Cardinal holds off Liberty 79-76, will face Vandy for tourney title

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The Stanford Cardinal’s forward Spencer Jones (14) takes a jump shot against the Oregon Ducks in file photo. Jones and the Cardinal defeated the Liberty Flames at the Diamond Head Classic in the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu on Thu Dec 23, 2021 (Stanford Cardinal Athletics file photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, December 23, 2021

Thanks to the offensive spark provided by Spencer Jones and Brandon Angel, the Stanford Cardinal (8-4) advanced to the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic men’s basketball holiday tournament Thursday with a 79-76 victory over the Liberty Flames (8-5) at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.

Jones netted a career-best 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting and five 3-pointers, while Angel bagged 17 points – 10 of them coming in the final nine minutes. Their efforts offset a tournament record-tying 41 points by the Flames’ Darius McGhee.

McGhee, the 28th leading scorer in the nation, equaled the 41 points scored by Chase Fischer of Brigham Young in the 2015-16 season. He was 13-of-28 from the field against Stanford, including seven 3-pointers.

McGhee, the 28th leading scorer in the nation, equaled the 41 points scored by Chase Fischer of Brigham Young in the 2015-16 season. He was 13-of-28 from the field against Stanford, including seven 3-pointers.

No other player for Liberty (8-4) reached double-figures.

Other contributions for the Cardinal came from Michael O’Connell (eight assists, eight points), and Harrison Ingram (13 points, seven rebounds). Jones and Angel each grabbed six rebounds.

The Cardinal (8-4) led 76-67 with 41 seconds remaining in the second half when McGhee sank eight of the final 12 points. Stanford took a three-point lead with 6.8 seconds to play on a free throw by Angel.

Following a timeout, McGhee was fouled near midcourt and proceeded to make a pair of free throws with 4.3 seconds left. Harrison Ingram sank two free throws to help Stanford regain a three-point lead. On the Flames’ next possession, they were unable to get the ball to McGhee, while Keegan McDowell committed a turnover as time expired.

The Cardinal trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half before closing its deficit with a four-minute, 18-6 run, capped by O’Connell’s half-court 3 at the buzzer, tying the game at 36-all at halftime.

Stanford outrebounded the Flames 38-22.

The Cardinal will play Vanderbilt on Saturday for the tournament championship. The Commodores (8-4) edged Brigham Young 69-67 in the other semifinal.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Carr sacked but not out, Browns couldn’t rain on the Raiders parade; Raiders host Broncos Sunday

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) might have lost control of the ball after being sacked by the Cleveland Browns Myles Garrett (bottom) but the Raiders didn’t lose the game in the final seconds at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on Sun Dec 19, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Raiders podcast with Tony R:

#1 Tony, got to ask you about how thrilling that had to be for Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson who booted a 48 yarder for the winning field goal to defeat the Cleveland Browns by three points 16-14.

#2 Tony, the Browns were without almost half of their team on Sunday, they also were missing quarterback Baker Mayfield and back up Case Keenum due to Covid 19 protocols the Raiders just got by but that might light a fire under them going forward as they keep their playoff hopes alive.

#3 Raiders head coach Rich Bisaccia said after Sunday’s game that even though the game looked like it was going to go the other way “well done by our players.”

#4 The win was the Raiders first game since they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 36-33 on Thanksgiving day followed by two straight loses to the Washington Football Team and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs was a crushing loss and the Raiders really muscled up to squeak by the Browns last Sunday.

#5 The Denver Broncos (7-7) come calling on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The Broncos have won four of their last seven games are a .500 team and defeated the Raiders the last time the two teams met 34-24 on Oct 17th. Tony how do you see this match up for Sunday a 1:25 pm kick off.

Join Tony Renteria for the Raiders podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Michael Duca: Cal now on a four game win streak; It’s the Big Game at Stanford next on Sunday

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The Cal Bears Grant Anticevich (15) led with 25 points against the Pacific Tigers on Wednesday at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (photo by Cal Athletics Dept)

On the Cal Bears basketball podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael when this season began no one would have predicted that the Cal Bears (8-5) would be three games over .500. The oddsmakers had the Bears nearly 12th from last place in the nation at the start of the season.

