Month: October 2022

Dynamic Davion: Mitchell leads Kings’ comeback in 115-108 win over the Hornets

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By Morris Phillips

Apparently Coach Mike Brown knows what he has in Davion Mitchell.

The NCAA champion from Baylor hadn’t scored in double figures in any game this season, and hadn’t seen more than 16 minutes of floor time in any of last four games.

That all changed Monday night in Charlotte.

Mitchell started fast and came up big down the stretch in the Kings’ 115-108 come-from-behind win over the Hornets.

“He brings an understanding of what his role is and embraces his role,” Brown said of Mitchell. “He’s a guy that I know anytime we call his number he is going to be ready to play.”

In reality, Mitchell may embrace his role, but it’s not quite clear what exactly that role is seven games into the new season. The 6’0″ guard wasn’t particularly effective in the season-opening loss to the Blazers and he was summarily dismissed. Not his fault, but when a team’s top two scorers are starting in front of you, and playing for a new coach, your floor time can get bypassed.

But Mitchell’s hard to miss: he finished his rookie season by scoring in double figures 14 times in the season’s final 16 games, and he made at least nine field goals in six of those 16 games. He’s a presence.

On Monday, Mitchell was front and center.

The Kings started their road trip with an ineffective first quarter as they fell behind 34-24 with the five starters combining to miss 11 of their first 14 shots.

The second quarter wasn’t much better as the Kings fell behind by 15, and De’Aaron Fox was lost for the evening after he bumped knees with another player and was removed for precautionary reasons. The Hornets shot 60 percent from the field in the opening half and appeared to be locked in as a follow up to their impressive, overtime win over the Warriors on Saturday.

The Kings seized momentum and the lead in the third as Kevin Huerter scored 12 of his team-high 26 points. Matthew Dellavedova hit a three that gave the Kings their first lead, 79-77 with 3:43 remaining, and that set the stage for the visitors’ big push in the fourth.

Mitchell hit his first three shots of the game in the first quarter to keep the Kings attached. In the fourth, Mitchell had a pair of big baskets late to help the Kings maintain a small lead they wouldn’t relinquish. He finished with 23 points on 9 of 11 shooting, and in Fox’s absence, he and Huerter combined to make 10 threes.

“We are a team that don’t quit,” Mitchell said. “We try to play 48 minutes.”

P.J. Washington led the Hornets with 28 points as one of six double-figure scorers for the hosts. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16 points, and Dennis Smith Jr. added 15.

The Hornets were without LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier and Cody Martin, all due to injuries. The Hornets committed 31 fouls which lead to an impressive 24 of 28 night at the foul line for the Kings.

“We turn the ball over 21 times and foul like that, we’re not gong to win,” coach Steve Clifford said. “Every drive, we fouled.”

The Kings have a pair of wins after starting the season 0-4. They visit Miami on Wednesday in an immediate rematch of their home win over the Heat on Saturday.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Can Cal figure out USC’s high flying offense this Saturday?

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Jack Plummer quarterback of the Cal Bears fires a pass against the Oregon Ducks defense on Sat Oct 29, 2022 at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 The Oregon Ducks (7-1) were like a kettle full of hot water slow to boil but once they hit a certain temperature it was started to be a big concern for Cal Bears (3-5) head coach Justin Wilcox and the Bears defense after holding a brief 10-0 lead before the second quarter Ducks explosion.

#2 The Ducks were looking end zone in the second quarter and their quarterback Bo Nix carried for three times to put touchdown scores on his game stats that would have the Ducks never looking back for the rest of the game.

#3 Morris talk about what coach Wilcox said after the game of his team’s performance, “There’s some things that happened at the end of the first half and start of the second that if we would have performed a bit better, then we could have made that game very competitive,”

#4 The Bears were able to stop the Ducks offense early it was the first time in six games that the Ducks went scoreless in a first quarter which spoke to the potential of Cal’s defense.

#5 The Bears now face the USC Trojans (7-1) it will be Cal’s second consecutive week in a row facing a ranked school. The Trojans are coming off a win against the Arizona Wildcats (3-5) 45-37. How can Cal stop the USC’s high flying offense this coming Saturday?

