Final Scores Fri Nov 7th, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -Colin Kaepernick was a pitcher who had major league scouts salivating before he abandoned baseball to run Nevada’s unorthodox offense
The quarterback barely even needed to use his outstanding arm at Fresno State - not while Kaepernick and his teammates were running right over every Bulldog in sight.
Vai Taua ran for a career-best 263 yards and a late touchdown, and Kaepernick added 118 yards and two scores in Nevada’s 472-yard ground attack in a 41-28 victory Friday night, the Wolf Pack’s first win in Fresno since 1998.
Courtney Randall had 66 yards rushing and another touchdown for the Wolf Pack (5-4, 3-2 WAC), who rarely stopped moving forward in another prodigious performance by Kaepernick and their distinctive “pistol” offense, which even gave Texas Tech some trouble earlier this year.
After holding on to the ball for 13:46 in the fourth quarter, Nevada finished with 600 total yards - its third 600-yard game this season, even with Kaepernick going 7-for-17 for just 128 yards through the air.
“We knew towards the end of the second quarter that they were getting tired,” said Kaepernick, a sophomore whose 20th rushing touchdown tied Hall of Famer Marion Motley’s career total. “We just kept executing our game plan and running it in on those guys. It’s fun to run this offense.”
Seyi Ajirotutu caught two touchdown passes from Tom Brandstater for the Bulldogs (5-4, 2-3), who lost their second straight and dropped to 1-3 at Bulldog Stadium this season with just their second loss to Nevada in the schools’ last 10 meetings. Brandstater went 23-of-43 for 260 yards, but threw two interceptions.
A.J. Jefferson returned a kickoff 93 yards for a score in the fourth quarter to keep Fresno State close, but Kevin Grimes intercepted Brandstater’s fourth-down pass in the final minutes, and Ajirotutu fumbled at the Nevada 10 with 1:57 to play.
With inexperienced players lining up at several key defensive positions, the Bulldogs’ youth and injury problems were too large to mask.
“We might not be the same team we were in September, but we’re going to keep battling and trying to find ways to win games,” Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. “We felt that we had a game plan for them, but obviously, we didn’t. There was just a lot of inconsistency.”
Lonyae Miller also rushed for a score, but Fresno State simply couldn’t stop the Wolf Pack, who got Kaepernick’s third 100-yard rushing game and Taua’s first 200-yard performance of the season. Mike McCoy caught an early touchdown pass, and Taua - a third-stringer when the season began - had the sixth-highest rushing total in school history while averaging 9.4 yards per carry.
Kaepernick and Brandstater both grew up in Turlock, Calif., a San Joaquin Valley town about 80 miles north of Fresno, graduating from different high schools two years apart. While Brandstater is a more classic dropback passer, the 6-foot-6 Kaepernick is thriving in the pistol, a shotgun derivative which involves plenty of option rushing and multiple-receiver sets.
“You have to contain a quarterback with such athleticism,” Fresno State defensive end Chris Carter said. “We made some adjustments and figured out some of the different things they were trying to do, but we just gave up some really big plays.”
Nevada converted a fourth-and-10 on its opening drive, which ended in a 16-yard TD run up the middle by Kaepernick. The quarterback then hit McCoy on the Fresno State sideline on a fourth-and-6 play for a 36-yard score early in the second quarter.
The Wolf Pack racked up 330 yards of offense and made three lengthy scoring drives in the first half, but Nevada also missed a golden opportunity to score more points in the final seconds.
Taua was stopped at the Fresno State 1, and the clock ran out before the Wolf Pack could call a timeout. The officials didn’t see Nevada coach Chris Ault, who won his 196th game, frantically signaling to stop the game before the half ended.
The Bulldogs still need another win to clinch bowl eligibility, and they’ll get their best shot next Saturday in their home finale against New Mexico State. Fresno State’s final two games are on the road against San Jose State and Boise State, the WAC’s top two teams.
“I’m 100 percent confident that we will be bowl-eligible,” Carter said. “We’ve got to dominate New Mexico State, because we can’t let people go around thinking they can beat us like this.”
