Sports Radio 1400 WSJM @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Friday, February 19, 2016
NCAA Basketball – Men’s
Last Night
(8) Michigan State 69, Wisconsin 57
#8 Michigan State 69, Wisconsin 57 – Valentine-led No. 8 Michigan State beats Wisconsin 69-57
Denzel Valentine had 24 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, leading No. 8 Michigan State to a 69-57 victory over Wisconsin on Thursday night. The Spartans (22-5, 9-5 Big Ten) went from eighth place in the conference into a four-way tie for fourth with their sixth win in seven games. Michigan State’s Bryn Forbes scored 17 points and Eron Harris had 10. The Badgers (16-10, 8-5) had won seven straight games dating to their victory Jan. 17, at home against Michigan State. Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ scored 18 points and Bronson Koenig had 12 with a scoring surge late in the game. Nigel Hayes was held to a season-low five points, 12 below his team-high scoring average, for the Badgers.
NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Pittsburgh Penguins 6, Detroit Red Wings 3
Penguins 6, Red Wings 3 – Kessel scores twice, Penguins double up Red Wings 6-3
Phil Kessel scored twice, Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist and the Pittsburgh Penguins got plenty of help from other unheralded players in a 6-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. Matt Cullen added a goal and an assist, Ben Lovejoy picked up his first goal since November and Scott Wilson collected the first goal of his career for the Penguins. Pittsburgh never trailed and picked up two valuable points while trying to keep pace in the jumbled Eastern Conference playoff race. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 35 shots, and Pittsburgh improved to 7-1 in its last eight home games. Rookie Dylan Larkin boosted his team-leading goal total to 19 for Detroit. Tomas Jurco and Henrik Zetterberg also scored for the Red Wings, who struggled defensively for a third straight game. Petr Mrazek made 27 saves but Detroit has given up 11 goals combined in his last two starts.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Cleveland Cavaliers 106, Chicago Bulls 95
Cavaliers 106, Bulls 95 – LeBron, Love power Cavaliers to 106-95 win over Bulls
LeBron James scored 25 points and barely missed a triple-double, Kevin Love added 15 points and 15 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers looked refreshed from the All-Star break with a 106-95 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. James had nine rebounds and nine assists in 35 minutes for the Cavs, who lost their first two matchups with Chicago this season. But the Bulls are broken, missing three key players because of injuries. Cleveland has its sights set on finishing with the East’s best record and earlier in the day the club acquired forward Channing Frye from Orlando in a three-team trade the Cavs hope can get them an NBA title. They had to part with popular center Anderson Varjeao and a future first-round pick to obtain Frye, who has not yet joined his new squad. Derrick Rose scored 28 points and Pau Gasol had 14 for the Bulls, just 5-14 since they were a season-best 10 games over .500 on Jan. 9. Chicago is currently without Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic and Joakim Noah.
Tonight
Detroit Pistons at Washington Wizards, 7:00 p.m.
Toronto Raptors at Chicago Bulls, 8:00 p.m.
NCAA Basketball – Women’s
Last Night
(2) Notre Dame 86, Wake Forest 52
(25) Michigan State 70, Rutgers 67
MLB – Tigers sign reliever Parnell to minor league deal
The Detroit Tigers have signed former New York Mets reliever Bobby Parnell to a minor league contract with an invite to major league camp. The Tigers announced the move Thursday. The 31-year-old Parnell has pitched eight seasons in the major leagues, all with the Mets. Parnell went 2-4 with a 6.38 ERA in 24 innings last year. Parnell had 22 saves for the Mets in 2013, but he was limited to one appearance the following season because of an elbow injury.
MLB – Detroit’s Aviles says his daughter is cancer-free
Detroit Tigers infielder Mike Aviles says his daughter is cancer-free. Aviles told reporters at spring training Thursday that 5-year-old daughter Adriana has been recovering from a bone marrow transplant in December. She was diagnosed with leukemia last year. The 34-year-old Aviles is starting his first season with the Tigers. He signed a one-year contract with them this offseason after three years with the Cleveland Indians. Several Cleveland players, coaches and front office employees, including owner Paul Dolan, shaved their heads in support of Aviles’ family last season.
Team USA expects Coach K to be in Brazil
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo expects Mike Krzyzewski to lead the Americans this summer, and the coach says he has “every intention” of being in Brazil. Krzyzewski plans to have left knee replacement surgery following the completion of Duke’s season. But Colangelo says that “at no time” has he and Krzyzewski discussed him not coaching this summer. Coach K has been the U.S. coach since 2005, leading the Americans to consecutive Olympic gold medals and two straight world championships.
NASCAR – Earnhardt grabs spot on second row for Daytona 500
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch were the winners of Thursday’s two qualifying races for the Daytona 500, putting them in the second row for Sunday’s season-opening race. Earnhardt dominated the first 150-mile race and zipped around leader Denny Hamlin with six laps remaining to cruise to victory. It was Earnhardt’s 17th career win at Daytona and came on the 15th anniversary of his father’s death. The second race featured a multi-car wreck on the final lap, which could put several drivers in their backup cars for NASCAR’s biggest showcase. Jamie McMurray sent Jimmie Johnson into the wall, trigger a collision that also involved Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr. It wasn’t clear how much damage Kurt Busch and McMurray sustained.
