Author: Sports Radio Service

Panthers postpone Sharks playoff clinching celebration

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Photo credit: sun-sentinel.com

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, March 14, 2019

Any celebration of the San Jose Sharks clinching a playoff berth will have to wait, following a 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers Thursday at SAP Center.

Mike Hoffman’s tie-breaking power play goal late in the second period helped the Panthers win their third straight game after a six-game losing streak.

The loss, San Jose’s second regulation setback at home since Dec. 20, ended the Sharks’ six-game winning streak, as San Jose fell short in its opportunity to become the first NHL West team to clinch a postseason slot.

At the same time, the Sharks failed to build on their one-point lead over second-place Calgary in the Pacific Division race.

The Panthers, meanwhile, pulled to within seven points of Columbus for the second NHL East Wild Card spot, with 12 games to play.

Hoffman also set up Florida’s insurance goal by Frank Vatrano in the third period. Also scoring for the Panthers was Jamie McGinn and Dryden Hunt. Rookie goaltender Sam Montembeault stopped 26 San Jose shots to earn his first career road win.

Melker Karlsson and Kevin Lablanc scored for the Sharks, while Martin Jones made 23 saves.

Florida surged ahead in the second period after Riley Sheahan won a faceoff, passed to Troy Brouwer, who then fed Hunt for his second goal in two games.

After a bad line change led to the Sharks being whistled for too many men on the ice, Hoffman scored on the power play on a pass from Keith Yandle for his 32nd goal of the season.

The loss capped a bad day overall for the Sharks. It was learned that defenseman Radim Simek will need surgery to repair a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, and forward Evander Kane was sidelined for personal reasons after announcing he and his wife recently lost a child during pregnancy.

The Sharks host Nashville on Saturday at 7:30 pm PT.

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Raiders getting Brown for draft picks–a steal; Despite dysfunction, Warriors still a winner; plus more

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photo from nbcsports.com:  Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown (center) receives his new jersey standing at podium during Wednesday’s presser with head coach Jon Gruden (left) and general manager Mike Mayock (right)

On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

#1 Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown said he can lift the rest of the team offense for the rest of the season

#2 Brown is a seven time Pro Bowler as the Raiders sent a third and fifth draft pick to Pittsburgh for Brown.

#3 Brown will get $54.125 million for the next three seasons with Oakland

#4 On the Warriors their well published dysfunction didn’t stop them from picking up a win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night 106-104

#5 San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey trying to come off his off season surgery caught in Monday’s game but manager Bruce Bochy decided to rest Posey on Tuesday. Bochy expects Posey to go full strength once the regular season begins

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Red-hot Sharks doing it all in the home stretch

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks (43-19-8) got their sixth straight win with a win over the Winnipeg Jets, and at this juncture, they look like no one’s going to stop them now.

#2 It seems like Gustav Nyquist, Marcus Sorenson, Joe Pavelski, Marc-Edouard Vlasic are a wrecking crew who scored goals Tuesday night.

#3 After getting back-to-back wins on this road trip in tough places to play Minnesota and Winnipeg, the Sharks now look to open a three-game homestand against Florida, Nashville, and Vegas.

#4 Martin Jones saved 24 shots in getting in front of the puck for the shutout on Monday night, and on Tuesday night, Jones stopped 21 of 25 shots for the win.

#5 The Sharks host the Florida Panthers (30-27-12) Thursday night. On defense, both clubs are very close in goals per game, goals against per game, and saves.

Catch the Sharks podcasts each Wednesday with Mary Lisa at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State suffers tough loss to Air Force 87-56 in MWC Tournament

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Photo credit: @AnaKieu

By: Ana Kieu

LAS VEGAS — Coming off an appalling season, 11th seed San Jose State played in their fifth Mountain West Tournament Wednesday as they opened play against 6-seed Air Force in the Thomas & Mack Center.

SJSU’s starting five featured Michael Steadman, Zach Chappell, Noah Baumann, Seneca Knight, and Ashtin Chastain.

SJSU opened the scoring with a 13-0 run, thanks to Knight, Baumann, and Chappell. Knight hit back-to-back 3s, Baumann hit a 3 and made a jumper, and Chappell made a jumper. Chris Joyce made a jumper in the paint and a free throw to end the Spartans’ run. Still, the Spartans led 13-3 at the 16:25 mark, and Baumann broke the school record for most 3-point baskets made in a season with 79.

