Sports Radio 1400 WSJM @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Thursday, February 25, 2016
NCAA Basketball – Men’s
Last Night
Michigan 72, Northwestern 63
(23) Notre Dame 69, Wake Forest 58
Michigan 72, Northwestern 63 – Late long-distance shooting saves Michigan in 72-63 win
Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman scored 19 points and Aubrey Dawkins broke Michigan out of its long-distance shooting slump in time to salvage a 72-63 win over Northwestern on Wednesday night. A Dawkins 3-pointer put the Wolverines (20-9, 10-6 Big Ten) ahead for good, 57-54, with 4:18 left. The sophomore also hit a pair of 3s over an 80-second stretch midway through the second half to tie the game at 44. Michigan took its first lead moments later. It was a needed boost for a Michigan team that entered the game shooting 40 percent from behind the 3-point line and making a Big Ten-best 10.2 per game. The Wolverines were 4-of-14 from behind the arc Wednesday, with the only other made basket being a Duncan Robinson shot at the halftime buzzer that pulled Michigan within 29-28. Dawkins finished with 11 points and Derrick Walton Jr. added 16 for Michigan. Alex Olah scored 19 points and grabbed five rebounds for Northwestern (17-11, 5-10).
#23 Notre Dame 69, Wake Forest 58 – Auguste, Vasturia lead No. 23 ND past Wake Forest 69-58
Zach Auguste had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the 23rd-ranked Fighting Irish beat Wake Forest 69-58 on Wednesday night. Steve Vasturia added 16 points and Demetrius Jackson had all 15 of his in the second half for the Irish (19-8, 10-5 Atlantic Coast Conference). Notre Dame swept the season series against Wake Forest by shooting 44 percent and hitting 10 of 10 free throws in the final 2:01.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Detroit Pistons 111, Philadelphia 76ers 91
Chicago Bulls 109, Washington Wizards 104
Pistons 111, Sixers 91 – Harris leads balanced attack as Pistons rout 76ers, 111-91
Tobias Harris led a balanced offense with 22 points and Andre Drummond had 18 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons beat the Philadelphia 76ers 111-91 Wednesday night. Playing in front of a tiny crowd because of a snowstorm in metro Detroit, the Pistons led by 16 points in the first quarter and were never threatened while winning their second straight after a five-game losing streak. Hollis Thompson scored 19 points to lead the 76ers, who lost their sixth straight. Jahlil Okafor had 13 points, but just two rebounds. No other Philadelphia starter had more than eight points. The Pistons were short-handed, thanks to injuries to Anthony Tolliver (knee) and Stanley Johnson (shoulder), leaving them without an established reserve scorer. However, Reggie Bullock came off the bench to score 16 points while playing with a mask to protect his broken nose.
Bulls 109, Wizards 104 – Makeshift Bulls lineup outlasts Wizards 109-104
Taj Gibson and E’Twaun Moore each scored 17 points, Tony Snell added 16 and a thrown-together roster of Chicago Bulls backups beat the Washington Wizards 109-104 on Wednesday night. Three of the Bulls’ top four scorers missed the game and the fourth was sick. Pau Gasol, who missed practice on Tuesday and was playing with the flu, narrowly missed a triple-double, finishing with 15 rebounds, 10 points and nine assists in the Bulls’ third straight victory. Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 19 points. Garrett Temple scored 18 and Ramon Sessions and John Wall added 16. Markieff Morris had 10 rebounds for the Wizards. Chicago’s Derrick Rose was a last-minute scratch with right hamstring tendinitis, while the Bulls’ leading scorer, Jimmy Butler, missed a seventh game with a left knee strain. Nikola Mirotic is out because of appendicitis.
NBA – Pistons F Stanley Johnson out with sprained right shoulder
Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson is out indefinitely with a sprained right shoulder. The Pistons plan to evaluate the rookie forward again next week. He was hurt during Detroit’s win at Cleveland on Tuesday night. Johnson is averaging nine points, four-plus rebounds and 24 minutes per game this season.
NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Nashville Predators at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:00 p.m.
NCAA Basketball – Women’s
Yesterday
(20) Michigan State 71, Illinois 43
Northern Illinois 80, Western Michigan 70
Central Michigan 67, Ball State 66
Eastern Michigan 58, Toledo 46
#20 Michigan State 71, Illinois 43 – No. 20 Michigan State women use big 4th to top Illinois
Aerial Powers had 26 points and 10 rebounds, Tori Jankoska recorded her fifth double-double of the season and No. 20 Michigan State outscored Illinois 27-2 in the fourth quarter for a 71-43 victory Wednesday night. Powers became MSU’s all-time leader in double-doubles with 44. She had 15 points and seven boards in the third quarter alone as Michigan State held a 44-41 lead. She had just eight points at halftime. MSU scored the first seven points of the fourth to build a 10-point lead until Kyley Simmons hit a jumper at the 5:43 mark. Then the Spartans closed on a 20-0 run. Jankoska finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds and Branndais Agee added nine points with 10 rebounds for Michigan State (21-7, 12-5 Big Ten). The Spartans dominated the glass 48-27 to make up for 21 turnovers. Simmons led Illinois (9-19, 2-15) with 19 points and four 3-pointers.
