Author: Sports Radio Service

Stanford game wrap: Cardinal UnAble to Capture the Axe from Golden Bears, 24-21, in Big Game #127 & Senior Day in the East Bay

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The Cal Bears offense lines up against the Stanford Cardinal defense in the battle for the axe at the Big Game at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Nov 23, 2024 (photo by Stanford Athletic Department)

By Michael Roberson

BERKELEY, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (3-8, 2-6 ACC) failed to confiscate the Axe from the longtime rival California Golden Bears (6-5, 2-5 ACC), 24-21, in the 127th matchup of the two historic Bay Area schools.

Stanford wasted no time at all in continuing their momentous play from the previous game’s upset. The Cardinal capitalized on their first possession gift, despite losing the coin toss. Cal deferred their possession until the second half, but may have soon regretted that decision.

Stanford took that drive down the field and scored midway through the quarter. Quarterback Justin Lamson rushed into the end zone for a one yard keeper. Right away the Cardinal were up 7-0. That was not the end of their first quarter scoring either.

On Stanford’s second possession, they duplicated the prior drive, with a little deviation. Lamson scored again on a keeper, but the second one was from two yards away. After two drives, with 1:27 left in the quarter, the Cardinal were up 14-0 in front of a full Memorial Stadium. The same score was in place after 15 minutes of play.

In the second quarter, with the teams switching sides of the field, Stanford’s consecutive scoring streak halted, and Cal managed to get off the goose egg. Redshirt-Sophomore QB Fernando Mendoza got his Bears going with a 50 yard scamper, deep into Cardinal territory. He later tossed a 16-yard TD pass to redshirt-junior receiver Trond Grizzell. California cut the deficit in half, 14-7.

Both teams had missed field goals from 50+ yards from the goal posts. After 30 minutes of regulation, Stanford led 14-7, but Cal was set to receive the kickoff at the beginning of the third quarter.

In the third stanza, not much happened for most of the quarter. Stanford used a trick play to expand their lead, with 6:33 left in the period. Running back Micah Ford threw a two yard touchdown to freshman WR Emmett Mosley V.. Stanford was up by two touchdowns (21-7), with a great deal of momentum.

Subsequently upon the kickoff, Cal fumbled the return, giving Stanford the ball on their own 20-yard line. A minute later, the Cardinal botched a FG attempt, and turned the ball over to the Golden Bears.

The home team parlayed that miscue into three points on their behalf, with :47 left in the quarter. Redshirt-senior kicker Ryan Coe converted a 46-yarder, which brought them within 11 points, 21-10. At the end of third quarter, Stanford still led 11, 21-10.

The final quarter had California continue to claw their way back into the contest, Mendoza threw a dart 30-yard touchdown pass to junior WR Jonathan Brady, to the delight of the Cal faithful. The Golden Bears were within five, but could not complete the two point conversion attempt, They were trying to get within three, which would only require a field goal to tie.

The Golden Bears were on a drive late in the quarter, putting themselves in position to win the Big Game And keep the Axe. With 2:40 left in the game, Mendoza to Brady happened again. The second time was for 22 yards, and they converted the two point conversion, putting the Bears up by three, 24-21.

Cal stole all the momentum from their arch rivals from across the bay, and got the raucous crowd into a frenzy. The Golden Bears completed the very unlikely comeback, after being down by 14 twice, and won by three, 24-21.

The Axe remains in Berkeley!

Stanford will next be in action Friday, November 29 in the Capital City of the Silicon Valley, to take on the San Jose State Spartans at 1:00 PM PST on CBS. Cal travels to Fort Worth, Texas to take on the Southern Methodist Mustangs, November 30, at 2:30 PM CST on ESPN2

San Jose Barracuda fall 3-0 in first game against Toronto Marlies

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The San Jose Barracuda Jimmy Schuldt (59) take control of the puck against the Toronto Marlies at the Coca Cola Coliseum in Toronto on Sat Nov 23, 2024 (San Jose Barracuda photo)

By Madison Montez

In Jimmy Schuldt’s first game as the Barracuda’s captain, the Barracuda fall to Toronto 3-0 at the Coca Cola Coliseum in Toronto. The San Jose Barracuda traveled to Toronto to take on the Marlies for a two game series for the first time in franchise history.

Outshooting the Barracuda 16-8 in the first, The Toronto Marlies got on the board on a Sam Stevens goal assisted by Logan Shaw and Cade Webber at 14:28 of the first period. After initially making the save, Romanov didn’t see Shaw in the corner of the net. With that goal, Stevens has his first goal of the season.

