95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Friday, March 10, 2017
NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball – Big Ten Tournament
Yesterday
Round 2 – Verizon Center, Washington, DC (tournament seeds in parenthesis)
(8) Michigan 75, (9) Illinois 55
(5) Michigan State 78, (13) Penn State 51
(10) Indiana 95, (7) Iowa 73
(6) Northwestern 83, (14) Rutgers 61
Michigan 75, Illinois 55 – After travel trouble, Michigan beats Illini 75-55 in Big Ten
Flying into town only a few hours before tipoff because of travel trouble a day earlier, and wearing yellow practice jerseys instead of the game uniforms that got stuck on their abandoned airplane, Michigan raced to an early double-digit lead and beat Illinois 75-55 to reach the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday. Derrick Walton scored 19 points for No. 8 seed Michigan (21-11), which meets regular-season conference champion Purdue next. The Wolverines were stuck wearing the simple, practice tank tops _ no players’ names on the back _ against ninth-seeded Illinois (18-14) because their proper uniforms, along with everyone’s suitcases, were trapped under the plane that slid off a runway during an aborted takeoff Wednesday, according to Michigan spokesman Kurt Svoboda. No one was injured, Svoboda said.
Michigan State 78, Penn State 51 – Michigan St beats Penn State 78-51 in Big Ten Tournament
Miles Bridges and Nick Ward had 15 points and nine rebounds apiece, and Michigan State rolled into the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament by breezing past weary Penn State 78-51 Thursday. The fifth-seeded Spartans (19-13) will next face No. 4 seed Minnesota on Friday. Michigan State, the defending Big Ten champion, is seeking its fourth title in the last six years. After closing the regular season with losses at Illinois and Maryland, the Spartans found their groove against a Penn State team playing for the second time in less than 24 hours. The 13th-seeded Nittany Lions (15-18) fell behind for good with less than four minutes elapsed, trailed by 18 at halftime and sputtered to the finish after taking out Nebraska in overtime on Wednesday. Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens each scored 16 points for Penn State, but they combined to miss 23 shots. Penn State shot 29 percent and was outrebounded 44-29.
Today
Quarterfinals – Verizon Center, Washington, DC (tournament seeds in parenthesis)
(8) Michigan vs. (1) Purdue, 12:00 p.m. 95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports 11:30
(5) Michigan State vs. (4) Minnesota, 2:30 p.m. Superhits 103.7 Cosy-FM 1:30
(10) Indiana vs. (2) Wisconsin, 6:30 p.m.
(6) Northwestern vs. (3) Maryland, 8:55 p.m.
NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball – Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament
Last Night
Quarterfinals – Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY (tournament seeds in parenthesis)
(1) North Carolina 78, (9) Miami-FL 53
(5) Duke 79, (4) Louisville 77
(3) Notre Dame 71, (6) Virginia 58
(2) Florida State 99, (7) Virginia Tech 68
Notre Dame 71, Virginia 58 – Colson, No. 22 Notre Dame cruise past No. 21 Virginia 71-58
Bonzie Colson had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Number 22 Notre Dame beat 21st ranked Virginia for the first time since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference, topping the Cavaliers 71-58 Thursday night to reach the tournament semifinals. The third-seeded Fighting Irish (24-8) will face second-seeded and Number 16 Florida State Friday in the late semifinal at Barclays Center. North Carolina-Duke will be both the main event and opening act. The Fighting Irish were 0-5 against the Cavaliers (22-10) since entering the ACC, never breaking 66 points in the process. For once, Notre Dame’s offense ran smoothly against Virginia’s active defense and the Irish even managed to push the pace some against the methodical Cavaliers. Notre Dame used an 11-0 run, highlighted by a steal and reverse slam by Rex Pflueger, to build a 17-point lead five minutes into the second half. The Cavaliers never made a serious push back. Devon Hall and Darius Thompson led Virginia with 12 points each.
Tonight
Semifinals – Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY (tournament seeds in parenthesis)
(5) Duke vs. (1) North Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
(3) Notre Dame vs. (2) Florida State, 9:00 p.m.
NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball – Mid American Conference Tournament
Last Night
Quarterfinals – Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH (tournament seeds in parenthesis)
(1) Akron 79, (8) Eastern Michigan 62
(4) Ball State 66, (5) Western Michigan 63
(2) Ohio 67, (7) Toledo 66
(6) Kent State 68, (3) Buffalo 65
Tonight
Semifinals – Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH (tournament seeds in parenthesis)
(4) Ball State vs. (1) Akron, 5:30 p.m.
