BIG EAST ROUNDUP: Pitt snaps Georgetown's home winning streak
DeJuan Blair knew that he was not the main focus of the two dozen or so NBA scouts or the national television audience. The featured attraction was supposed to be college basketball's latest flavor-of-the-month, Georgetown freshman Greg Monroe.
In the second half, however, it was Blair who was thumping his chest while chants of "Let's Go, Pitt!" came from the thousands of upper-deck fans who made the trip to the nation's capital. Blair and the No. 3 Panthers were muscling their way to a 70-54 win yesterday over the No. 11 Hoyas, ending Georgetown's 29-game home winning streak.
Blair had 20 points and 17 rebounds, and the Panthers (14-0, 2-0 Big East) never trailed as they dominated the Hoyas on the boards, in the paint and with their depth.
DaJuan Summers finished with 22 points for Georgetown (10-2, 1-1), single-handedly keeping the Hoyas close until a 17-4 Pittsburgh run midway in the second half.
Connecticut 80, Rutgers 49: Hasheem Thabeet led a balanced Connecticut attack with 15 points and eight rebounds, and the second-ranked host Huskies snapped back from their first loss of the season.
Jerome Dyson added 14 points and Jeff Adrien had 13 for UConn (12-1, 1-1).
It was the third consecutive loss to a highly ranked team for Rutgers (9-6, 0-2), which was beaten last Sunday by No. 1 North Carolina and lost on Wednesday to No. 3 Pittsburgh.
West Virginia 92, Seton Hall 66: Alex Ruoff and Da'Sean Butler both scored 18 points for the visiting Mountaineers. John Flowers had 14 points and Kevin Jones added 12 for West Virginia (11-2, 1-0). Jeremy Hazell had a game-high 29 points and Eugene Harvey added 13 points for Seton Hall (9-5, 0-2).
Providence 62, DePaul 54: Weyinmi Efejuku scored 18 points to lead four Friars in double figures. Geoff McDermott added 13 points and 10 rebounds for host Providence (10-4, 2-0). Poor perimeter shooting hurt DePaul (8-7, 0-2), which shot just 3-for-19 from beyond the arc.
Copyright (c) 2009, Newsday Inc.
College basketball: Turner and Sabia back in town with a mission
MICHAEL TURNER and Morgan Sabia have had the last week of December circled on their calendars for a long time.
For starters, the pair will be able to spend the holidays at home, something Turner hasn't done in three years. Probably more important, though, is the fact that the former MCAL basketball standouts and current starters on the University of Hartford team in Connecticut get a chance to show local recruiters what they missed when the Hawks play Stanford at Maples Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 30
"I just want to come out and have a good game," said Turner, the 2005 MCAL player of the year from Marin Catholic. "Coming out of Marin, there's not as much hype as there is for East Bay or City players. We don't get as much recognition."
Turner, a senior forward, and Sabia, a sophomore forward, have started in every game so far for Hartford and are making their impact felt. Turner is averaging 9.5 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game and is one of the team's top defensive players. Sabia, a Drake graduate, is second on the team with 12.0 points per game. Now the duo will get a chance to shine just a stone's throw away from where they starred in high school.
And maybe show they could and should be playing D-I hoops a little closer to home.
"We just have got to prove to ourselves and everybody that we can play at that level," Turner said.
Hartford, which fell to 4-8 after Monday's 79-54 loss to No. 21 Baylor, is one of 48 Division I teams never to have played in the NCAA tournament, and Turner and Sabia would like nothing better than to change that on their watch. The Hawks are off to a bit of a slow start, partly due to a non-conference schedule that has included games against UConn, Penn State, Rhode Island and now Stanford, the first team from California that Hartford has played in Turner's time at the school.
But Hartford began slowly last year before gaining steam, finishing in a tie for second place in the America East Conference (its highest finish in school history) and making it all the way to the conference championship game against Maryland-Baltimore County. UMBC beat the Hawks 82-65 to take the conference's automatic berth to the Big Dance and send Hartford home one game shy of their ultimate goal. Hartford is returning all five starters from last year and is one of the favorites to win the conference.
"Looking back at last year, we were really in the same position (a losing record in the preseason) as we are now, so I'm not too worried," said Sabia, who scored a team-high 15 points against UConn while avoiding the long arms of Huskies 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet. "If we just keep fighting and getting work done in practice, we'll be fine."
Sabia and Turner knew each other as far back as the 2004-05 season, Turner's senior year at MC and Sabia's sophomore year at Drake. They both trained with Phil Handy, a former professional player who was working with Marin prospects to try to get more recognition for them.
They also won't hesitate to rekindle the old Drake-MC rivalry from their high-school days. Sabia has been known to send Turner YouTube clips of Drake's basketball triumphs over MC and his brother Dillon Sabia played a hand in a big Pirates upset at MC last year.
Turner, who had his share of success against Drake (and every MCAL team, for that matter) while in high school, is quick to counter. "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then," he deadpanned.
At the present time, both players have more important matters than the rehashing of old rivalries. A win or competitive game against the Cardinal would be great for them personally, especially with family and friends in attendance, but the season really begins with America East play, and a chance to get to their first ever Big Dance.
