Month: January 2020

Heat upend Barracuda 2-1; Cuda drop their sixth out of last seven

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sjbarracuda.com photo

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif- Ownage is ownage. The Stockton Heat put another notch on their belt regarding the San Jose Barracuda. Austin Czarnik scored two goals in the second period to help the Calgary Flames AHL affiliate defeat their NorCal rival 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at SAP Center.

Stockton has won the first eight meetings against San Jose and currently have a three game winning streak. San Jose is still searching for an answer against Stockton and have lost six out of their last seven games.

San Jose (12-20-0-2) actually jumped out to the start they wanted a little more than halfway through the first period. Noah Gregor led an attack into the Heat zone. He made a pass over to Joachim Blichfeld at the left faceoff circle, who returned the favor to a trailing Trevor Carrick. The ‘Cuda defenseman fired a low one-timer to the left that beat Heat goalie Atryom Zagidulin for Carrick’s seventh goal of the season at the 11:57 mark.

Both teams had two power play chances in the opening 20 minutes but neither were able to capitalize thanks to strong penalty killing by both teams. San Jose outshot Stockton 8-2.

Stockton (23-7-2-3) scored the equalizer on Czarnik’s first goal of the contest at the 7:44 mark of the second period. Alan Quine made a spin move around Jeffery Viel and fired the puck at the net that found the stick on Czarnik and he tapped it home past ‘Cuda goalie Josef Korenar for his seventh goal of the season.

“We felt like we deserved a better fate. You look at the last five, six minutes I felt like we really drove the play. You give a team under 10 grade-A scoring chances and 19 shots against, you feel like have a pretty job of coming out with two points. But credit them,  they’re a good team, they’re well coached,” said co-head coach Michael Chiasson.

The Heat grabbed the lead on the power play with under four minutes left in the middle frame. Quine and Czarnik worked their magic once again for the game winning goal. Zac Leslie fed a pass from the point over to right faceoff circle over to Quine and he quickly found Czarnik with a cross ice feed and the Michigan right winger slammed home a one-timer from the left faceoff circle past Korenar for his second goal of the game and eighth of the season at the 16:12 mark.

Czarnik finished with four points (two goals, two assists) in the two-game weekend set.

San Jose had a chance to get even on the power play at the 8:04 mark of the third period when Corey Schueneman went into the sinbin for holding the stick. However the achilies heal known as the Barracuda power play weren’t able to cash in on the man advantage.

“I think overall as a whole there was a lot of positives that we should be able to take (away) from this and (be able) to build off for Wednesday’s game,” said Chiasson.

Zagidulin (13-3-2) made 27 saves on 28 shots in earning his 13th win and is now 4-0 against San Jose this season. Korenar (7-13-2) stopped 17 of the 19 shots he faced in the tough luck loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0-for-5 on the power play. Stockton was 1-for-4.

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! Viel and Eetu Tuulola exchanged fisticuffs at the 2:22 mark of the first period. Nicholas Meloche and Buddy Robinson danced the tango later at the 10:21 mark of the second period.

Quine tallied two assists in the win, giving him twelve points (four goals, eight assists) in 6 games against the Barracuda this season.

Carrick leads all Barracuda defensemen with seven goals after his first-period tally.

The announced attendance was 4,605.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda host the Colorado Eagles on Wendesday 1/15 at 7:00pm at SAP Center.

Grizzlies maul Warriors in second half send Golden State down to eighth straight loss 122-102

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Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas, top, shoots between Golden State Warriors forward Glenn Robinson III (22) and guard D’Angelo Russell (0) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, who have played well in their last four games. were hoping to snap their seven-game losing streak Sunday. They were facing a young Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis.

The Grizzlies, like the Warriors, are a young team. They, however, have turned their season around and were able to win their fifth game in a row by a score of 122-102. The oldest player in the Grizzlies’ starting lineup was 29-year-old Jae Crowder.