(6) Kent State vs. (2) Ohio, 8:00 p.m.
NCAAWBB – Women’s College Basketball – Mid American Conference Tournament
Today
Semifinals – Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH (tournament seeds in parenthesis)
(8) Western Michigan vs. (4) Northern Illinois, 11:00 a.m.
(7) Buffalo vs. (6) Toledo, 1:30 p.m.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Detroit Pistons 106, Cleveland Cavaliers 101
Pistons 106, Cavaliers 101 – Pistons overcome James, Cavaliers in 106-101 win
Andre Drummond had 20 points and 16 rebounds, and the Pistons scored the first 13 points of the fourth quarter before holding on for a 106-101 victory over the injury-plagued Cleveland Cavaliers. Reggie Jackson led Detroit with 21 points, including 12 in the final period. Detroit now leads Chicago by a half-game for the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference. LeBron James had 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists — and threw down over a half-dozen dunks — but the Cavaliers have now lost three straight and five of their last seven.
Tonight
Houston Rockets at Chicago Bulls, 8:00 p.m.
Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks, 8:00 p.m.
NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Anaheim Ducks 1, Chicago Blackhawks 0
Ducks 1, Blackhawks 0 – Bernier, Perry lead Ducks past Blackhawks 1-0
Jonathan Bernier made 43 saves for his 100th NHL win, and Anaheim Ducks cooled off the Chicago Blackhawks with a 1-0 victory on Thursday. Corey Perry scored in the second as Anaheim ended Chicago’s seven-game winning streak despite being outshot 43-26 on the night. Corey Crawford blocked 25 shots as the Blackhawks lost for only the second time in their last 14. Bernier’s second shutout this season and 14th of his career helped the Ducks pull ahead of idle Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division. Bernier made his sixth straight start with John Gibson sidelined a lower-body injury. Perry stopped a 10-game scoring drought with his 12th goal at 17:44. He hadn’t connected since scoring twice on Feb. 9 at Buffalo.
Tonight
Chicago Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
NHL – Red Wings remove Howard from injured reserve
The Detroit Red Wings have removed goalie Jimmy Howard from injured reserve and assigned goalie Jared Coreau to Grand Rapids of the AHL. Howard has been out since spraining his right knee December 20th. He had a .934 save percentage and a 1.96 goals-against average in 17 games before the injury. Coreau has appeared in 14 games with the Red Wings as a rookie, going 5-4-3 with a 3.46 GAA. Detroit hosts Chicago on Friday night.
MLB – Major League Baseball – Spring Training
Yesterday
Detroit 5, N.Y. Mets 5 – TIE
Chicago White Sox 4, Arizona 2
Seattle 8, Chicago Cubs 6
Today
Toronto vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Fla., 1:05 p.m.
Chicago White Sox vs. Milwaukee (ss) at Phoenix, 3:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs vs. Seattle at Peoria, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.
NFL – Bears cut Cutler as NFL free agency opens
The Chicago Bears have closed the book on the Jay Cutler era as their franchise quarterback, after an unfulfilling eight years that included only one postseason appearance. The Bears made cutting Cutler their first official move as the NFL free agent market opened, while they were reportedly working toward an agreement to replace him with former Tampa Bay quarterback Mike Glennon. Cutler’s final year with the Bears ended with a 3-13 record. Thumb and shoulder injuries limited him to five games. There was no guaranteed money left on the contract extension he signed a few days after the 2013 season, making the move to cut the 33-year-old widely expected.
NFL – Eagles sign WR Jefferey to a one year contract
The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to terms with Chicago wide receiver Alshon Jeffery on a one-year contract. Jeffery was considered the top receiver available in free agency, but he couldn’t secure a long-term deal to remain in Chicago or from another team. The Eagles agreed to a three-year deal with wideout Torrey Smith earlier Thursday. Jeffery is coming off two down seasons, and he missed 11 games due to injury and suspension. His last standout season came in 2014, when he had 1,133 yards receiving and 10 TDs. Jeffery went to the Pro Bowl in 2013 after catching 89 passes for 1,421 yards and seven TDs.
