Month: January 2021

Sloppy Sun Devils clean up in time to nip Cal, 72-68 in Tempe

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Simply put, the Cal Bears don’t need to see Remy Martin ever again, and Arizona State anytime soon. Just the possibility of another meeting in March at the Pac-12 Tournament is frightening news.

Martin covered for his inconsistent teammates in the game’s final 10 minutes, lifting the Sun Devils to a 72-68 win that ended their six-game losing streak. ASU’s senior point guard scored nine of his team-best 19 points after Cal held its final lead of the evening, 54-52 with 9:10 remaining.

Martin has been perfect against Cal, going 8-0 in his career dating back to his freshman year when he was a spunky reserve known more for his lengthy, wild hair and Filipino heritage than his considerable skills on the court.

On Thursday, Martin made the mundane plays like drawing fouls in the paint against Cal’s over-anxious defenders as well as the spectacular ones like his circus shot while falling on his back to put ASU up 60-56 with 7:02 left.

Meanwhile Cal missed makeable shots in falling behind 9-3 and then 15-5 only to rally and lead 30-29 at halftime. Eventually Cal’s 39 percent shooting–including 17 missed 3-point shots–and their 15 turnovers leading to 20 points for ASU was too much to overcome.

“We didn’t play stable enough throughout the game,” Cal coach Mark Fox said. “Good teams will make you pay.”

ASU wasn’t completely stabile either as they surged to sizeable leads in both halves only to allow Cal to recover. The Sun Devils’ questionable shot selection was the biggest culprit, something they fell prey to in the six-game slide that included back-to-back, narrow losses to Arizona and an overtime loss to USC.

Still ASU prevailed, shooting 57 percent in the second half to create some distance between themselves and Cal (7-11, 2-9).

Matt Bradley led Cal with 26 points–just off his career-high–but he needed 20 shots from the floor and 11 free throw attempts to get there. Clearly favoring his two injured ankles, the junior guard wasn’t at his explosive best, but he battled in the absence of any other scoring sources outside Andre Kelly (16 points, 13 rebounds).

“I thought he played super-hard,” Fox said of Bradley. “A lot of those things he’s always finished didn’t quite go in tonight. He’s a little bit out of rhythm and still got to get some conditioning back.”

Grant Anticevich and Makale Foreman each made just one basket finishing a combined 2 for 12 from the floor. With Cal trailing 72-66 with 18 seconds left Anticevich was stripped by Martin as ASU’s defensive quickness gave Cal fits throughout the game.

“We’ve been knocking on the door in several games over the last couple of weeks,” ASU coach Bobby Hurley said. “Glad we were able to break through.”

The Bears finish their trip in Tucson on Saturday where they will face Arizona, which lost to Stanford on Thursday.

Stanford uses late rally to defeat Arizona 73-64

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: azdesertswarm.com

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, January 28, 2021

Stanford rallied late to defeat Arizona 73-64 on Thursday in Pac-12 men’s basketball in Tucson, Ariz. The win marked Stanford’s first victory at McKale Center – and the first sweep of the Wildcats – since 2008.

Jaiden Delaire led the Cardinal (10-5 overall, 6-3 Pac-12) with 21 points, hitting 7 of 12 field goals and a 3-pointer. While tying his career high in scoring, Delaire scored 14 points in the second half.

Oscar da Silva was next with 17 points, Michael O’Connell scored 14 points and had four assists, and Spencer Jones added 10 points – including two 3s – and a team-high six rebounds.

Stanford outshot the Wildcats 49 percent to 41 percent, as Arizona saw a three-game win streak snapped while losing at home for the third time this season. The Cardinal outscored Arizona 34-14 in the paint.

Delaire, Jones and da Silva combined for 19 points in a 20-8 Cardinal run late in the game to pull away from Arizona.

Stanford made 7 of 9 of its field goals down the stretch, while the Wildcats were held to 2 of 12.

James Akinjo was the Wildcats’ top scorer with 17 points along with six assists, followed by Terrell Brown Jr. with 13, and Dalen Terry and Bennedict Mathurin with 10 pointd each. Arizona (12-4, 6-4) outrebounded the Cardinal 32-30.

Stanford’s southwest road trip continues Saturday, when the Cardinal visit Arizona State.

Cardinal reschedule games with USC

Stanford men’s basketball’s previously postponed contests with Southern California have been rescheduled for Feb.2 at Maples Pavilion and Feb. 22 in Los Angeles at Galen Center.

