Tag: Sports Radio Service

Wilkinson’s 21 points not enough, as three-headed Wake Forest beast downs Bears 76-66

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Cal Bears Andrej Stojakovic takes warm ups before the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Feb 8, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Wake Forest Demon Deacons 76 (18-6)

California Golden Bears 66 (12-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 21 points, but it wasn’t enough, as Cal fell back to .500 with a 76-66 loss at the hands of Camer Hildreth, Hunter Sallis, Reid Efton and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Cal got back over .500 with a 74-62 win over NC State on Wednesday night. Saturday, they would be in for a challenge against the 17-6 Wake Forest Demon Deacons.


The Bears amped and ready to go out of the gate. Jovan Blacksher Jr. hit a three 25 seconds in to start the day. Mady Sissoko then hit a hookshot 36 seconds later to put the Bears out to an early 5-0 lead.

Even though the Bears held onto a steady lead in the opening minutes, Wake Forest made their charge. They tied the game at 13-13 on a layup by Jake Harris, and then they took their first lead of the game, 16-15, a minute and 25 seconds later on a free throw from Cameron Hildreth.

Wake Forest opened up their lead to six points at 24-18 with 6:45 to go in the first half, and appeared ready to pull away with it. However, Cal quickly closed the deficit to 24-23 after Jeremiah Wilkinson hit a three and Andrej Stojakovic hit one in the paint. 

Efton Reid extended Wake Forest’s lead to 26-23 with a layup, but Rytis Petraitis tied the game with a three, and Blacksher put the Bears back ahead with a three of his own. Efton then hit a three to re-tie it, and Hunter Sallis took an alleyoop for a dunk to put Wake Forest back ahead 31-29.  

That would be the score as the game moved to the second half. Wake Forest held a small lead for the first two minutes and 46 seconds until Wilkinson tied it with a three. 

The game would remain neck and neck over the next few minutes, as Wake Forest would twice retake a miniscule lead, and Cal would tie it again both times. However, after Wilkinson hit two from the line to make it 42-42 with 14:51 left, everything would suddenly change.

Wake Forest scored eight unanswered points to take a 50-42 lead. Wilkinson hit a much-needed three to close it to 50-45, but Wake Forest did not let up. They ended up going on a 20-5 run to take a 62-47 lead and put the game away.

The only real excitement in the game’s final minutes was a near-fight that Head Coach Mark Madsen had to sprint to the middle court to break up. He had to restrain two young and tall basketball players, which is no small task for a coach. But hey, when you’re in a hurry to make sure two of your guys don’t get suspended, I guess it comes naturally. 

Really, three guys carried Wake Forest to victory Saturday. Camer Hildreth scored 23 points; Hunter Sallis scored 20; and Reid Efton scored 19. The three of them combined for 62 of Wake Forest’s 76 points. 

Wilkinson of course led the scoring for Cal with 21 points. After Wilkinson, Blacksher scored 12, and Stojakovic scored 10.

The Bears fall back to .500 at 12-12, and things won’t get any easier for them when they head to Durham, North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday. Duke is only number two in the entire country, so no pressure.

Cal will also head to Georgia Tech next Saturday, and they will conclude their three-game road trip much closer to home, as they will go just down the road from Berkeley to Palo Alto to take on the Stanford Cardinal the following Thursday.

Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal frustrations come out in 76-66 loss to Wake Forest

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Cal Bears guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (0) takes the ball up the floor against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Feb 8, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 One thing you can say about the visiting Wake Forest Demon Deacons (18-6) is they’ve kept their shots falling and staying ten points ahead of the Cal Bears (12-11) all game long Saturday at Haas Pavilion.

#2 Wake Forest’s leading scorer Cameron Hildreth was hitting his shot and lead the Deacons in scoring in this on.

#3 Another thing that was working for Wake Forest was they were getting their share of shots that were falling.