#2 Cal picked up their eighth win on Wednesday afternoon and it was not even close as they clobbered the Pacific Tigers (5-9) 73-53 a 20 point win and a huge contribution from Cal leading scorer Grant Anticevich with 25 points.

#3 Head coach Mark Fox has to be excited with Cal’s offense last night the Bears had four players in double figures and he’s got players like Anticevich, Justine Celestine, Andre Kelly, and Jordan Shepherd going on all cylinders right now.

#4 Michael, if you had to point to one or maybe two things that have accelerated offense that improved this team as they are on a current four game win streak.

#5 The Bears head to Palo Alto and on the hill at Maples Pavilion to face their cross bay rivals the Stanford Cardinal Sun Dec 26 at 4:00pm. The Cardinal have been doing well in their own right winning six of their last nine games. Their latest win came on Wednesday night against Wyoming 66-63 and they take on Liberty at noon today. Tell us how you see Cal and Stanford matching up on Sunday?

Michael does the Cal Bears basketball podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Daniel Dullum: Stanford looks to pick up second straight win against Liberty in Diamond Head Classic

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The Stanford Cardinal Jaiden Delaire (11) led the Cardinal with 17 points on Wed Dec 22, 2021 against the Wyoming Cowboys in the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu (file photo Stanford Cardinal)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal’s (7-4) Jaiden Delaire 17 points and Spencer Jones 15 points were a huge help as the Cardinal just got by the Wyoming Cowboys (9-2) at Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu on Wednesday afternoon 66-63.

#2 Wyoming got 25 points with 11 rebounds from Graham Ike who led in scoring teammates Hunter Maldonado had 18 points and Xavier DuSell finished third in scoring with 13 a great effort but Wyoming falls three points short and faces Northern Iowa in the consolation tournament.

#3 Wyoming had the ball with 8.1 seconds left in the game but couldn’t convert two three point attempts to try and at least tie up the ball game. Stanford comes away with a three point win and have now won six of their last nine games.

#4 Jones and Michael O’Connell were key for Cardinal scoring combining for 11 points in Stanford’s final 14 points of the game.

#5 Stanford battles the Liberty Flames (8-4) who have won seven of their last eight games. Liberty got a win today against Northern Iowa (4-6) 75-74 on Wednesday in a razor close game. Liberty had four players in double figures in the win. Daniel talk about how you see this match up in Honolulu between Stanford and Liberty with a 12 pm PST tip today.

Join Daniel for the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings can’t overcome their poor shooting and sloppiness in 105-89 loss to Clippers

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Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes (22) gets the rebound as the Los Angeles Clippers’ Nicolas Batum (33) and Ivica Zubac (40) defend at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Dec 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SACRAMENTO —The Sacramento Kings hope they don’t get coal for presents from Santa Claus for Christmas.

Their ineffective shooting and not being able to take care of the ball might have gotten them on Santa’s naughty list in 105-89 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.

Sacramento have lost two games in a row and three out of its last four. Los Angeles have snapped its three-game losing streak.

Interim head coach Alvin Gentry missed his fifth consecutive game since being placed on the Covid-19 protocol on December 15th with assistant coach Doug Christie handling the head coaching duties for a fifth straight game.

Sacramento (13-19) came out flat and started out as cold as the weather outside. They began the game shooting 1 for 9 from the field and were held to just 33% (8-24) shooting in the opening quarter and had six turnovers. Guard Buddy Hield played all 12 minutes and was 0-6.

“We just played bad,” Haliburton said. “It’s a make or miss league. I thought we had some descent looks. But we just couldn’t put the ball in the basket, especially early.”

Los Angeles (16-15) started game on 13-5 run. Terrance Mann sparked the offense in the first quarter with nine points and center Ivan Zubac had six. They led 25-20 at the end of the quarter.