At 10:15 of the second, Ethan Cardwell took a tripping penalty and 8 seconds into the penalty kill, Roni Hirvonen scored his 2nd PPG of the season assisted by Nick Abruzzese and Topi Niemela. Coming into today’s game, San Jose’s PK was 88.3% and Toronto’s PP was 25.5%.

Being down 2-0 with a minute left of the 3rd, San Jose pulled Georgi Romanov leaving an empty net. This lead to an empty net goal scored by Ryan Tverberg assisted by Jacob Quillan to seal the deal to a 3-0 win for the first game of a 2 game series.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

1. Artur Akhtyamov: 23 SVs / 23 SH

2. Sam Stevens: 1G

3. Roni Hirvonen: 1G

The Barracuda will play again tomorrow at 1:00pm PST looking to split the series.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Jumbo of a time expected Thornton’s sweater is retired tonight

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Former San Jose Shark Joe Thornton (beard), San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan ( in Sharks sweater) SJ Sharkey mascot, gathered with Thornton’s family and dignitaries at San Jose City Hall on Thu Nov 21, 2024 for a tribute to honor Thornton who will have his number 19 sweater retired at SAP Center on Sat Nov 23, 2024 before the Sharks and Buffalo Sabres game. (photo by  Mike Zeisberger NHL.com writer)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 Mary, Thursday Joe Thornton was honored by the City of San Jose ahead of Joe Thornton day at SAP Center Saturday night. The former San Jose Sharks star was honored at City Hall with over 100 people present. Thornton addressed Mayor Matt Mahan who was dressed in a Sharks sweater. Thornton told the crowd “Joe Thornton Day in San Jose. It sounds pretty good, eh?”

#2 Thornton played in the NHL from 1997 to 2022. Thornton played for the Sharks from 2005 to 2020. The Sharks will be raising his sweater number 19 to the rafters next to former teammate Patrick Marleau whose number 12 is also retired.

#3 You had a chance to cover the shootout loss to the St Louis Blues Thursday night in the Sharks last game when the Blues Jake Neighbours scored the winning goal it was the Sharks forth loss in five games and it ended the Blues longest loosing streak at four games.

#4 The Sharks continue to have another rough first period they have been outscored now 28-10. They were tied with the Blues 1-1 after the first period. Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky is working on trying to get that opening period goals against down.

#5 The Sharks honor Jumbo Jim tonight at SAP Center against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres have been playing .500 hockey lately and the Sharks could make this a close contest having home ice.

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Buried By Clippers After Slow First Half 104-88; Clips on 7 game home win streak

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Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) takes a shot against the Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (center) while Kings Domantas Sabonis (11) watches (far left) at Intuit Arena in Inglewood on Fri Nov 22, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

It was a tough game for the Sacramento Kings (8-8) losing to the Los Angeles Clippers (10-7) 104-88. A major slow start for the Kings set the stage trailing at the half 29-51 losing the first and second quarters.

The Clippers led by as much as 25 points in this game. The Kings cut the lead to eight points with 2:21 left in the game but they were so far behind the eight ball throughout the game they were playing catchup for four quarters.

It was a lousy first half of basketball for Sacramento pure and simple. They were outplayed by the Clippers throughout the game. Missed shots left and right, turnovers and the fact that Kwahi Leonard was not playing did not make much of a difference for Los Angeles.

Game wrap: The opening quarter was all Los Angeles. The Clippers led after the first 12 minutes 26-12 in the first quarter. The Kings took a 8-2 lead in the opening minutes of the quarter but went cold for the remaining time of play only scoring four more points through almost eight minutes.

The second quarter was almost as sluggish for Sacramento getting outscored 25-17 by the Clippers. At the half, the Kings had a lot of ground to make up trailing 29-51. The Kings bench really struggled with Keon Ellis and Trey Lyles scoring a combined 3 points.

After trailing by 22 points at the half, the Kings put together a winning third quarter by the score of 35-25 but still had a lot of work to do trailing 64-76 going into the fourth quarter. Domantas Sabonis had another double double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Fox was leading the way with 19 points but needed help. Kevin Huerter was yet to score and Keegan Murray only had 5 points. It was a disappointing three quarters for Sacramento falling short from downtown going 5 of 23.