Join Morris Phillips for Cal Bears podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Loss in Detroit is Golden State’s fourth in six games

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The Detroit Pistons Cade Cunningham (2) gets a pass off under the double coverage of Golden State Warriors Kevon Looney (5) and Jordan Poole (3) at Little Cesar’s Palace in Detroit on Sun Oct 30, 2022 (AP News photo)

On Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Barbara the Detroit Pistons had some offense going for them on Sunday as Saddiq Bey scored 28 points and Cade Cunningham fell one assist short of getting a triple double in their victory over the Golden State Warriors at Little Caser’s Palace in Detroit.

#2 How surprising was it for the Pistons who had lost five straight games to defeat a team like the Warriors who lost on a second straight night.

#3 Barbara, what would you say is one of the top reasons why the Warriors have lost four of their last six games and have fallen off in the last week like they have?

#4 Warriors Stephen Curry scored 32 and Jordan Poole had 30 points but no matter how hard the effort on Sunday in Detroit they just fell short and the Pistons offense pulled away led by Bey and Cunningham.

#5 The Warriors next opponent the Miami Heat have had just gone through the same grinder, for the Heat coming off four loses of their last six games have the home floor Tuesday night and after losing to the Warriors last Thursday the Heat with top scorers Jimmy Butler and Bam Adedayo look for an opportunity to even the score with Golden State.

Join Barbara Mason does the Warriors podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors Drop Another Road Game to Detroit 128-114; Pistons snap 5 game loss streak

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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr points the direction the Warriors should be shooting against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caser’s Palace in Detroit on Sun Oct 30, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

After losing an overtime game to the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors (3-4) took on the Detroit Pistons (2-5) Sunday. The Hornets spent much of the game at the line Saturday night which in some part was the reason the Warriors did not win this game in regulation. In Detroit it was not much different as the Warriors lose to the Pistons 128-114 at Little Cesar’s Palace in Detroit.

Against the Pistons the Warriors will need to clean that up against one of the best teams in the league getting to the line. This will be one of only two games in which these two teams will meet.

Game recap: Unlike Sunday night the Warriors went on a 12 to 2 run in the first quarter and led 19-11 before the Pistons cut that lead to two points 19-17. The Warriors had some good looks but failed to capitalize. The main threat for Detroit was of course Bojan Bogdanovic who already had two shots from downtown.

The Pistons hung around after trailing by as much as ten points and tied up the game at 41 going on to take the lead 44-41 with six minutes left in the second quarter. Draymond Green already had three personals at halftime. The Warriors were shooting 37% to the Pistons 48%.

Detroit has a starting roster made up of some up and coming youngsters that will be amazing players down the road in fact making an impact in the first two quarters of this game. At the half the Warriors had some work to do trailing 63-55. The second quarter was a killer with the Pistons outscoring Golden State 34-18.

Two minutes into the third quarter the Warriors were trailing 74-57. The Pistons had lost five in a row and were looking to break that losing streak. Detroit continued to extend their lead at one time ahead 79-60 but Golden State came roaring back courtesy of Jordan Poole hitting four shots from downtown in the quarter.

The Warriors continued to trail deep into the fourth quarter. With three minutes left this was an eight point game in favor of Detroit. The young Piston roster was having a banner game. The Warriors were staring down another loss. They were fouling far to often and the Pistons were hitting those free throws. The final was 128-114 and Detroit had broken their losing streak.

Every starter for Detroit scored in double digits. They ran the Warriors off the three point line attacking in the second half and it paid off. Even when Jordan Poole went off in the second half, the young Detroit roster did not fold. This team doesn’t typically make three’s but they sure did Sunday with 14.

Stephen Curry had the high score with 32 points and Jordan Poole followed that up with 30 points. The bottom line is that the Warriors have a bull’s eye on their backs, they are the hunted.

This is exactly why it is so very difficult to repeat. . “It looks like a pick-up game out there,” said Steve Kerry after the game. “We’ve got to stop fouling, 38 more free throws tonight. We’re putting ourselves in some tough spots offensively and that translates into the defense,” said Kerr after the game.