According to Stanford Athletics, “the change follows Santa Clara County’s updated Directive for Collegiate and Professional Sports, which allows for the resumption of training and competition involving contact, close proximity and equipment sharing – both indoors and outdoors – on Stanford’s campus.”

The game against USC on Feb. 2 will be Stanford’s first game on its home court this season. It’s been 338 days since its last game at Maples Pavilion on March 1, 2020.

Warriors’ offense flounders in Phoenix, Suns win easily 114-93

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

Hoping to earn their first three-game winning streak this season, the Golden State Warriors failed to generate enough offense to beat the Phoenix Suns. The Warriors trailed Phoenix by five at the half 52-47. The Warriors usually play better in the second half, but not Thursday night, as the Suns won both the third and fourth quarters to win 114-93.

The Warriors’ Kelly Oubre, Jr, James Wiseman, and Damion Lee all performed well against Minnesota Wednesday night. Their performances on Thursday was the exact opposite. Oubre finished with four points. He was 1-for-11 from the floor and did not make a three in five tries. Wiseman, who scored 25 against Minnesota, had five points and was 2-for-9 from the field.

Damion Lee did not score. He had 17 against Minnesota. The Warriors had three players in double figures. Steph Curry 27, Andrew Wiggins 16, and Eric Pascall 12. Seven Suns’ player had more than 10 points in the game.

The Suns were playing the last game of a four-game homestand. The visiting teams won all three very closely contested games. The Suns lost one in overtime, one in double-overtime, and one in regulation. They needed to beat the Warriors. They were without the star backcourt ace, Devin Booker, out with a hamstring injury. Dario Saric was not available due to COVID-19 protocol. The Suns found a way to win. They got off to a good start and were able to break down the Warriors’ defense as they outscored Golden State 36-29. 

The Warriors slowed down the Phoenix offense in the second quarter. They held the Suns to 16 points. Typically, the Warriors would have grabbed the lead. Thursday was not a typical night. The Warriors knocked down 18 to finish the first half trailing by five, 52-47. Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins led the team with 13 and 12, respectively. Brad Wanamaker was third in scoring with six. 

Early in the third quarter, the Warriors closed to within one, 58-57. Phoenix went on an 11-0 run to make it 69-57. The Warriors could not generate any offense. They were toast. The Suns outscored them 33-24 to lead 85-71 after three quarters of play.

In the fourth quarter, Eric Paschall started making some baskets to keep the Warriors close. The Suns responded with an 11-2 run to lead 100-81. With five minutes left in the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr inserted his bench players to finish the game. The Suns won 114-93.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors are 10-9 for the year. The Suns are now 9-8. 

The Warriors shot 38.9% from the floor. They made 11 threes in 38 tries. Phoenix shot 46.6% from the floor, and they made 11 threes in 32 attempts. 

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face the Detroit Pistons Saturday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 pm PT.

Sharks Shut Out 3-0 by Avalanche

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

By Mary Walsh

The Sharks fell 3-0 to the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Thursday. Goals came from Nazem Kadri (2) and Andre Burakovsky. Colorado goaltender Philipp Grubauer made 21 saves for the win. Sharks goaltender Devan Dubnyk made 35 saves in the loss. It was the first time the Sharks were shut out this season.

If there was a lost opportunity in the game, it was the Sharks’ three first period power plays. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“First of all, we’re losing draws on the power play, so we’re chasing pucks down the ice. Then, we get in, we get set up, we get a shot and, you know, no retrieval. They get it back down. So now you’ve gone up and down the ice twice and you don’t have any gas. We gotta win more draws on the power play. They sniffed out a couple of our entries, we made a change between the first and second but we never got to use it, we never had a power play after that.”

Of the Sharks’ defensive game, goaltender Devan Dubnyk said: “I thought the guys played great, honestly. I thought we made very, very good adjustments from last game. We got a little bit away from it in the third I think when they got the two. But if you look at the adjustments that we made in the first two periods it was huge, and that’s how we have to play that team to be successful.”

The first period was close in shots (7-6 Sharks) but less balanced in other respects. The Avalanche dominated in the face-off circle at 59%, and also in penalty minutes, taking three penalties to the Sharks’ one. Colorado had one shot in their power play, and the Sharks had two in three tries.

The second period saw the shot count tip to Colorado, 12-6. The Sharks took two penalties in the period and had no power plays. The Sharks improved in the face-off circle to 50%.

After five shots off the post, Colorado finally broke through in the third period. Nazem Kadri scored at 9:55. The Sharks had just finished two good offensive pushes and had just changed lines. Colorado converged in the slot and, with Joonas Donskoi down and five bodies in front of Dubnyk, Kadri found himself outside the scramble with a view of an open net corner. Assists went to Brandon Saad and Donskoi.

