Weekday Morning Sports – Wednesday 12/2/15

sportsreport

Sports Radio 1400 WSJM     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Wednesday, December 02, 2015

NCAA Men’s Basketball
Yesterday
Michigan 66, NC State 59
Eastern Michigan 80, Nebraska – Omaha 73

Michigan 66, NC State 59 – LeVert, Robinson lead Michigan past NC State 66-59
Caris LeVert had 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Michigan beat North Carolina State 66-59 on Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Duncan Robinson added 17 points with five of his team’s seven 3-pointers, while LeVert was 6 of 6 from the free-throw line in the final minute for the Wolverines (5-2). Robinson and Zak Irvin then hit 3s on consecutive possessions to put the Wolverines up by 10 with 61/2 minutes left. N.C. State, which managed just three field goals in the final 7 minutes, never got closer than seven the rest of the way. Michigan shot 50 percent and held on for its third straight win. Caleb Martin scored 19 points and Anthony “Cat” Barber had 16 for N.C. State (4-3), which shot 33 percent and had its two-game winning streak halted.

EMU 80, Nebraska Omaha 73 – Thompson IV leads Eastern Michigan over Nebraska-Omaha 80-73
James Thompson IV scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Eastern Michigan to an 80-73 victory over Nebraska-Omaha on Tuesday night. Thompson was 8 of 13 from the field and had two blocks and a steal. Tre’Shawn Thurman scored 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting with 11 rebounds to lead Nebraska-Omaha.

Tonight
(24) Louisville at (3) Michigan State, 7:15 p.m.
Notre Dame at Illinois, 9:15 p.m.

NCAA Women’s Basketball
Yesterday
Eastern Michigan 77, Oral Roberts 69

Tonight
(10) Ohio State at (3) Notre Dame, 7:00 p.m.
Western Michigan at Loyola-Chicago, 8:00 p.m.

NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Detroit Red Wings 5, Buffalo Sabres 4 – Shootout
Minnesota Wild 2, Chicago Blackhawks 1

Red Wings 5, Sabres 4 – SO – Richards gives Wings shootout win
The Detroit Red Wings followed their recent trend of giving up game-tying goals in the third period. They gave up another goal, too, to fall behind before rallying to extend the game and eventually win it. Brad Richards scored on Detroit’s third attempt in a shootout and Jack Eichel missed the net on the ensuing chance, as the Red Wings beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 on Tuesday night.  Justin Abdelkader’s second goal with 6:29 to go in regulation pulled the Red Wings into a 4-all tie after they blew a pair of two-goal leads and a one-goal advantage in the third. The Red Wings gave up a game-tying score in the third period for the fifth straight game, then needed Abdelkader’s goal to avoid losing in regulation.

Wild 2, Blackhawks 1 – Suter scores in 3rd as Wild beat Blackhawks 2-1
Defenseman Ryan Suter drove to the net and poked in a rebound with 7:56 left in the third period, lifting the Minnesota Wild to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.  After Chicago’s Corey Crawford made an acrobatic right pad save on Mikael Granlund on a breakaway, Granlund missed on a rebound attempt. Suter then cruised to the net and buried a loose puck that was dangling near the goal line. Chicago forward Patrick Kane scored a power-play goal at 5:21 of the second period to extend his point streak to 20 games. Kane has 12 goals and 20 assists during the record-breaking run for a U.S.-born player.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Tonight
Phoenix Suns at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m.
Denver Nuggets at Chicago Bulls, 8:00 p.m.

NBA – NBA fines Pistons’ Reggie Jackson $25K for comments to fan
The NBA has fined Detroit Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson $25,000 for directing inappropriate language toward a fan during a loss in Oklahoma City last week. The fine was announced Tuesday. Jackson was traded by Oklahoma City last season after saying he wanted to be a starter despite playing behind All-Star Russell Westbrook. Jackson was booed loudly during pregame warmups last Friday and jeered most of the time when he touched the ball. He finished with 15 points on 4-for-16 shooting as the Thunder beat the Pistons, 103-87.

NBA – Sixers break skid
The Philadelphia 76ers have ended the longest losing streak in the history of U.S. major pro sports by topping the Los Angeles Lakers 103-91 to snap a 28-game skid. The Sixers had lost their first 18 games this season, before breaking through behind Robert Covington’s 23 points.  Kobe Bryant has most likely played his final game in his hometown of Philadelphia. The L.A. Lakers superstar scored 20 points on 7-of-26 shooting and walked off to a standing ovation and chants of “Kobe! Kobe!” He says he is retiring at the end of the season.

NCAA – AP source: Michigan interim AD Jim Hackett does not want job
A person familiar with the situation says Michigan interim athletic director Jim Hackett does not want to be in the running to keep his job. Hackett was hired last year to replace Dave Brandon after he resigned. Hackett will be remembered as the AD who brought Jim Harbaugh back to Michigan to lead the football team he played for two decades ago.