Tuesday the Warriors will take on the Miami Heat after having a day off. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 PM. The Warriors cannot continue to fall behind by double digits on the road. They have s lot to clean up before Tuesday night.

The Christian McCaffery show continues 49ers ownage over Rams in 31-14 win

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Christian McCaffery spikes the football after scoring one of his three touchdowns at SoFi Stadium on Sunday OCT 30, 2022. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

Chistian McCaffery has made history in just nine days with his new team.

McCaffery scored a touchdown every which but loose as he led the San Francisco 49ers to a convincing 31-14 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium. In just his second game in a Niners uniform, he became the first running back in franchise history to throw, receive and run for a touchdown in the same game.

San Francisco evened their record to 4-4 as they rebounded from a blowout loss to Kansas City last week. Los Angeles followed their bye week with a loss as they fell to 3-4 on the season. The 49ers extended its regular season win streak to eight games against the Rams having swept the season series four years in a row.

It was a tale of two halves as Los Angeles had an answer on third down and San Francisco wasn’t able to get into a rhythm during the first half.

Los Angeles’ offense was on the field for the majority of the first quarter. They went on a long 17 play 88-yard drive that chewed up 9:21 off the clock. Quarterback Matthew Stafford finished off epic drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown where he dived into the right corner of the end zone. Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson each had three catches on the drive as Stafford was able to spread the ball around during the drive.

San Francisco were without wide receiver standout Deebo Samuel and fullback Kyle Juszczyk. The silver lining was that head coach Kyle Shanahan was able to utilize McCaffery in the offensive scheme.

San Francisco responded on their next drive with a six play 71-yard drive that resulted in McCaffery taking a pitch from quarterback Jimmy Garopollo and then throwing a pass to wide open Brandon Aiyuk for a 34-yard touchdown completion in just under three minutes.

“I think everyone knows how good of a player he is,” said Shanahan regarding McCaffery’s play. “I just like consistent he is. Under control of what he does. He’s a very much player. Even though he makes a lot of plays and stuff, the consistency of how he plays is I think a great guy to have for us.”

Stafford answered back as the Rams marched down the field with a nine play 75-yard drive when he connected with all-pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown completion.

Los Angeles was able to convent six of its first eight third down conversions as San Francisco’s defensive front was not able to get pressure on Stafford and allowed the Rams offense to pick up first down and keep drives alive.

The second half both the offense and defense came alive for San Francisco as McCaffery took over on the offensive side of the ball and Fred Warner took over on the defensive side.

The 49ers exercised a long drive of their own in third quarter when they went on a 11 play 88-yard drive to gain its first lead of the game. On a third and three, Garopollo threw a high ball down the right sideline where McCaffery jumped up to haul in a nine-yard touchdown reception to put San Francisco up 17-14 with 1:51 left in the third quarter.

McCaffery had 183 all-purpose yards with 94 on the ground on 18 carries, 55 receiving on eight catches and 34 through the air as he showed why the 49ers traded for him to add to their offensive arsenal.

“I think the biggest thing is coming out with a win and playing a second half like that too,” said McCaffery who downplayed his accomplishment. “I think the thing I’m most happy about is this whole team welcoming me with open arms. Especially the running back room, they just helped me all week and learn everything. I’m just proud to be a 49er and glad we got the win today.”

San Francisco’s defense dominated the fourth quarter not as they did not allow Los Angeles to score a point in the second half. They forced three 3-and-outs in the second half and never let Stafford establish the rhythm he had in the first half. Warner and Nick Bosa each sacked Stafford that resulted in punts.

“We made some adjustments coverage wise. I think just getting kind of more in third and more favorable down and distances, to be able to tee up and (get) more pressures on third down, I think that’s what made Stafford uncomfortable,” Warner said.

The 49ers went up 24-14 early in the fourth quarter on a six play 58-yard drive. McCaffery set up his third touchdown of the game, a one yard rushing touchdown) when he rushed up the middle for 24 yards to highlight the drive.

San Francisco sealed the deal when Garoppolo connected with tight end George Kittle with on a seven-yard touchdown reception with 6:41 left in the fourth quarter. The drive was set up with a Ross Dwelley 56-yard reception to the Rams 14-yard line.

