Shorthanded Trojans Defeat Bears in Conference Opener

LOS ANGELES -- The USC Trojans only had seven scholarship players available for its Pac-12 Conference opener but that didn’t matter as they dispatched the California Golden Bears 82-73, Thursday night at the Galen Center. 

A Trio of Trojans – Nick Rakocevic, Bennie Boatwright, and Derryck Thornton – did the heavy lifting in the victory as they each scored in double figures, with 27, 19, and 13 points respectively. But it was the passing by Thornton, who dished out 12 assists on the night, which was the key factor for the home team.

“He just made some nice penetration moves and was able to find guys and make some good decisions,” said Trojan’s Head Coach Andy Enfield, about Thornton’s play.

It took the Trojans no time at all to get warmed up, as they scored the first five points of the game. The Bears played their way into the game shortly after and put USC on notice, holding a 12-9 lead. However, that would be the last time they would be ahead on the scoreboard.

Just prior to the eight-minute media timeout, Boatwright nailed a three that helped the Trojans seize control of the game with an 8-0 run that gave them their largest lead of the first half at 28-17. Boatwright led the Trojans with 10 points at the half on four of five shooting, which included making both of his attempts from behind the arc. Thornton had a game-high eight assists at halftime. 

“Everything is starting to come together for [Thornton],” Boatwright said. “His rebounding, passing, scoring, and I don’t think he had any turnovers… He just controlled the game and it was big for us, coming out with the win.”

The Trojans led 37-33 at the intermission, featuring balanced scoring. But when they came out the break, Enfield and the Trojans had a different approach – feed Rakocevic.  The big man scored 14 of team's first 18 of the 2nd half, including 10 straight for the Trojans in one stretch. 20 of his career-high 27 points came in the second half.

“We made the adjustment at halftime to start to dive him and attack the elbows in the zone, he was able to get behind the defense” said Enfield about Rakocevic. “I thought he played very efficiently and extremely well in the second half.”

The win in this game was seemingly in the bag when USC held its largest lead at 65-50, until Rakocevic committed a flagrant foul just short of the eight-minute media timeout.

“We got tangled… I tried to get him off me but the ref saw that I had a reaction, said Rakocevic. “I just have to do a better job of letting things like that go.”

Coach Enfield said it was great his team showed emotion but that play changed the momentum of the game as the Bears went on a 17-6 run to close the gap to four, 71-67, with almost two minutes left on the clock.

Thornton then did what he had been doing all night, which was penetrate the defense and found a wide-open Shaqquan Aaron for a three to slow the bleeding and help secure the win.

The Trojans shared the ball well and protected it in this game as they had 21 assists to only 5 turnovers.

In walk-throughs, before tonight’s matchup, key reserve Elijah Weaver sprained his ankle and was ruled out for the contest. Earlier in the week, another key player, Jordan Usher asked for and was granted a transfer.

USC will look to begin conference play 2-0 as they host the Stanford Cardinal on Sunday.

Dodgers Overpower Phillies in Clash of NL Leaders

LOS ANGELES -- It was fireworks night at Dodgers Stadium where the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball fans were treated to rockets spreading glare and bombs bursting in the air, both after and during the game. Powered by four home runs, the Dodgers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 on Friday.

It is just a third of the way through the Major League Baseball season but with the Dodgers and Phillies having the two best records in the National League, this series could possibly be a playoff preview. There were an announced 54,307 fans packed inside the stadium at Chavez Ravine, which is the largest regular season attendance since 2012 and they were all here to shower boos on Bryce Harper every time he came to the plate. The Dodgers were one of the finalists on Harper's free agency list last winter, before he eventually chose to sign a record-breaking 13-year, $330 million contract with Philadelphia.

Early on, it appeared that it might be a pitcher's duel as the Dodgers' Kenta Maeda held the Phillies hitless through three innings. The Dodgers also squandered some scoring opportunities against Jake Arrieta early on as they stranded three of their hitters on base through the first two innings. Then things started to heat up from there.

The bottom of the third inning saw the Phillies shift its infield to the right side, just as the analytics scouting says to do for Joc Pederson but that did not faze him as he hit a hard grounder that gave Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez trouble. Pederson hustled to first to beat the throw, for an infield single. Max Muncy followed that up by banging Arrieta's second pitch, a slider, to the right field pavilion to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. Cody Bellinger hit a single through another infield shift. However, he was caught stealing at second. The Dodgers challenged the call but replays showed Hernandez skillfully blocked the bag, preventing Bellinger from touching it before the tag. The Dodgers inning then fizzled out.

Maeda's magic came to an abrupt end as Phillies' Center Fielder Andrew McCutchen blasted a breaking ball over the center field wall to lead off the fourth inning. Maeda then easily dispatched the next three hitters. Maeda struck out J.T Realmuto for the second time in the game to start the fifth but began laboring as he hit Cesar Hernandez and gave up a single to Scott Kingery. After Nick Williams grounded into a fielder's choice, getting to face his pitching counterpart with two outs must have felt like a gift for Maeda. However, Arrieta lined an RBI single to left field to tie up the ball game.

The Dodgers bats were looking to pick up their starting pitcher, who had won his previous three starts, at the bottom of the fifth. Pederson led off the inning by hammering a long ball about 445 feet to deep right field. Muncy then singled to follow that up. Corey Seager, who had been one of the team's hottest hitters over the last 10 games, drove Muncy in with a hit a two-run home run that just cleared the right field fence.

"They all count. I'll take it," Seager laughingly responded when asked if he is embarrassed that his home run was the shortest of the night. "[Arrieta] is tough. He kind of got us the first time through and the second time through, we kind of capitalized off some mistakes."

