Weekday Morning Sports – Monday 1/25/16

sportsreport

Sports Radio 1400 WSJM     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Monday, January 25, 2016

NFL – National Football League – Conference Championship Weekend
Sunday
AFC:  Denver Broncos 20, New England Patriots 18
NFC:  Carolina Panthers 49, Arizona Cardinals 15

Broncos 20, Patriots 18 – Manning, Broncos scramble to Super Bowl in 20-18 win over NE
Peyton Manning is off and running. … All the way to the Super Bowl.  He has his defense to thank. Cornerback Bradley Roby saved the game by picking off Tom Brady’s pass on a 2-point try with 12 seconds left to preserve a 20-18 victory for the Broncos over the Patriots Sunday in the AFC title game.  Denver (14-4) will face Arizona or Carolina for the title on Feb. 7. New England had to go for 2 after Brady’s 4-yard touchdown to Rob Gronkowski because Stephen Gostkowski missed an extra point in the first quarter, snapping a string of 523 straight makes.  Manning threw two touchdowns but the 39-year-old QB’s best play may have very well been his 12-yard scramble on third down in the third quarter _ his longest playoff run since he was a rookie.

Panthers 49, Cardinals 15 – Panthers roll to an easy win
The NFC Championship game was a blowout as Cam Newton threw for two touchdowns and ran for two others in the Panthers’ 49-15 laugher against Arizona. Newton was 19 of 28 for 335 yards through the air, including an 86-yard scoring pass to Corey Brown in the first quarter. Newton’s five-yard TD toss to Devin Funchess in the fourth quarter iced the victory. Ted Ginn had a 22-yard TD run and Luke Kuechly (KEEK’-lee) capped the scoring by returning Carson Palmer’s fourth interception 22 yards. Brown and Greg Olsen each finished with 113 yards receiving. The Panthers held the Cardinals to 287 total yards. Palmer was 23 of 40 for 235 yards, one touchdown and six turnovers, including a pair of fumbles.

NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Chicago Blackhawks 2, St. Louis Blues 0

Blackhawks 2, Blues 0 – Crawford gets 7th shutout, Blackhawks beat Blues 2-0
Corey Crawford stopped 25 shots for his league-leading seventh shutout, rookie Artemi Panarin and Andrew Shaw scored and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues 2-0 on Sunday night to end a two-game losing streak. Crawford wasn’t consistently tested while earning his 19th career shutout. The defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks rebounded from listless road losses at Tampa Bay and Florida that followed a franchise-record 12-game winning streak. St. Louis’s Brian Elliott made 23 saves in his eighth straight start since taking over for Jake Allen, who suffered a lower-body injury on Jan. 8. Elliott is 5-2-2 since entering in the second period of that game against the Ducks. The Blues lost their second straight since ending a three-game winning streak and are 5-2-1 in their past eight. Falling 2-1 in a shootout in Colorado on Friday.

Tonight
Detroit Red Wings at New York Islanders, 7:00 p.m.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Tonight
Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls, 8:00 p.m.
Detroit Pistons at Utah Jazz, 9:00 p.m.

NCAA Basketball – 2 MAC officials suspended after crazy finish to game
The Mid-American Conference has suspended two officials who failed to blow a whistle during the chaotic final seconds of a double overtime game between Eastern Michigan and Ball State. In a statement Sunday, the conference said errors in judgment “must be met with swift and firm disciplinary action.” Ball State defeated Eastern Michigan with a 3-pointer on Saturday. Before the basket, the officials didn’t stop play, despite Ball State aggressively stripping the ball from Eastern Michigan’s Ethan Alvano and an apparent traveling violation. MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher says the final play “was not handled appropriately.” Two of the three officials are suspended for two games and won’t work the conference tournament. Their names weren’t released.

NCAA Basketball – Women’s
Yesterday
Nebraska 93, Michigan 81
(3) Notre Dame 80, Virginia Tech 41

Nebraska 93, Michigan 81 – Huskers defeat Michigan 93-81
Jessica Shepard became the first woman to record a 30-point, 20-rebound game in school history as Nebraska beat Michigan 93-81.  Shepard led the Huskers (14-5, 5-3 Big Ten) by tying her career high with 35 points and adding a career-high 20 rebounds. Mattawan native Allie Havers, tallied 15 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five assists for the Cornhuskers.   The Wolverines (11-8, 3-5), got 24 points and six rebounds from Hallie Thome, Katelynn Flaherty had 14 points.

#3 Notre Dame 80, Virginia Tech 41 – Turner, No. 3 Notre Dame women pull away from Virginia Tech
Brianna Turner scored 18 points and No. 3 Notre Dame shook off a slow start to beat Virginia Tech 80-41 Sunday.  Arike Ogunbowale added 15 points and Marina Mabrey had 12 for the Irish (19-1, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Sidney Cook scored 21 points and Vanessa Panousis 10 for Virginia Tech (14-5, 2-4).  After starting out 2 of 11, the Irish made 12 of 16 shots and started pulling away. Virginia Tech made only 4 of 25 shots in the first half.

Tennis – Australian Open – Day 8 play
Seventh seed Angelique Kerber and No. 14 Victoria Azarenka have advanced to the Australian Open women’s quarterfinals. Kerber opened Monday’s stadium court schedule with a 6-4, 6-0 rout of fellow German Annika Beck. Azarenka had no trouble with Barbora Strycova, winning 6-2, 6-4. Gael Monfils scored a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 win over Andrei Kuznetsov to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in 11 trips to the Australian Open. Milos Raonic beat French Open champion Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Golf – Dufner wins in playoff
Jason Dufner parred the second playoff hole to win the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, Calif. Dufner took advantage of David Lingmerth’s shot off the rocks that bounced into the water. The two played extra golf after finishing regulation at 25-under. Dufner closed with a 2-under 70 on the PGA West’s TPC Stadium Course. Lingmerth forced a playoff with a 5-under 65. Phil Mickelson shot a 68 to tie for third at 21 under in his first start since October.

MCCAA – Junior College Basketball
Tonight
Lake Michigan College at Glen Oaks Community College     5:30 p.m. (Women)      WSJM-AM
Lake Michigan College at Glen Oaks Community College     7:30 p.m. (Men)          WSJM-AM

ECHL – East Coast Hockey League
Yesterday
Toledo Walleye 5, Utah Grizzlies 2

NBADL – NBA Developmental League
Tonight
Raptors 905 (Mississauga, Ontario) at Grand Rapids Drive, 7:00 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Basketball
Michigan Lutheran at Howardsville Christian, 7:30 p.m.

ISHSHA – High School Hockey
Yesterday
Lakeshore/St. Joseph 2, York Illinois 0          (Howard Ice Arena)

LSJ 2, York 0 – Warriors get two power play goals to shut out York
Damon Grimm scored a power play goal in the second period.  Reidar Burgeson added an insurance marker also on the power play as the LSJ Warriors hockey team beat York 2-0 at Howard Ice Arena on Sunday.  Cameron Schiff made 24 saves to record the shutout.