Final Scores Tues Oct 28th, 2008
(Tuesday, October 28th)
Final Score: Buffalo 32, Ohio University 19
Athens, OH - James Starks carried the offensive load with 185 yards rushing and two touchdowns, as Buffalo won in Athens for the first time since joining the Mid-American Conference in 1999 with a 32-19 victory over Ohio University.
Starks averaged 6.2 yards per carry, and his backfield mate Brandon Thermilus joined the party with 73 yards and one score on 10 carries. Buffalo (4-4, 2-2) rolled up a staggering 277 yards rushing and a solid outing from quarterback Drew Willy, who finished 14-of-23 for 116 yards and a touchdown. Seven of those completions went to Naaman Roosevelt, who navigated the field for 58 yards and scored a touchdown.
Boo Jackson was Ohio’s offense with 70 yards rushing and a touchdown along with 290 yards and two more scores on 20-of-29 through the air. The Bobcats (2-7, 1-4) continued to struggle stopping the ground game, as Starks and Thermilus both found paydirt from three yards out in the first quarter for a 14-0 game.
Brandon Peterson took a 59-yard pass from Jackson to get Ohio on the scoreboard early in the second quarter, but Willy found Roosevelt just under five minutes later to push the edge back to two touchdowns.
A.J. Principe’s 25-yard field goal made the score 24-7 at the half.
Ohio mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter as Jackson weaved his way through the Bulls defense for eight yards and into the end zone. Buffalo returned the blocked PAT for two points moments later and a 26-13 score.
Jackson hooked up with Riley Dunlop on a 20-yard scoring strike with 8:41 on the clock, but again the extra point failed.
Starks’ 52-yard burst to paydirt sealed the victory with 7:10 to go.
Final Score: Marshall 37, Houston 23
Huntington, WV - Mark Cann threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another score in Marshall’s 37-23 win over Houston in Conference-USA action.
Cann completed 15-of-25 passes for 157 yards and Darius Marshall ran for 102 yards and a TD for the Thundering Herd (4-4, 3-1 C-USA), who snapped a three- game skid and will take on East Carolina next Saturday. Marshall holds a half- game lead on the Pirates in the East standings of the conference.
Case Keenum completed 22-of-41 passes for 317 yards with a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions for the Cougars (4-4, 3-1), who lost for only the fourth time in their last 21 conference matchups and now look forward to a meeting with Tulane next Saturday.
Bryce Beall gained 68 yards on 14 carries and had a touchdown for Houston. He also caught five balls for 73 yards and a score, while Tyron Carrier had six receptions for 104 yards in a losing effort.
Marshall took immediate control of the contest by scoring the first 13 points. Craig Ratanamorn kicked a 28-yard field goal with 5:09 left in the first quarter and Cann threw nine yards to Cody Slate for a score early in the second. Ratanamorn connected from 25 yards out 3 1/2 minutes later, after Cann found Darius Passmore on a 65-yard pass.
Ben Bell’s 22-yard field goal put Houston on the board, but Marshall moved the ball 67 yards just before the half with Ratanamorn connecting from 36 yards away for a 16-3 margin.
Cann threw a five-yard TD pass to Emmanuel Spann with 4:35 left in the third. On the next play, Ashton Hall picked off Keenum and brought the ball back to the three before Cann scored from a yard out on fourth down for a 30-3 cushion.
Beall caught a 14-yard TD pass from Keenum in the final minute of the third, but Marshall rumbled 22 yards to the end zone early in the fourth. Keenum hit Kierrie Johnson with a 59-yard TD pass with 12:21 left, and Beall capped the scoring on a two-yard run.
Boston, MA - Paul Pierce picked up right where he left off last season, scoring 27 points as Boston opened defense of its NBA title by holding off the Cleveland Cavaliers, 90-85, on a celebratory night at TD Banknorth Garden.