The big inning gave the Dodgers a 5-2 lead and Maeda a little bit more cushion to work with. Maeda made quick work of the Phillies -- one, two, and three outs -- in the top of the sixth inning and handed the game over to the Dodgers' bemoaned bullpen. Maeda finished with six strikeouts on 97 pitches to go to seven wins, with two losses on the season. The pen gave up only one run, charged to Dylan Floro. Kenley Jensen finished the game with a one-out save, his 17th of the season.

"It was very positive," said Jensen regarding the bullpen's performance in this game. "For us, down the road, in the bullpen, to lock it down is going to be great for us."

The three hitters in the top of the batting order for the Dodgers -- Pederson, Muncy, and Seager combined to hit five for 11, with five runs batted in, and five runs scored. Kiké Hernandez added a long solo bomb in the eighth inning.

The Dodgers improve its record to an MLB-best 39-19. While the Phillies drop to 33-24. Dave Roberts' right-hand man Bob Geren managed Dodgers in this game because Roberts took the night off to watch his son graduate from high school in San Diego.

Trojans Loss to Bears Ends Chance at Conference Title

LOS ANGELES -- The USC Trojans (5-5) hopes for a Pac-12 South title were ended on homecoming night as they lost 15-14 to the California Golden Bears (6-4), at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

"Sometimes you have a season that just doesn't go your way," said USC head coach Clay Helton. "but I believe in this coaching staff, I believe in the leadership, I believe in our players most of all, and I believe better days are ahead."

It was a tale of two halves as the USC Trojans dominated the play in the first and second quarters. However, that dominant team was unrecognizable after the break as they self-destructed by turning the ball over and showing lack of discipline. Credit goes to the Golden Bears who took advantage of the opportunities they got to leave Los Angeles with a win.

After the Trojan defense held the Bears to a three and out on the opening possession of the game, which started on its own three yard line, a 43-yard Cal punt and a fair catch by Tyler Vaughn gave the Trojans great field position at the Cal 48 yard line. Unfortunately for the Trojans, this drive stalled at the Bear's 25 yard line.

Coach Helton assumed play-calling duties the previous game against Oregon State, with much success, and was back at it again. As the Trojans were set to get three points from a 43-yard field goal on its first possession, they instead attempted a fake as place kicker Michael Brown rushed to the left end and was tackled from behind for a two yard loss. That is zero on the scoreboard for them.

“I will always try to put our players in the best position to make plays," said Helton. "Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But I believe in our kids and in their ability to make plays. Wish we made a couple more today."

Tyler Vaughns opened the scoring for the Trojans with a two-yard touchdown reception from J.T. Daniels at the start of the second quarter to put them up 7-0. The play was set up by a 44 yard dash from Aca'Cedric Ware down the right sideline to set them up with a goal to goal to end the first quarter.

It was Vaughns again, midway through the second quarter, with another touchdown reception. This time it was from 23 yards out. It could not have happened without Amon-Ra St.Brown converting a fourth-and-6 with a reception on the previous play, taking a big hit in the process.

The Trojans were on their way to blowing the game wide open, going into halftime as they drove into the red zone with just under a minute left. However, St. Brown fumbled at the Bear's 10 and killed all of the momentum heading into the locker room and leaving more points on the field, as the scoreboard read USC 14, California 0 at halftime.

The Trojans came out of the locker room in the same sloppy fashion they went in with. On the third play of the half's opening possession from their 22 yard line, USC center Toa Lobendahn's snap went over Daniel's head, who then recovered it in the end zone for a Cal safety.

The Bears capitalized on their good fortune when they quickly scored on a three-play 50 yard drive, immediately after the safety, which was punctuated by a 29 yard touchdown pass from Garbers to Vic Wharton. The score made it a one possession game at 14-9.

When a Bear wants a taste of honey, it will keep beating down the door until it gets it. And that's exactly what the Bear's defense did on the very next possession when Traveon Beck intercepted Daniels, which led to a workman-like nine-play 40 yard touchdown drive for the Bears. Garbers weaved his way into the end zone on a five yard run to give the Bears a 15-14 lead. One that they would never relinquish.

With the Trojan defense trying to stop the Bears late in the fourth quarter, to give the ball back to its offense for one last chance to capture the game, they shoot themselves in the foot once again. A third down conversion by the Bears was overturned by the officials but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by Trojan defensive back Iman Marshall extended the drive for the visitors.

"I know he's sick about it," said Helton about Marshall's penalty. "But that one play did not lose the football game."

USC plays cross-town rivals UCLA next Saturday at 5 p.m. at The Rose Bowl.

USC Season Ends With Air Ball in Loss to Western Kentucky

LOS ANGELES -- The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers pounded the ball inside to Justin Johnson, 23 points, early and got buckets from him late as they defeated the USC Trojans 79-75 in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament, Monday night at the Galen Center, ending its season.

Proving the NCAA Tournament selection committee wrong would turn out to be a tougher task than expected when leading scorer and rebounder Chimezie Metu, who chose not to play in the NIT to stay healthy for NBA draft preparations.

Metu cheered his team on from the stands. After the game USC's head coach Andy Enfield said the administration made the decision that Metu was not allowed to sit on the bench with the team since he was eligible and not injured but made the decision not to play. Freshman Victor Uyaelunmo got the start in place of Metu. Uyaelunmo opened the scoring with an easy dunk but didn't do much else.

"We much rather had him in than the other big guy [Metu] who was starting," said Stansbury.