It was close to a minute into the fourth quarter that Head Coach Mike Brown called a timeout. Trailing 66-82 the team had about 11 minutes to turn this game around. It had not been great game for the Kings and while they had cut the Clippers lead they were still struggling.

Los Angeles really went on a run in the final quarter taking a 87-70 lead with nine minutes left in the game. The Kings cut the Los Angeles lead to 12 with 8:05 left on the clock 75-87. Sacramento had a tough time at the free throw line and with turnovers continuing to climb at 14 to the Clippers nine too many mistakes were hurting the Kings.

Fast break points were clearly in favor of the Clippers as were points in the paint with a lopsided 42-30 favoring Los Angeles. The Clippers continued to hang on mid-way through the final quarter leading 94-79.

De’Aaron Fox continued to carry the team on his back with 25 points and only five minutes left in the game. The Kings were running out of clock trailing 82-96. The final was 104-88 and the Clippers had their fourth win in a row at home.

It was not the Kings finest hour Friday night in their losing effort. Fox was the team high finishing with 29 points and seven rebounds. Sabonis had a double double with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Huerter never scored a point in his time on the floor and the bench finished with nine points collectively in limited roles due to the return of Sabonis and DeRozan.

Game notes: Friday night the Kings took on the Clippers in their second meeting of the season in Los Angeles. The Clippers won their first meeting back on November 8th 107-98 and Sacramento couldn’t even the series. The Clippers came into this game shorthanded while the Kings will get some major firepower back.

The Clippers were missing three players, Leonard remains out indefinitely with a right knee injury, Norman Powell with a left hamstring injury and P.J. Tucker. Tucker is not out with an injury but due to not being with the team while looking for a trade missed Friday’s game.

The loss of Leonard and Powell would have really hurt the Clippers. Things look a lot brighter for the Kings since DeRozan who returned bringing with him his almost 23 points per game average. Fox and Sabonis were in for Sacramento.

The Kings are still without Malik Monk although he could be getting close to a return to the court. Sacramento couldn’t take advantage of the short-handed Clippers. The Kings bench needed to show up although in their last game bench player Ellis scored a career-high 33 points and Trey Lyles appears to be moving in the right direction. Ellis ended up with only one point Friday.

The return of DeRozan and Sabonis is a huge plus for Sacramento reducing the roles that the bench will play in this game. The Kings came into this game after losing a heartbreaker Monday night 109-108 to the Hawks. DeRozan scored 16 and Sabonis had 24. Murray scored ten and Huerter didn’t score a bucket.

The Kings will put this behind them as they give it another go on Sunday when they take on the Brooklyn Nets at Golden 1. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

San Jose Sharks Legends Game 2024 was one to remember

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There were a flow of emotions this weekend surrounding Sharks fans with it being Joe Thornton weekend. The weekend started off with the Legends game on Friday November 22nd held at Tech CU Arena.

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE–Joe Thornton spent 15 seasons wearing a Sharks Jersey. Out of the 15 seasons, he represented the team as an Alternate Captain for 1 season in 2006-2007 and a Captain for 4 seasons from 2010-2014. Coming into the arena and reading the names on the rosters, it was clear that Team Teal would have the advantage having players such as Joe Pavelski, Owen Nolan, Dany Heatley, Scott Thornton, Mike Ricci, Ryane Clowe, Evgeni Nabokov.

The legends game was split up into two 24 minute halves. Joe Thornton started as Team Teal’s captain. The puck dropped in the first half and Team Teal opened up the scoring at 1:29 seconds on a Ryan Clowe goal assisted by Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton.

Team Teal struck again a minute later on a Tommy Pederson goal. Team White wasn’t going down without a fight scoring at 5 minutes on a goal by Raffi Torres. Team Teal struck again at 10:24 by Mike Ricci assisted by Ryane Clowe and Dany Heatly to bring the score to 3-1. Team White struck on a breakaway by Devin Setoguschi assisted by Patrick Marleau at 18:26 cutting Team Teal’s lead to 1.

Team Teal extended their lead on a goal by the man of the weekend Joe Thornton assisted by Joe Pavelski at 21 minutes. With 4 seconds left, Team Teal scored again on a Mike Brown goal assisted by Owen Nolan and Scott Thornton to make the score 5-2.

After a brief intermission, the puck dropped in the second half. Joe Thornton switched over to serve as Team White’s Captain. Team White was the first to score at 9 minutes scored by Scott Hannan assisted by Andrew Desjardins and Joe Thornton to make the score 5-3.