The Warriors welcomed back D’Angelo Russell to the starting lineup Sunday. Russell missed six games due to a right shoulder contusion when he ran into the Dallas Mavericks’ Luke Doncic in December.

Neither Damion Lee nor Ky Bowman was available as they are close to the limit of games that they can play in the NBA as they have two-way contracts. Lee is expected to sign a deal soon that would give remove the two-way status.

With Lee and Bowman out, the Warriors started D’Angelo Russell and Alec Burks at guard. Omari Spellman, who has been in double-figures the last four games, made his second career start in the NBA.

Spellman had the unenviable task of having to stop the Grizzlies big center, Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas hails from Lithuania and is six-feet eleven inches tall and is a force in the middle. The other player that is making a difference for Memphis is the rookie, Ja Morant. Morant, who played his college ball at Murray State, is averaging 18 points a game and, at the moment, is the odds-on favorite to be Rookie of the Year in the NBA.

The Warriors and the Grizzlies played a very competitive first 24 minutes. In the first half, the lead changed six times. The Warriors made five threes in the first quarter and kept pace with the Grizzlies. D’Angelo Russell had some trouble making his shots as he showed a little rust after missing six games. The Grizzlies finished the first quarter with a 27-26 lead.

Memphis increased the lead to nine 39-30 early in the second quarter. Russell started to make shots. Russell got hot and finished the first half with 18 points. Each team scored 33 points in the second period, and Memphis retained their one-point lead at the end of the first half.

The third quarter was a different story. Over the last five years, the Warriors used to own the third quarter. They would go on the attack and put teams away. On Sunday night, the tables were turned. It was the Grizzlies that owned the quarter.

The Warriors could not stop Jonas Valanciunas. The big center helped the Grizzlies dominate. He grabbed eight offensive rebounds. He made layups. He even made a three-point shot. Memphis stopped the Warriors offense cold in the third quarter.

The Warriors scored just seven points in the first six and one-half minutes pf play in the quarter.  Memphis outscored them 35-17 to finish the period with a 19-point advantage 95-76.

The Warriors played better in the final stanza. Eric Paschall and D’Angelo Russell did what they could, but it was too little, too late. Memphis won the quarter 27-26 and the game 122-102.

Game Notes and Stats- With the loss, the Warriors lost their eighth in a row and are 9-32 for the season. Memphis won their fifth in a row and are now 18-22. Memphis, if the playoffs were to start now, own the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

The Warriors had five players in double figures. Russell led Golden State with 34 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Russell made five threes in nine tries. Jordan Poole and Alec Burks each had thirteen. Poole made four threes. Omari Spellman had 12 points, four assists, and has made three threes in three tries. Paschall finished with ten.

Jonas Valanciunas had a monster double-double. Jonas knocked down 31 points and pulled down 19 rebounds. Memphis outrebounded The Dubs 60-47. They ripped down 18 offensive boards. The Warriors had 12. Jaren Jackson, Jr. had 21, Ja Morant 11. The Memphis bench added 47 points. Bench players Grayson Allen had 11, Tyus Jones 11, and De’Anthony Melton 10.

The Warriors return home to face the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7:30 pm.

 

 

 

NCAA basketball podcast with Michelle Richardson: Baylor gets big win over Kansas; Syracuse’s Girard leads with 19 in win; plus more

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sports.yahoo.com photo: Baylor guard Mark Vital (11) gestures toward the bench during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020.

Michelle Richardson on the NCAA basketball podcast:

#1 How shocked how surprised were you to find out that Baylor #4 (13-1) defeated Kansas #3 (12-3) on Saturday 67-55. The Bears Jerod Butler led in scoring with 22 points.

#2 The Syracuse Orange defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 63-55 Saturday in overtime. The Orange’s Joseph Girard III scored 19 points to lead Syracuse.

#3 #13 Louisville (13-3) got a close win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-6) by three points 67-64. For Louisville top scoring from Jordan Norwa with 20 points.