Prior to the game, the Celtics lifted their 17th championship banner to the rafters, their first title since 1986. It was nearly four months ago the Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, and they began the 2008-09 season with a comeback win over LeBron James and the Cavs in a rematch of a thrilling seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal.
Kevin Garnett, playing in his 999th regular season game, added 11 points and six rebounds, while Ray Allen, the other member of Boston’s big three from last season, was limited to eight points on 2-of-9 shooting. The Celtics, though, also got 14 points from Rajon Rondo and 13 from Leon Powe, including a big jam in the waning seconds.
It was a particularly emotional moment prior to the game. John Havlicek, who won eight titles with Boston, carried the championship trophy onto the court and handed it to Pierce, the Finals MVP, who then cried.
“It was hard,” said Pierce. “I was on the sideline trying to pull myself together, talking to myself. I was able to do it in time, and concentrate on the game and I’m just glad I pulled together in time so we could come out and play the game.”
The Celtics were then given their championship rings prior to the banner being raised.
“I’ve never gone through this night and I didn’t know what to expect,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “It was a very emotional night, I must say.”
James had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but missed a driving layup and a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds. Zydrunas Ilgauskas tallied 15 points and eight rebounds. Mo Williams, who was acquired in a three-team trade this offseason, finished with 12 points.
“There were a few unforced turnovers in the second half where we let their defense speed us up,” said James. “We missed some great opportunities where we had layups or we had turnovers, but we just had miscues.”
The Celtics were ahead by as many as eight points in the fourth, but the Cavs closed the margin to 86-83 on a Williams three-pointer with 1:18 left. Each team then missed opportunities with Powe and James off the mark. Pierce then couldn’t hit a jumper from the left side, and James was fouled with 10.6 seconds left. He hit one free throw for an 86-84 difference.
The Cavs pressured the ball, but Powe leaked behind defenders, caught a long pass from Pierce and jammed while being fouled with 5.3 seconds left. Powe missed the ensuing foul shot and James got the rebound, was fouled, but managed to make just 1-of-2 at the charity stripe.
Allen then sealed the win by making two foul shots with 4.3 seconds to go.
Pierce, after hearing chants of “MVP!, MVP!” then scored Boston’s first basket of the season on a dunk. That was followed by a jam from Garnett, but Boston went over 4 1/2 minutes without a point while the Cavs built a 14-4 lead.
The Celtics, however, drew within 28-22 after 12 minutes, but were behind the entire second quarter. Anderson Varejao’s two free throws capped eight straight points from the Cavs for a 39-28 cushion midway through the second. It was 50-43 at the half.
Boston finally snatched the lead early in the third quarter by scoring nine straight points. Rondo’s layup moved the Celtics in front, 53-52, and Pierce followed by connecting on a pair of free throws for a three-point advantage with 7:38 remaining in the quarter.
The see-saw affair continued with the Cavs gaining a 63-59 lead, but Boston came back with the ensuing eight points to end the stanza.
“It was an emotional night,” said Garnett. “It’s kind of hard to contain, it’s kind of hard to turn the switch on and off. Once the ball jumps up, you put that behind you. I thought the defensive effort over 48 minutes got better and better. Like Doc said, we’ve earned that right to have that special night, and I think everybody embraced it.”
Game Notes
Earlier Tuesday, the Celtics announced executive director of basketball operations and general manager Danny Ainge had received a contract extension and had also been promoted to president of basketball operations. Ainge acquired All-Stars Garnett and Allen in trades prior to last season…The Celtics host Chicago on Friday, while Cleveland is home versus Charlotte on Thursday…Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox was at the game…On Friday, Garnett will become the youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career games. He will set the mark at 32 years and 165 days, breaking the mark held by Shawn Kemp, who did it on Dec. 20, 2002 when he was 33 years and 24 days old…Tony Allen had 11 points for Boston…The teams combined to go 6-for-29 from three three-point range…Pierce has 16,972 points, which moves him past Bob Cousy (16,955) into fifth place on Boston’s scoring list. Kevin McHale (17,335) is fourth…Cleveland has lost 16 of its last 20 regular season games at Boston.
