About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 2018)
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com SPORTS 2B Sunday, December 30, 2018 KELVIN KUO I Associated Press Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers attempts a pass against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half of the game Dec. 23 in Carson, Calif. COLLEGE BASKETBALL I Mens top 25 SHAWN MILLSAPS I The Tennessee guard Jordan Bone (0) looks to pass as Tennessee Tech guard J.R. Clay (4) defends in the first half of the game Dec. 29 in Knoxville, Tenn. No. 3 Tennessee strolls past Tennessee Tech Associated Press NFL ■ Continued from 1B Jackson and tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was on the field as part of New England’s prevent defense. Touchdown, and a 34-33 victory. “I mean, honestly, I’m sit ting before you all and I still don’t believe it,” Drake said during interviews after the improbable conclusion sent New England to its fifth loss in the past six visits to South Florida. “I just saw it was Gronk in front of me and I was just like, ‘Look, I’ve got somewhere to be.’ So I had to get in the end zone.” Runners-up: Hard to find anything close to that. Try Derrick Henry’s 99-yard TD run for Tennessee against Jacksonville, also in Week 14, to tie the NFL record set by Tony Dorsett in 1983. Or Donte Jackson’s pick-2 in which he intercepted Brees’ 2-point conversion pass and sped 100 yards the other way to give Carolina the deuce in Week 15. Or Dwayne Har ris’ 99-yard punt return in Oakland’s Week 16 win over Denver. WORST PLAY OF THE YEAR: The Lions let Seat tle rookie punter Michael Dickson run for a first down when he actually was trying to take an intentional safety in the Seahawks’ 28-14 vic tory in Week 8. Dickson took the snap in his end zone and was supposed to give up the safety, but Detroit reacted so poorly that after drift ing across the back of the end zone, Dickson figured he had a chance for a first down and took off running, gaining 9 yards. Mission accomplished. Runners-up: Roughing- the-passer call on Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews when he made a textbook sack of Alex Smith in Week 3. Officials soon backed off on the overemphasis on such mistaken flags. As part of an outstand ing play, when San Fran cisco’s Richie James Jr. returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown in Week 15, Seattle kicker Sebastian Jan- ikowski’s feeble (to be kind) attempt to make a play. BEST CELEBRATION: Just allowing more intricate and creative celebrations was a positive. And posi tively the best of a strong group, individually, was Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill catching a TD pass against Arizona in Week 10, then jumping into the stands to operate the CBS TV camera. Football/NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE W East L T Pet PF PA y-New England 10 5 0 .667 398 322 Miami 7 8 0 .467 302 391 Buffalo 5 10 0 .333 227 357 N.Y. Jets 4 11 0 .267 330 403 W South L T Pet PF PA x-Houston 10 5 0 .667 382 313 Indianapolis 9 6 0 .600 400 327 Tennessee 9 6 0 .600 293 270 Jacksonville 5 10 0 .333 242 296 W North L T Pet PF PA Baltimore 9 6 0 .600 363 263 Pittsburgh 8 6 1 .567 412 347 Cleveland 7 7 1 .500 335 366 Cincinnati 6 9 0 .400 355 439 W West L T Pet PF PA x-Kansas City 11 4 0 .733 530 418 x-L.A. Chargers 11 4 0 .733 405 320 Denver 6 9 0 .400 320 326 Oakland 4 11 0 .267 287 432 NATIONAL CONFERENCE W East L T Pet PF PA y-Dallas 9 6 0 .600 303 289 Philadelphia 8 7 0 .533 343 348 Washington 7 8 0 .467 281 335 N.Y. Giants 5 10 0 .333 334 376 W South L T Pet PF PA y-New Orleans 13 2 0 .867 490 320 Atlanta 6 9 0 .400 380 391 Carolina 6 9 0 .400 343 368 Tampa Bay 5 10 0 .333 364 430 W North L T Pet PF PA y-Chicago 11 4 0 .733 397 273 Minnesota 8 6 1 .567 350 317 Green Bay 6 8 1 .433 376 369 Detroit 5 10 0 .333 293 360 W West L T Pet PF PA y-L.A. Rams 12 3 0 .800 479 352 x-Seattle 9 6 0 .600 401 323 San Francisco 4 11 0 .267 310 387 Arizona 3 12 0 .200 201 398 x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division Today’s Games Miami at Buffalo, 1 p.m. Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. Jacksonville at Houston, 1 p.m. Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. Detroit at Green Bay, 1 p.m. N.Y. Jets at New England, 1 p.m. Carolina at New Orleans, 1 p.m. Arizona at Seattle, 4:25 p.m. L.A. Chargers at Denver, 4:25 p.m. Oakland at Kansas City, 4:25 p.m. San Francisco at L.A. Rams, 4:25 p.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 4:25 p.m. Chicago at Minnesota, 4:25 p.m. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 4:25 p.m. Cleveland at Baltimore, 4:25 p.m. Indianapolis at Tennessee, 8:20 p.m. The group trophy goes to the Vikings for their limbo dance, using Adam Thielen as the bar, in a Week 12 vic tory against Green Bay. BEST COACHING MOVE: The gutsiest calls usually wind up as the best — or worst — coaching moves. What Anthony Lynn did at the end of the Char gers’ visit to Kansas City in a pivotal Week 15 game stamped LA as a champion- ship-caliber squad. Trailing 28-27, he ordered a 2-point conversion try with 4 sec onds remaining. In other words, do or die. And the play worked so stunningly well that Mike Williams was absolutely uncovered in the end zone. Runners-up: Any team that eschews the prevent defense late in a game; Pete Carroll emphasizing old- time football, defense and the run game, to comple ment Russell Wilson’s bril liant quarterbacking. WORST COACHING MOVE: Some critics will say anything Jon Gruden tried in his return to the NFL with Oakland. We’ll stick with trading away Khalil Mack and then Amari Cooper, sending the Raiders spiral ing down the Black Hole. Runners-up: Bill Belich- ick using Gronkowski at safety to defend a Hail Mary pass that never figured to happen; Hue Jackson keep ing Baker Mayfield on the bench to begin the Browns season. MOST IMPROVED PLAYER (OFFENSE): We’re looking for guys who played enough in 2017 to be able to judge their improve ment in 2018. So a Patrick Mahomes doesn’t quite fit after one game last season. But Steelers RB James Con ner, placed in such a dif ficult situation replacing holdout Le’Veon Bell, is the right choice. Transactions FOOTBALL National Football League CHICAGO BEARS — Waived QB Tyler Bray. Activated 0L Kyle Long from injured reserve. NEW YORK GIANTS — Placed WR Jawill Davis on injured reserve. Signed WR Alonzo Russell from the practice squad. NEW YORK JETS — Placed WR Quincy Enunwa, CB Morris Claiborne and LB Kevin Pierre-Louis on injured reserve. Signed CB Brandon Bryant, WR J.J. Jones and DT Destiny Vaeao from the practice squad. HOCKEY National Hockey League NHL — Fined Montreal F Phillip Danault $5,000 for a dangerous trip against Florida D Aaron Ekblad. ANAHEIM DUCKS — Reassigned D Andrej Sustr to San Diego (AHL). Recalled D Andy Welinski from San Diego. ARIZONA COYOTES — Assigned F Michael Bunting to Tucson (AHL). BUFFALO SABRES — Recalled G Jonas Johans son from Cincinnati (ECHL) to Rochester (AHL). CALGARY FLAMES — Recalled F Dillon Dube from Stockton (AHL). LOS ANGELES KINGS — Activated D Dion Phaneuf from injured reserve. NEW YORK ISLANDERS — Placed F Jordan Eberle on injured reserve. Recalled F Michael Dal Colle from Bridgeport (AHL). TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING — Assigned D Matthew Spencer from Syracuse (AHL) to Orlando (ECHL). COLLEGE AUBURN — CB Jamel Dean will enter the NFL draft. MEMPHIS — Named Adam Fuller defensive coordinator. Basketball/college Women’s major scores EAST Albany (NY) 62, Columbia 58 Boston College 99, Dartmouth 68 Cornell 79, Hampton 53 Fairleigh Dickinson 70, Georgian Court 45 Fordham 72, Maine 64 Hofstra 77, Wilmington (DE)56 LIU Brooklyn 55, Lafayette 50 Ohio 77, American U. 67 Pittsburgh 66, Duquesne 58 Princeton 90, New Hampshire 42 UMass 70, Marist 55 West Virginia 84, Niagara 32 SOUTH Auburn 83, Alabama St. 50 Coastal Carolina 78, UNC-Greensboro 71 Drexel 58, Richmond 35 Florida St. 79, Georgia St. 43 Gardner-Webb 79, Converse 51 George Mason 70, Md.