Michelle’s Final Thoughts

Michelle does the NCAA podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Los Tiburones de San José and the Hispanic Market

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http://www.nhl.com file photo: Jesus Lopez far left and Vegas Golden Knights Spanish radio crew do the Vegas Knights on 1340 ESPN Radio Deportes

Los Tiburones de San José and the Hispanic Market

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

SAN JOSE–On October 20,2019 The San José originated the broadcast of the game against the Buffalo Sabres on KIQI 1010/990AM Spanish radio, SAP on NBCSCA,as well as on social media. Two days later, on October 22 The National Hockey League (NHL) announced they launched a Spanish language website,available to hockey fans.

The new site, NHL.com/es, is part of the League’s ongoing efforts to reach new audiences and engage fans worldwide, sharing on- and off-ice stories of players, moments, and milestones(now with Spanish) in nine different languages. The Sharks also originated a Spanish language broadcast back in 2018.

It is no secret that the Sharks play in a city where Hispanics are the majority of residents. Official figures from the last US Census revealed that the San José Hispanic community is the majority,with 33.2 percent of the total population of the city. In a few month a new US Census will take place and those numbers are projected to be even higher.

San José is one of the most affluent cities in the United States,with medium household income of over $83.000. When it comes to concentrations of venture capital in the US, Silicon Valley is one of the largest in total investments and by itself is the 19th largest economy in the world. The Silicon Valley region also is ‘número uno’ in global capital.

Hispanics are truly rooted in San José.As a matter of fact,the first civic settlement in California was founded by José Joaquin Moraga in 1777 as a Spanish farming community in San José, It was named El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe. St.Joseph in English. California has come full circle.During the publishing of the California Constitution in 1849 it decreed that all laws must be published in Spanish and English. Originally for the first 30 years California was a bilingual State and all documents had to be published in both languages.

In the 1980’s a person I worked for who founded a radio network in California told me “I will not see it,but you might see it, the ‘reconquest’ of California is coming and this State will have more Hispanics than anyplace else in the country”. He was correct. Many of us have witnessed this demographic increase. I definitely have since I arrived in the Bay Area from New York in 1969.

The Las Vegas Golden Knights,who in their maiden season (2017-2018) made it all the way to the Stanley Cup, is one of the NHL teams now carrying their games in Spanish language,among others in Southern California and Florida.

Who knows what this new decade will bring.

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Stars’ Pavelski gets big ovation from former team’s crowd; Rangers ready to trade a goaltender; plus more

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theathletic.com photo: Former San Jose Shark now Dallas Star Joe Pavelski skates around the pond with spotlight in a pre game tribute before Saturday night’s game at SAP Center in San Jose

Daniel Dullum on the NHL podcast:

1 Stars’ Joe Pavelski receives big ovation in return to San Jose

2 Report: Rangers ready to deal one of their 3 goaltenders

3 Golden Knights goalie Fleury to skip All-Star Weekend, Sharks’ Tomas Hertl added to Pacific roster

4 NHL announces Last Men in winners for All-Stars

5 Coyotes’ first Moms Trip a memorable one

Join Daniel each Sunday for the NHL podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Heat continue dominance over Barracuda in 2-0 shutout win

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sjbarracuda.com photo: The San Jose Barracuda continue to struggle as they lost to the Stockton Heat on Saturday at SAP Center in San Jose

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif- The San Jose Barracuda have been looking for an answer all season against their NorCal rival the Stockton Heat. They were left with even more questions after getting blanked in a 2-0 loss on Saturday afternoon at SAP Center.

Stockton have won two games in a row and all seven meetings this season against the ‘Cuda. San Jose have lost five of their last six games.

Stockton (22-7-2-3) scored their first goal on the power play at the tail end of the first period. Zac Leslie fed a pass from the point over to Austin Czarnik at the right slot. Czarnik then sent a cross ice pass over to Alan Quine who snapped home a wrist shot past a sprawling Zachary Sawchenko for his eighth goal of the season at the 19:50 mark.

Quine has become the latest ‘Cuda killer with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in five games against San Jose (12-19-0-2) this season.