NCAA Football – It’s Clemson, `Bama, Oklahoma and Iowa
Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and Iowa are the top four teams in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. The Sooners locked up the Big 12 championship with a blowout victory at Oklahoma State on Saturday. Both the 12-0 Tigers and 11-1 Crimson Tide head into their conference championship games Saturday needing just a victory to lock up a playoff spot. The top seed gets to play closest to home, so for Clemson a semifinal game at the Orange Bowl in Miami is also on the line against North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. Iowa plays Michigan State for the Big Ten title Saturday in what effectively is an elimination game for the playoffs.

NCAA Football – Michigan St DB Williamson practicing, unlikely to face Iowa
State coach Mark Dantonio says safety RJ Williamson is practicing again, but he probably won’t play in this weekend’s Big Ten championship game against Iowa. Williamson hasn’t played since Oct. 3 and he needed surgery on a torn bicep. The fifth-ranked Spartans are hoping the senior will be back for a bowl or playoff game after this week’s showdown with the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes.  Michigan State’s secondary has had its problems without Williamson and injured cornerback Vayante Copeland, but the Spartans have played better lately. Dantonio did not provide an update on fullback Trevon Pendleton, who left last weekend’s win over Penn State with an apparent leg injury.

NCAA Football – Ohio State’s Elliott, Iowa’s Ferentz receive Big Ten honors
Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott is the offensive player of the year and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz is the coach of the year in the Big Ten. The league on Tuesday announced Ferentz’s honor and offensive awards, as determined by a vote of coaches and media. Elliott, also the running back of the year, leads the Big Ten with 1,672 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns. Ferentz guided Iowa to a 12-0 record after going 7-6 in 2014. He also was coach of the year in 2002, 2004 and 2009. Other offensive honors: Connor Cook, Michigan State, quarterback of the year; Aaron Burbridge, Michigan State, receiver of the year; Jake Butt, Michigan, tight end of the year; Taylor Decker, Ohio State, offensive lineman of the year.

MLB – Price signs with Red Sox
A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Boston Red Sox and ace pitcher David Price have agreed to a deal worth $217 million over seven years. Price is a serious upgrade for the Red Sox pitching staff, which struggled last season as Boston finished 78-84, last in the division.

AHL – American Hockey League
Tonight
Manitoba Moose at Chicago Wolves, 8:00 p.m.

ECHL – East Coast Hockey League
Tonight
Kalamazoo Wings at Elmira Jackals, 7:05 p.m.

MCCAA – Junior College Basketball
Last Night
Women:        Lake Michigan College 89, Calvin College JV 85 – OT
Men:            Lake Michigan College 74, Calvin College 58

Tonight
Men:            Mott at Lake Michigan College, 7:00 p.m.                 WSJM-AM 6:50

MHSAA – High School Sports – Girls Basketball Season Opener
Last Night
sj-harpercreekSt. Joseph 42, Battle Creek Harper Creek 37
Shelby Madison had a game high 17 points as St. Joe held on for a 42-37 win at Battle Creek Harper Creek.  St. Joe led by as much as 19 points early in the second half but Harper Creek could only close the gap to 4 points.  Audrey Filippo added 10 points for the Bears who are now 1-0 on the season.

Lakeshore 65, Paw Paw 37
Lakeshore opened the season with a 65-37 win over Paw Paw.  Morgan Kaiser had 25 points for the Lancers, who outscored the Redskins 35-0 in the third quarter.  Sarah Dubbert and Taylor Wagner each added 12 for the 1-0 Lancers.

Michigan Lutheran 55, Andrews Academy 30
Michigan Lutheran had three players scored in double figures as the Titans opened the season with a 55-30 win over Andrews Academy.  Emily Witkowski had 19 points to lead Lutheran.  Erika Rosenbaum had 13 and Sarah Jackemeyer chipped in 11.  Taylor Ferris had 16 to lead Andrews.

South Haven 44, Bridgman 22
South Haven outscored Bridgman 29-11 in the second half on the way to a 44-22 win over the Bees to open the season.  Alaina Johnson had 10 points to lead the Rams.

Other Scores
Edwardsburg 46, Niles 33
Buchanan 49, Dowagiac 21
Gobles 35, Allegan 34
Coloma 32, Decatur 28
Berrien Springs 56, New Buffalo 46
River Valley 30, Cassopolis 28
Kalamazoo Christian 40, Bangor 19
Kalamazoo Hackett 45, Watervliet 35
Lawrence 47, Watervliet Grace Christian 15
Brandywine 46, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 31
Delton Kellogg 51, Bloomingdale 37
Schoolcraft 41, Martin 31
Saugatuck 50, Wyoming Lee 10
Comstock 57, Vicksburg 38
Otsego 32, Portage Northern 24
Caledonia 57, Gull Lake 43
Mason 50, Battle Creek Lakeview 38
Hopkins 52, Fennville 44
Jackson 40, Battle Creek Central 34