Garopollo finished the afternoon with one of his most efficient games going 21 of 25 for 235 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a rating of 132.5. Aiyuk led the San Francisco in receiving six catches for 81 yards and one touchdown. Kittle chipped in three catches for 39 yards and one touchdown.

“I think that’s when the game is won in the beginning of the third quarter. We had a chance to come out and take advantage of that and guys did. We calmed down. We settled into our game plan. Guys just stuck with it and I think the results speak for themselves,” Garoppolo said.

Stafford went 22 of 33 for 187 yards with one touchdown no interceptions and a rating of 91.4. Kupp, who left the field with an undisclosed injury late in the game, led Los Angeles in receiving with eight catches for 79 yards and one touchdown. Allen Robinson chipped in with five catches for 55 yards.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco went 5-for-9 on third down conversions. Los Angeles was 8-for-13.

San Francisco held Los Angeles to 56 yards rushing.

Shanahan reported the 49ers didn’t suffer any injuries during the game.

UP NEXT: The 49ers have the bye next week and return to action on Sunday 11/13 when they host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football at Levi’s Stadium.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez: Raiders getting shutout by Saints comes as a shock

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Linebacker Devine Deablo (41) of the Las Vegas Raiders tries to push New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) out of bounds at the Superdome in New Orleans on Sun Oct 30, 2022 (AP News photo)

On Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich:

#1 It was an afternoon that showed the Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) who were shutout by the New Orleans (3-5) defense.

#2 The Raiders who won last weekend 38-20 against the Houston Texas despite getting some offense last week the Raiders simply couldn’t get into field goal range to even get on the scoreboard.

#3 The Saints running back Alvin Kamara scored three touchdowns doing the heavy lifting scoring most of the Saints points.

#4 Kamara had two receptions for 36 and 16 yards and rushed for a three yard carry.

#5 Raiders quarterback Derek Carr left in the four quarter going 15-26 for 101 yards and an interception and Carr got sacked three times.

#6 The Raiders head to Jacksonville next Sun Nov 6 where they might have a chance to win the Jags have lost five straight games.

Join Rich for the Raiders podcasts following every Raiders home and away games at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders Manhandled By Saints in 24-0 shutout

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Raiders Manhandled By Saints 24-0

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) reaches over the goal line as  Las Vegas Raiders safety Tre’von Moehrig (25) tries to put a stop on Kamara to no avail at the Superdome in New Orleans on Sun Oct 30, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) traveled to the “Big Easy” to take on the New Orleans Saints (3-5). Both of these teams have struggled during the season but are playing better ball going into this game.

Las Vegas is coming off a win over the Houston Texans by a considerable margin 38-20. The Raiders lost a one point game to the Kansas City Chiefs in prior weeks so they came close in that one. They have some great offensive weapons but struggle on defense.

The atmosphere at the Superdome was well established but the Raiders will came into this game after the win last week they were hopeful that they were ready to handle the crowd noise and the Saints. It was just too much Alvin Kamara who scored three times in the Saints 24-0 victory over the Raiders.

Game recap: The first quarter was a real disappointment for the Raiders unable to move the ball at all. The Saints took an early 7-0 lead when Alvin Kamara rushed for three yards and the first touchdown of the game.

The second quarter was more of the same for Las Vegas. Their offense was stymied by the Saints defense while the New Orleans offense continued to amass yards. Will Lutz kicked a 37 Yd field goal and Kamara celebrated his second touchdown of the game, an Andy Dalton pass for 16 yards, and a 17-0 lead.

The Raiders had quite a hole to dig out of. This was the Raiders largest deficit of the season so far. A good start for the Raiders in the second half would be to get into Saints territory which they had not done in the first half.

New Orleans got the ball to start the second half and got a nice drive going straight away that the Raiders kept alive with their first pass interference penalty of the season. A few plays later Kamara had his third touchdown of the game, a pass from Dalton for 36 yards. New Orleans had now built a 24-0 lead and the Raiders were in deep trouble.