-Eastern Shore 49 High Point 73, ETSU 65 Kentucky 71, Sacred Heart 43 Louisiana Tech 89, McNeese St. 48 Marshall 75, Delaware St. 63 Memphis 77, NC Central 56 Middle Tennessee 58, Chattanooga 47 Runners-up: Bengals RB Joe Mixon and WR Tyler Boyd; Seahawks RB Chris Carson; 49ers TE George Kittle; Giants K Aldrick Rosas; Lions WR Kenny Golladay; Colts RB Mar lon Mack; Rams G Austin Blythe. MOST IMPROVED PLAYER (DEFENSE): Kansas City DT Chris Jones has become a sacks machine, force against the run, and one of the few Chiefs earning his keep all season on defense. He’s not quite at the Aaron Donald level, but he’s getting closer. Runners-up: Jets S Jamal Adams; Seahawks DT Jar- ran Reed; Saints DT Sheldon Rankins; Rams LB Cory Lit tleton; Cowboys LB Jaylon Smith; Bills LB Matt Milano; Falcons S Domantae Kazee. BEST PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER: Close your eyes and listen to a game being done by Kevin Harlan of CBS on television, West- wood One on radio. You get a description like none other on the airwaves, so much so that you needn’t be watch ing to have a clear vision of the action. Explanatory, pas sionate and humorous, Har lan is simply the best. Runners-up: Mike Tirico — sure he does limited games for NBC, but he’s elite and deserves more; Ian Eagle (CBS); Kenny Albert (Fox); Kevin Kugler (West- wood One). BEST ANALYST: We rec ognize that 2002 NFL Most Valuable Player Rich Gan non partners with Harlan on Sunday afternoons, which no doubt raises his level of performance. Not that Gan non needs the help. No one gives a better breakdown of what’s happening and why, who is deserving credit and who gets blame, and what game situations call for. Another MVP showing for the former quarterback. Men’s Top 25 Saturday 1. Duke (11-1) did not play. Next: vs. Clemson, Saturday. 2. Michigan (12-0) did not play. Next: vs. Binghamton, Sunday. 3. Tennessee (11-1) beat Tennessee Tech BB SS. Next: vs. Georgia, Saturday. 4. Virginia (11-0) did not play. Next: vs. Marshall, Monday. 5. Kansas (11-1) beat Eastern Michigan 87-63. Next: vs. No. 25 Oklahoma, Wednesday. 6. Nevada (13-0) beat Utah 86-71. Next: vs. Utah State, Wednesday. 7. Gonzaga (12-2) did not play. Next: vs. Cal State Bakersfield, Monday. 8. Michigan State (11-2) beat Northern Illinois 88-60. Next: vs. Northwestern, Wednesday. 9. Florida State (11-1) did not play. Next: vs. Winthrop, Tuesday. 10. Virginia Tech (11 -1) did not play. Next: vs. Notre Dame, Tuesday. 11. Texas Tech (11 -1) did not play. Next: at West Virginia, Wednesday. 12. Auburn (11-2) beat North Florida 95-49. Next: at Mississippi, Wednesday, Jan. 9. 13. Ohio State (12-1) beat High Point 82-64. Next: vs. No. 8 Michigan State, Saturday. 14. North Carolina (9-3) beat Davidson 82-60. Next: vs. Harvard, Wednesday. 15. Wisconsin (10-3) lost to Western Kentucky 83-76. Next: vs. Minnesota, Thursday. 16. Kentucky (10-2) beat Louisville 71-58. Next: at Alabama, Saturday. 17. Arizona State (9-3) lost to Princeton 67-66. Next: vs. Utah, Thursday. 18. Marquette (11-2) did not play. Next: at St. John’s, Tuesday. 19. Mississippi State (12-1) beat BYU 103-81. Next: at South Carolina, Tuesday, Jan. 8. 20. N.C. State (12-1) did not play. Next: at Miami, Thursday. 21. Buffalo (11-1) at Canisius. Next: at Eastern Michigan, Friday. 22. Houston (13-0) beat NJIT 80-59. Next: vs. Tulsa, Wednesday. 23. Indiana (11-2) did not play. Next: vs. Illinois, Thursday. 24. Iowa (10-2) vs. Bryant. Next: at Purdue, Thursday. 25. Oklahoma (11-1) did not play. Next: at No. 5 Kansas, Wednesday. Men’s scores EAST George Washington 71, American U. 67, OT Georgetown 102, Howard 67 Hartford 65, Marist 56 Mass.