Chicago, IL - Chicago unveiled a new cornerstone with top- overall draft pick Derrick Rose’s 11 points and nine assists, and completely put the Scott Skiles era in the rearview mirror during a resounding 108-95 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the regular-season opener for both teams.
Rose was taken ahead of Kansas State phenom Michael Beasley in this past draft after leading the Memphis Tigers to the national championship game. This isn’t Conference USA, but Rose looked right at home on the United Center court in his first game as the Bulls starting point guard.
“That’s all I’m trying to do,” said Rose when asked about distributing the basketball. “We have a jump shot shooting team so it’s all about driving and kicking it out. It took me a while to feel relaxed out there.”
Luol Deng benefited from Rose’s dribble penetration and keen sense of the floor, scoring a team-best 21 points. Tyrus Thomas and Drew Gooden gave Chicago something it lacked last season — a post presence — with 15 and 13 points respectively. Thomas added 10 rebounds and Gooden grabbed eight, as Chicago held a 40-32 rebounding edge against the bigger Bucks.
Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich, the starting backcourt at times last season, added 18 and 15 points respectively off the bench. Hinrich also dished out seven assists.
Vinny Del Negro coached his first regular season game on the Chicago bench. The 12-year NBA player excelled as a guard in the league then as a front office contributor in Phoenix before being tabbed as the Bulls’ next coach during the offseason.
“I did (get the game ball),” said Del Negro. “Derrick and the team handed it to me. I’m 1-0. I appreciated that. I love the competition. We’ve got to get better. It feels great to get the first win, but it’s not about one person, it’s about the team, the organization, the fan base and the tradition. I’m concerned about representing that the right way for Chairman Reinsdorf, John Paxson and all the fans.”
Many of the Bulls looked plenty familiar to Skiles, who was abruptly fired on Christmas Eve last year after a 9-16 start amidst outspoken team turmoil.
His new team held its own for two-plus quarters before Chicago’s wing players and depth took a toll. Scoring machine Michael Redd led all scorers with 30 points and Richard Jefferson, acquired in the offseason Yi trade, added 15 points.
“They pretty much had their way with us all night,” Skiles said about his former club. “Tonight, when you look at the stat sheet, it does really tell the complete story.”
Milwaukee’s top overall selection in the draft, Joe Alexander, did not play.
Rose, on the other hand, manned the controls for just over 32 minutes, making 3-of-9 shots from the floor and grabbing four rebounds.
The game see-sawed back and forth, as neither team built a large advantage. The game was tied at 26-26 after one period, and the Bulls took a 55-52 lead into the locker room.
Redd turned it on in the early stages of the third, draining three treys in the first two minutes, flipping the three-point halftime deficit into a 63-59 lead on the heels of a quick 11-4 stretch.
Gordon’s triple later in the period capped a 9-2 burst for a 79-73 lead, and Hinrich’s three — one of five treys for the Bulls — put Chicago in front 82-73 heading into the final period.
Gordon again drained a three out of the quarter break and Thomas’ tip-in propelled Chicago to its biggest lead at 88-77 with just over 10 minutes to play.
The UConn product again was a focal point of the offense on a reverse layup for a 98-83 edge and Milwaukee didn’t muster a comeback down the stretch.
Notes
The Bulls owned the charity stripe, making 13 more (33) than the Bucks attempted (20)…Chicago shot 50.7 percent from the floor, while Milwaukee made 47.4 percent of its shots…Former Bull Malik Allen made 5-of-7 shots for 10 points off the bench…Joakim Noah scored six points with six rebounds for Chicago…Attendance was 21,762.