Team White cut Team Teal’s lead down to 1 (again) on a Patrick Marleau goal at 17 minutes. With 5 seconds left in the game, Team White tied the game at 5 on an Alexei Semenov goal. After being tied, the game went to a shootout where it went to Round 3 until Joe Pavelski scored and Team Teal walked away with the win.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings playing .500 ball tip off against Clippers tonight in the Southland

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The Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) takes a shot against the Atlanta Hawks guard Garrison Matthews (right) at Golden One Center on Mon Nov 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 How bad is it for the Kings right now as they are shorthanded and were defeated by the Atlanta Hawks 109-108 in Sacramento on Monday.

#2 De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks with 24 points and teammate Dyson Daniels had four blocks and Daniels was able to block another shot in the closing seconds of the game.

#3 The Hawks Trae Young had 19 assists, Clint Capela scored 14 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, and was able to score the clutch three points which were the difference to win the game in the closing seconds.

#4 Keon Ellis had a career game with 33 points, including nine 3 pointers. The Kings were without the injured Domanta Sabonis (back), DeMar DeRozan (back), and Malik Monk (right ankle sprain) which was a factor in the loss.

#5 The Kings try it again tonight at Intuit Dome in Inglewood against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are 9-7 and won their last game against the Orlando Magic 104-93. The Clippers are ninth in the Western Conference. The Clippers who lost to the Houston Rockets in a two game group stage series. The Clips have turned it around and have won three straight games.

Join Jeremiah for the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Bruins Korpisalo saves 21 to shutout Utah 1-0; Knights clip Senators 3-2; plus more NHL news

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Utah Hockey Club center Alexander Kerfoot (15) tumbles in front of Boston Bruins defender Brandon Carlo (25) and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) in the second period at TD Garden in Boston on Thu Nov 21, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Boston Bruins Joonas Korpisalo stopped 21 shots to shutout the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night in Boston. It was the first game under interim head coach Joe Sacco who replaced former head coach Jim Montgomery who was fired after accumulating a 120-41-23 record after two seasons. Sacco said that the win felt pretty good and for the guys it was even more important.

#2 The Vegas Golden Knights wound up handing the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 loss, their fourth straight loss on Thursday at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa. Knights Ilya Samsonov stopped 39 shots. Samsonov made 16 saves in the third period including an amazing slide across the crease for a pad save on the Senators David Perron’s wrist shot.

#3 With just 52 seconds left in the game the Detroit Red Wings Lucas Raymond scored a go ahead goal as the Wings came back from behind to beat the New York Islanders at Little Caesar’s Pizza Arena in Detroit 2-1. It’s was a rough road trip for the Islanders who drop to 1-2-2. Raymond said that everyone wants to score goals but as long as were winning games everybody is happy.

#4 The New Jersey Devils defeated the Carolina Hurricane 4-2 in New Jersey on Thursday. Jesper Bratt scored two goals and an assist. Jack Hughes got three assists and Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped 20 shots in his 500th career game.

#5 The Colorado Avalanche’s Miles Wood scored the go ahead goal in the third period against the Washington Capitals for a 2-1 win at the Capital Center on Thursday. The Aves Mikko Rantanen scored and goaltender Alexander Geogiev stopped 28 shots for the win.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Wilkinson and Stojakovic combined for 44 points, as Bears beat Air Force 78-69 to continue hot start

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Cal Bears guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (0) takes the ball up the floor against the Air Force Falcons at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Thu Nov 21, 2024 (Cal Bears photo)

Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Air Force Falcons 69 (1-4)

California Golden Bears 78 (4-1)

By Stephen Ruderman

Jeremiah Wilkinson had his coming out party, as he scored 23 points, and along with a 21-point night by Andrej Stojakovic, led the Bears to a 78-69 win over the Air Force Falcons at Haas Pavilion to continue the team’s hot start.

While out on the road last week, the Bears suffered their first loss of the season at Vanderbilt last Wednesday. However, they bounced back by pulling off a 71-66 win at USC on Saturday.

The Bears returned home and welcomed the Air Force Falcons to Haas Pavilion, as they looked to build on their strong start to the season. The Falcons got off a quick 4-0 lead out of the gate, as Ethan Taylor hit a jumper, and Byron Brown laid one in. Andrej Stojakovic then hit a turnaround jumper to get the Bears on the board just over two minutes in.