The second quarter was even less kind to the Kings as the Clippers began the quarter on a 11-3 run. Sacramento continued its carelessness with the ball with five more turnovers as they shot an anemic 32% (6-19).

Serg Ibaka chipped in five points and Eric Bledsoe scored the last four points for Los Angeles in the half as the Clippers led 49-38 at halftime.

Los Angles looked to have the game in hand when they went on a 13-2 run to increase its lead to 67-49 with 6:09 remaining with Bledsoe scoring seven of the 13 during the two-minute stretch.

However, Sacramento responded an 11-2 run of their own as Tyrese Haliburton scored five points in a row. Tristian Thompson and Hield made back-to-back three pointers to close the gap to 69-62. The Kings outscored Clippers 30-25 in the third quarter as the were down 74-68 to start the fourth quarter.

Sacramento wasn’t able to overcome their poor shooting and 19 total turnovers in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles closed out the final 5:47 on a 14-4 run to seal the deal as Ibaka scored 12 of his 17 points in the final quarter off the bench for the Clippers.

“It’s attention to the small things,” Christie said about the sloppy play by his team. “Attention to details. It’s making sure where is the ball and where am I supposed to be. You gotta hold yourself accountable and you gotta make sure you’re doing it. ‘My bad’ isn’t going to cut it in this league. You’re going to lose saying that.”

Haliburton led all scorers with 22 points to go along with a team high 13 assists. Harrison Barnes chipped in with 18 points and Hield finished with 16.

Bledsoe led the Clippers in scoring with 19 points and seven assists. Paul George chipped in with 17 points, including a dagger three pointer with 3:23 left in the game to put Los Angeles up comfortably 99-86.

GAME NOTES: Sacramento finished 12-for-38 from beyond the arc. Los Angeles was 7-for-24.

Sacramento signed Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day deal. Mudiay had been playing in Europe this season.

Queta Neemias was placed on the Covid-19 protocol yesterday.

UP NEXT: Sacramento hosts the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday 12/26 at 3:00pm at Golden 1 Center.

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: NHL announces no NHL players at the Olympics; U Conn women not in top 10 first time in 16 yrs; plus more

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The NHL and NHLPA have agreed to not have players attend the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics scheduled between Feb 5-22 and will make up postponed games during that time as announced Tue Dec 21, 2021 (image from Vegas Hockey Now)

On the Headlines podcast with Jessica:

#1 Jessica tonight we start with the NHL calling for this week’s leaguewide shutdown which was announced on Monday due to the positive coronavirus outbreak that has ten NHL teams facilities already shut before the shutdown was announced.

#2 The Holiday break was announced two days earlier and the NHL isn’t schedule to be back until Monday. Five games scheduled for Thursday has been postponed a total 50 games postponed this season.

#4 The NHLPA and the NHL have come to an agreement that no players will be participating in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Feb 5-22. The NHL with it’s massive Coronvirus outbreak and travel between Canada and the US has been banned the NHL decided to not send players to Beijing. The NHL will use those dates to make up games that are currently postponed.

#3 Jessica, in women’s college basketball the U Conn Huskies 16 year steak of being in the top 10 is over. The Huskies lost to Louisville and dropped four places in the AP poll on Monday dropping to 11th. The last time the Huskies were in 11th place was back on Mar 7, 2005.

#4 Monday was also another brutal day for the NFL as 47 players were put on the Covid 19 list a record for one day since the pandemic began in 2020. Some of the 47 keynote players in the Covid 19 quarantine are Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

#5 New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones will be out for the rest of the season with a sprained neck injury. According the Giants head coach Joe Judge doctor recommended that Jones sit out the remaining three games this season after scans showed the extent of Jones’ neck injuries.

Join Jessica for Headline Sports podcasts every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Eagles split series in 5-0 shutout win over Barracuda

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A short handed San Jose Barracuda hockey club suffered a shutout loss to the Colorado Eagles at Budweiser Events Center in Loveland on Wed Dec 22, 2021 (image by the San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

Covid-19 was the sixth man for the Colorado Eagles.