The 2018 version NIT is experimenting with four rules modifications. First is the three-point line extended 20 inches to beyond 22 feet. The second is the free throw lane widened from 12 to 16 feet. Third, the game will be divided into four 10-minute quarters instead of 20 minute halves. Lastly, the shot clock resets to 20 seconds after an offensive rebound, opposed to the full 30.

Extending the three point line may have had a direct impact on the game's outcome. In the final minute, with the Trojans down by two points, Jordan Usher shot an airball from the right wing.

"We backed off Usher late in the game, hoping the freshman would take a shot and he took a shot," said Western Kentucky's head coach Rick Stansbury. "We didn't want McLaughlin beating us. We didn't want that big boy on the roll beating us. We didn't want Stewart running off a double screen.

"The guy that we were going to take a chance on was Usher. And he jumped up and didn't make the shot. You have to roll with your percentages and we were lucky to get out of here with the W."

After Usher airballed with 24 seconds left, the Trojans, inexplicably, failed to foul Western Kentucky to extend the game. Instead the Hilltoppers broke an attempted trap for an easy dunk to seal the ball game.

Elijah Stewart finished with 20 points. Jordan McLaughlin dished out 14 assists.

The game was essentially decided at the free throw line. Western Kentucky made 16 of 17 from the charity stripe while USC made only eight of 19. According to Stansbury, this has been the Hilltoppers M.O. all season as his team has made more free throws than its opponents have attempted this year.

The Trojans held the lead for most of the game. Powered by Elijah Stewart's 10 points, including two from beyond the extended arc, USC led 23-18 at the end of the first quarter. Johnson, the Hill Toppers' leading scorer and rebounder on the season, scored 10 of his team's 18 points in the first quarter.

"We were much more efficient around the rim. I didn't do a good job of taking more advantage, using Justin tonight," said Stansbury.

The second quarter played out much different than the first, as the Hill Toppers tightened up on defense, forcing the Trojans to take contested jumpers. On the offensive side of the ball, Jake Ohmer ignited visitors by draining two deep threes early in the second quarter. The halftime score was 40-39 in favor of the Hilltoppers.

The Hilltoppers looked like they were going to pull away in the third when their lead was stretched to seven points with 1:43 left in the quarter. However, USC ended the quarter on an 8-2 run that featured Stewart catching a lob from McLaughlin, bringing the crowd to its feet and hitting a three to end quarter. Trojans still trailed by one to end the quarter.

USC came out in the fourth quarter riding momentum, opened quarter on 9-2 run to take a six point lead. The Hilltoppers battled back with a run of their own to take a lead. The Hilltoppers went to Johnson late and he closed it out for them.

USC Falls to UCLA in Regular Season Finale 83-72

LOS ANGELES -- Aaron Holiday and Kris Wilkes combined for 56 points to lead the way for the UCLA Bruins in an 83-72 win over cross-town rival USC Trojans, Saturday night at the Galen Center.

The Bruins used an 18-3 run, midway through the second half, to come from behind and seize control of the game. Holiday scored nine points out of the first 11 during that crucial run. UCLA never looked back after that.

"Tough game for us this evening, UCLA played extremely well offensively," said USC head coach Andy Enfield. "Give them credit. They made shot after shot during that run when they took the lead. We had trouble stopping them."

This was the final regular season home game for the Trojans and it was also Senior Night, as the four-year players for USC were celebrated in a ceremony prior to the game. One of those seniors, Pac-12 assists leader and Bob Cousy Award Finalist Jordan McLaughlin, went in his bag early in the game and set the tone by scoring seven of USC's first 11 points. The Trojans just couldn't hold on.

"We got outplayed for 10 minutes... and that's it," said Enfield.

The Bruins, who badly needed this win to upgrade their resume for an at-large bid to the upcoming NCAA tournament, had intentions of making sure the only Trojan celebrations took place before the game, especially the conference leading scorer -- Holiday.

"We're the point guards of our teams, leading our teams," said McLaughlin, who had a team-high 19 points and four assists. "Tonight we did a good job of that... and he [Holiday] won the battle.

"He was being aggressive, used the pick and roll to try and get in the paint, knocking down shots. He hit some tough ones. He was just being aggressive."

The Trojans led most of the way and held a 43-40 lead at halftime. USC featured a balanced scoring attack in the first half, with all eight players who entered the game scratching the score sheet. Chimezie Metu finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

UCLA's deficit at the half could have been much larger if Bruin freshman forward Wilkes didn't score 15 of his career high 22 points in the first half. Wilkes shot six of eight while draining three threes in the process. Holiday scored 14 in the first half and 20 in the second.

Discussion after the game quickly turned to the Pac-12 tournament, leading into selection Sunday for the NCAA tournament. Even with the loss, USC finished second in the conference. In years past, this would be good enough for a ticket to the dance but Arizona is the only ranked team in the conference.

USC senior guard Elijah Stewart had the sentiment that it doesn't matter occurred in the regular season because each of the conference's teams are vulnerable in tournament play. Coach Enfield wants his team to focus on one game at a time because nobody knows what the criteria is for making the tournament.

"We have a big week ahead of us," said Enfield. "We have some very good wins... Sometimes common sense has to prevail."

Trojans Defeat Ducks in a Nail Biter to End Three-Game Skid

LOS ANGELES -- To excel in athletics, one has to have a short memory to forget about the negative that just occurred and focus on what needs to be done next to prevail in competition. This is exactly what Chimezie Metu did as he teamed up with Jordan McLaughlin on the game winning play in the USC Trojans 72-70 win over the Oregon Ducks Thursday night at the Galen Center.

 Just moments before the final buzzer sounded, Metu was at the free throw line with the opportunity to increase a two-point lead and possibly ice the game but he missed both free throws.