#4 In the second half Cal was behind on an average of ten points and just couldn’t get enough offense against the Deacons to make up the difference. The game got physical and at one point frustrating for Cal as head coach Mark Madson had to come out on the court to restrain his players who were jawing with a Demon Deacon player.

#5 Cal tries it again this time at Duke University who are number two in the nation at 21-2. The Blue Devils are first are 12-0 at home and have won seven in row. Cal with the loss to Wake Forest on Saturday come into Duke with a 2-6 away record. Cal is playing .500 ball having won three of their last six games.

Stephen Ruderman covers Cal basketball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA G League Friday action: Des Moines finds a way past Stockton 121-116 to open two game set

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Stockton Ellis guard Boogie Ellis (5) takes the ball down court against the Iowa Wolves at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Fri Feb 7, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings continued their road trip, visiting Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa to take on the struggling Iowa Wolves. The Wolves entered the night in the middle of a seven-game losing streak that sunk them to last in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Kings were heavy favorites as they were on top of the West. The Wolves pulled off an upset with a some offense to beat the visiting Kings 121-116.

The Wolves got out to an early lead, out-scoring the visiting Kings 29-21 in the first quarter. From there, Iowa only continued to extend their lead in the second, as they outscored Stockton by a similar margin, 30-24. The Wolves entered halftime with a 59-45 lead, showing that they can compete with even the strongest teams in the G-League.

The Kings surged in the second half, as they outscored the home team 38-31 in the third quarter, the highest scoring frame of the night. The Wolves still led, 90-83 heading into the fourth but it was once again anyone’s game.

The Kings battled back, even leading late in the fourth but the Wolves kept fighting back. Ultimately, Stockton would outscore Iowa in the final quarter but not by wide enough of a margin to secure the victory. The Wolves found a way to win over a heavy favorite, with a final score of 121-116.

Skal Labissiere led the Kings in scoring, with 27 points in the losing effort. The Kings had a short bench, only using an eight-man rotation over the course of the night. As a result, Terry Taylor led Stockton in minutes, playing 44 of 48 possible minutes.

Meanwhile, Iowa had two players score 20 or more points. Leonard Miller led the team with 29 points, while Trevor Keels had 22 off the bench. Miller also played 44 minutes, recording a double-double as well with 16 rebounds.

For the Wolves, this type of victory will help get their season back on track and if they can keep the momentum rolling in the second half of the back-to-back against Stockton, it will allow them to start climbing up the standings. Meanwhile for Stockton, they need to bounce back in their next game with Iowa. As the top seed in the Western Conference, they can’t afford to be dropping games to a team at the bottom of the standings.

The two teams will be back at it tonight from Wells Fargo Arena, as the Kings try to get revenge on the Wolves.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks take on Stars tonight in effort to end three game skid

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) puts a stop on the Vancouver Canucks left wing Drew O’Connor (left) in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Feb 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Vancouver Canucks Drew O’Connor scored on a penalty shot 33 seconds into the overtime stanza as the Canucks got by the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Thursday night. O’Connor got to make the penalty shot after the Sharks Macklin Celebrini got called for a hooking penalty.

#2 The Canucks Dakota Joshua scored at 8:04 on a power play to get the Canucks on the scoreboard with the lead 1-0.

#3 The Sharks were behind 1-0 in the third period when Tyler Toffoli tied up the game at 1-1 with his 20th goal of the season at 18:32.

#4 Vancouver goaltender Thatcher Demko was looking for his second shutout in a row but will settle for the win and 33 saves. The Sharks Vitek Vanecek stopped 22 Vancouver shots.

#5 Dallas Stars are second in the central division this is a team that is on a roll with a 38-18-1 with 69 points only behind the mighty Winnipeg Jets. They’re in San Jose tonight how do you see the Sharks chances?

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: 67th Caribbean Series Dominican Dominance

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Players of Puerto Rico celebrate after a Caribbean Series baseball consolation game against Venezuela at Nido de los Aguilas stadium in Mexicali, Mexico, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.Fernando Llano – AP

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

The title game took place in Hermosillo, México. The Dominican Republic won its 23rd Caribbean Series championship as it beat the previously unbeaten Charros de Jalisco, representing the host country, México.