Los Angeles, CA - Kobe Bryant started where he left off as the reigning MVP with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Greg Oden began where he left off — injured and out of action — as the Lakers downed Portland, 96-76, in the regular-season opener for both squads.
Pau Gasol contributed 15 points and seven rebounds and Trevor Ariza added 11 points off the bench for the Lakers. Andrew Bynum was back in regular-season action with eight points, which was equaled by his frontcourt mate Vladimir Radmanovic.
Travis Outlaw led Portland with 18 points and Rudy Fernandez donated 16 points off the bench. Brandon Roy scored 14 points and Joel Przybilla collected 11 rebounds off the bench.
But all stats were overshadowed by Oden’s regular-season debut and subsequent injury. Oden, the first overall draft pick in 2007, missed all of last season after right knee surgery, then sprained his right foot while attacking the glass in a battle with Bynum and Derek Fisher in the early stages of the first quarter. Bynum draped himself all over the Ohio State product after he corralled an offensive rebound and prepared to go back up strong.
“It was a hook shot, I just went up to get the offensive rebound and I came down on Fisher’s foot, kind of on the side of his foot,” said Oden.
Oden was sent for x-rays, which came back inconclusive, and he will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.
“He’s worked so hard to get himself back and we did all we could to get him into the season and here we are in the first game and it’s a tweaked ankle,” said Blazers coach Nate McMillan. “Hopefully it’s not anything serious, and a couple of days he can be back playing.”
McMillan said Oden kept playing and after being removed in the second quarter, at the half the No.1 draft pick tried to convince his coach at playing again, but it wasn’t in the cards.
“I wanted to, I was taped, I was trying to run,” said Oden. “It just wasn’t happening.”
Portland struggled from the floor in the opening quarter, and Los Angeles opened a double-digit edge. A Bryant lay-in capped an 8-0 stretch for a 15-4 lead, and Los Angeles held a 24-14 advantage after one quarter.
Gasol’s layup gave the home team the first six second-quarter points for a 30-14 lead, and after Fernandez’s two free throws, the Lakers embarked on a 10-0 spurt to blow the game open. Gasol and Bryant were the major players with Bryant’s jumper staking the Lakers to a 46-24 lead.
The lead stood at 49-34 at the half.
Portland rallied early in the third stanza, scoring the first seven points of the period. Outlaw and LaMarcus Aldridge both drained jumpers to cap the quick spurt for a 49-41 game.
Bryant then took over, attacking the rim and scoring the game’s next nine points to extend the edge back to 58-41.
Portland never truly threatened over the final 18 minutes.
Game Notes
Bynum celebrated his 21st birthday on Monday…The Lakers scored 15 fastbreak points to just four for Portland…Los Angeles dominated the interior with 42 points in the paint to just 22 for the Blazers…Portland never led, as the Lakers drained 7-of-10 from beyond the arc.
(Tuesday, October 28th)
Final Score: Washington 4, Nashville 3 (SO)
Washington, DC - Michael Nylander scored in the fourth round of the shootout, and Jose Theodore turned away Martin Erat’s shot to seal a 4-3 win for the Washington Capitals over the Nashville Predators. Alexander Semin had a goal and an assist in regulation, and scored the other shootout goal for Washington, which played without star forward Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin, the reigning Hart Trophy-winner as league MVP, is back in Russia visiting his ailing grandfather. The game marked the end of Ovechkin’s consecutive games-played streak at 203. Viktor Kozlov and Dave Steckel also scored for the Caps, who have won two straight after a three-game skid. Theodore stopped 23 shots, and only allowed one goal in four shootout rounds for Washington. Jason Arnott scored twice and J.P. Dumont tallied three assists for the Predators, who have dropped four of six. Ville Koistinen scored in regulation and had the lone shootout goal for Nashville, and Dan Ellis had 29 saves.