Tonight
Clemson at (2) Notre Dame, 7:00 p.m.
MLB – Cubs owner accepts hype, hints at new contract for Epstein
Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts says he and Theo Epstein are “on the same page,” hinting that a new contract agreement is close for the team’s president of baseball operations. Ricketts praised Epstein during a discussion with reporters Wednesday at the spring training complex in suburban Phoenix. He says there is “nothing to report” on a new deal but “we’re on the same page” and the next step is to “sit down and kind of hammer it out.” Ricketts also indicated the Cubs would apply to host an All-Star Game, which it has not done since 1990, once renovations in and around Wrigley Field are further along.
MLB – Chicago Cubs owner says Trump tweet about mom was `surreal’
Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said Wednesday he found it “surreal” to see GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump “threaten” his mother on Twitter over her political contributions. Earlier this week, Trump posted a tweet that said: “I hear the Ricketts family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending $’s against me. They better be careful, they have a lot to hide!” The reference was to a reported campaign contribution made by Ricketts’ mother, Marlene, to an anti-Trump PAC. Speaking to reporters at the Cubs’ spring training complex in suburban Phoenix on Wednesday, Ricketts said: “It’s a little surreal when Donald Trump threatens your mom.” Marlene Ricketts is married to Joe Ricketts, the billionaire founder of T.D. Ameritrade.
NFL – Jets coach has tumor removed
New York Jets coach Todd Bowles says he had a non-cancerous, golf ball-sized tumor removed from his throat shortly after the team’s season concluded. Newsday and NJ Advance Media report that Bowles revealed the procedure to a few media members after a news conference at the NFL scouting combine Wednesday. Tests revealed the growth was benign but caused him some trouble swallowing because it was pressing against the artery in his neck.
NFL – Kaepernick coming back for another season
49ers general manager Trent Baalke says he expected quarterback Colin Kaepernick to be back with the team next season. Kaepernick lost his starting job to Blaine Gabbert last season after going 2-6. Kaepernick is expected to get a shot at winning back the starting job under new coach Chip Kelly, who prefers mobile quarterbacks.
Giants’ Pierre-Paul sues ESPN, Schefter for posting records
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $15,000 in damages against ESPN and reporter Adam Schefter for posting his medical records. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Miami Dade County in Florida, alleges that Pierre-Paul’s privacy was violated _ as was Florida’s medical records statute _ by the report last summer after the player severely injured his right hand in a fireworks accident on July 4. The New York Post first reported the lawsuit Wednesday night. According to Pierre-Paul’s lawyers, Mitchell Schuster and Kevin Fritz, Schefter “improperly obtained” the defensive end’s medical chart, which showed he had his right index finger amputated at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Schefter posted a photo of the record on Twitter, where he has more than 4.5 million followers.
Golf – Video shows Woods swinging an iron
reports on social media that his recovery from back surgery has not gone well, Tiger Woods has posted a video of him swinging a 9-iron in a golf simulator. The 13-second video Woods posted on Twitter shows him dressed in shorts and golf shoes taking a smooth swing.
NBADL – NBA Developmental League
Last Night
Canton Charge 119, Grand Rapids Drive 109
NBADL – Chicago’s D-League franchise releases name and logo
The Chicago Bulls announced Wednesday that the team’s new NBA D-League affiliate will be called the Windy City Bulls. The new minor league affiliate of the Bulls will start play in the 2016-17 season and will play their home games at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates.
MCCAA – Junior College Basketball
Tonight – (Games were scheduled yesterday but postponed until today)
Women: Lake Michigan College at Muskegon Community College, 5:30 p.m.
Men: Lake Michigan College at Muskegon Community College, 7:30 p.m.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Tonight – (Weather Permitting)
Boys Basketball
Portage Northern at Lakeshore, 7:00 p.m.
Niles at Portage Central, 7:00 p.m.
Watervliet Grace Christian at Countryside Academy, 7:30 p.m.
Brandywine at Comstock, 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball
Portage Northern at Lakeshore, 5:45 p.m.
Niles at Portage Central, 5:45 p.m.
Plainwell at Dowagiac, 6:30 p.m.
South Haven at Three Rivers, 7:15 p.m.
Allegan at Edwardsburg, 7:15 p.m.
Otsego at Sturgis, 7:15 p.m.
Paw Paw at Vicksburg, 7:15 p.m.
Watervliet Grace Christian at Countryside Academy, 6:00 p.m.
Mendon at Berrien Springs, 6:00 p.m.
New Buffalo at River Valley, 7:30 p.m.
