Sports Radio 1400 WSJM @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Thursday, April 02, 2015
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Charlotte Hornets 102, Detroit Pistons 78
Milwaukee Bucks 95, Chicago Bulls 91
Hornets 102, Pistons 78 – Marvin Williams leads Hornets past Pistons 102-78
Marvin Williams scored 18 points and the Charlotte Hornets cruised to a 102-78 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Kemba Walker had 17 points and Gerald Henderson added 14 as the Hornets won for only the third time in 10 games to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Charlotte entered the night two games behind eighth-place Brooklyn. Before the game, Hornets center Al Jefferson had his knee drained for the third time in eight days. He finished with 11 points and nine rebounds, sitting out the fourth quarter because of the big lead. Jodie Meeks led Detroit with 15 points. Andre Drummond was in early foul trouble and finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. The Pistons, who had won five of six, shot 35.2 percent from the field and were 5 of 22 from 3-point range.
Bucks 95, Bulls 91 – Carter-Williams leads Bucks to 95-91 victory over Bulls
Michael Carter-Williams had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a rare 95-91 victory at home over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. The Bucks (37-38), who lost their previous nine home games against the Bulls, also got 16 points from Ersan Ilyasova. Milwaukee won for just the third time in its last 11 games and maintains a 2 ½ game lead over Miami and Brooklyn for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Chicago’s seven-game winning streak against Milwaukee ended despite 25 points and seven rebounds from Jimmy Butler. Pau Gasol added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who have lost seven of their last nine on the road. As a result, Toronto moved into a tie with Chicago for the No. 3 seed in the East.
NCAA Tournament – More security at Final Four
Indianapolis will increase police presence downtown during this weekend’s Final Four amid protests over a new state law that critics say could allow discrimination against gays and lesbians. Department of Public Safety spokesman Al Larsen says that the city will have a “noticeably higher” police presence and will designate an area immediately south of Lucas Oil Stadium for protesters to gather. The measure signed last week by Gov. Mike Pence prohibits any laws that “substantially burden” a person’s ability to follow his or her religious beliefs. Critics contend it is designed to shield businesses and individuals who don’t want to serve gays and lesbians. Lawmakers are working on language to address those concerns, but some college sports figures have already announced they are boycotting the Final Four.
NCAA Tournament – Final Four teams have 4 different sets of drug-testing rules
Four teams, four drug-testing policies. Players at Kentucky, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Duke operated under the same rules on their road to the Final Four this season _ except when it came to the frequency of their doping tests and the penalties they faced for failing. All players fall under the umbrella of the NCAA drug-testing program, which tests urine for performance-enhancing and recreational drugs at its championship events and for PEDs during infrequent visits to campus the rest of the year. The main source of deterrence? The programs in place at individual schools. There are some small changes up for consideration. However, even if those changes occur, the standards could be as varied as the 351 Division I universities.
NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Boston Bruins at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
Vancouver Canucks at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.
NCAA Basketball – Women’s – WNIT Semifinals
Last Night
UCLA 69, Michigan 65
UCLA 69, Michigan 65 – UCLA Ends Michigan’s WNIT Run
Michigan saw its postseason run end on Wednesday falling to UCLA, 69-65, in the WNIT Semifinals at Crisler Center. The Wolverines end their season with a 20-15 record, their fourth straight season with at least 20 wins. The Wolverines were paced by their three seniors, who, in their final game, combined to score 47 of the team’s 65 points. Shannon Smith led all scorers with 20 points, while Nicole Elmblad added 16. Cyesha Goree added a double-double — her 18th of the season — with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Katelynn Flaherty came off the bench and had 14 points.
MLB – Major League Baseball – Spring Training
Yesterday
Houston 3, Detroit 2
Chicago Cubs 11, Milwaukee 7
San Diego 8, Chicago White Sox (SS) 2
Chicago White Sox (SS) 12, Seattle 4
Astros 3, Tigers 2 – Keuchel allows 1 run, leads Astros over Tigers 3-2
Dallas Keuchel allowed one run over 5 2-3 innings to lead the Houston Astros over the Detroit Tigers 3-2 yesterday. Keuchel gave up seven hits, struck out five and walked one. Evan Gattis, Chris Carter and Jake Marisnick drove in runs in the first against Kyle Ryan.
Cubs 11, Brewers 7 – Rizzo hits 3-run homer as Cubs beat Brewers and Lohse 11-7
Anthony Rizzo hit a three-run homer off Kyle Lohse, and Jason Hammel allowed one run in five innings as the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-7 Wednesday.