"After I missed the two free throws, we just had to go down and get a stop. There was no time to sit and sulk," said Metu. "We have to go down and get a stop. We didn't get a stop. My mentality changed when we called a timeout. My teammates and coaches were telling me to 'stay in the game, stay in the game.' I did that and got the game-winning basket. It felt good."

The win improves USC's record to 9-5 in Pac-12 play, which is good for second place in conference, and 19-9 overall.

"This was a huge win for us because we need every game down the stretch," said a jubilant Andy Enfield, after the game. "We have four games left. We have to hold our home court advantage. Right now, we are 6-1 at home. We have to focus on Saturday night and play with the same kind of energy."

With the game knotted at 70, McLaughlin was double-teamed on the right side of the floor as clock was ticking toward zero, he then found Metu cutting to the rim and tossed the ball up for a game-winning, redeeming alley oop layup.

"I'm always aware of the clock," said McLaughlin. "Coach wanted us to run it at six seconds. So, coming off the ball screen, I dragged it. Took a couple of dribbles and threw the lob."

Early on, Oregon looked like they were going to run away with the game as they jumped out to a seven-point lead, midway through the opening half. However, the Trojans weathered the storm as Metu scored five quick points out of a timeout to right the ship.

Chimezie Metu led the Trojans with 10 points at the half and no other player having more than six. Jordan McLaughlin, a Cousy Award finalist, dished out five assists in the first half.

There were four lead changes in the first half compared to 11 in the second. Oregon led by one, 29-28 at the break. The bulk of the Ducks points were produced by Payton Pritchard and Mikyle McIntosh with 10 each at halftime. McIntosh finished with 23 and Pritchard scored 17.

Both teams scored at a higher efficiency in the second half as they each surpassed their first half scoring output, 12 minutes into the half. Especially McIntosh, who came out of the break hot and continued getting buckets, as he scored the Ducks' first five points of the second half.

Not to be overlooked is the production the Trojans got from Jonah Mathews, who soon joined the party as he quickly drained two from behind the arc to help the home team keep pace right after halftime. He scored 14 of his team-leading 20 points in the latter stanza; Mathews made five three-pointers in the game.

"We decided to put him back in the starting lineup because he had been playing so well lately," said Enfield about Mathews. "He just played terrific."

Both Metu and McLaughlin produced double-doubles on the night; Metu with 18 points and 10 boards, McLaughlin with 11 points and the same amount of assists to match.

The game might have had a different outcome if not for Elijah Stewart secured an offensive rebound with the Trojans trailing 67-68 with 1:38 left on the clock. Later in that possession, Stewart received a pass from Metu in the left corner and nailed a three to give the Trojans a 70-68 lead with a minute and a half remaining. The stage was then set for the closing act.

Former Trojan and NBA All-Star Demar Derozan, who is in town for the NBA All-Star Game visited with the young Trojans before the game and gave a few words of encouragement.

Bennie Boatwright went down with a leg injury at the 7:57 mark. Coach Enfield said he would be evaluated Friday morning.

No Griffin, No Win for Clippers a Day After the Huge Trade

LOS ANGELES -- The Portland Trailblazers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 104-96. Damian Lillard led the way for Portland with 28 points, including a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe. The All-Star guard filled the stat sheet in the win, adding seven assists, four rebounds, three steals, one block, and made five from behind the arc.

 It was the short-handed Clippers' first game without superstar Blake Griffin. The home team looked lethargic throughout the game, as it appeared it was an afterthought because of the shockwave that occurred a day earlier.

Tuesday afternoon, the Clippers traded its star player and fan favorite, Griffin, to the Detroit Pistons. They received Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, and two draft picks as the main assets in return. The Clippers were on the cusp of a playoff position and there is speculation the organization might be waving the white flag, to begin a rebuild. And there might be more moves to come.

"There are seven days left [until trade deadline]," said Clippers' coach Doc Rivers prior to the game. "This team has not changed its goals about the playoffs. Our goal is to do that. We don't have a lot of time to get this stuff together."

The make-up of this team is completely different from the one that was dubbed Lob City when the Clippers acquired All-NBA guard Chris Paul to begin the 2011/12 season to join Griffin, a combination that energized the franchise's fan base after years of disappointment.

Although entertaining, Lob City couldn't advance beyond the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs. In the 2017 off-season, owner Steve Ballmer brought in front office guru, Jerry West, to consult and help make improvements to the roster. CP3 left to Houston shortly after, and now Griffin in the middle of the season.

"Everyone was involved," said Rivers. "Nothing really changes, as far as how we discuss trades, at all... With Blake, I really enjoyed coaching him. We all will have regretted not even going to the Western Conference Finals. We had our chances."

In this game, the Clippers lacked energy from the jump, as a half-filled arena saw the visitors run off the first six points. Even though the Clippers kept it close for most of the first half, they never really threatened. Portland held a 56-51 halftime lead.

The Trailblazers, then, opened the second half on a 14-4 run to take a commanding 15-point lead that grew to as large as 20. They outscored the Clippers 30-16 in the deciding period.

"The third quarter was great," said Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. "The offense was efficient. Defensively, we were on point. The third quarter was the best part of the game. The first half, I thought, was mediocre. Third quarter was great."

The Clippers made a late push in the closing minutes to try to steal away the game. Lou Williams sank three free throws to cap a 10-0 run which drew the deficit to six at 100-94. Then a Jusuf Nurkic putback, followed by a Williams turnover that lead to a dunk on a fast break by former Clipper Al-Farouq Aminu, which sealed the deal for Portland.

Nurkic scored 14 points and secured a career-high 20 rebounds. Aminu also had a double-double, with 11 points and 10 boards. CJ McCollum chipped in with 16 points.