The Leones del Escogido, representing the Dominican Republic, managed by Albert Pujols, beat the Mexican squad by the final score of 1-0. Esmil Rogers and the Leones pitching staff blanked the Mexicans by throwing a one-hitter for the 1-0 victory.

With the victory, the Dominican Republic continues its dominance of this tournament, as they now have won 23 titles. This series has been won by 29 teams from seven different countries.

History and Championships of the Caribbean Series by countries Dominican Republic 23, Puerto Rico 16, México 9, Cuba 8, Venezuela 8, Panamá 2, and COLOMBIA 1

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977, a role he continues to this day (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: NCAA to follow President’s order ban on Transgender women

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Former San Jose State University Spartans Volleyball player Blaire Fleming (3) a trans player from the 2024 team. According to the California International Scholastic Federation trans students are allowed to participate in school programs in California. The NCAA says trans players going forward in other states will be banned (facebook photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Last year, San José State University was at the center of the transgender athlete controversy after a team member sued the school and the conference over the inclusion of a transgender teammate. Other schools also were involved in similar situations.

Today, the NCAA announced it would follow President Trump’s signing of an executive order to bar Transgender women from competing in women’s college sports. The sports organization announced on Thursday that transgender women will be barred from competing in N.C.A.A. women’s college sports, a day after President Trump effectively forced the decision by reversing federal policy. “We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions,” Charlie Baker, the president of the N.C.A.A., said in a statement. “To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard.” The rules varied by sport, especially as to how much testosterone could remain in a transgender woman’s blood following hormone therapy.

USA Volleyball, for instance, allowed an athlete to compete as a woman, even with testosterone levels typical of many men. U.S. Rowing’s limit for college athletes was just one-fourth of volleyball’s. This is common sense, so this controversy is history for collegiate sports.

Polls around the country on this issue showed that 69% of the American people agree that biologically born men who are later trans to female should not be allowed to play in women’s sports. I am not an attorney, and I know you can sue a ham sandwich, so there could be lawsuits all over the place, but in my opinion, since the majority of popular opinion in this country agrees, more than likely, this will stay, especially when the NCAA agrees with this decision.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977, a role he continues to this day (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Knights stay perfect in New Jersey with 3-1 win; Lightning open up some offense on Ottawa in 5-1 win; plus more NHL news

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Vegas Golden Knights Tomas Hertl (right) brings the puck up ice against the New Jersey Devils Jack Hughes (left) in the first period at the Prudential Center in Newark on Thu Feb 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Vegas Golden Knights had goals scored from three different players in their 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on Thursday night. Jack Eichel, Nicolas Roy, and Shea Theordore scored a goal each. Adin Hill will be representing Canada in goal during the 4 Nations Face off on Feb 12-20. Hill stopped 14 shots for the Knights. The Knights have not lost a game in New Jersey in their seven games there since coming into the NHL.

#2 Brayden Point scored a goal and had two assists as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-1 at Amalie Arena on Thursday night. The Bolts Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel scored a goal apiece. Nikita Kucherov had two assists and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 27 shots. It was Tampa Bay’s second win over three days against Ottawa.

#3 Alexander Ovechkin scored his 879th goal on a on timer just inside of the right face off circle at 19:07 in the first period and is now 16 goals shy of passing Wayne Gretzky for the NHL record of 894 goals. Ovechkin has a hot hand right now he has scored in four straight games with 26 goals on the season. The Washington Capitals get a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

#4 Dylan Guenther scored an overtime goal for the second straight game and the Utah Hockey Club edged the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Guenther scored at 4:27 getting a pass from goaltender Connor Ingram and got a breakaway scoring on his own rebound for the win.