OHL – Ontario Hockey League suspends Flint franchise owner
Flint Firebirds owner Rolf Nilsen has been suspended indefinitely by the Ontario Hockey League. OHL Commissioner David Branch announced that and other sanctions Thursday. Nilsen fired coach John Gruden two times this season. The team announced Gruden, who also served as general manager, was fired Wednesday along with assistant coach Dave Karpa and named director of hockey operations Sergei Kharin its interim coach. Branch responded by suspending Nilsen along with his appointees in management and coaching, including Kharin, from the franchise’s hockey operations. The OHL also is requiring Nilsen cooperate with its investigation and pay for counseling for the players. The players, including the owner’s son, responded in a unified protest when Gruden was fired the first time in November and he got his job back the next day.
AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Iowa Wild 3, Chicago Wolves 2 – OT
Tonight
Charlotte Checkers at Grand Rapids Griffins, 7:00 p.m.
ECHL – East Coast Hockey League
Tonight
Colorado Eagles at Kalamazoo Wings, 7:00 p.m.
NBADL – NBA Developmental League
Last Night
Grand Rapids Drive at Idaho Stampede, 9:00 p.m.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Girls Basketball
River Valley 36, Watervliet Grace Christian 21
White Pigeon 50, New Buffalo 43
Buchanan 62, Berrien Springs 31
Tonight
Boys Basketball
SMAC – 7:15 p.m.
Benton Harbor at Lakeshore WSJM-AM
St. Joseph at Niles
Portage Northern at Portage Central
Battle Creek Central at Mattawan
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Battle Creek Lakeview
Kalamazoo Central at Gull Lake
Wolverine – 7:15 p.m.
South Haven at Allegan WCSY-FM
Paw Paw at Otsego
Dowagiac at Three Rivers
Edwardsburg at Vicksburg
Sturgis at Plainwell
SAC – 7:15 p.m.
Coloma at Saugatuck
Watervliet at Hartford
Eau Claire at Marcellus
Lawrence at Bloomingdale
Lawton at Constantine
Fennville at Bangor
Galesburg-Augusta at Gobles
Decatur at Martin
Kalamazoo Christian at Schoolcraft
Delton-Kellogg at Kalamazoo Hackett
BCS – 7:30 p.m. (unless specified otherwise)
Grace Christian at Lake Michigan Catholic
Brandywine at Parchment, 6:00 p.m.
Buchanan at Berrien Springs, 7:15 p.m.
Bridgman at Comstock
Countryside at Howardsville Christian
Cassopolis at Mendon
White Pigeon at New Buffalo
Girls Basketball
SMAC – 5:45 p.m.
Benton Harbor at Lakeshore WSJM-AM
St. Joseph at Niles
Portage Northern at Portage Central
Battle Creek Central at Mattawan
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Battle Creek Lakeview
Kalamazoo Central at Gull Lake
Wolverine – 6:00 p.m. (unless specified otherwise)
South Haven at Allegan
Paw Paw at Otsego
Dowagiac at Three Rivers
Vicksburg at Edwardsburg, 7:15 p.m.
Sturgis at Plainwell
SAC – 6:00 p.m.
Coloma at Saugatuck
Watervliet at Hartford
Eau Claire at Marcellus
Lawrence at Bloomingdale
Lawton at Constantine
Fennville at Bangor
Galesburg-Augusta at Gobles
Decatur at Martin
Kalamazoo Christian at Schoolcraft
Delton-Kellogg at Kalamazoo Hackett
BCS – 6:00 p.m. (unless specified otherwise)
Grace Christian at Lake Michigan Catholic
Brandywine at Parchment, 7:30 p.m.
Cassopolis at Mendon
Bridgman at Comstock
Competitive Cheerleading Districts
Division 4 at Lawton, 6:00 p.m.
Lake Michigan Catholic, Bloomingdale, Bronson, Colon, Gobles, Hartford, Homer, Lawrence, Quincey, Reading, Union City, White Pigeon
Saturday
Boys Basketball
River Valley at Michigan Lutheran, 7:00 p.m.
Decatur at Brandywine, 5:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball
River Valley at Michigan Lutheran, 5:30 p.m.
Decatur at Brandywine, 7:15 p.m.
South Haven at Edwardsburg, 2:30 p.m.
Competitive Cheerleading Districts
Division 2 at St. Joseph, 10:00 a.m.
St. Joseph, Lakeshore, Niles, Harper Creek, Byron Center, Coldwater, Edwardsburg, Hamilton, Mattawan, Thornapple-Kellogg, Plainwell, Gull Lake, Sturgis, Vicksburg, Wayland
Division 3 at Allegan, 10:00 a.m.
Allegan, Battle Creek-Pennfield, Berrien Springs, Buchanan, Coloma, Dowagiac, Hillsdale, Hopkins, Jonesville, Comstock, Otsego, Parchment, Paw Paw, South Haven, Three Rivers
ISHSHA – High School Hockey
Tonight
Lakeshore/St. Joseph Warriors vs. South Bend Adams/Marian, 8:00 p.m. (Ice Box, South Bend)