The Heat had the ice tilted in their favor for most of the opening 20 minutes as they outshot the Barracuda 11-6.

“We had a few chances,” said co-head coach Michael Chiasson evaluating his team’s performance. “I wouldn’t say we had a lot of great chances. We gotta do a better job at getting to the net. We gotta have shot volume. There’s a lot of stuff we need to clean up in our game to get ready for tomorrow afternoon.”

Stockton doubled their lead at the 13:54 mark of the second period when Aleander Yelesin won a battle along the boards behind the goaline. He fed a pass to a wide open Byron Froese who skated out from behind the net, looked out in front before sneaking in a nifty backhand shot top-shelf on the short side past Sawchenko for his 12th goal of the season. Czarnik received the secondary assist for a two-point afternoon.

San Jose had two opportunities on the power play in the third period to get back into the game but Stockton’s penalty kill along with goalie Artyom Zagidulin kept the ‘Cuda off the scoresheet.

“Sawchenko played well tonight. Other than that I don’t think there’s a whole lot we can take from this game. I think there’s a lot of learning we need to do before tomorrow’s game,” said Chiasson.

Zagidulin stopped all 26 shots for the shutout and his 12th win of the season. He is currently 3-0 against San Jose this season. Sawchenko made 20 saves on 22 shots in the tough luck loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0-for-4 on the power play. Stockton was 1-for-3.

The shutout loss was the second-straight shutout against the Heat and third on the season for the Barracuda.

Czarnik with his two assists, now has thirteen points in eleven games with the Heat this season.

Jonny Brodzinski led both teams with five shots on net.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda conclude their four-game homestand against the Heat on Sunday 1/12 at 3:00pm.

Sharks Beat Stars 2-1, Marleau Scores Game Winner in 1700th Game

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sfgate.com photo: San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl (48) congratulates Patrick Marleau (12), who scored a goal against the Dallas Stars during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– Patrick Marleau scored the game-winner in his 1700th career game as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Saturday. Brent Burns also scored for the Sharks and Aaron Dell made 27 saves in the win. Jamie Benn scored for Dallas and Anton Khudobin made 24 saves in the loss. The Sharks have now won five of their last eight games, and earned points in seven of their last ten. The game also ended a six-game winning streak for the Stars.

This was the second game, and second win, for the Sharks after losing Logan Couture to an ankle injury. Of this challenge, Sharks forward Tomas Hertl said that “The best player has to be extra better if we’re missing a player like that but I think last two games was awesome for our team,” with every player doing exactly what he was supposed to do.

Asked whether the Sharks have turned a corner in their season, Sharks interim head coach Bob Boughner said: “I think we’re turning a corner within ourselves internally. I think we’re playing the right way, we’re giving ourselves a chance to win every night. You know, we’re not looking at the standings board yet and we’re not looking too far ahead at the trip.”

This was Joe Pavelski’s first game back in San Jose since signing with the Stars over the summer. The game was preceded by a video tribute and ceremony for the Sharks fan favorite. Pavelksi received a warm welcome from Sharks fans, despite his new colors and new number, 16. (Bill Goldsworthy’s number 8 was retired by the Minnesota North Stars in 1992, just before they moved and became the Dallas Stars.) After 13 seasons with the Sharks and this season with the Stars, Pavelski recently played his 1000th NHL game. His Dallas teammates gave him a trip to Scotland for that, and some of his Sharks teammates got him a watch.

The first period began with a Stars goal in an early power play. Miro Heiskanen passed the puck across the ice to Tyler Seguin, who quickly took a shot for Jamie Benn to deflect in. Assists went to Seguin and Heiskanen. The time of the goal was 1:32.

At 8:57 of the period, Stafan Noesen put a puck in the net after Melker Karlsson kept the puck in the zone by lifting it in the direction of the net. The puck was on its way over the net and Noesen had to lift his stick well above his head to tip the puck. The goal was disallowed with little review.