(Friday, November 7th)
Final Score: Charlotte 92, New Orleans 89
Charlotte, NC - Raymond Felton had 20 points, including two huge free throws late in the game, to help the Bobcats edge the Hornets, 92-89, in a thriller from Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Jason Richardson also had 20 points for the Bobcats, who snapped a two-game skid. Emeka Okafor had 10 points to match his 10 rebounds. D.J. Augustin had 11 points off the bench. Chris Paul had 20 points, 10 assists and six steals for the Hornets, who have let two in a row slip away. Peja Stojakovic also had 20 points and seven rebounds, while David West and James Posey gave 11 points each.
Final Score: New York 114, Washington 108
Washington, DC - Zach Randolph scored 22 points and hauled in 13 rebounds to lead the New York Knicks in a 114-108 victory over the Washington Wizards. Jamal Crawford poured in 23 points and doled out three assists for the Knicks, who have won two in a row. Nate Robinson gave 17 points and six assists, while Wilson Chandler ended with 17 points. Caron Butler had a game-high 30 points and seven boards in a losing effort for the Wizards, who have lost each of their four games to start the season. Antawn Jamison had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Nick Young had 16 points off the bench.
Final Score: Atlanta 110, Toronto 92
Atlanta, GA - Mike Bibby led a balanced attack with 19 points and the Atlanta Hawks stayed unbeaten on the young season with a 110-92 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Philips Arena. Bibby scored all of his points, including five triples, in the first half while dishing out 12 assists and Joe Johnson collected 17 points, seven rebounds and six helpers for the Hawks, who take their 4-0 ledger to the road for the next four games. Atlanta is off to its best start since going 11-0 to open the 1997-98 campaign. The Hawks had five players in double figures with Flip Murray (16), Maurice Evans (15) and Marvin Williams (14) each contributing to the win. It wasn’t all roses for the Hawks as forward Josh Smith left the game in the first quarter with a high left ankle sprain. Smith went up for a block on a jumper from Toronto’s Jermaine O’Neal with 56.1 seconds left in the first and came down awkwardly. He visited the bench before heading to the locker room and is expected to miss an estimated 2-to-4 weeks with the injury. Chris Bosh led all scorers with 26 and grabbed eight boards while Jose Calderon posted a dozen assists and a pair of threes for the Raptors, who dropped their second straight after starting the year 3-0.
Final Score: Boston 101, Milwaukee 89
Boston, MA - Paul Pierce finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead the streaking Boston Celtics to a 101-89 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Kevin Garnett added 16 points and nine boards for the Celtics, who have won three in a row and are 3-0 at home this season. Kendrick Perkins added seven blocks, along with eight boards and six points for Boston. Three Celtics players came off the bench to reach double figures — Tony Allen had 13 points, Eddie House 11 and Leon Powe 10. Richard Jefferson led Milwaukee with 20 points, but the Bucks had their two- game win streak snapped. Charlie Villanueva added 13 points and 12 rebounds for Milwaukee, which played without guard Michael Redd, who suffered a sprained ankle in Sunday’s game against the Knicks. He also did not play in Wednesday’s win over Washington.
Final Score: Cleveland 111, Indiana 107
Cleveland, OH - LeBron James filled up the stat sheet with 27 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and four blocked shots, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 111-107 win over the Indiana Pacers. James’ great all-around night, capped by an incredible block of a T.J. Ford layup in the final minutes, was enough to help the Cavs edge Indiana, which got a 33-point effort from Danny Granger. Mo Williams scored 21 points and Anderson Varejao added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Cavs, who won their third straight. Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 17 points for Cleveland. Marquis Daniels scored 17 points and grabbed 11 boards for the Pacers, who have dropped three of four to start the season. Ford added 13 points for Indiana.
Final Score: New Jersey 103, Detroit 96
East Rutherford, NJ - Devin Harris tallied a career-high 38 points to lead New Jersey past Detroit, 103-96, spoiling the debut of Allen Iverson in a Pistons uniform. Iverson, who had 24 points and six assists in defeat, was acquired Monday from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb. Iverson hadn’t suited up for the Pistons, missing two games since the trade was finalized, because Billups hadn’t completed a physical for his new team. Josh Boone had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Nets, who snapped a two-game skid. Vince Carter also had 18 points and added seven assists, while Yi Jianlian had 12 points and nine boards in the win. Richard Hamilton totaled 22 points for the Pistons, who lost for the first time this season to fall to 4-1. Tayshaun Prince ended with 19 points and 11 boards and Rasheed Wallace had 11 and seven.