NFL – Restricted free agent DT Thornton re-signs with Lions
The Detroit Lions have re-signed defensive tackle Khyri Thornton, who was a restricted free agent. The Lions announced the move Thursday. Thornton has played two seasons with the Lions, starting six games last season. Thornton was a third-round draft pick by Green Bay in 2014. He had never
appeared in an NFL regular-season game before joining the Lions via waivers from New England two years ago. He’s played 19 games for the Lions, totaling 16 tackles, seven assists and a sack.
NFL – Osweiler headed north
A person familiar with the trade says the Browns have acquired quarterback Brock Osweiler from the Texans for a fourth-round selection, a 2018 second-round pick and a sixth rounder. Osweiler went 8-6 in 14 starts for Houston last season.
AP source: USOC recommends USA Gymnastics president resign
A person familiar with the communications tells The Associated Press that U.S. Olympic Committee leadership has recommended USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny resign amid fallout from the federation’s handling of a string of sex-abuse cases. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Thursday because of the sensitivity of the discussion. The USOC board discussed Penny’s future at its quarterly meeting and delivered the recommendation to Paul Parilla, chairman of USA Gymnastics. Without divulging what was discussed, Parilla released a statement saying the gymnastics board would meet shortly to discuss its next steps. Penny is a co-defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by 2000 Olympian Jamie Dantzscher, who has accused former volunteer team doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. USA Gymnastics has denied wrongdoing.
AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Cleveland Monsters 3, Chicago Wolves 2 – OT
ECHL – East Coast Hockey League
Tonight
Toledo Walleye at Kalamazoo Wings, 7:00 p.m.
NBADL – NBA Developmental League
Tonight
Grand Rapids Drive at Erie Bayhawks, 7:00 p.m.
NJCAAWBB – Women’s Junior College Basketball
Tonight
District Semifinals at St. Clair County CC, Port Huron, MI
Lake Michigan College vs. Muskegon Community College, 5:30 p.m.
Ancilla College vs. Kalamazoo Valley Community College, 7:30 p.m.
Championship game, Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Basketball – District Semifinals (these games were played last night because of power failures on Wednesday)
Class C at Bloomingdale
Gobles 62, Bloomingdale 52
Kalamazoo Christian 48, Kalamazoo Hackett 37
Girls Basketball – Regional Finals
Class D at Vicksburg
Michigan Lutheran 48, Battle Creek St. Philip 41
- Michigan Lutheran captured the Class D Regional Championship with a 48-41 win over St. Philip. The Titans trailed most of the night and battled back from an eight point deficit to pull it out. Emily Witkowski led Lutheran with 14 points, Kira Diaz-Martin and Erika Rosenbaum each added nine. The Titans advance to face Pittsford Tuesday night in Battle Creek in the state quarterfinals.
Class B at Three Rivers
Marshall 47, Otsego 25
Class A at Sturgis
Kalamazoo Central 67, East Lansing 59
Class C at Homer
Schoolcraft 39, Bronson 32
Tonight
Boys Basketball – Districts – District Semifinals
Class B at Vicksburg
6:00 p.m. – Three Rivers vs. Edwardsburg
7:15 p.m. – Paw Paw vs. Vicksburg
Boys Basketball – Districts – District Finals
Class A at Niles
7:00 p.m. – Kalamazoo Central vs. St. Joseph Updates on 95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports (Dave Wolf)
Class B at Coloma
7:00 p.m. – South Haven vs. Benton Harbor Superhits 103.7 Cosy-FM (Mark Savage)
Class D at Lake Michigan Catholic
7:00 p.m. – Dream Academy vs. Lake Michigan Catholic 95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports (Phil McDonald)
Other Games
Class A at Coldwater
7:00 p.m. – BC Lakeview vs. Battle Creek Central
Class B at Wayland
7:00 p.m. – Wayland vs. Fennville
Class B at Parchment
7:00 p.m. – Harper Creek vs. Battle Creek Pennfield
Class C at Bridgman
7:00 p.m. – Cassopolis vs. Bridgman
Class C at Bloomingdale
7:00 p.m. – Gobles vs. Kalamazoo Christian
Class C at White Pigeon
7:00 p.m. – Schoolcraft vs. Lawton
Class D at Battle Creek St. Philip
7:00 p.m. – Bellevue vs. Martin
Class D at Mendon
7:00 p.m. – Mendon vs. Marcellus
Saturday
Boys Basketball – Districts – District Finals
Class B at Vicksburg
7:00 p.m. – Three Rivers OR Edwardsburg vs. Paw Paw OR Vicksburg