Lou Williams led Los Angeles with 20 points, off the bench, but only made 5-of-26 from the field. DeAndre Jordan pulled down 19 rebounds. Jordan provided his thoughts on the big trade and what his mindset for the rest of the season is.

“The organization felt like it was best for our team now and along the future," said Jordan after the game. "Blake was a teammate of mine for nine years, this whole time here. We had a lot of great times together and he’ll be a friend of mine after basketball... We have to Control the things that we can control and worry about winning games and getting better as an individual and as a unit."

The Clippers will have three days off before the next game against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday Afternoon. It will also be the debut of their new players.

Clippers Take Out Frustration in Win over Dallas

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Clippers cruised to an easy 119-98 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night at Staples Center, to move into first place in the Pacific Division. The entertaining win was a reward to the fans that showed up for the contest and didn't stay at home to watch game 7 of the World Series. The announced attendance of 13,487 was their lowest since 2010 when they drew 11,504 on Thanksgiving.

 Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 20 points and seven assists. His play-making abilities have really been on display in this early part of the season.

“I thought we did a better job of getting back to our offense and things we worked on since camp started,” said Griffin.

Austin Rivers scored 19. DeAndre Jordan chipped in 13 and added a game-leading nine boards. No Clippers player played more than 28 minutes.

The visiting Mavericks, who only have one win on the season, looked hungry for a win in the early going, as they held an eight-point lead midway through the first quarter at 21-13. The Clippers then tightened up on defense as they chipped away at the lead before eventually leading by three points at the end of the period.

“It felt like the first five minutes, we still had a hangover [from 141-113 loss to Golden State on Monday] defensively,” said Head Coach Doc Rivers. “We were awful. Then all of a sudden, we clicked in and start getting stops and running.”

In the second quarter, the Clippers continued exerting effort on defense in the beginning with the second unit, using it to get out into transition to take a commanding lead. The Mavericks were outscored by 15 points in the period.

“They had a smaller lineup, Gallo [Danilo Gallinari] was the four,” said Rivers. “I thought what happened was the spacing. Our guards were going downhill. We were able to feature Gallo and he made plays. It was good for him.”

Recently, there had been rumors about the Clippers acquiring former point guard Eric Bledsoe, who is on the outs in Phoenix to shore up their back court but it may not be needed because of the contributions Patrick Beverly and Rivers are making, in addition to super sixth man Lou Williams. Beverly had three steals and Williams scored 17 off the bench. 

Without Chris Paul dominating possession, the ball seems to be moving a lot more than in previous seasons; the Clippers assisted on 27 of the 41 made field goals.

The Clippers have held five of its first seven opponents under 100 points. Their next two games will be back to back 12:30 starts on the weekend against Memphis and Miami, respectively.

USC Defense Stout in 38-10 Victory

LOS ANGELES -- The USC Trojans (5-1) rebounded from its first loss of the season as they cruised to a 38-10 victory over the Oregon State Beavers (1-5), Saturday afternoon at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Although the final margin of victory equaled four touchdowns, the home team did not look impressive on offense while getting the win. Sam Darnold threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns but the team left some points on the field. The Trojan's Heisman-hopeful quarterback was marred by some sloppy ball handling on the day, as he threw one interception and fumbled twice.

USC opened the game with an easy 78 yard scoring drive that lasted three minutes and 38 seconds. Darnold looked sharp early on, completing all three pass attempts for 50 yards, culminating in a 37 yard touchdown pass to Tyler Vaughn.

On Oregon State's first drive, USC defensive back Jack Jones intercepted a pass from Darell Garretson on the Beaver's 32 yard line, which gave the home team a short field. The Trojans took advantage of that short field, as Ronald Jones scored a touchdown on a four-yard carry. Jones has now scored a touchdown, either rushing or receiving, in last 12 games. Jones finished the game with 79 yards on 12 carries.

After the Trojan defense held the Beavers to a 3 and out, then forced them to punt on the next possession, USC's Ajene Harris muffed the punt at his own 29 yard line, giving the Beavers the ball in scoring position. However, the Trojan defense, once again, held its ground and didn't give up a yard. On fourth down, a 47 yard field goal attempt was blocked by the tandem of Jack Jones and Kenny Bigelow Jr.

On the ensuing possession, the football slipped out of Darnold's hands for a fumble recovered by OSU in prime scoring position. Just as they had before, the Trojans defense prevented a first down. The Beavers attempted a 37 yard field goal but missed it wide left.

The Beavers scored three points to open the second quarter. The Trojans then marched 77 yards down the field. The drive was aided by a roughing the kicker penalty, which the Trojans capitalized on by throwing a 16 yard touchdown pass to Deontay Burnett to extend its lead to 21-3.

This game was a testament to just how good the USC defense is. The Beavers moved through the gridiron where they went for it on 4th and 2 at USC 15 but was stopped just short of the down marker.

As USC appeared to be headed toward the end zone, Darnold turned the ball over again as he misread Beaver linebacker Manase Hungalu's coverage and his pass was intercepted.

USC went into the halftime break with an 18-point lead.

The Trojan's most impressive offensive drive came on their opening possession of the second half. USC started with the ball on its own nine yard line and took 91 yards down the field for a score. A fourth down conversion was the key play of drive. Darnold completed a pass to Steven Mitchell Jr. for eight yards to the Oregon State 30. From there, Darnold threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Josh Falo to put them up 28-3. It was Falo's first career reception.

With the game out of hand, USC head coach Clay Helton got some of his lesser used players some game action. Freshman quarterback Matt Fink made the most of his first collegiate appearance when he kept the ball on a read option and raced down the sideline for a 51-yard score.