From there, it was a back-and-forth affair between SJSU and Air Force. Chastain made a jumper in the paint to extend the Spartans’ lead to 15-3, but Joyce and Lavelle Scottie made back-to-back jumpers. Not only that, Scottie and Caleb Morris hit back-to-back 3s to bring the Falcons within 2 points at the 11:40 mark.

Shortly after, Ameka Akaya made a jumper to tie the game 15-15 at the 10:01 mark. Ryan Swan followed up with a 3 to give Air Force their first lead of the night, 18-15, with 8:57 left. Baumann made a jumper to bring SJSU within 1 just 54 seconds later. But the Falcons went on a 10-0 run to stump the Spartans, who trailed 28-17 with 5:44 left.

SJSU picked up the pace, thanks to Baumann, Steadman, and Knight, and cut the deficit to 32-23 with 2:43 left. Knight made a layup in the paint to trim the deficit to 8 just 62 seconds later. Chastain hit a 3 with only 3 seconds remaining. However, the Spartans were unable to recover the lead, so the efforts of the starting five were attention-grabbers, but not game-changers.

SJSU trailed 36-28 at the halftime break.

SJSU opened the second half with a 3 by Chappell, but the Air Force shooting was pretty hot. The Spartans never got re-energized like @SJSUMBB suggested at halftime and the Falcons used a 17-2 run to extend their lead to 22 points at the 11:34 mark. Joyce upped his point total to 17, which was a new career-high.

SJSU trailed 75-49 at the final timeout with 3:52 left. Air Force put on a dribbling exhibition for the final minutes of the game to close things out.

SJSU lost to Air Force 87-56. The Spartans were eliminated from the Mountain West Tournament, while the Falcons advanced to the quarterfinals against the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Falcons vs. Bulldogs game will be played Thursday at 8:30 pm PST on the CBS Sports Network.

Follow @AnaKieu on Twitter for SJSU football and men’s basketball coverage.

Headline Sports with London Marq: Improved Kings need wins in Philly and Boston

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photo from nbcsports.com file: The Sacramento Kings and D3’Aaron Fox head to Boston and Philadelphia for games Thursday and Friday nights.

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 The Sacramento Kings dropped a tough game to the Washington Wizards 121-115. The Kings made it close losing by six.

#2 The Kings head to Philadelphia and Boston this Thursday and Friday. Can the Kings pick up some key wins after losing to Washington in their bid to try and make the postseason?

#3 De’Aaron Fox led the Kings in scoring. Talk about what he means for the club this season.

#4 In MLS action, the San Jose Earthquakes are headed to New York to face the NY Red Bulls. The Quakes are coming off two losses to the Montreal Impact and the Minnesota United FC. The later game was rough as they lost in a 3-0 shutout.

#5 After watching the 3-0 shutout, was this reminiscent of last year’s Quakes team or maybe more concerning than last year’s team?

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Wednesday

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Cuda looking for next win as Colorado comes in for two

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sjbarracudapodcast.com file: San Jose Barracuda goaltender Antoine Bibeau (34) and the Cuda will host the Colorado Eagles this Saturday and Sunday at SAP Center in San Jose.

On the Barracuda podcast with Marko:

The way the game between the Stockton Heat and the San Jose Barracuda the Cuda looked like they were going to be on a five-game losing streak as they were able to snap the losing streak at four on Sunday 5-4 in a shootout.

It was one of those games where they were not playing good hockey. It was a game where the Heat scored the first two goals in the first period, and when you play catch up hockey like that, it’s not a good formula to win games.

Listen for more as Marko brings you analysis of San Jose Barracuda hockey each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary with Barbara Mason: Canseco takes A-Rod up on boxing match over cheating accusations; plus more

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Photo credit: @TheLedgeSports

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez:

#1 Former New York Yankee Jose Canseco said in a tweet that former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez was cheating on his girlfriend , actress Jennifer Lopez. A-Rod then challenged Canseco to a boxing match via tweet and Canseco then challenged A-Rod to boxing match via Twitter. Canseco also said he would take a polygraph test and pass.

#2 US Olympic cyclist Kelly Catlin had it all–a gold medal, member of the US bicycle team, winner of three straight bicycle championships at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Catlin died by suicide at age 23. This was a shock to her family and the Olympic community.

#3 The Stanford Cardinal Women (28-4) look prepared for March Madness. They’re coming off a 64-57 win over the Oregon Ducks Sunday. The Cardinal celebrated in the Pac-12 Tournament Title Game.