Moments later, Logan Couture and Brent Burns collided in front of their net, both in pursuit of the same Colorado player. Couture’s skate made contact with Burns’ ankle and he seemed to be in distress on the bench. A few minutes later Burns could still be seen trying to walk it off. He missed a shift or so before getting back on the ice.

Colorado scored again at 11:53 on a three-on-two. Drawing the Sharks to the right, Kadri made a pass across the center to Andre Burakovsky who had just arrived at the net, ready for a deflection. Assists went to Kadri and Saad.

The Sharks had a power play in the final four minutes but couldn’t score, though they pulled Dubnyk for an extra skater and did manage two shots. Then they found themselves killing a penalty with just 1:14 to go after Noah Gregor was called for tripping Gabriel Landeskog. With six seconds left in the period, Nazem Kadri tipped Cale Makar’s shot from the blue line. Assists went to Makar and Nathan MacKinnon.

Colorado’s Pierre-Edouard Bellemare left the game in the first period, with a lower body injury. He was injured after Ryan Donato lost an edge and collided with him.

The Sharks are scheduled to play on Monday. They will be in their temporary home arena in Arizona, playing the Vegas Golden Knights at 6:00 PM PT. There is some doubt about that schedule as the Golden Knights may not play due to COVID-19 exposure.

San Jose State picks up second straight win in 59-58 defeat of Air Force

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By Ana Kieu

The San Jose State men’s basketball team looked to keep their winning ways alive as they welcomed the Air Force Falcons to Phoenix for a two-game set starting on Thursday night. SJSU was the designated home team, and not only that, they defeated AF 59-58 at the Ability 360 Sports and Fitness Center.

The Falcons got things started in a back-and-forth game. Ameka Akaya converted a second-chance dunk for a 2-0 Falcons lead at 19:20. SJSU, however, quickly tied the game 2-2 on a jumper by Ralph Agee and took a 8-4 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Jalen Dalcourt and Trey Smith. The Falcons made it a 1-point game on a 3-pointer by A.J. Walker at 15:29.

Just 25 seconds later, SJSU evened the score 10-10 on a jumper by Jalen Dalcourt, then picked up the pace on both offense and defense. Sebastian Mendoza hit a 3-pointer to pull the Spartans within 3 points at 11:56. Omari Moore threw down a fastbreak dunk off of a Falcons turnover to give the Spartans a 10-point lead with 4:43 left in the first half.

The Falcons wrapped up the first half with a free throw by Keaton Van Soelen with 31 seconds left. The Spartans led 36-30 at the halftime break. For the second straight game, Trey Smith led the Spartans with 11 points at the break. SJSU shot 63% from the floor and were a perfect 9-9 on 2-point field goals.

The Falcons opened the second half with a second-chance layup by Glen Mcclintock. Mcclintock followed up with a free throw off of a Spartans turnover. Jalen Dalcourt responded with a layup, but the Falcons evened the score 38-38 on a fastbreak 3-pointer by Ameka Akaya at 16:57.

The Falcons took a 42-38 lead on back-to-back layups by Akaya and Keaton Van Soelen, but the Spartans regained the lead 51-48, thanks to Ralph Agee’s layup in the paint with 7:09 left in the second half.

The two teams exchanged leads and ties until the final buzzer. The Falcons evened the score 55-56 and took a 58-56 lead, but the Spartans wrapped up the second half scoring. Omari Moore made a fastbreak free throw off of a Falcons turnover, Ralph Agee threw down a second-chance dunk and the Spartans got the stop to seal a 59-58 win over the Falcons.

SJSU improved to 4-11, 2-9 Mountain West. Ralph Agee led all scorers with 15 points.

AF fell to 4-11, 2-9 Mountain West. A.J. Walker led all scorers with 21 points.

The Spartans and Falcons conclude its two-game series on Saturday, January 30 at 3 pm PT.

Super Bowl LV podcast with London Marq: Chiefs’ Remmers to replace Fisher; Brady’s father says Belichick on hot seat

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Kansas City Chiefs left offensive linebacker Eric Fisher is laid out after tearing his Achilles and will be out for Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said he will replace Fisher with right tackle Mike Remmers (photo from The Athletic)

On the Super Bowl LV podcast with London:

#1 London, talk about Kansas City Chiefs offensive left tackle Eric Fisher losing him for the Super Bowl to a Achilles injury that he incurred during the Championship game against the Buffalo Bills. Fisher was blocking and fell on his back. His leg and foot took an awkward twist as he went down. Fisher will be replaced by right tackle Mike Remmers.