Final Score: Philadelphia 7, Atlanta 0
Atlanta, GA - Antero Niittymaki remained perfect against Atlanta as he made 24 saves for his first shutout of the season and the Philadelphia Flyers continued their domination of the Thrashers with a 7-0 win at Philips Arena. Niittymaki is now 10-0-0 in his career against Atlanta and posted his fourth career shutout for the Flyers, who have won their past 11 games against Atlanta and have not lost to the Thrashers since a 6-5 overtime setback on November 18, 2005. Simon Gagne had two goals and two assists while Mike Knuble and Joffrey Lupul each scored twice for Philadelphia, which has now won three straight after dropping its first six games of the season. Kari Lehtonen fell to 0-7-0 lifetime against Philadelphia as he was lit up for all seven goals on 31 shots for the Thrashers, who have dropped their last four games.
Final Score: Tampa Bay 3, Toronto 2
Toronto, ON - Vinny Lecavalier scored twice and Mike Smith was stellar with 37 saves, as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2, at Air Canada Centre. Jussi Jokinen also scored for Tampa Bay, which has won two of its last three games after the club began the season with a five-game winless skid. Vinny Prospal posted two assists in the victory. Mike Van Ryn and Matt Stajan scored for the Maple Leafs, who saw their two-game win streak halted. Vesa Toskala allowed three goals on 25 shots in the loss.
Final Score: Montreal 3, Carolina 2 (SO)
Montreal, QC - Saku Koivu scored the lone goal of the shootout as the Montreal Canadiens snapped a home-losing streak to Carolina with a 3-2 win over the Hurricanes at the Bell Centre. With Montreal’s second chance, Koivu slid a backhander along the ice between the pads of Cam Ward. Ray Whitney had the last chance for Carolina, but his shot went high. Alex Kovalev and Alex Tanguay each had a goal for the Canadiens, who had dropped six straight at home against Carolina and had not defeated the Hurricanes in Montreal since a 1-0 win on February 28, 2004. Carey Price made 31 saves in net for Montreal, which bounced back from its second loss of the season on Saturday against Anaheim. Anton Babchuk and Matt Cullen each had a goal for the Hurricanes, who have lost four of six. Ward stopped 23 shots in the loss.
Final Score: Calgary 3, Colorado 0
Calgary, AB - Rene Bourque and Mike Cammalleri both tallied a goal and an assist while Miikka Kiprusoff stopped all 22 shots he faced, as the Calgary Flames blanked the Colorado Avalanche, 3-0, at Saddledome. Curtis Glencross also scored for the Flames, who have won four straight games and will close the season’s opening month on Thursday at home versus Boston. Peter Budaj allowed three goals on 30 shots for the Avalanche, who saw their five- game win streak halted.
Final Score: Boston 1, Vancouver 0
Vancouver, BC - Tim Thomas stopped all 31 shots he faced for his second consecutive shutout and the Boston Bruins downed the Vancouver Canucks, 1-0, at GM Place. Thomas, who notched the ninth shutout of his career, also blanked the Edmonton Oilers by an identical 1-0 margin on Monday. Michael Ryder scored the only goal of the game for Boston, which now has three consecutive one-goal victories and will return home for a three-game homestand that begins on Friday against the Dallas Stars. Roberto Luongo made 29 saves for the Canucks, who have lost four of their last five games. Vancouver, which has already endured a six-game road trip this season, will go back on the road to southern California for games against the Kings and Ducks on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Final Score: San Jose 2, Pittsburgh 1
San Jose, CA - Joe Pavelski and Mike Grier scored, and San Jose had a spectacular defensive performance in a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Evgeni Nabokov needed to make just 10 saves for the Sharks, who have won their last five games over the Penguins and are 7-0 with a tie in their last eight as the host versus Pittsburgh. They’ve won eight of their first 10 games this season and are off to their best start in franchise history. Ruslan Fedotenko scored late in the third period for the Penguins, who have lost two in a row since a three-game winning streak. Danny Sabourin stopped 32 shots for the Penguins.
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