesuit institution. In 1868, after his time at Fordham, Bellán played for the Unions of Morrisania, a New York team.

In 1869 Bellán joined the Troy Haymakers for whom he played third base until 1872. In 1871 the Haymakers joined the National Association, which became the National League in 1876. The Haymakers later became the New York Giants, now the San Francisco Giants.The Esteban Bellán story is part of history as well as what happened in Cuba when Fidel Castro took over power over 50 years ago and eradicated all professional sports in the country, after declaring his government a Marxist-Leninist system of government, and since has remained a communist dictatorship. Cubans have been playing baseball,even before Fidel Castro’s father was born.

Major League Baseball has a rich tradition of Hispanic players, and Cubans are back in force, as part of the mix in today’s game. Many of these Cuban players arriving escaped in man made crafts and left the country in the middle of the night.

Many of the new crop of Cuban players had to risk their lives in order to come and play in the United States. Previous to the current system in Cuba, players like Orestes “Minnie”Miñoso, Camilo Pascual, Leo Cárdenas, Zoilo Versalles, Pedro Ramos, Tony Taylor, Octavio”Cookie”Rojas, Frank”Panchón”Herrera, Julio Béquer, Mike Fornieles and many others played in Major League Baseball, but even with previous dictatorships in Cuba, they were allowed to travel in and out of the island.

That is not possible in today’s Cuba and that is why most of these Cuban players arriving now,have to defect while they are playing outside their country, or escape in small boats looking for that opportunity of playing here, in the Major Leagues. For any baseball player the ultimate goal is to play here in the best baseball league in the world. These two countries are separated geographically by 90 miles, but in ideology by 10,000 miles.

Dozens of Cubans have defected, and not all made it to the Major Leagues, but today Yoenis Céspedes, Yasiel Puig, José Abreu, José Fernández, Aroldis Chapman, and others are part of the names in box scores during the regular season which media and fans are very familiar.

The young Yasmani Tomas is part of the new breed, the 23 year old has been pursued by at least six different teams and could be the next signing. Maybe by the time you read this article he already has a contract. Also,a 19 year old that has been working out in Guatemala, by the name of Yoan Moncada,(considered a phenom), there are reports of at least 60 Major League scouts who went to Guatemala to see the kid.

The Los Angeles Angels recently signed 20 year old Cuban-born infielder Roberto Baldoquin to a record-breaking $8 million signing bonus. In 2004 the Angels signed Kendrys Morales, making that the last time the Angels dived into the Cuban-player market. By the way, this season Yoslan Herrera pitched for the Angels, he was born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, the land of the great Tony Oliva. Cuban Rusney Castillo, who signed with the Boston Red Sox is now going to play for the Caguas team of the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Back in 1980 the Mariel Boat-lift brought a group of players, among them Bárbaro Garbey,who played third base for the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers, so Cubans have been leaving the island for decades now, but what is different now is this “steady stream” of players arriving, which is more like and invasion of the “Y”< A lot of these Cuban players have first names that begin with the letter "Y".

I have asked many of them,-more of that later- and they really do not know. What we do know is that until the collapse of the Soviet Union 25 years ago in 1989, the Soviet influence was big in Cuba, since the former communist super power was supporting Cuba to the tune of billions of dollars each year. It is possible that because of the failure of that system, that the Cuban government now "looks the other way" and is just about conceding that they cannot keep these talented players in Cuba.

Yuniesky Betancourt, was one of the first I remember(with the first name beginning with a Y) when he was at the Seattle Mariners Spring Training camp in Peoria, Arizona, before his first year,(2005) I asked him,if he knew why he and many of his compatriots had names that began with the letter Y. He really didn't know. Although this is not any kind of scientific study,I came to the conclusion, simply common sense, that it was the result of these players were born during or recently after the collapse of the Soviet Union. While many of these names are not Russian, they are a combination of Russian and Cuban cultures. But there is no doubt, the Y is now a very popular letter in the baseball dictionary.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum and does News and Commentary each week on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders commentary: Raiders need the full gamut of focus in order to win in San Diego this Sunday

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by David Zizmor

ALAMEDA–When we last talked last week we were saying how the Oakland Raiders (0-9) played a couple of good games they performed pretty admirable in Seattle against the Seahawks. They kept the game pretty tight until late in the game. The Raiders were a little too happy with themselves over this game. They kind of took a morale victory away because they took the defending champions all 12 rounds maybe they lost but they looked good doing it.

The were competitive against a really good team, they felt too good about themselves and then Denver comes in and just destroys them 41-17 on November 9th. It was one of those things where the Raiders were full of themselves. The Raiders kind of let up a little bit and Denver is every bit as good as Seattle if not even better at this stage.