"Every season gets going," Turner said. "We click at different times and we'll hit our stride."
(c) 2008 - Marin Independent Journal.
New wave of teams take aim at PSU
UNIVERSITY PARK --- They are the 800-pound gorilla in the room, but this one everyone is talking about and knows will have to be beaten.
Penn State has been on a collision course with history all season, but there are three other teams in town this weekend who are hoping to spoil the party.
First up is Western Michigan, which battles the Nittany Lion volleyball team at 6 p.m. tonight in the NCAA regional semifinals at Rec Hall. California and Illinois meet in the other match at 3:30 p.m.
Needless to say, the Broncos admit they will have their hands full, even if they did win their first two NCAA tournament matches to reach this point.
"I think the advantage we have over Penn State is we don't have anything to lose," Western Michigan middle hitter Ashley Vogl said. "We're the underdog by a mile and we really don't have any pressure. We're excited to be in the Sweet 16, we were excited to be in the tournament."
Penn State, which has already set an NCAA record with 60 straight victories, became the first to complete an entire regular season without losing a set and can set the national mark for consecutive sets won if they can sweep the Broncos tonight. They have won 103 straight sets, two short of Florida's 2003 record, and also are chasing the NCAA record for season team hitting percentage.
"We're so excited about doing (tonight)," Broncos setter Jillian Mitchell said. "It's not a fear thing. It's just going out there and getting it done and loving every minute of it."
The rest of the competition also has marveled at what the Nittany Lions have done, including fellow Big Ten opponent Illinois, which was swept twice. The Illini did do something only one other team did all season --- get within two points of Penn State in one game when the teams met last month in Champaign.
"What they've done is incredible," said Illinois setter Lizzie Bazzetta. "They are an awesome team and I think they've deserved to have the season that they've had. A lot of teams have tried to come close, and we came close in one game against them, but they're tough and they withstood. Everyone has gone after them."
A victory for the Broncos will be a tall order --- pun slightly intended. Aside from middle hitter Jaime Gotham (6-foot-2), no one else on the team is taller than 6-foot. Conversely, setter Alisha Glass (6-0) is the only Penn State starting hitter who is under 6-2.
"We're not going to match up well," Western Michigan coach Colleen Munson said. "They're a very, very good team. But we've got the belief in our systems and our players' tenacity and competitive spirit to play what we do well and we're going to take care of business on our side of the court. They're very athletic, they’re bigger than we are, but that's not something we cower down from or are afraid of."
Coaching change
Regardless of the weekend's outcome, Illini coach Don Hardin has already decided this will be his final season. He announced his retirement before the tournament began.
"Some of the people close to our program have understood that this has been a long plan," Hardin said. "I've been thinking in this direction for quite a long time, and actually all of my effort is going into not thinking too much about my next career or next move and really focusing on this group and just enjoying it."
Hardin has a career record of 426-238 over 21 seasons, including 13 at Illinois and eight at Louisville.
Schedule change
The Penn State men's basketball team was scheduled to play Mount St. Mary's at 4 p.m. Saturday, the same time as the regional finals, but head coach Ed DeChellis decided to move the start time to 1:30 p.m. so fans could attend both contests.
Saturday's match starts at 4 p.m. to accommodate ESPNU, which is showing all four regional finals live. Because the NCAA says there must be at least 22 hours between the start of the second match Friday and the first match Saturday, Friday's matches have to be played earlier than usual.
Experienced, still nervous
It's hard to believe, but senior outside hitter Nicole Fawcett, the Big Ten's Player of the Year and a three-time All-American, still gets butterflies.
"I get jitters every single game," Fawcett said. "I get so clammy. I'm clammy right now. It doesn't matter when. I've always been a person, every game is important to me because I want to win every single game."
Growling Bears
Cal has enjoyed its surge to the top of the volleyball world. The Bears were a surprise team last year, upsetting Nebraska on its way to the NCAA semifinals before falling to Penn State. The Bears, who had never previously been alive past the regional semifinals, backed that up with another impressive season, opening the year 18-1, holding a top-five ranking and beating every Pac-10 team at least once for the first time in program history.
"We do feel like we're one of the top programs, one of the elite programs in the Pac-10," head coach Rich Feller said. "That being said, the target is that much bigger on our back and there is a lot more pressure. Every one of our players can feel it and they want to be perfect and no one is perfect all the time."
AVCA Regional honors
Like everything else this year, Penn State dominated the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region teams. All six starters were a part of the team.
Honored for the fourth time were Nicole Fawcett and Christa Harmotto, Megan Hodge for a third time, Alisha Glass for a second time and Arielle Wilson and Blair Brown for the first time.
Also on the team is Illinois' Laura DeBruler, while honorable mention selections are Johanna Bangert and Michelle Bartsch of the Illini and Western Michigan's Jillian Mitchell. Bartsch also was named Freshman of the Year.
In the Pacific Region, California's Hana Cutura and Carli Lloyd were honored and Mindy Wiley and Am'ra Solomon were honorable mentions.