Padres 8, White Sox (SS) 2 – Padres rout Samardzija and White Sox 8-2 as Shields tunes up
James Shields allowed three hits, Jedd Gyorko hit a three-run homer in a five-run first inning against Jeff Samardzija and the San Diego Padres beat a Chicago White Sox split squad 8-2.
White Sox (SS) 12, Mariners 4 – Garcia homers, Abreu has 2 more hits for White Sox in win
Jose Abreu added to his sizzling spring training with two more hits as a Chicago White Sox split squad beat the Seattle Mariners 12-4 yesterday. Abreu raised his spring training-leading batting average to .518. Gordon Beckham went 3 for 4 with two RBIs for the White Sox.
Today
N.Y. Yankees (ss) vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Fla., 1:05 p.m.
Chicago White Sox vs. Arizona at Scottsdale, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.
Cubs are off
NFL – Bears agree to 1-year deals with LB Acho, CB McManis
The Chicago Bears agreed Wednesday to one-year contracts with linebacker Sam Acho and cornerback Sherrick McManis. A fourth-round draft pick by Arizona in 2011, he spent four seasons with the Cardinals. He had a career-high seven sacks as a rookie, but has just six since then. A broken left fibula limited Acho to three games in 2013. He appeared in 16 games last season and made four starts. McManis has played in 62 games through five seasons with the Houston Texans (2010-11) and Chicago Bears (2012-14). He is mainly a special teams contributor.
FIFA – 13 senators ask FIFA to move World Cup out of Russia
Thirteen U.S. senators are asking FIFA to consider taking the 2018 World Cup out of Russia because of what they call that country’s “ongoing violations of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.” In the letter, lawmakers including Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson, Illinois Democrat Richard Durbin and Arizona Republican John McCain are telling Sepp Blatter, the head of soccer’s governing body, that letting Russia host the event “inappropriately bolsters the prestige” of President Vladimir Putin’s “regime at a time it when it should be condemned.” They suggested that FIFA hold an extraordinary congress to vote on whether to move the 2018 tournament to another site.
Judge to decide if Notre Dame police records are public
A northern Indiana judge is heard arguments Wednesday in ESPN’s lawsuit against the University of Notre Dame, alleging the school is violating Indiana’s public record laws by withholding police incident reports about possible campus crimes involving certain student-athletes. The lawsuit doesn’t specify the incidents or which athletes may have been involved. St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Steven Hostetler says he hopes to rule by April 20.
AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Grand Rapids Griffins 6, Rockford IceHogs 1
Chicago Wolves 2, Toronto Marlies 1
NBADL – NBA D-League
Last Night
Sioux Falls Skyforce 121, Grand Rapids Drive 101
MHSAA – Michigan High School Athletic Association – High School Sports
Yesterday
Baseball
Benton Harbor 14, Bangor 13
Coloma 8, Climax-Scotts 2 – Game 1
Coloma 14, Climax-Scotts 1 – Game 2
Hamilton 6, South Haven 1 – Game 1
Hamilton 9, South Haven 8 – Game 2
Decatur 10, Dowagiac 3 – Game 1
Decatur 7, Dowagiac 5 – Game 2
Saugatuck 11, Allegan 3
Softball
South Bend Washington (IN) 5, Dowagiac 4 – Game 1
Dowagiac 8, South Bend Washington (IN) 5 – Game 2
Paw Paw 17, Galesburg-Augusta 0
Saugatuck 15, Allegan 0 – Game 1
Saugatuck 16, Allegan 1 – Game 2
Soccer
South Haven 3, Fennville 0
Brynn Murdock scored twice and Jessica Miles added another goal as South Haven beat Fennville 3-0
Paw Paw 3, Kalamazoo Christian 0
Gull Lake 8, Allegan 1
Plainwell 3, Battle Creek Lakeview 3 – TIE
Track and Field
Bronson 80, Cassopolis 52 – Boys
Cassopolis 80, Bronson 47 – Girls
Today
Baseball
Marcellus at Brandywine, 4:00 p.m.
Cassopolis at River Valley, 4:15 p.m.
Bangor at Lawton, 4:30 p.m.
Softball
Fennville at South Haven, 4:00 p.m.
Cassopolis at River Valley, 4:15 p.m.
Bangor at Lawton, 4:30 p.m.
Soccer
Delton-Kellogg at Lawton, 5:30 p.m.