#4 Antonio Brown joins the Oakland Raiders over the weekend. The past six seasons for Brown, he has averaged 114 catches, 1524 receiving, and has had 15 touchdown catches in 2018 which is a career-high.

#5 Jesus Luzardo looks like he could get a shot in the rotation for the Oakland A’s. In just Sunday’s game, he gave up four hits, a walk, and one run against the San Francisco Giants in Mesa’s Hohokam Stadium against the Giants. He will not be going to Japan for the opening series against the Seattle Mariners.

Barbara Mason is doing That’s Amaury’s podcasts for Amaury Pi Gonzalez at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Two major gifts support San Jose State football operations center

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State University is pleased to announce that it has received two major gifts to support a new football operations center on the east side of CEFCU Stadium, home of the Spartans. Thomas Thompson, ’72 Behavioral Science, and his wife, Jane Bradley, have committed $500,000 to support the development of the new football facility, with a remaining percentage of their trust to establish the Thomas E. Thompson Athletics Scholarship. SJSU Athletics is also proud to share that an additional gift of $500,000 has been committed to support their football center by an anonymous donor.

“Both of these gifts come from long-time football season ticket holders and steadfast supporters of our Athletics program,” said Marie Tuite, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. “They are also keenly aware of the importance and significance of completing the funding for the football operations center. Tom and Jane believe in San Jose State and support the mission of the entire university. Our anonymous donor may be one of my favorite individuals–he simply wants us to build the football center and enhance the opportunities for our football program. I’m offering a sincere and gracious ‘thank you’ to these terrific Spartans.”

By supporting the creation of the new SJSU football operations building, these gifts will enable future generations of Spartan athletes to pursue an education while playing NCAA Division I  sports.

Bringing Sport to New Heights
At 6-foot-8, Thompson gravitated toward basketball at a young age, playing in high school and community college. He later transferred to SJSU. Thompson was the first in his family to graduate from both high school and college–achievements that made it possible for him to pursue careers in juvenile probation, construction management, trade association management and real estate. He and his wife are grateful for the opportunity to give back to his alma mater.

“Jane and I want to show our appreciation to SJSU and to assist future students,” said Thompson, a long-time fan of SJSU football and basketball. “San Jose State provided my only opportunity for a good education at essentially no cost, and a great foundation to help me later earn a graduate degree. With the scholarship, we hope that students will have the chance to play football or basketball while earning a degree, just like I did.”

The anonymous donor, who graduated from SJSU in the 1960s, is also a loyal fan of Spartan football.

“I am making this gift because I believe the football program is moving in the right direction under the leadership of Marie Tuite and Coach Brennan,” the anonymous donor said. “I know there are other Spartans like me who care deeply about this program and want to see it thrive. It is my hope that other Spartans will join the growing group of donors in doing what they can to provide Coach Brennan and the program with the resources necessary to compete in the Mountain West.”

“Our momentum continues to build as we move closer to our goal of creating modern, vibrant spaces for our student-athletes and our fans,” said Paul Lanning, vice president for university advancement and CEO of the Tower Foundation. “We are so excited to see donors like these and so many others investing in the future of SJSU football, Athletics and the university.”

To track fundraising progress and learn how you can support Spartan football, please visit sjsufootball.com or contact Josh Thiel, Deputy Athletics Director for Athletics Advancement, at (408) 924-1697 or joshua.thiel@sjsu.edu.

About San Jose State University
The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, SJSU provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study–offered through its eight colleges.

With more than 35,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, SJSU continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce.

The university is proud of the accomplishments of its more than 270,000 alumni, 60% of whom live and work in the Bay Area.

About San Jose State Athletics
SJSU sponsors 22 (nine men’s and 13 women’s) NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports programs for approximately 470 student-athletes annually. In football, the Spartans are a member of Division I’s FBS, the NCAA’s highest level of competition.

The Spartans’ primary conference affiliation is with the MW. Selected teams belong to the MPSF, the WAC, and the GCC.

SJSU has 10 NCAA team championships and 52 NCAA individual titles. 62 Spartans competed in one or more Olympic Games. SJSU athletes have won seven gold, six silver and seven bronze medals at the Olympics.

Annually, about one-third of the student-athlete population earns either institutional, conference or national recognition based on outstanding academic performance.