A visibly frustrated Derek Carr was sacked back to back in their first possession of the third quarter. The Raiders have a top ten offense but ran into a brick wall with the New Orleans defense.

With 3:06 left in the fourth quarter the Raiders crossed midfield for the first time in the game. That gain was nullified when Carr was sacked for the fourth time pushing Las Vegas back onto the Saints 38 yard iine. The Raiders fought to avoid a shut-out but it just didn’t happen.

They finished the game on the Saints six yard line, the final 24-0 . It was simply an ugly game offensively and defensively for the Raiders. Despite missing Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry and Marshon Lattimore the Saints just proved to be too hot to handle.

Devonte Adams had a very disappointing game with one catch for three yards. This almost looks like a misprint but sadly this was reality. It was a tough one for Carr who finished with 15 of 26 for 101 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. The Raiders rushed for a total of 38 yards with 173 yards through the air.

The Raiders will remain back east to prepare for the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday. It will be a 10:00 kickoff.

Bruins, Charbonnet roll past Cardinal 38-13

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UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet (24) and offensive lineman Raiqwon O’Neal (71) celebrate after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the visiting Stanford Cardinal at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles on Sat Oct 29, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, October 29, 2022

UCLA Bruins (7-1) reeled off 24 unanswered points in the first half and never looked back, as the Bruins defeated Stanford Cardinal (3-5) 38-13 in Pac-12 football Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Bruins runningback Zach Charbonnet rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries, and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 18 of 29 passes for 199 yards with no TD passes.

Charbonnet caught five passes for 61 yards for UCLA (7-1 overall, 4-1 Pac-12).

Tanner McKee completed 13 of 28 passes for 115 yards and one touchdown, but was sacked four times and he threw one interception.

Ashton Daniels was the top rusher for the Cardinal (3-5 overall, 1-5 Pac-12). And Benjamin Yurosek caught five passes for 32 yards and one TD.

Cardinal kicker Joshua Karty hit both of his field goal attempts, remaining perfect on 14 attempts for the season.

Karty hit a 22-yard field goal for Stanford with 10:43 left in the first quarter. Stanford answered less than four minutes later when Thompson-Robinson ran in from three yards out, putting the Bruins ahead to stay at 7-3.

With just under six minutes left in the opening period, Charbonnet scored on a 23-yard run, giving a UCLA a 14-3 lead. Nicholas Barr-Mira kicked a 31-yard field goal at 13:36 of the second quarter, and Charbonnet scored his second TD at 5:02 on a 1-yard run. Karty closed out the first-half scoring with a 49-yard field goal with 1:32 left in the half, pulling the Cardinal to within 24-6.

UCLA extended its lead to 31-6 on a 37-yard touchdown run by Charbonnet with 38 seconds left in the third quarter. Kazmeir Allen’s 72-yard touchdown run with 11:09 to play in the fourth quarter gave the Bruins a 38-6 lead.

Stanford finally found the end zone with 5:08 left in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard TD pass from McKee to Yurosek.

Next Saturday, Stanford hosts Washington State. Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m.

Overcoming The Heat: Kings survive anxious moments to capture first win, 119-113 over Miami

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Jimmy Butler’s dunk and ensuing free throw with 6:15 remaining had Kings’ fans feeling creepy, and not in a festive, Halloween type of a way.

More like a take off your costume and head home feeling, Golden 1 Center grew tense and weary with the Kings clinging to a 101-100 advantage after leading by 22 points at the half.

Nightmare on L Street? Could have been had not Kevin Huerter and rookie Keegan Murray stepped up with some big baskets to cool the Heat.

The pair combined for 11 of Sacramento’s final 18 points and the Kings reversed their fortunes in a 119-113 win on Saturday afternoon.

“They came in with desperation,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra of the Kings. “They wanted to get that first win.”

Coach Mike Brown exhaled the deepest. His high-energy coaching, seven years experience as an NBA head coach, and four NBA titles as an assistant weren’t going to wear well in an 0-5 start to his tenure in Sacramento. Instead, he was afforded a business-as-usual approach afterwards.

“Doesn’t matter when it comes,” Brown said of his initial win. “Hopefully we can have some carryover going on this road trip.”