After the game coach Helton pointed out that getting players like Fink and Falo game action as the silver lining in this matchup. 13 different players had a reception for the Trojans on Saturday afternoon.

The Trojans have a tough conference matchup against Utah (4-1) next Saturday night.

Ryu Ks 9 Phillies as Dodgers Complete Sweep

LOS ANGELES -- Hyun-Jin Ryu strikes out nine batters and Andrew Toles powers the Los Angeles Dodgers' offense on a sunny Sunday afternoon to complete a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies with a 5-3 win.

Ryu won his first game after coming up empty in his previous five starts to begin the season. In fact, due to missing the last two seasons with elbow and shoulder injuries, Ryu had not won a game in 973 days.

"Today is definitely a milestone for me just because it's been almost a thousand days since I had a W," said Ryu through an interpreter. "I'm looking to build on from this moment and always try to put the team in a position where we can win... It's been a difficult road but now that I am here and I actually got my first win, I am very happy."

When Cesar Hernandez opened the game with a triple to deep right then scored on a Freddy Galvis single, Ryu could have lost confidence and let his struggles continue but he did not. He immediately settled down and retired eight consecutive batters, 12 out of the next 13 overall, to keep the visitors at bay.

Offensively, the Dodgers got on base eight times in the first three innings against Phillies' starter Nick Pivetta, who was making his Major League Baseball debut, but were only able to score two runs in the early innings. Toles led the game off with a double for the Dodgers and advanced to third on Cody Bellinger's infield single. Then the hot hitting Justin Turner followed with an RBI single, which extended his hitting streak to 16 games.

"You try to put good innings together every inning and scratch out as many runs as you can," said Justin Turner.

Enrique Hernandez hit a solo home run in the second inning to give the blue a 2-1 lead. However, the Dodgers failed to do much else through five innings. Fortunately, two runs were all the Dodgers needed for Ryu to be comfortable in the best outing of his comeback season. In the sixth inning, Daniel Nava was Ryu's ninth strikeout victim. Dodger Manager Dave Roberts then brought in the bullpen after 93 pitches.

"He threw the ball well," said Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts. "The pitching mix was good. The change was good. We could have tried to get him through that sixth right there. But I thought it was a real good outing for Hyun-Jin."

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Toles hit a two-out, three-run bomb to right center to give the Dodgers a 5-1 lead and some breathing room to try to close the game out.

"Andrew is fun to watch," said Roberts. "He doesn't scare from a big spot. He just wants to help us win. And today, that three-run homer was huge.

"He's still a young player in the big leagues and not knowing the entire league but really not caring. He's just going out there and competing, trying to put together at bats, playing defense, and trying to help us win baseball games."

It was Toles' fifth home run of the season, which tied him for the team lead with Corey Seager. Toles' career high thus far had been seven home runs, which was in the minors. Prior to the game, Toles was consulting with Turner on his swing mechanics.

"The guy can hit, he can flat hit. We saw it last year," Turner exclaimed. "Even the outs that he's making, he's hitting rockets all over the place. We all know how strong of a guy he is. When you swing at good pitches in the zone, they tend to go a long way."

The Phillies added two runs in the top of the ninth inning when Obudel Herrera sent a Grant Dayton pitch deep to right center with two outs. Kenley Jensen was summoned to record the final out.

The Dodgers have now won four straight games, which is their longest streak of the early season. They next host the San Francisco Giants for a series that opens Monday night with Clayton Kershaw on the mound.

NFL Draft’s Next Dak: Chad Kelly?

Chad Kelly could be steal of the draft

The 2017 NFL Draft is fast approaching and some teams are working overtime while trying to find their franchise quarterback. The Dallas Cowboys found their key to the future in Dak Prescott with its fourth round draft pick in 2016.  Prescott was highly rated as a National Player of the Year Candidate heading into the 2015 season for Mississippi State and finished the season as a finalist for a plethora of top player awards; he also was named the 2016 Senior Bowl MVP. Leading up to the draft, Prescott had a 2nd-round grade by most scouts but his draft stock slipped when he arrested for DUI weeks before the draft. Due to the off field infraction, many teams passed on him and he became a low-risk choice by the Cowboys and the rest is history.

The NFL Combine showcases many of the top quarterbacks hoping to be selected in the first round or to have instant success like Prescott but one quarterback who wasn't a participant was University of Mississippi's Chad Kelly, mainly because the NFL decided to take a hard stance on players who have gotten into off field trouble. He likely would have still missed showing off in front of scouts because he tore his ACL in an early November game. Kelly was cleared by doctors and was scheduled for abbreviated action during the Ole Miss Pro Day, however, he aggravated a wrist injury and had to cut his workout short. He'll get one more chance to show his abilities to scouts April 22, just five days before the start of the NFL draft.

Chad Kelly 3/28 & 3/30 workouts combined from QB Country on Vimeo.

Kelly, just like Prescott, has great mobility and had much success during his one full season while playing for a school in Mississippi and was on many preseason watch lists for awards but that's where the comparisons should end. Prescott was perceived to be a risk because of character issues but teams didn't due their due diligence and got it wrong. Kelly, on the other hand, has a track record stemming from his high school days to being dismissed from Clemson to getting into a skirmish during an Ole Miss off week while watching his kid brother's high school football game, which was probably the reason the league rescinded its invitation. On the field, Prescott is known for making smart decisions but has limitations when trying to throw downfield. Kelly has no such limitations; he's actually known to have one of the better arms in this draft class.