They took advantage of a San Jose Barracuda lineup without its offensive stars in a 5-0 shutout victory on Wednesday evening at the Budweiser Events Center.

It was a rough going for ‘Cuda head coach Roy Sommer who was dealt a depleted lineup with Jasper Weatherby, Nick Cicek and Evander Kane out as they were placed on the Covid-19 protocols. Adam Raska was out with an upper body injury and so was Joachim Blichfeld.

San Jose had its two-game winning streak end. Colorado snapped its four-game losing streak.

The opening frame featured a scoreless period with each team getting two power play chances but neither team was able to cash in on both opportunities with the mad advantage. Both ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk and Eagles goalie Justus Annunen held down the fort for their respective teams in the first period.

The Eagles outshot the Barracuda 10-9 in the opening 20 minutes.

Colorado (10-11-2-2) drew first blood on the power play to start out the second period as their opportunity carried over from the first period. Rob Hamilton found Dylan Sikura open in the left slot and Sikura lasered in a wrist shot past Melnichuk for his eighth goal of the season at the :41 mark.

The Eagles doubled its lead under five minutes later. Sikura led an odd man rush into the ‘Cuda zone. His shot was saved by Melnichuk, but the rebound leaked out to a wide-open Jean-Luc Foudy who tapped home the puck into an open net for his third goal of the season at the 5:53 mark.

Colorado scored its third unanswered goal thanks to a ‘Cuda turnover inside its own zone. Andreas Englund intercepted a clearing attempt. He found Sampo Ranta in between the faceoff circles and wired a wrist shot top shelf for his third goal of the season at the 11:27 mark.

San Jose (10-12-1-0) were dominated in the middle frame by Colorado as they were outshot 16-6 by the Eagles.

Colorado put the game away with a five-on-three power play goal halfway through the third period. Martin Kaut scored his sixth goal of the season at the 9:45 mark.

Alex Beaucage completed the scoring under two minutes later when he scored his third goal of the season at the 11:22 mark.

Annunen finished the game stopping all 22 shots he faced to earn the shutout victory. Melnichuk made 31 saves on 36 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-6 on the power play. Colorado was 2-for-8.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Annunen 2) Sikura 3) Kaut

UP NEXT: The Barracuda return home to host the Bakersfield Condors on Monday 12/27 at 7:00pm at SAP Center.

Cardinal take 66-63 win over Wyoming in Hawaii tourney

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Wyoming Cowboys guard Kenny Foster (22) and Stanford Cardinal forward Brandon Angel (23) battle for the basketball at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu on Wed Dec 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Despite a late scare from Wyoming, Stanford held on and edged the Cowboys 66-63 Wednesday in the opening round of the Diamond Head Classic men’s basketball holiday tournament at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.

The Cardinal (7-4) play Liberty in Thursday’s second round, while Wyoming (9-2) faces Northern Iowa in the consolation bracket.

Jaiden Delaire led Stanford with 17 points, and Spencer Jones tossed in 15. Michael O’Connell added nine points and five assists. Delaire and Harrison Ingram each had seven rebounds.

Graham Ike netted a game-high 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for Wyoming, accounting for his fifth double-double of the season. Hunter Maldonado scored 18 points and Xavier DuSell added 13 for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys led briefly in the second half after forging a 7-0 run. A basket by Spencer Jones put the Cardinal ahead to stay with six minutes remaining, as he combined with O’Connell to score 11 of Stanford’s final 14 points.

Wyoming had a chance to tie the game with 32 seconds to play, but was unable to complete a three-point play. Later, the Cowboys missed a pair of 3-point attempts with 8.1 seconds to play as time ran out. Stanford, meanwhile, made 2 of 4 free throws in the final 26 seconds.