Cal jump ahead 8-4, but the Falcons quickly came back to take an 11-9 lead. Jeremiah Wilkinson, who checked in with 13:08 to go, made a layup to tie it at 11-11.

The Bears then jumped out to a 30-15 lead with 5:26 to go. The Falcons then closed out the first half with a 12-5 lead to cut Cal’s lead almost in half, and the Bears took a 35-27 lead into the half.

Wilkinson had only scored 13 points in the Bears’ first four games, but he scored nine points in the first half tonight. Rytis Petraitis led the Bears in scoring in the first half with 11 points.

Andrej Stojakovic only scored five points in the first half, but he came alive in the second half. Stojakovic scored seven of the Bear’s eight points in the opening five minutes of the second half, but the Falcons had cut the lead to 45-40.

Wilkinson, who had checked back in early in the second half, carried his mojo over and hit a pair of layups to make it 49-41. However, the Falcons scored six unanswered points to close it to just a two-point game at 49-47.

From there, the Bears would start to pad their lead again. Wilkinson, Stojakovic and Dort led the charge, and in a matter of minutes, the Bears were back to a 10-point lead at 62-52.

The Bears made it 66-52. Like in the first half, the Falcons made a late run to close the lead to seven, but Cal still won comfortably by a final of 78-69.

Stojakovic scored 16 points in the second half, and was 6-for-9 in field goals after going an abysmal 2-for-10 in the first half. Lee scored eight points in the second half, and he, Stojakovic and Wilkinson combined for 38 of the Bears’ 43 points in the second half.

Wilkinson scored 14 in the second half to cap off his 23-point night. He was 8-for-12 in field goals on the night, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Stojakovic finished just behind Wilkinson with 21 points, and Lee ended up with 12.

The Bears improve to 4-1, and they will look to keep it going when they take on the Sacramento State Hornets at Haas Pavilion on Sunday. Tipoff will be at 1 p.m.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cal-Cardinal kick off for the axe Saturday in Berkeley; Stanford coming off big win over Louisville

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Stanford kicker Emmet Kenny (right) jumps into the arms of punter Connor Wesleman (15) after booting a 52 yard game winning field goal in the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium to defeat the Louisville Cardinals on Sat Nov 16, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Michael, how important was this win for the Cardinal to defeat the Louisville Cardinals last Saturday on Senior day at Stanford Stadium?

#2 How big is Stanford kicker Emmet Kenny who booted a 52 yard field goal with time expiring to defeat 38-35. The Cardinal in winning snapped a six game losing streak beating a No.22 ranked team Louisville.

#3 The Cardinal worked hard to just get this win and after six straight loses head coach Troy Taylor has to be more than relieved, saying that he gives credit to his seniors and that this the last time a lot of them will be playing at Stanford Stadium and breathing it in and making the moment memorable.

#4 Michael talk about the job that quarterback Ashton Daniels did under center he kept it close all game long throwing for 298 yards, for three touchdowns. Wide receiver Emmet Mosely V caught two of those touchdown passes for 168 yards.

#5 The Big Game at Berkeley is next you’ll be on hand at Cal Memorial to cover this thriller talk about what this game means for Stanford and what a tradition this is playing for the axe?

Michael Roberson covers the Stanford Cardinal for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Stanford-Cal all set to battle for the axe this Saturday at Memorial Stadium

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Cal Bears running back Jaivian Thomas (25) takes off for a 75 yard touchdown in the second quarter against the Syracuse Orange at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Nov 16, 2024 (AP News photo)

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Morris talk about how the two interceptions by the Syracuse Orange defenders helped protect Syracuse’s lead and did it at all play with Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza psyche.

#2 The Orange did have a dominating defense stopping the Bears ground game and that made a difference in winning by an eight point edge.

#3 The Bears had a tough time getting to Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord who was 29-46 for 323 yards. The Golden Bears defense had a tough time trying to stop Syracuse running back LeQuint Allen who ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

#4 Much respect in spite of the Bears struggle Syracuse head coach Fran Brown said that Mendoza was tough to figure out at times, “Mendoza, he’s very crafty,” said Brown. “He’s got a strong arm and a quick trigger finger, so we knew we had to switch the picture up a lot for him.”

#5 Morris, it’s the Big Game this Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. The Bears (5-5) and the Cardinal (2-8). The Bears have won two of their last four games and the Cardinal snapped a six game losing streak after winning last Saturday 38-35 against the Lousiville Cardinals.

Morris Phillips podcasts Cal Bears football Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com