Due to injury and character concerns, it's likely that Kelly won't be drafted before the sixth round, if at all. But one team that should be considering adding Kelly to the fold is the Kansas City Chiefs because head coach Andy Reid has gotten all that he can out of Alex Smith aka check down Charlie. Smith lacks the ability to push the ball down the field but he's accurate enough to help Kansas City get to another 10-win season, but certainly, they are looking to be more than also-rans. This is the perfect situation for Kelly; he can learn under the quarterback gurus Reid and Brad Childress and watch how Smith prepares. During practices, Reid will salivate at the quarterback with the strongest arm he's had at his disposal since Donovan McNab.

By most accounts, this upcoming draft doesn't have a signal caller who's ready to lead an NFL team out the gate. Maybe because they haven't seen what Kelly can do in a while and have forgotten about him. Don't be surprised when Kelly jumps out on the scene and takes the league by storm in the near future. You heard it here first. 

Exclusive One on One with Thon Maker

Just two years ago, I spoke with an 18-year-old Thon Maker for a feature story, as he was prepping for the Ball Is Life High School All-American game. He was later voted the MVP of that game, and lived up to the hype that preceded that day. Maker was the 10^th player selected in the 2016 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.

I caught up with Maker to find out how his rookie season was going for him. This discussion took place on March 15 in Los Angeles, shortly after his Bucks defeated the Clippers 97-96. Maker got the start in that game but only played seven minutes, however he did make a key three pointer in the second half that swung momentum in his team’s favor.

On his NBA experience:

Right now, I’m in the flow because I’ve been playing a lot more, so it’s been good. I first started out developing and seeing how everything was going and now I’m in the action. So I just have to go out there and perform.

What he’s working on to finish his season strong:

I need to continue working on my body. I want to come back stronger for next season. There are a lot of games being played right now, so that will have to wait. On the defensive side of the floor, I need to work on being more vocal and finding ways to help us win.

On what his life has been like since joining the NBA compared to before:

It has been good… very, very satisfying. I’ve worked really hard for it and I will continue to work hard every single time. I feel like the results, so far, are where I wanted them to be. To jump from where I was to get to the league, I did whatever it took to get here and I’m going to do whatever it takes to stay here. That is always my mentality.

Adjustments made to his playing style:

Right now, I’m playing more of the five so I’m dedicating time to my footwork, the quickness to fight around other teams’ centers because they are much bigger, so for me that’s important. I’ve been able to learn how to talk loud and talk more often than I did.

Best experience of this season:

I would honestly say it’s the preparation for each game, each night… and just knowing that being in the NBA, the preparation part is pretty big and working at it is very exciting. We used to just watch the games back home but to, now, be a part of it and experience it is a wonderful feeling.

NBA city with best food:

We go to a lot of restaurants. Hmm (ponders response). Who has good food? Can’t remember the name of the restaurant but Detroit and New York. We go out as a team whenever we travel for road games.

Expectations for rest of season:

As a team, we want to continue playing the way we are playing right now and I don’t expect nothing less than this. So for us, we’re on a good pace for the playoffs and just have to focus on one game at a time.

Clippers Rout Kings, Get Home Court in Round One

LOS ANGELES — With home court advantage for the first round matchup against the Utah Jazz in the NBA playoffs hanging in the balance, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Sacramento Kings 115-95 in front of a raucous Staples Center crowd in its final regular season game.

“I wanted to win the game,” said Doc Rivers. “I thought it was good for our guys to win, but honestly home court is still more important and we got that, so that’s nice to get for us.  That’s a bonus.”

DeAndre Jordan led the Clippers with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and four blocked shots.  Chris Paul scored 17 points with nine assists. J.J. Redick contributed 18 points, including three from downtown, breaking his own Clippers’ single season three-point record with his 201^st make from behind the arc this season.

Chris Paul’s midrange jumper halfway through the first period gave the Clippers a 17-15 lead, which they would never relinquish. Los Angeles led Utah 30-23 after the first quarter.

“We played all of these games to get to this position,” said Paul. “We had our ups and downs [this season], but all that’s over now, and it all means nothing anymore.”

Most people would have expected the Clippers to pull away from the Kings early in this game considering what was on the line but there they were, only leading the Kings 41-39 with 5:58 remaining in the second quarter.  The lead grew to as large as 10 points after that but Sacramento kept fighting and only trailed by six with a 53-47 halftime score.

The Kings made the first basket of the third quarter, and it appeared the Clippers wouldn’t be handed the fourth seed in the West. The game was played within a six-point margin for the first portion of the third. However, the fight turned into a sparring match for the Clippers, as the Kings started to run out of gas, which was signified by Kings’ guard Ben McLemore missing a breakaway dunk. The lead would be stretched to 14 by the end of the third.

 The Clippers finish the season strong by winning their seventh consecutive game, which is the longest active streak in the NBA.

The focus now turns to preparing for the playoff matchup with Jazz, which begins Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at Staples Center.

“We have to clean up our mistakes,” said Griffin. “This is what we played 82 games for.”

Finally! Four in Phoenix

The Final Four will be played this weekend in Phoenix and there are some interesting matchups that nobody thought we would be presented with. We've come down to the Blue Blood versus the field, vying for the NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship.

Raise your hand if you had the South Carolina Gamecocks reaching the Final Four in your bracket. How about the Oregon Ducks? Maybe you had the Gonzaga Bulldogs but they were the unlikeliest of the top seeds chosen to reach this far. By far, the most popular of the national semifinal participants are the North Carolina Tar Heels -- the only blue blood college basketball program playing this weekend. To the common eye, this is the Tar Heel invitational, but don't be surprised  if these other teams make you put some respek on their name by the time it's all over.