11th seed San Jose State takes on 6th seed Air Force in MWC Tournament

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

LAS VEGAS — San Jose State men’s basketball will play in their fifth Mountain West Tournament Wednesday as they open play as the 11th seed against the sixth seed Air Force at 4:00 p.m. PT at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Fans can watch the game via the Mountain West Network and can listen to Justin Allegri’s radio call on the TuneIn app.

Game #31
No. 11 San Jose State (4-26, 1-17) vs. No. 6 Air Force (13-17, 8-10)
Wednesday, March 13, 4:00 pm PST
Thomas & Mack Center
Las Vegas, Nev.

Live Stats
Fans can view live stats of all SJSU men’s basketball games, home and away, by accessing the “Live Stats” feature at www.sjsuspartans.com. Click on the link on the men’s basketball schedule page to follow the action

What Would a Win Mean?
The Spartans are looking for their first win in the Mountain West Tournament (0-4).

Vs. Air Force in 2019
Wednesday’s game against No. 6 AF will be the third meeting between the programs this season.

SJSU played one of their best games of the season in the first meeting of the year with the Falcons, but ultimately fell 73-71 in double-overtime. Brae Ivey, who finished with 18 points, hit a 3 with just two seconds remaining to send the game to the first overtime.

Michael Steadman dominated with 24 points and was one of three Spartans in double-figure rebounding with 12. Ashtin Chastain tallied 13 and Craig LeCesne pulled down 12.

In game two, played in Colorado Springs, AF won more comfortably in a 82-68 final. Steadman had another big game as he scored 21 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. Seneca Knight, Brae Ivey and Brian Rodriguez-Flores all finished with 12 points.

Steadman has had two of his best games of the season against Air Force. He scored 24 points with 12 rebounds in game one and followed up with 21 points and 17 rebounds in game two.

Steadman is averaging 22.5 points and 14.5 rebounds in the two games.

Newcomers on the Rise
The Spartans have played nine first-year players this season, including regular starters Michael Steadman, Zach Chappell, Craig LeCesne and Brae Ivey. The newcomers are accounting for 69.7% of the Spartans’ offense (1,384-1,986).

Steadman alone is accounting for 20% of the Spartans’ offense with 407 points (20.4%).

Baumann the Boss
Sophomore Noah Baumann is shooting lights out from beyond the arc this season, so good in fact that he leads the Mountain West and ranks 10th in the NCAA in 3-point percentage at 45.6%. Baumann also ranks in the top 10 in the MW in 3-pointers per game (2.6).

Baumann set a new school record of 22 consecutive games with a 3-point bucket made against UNLV on Feb. 16, breaking a tie with Robert Owens, who closed out 2009-10 on a 21-game streak, for the new record. His streak is currently at 28.

Baumann is tied for the most 3s in a single-season after hitting three at Fresno State. he currently has 78, tied with Robert Owens (2010). With one more in the conference tournament, he will own the record outright.

In the loss to Utah State, Baumann had one of the most impressive performances of his career as he scored a career-high 29 points and tied the then-school record with seven 3-pointers (7-of-10). He also set career highs in 3-point attempts and field goal attempts.

Baumann has hit the school record in 3-point makes twice the season, the second time, however, vs. New Mexico, he broke the record outright with 8. He finished 8-of-12 from 3-point range to lead the Spartans to a win over UNM.

Not satisfied with just two, Baumann once again made seven treys in the home finale vs. Wyoming. Six of his seven came in the first half. He finished the night with a game-high 27 points.

Baumann holds the first, second and third highest-scoring performances by a Spartan this season with 29 vs. Utah State, 27 vs. WYO and 26 vs. UNM. The sophomore is averaging 11.5 points in conference play, second-most on the team (Steadman). He is also averaging 15.6 points in the last five games.

Chappell’s Show
Freshman Zach Chappell has come on strong as of late, starting the last six games and averaging 7.8 points in the final five games of the regular season. Against UNLV, Chappell finished with 11 points, a career-high six rebounds and nine assists–tied for the most by a Spartan this season. He had 10 points vs. Colorado State.

In the win over UNM, Chappell finished with a career-high 17 points and dished out 9 assists. He now has two games with 9 assists on the season, which is tied with Craig LeCesne for the most by any Spartan.

Chappell then scored 14 points at San Diego State.

Chastain in Charge
Junior Ashtin Chastain has been tasked to fill in the gap in the starting lineup with senior Oumar Barry sidelined by injury. He has started the last 12 games in his stead.