#5 Filip Gustavsson saved 38 shots for the Minnesota Wild as they win in a one goal difference over the Carolina Hurricanes at the Xcel Energy Center in St.Paul on Thursday night 2-1. Gustavsson made quite a recovery in net after allowing six Ottawa Senators goals in his last start.

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

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings host Pelicans Saturday look to get back in win column

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) and the Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) battle for the basketball in the first half at the Moda Center in Portland on Thu Feb 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 The Portland Trail Blazers Anfernee Simons scored 30 points and shot for eight 3 pointers as the Portland Trailblazers picked up their sixth win in a row at the Moda Center in Portland over the Sacramento Kings in a 108-102 win on Thursday night.

#2 Matching up scorers for the Trail Blazers Shaedon Sharpe hit 24 points and helped the Blazers win their tenth game out of their last 11 games. The Kings DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points and the Kings continue to suffer losing five of their last six games.

#3 In spite of the loss the Kings had a one point lead on the Blazers after DeRozan hit a jumper an added a free throw with 6:36 remaining in the game. Sharpe scored a three pointer after that and the Blazers never looked back.

#4 The Kings Zach Levine who made his debut on Wednesday finishing third in scoring and finished with DeRozan for first in scoring with 22 points. How is Levine looking so far?

#5 The Kings return back to Sacramento to host the New Orleans Pelicans for a 7:00pm tip on Saturday. The Pelicans are in dead last in the Western Conference at 12-39 and have lost seven straight games. Jeremiah this might be the Kings best chance to get back in the win column after losing their last two games.

Jeremiah Salmonson does the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

https://soundcloud.com/sports-radio-service/sacramento-kings-podcast-with-jeremiah-salmonson-fri-feb-7-2025

 

 

Sharks Fell Short Again in OT Loss Against the Canucks

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Drew O’Connor shot on goal on Vitek Vanecek during overtime at SAP Center in San Jose on Feb 6 (Vancouver Canucks Archive.)

After a painful loss against the Habs, the Sharks have to find a way to get back on track… It did not come Thursday night against the Vancouver Canucks.

By: Fernando Abarca

SAN JOSE –– Thursday night action at the tank and once again the Sharks hosted a Canadian neighbor, the Vancouver Canucks the Sharks wound up losing by another one goal game this time 2-1. Last time at the Tank, the Sharks lost against the Montreal Canadiens with a 4-3 score, with the Habs scoring the goal that gave them the victory in the final minutes of the third, leaving no time for the Sharks to recover last Tuesday night.

The Canucks won their last game against the Avalanche going through a long stretch of winless games since Jan 18, when the Canucks played the Edmonton Oilers. The Sharks added another loss and have gone winless since Jan 14, when the Teal played Detroit.

During the first two periods of the game, the game remained scoreless. Worth mentioning that the first 40 minutes of the game were full of penalties

Both teams were very balanced and even throughout the match. It is worth noting that San Jose was more aggressive during the second period, showing heart and attitude.
Vancouver was under pressure, but Vitek Vanecek had a great performance after being absent from the team since Dec 14.

The action began to be seen in the third period with a goal at 14:40 with a goal by the visitors at 14:40 when Dakota Joshua, with a tip-in shot on a PowerPlay, took the lead 1-0 assisted by Pius Suter and Tyler Myers.

The game looked like it wasn’t going to end 1-0, and just as it looked, it ended up being that way, with Tyler Toffoli scoring with 1.28 left in regulation to give San Jose some life and a chance.

The chance for the long-awaited victory fell short, and this time, the star, Macklin Celebrini, was marked with a penalty for hooking against Drew O’Connor. O’Connor scored an unassisted scored his second goal for Vancouver, and the game winner to call it a night.

With this loss, San Jose is on the verge of going a full month with no victories. The Sharks will host a final game at home against Dallas, with the possible homecoming of former Sharks of Cody Ceci and Mikael Grandlund before the 4 Nations break.