The Sharks scored for real at 15:33 when Timo Meier’s shot went off of Brent Burns’ skate and under Anton Khudobin. Assists went to Meier and Erik Karlsson.

At the end of the first period, the Sharks had a 9-7 lead in shots and had won 68% of the face-offs.

The Sharks got their first power play of the game at 2:52 of the second, in which they had just one shot. Seconds after the penalty expired, Patrick Marleau picked up a trickling rebound right outside the blue paint to score. Assists went to Tomas Hertl and Brent Burns. It was Marleau’s eighth goal of the season.

As the Sharks went into their second power play of the game, at 11:31, Brent Burns went to the locker room after a hit from Roope Hintz. The penalty was unrelated to that collision and went to Radek Faksa for hooking Erik Karlsson. The Sharks registered no shots during the power play.

Brent Burns did not return to start the third period but was back on the ice in the first five minutes. After the game, Bob Boughner said: “It’s an upper body thing. He tried to come back in the third, and he played through it so I don’t think it’s anything major. But I think we’ll just see tomorrow. We’ll have a better idea tomorrow but I don’t think it’s anything too crazy.”

The teams were tied in shots during the second period at 10 each, and the Stars won 58% of the face-offs.

The Sharks had one penalty to kill in the third period, at 12:37. The Stars recorded one shot in that power play. Dallas pulled their goaltender with just under two minutes left but could not tie the game. The Stars out-shot the Sharks 11-7 in the third and won 67% of the face-offs.

San Jose’s Tomas Hertl and Antti Suomela each took 13 face-offs in the game and each won 8 of them.

The Sharks will next play on Tuesday in Arizona against the Coyotes at 6:00 PM PT.

Bradley’s Banker In Overtime: Cal defeats Washington with dramatic 3-pointer, 61-58

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Winning ugly has a new signature: the dagger three off the bank in the final seconds of overtime.

Cal’s Matt Bradley pulled off the feat in the Bears’ 61-58 win over Washington, and while he didn’t gush over his game-winning basket, coach Mark Fox did.

“It was a thing of beauty,” Fox said. “As hard as he’s worked and as much as he’s bought in, he deserved to have that thing go down.”

Bradley’s basket with seven seconds remaining brought an end to what had to be characterized as an ugly ballgame with both teams failing miserably at the offensive end.

Through the conclusion of regulation, the Huskies and Bears had just 98 combined points, 33 missed 3-point shots, with both teams shooting less than 37 percent from the floor. And Cal managed got to the line for a minuscule, four free throw attempts.

The Huskies had an excuse of sorts in the academic disqualification of point guard Quade Green. In Green’s place, 6’6″ Jamal Bey was promoted to the starting lineup with Oakland’s Elijah Hardy in reserve. When Coach Mike Hopkins looked at the halftime stats and saw his club had seven made baskets and five of those were from three, Hopkins sat Bey and inserted Hardy.

But things didn’t improve much: Washington followed their 20-point first half with 34 percent shooting in the second, including 11 misses on 13 3-point attempts.

Cal was faring much better but primarily due to a spirited defensive effort that neutralized Isaiah Stewart, Washington’s leading scorer, with double teams in the post. Cal’s Andre Kelly deserved most of the credit for stopping Stewart by helping and recovering with great zeal.

But Cal’s 28-20 halftime lead dissipated with nine misses in a ten-shot stretch midway through the second half that allowed the Huskies to climb even with 6:39 remaining. But that would be effectively as close as Washington would come to stealing one from behind. Despite their edge on the glass and some, representative defensive moments of their own, UW simply missed too many shots.

“We had to fight from behind, but I still felt when we went up two we could have made some plays, but we didn’t,” Hopkins said. “We’ve got to finish better. We have to finish games.”

In the final seconds of regulation, Nahziah Carter missed a trio of shots, as did Bradley and Grant Anticevich for Cal. Any of those shots would have forged a final minute lead, but none connected, and the game went to overtime.