Neither team shot particularly well. The Cardinal hit 39 percent of their field goal attempts, while Wyoming hit 43 percent. The two teams combined for 9 of 45 behind the arc. Stanford, which outrebounded the Cowboys 41-35, led 35-30 at halftime.

Daniel Dullum is a Stanford Cardinal staff writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com 

Fast Finish: Cal races past Pacific in the second half, wins 73-53 in non-conference finale

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Three seasons into Coach Mark Fox’s Cal tenure, his holiday humor has taken hold. After visiting Pacific closed the first half Wednesday with a 14-2 burst, being humorous wasn’t easy and probably cathartic.

“It was going to be an ugly Christmas at halftime,” Fox conceded.

Fox was left ashen with the Tigers awakening. After suffering under Cal’s attention to defensive detail, Pacific turned a pair of eight-point deficits into a five-point halftime lead. The process was sudden, unexpected and wholly threatening to the big brother school holding a 26-2 advantage in the series between the schools. The process took 6 1/2 minutes and had the Bears reeling.

But then the second half commenced, and the sunshine returned on an ugly, rainy afternoon. The Bears responded decisively with a 48-point second half in a 73-53 win.

Grant Anticevich led the Bears with 25 points, 11 rebounds and a career-best seven 3-pointers. Essentially before Anticevich closed the deal, Jared Celestine (career-best 12 points), Jordan Shepherd and Andre Kelly (11 points each) kept the Bears afloat.

In a game of subtle twists, almost all predicated on defense in the absence of eye-popping offense, Fox pointed to an unlikely turning point with 10:33 remaining and Cal clinging to a two-point lead. If anything was comical, Fox’s declaration displayed it.

“Lars made a couple of big free throws,” Fox said.

Cal increased the pressure a few minutes later with a 21-2 closing run that yielded a 20-point victory.

And what specifically turned the contest into a rout? Probably, Pacific’s lack of resolve, nothing new for a young ballclub who has yet to score more than 67 points in any of its nine losses. That frustration kicks in when you shoot 36 percent in the second half and suffer 13 turnovers.

Jaden Byers led Pacific with 10 points, Jeremiah Bailey and Sam Freeman added eight points a piece. For new coach Leonard Perry, an encouraging six-minute stretch didn’t come with much else to extoll. And yes, the humor was eliminated.

“They’re learning, they’re trying, and it’s been a hard adjustment,” coach Leonard Perry said of UOP’s trajectory. “They stick in there and they compete during practice.”

The Bears established an eight-game home win streak along with momentum leading to their next test, January 2 at Stanford. Can the Bears win on the road, and can they win in the Pac-12?

We’re making progress and now we’ve got to see if we can beat the people in the league,” Fox said.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Covid postponements has NHL juggling the schedule

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Adin Hill (33) can’t a glove on Vancouver Canucks center Bo Horvat (not shown) shot that turned out to be a goal. This was the Sharks last game with the Canucks last Thu Dec 16, 2021 at SAP Center in San Jose before this week’s games were postponed due to Covid 19 protocols. (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 It’s been frustrating for the San Jose Sharks with the postponement of this week’s games against the Vancouver Canucks (Tuesday) and Edmonton Oilers (Thursday) and Erik Karlsson says he not surprised what is happening.

#2 The Sharks, the NHL were busy trying to sort all the cancelations and the Sharks as it turns out will be off Wednesday through Saturday. The NHL has scheduled two games for Tuesday next week.

#3 Sharks head coach Bob Boughner said that the situation is amazing to see how it’s effecting the world and the NHL is no different. There will be no players headed to the 2022 Olympic in Beijing?

#4 Brent Burns who tested positive will remain out of action and is on Covid 19 protocols quarantine for ten days and must test negative twice before he’s allowed to return. Burns has played in 627 straight games.

#5 The Sharks next game is in Anaheim on Dec 27th is ten days after Burns joined the Covid 19 protocol list. Karlsson says while Burns will be missed it doesn’t change anything. Burns and Tomas Hertl are out for Covid 19 protocols.

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