Final Score: Miami 99, San Antonio 83
San Antonio, TX - Dwyane Wade poured in a game-high 33 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out nine assists in Miami’s 99-83 triumph over San Antonio. Wade was 14-of-25 from the floor and logged three steals while rookie Michael Beasley continued to impress with 20 points, eight rebounds and two blocks for the Heat, who claimed victory in San Antonio for the first time in 11 tries. Udonis Haslem and Chris Quinn had 15 points apiece, with Haslem also pulling down 10 boards in Miami’s third win in its last four. Tim Duncan notched a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who saw guard Tony Parker leave in the first quarter with a left ankle injury one game after putting together a career-performance.
Final Score: Chicago 100, Phoenix 83
Chicago, IL - Ben Gordon scored 23 points, and rookie point guard Derrick Rose had 18 points as the Chicago Bulls ran away with a surprising 100-83 win over the Phoenix Suns. Gordon sank 8-of-13 from the field — including 4-of-8 three-pointers — and Rose sank 8-of-11 shots for the Bulls, who had dropped three of four. Tyrus Thomas had 14 points and seven rebounds, and Luol Deng also scored 14 for Chicago. Amare Stoudemire scored 26 points and grabbed seven boards for the Suns, who had won three straight. Rookie center Robin Lopez had 14 points and seven rebounds for Phoenix, which played without the services of Shaquille O’Neal. The 36-year- old center sat as part of the club’s plan to give him rest throughout the season to keep O’Neal fresh. Steve Nash had only six points and five assists in 24 minutes for the Suns.
Final Score: Utah 104, Oklahoma City 97
Salt Lake City, UT - Carlos Boozer finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, as Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan got his 1,000th victory with the club in a 104-97 victory over Oklahoma City. Sloan became the first coach in NBA history to notch 1,000 wins with one team. The longest-tenured coach in all of major professional sports — in his 21st season — Sloan is now 205 victories ahead of Celtics legend Red Auerbach. Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko added 16 points apiece, while Kirilenko grabbed 12 boards for Utah, which remained undefeated this season at 5-0. Kyle Korver chipped in 13 points off the bench. Kevin Durant scored 24 points to lead the Thunder, who have lost four of five to open the season. Jeff Green added 22 points, while Desmond Mason had 18 points off the bench in the loss.
Final Score: Sacramento 121, Minnesota 109
Sacramento, CA - Kevin Martin scored 26 points and tallied six assists, and the Sacramento Kings routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-109. John Salmons scored 23 points for the Kings, who won their second straight at home after dropping four road contests to open the season. Beno Udrih scored 15 points, and Spencer Hawes had 13 points and eight rebounds for Sacramento. Rookie forward Kevin Love had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have dropped four straight after a season-opening win over the Kings at home. Mike Miller scored 16 points and grabbed six boards, and Sebastian Telfair had 15 points and seven assists. Al Jefferson scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Minnesota.
Final Score: Denver 108, Dallas 105
Denver, CO - Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points, grabbed eight rebounds, added six assists and made several key free throws to help give the Denver Nuggets a 108-105 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Chauncey Billups scored 15 points in his Nuggets debut. He was dealt to Denver, along with Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb, in a Monday trade that sent Allen Iverson to Detroit. They did not dress for Wednesday’s matchup with Golden State because Billups did not take a physical in time. Nene finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, and made a key steal late in the game for the Nuggets, who had lost two in a row. J.R. Smith scored 15 points off the bench for Denver, while Linas Kleiza had 14 points. Jason Kidd had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for Dallas, which has lost three of five to open the season. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 23 points and 10 boards in the loss, while Brandon Bass had the Mavs’ third double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Final Score: Memphis 109, Golden State 104
Oakland, CA - Rudy Gay scored 23 points and rookie guard O.J. Mayo had 20 points and nine rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies held on for a 109-104 win over the Golden State Warriors. Hakim Warrick scored 19 points and grabbed 10 boards for the Grizzlies, who topped the Warriors for the second time in five days, after a win in Memphis on Monday. Darrell Arthur added 13 points and 12 rebounds for Memphis, which improved to 3-3 on the season. Stephen Jackson scored 27 points for the Warriors, who have dropped four of six to start the season. Andris Biedrins had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Kelenna Azubuike added 21 points for Golden State, which rallied from down 12 points in the fourth quarter to take the lead, but still fell to the Grizzlies for the second time this week.