New court
Like years past when the tournament reaches this stage, Rec Hall's wood floor has been covered by a synthetic Sport- Court. The Nittany Lions are used to the change, having played on it during tournaments in the past and during their club-playing days before coming to State College.
"Just because they put down a new floor, it really doesn't change too much," Harmotto said. "SportCourt may be a little harder on the knees and things, but it's (over) wood so I don’t really mind it. I don't mind the change either. It kind of makes the gym a little brighter."
Clock is ticking
Each team was allotted two hours for practice Thursday, but the Nittany Lions were done in less than 90 minutes. Head coach Russ Rose already had his team practice on the new floor earlier in the week, and he did not want to show much to anyone watching, since it was an open practice session.
"I think less is more," Rose said. "We don't need to reinvent the wheel. We've had a good run to this point in time. I think the players know what they need to do and I don't think overtraining might be necessary. Two hours is a lot."
(c) 2008 The Centre Daily Times. All Rights Reserved.
New Alcorn State athletic director fires men's basketball coach
JACKSON, Miss. -- In one of his first moves on the job, Alcorn State athletic director Darren Hamilton fired basketball coach Samuel West.
West said Wednesday that he was surprised by the move after a season when nine of his 11 players had significant injuries.
"I didn't expect it," West said. "I thought because of the injuries we incurred this year, I thought that at least they'd give me another year under the new athletic director with all the changes that the new president is bringing in."
The 51-year-old West was 7-23 this season, with six of the Braves' wins coming in overtime. He finished 44-103 in five years at Alcorn State, his first head coaching job.
Hamilton did not immediately return a message left Wednesday by The Associated Press. He replaced interim athletic director Wiley Jones and is among the first new hires of president George Ross, who started in January.
West said recent instability at the school made it difficult to put a winner on the court.
"We lost so many great athletes because of the dormitory situation, the way the gymnasium looked, not being able to get out and recruit like we should be able to," he said.
West is the second coach of a major sport fired at Alcorn State in the last six months. Football coach Johnny Thomas was replaced by Cincinnati assistant Ernest Jones, an Alcorn State graduate.
The school said West will serve as a special assistant to Hamilton for 60 days until his contract runs out and the coach isn't sure what he will do after that. Spending a lot of time on regrets isn't on the agenda, though.
"We did some positive things," West said. "We had a 100 percent graduation rate in the five-year period I was here. I think we had the opportunity to change some young people's lives. We're proud of that."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Bradley 96, Virginia 85
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Jeremy Crouch had 27 points, including a 3-pointer that sparked a run that blew open a close game, as Bradley beat Virginia 96-85 in the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitation Wednesday.
Crouch's 3-pointer with 11:42 to play sparked a 19-5 run that ended with Bradley (20-15) up 80-63 with just under five minutes remaining. Crouch hit three of his five 3-pointers during that run, and he finished shooting 9-of-18 and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.
Virginia (17-16) led by as many as 14 in the first half before a 15-0 run sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers by Daniel Ruffin put Bradley up 31-30 with 5:44 remaining in the half. After some back-and-forth, Mamadi Diane's tip-in at the buzzer tied it at 42 apiece.
Theron Wilson had 17 for Bradley, and Ruffin, Matt Salley and Andrew Warren each added 11. Salley also had 10 rebounds.
Jeff Jones had a career-high 26 points for Virginia, Sean Singletary had 17, Adrian Joseph 15 and Diane added 10. It was the final game for Singletary, Joseph and Ryan Pettinella, and when Singletary came out of the game with 48 seconds left he received a long standing ovation.
Bradley will face the winner of the Houston-Tulsa contest in the first game of a best-of-three championship on Monday.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Salukis gear up for NIT opener against Oklahoma State
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois couldn't rustle up an invitation to the NCAA tournament, so they're hoping to make the most of their meeting with the Cowboys in the NIT.
The fourth-seeded Salukis host fifth-seeded Oklahoma State of the Big 12 Conference on Tuesday night in the first round of the NIT.
Tickets are on sale for the game, which will be aired nationally on ESPN2.
Seventeen-and-14 Southern saw its streak of six-straight appearances in the NCAA tournament come to an end.
But Saluki coach Chris Lowery says the game against the 17-and-15 Cowboys will be an opportunity to lengthen the season.
Southern will have to play without starting junior guard Bryan Mullins, who's out for the rest of the season with a stress fracture.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Williams leads Ark.-Pine Bluff to 73-59 win over Alabama A&M
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Larry Williams had 18 points to lead Arkansas-Pine Bluff to a 72-59 win over Alabama A&M in the Southwestern Athletic Conference quarterfinals Thursday.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (13-17) will face Mississippi Valley State in the semifinals Friday.
The Lions started the second half with a slight five-point lead, 36-31, but then went on a 14-3 run to widen their lead to 16 points. Alabama A&M didn't get any closer than 11 points for the rest of the game.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff had three other double figure scorers. Marcelle Goins had 13 and Cory Norman added 11. William Byrd chipped in with 10 more points and nine rebounds, as the Lions outrebounded the Bulldogs 43-30.
Alabama A&M's Mickell Gladness was the game high-scorer, with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Trant Simpson added 11 more points. None of the other Bulldogs managed to score more than five points.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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