Reviewing the Big Win Over UNM
SJSU’s 89-82 win over UNM was a historic night in the Event Center. Not only did it break a 17-game losing streak, it also featured a plethora of records.

The win was the second all-time against the Lobos and the first-ever in San Jose.

Baumann broke his own school record with eight 3-pointers on 8-of-12 shooting. He finished with a team-best 26 points.

Ivey tied a school record with six steals on the evening. He is one of multiple players to tally six steals, but just the first to do so since Justin Graham vs. Santa Clara on December 10, 2010.

Steadman had his second-straight game with 21 points as well as his second-straight double-double. He had 10 made field goals and 20 field goal attempts, both the most by a Spartan this season.

Steadman and Baumann became the first duo to score 20 points this season and were the first to do so since Ryan Welage and Jaycee Hillsman vs. Wyoming in the MW Tournament last season (March 7, 2018).

Changes
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau made some changes to his staff in the offseason as he brought in former NC State All-American Julius Hodge as an assistant coach and promoted director of operations Ryan Cooper to assistant coach.

Starry Knight
Freshman guard Seneca Knight has upped his game recently as well. In the last five games, the Lafayette, La., native is averaging 9.2 points, fourth-best on the team in that stretch. Against CSU, he led the team with a 14 point performance. He followed with 12 points at AF and had 12 more at SDSU. In his last outing, he scored 15 points, the most he’s scored against a Division I opponent this season.

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman has made a big impact this season as a leader on and off the court. He is averaging a team-high 13.6 points per game and ranks sixth in the MW with 8.5 rebounds per game. He has 11 double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the conference and has scored in double figures in 22-of-30 games. He also has 14 games with double-digit rebounds.

Steadman leads the team with six games with at least 20 points, and has twice achieved the feat in back-to-back efforts. First was against AF and USU. He put up a career-high 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in the loss to AF. He then followed up with 20 points at USU.

Steadman’s second such streak started with a career-best 17 rebounds to go with 21 points at AF. He followed with 21 points and pulled down 11 boards in the win over UNM.

Steadman is averaging 14.8 points per game in the last five games and is averaging 13.2 in MW games.

Steadman came up just short of extending his double-double streak to five straight games to close the season, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds at Fresno State.

Prior to that, Steadman had four-straight double-doubles. He averaged 17.4 points and 11.6 rebounds in the final five games.

Change It Up
Prioleau has used 10 different lineups throughout the season with no one player starting each time out. Senior Oumar Barry had started the first 17 games before an injury kept him out of the lineup the last four games. Seven newcomers have made starts, including freshmen Seneca Knight, Zach Chappell, Trey Smith, and Christian Anigwe.

Baumann and Steadman Crucial in Wins
In SJSU’s four wins this season, there have been two critical factors. Their names are Noah Baumann and Michael Steadman.

In those four games, the pair is averaging 15.3 points each. Steadman has pulled down 11.3 rebounds in those games, while Baumann has been red-hot from 3-point range in each game, averaging 69.6% from the 3-point range (16-23).

On the Board(s)
SJSU ranks third in the MW in offensive boards with 11.0 per game. They rank fifth in defensive boards with 26.2.

Series History: Air Force
Wednesday’s game will be the 16th overall meeting between the Spartans and Falcons. SJSU has a pair of three-game win streaks in the series. The Spartans have won three of the last seven games, however AF is on a four-game win streak after taking both regular season games in 2019 in a 73-71 double-overtime win in San Jose and 82-68 win in Colorado Springs, Colo.

AF checks in as the No. 6 seed and are led by seventh-year head coach Dave Pilipovich. This will be the first meeting between the programs in the MW tournament.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings drop first game on road trip; Head to Boston and Philly next

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Photo credit: bulletsforever.com

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (33-33) lost a very close game to the Washington Wizards (28-39) on Monday night 121-115. A six-point loss, the Kings lost the game but they are a never give up team.

#2 For the Kings, De’Aaron Fox led with 23 points the team really relies on his ability to aim and hit the bucket.

#3 After last Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics, the Kings’ Marvin Bagley III has been ruled day to day. How bad was the sprained knee and do you see him returning to action on this current road trip?

#4 The Kings need to beat teams like the Wizards and the Celtics. Do you see them getting any daylight and getting a shot to get over the Mendoza line and get into the postseason?

#5 The Kings play back to back nights in Boston (41-26) and Philadelphia (42-25) on Thursday and Friday nights. How do you see the Kings stacking up with these two clubs?

Charlie O does the Sacramento Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com