-Lowell 100, Sacred Heart 91,0T Niagara 83, Norfolk St. 75 Penn St. 74, UMBC 52 Pittsburgh 68, Colgate 54 Robert Morris 108, Hood 51 Rutgers 70, Maine 55 Saint Joseph’s 59, Wagner 57 Siena 75, Cal Poly 54 St. Peter’s 83, Hampton 80,0T Syracuse 81, St. Bonaventure 47 SOUTH ETSU 79, Furman 56 Fayetteville State 80, UNC-Asheville 63 Florida 77, Butler 43 Gardner-Webb 73, Wake Forest 69 Grant Williams scored 25 points and went 10 of 11 from the floor to lead a strong shooting perfor mance for No. 3 Tennessee in a 96-53 blowout of Tennes see Tech. Tennessee shot a season- high 63.8 percent (37 of 58), aided by 12 dunks. The Vol unteers were shooting above 70 percent for much of the game before missing seven of their last eight attempts. The Vols (11-1) have won seven straight overall and 16 consecutive home games ahead of Southeastern Con ference competition next weekend. Jr. Clay scored 16 points to lead Tennessee Tech (4-9). No. 5 KANSAS 86, EAST ERN MICHIGAN 63: Udoka Azubuike scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his return from an ankle injury, and No. 5 Kansas cruised to an 87-63 win over Eastern Michigan. Azubuike hit the ground running after missing four games, scoring seven points in the first six minutes, high lighted by a couple of and- one dunks. He finished with 14 in the first half and added nine in the second before being sat to rest. The 7-footer’s presence opened things up offensively for the Jayhawks (11-1) as they racked up a season-high 25 assists and had 10 players score. Quentin Grimes was second on the team with 16 points, and Devon Dotson added 15. John Thompson IV led the way for the Eagles (6-7), finishing with 15 points and 14 rebounds. No. 6 NEVADA 86, UTAH 71: Caleb Martin scored a career-high 33 points, Jor dan Caroline added 17, and Nevada beat Utah. Jazz Johnson went 4 for 4 WOMEN’S TOP 25 No. 6 Stanford rolls to 69-43 win Maya Dodson scored a career-high 16 points and blocked three shots to lift No. 6 Stanford over CSUN 69-43 on Saturday. Alanna Smith added 14 points for the Cardinal (10- 1), who won their fourth straight since losing at Gon zaga. Lacie Hull scored 10 points. DeJonai Carrington had 12 rebounds, her third straight double-digit game after recording no more than nine in her first eight games. Meghann Henderson scored seven points to lead the Matadors, who won two of their previous three games. The game was over early as the Matadors (6-8) were 8.3 percent from the floor in the first quarter while Stan ford went on an early 13-0 run. No. 11 OREGON STATE 92, CAL STATE BAKERS FIELD 52: Mikayla Pivec had a perfect day shooting, scoring a career-high 22 points with 10 rebounds, and Oregon State knocked down 16 3-pointers to roll past Cal State Bakersfield. from the beyond the arc as the Wolf Pack made 12 3s and shot 46 percent from long range. Coming into the game, the Wolf Pack had made just 27 of their last 112 3-pint attempts. Nevada, which forced Utah into 18 turnovers, remained just one of five undefeated NCAA Division I teams. No. 8 MICHIGAN STATE 88, NORTHERN ILLI NOIS 60: Cassius Winston matched a career-high with six 3-pointers and scored 24 points, leading Michigan State to win over Northern Illinois. The Spartans (11-2) have won six straight, head ing into the Big Ten season. The Huskies (7-6) have alternated between winning and losing for much of the season. No. 12 AUBURN 95, NORTH FLORIDA 49: Bryce Brown scored 18 points and made five 3-point- ers, and Auburn raced to a victory over North Florida with a smothering defensive performance. The Tigers (11-2) forced 33 turnovers and racked up 20 steals in their final non conference tuneup before Southeastern Conference play. Auburn converted those turnovers into 41 points, nearly matching the total output for North Flor ida (5-9). Austin Wiley had 13 points and seven rebounds for Auburn, which had five players score in double fig ures. Jared Harper didn’t quite join them but had nine points and 10 assists. No. 13 OHIO STATE 82, HIGH POINT 64: C.J. Jack- son scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half and Kaleb Wesson added 17 points as Ohio State beat High Point. Luther Muhammed had a career-high 15 points to help No. 13 TEXAS 104, NORTHWESTERN STATE 66: Destiny Littleton scored 22 points, one of three Texas players to set career highs, and the Longhorns warmed up for conference play with its highest scoring game of the season, a win over North western State. Sug Sutton had 18 points and Olamide Aborowa 17, both career bests, for the Longhorns (10-2), who had five players score in double figures. Littleton went 11 for 11 from the foul line and had seven assists and six rebounds. Texas closed the first half with a 13-0 run for a 52-29 lead and opened the second half with 11 straight points. No. 18 KENTUCKY 71, SACRED HEART 43: Maci Morris scored 17 points, freshman guard Rhyne Howard grabbed a career- high 15 rebounds and Ken tucky coasted in its final turneup before conference play, beating Sacred Heart. Jaida Roper added 12 points and Taylor Murray 11 for the Wildcats (13-1), who used a 10-0 run to close the first half for a 33-20 lead. A 14-0 run early in the third quarter, when McKinney scored seven, pushed the lead to 25. the Buckeyes (12-1) get their sixth consecutive win. Ricky Madison scored 12 points and Curtis Holland III had 11 for the Panthers (6-7), who have lost two straight. No. 14 NORTH CARO LINA 82, DAVIDSON 60: Cameron Johnson scored 17 points, Luke Maye had 11 points and 14 rebounds, and North Carolina beat Davidson. Kenny Williams added 12 points and Garrison Brooks had 11 to help the Tar Heels (9-3) bounce back from their 80-72 loss to No. 16 Kentucky on Dec. 22 — the first time since 2014 that North Caro lina had three losses before Christmas. No. 16 KENTUCKY 71, LOUISVILLE 58: Tyler Herro had a career-high 24 points, Keldon Johnson added 15 and Kentucky beat Louisville in this fierce Blue- grass rivalry. A close game for 10 min utes quickly swung toward the Wildcats (10-2) behind an 11-0 run for a 31-17 lead. The spurt typified their suc cess on both ends. They kept the Cardinals (9-4) from passing and driving inside and grabbed offensive rebounds leading to second and third chances. PRINCETON 67, No. 17 ARIZONA STATE 66: Rich mond Aririguzoh sank two free throws with 24.8 sec onds remaining and Princ eton held on to stun No. 17 Arizona State on Saturday, a week after the Sun Devils had beaten then-No. 1 Kan sas on the same floor. No. 19 MISSISSIPPI STATE 103, BYU 81: Aric Holman scored a career-high 28 points and Quinndary Weatherspoon had 27 Saturday, leading Mississippi State past BYU for the Bulldogs’ ninth straight victory. Erin Storck led the Pio neers (4-7) with 19 points. No. 20 GONZAGA 78, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 53: Zykera Rice scored 15 points to lead a balanced attack and Gonzaga domi nated the second half to defeat Loyola Marymount. The Bulldogs (12-1) shot just 29 percent in the first half and trailed the Lions (7-6) 29-23. But the second half was a different story. No. 22 MARQUETTE 85, PROVIDENCE 46: Nati- sha Hiedeman scored 25 points, Erika Davenport had a career-high 20 rebounds in her double-double and Marquette cruised past Providence in the Big East opener. Allazia Blockton was held to six points, a dozen below her career average, but that was enough to become the all-time leading scorer at Marquette with 1,989 points, surpassing Jerel McNeal with 1,985 for the men. No. 23 TEXAS A&M 84, UT RIO GRANDE VAL LEY 61: Ciera Johnson scored 17 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds and Texas A&M had its first undefeated December in 10 seasons, defeating UT Rio Grande Valley. Associated Press TODAY ON TV BASKETBALL ■ Women’s: Iowa at Michigan State, 1 p.m., ESPN2 ■ Mount St. Mary’s at Minnesota, 4 p.m., ESPNU ■ Alabama at Stephen F. Austin, 6 p.m., ESPNU FOOTBALL ■ NFL: Falcons at Buccaneers, 1 p.m., FOX ■ NFL: Colts at Titans, 8:20 p.m., NBC