Kings Inability to Contain Trail Blazers Long Ball Spells Another Loss For Sacramento 108-102

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings forward Domanta Sabonis (11) and Portland Trailblazers center Deandre Ayton (2) battle for a rebound at the Moda Center in Portland Thu Feb 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

In a hotly contested game the Sacramento Kings (25-26) fell to the red-hot Trail Blazers (23-29) 108-102. This was Portland’s sixth win in a row and their 10th win of the last 11 games. The Kings had this game pretty within their reach but the final three minutes of the game proved to be their undoing.

Domantas Sabonis fouled out in the final minutes and the Kings just fell short. Despite not having any practice time with his new team, Zach LaVine finished with 19 points and we are sure to see a lot more with each game. The Blazers killed Sacramento with 16 shots from behind the arc while the Kings could not keep pace shooting for 10 three’s.

Game recap: The opening quarter was a most competitive one and after the first 12 minutes of play the game was tied at 27. The second quarter continued to be a back and forth fight with the Trail Blazers outscoring the Kings 27-23 and leading at the half 54-50. The Trail Blazers had taken as much as a five point lead in the second quarter.

DeMar DeRozan had a slow start in the first half. Domantas Sabonis also had a quiet first quarter but began to heat up in the second. The good news for Sacramento was that they were hanging in this game in the first half. The shot that was taking its toll was the three and it was Portland that was hitting them. They just could not miss and the Kings would need to shut that down in the third quarter.

After a back and forth first half, the Kings began to take a bit of a lead towards the end of the third quarter. With 1:57 left in the third the Kings had taken a 77-71 lead but Portland came roaring back to pull to within one point 77-76 in the final seconds.

As the third quarter came to an end, the Trail Blazers had taken back the lead 79-77. After turning the ball over 11 times in the first half, the Trail Blazers only had two in the quarter. The Kings had eight turnovers through three quarters. This game had been closely contested and it all came down to the fourth quarter. Sacramento was aiming to break Portland’s five game win streak and they would need to dig deep to do it.

The Trail Blazers continued to taunt the Kings with three more shots from beyond the arc to start the final quarter. With 9:24 left in the game Portland had hit 14 three’s. At the ten minute mark, the Trail Blazers had taken an 85-79 lead.

The Kings answered taking back the lead only to relinquish it back to Portland 96-93 at 3:55 in this fast paced game. In a game this tight, Sacramento had plenty of opportunity to come out of this one with a win.

The largest lead for both of these teams had been six points apiece. In a horrible turn with under three minutes left on the clock, Domantas Sabonis fouled out of the game and the Kings would really have their work cut out for them. The Kings inability to shut down the Trail Blazers three-point shot was their undoing. The final was 108-102 in favor of Portland.

The Kings entire starting lineup finished the game in double figures. Domantas Sabonis had his customary double double with 14 rebounds and 10 points. The high for the Kings was DeMar DeRozan with 22 followed by Malik Monk with 21 and Zach LaVine with 20.

The high score for the Trail Blazers was Anfernee Simons with 30 points. They got some great work off the bench from Shaedon Sharpe with 24 points. They finished with 35 points off the bench to the Kings 15 points.

Game notes: After a tough loss to the Miami Heat at Golden 1 Wednesday night the Kings were back on the road in Portland to take on the Trail Blazers. Portland is on a roll winning ten of their last 11 games and five in a row.

The Heat ruined the debut of new King Zach LaVine who finished the game with 13 points as he continues to work into the Sacramento lineup. Having played Wednesday night, the Kings has had practically no practice time with LaVine.

Thursday night, the Kings couldn’t contain Deandre Ayton as well as points from beyond the arc in which the Blazers excel Ayton had 18 points, in fact, Portland shot 14 three’s in Wednesday night game against the Pacers. With the course that Portland is on right now, the Blazers proved a tough matchup especially since this game was at Moda Center.

The Kings have now suffered two losses in a row and will be looking to put an end to this unsavory streak when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 on Saturday night. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 7:00 PM.