In the extra session, Bey’s 3-pointer drew Washington even at 52 with 4:08 remaining. The significance? It would be the Huskies’ final made shot of the game, and their alternative plan to subsist on free throws and defensive rebounds would fall short.

That set the table for Bradley in the final seconds, and as implored by Fox in the previous timeout, the sophomore dribbled up to the top of the key and launched from straight away. The outstretched arm of 6’9″ Jaden Daniels caused Bradley to a quicker, higher release but the shot dropped off the bank setting off a celebration with seconds remaining.

The Bears (8-8, 2-1) have sought improvement in a lot of areas since their 4-0 start devolved into a December of losses, and finally that improvement has surfaced at the defensive end. Beating a talented Huskies team and holding them to a dreadful shooting percentage clearly ranks as Cal’s best win of the season to date.

“We’ve gotten a lot better focusing on defense, just knowing that if our shots aren’t falling we’ll win with defense,” Bradley said. “That kind of proved tonight.”

The Bears travel to Los Angeles this week for meetings with USC on Thursday and UCLA on Sunday afternoon.

 

 

Cardinal continues Pac-12 dominance over Cougars 88-62

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gostanford.com photo: The Stanford Cardinal bench erupts as the Cardinal were victorious over the Washington State Cougars at Maples Pavilion Saturday night

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, January 11, 2020

Stanford continued its dominance over Washington State in Pac-12 men’s basketball on Saturday, as the Cardinal romped to an 88-62 win over the visiting Cougars at Maples Pavilion.

Freshman Tyrell Terry popped in a season-high 22 points and grabbed six rebounds, as the Cardinal (14-2 overall, 3-0 Pac-12) beat WSU for seventh time in eight meetings. The Cougars have lost three of four games to open league play after a six-game nonconference winning streak.

Washington State last won at Stanford in 2011, and the Cougars’ losing streak against the Cardinal goes back to Jan. 31, 2015, when WSU edged Stanford 89-88 in Pullman, Wash.

Carlos da Silva added 15 points – all in the first half – and Isaac White scored 11 points while Bryce Wills chipped in with 10. Though da Silva was 7 of 8 from the field, he didn’t see much action in the second half due to foul trouble.

Isaac Bonton led the Cougars (10-7, 1-3) with 15 points; it was Bonton’s sixth straight game of double-figure scoring. Daron Henson was next for WSU with 12 points, including 4 of 6 on 3-pointers, and Jeff Pollard pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to go with eight points.

WSU’s CJ Elleby was held to single-digit scoring for the second time this season with a season-low six points. Elleby missed his first seven shots.

Stanford jumped to a 46-18 halftime lead, eventually building a 59-26 lead early in the second half. The 18 points allowed in the first half was the Cardinal’s second-best effort of the season, next to the 16 points allowed to Maryland-Eastern Shore in November.

The Cardinal hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to UCLA. Next Saturday, Washington State will retire Klay Thompson’s No. 1 jersey when UCLA visits Pullman. Thompson, a starter on three NBA championship teams with Golden State, is the Cougars’ second all-time scoring leader (1,756 points).

49ers defense thump Vikings, roll into NFC title game with 27-10 victory

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sfgate.com: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8), is tackled by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, center, during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, in Santa Clara, Calif

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

Santa Clara, Calif — In the first ever NFL playoff game at Levi’s Stadium, the 49ers defended its home field in dominating fashion, outlasting the visiting Minnesota Vikings 27-10 on Saturday afternoon in the NFC Divisional round for their first playoff win in six years.

With the win, the top-seed 49ers (14-3) advance to the NFC championship game for the 16th time in franchise history where they await the winner between Seattle and Green Bay on Sunday in the other NFC Divisional matchup.

In his first playoff start, Jimmy Garoppolo threw a 3-yard touchdown to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne for an early 7-0 lead. Garoppolo marched San Francisco 61 yards in eight plays after its defense forced Minnesota (11-7) to punt on their opening drive.