Let’s face it Denver was coming off a game they got walloped by the Patriots they wanted to prove something so they took it out on the Raiders. The Raiders shouldn’t be as complacent this week they played the San Diego Chargers (5-4) about a month ago in Oakland and kept it pretty close. This Sunday their in San Diego and the Chargers ended up winning that one and that was the last game the Chargers won and the Chargers suffered three tough loses in the row.

One of those loses includes a humiliating defeat to the Miami Dolphins 37-0 on November 2 and the Chargers are coming off a bye week. Their getting a little bit healthier their getting running back Ryan Matthews back and the Chargers are a team that still has playoff hopes. The Chargers are not going to sit back and lay down this Sunday.

The Chargers already know the Raiders aren’t going to lay down for them and given how they played in the last game against Denver. The Raiders can play them tough the Chargers aren’t going to take them for granted. The Raiders might have their hands full Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers always throws well against Oakland.

The fact of the matter is because the Raiders already played the Chargers tough their not going to have a close game as they did the last time. Part of the reason why is Tony Sparano the Raiders new head coach in his first game against the Chargers the Raiders were playing hard for him and it was a close finish but a loss 31-28 on October 12th.

The Chargers came in playing pretty well, they were a little bit full of themselves like the Raiders were last week against the Broncos. The Chargers aren’t going to do that now and they had two weeks to prepare for this game never a good sign for the Raiders as the Chargers had last Sunday off.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers commentary: Niners should have control of struggling Giants in Sunday’s contest

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by David Zizmor

SANTA CLARA–The match up with the New York Giants (3-6) for this Sunday is a good one for the San Francisco 49ers (5-4). The Giants have not been particularly good this year. Their certainly not a push over by any stretch and given the history between these two teams you would think the Giants would have a little pride and you would think they have a little extra energy going into this one.

The fact of the matter is the Giants are not a very good team we saw them get rolled up the other week giving up a ton of rushing yards and the 49ers more than likely will be giving the ball more than often to running backs Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde and quarterback Colin Kaepernick could get a few runs in there.

This is kind of a game where the 49ers get back to basics and run the ball a lot, the Giants are very venerable on the ground and their also very venerable on the pass. They have a very poor secondary one of their starting cornerbacks was lost for the season just a couple of weeks ago and they weren’t very good to begin with.

Their just generally thin in the secondary just overall the Giants defense is not that particularly good. The Niners have had some issues on offense the last few weeks and you saw them in that game against New Orleans they came out and they scored 21 points early on in the first half and they were just spinning wheels in the second.

That was partly a function of playing in the Superdome and part of the function of playing a pretty good New Orleans team. The Giants are not at that level and they don’t have that kind of home field advantage. The Niners offense could get back on track, their a little bit embarrassed by the way things have been going on offense the last few weeks.

The 49ers would be involved in a game where they can take full control and the Giants would be a perfect team for them. Their a team that the Niners aren’t going to take lightly. They played them so many times in key situations in the last few years and the Giants aren’t simply that good. With a motivated 49ers team that’s ready to go your going to see them have a really good game.

The 49ers feel like every game is like a playoff game and 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin actually said that. He said every week is a one game season and that’s how their approaching things right now. They need to play hard every Sunday in order to make the playoffs at this stage. The Giants are really the first step on that road.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Ladies’ Tip-off Season with a Win

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By: Joe Lami

STANFORD, Calif.–

The new look Stanford Cardinal defeated the Boston College Eagles on Friday night by the final score of 96-63. They had to do it with a new offense, and without star player Chiney Ogwumike, who graduated earlier this spring. However, they didn’t miss a step as they controlled most of the game from the get-go. There was a period of a few minutes late in the first half where the Eagles worried the Cardinal, but finished the half on a five-minute 17-8 run.

Stanford’s shooting was shooting the lights out all game, as they ended the first half 63% from the field, and a game total of 64.9%, good enough for their fifth best shooting percentage in school history. It was also the first time since January 17 against Arizona, where the Cardinal ended the game with a shooting percentage higher than 60%. The Cardinal also dominated points in the paint, as they destroyed the Eagles 28-6 in the first half, and for a game total of 48-12.

Boston College was insane in the first half from beyond the arc, as nine of their 15 total baskets came from three-point range, keeping them in the game. However, those shots stopped falling in the second half, as they didn’t make a single three-pointer in the second half, allowing Stanford to pull away. Boston College credits this to the halftime adjustments made by Stanford head coach, Tara VanDerveer. “They were sticking to us, forcing us to do something we weren’t comfortable with,” commented Nicole Boudreau. VanDerveer mentioned the adjustment, “We weren’t being aggressive enough, and we were way to far off. I pretty much told them if they make a three on you, you’re coming out”.