The Kings held a lead in the final two minutes on opening night against Portland and couldn’t hold it. A two-point loss to the Clippers and a five-point loss to the Warriors weren’t any easier to digest. Their most recent loss to Memphis brought grumblings that a team thought to be the NBA’s most improved might not be improved at all.

With a win, they have their confidence reinforced.

“It’s big to get the first one,” Huerter said. “Any time you start a year, you get your first win, it’s kind of a big relief. We’ve worked hard, as hard as any other team in training camp. It’s been a long road up to this point. The first four games of the season, we felt like we had opportunities to win. We just couldn’t close the deal.”

The Kings shot 59 percent from the floor in the first quarter and upped that to 63 percent at the half as the Heat’s defense was uncharacteristically absent. That created a 71-49 at halftime that got dismantled in the third.

Domantas Sabonis put up all 18 of his points before halftime, and two quick fouls to start the third quarter. The Kings center fouled out with the game in the balance and less than six minutes remaining in the fourth. But Richaun Holmes came on for Sabonis, and the Kings steadied. That’s when the Heat appeared to run out of gas, a residual effect of their first half struggles.

“We didn’t match that intensity in the first half,” Kyle Lowry said. “They dominated the paint in the first half. We didn’t get back well enough early in the game. They were pushing every time we scored. You could hear their coach saying, Go! Go! Go!”

Huerter led the Kings with 27 points, Murray added 22, and De’Aaron Fox came up gritty with 17 points, 13 rebounds.

The Kings are in Charlotte on Monday to face the Hornets, kicking off a four-game road trip.

Roadrunners sweep series over Barracuda with 4-3 shootout win

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Travis Barron brawls with Jesper Weatherby at Tech CU Arena on Saturday OCT 29, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — It was not a good weekend for the San Jose Barracuda.

The Tucson Roadrunners outlasted Team Teal in a 4-3 shootout win on Saturday afternoon at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has lost three games in a row. Tuscon has won five out its first six games to start the season.

In a game chippy game that featured a full 5-on-5-line brawl in the middle of ice during the opening faceoff, the two Pacific Division rivals had many skirmishes in a game that went back and forth.

Tucson (5-1-0-0) scored the game’s two opening goals a 1:26 apart halfway through the opening 20 minutes. Michael Carcone centered a pass out in front of the crease where Nathan Smith beat ‘Cuda goalie Eetu Makiniemi with a wrist shot for his first goal of the season at the 10:00 mark.

Then Carcone set up Jean-Sebastian Dea in front of the net and Dea jammed in his own rebound for his third goal of the season at the 11:26 mark.

Tucson dominated the play in the first period as the outshot San Jose 16-5.

San Jose (4-2-0-1) began its comeback early in the second period. Daniel Gushchin received the puck from Tristan Robins from his own blue line. Gushchin skated into the Roadrunner’s zone and fired a wrist shot that hit underneath the crossbar and into the back of the net past Roadrunner’s goalie Jon Gillies for his first goal of the season at the 2:13 mark.

Ryan Merkley found Scott Reedy in the slot and last season’s goal leader for the ‘Cuda blasted a one-timer past Gillies for his second goal of the season at the 10:11 of the mark.

The Barracuda scored its third unanswered goal of the period on the power play. A shot from the left slot by Andrew Agozzino was kicked out by Gillies but William Eklund cleaned up the rebound with a backhander for his second goal of the season at the 16:37 mark.

San Jose’s lead was short-lived as Tucson evened the game 39 seconds later. Dea set up Carcone in between the faceoff circles and one-timed a wrist shot into an open net for his third goal of the season at the 17:16 mark.

Both teams hunkered down in the third period and overtime to send the game to the shootout.

In the shootout, Adam Cracknell scored the only goal for the game winner.

Gillies made 38 saves on 41 shots and stopped all three attempts in the shootout to earn the victory. Makiniemi made 29 saves on 32 shots in the losing effort.

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

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Cracknell 2) Agozzino 3) Ben McCartney

UP NEXT: San Jose travels north of the border for a two-games series with Calgary Wranglers on Sunday 11/6 at 5:00pm at Stampede Corral.