Garoppolo wasn’t spectacular, finishing 11-of-19 for 131 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

“A lot of things to clean up, but we played well enough to get the win,” tight end George Kittle said. “That’s all you can ask for. Playoff football, anyone can win and we just made more plays today.”

Kittle had just three catches for 16 yards in the contest.

As a group including Kittle, San Francisco’s pass catchers (wideouts Deebo Samuel 3 catches for team-leading 42 yards, Bourne 3 catches for 40 yards, TD; and Emmanuel Sanders 2 catches for 33 yards) combined for just 11 catches for 131 yards and a score.

Minnesota quickly responded, tying the game up at 7-7 on a 41-yard touchdown throw from quarterback Kirk Cousins to wide receiver Stefon Diggs. 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who had struggled in coverage down the stretch of the season, had great coverage on Diggs, but slipped at the 19-yard line and Diggs ran into the end zone.

But that would be Minnesota’s best highlight of the day as San Francisco would hold the Vikings to 147 yards of total offense. San Francisco’s offense racked up 308 yards total.

“The 49ers I felt were the better team today,” Cousins said after the game. “We didn’t do enough offensively to give ourselves a chance to win the game. It hurts now. Mike [Zimmer] said he was proud of the way the team fought this year, but right now, it’s just so raw. We’re kind of focused on this game and falling short. I thought the 49ers were a good team. They earned the number one seed and home field advantage throughout the way they played this season.”

San Francisco would retake the lead for good, behind the first of two rushing touchdowns by running back Tevin Coleman. Coleman capped off a 10-play, 53-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge to give the 49ers a 14-7 lead.

“Those guys did very well,” Coleman said of his offensive line. “They moved the guys back so I had clear holes to run through. So, yeah, they did a real good job.”

Coleman finished the game with 105 yards on 22 carries.

Following an interception by linebacker Eric Kendricks inside the 49ers’ own territory, Minnesota added a 39-yard field goal by kicker Dan Bailey to cut the lead to 14-10 at halftime.

On their first possession of the third quarter, San Francisco stretched its lead to 17-10 behind a 35-yard field goal by kicker Robbie Gould.

After Richard Sherman intercepted Cousins inside Minnesota’s territory on the Vikings’ next possession, Coleman gave the 49ers a two-score lead with his second score of the game, a 2-yard run that increased San Francisco’s lead to 24-10.

It was Sherman’s third career playoff interception. Sherman has intercepted Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton and now, Cousins.

Defensively, San Francisco overpowered Minnesota’s offense all day limiting the ground game and their play-action attack. Running back Dalvin Cook couldn’t find any running lanes, rushing for just 18 yards on nine carries.

“That was the No. 1 emphasis all week,” Bosa said of the Minnesota running game. “We knew we were facing probably the best back we’ve faced all year with Dalvin, and we knew we had to earn the right to pass rush. So, that’s what we did. We took the run as serious as we could, shut it down and then we ate.”

Bosa had a great start to his playoff career, registering two of San Francisco’s six sacks on the day. The returns of defensive Dee Ford, linebacker Kwon Alexander and safety Jaquiski Tartt proved to be vital for San Francisco’s defense, that looked like its dominating self from earlier in the season.

“It was huge to have those guys back,” defensive lineman Arik Armstead said. “They’re leaders on our team, talented players, they make big plays for us. We were missing some pieces out there, but to get those guys back, we hit back on all cylinders.”

At one point, the 49ers held the Vikings’ offense without a first down for 27 minutes of game time. Minnesota had mustered just seven first downs, compared to 21 by San Francisco. The 49ers held the Vikings to 2-of-13 on third downs and dominated time of possession (38:27 to 21:33).

“We were playing good the whole game,” Armstead continued. “They got us early with the touchdown. We just locked in. We knew what they wanted to do which was run the ball. It starts with that, stopping the run. I think we did a good job with that. I saw they only had twenty something yards. Once we did that, we were able to get after the passer. When you do that, you can have a complete game and shut people out.”