Weekday Morning Sports – Monday 1/15/18

sportsreport

95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Monday, January 15, 2018

NFL – National Football League Playoffs – Divisional Round
Saturday
Philadelphia Eagles 15, Atlanta Falcons 10
New England Patriots 35, Tennessee Titans 14

Sunday
Jacksonville Jaguars 45, Pittsburgh Steelers 42
Minnesota Vikings 29, New Orleans Saints 24

Jaguars 45, Steelers 42 – Jaguars eliminate Steelers
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the AFC title game for the first time in 19 years after rookie running back Leonard Fournette ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-42 victory over the second-seeded Steelers in Pittsburgh. Blake Bortles threw for 214 yards, including a 14-yard scoring pass to fullback Tommy Bohanon that made it 42-28 with 4:19 left. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 469 yards and five touchdowns but couldn’t get the Steelers closer than seven points until the final play.

Vikings 29, Saints 24 – Vikings win in dramatic finish
Case Keenum connected with Stefon Diggs for a 61-yard touchdown on the game’s final play as the Minnesota Vikings stunned the Saints 29-24 in the NFC divisional playoffs at Minneapolis. The game-winning TD came 25 seconds after Wil Lutz nailed a 43-yard field goal that put the Saints ahead. Both the Vikings and Saints lost two leads in the final 3:01.

Next Sunday – Conference Championship Sunday
AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots, 3:05 p.m.
NFC: Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles, 6:40 p.m.

NHL – National Hockey League
Yesterday
Detroit Red Wings 4, Chicago Blackhawks 0

Red Wings 4, Blackhawks 0 – Mantha helps Red Wings beat Blackhawks 4-0
Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi each had a goal and an assist, and the Detroit Red Wings beat the sloppy Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 on Sunday.  Dylan Larkin and Mike Green also scored for Detroit, which had dropped two in a row after a four-game win streak. Petr Mrazek made 27 saves in his second shutout of the season and 12th of his career. Bertuzzi, the nephew of former NHL forward Todd Bertuzzi, made it 4-0 when he punched in his first career goal on a rebound 13:37 into the third period. He also has five assists in 10 games this season.  The Red Wings (18-18-7) played without forwards Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm, who were sidelined by lower-body injuries after they got hurt during Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Pittsburgh. Dominic Turgeon, the son of former NHL star Pierre Turgeon, made his NHL debut after he was promoted from Grand Rapids of the AHL. Chicago (22-17-6) had won three of four, including a 2-1 victory against Central Division-leading Winnipeg on Friday night. But the Blackhawks looked sluggish for most of their final game before their bye week.  The crowd of 21,830 booed as the final seconds ticked off. Jeff Glass finished with 22 saves for Chicago, which dropped to 12-8-2 at home.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Indiana Pacers 120, Phoenix Suns 97

Pacers 120, Suns 97 – Collison, Oladipo lead balanced Pacers to rout of Phoenix
Darren Collison scored 19 points to lead seven Indiana players in double figures and the Pacers routed the Phoenix Suns 120-97 on Sunday night. Victor Oladipo scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half for the Pacers, who were coming off a home victory over Cleveland and have won four of five after a five-game losing streak. Cory Joseph added 16 points, and Bojan Bogdanovic had 14 for Indiana. Rookie Josh Jackson scored a career-best 21 points for Phoenix, which has lost four of five. Devin Booker added 15, but on 5-of-16 shooting, 1-of-6 from 3-point range.

Today
Charlotte Hornets at Detroit Pistons, 12:30 p.m.
Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls, 3:30 p.m.

NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball
Tonight
Maryland at Michigan, 6:30 p.m.           95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports 6:00

NCAAWBB – Women’s College Basketball
Yesterday
(2) Notre Dame 89, Boston College 60

(2) Notre Dame 89, Boston College 60 – Shepard, No. 2 Notre Dame women bounce back, beat BC 89-60
Jessica Shepard scored 24 points in 22 minutes Sunday as No. 2 Notre Dame bounced back from its most-lopsided loss in 16 seasons, routing Boston College 89-60. Coming off a 33-point defeat at No. 3 Louisville, the Irish ran out to a 9-0 start against the young and overmatched Eagles. Arike Ogunbowale added 18 points for Notre Dame (16-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). Freshman Danielle Patterson matched her season high with 11 points and Marina Mabrey added 10. Milan Bolden-Morris, held scoreless for three quarters, had 17 points and Andie Anastos added 11 for Boston College (6-11, 1-3).

NCAAFB – Arizona hires Sumlin
The Arizona Wildcats have hired Kevin Sumlin as their new football coach. The former Texas A&M head coach is expected to sign a five-year contract, pending approval by the Arizona Board of Regents. An introductory news conference is scheduled for Tuesday.  He replaces Rich Rodriguez, who was fired Jan. 2 amid sexual harassment allegations. Sumlin was fired in November after six seasons at Texas A&M and had reportedly been in the mix for numerous jobs. He went 51-26 with the Aggies and is 84-43 during a 10-year head coaching career that includes four seasons at Houston.

Tennis – U.S. Open champ ousted as Australian Open begins
The reigning U.S. Open champion has become a first-round casualty at the Australian Open, setting the tone for a disastrous first day for American women’s players at Melbourne. Sloane Stephens was dispatched by Zhang Shuai 2-6, 7-6, 7-6 to continue her slump since capturing a Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows. Stephens served for the match up 5-4 in the second set before losing the game and the tiebreaker.  The 13th-seeded Stephens has lost eight matches since her triumph in the U.S. Open final. Also on opening day of the year’s first Grand Slam.  Venus Williams also made an early exit as the 2017 Australian Open finalist lost 6-3, 7-5 to Belinda Bencic.

MCCAAMBB – Men’s Junior College Basketball
Tonight
Kellogg Community College at Lake Michigan College, 7:30 p.m.

MCCAAWBB – Women’s Junior College Basketball
Tonight
Kellogg Community College at Lake Michigan College, 5:30 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Today
Boys Basketball
River Valley at Buchanan, 7:30 p.m.

Girls Basketball
New Buffalo at Lake Michigan Catholic, 7:30 p.m.
River Valley at Bangor, 6:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Homer, 7:00 p.m.

Competitive Cheer
SMAC Conference Jamboree at Gull Lake, 6:00 p.m.