Four Cardinal players achieved double digit scoring. Sophomore, Lili Thompson led the way with 26 points, a new career high beating her previous high of 19. Erica McCall followed with 16 points. Amber Orrange scored 11, but also led the team in rebounds with nine, while adding six assists. Taylor Greenfield was the last to get into double digits, as she hit an even ten.

The new style of offense seemed to work tonight, as it opened up a lot more floor to work with. “The floor was more open, more spread out. It allowed us to attack the paint,” added Thompson. McCall shared her love of the new offense, “it doesn’t make me think as much, it allows me to just play basketball”.

The win for Stanford marks their 14th straight win in season openers. It also extends their home winning streak to 27 games, which will be put in jeopardy on Monday, as they host number one ranked Connecticut, who went 40-0 last year, and held Stanford to 35 points last year. “We need to come out and be aggressive. We need to want to battle. Either way, it’s a win-win for going up against such a good team in our second game of the year,” added VanDerveer.

Follow Joe Lami on Twitter: @joe_lami 

Agholor, USC overwhelm Cal in 11th consecutive win in the series

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By Morris Phillips

The presence of a heavier than usual contingent of NFL scouts?  A mid-week national television audience?  A hated opponent that hadn’t been beaten since 2003?  Precious extra days for recuperation and preparation at the tail end of a lengthy, grueling season?

For some reason, none of the above inspired the Cal Bears to play their best football game of the season.  USC, on the other hand, did, if only until halftime, building a brief 31-2 lead at one point in route to a 38-30 win.  Inexplicably, the Bears were cocky and combative in the Coliseum tunnel leading to the field, but flat once the game began.

“You can’t get involved in all the extra-curricular stuff,” Coach Sonny Dykes said when reminded of the pre-game skirmishes and two embarrassing, taunting penalties once the game started.  “We have to focus on doing our job.”

The Bears ran 17 plays in the first quarter, punting four times and earning just one penalty-assisted first down.  There best play clearly was a Jared Goff punt that traveled 50 yards to Cal’s one-yard line.  From the start, Cal was harassed up front and prone to miscues.

Meanwhile, the Trojans came out clicking with receiver screens that exploited Cal’s porous tackling and pursuit and featured USC’s big, nimble receivers.  The most nimble and experienced of the bunch, Nelson Agholor would go on to have his biggest game as a collegian with 16 catches, 216 yards and two first-half touchdowns.  It took USC just 29 plays to score 28 points as every quick screen seem to leave at least two Bears in the dust.

‘If you’re going to beat USC or any good team in this conference, you can’t shoot yourself in the foot,” Goff said.

The sheer size of USC’s halftime lead along with some really, questionable refereeing robbed the game of anything resembling momentum.   But the Bears did rally, capping a 21-point second half with a Stephen Anderson touchdown catch with less than two minutes remaining.  But even as the Bears rallied, the mistakes and penalties still burned, especially one against Stefan McClure when he was on the sideline and out of the game holding his helmet and jawing with a Trojan cheapened the rally.

Knowing that we had so many mistakes there early on that could have allowed us to have a chance to beat them there at the end, it’s just kind of frustrating. We’ll learn from it, move on, and try to be more disciplined next time.”

Sharks stun Lightning

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Photo credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

By Pearl Allison Lo

San Jose regrouped from a 4-1 loss Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Eastern leaders Tampa Bay Thursday.

The Sharks led the whole game while ending the Lightning’s seven-game points streak. Tampa Bay fell to second in the East.

A giveaway in the Sharks’ end gave the puck to to Tomas Hertl, whose shot ricocheted to Joe Thornton. Thornton then scored through several defenders at 5:23 of the second

Tyler Kennedy scored the game winner and his first goal at 10:37. He took a pass from Brent Burns in the other end, scoring with two defenders trailing him. Antti Niemi got his first assist as well during the play.

Captain Steven Stamkos pulled the Lightning to within one when he redirected Andrej Sustr’s shot at 9:35 of the third. Valterri Filppula helped too. It was Tampa Bay’s first regulation loss with Stamkos having a point (8-1-2). It was also goalie Ben Bishop’s first home regulation loss (6-1-1).

Game notes: In the past 11 meetings, San Jose is now 9-1-1 versus the Lightning. Goalie Antti Niemi is now 5-0-1 in his starts against Tampa Bay. He faced 33 shots and Bishop faced 39.Lightning Tyler Johnson did play. Shots on goal throughout the game were one-sided for either team. San Jose outshot the Lightning through the first two periods, 17-9 and 14-8. Tampa Bay outshot the Sharks 16-8 in the final stanza. San Jose continues on the road to face the Colombus Blue Jackets Saturday at 4pm.