#2 London, after everything that has happened to Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes in recovering from his pinched nerve and turf toe back on Sunday 17th, his rebound was impressive to get the Chiefs the win and in the Super Bowl after the Chiefs’ Championship win over the Buffalo Bills 38-24.

#3 It was a quite an afternoon for Mahomes, who had showed no signs of being hurt, throwing for 325 yards and three touchdowns. Mahomes also was quite mobile and not afraid of getting sacked from behind.

#4 London, how good of a position would you say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in for the Super Bowl? They’re coming off a convincing win over the Green Bay Packers 31-26 and Bucs quarterback Tom Brady with his resume of ten Super Bowls and six Super Bowl rings.

#5 Tom Brady Sr. says that Tom Jr’s former coach Bill Belichick is on the hot seat right now. How much is that true after Belichick and the Patriots see how far Brady has come with the Bucs?

Join London during Super Bowl weeks on Wednesdays for the Super Bowl LV podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cardinal could apply same technique on Arizona as they did on UCLA

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Stanford Cardinal forward Oscar da Silva (13) go for the bucket against the UCLA Bruins guard Jules Bernard (1) at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz on Saturday, January 23, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, the Cardinal (9-5) open tonight with two games in Arizona, tonight against the Wildcats, who are one of the best at 12-3, and on Saturday against the ASU Sun Devils, who are 4-8. Let’s take tonight’s game first. How much pressure will it be on star scorer for Stanford Oscar da Silva tonight?

#2 Stanford has won four of their last six game, including their last game against UCLA, which was by a razor margin 73-72, but an impressive win.

#3 In the game against UCLA, da Silva was once again top scorer with 26 points. He was followed by Jaiden Delaire, who scored 19. That’s saying a lot when you’re dueling with a team defense like the Bruins.

#4 The Wildcats are no match for a lot of teams in their last game. They pounded the Arizona State Sun Devils 80-67. The Wildcats are loaded on offense. Their top scorer on Monday night’s game was Terrell Brown 18 points and Azuolas Tubelis and James Akinjo both finished with 16. The Cardinal could have their hands full tonight in Tucson.

#5 Stanford head coach Jerod Haase could coach another game similar to the one he coached against UCLA. Lots of skill shots, aggressive inside and da Silva taking lots of outside shots.

Join Jerry F for Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Hield scores season-best 29, Kings beat Magic 121-107 for solid road win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBA

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings’ last two games had been postponed, but not on Wednesday night. The Kings defeated the Orlando Magic 121-107 at Golden 1 Center.

The Kings’ last game before Wednesday was against the New York Knicks last Friday at home. The Kings managed to take down the Knicks 103-94 to snap their four-game losing streak. The next two scheduled games were supposed to be played against the Memphis Grizzlies. 

However, due to COVID-19 protocols, the two games were postponed on Sunday and Monday. The Kings were not the source of the delay, but nonetheless, I’m sure they appreciated the extra time off. The Kings were set to be back in action on Wednesday taking on the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.

In the first half, the Kings played well. The Kings outscored the Magic 32-23 getting back into the swing of things. In the second quarter, it was more for the same from the Kings. They managed to outscore the Magic 33-27 and build a 65-50 lead going into halftime. What was important for the Kings was to finish off the Magic. It has become a theme with this team the last few years to not finish off opponents.

In the second half, the Kings would look to do just that. The Kings started off strong. They outscored the Magic 31-27 in the third and looked poised to seal the deal and win their second game in a row. In the fourth quarter, they didn’t play as well, but still held onto the lead and managed to win the game. The Magic out scored the Kings 30-25 in the last quarter, but the Kings still managed to win the game 121-107.

Leading the way for the Kings (7-10) in victory was Buddy Hield, who had 29 points.

In contrast, the Magic (8-11) were led by Nikola Vucevic, who had 26 points. The Kings are now on a two-game winning streak and look to carry that momentum into their next contest. 

Up Next: The Kings will travel to Toronto and take on the Raptors on Friday night at 4:30 PM PST. 

Warriors grind out a 123-111 win over the Timberwolves

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors downed the Minnesota Timberwolves 123-111 Wednesday night at the Chase Center.

The Warriors had their hands full with a young Minnesota team. Their point guard, D’Angelo Russell, and their best player, Karl-Anthony Towns, were not in the lineup. Russell is recovering from a quadriceps injury, and Towns has to sit out due to the NBA protocol for the coronavirus.

Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders was ready to play defense Wednesday night. The Warriors, no strangers to playing great defense, had to work hard to finish the first quarter with a meager two-point advantage 23-21. Warriors forward, Kelly Oubre Jr., had to go to the bench as he picked two fouls in the first minute of the game. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr picked Kent Bazemore to replace Oubre. Bazemore responded by scoring seven of the Warriors’ first nine points. 

Oubre returned to start the second quarter. He knocked down 16 points to lead the Warriors to a 58-51 lead at the end of the first half. Oubre had the highest-scoring quarter of his career. He was also a force on defense. He had two steals and a blocked shot. The Warriors needed Oubre’s offensive performance as Steph Curry was ice cold in the first half. Curry had two points on 1-for-9 shooting.

Warriors star rookie, James Wiseman, kicked in with 14 points. Wiseman was 3-for-3 shooting 3-pointers. Andrew Wiggins had 8.

Timberwolves rookie phenom, Anthony Edwards, showed the Warriors and the NBA why he was the number one pick in the NBA Draft this year. He finished with 15 points and connected on three 3s.

As they have done so many times over the past six seasons, the Warriors won the third quarter 37-24. As everyone knows, Steph Curry can’t be bottled up all night. Curry started to make buckets. Damion Lee made two 3s, and Andrew Wiggins continued to drive the lanes to help the Warriors break open the game. The Warriors were leading 79-67 when they went on a 13-0 run to lead 90-67. They finished the third quarter with a 20-point advantage 95-75.

The Timberwolves continued to play hard. The Warriors refused to wilt. The Timberwolves cut the lead to 12 points, 112-100. The Warriors responded as they built the lead back to 16 points, 116-100. Steve Kerr pulled Curry off the floor. The Warriors held on to win 121-111. 

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are 10-8 for the season. The Timberwolves are 4-13.

James Wiseman had a career-high 25 points to lead the team in scoring. Kelly Oubre had 20 points, nine rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot in 20 minutes of playing time. Andrew Wiggins continued to play well at both ends of the court. Andrew tallied 19 points and three boards. Steph Curry had 16 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and he made four three. Curry has made a three-point in 80 consecutive games. Draymond Green’s line was six points, six rebounds, and eight assists. Kevon Looney recorded ten rebounds in 11 minutes. Damion Lee had a season-high 17 points. Lee knocked down four threes.

The Warriors shot 53% from the floor and held the Timberwolves to 42.5%. The Timberwolves made 14 3s, while the Warriors made 15. The Warriors moved the ball well and recorded 32 assists.

One stat that Steve Kerr would not like is the number of turnovers committed. The Warriors turned the ball over 21 times. That number will get Kerr very grumpy.

Up Next: The Warriors play the Suns in Phoenix on Thursday night. The game will start at 7 pm PT.

DeSimone’s late heroics lift Barracuda to 4-3 victory over Roadrunners

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

TUCSON, Ariz. — Nick DeSimone scored the game-winning goal with 24 seconds left in the third period as the San Jose Barracuda rallied back from a two-goal deficit to beat the Tucson Roadrunners 4-3 on Wednesday afternoon at Tucson Convention Center Arena.

In the first period, Kevin Hancock opened up the scoring at 6:17 mark as Ryan McGregor and former Bakersfield Condor’ Cameron Hebig picked up the assists. Less than a minute later, Blake Speers doubled Tucson’s lead to 2-0.

The Barracuda were outshot 13-to-12 in the opening 20 minutes.

In the middle frame, sophomore forward Joachim Blichfeld found paydirt at 11:28, cutting Tucson’s lead in half.

The Barracuda outshot Tucson 15-7 in the second for a two period total of 27-20.

In the third period, rookie forward Brandon Coe would even the score with his first professional goal at 3:53 as Karlis Cukste picked up the only assist. Blichfeld scored his second of the game at 15:02, netting his team-leading third goal of the preseason, giving the Barracuda a 3-2 lead.

With 1:24 left to go, Lane Pederson leveled the score at 3-3 on the power-play. But exactly one minute later, DeSimone’s late goal magic gave the Barracuda its lead back, and the eventual 4-3 win.

Josef Korenar (1-1-0-1) made 22 saves on 25 shots to collect his first victory of exhibition play. Ivan Prosvetov suffered the loss, allowing four goals on 36 shots.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda are back in action on Friday, 1/29 in Las Vegas, as they square off with the newest member of the AHL, the Henderson Silver Knights, at 7 pm PT.