Final Score: Houston 92, LA Clippers 83
Los Angeles, CA - Ron Artest netted 23 points and brought down eight boards to help the Houston Rockets to a 92-83 victory over the winless Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. Carl Landry scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Yao Ming blocked five shots, with 16 points and nine rebounds for the Rockets, who snapped a modest two-game skid after starting the season 3-0. Houston will stay in LA to face the Lakers on Sunday. Chris Kaman and Baron Davis each collected 23 points for the Clips, who have started the campaign with an 0-6 ledger. LA began a five-game homestand Friday and next hosts Dallas on Sunday. Marcus Camby logged 13 rebounds while Kaman had 11 and two blocks but it wasn’t enough for a Clippers squad that shot just 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from the foul line. Making things worse, Tim Thomas left the game in the first quarter with a sprained left ankle and did not return.
(Friday, November 7th)
Final Score: Carolina 2, Ottawa 1
Raleigh, NC - Joe Corvo netted the game-winning goal with 2:40 remaining in the third period and added an assist, as the Carolina Hurricanes rallied past the Ottawa Senators, 2-1, at the RBC Center. Dennis Seidenberg scored a power-play goal and Michael Leighton made 22 saves for the Hurricanes, who have won three of their last four games. Carolina head coach Peter Laviolette earned his 240th NHL win, surpassing former Tampa Bay bench boss John Tortorella to become the winningest American-born coach in league history. Mike Fisher lit the lamp for Ottawa, which was looking for its third straight victory. Martin Gerber allowed two goals on 30 shots to take the loss.
Final Score: Columbus 4, Montreal 3 (SO)
Columbus, OH - Kristin Huselius scored the game-winner in the shootout, as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-3, at Nationwide Arena. Huselius was the first shooter and his quick wrister beat Jaroslav Halak low to the left side. Alex Tanguay had the first shot for Montreal, but he lost control of the puck before he was able to get a shot off. Derick Brassard then made it a 2-0 advantage in the shootout as he went backhand-to-forehand and slid the puck past the outstretched right pad of Halak. Steve Mason then preserved the win as he stopped Andrei Kostitsyn’s wrister. R.J. Umberger, Fredrik Modin and Marc Methot each lit the lamp for the Blue Jackets, who have won their last two games. Mason made 34 saves in the win. Tanguay, Patrice Brisebois and Sergei Kostitsyn each had a goal for the Canadiens, who had a three-game winning streak stopped. Halak stopped 25 shots in the loss.
Final Score: Atlanta 5, Buffalo 4 (OT)
Buffalo, NY - Jason Williams’ power-play goal 48 seconds into overtime lifted the Atlanta Thrashers to a 5-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres at the HSBC Arena. Derek Roy was called for tripping at the 36-second mark of overtime and Atlanta took advantage. Ilya Kovalchuk fired a one-timer from the left circle that Ryan Miller stopped, but Williams grabbed the rebound and fired a backhander down low that found its way into the right corner of the net. Bryan Little had two goals and one assist while Williams finished the game with two goals for the Thrashers, who have won their last three games. Johan Hedberg had 28 saves in the win. Thomas Vanek, Maxim Afinogenov, Ales Kotalik and Clarke MacArthur each had a goal for the Sabres, who had won their past two games. Miller, who posted shutouts in his previous two games, was charged with all five goals on 26 shots.
Final Score: Dallas 5, Anaheim 2
Anaheim, CA - Signed as a free agent on Wednesday, Mark Parrish provided an immediate impact, recording his sixth career hat trick in Dallas’ 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. Brad Richards registered a goal and an assist for the Stars, who won for just the second time in their last five games. Marty Turco, who entered play ranked last in the league in goals-against average (4.34) and save percentage (.837), stopped 28-of-30 shots to get the win. Scott Niedermayer and Brendan Morrison scored for Anaheim, which was seeking its ninth victory in 10 games. Jean- Sebastien Giguere allowed four goals on 13 shots before he was replaced by Jonas Hiller early in the second period. Hiller finished with 12 saves.
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