Another way to look at field of teams is as a geographical battle because each matchup pits a school from the Pacific Northwest against a school from the Carolinas. In the first game, its Gonzaga versus South Carolina; there's good reason to cheer for both of these teams. The second game features Oregon and North Carolina.

Gonzaga is a small school that plays in a small conference, which they have dominated for the last quarter of a century. The Zags, as they're commonly referred to by, have been to 20 straight NCAA tourneys and regularly advance to the sweet 16 but that's about it. This season they were the last remaining undefeated team and held down the number one spot in the polls for a few weeks and are playing in the program's first-ever Final Four, so this might finally be their breakthrough.

This is also South Carolina's first trip to the Final Four. Although they play in a power conference, they're not known for basketball but maybe that will change since Frank Martin is the head coach. Martin is probably the top feel good story of this thing. By now you've heard about Martin's story, if not you best read up, then come back to this article. You see... nobody really cares about this team except for alumni and people with close ties to the players and staff but everybody wants to see a guy like Frank win.

Before making the Final Four, Oregon held the distinction as the team that had gone the longest time between Final Four appearances -- 78 years. They're the team that most of the haters will be rooting for since there are people who simply don't want the Tar Heels to prosper. As I just mentioned how Martin is beloved, there are folks who are calling for Dana Altman's head because of a scandal from three years ago. That situation withstanding, the Ducks are on the rise and they shouldn't be slept on.

North Carolina lost on a buzzer beater in last year's National Championship game to Villanova. Most of this year's players were on that roster and feel like they have some unfinished business -- they do. So as just reaching this point is a major accomplishment for the other teams, not cutting down the nets on Monday night will be a major disappointment for the Tar Heels. Let's leave it at that.

If you just go by what most people expect then the two number one seeds, Gonzaga and North Carolina, will play each other in the championship game on Monday. However, South Carolina is peaking at the right moment and these are the type of games where the Zags have faltered in past years and if Oregon can knock off the number one overall seed in Kansas, they can do the same to North Carolina, then we'll have a matchup versus the perceived-scumbag coach versus the loveable one. I don't see that scenario happening and, personally, want to see both west coast teams win because I've covered their games in person this year and it will make most of the country mad; CBS would have some poor ratings.

Gonzaga won't lose Saturday and North Carolina shouldn't lose, although it is a very winnable game for Oregon. I hate calling matchups before it's a certainty but will predict that Gonzaga will defeat North Carolina on Monday night.

Clippers Cruise Over Resting Cavs

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Clippers were gift-wrapped a 108-78 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. Shortly before the start of the game, the Cavaliers announced their star players would not be playing in this game due to rest.

Blake Griffin led the way for the Clippers with a game-high 23 points and seven boards. DeAndre Jordan scored 13 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. J.J. Reddick chipped in 16 points.

“It’s a different game without Lebron, Kyrie, and Kevin playing, obviously,” said Griffin. “We’re not going to pretend like it’s not. But at the end of the day, you still have to go out and execute.”

It took the Clippers a quarter and a half to finally separate themselves from the short-handed Cavaliers and ease the stress of the home crowd. As they took control of the game by scoring 13 unanswered points, Cav’s coach Tyronn Lue resorted to intentionally fouling Jordan for on possession; Jordan split the pair of free throws and Lue didn’t go back to the well. That was the turning point of the game, as Cleveland didn’t have enough its arsenal to challenge the Clippers on the scoreboard.

“Guys started making shots,” said Chris Paul, who didn’t make a field goal in the game for the seventh time in his career. “I still didn’t, but I think our defense got a little better, we started getting out in transition defense.”

Griffin put an exclamation on the Clippers’ second quarter dominance with two seconds left in the first half when he caught the Cavs sleeping and came unimpeded down the lane to rebound a DeAndre Jordan missed free throw with an emphatic put-back dunk. The Clippers led 47-31 at the half and never looked back.

“The ball just kind of took several bounces, a couple of more bounces than any of us thought and I just happened to be there… I just got lucky,” said Griffin. “Our trust was high tonight, that is what I like the most.”

Even with Cleveland’s big three sitting out this game for rest, the Clippers’ recent defensive woes surfaced when Iman Shumpert sank an open 19-foot jumper then drove for an uncontested layup for the games first two baskets. 

However, the home team quickly got their affairs in order as they forced and took advantage of seven empty possessions to go on a 12-0 run.  The Cavs responded with a 14-2 run of their own, holding the Clippers scoreless for the final 3:28 of the period, to lead 16-14 after the first quarter.

The Clippers entered the game as losers of three straight and in sixth place in the Western Conference standings. Oklahoma City tied them with the same record but was in fifth place due to a tiebreaker. It was a much-needed win for Los Angeles, who play three beatable opponents in the Knicks, Lakers, and the Mavericks next on the schedule before playing the fourth-place Utah Jazz next Saturday, March 25.

Chris Paul didn’t make a field goal on eight attempts.

Clippers Inches Short Against Bucks

LOS ANGELES — It was a game of inches as Blake Griffin’s shot bounced off the rim and fell short at the buzzer and the Los Angeles Clippers lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 97-96 Wednesday at the STAPLES Center.

The Clippers (40-28) began the day two and a half games behind the Utah Jazz in the battle for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. However, Wednesday’s loss to Milwaukee puts them much closer to the Memphis Grizzlies, who trail the Clippers by two games in seventh place.

The Clippers looked lethargic in the fourth quarter, showing no real fire on the court until the closing minutes.

“We couldn’t get the string of stops you need to be a great team,” said a disappointed Doc Rivers. “Either we didn’t rotate, or they made a good shot, or we fouled, we just couldn’t get multiple stops. We got a couple of good stops that cut the lead but I just thought we failed to get the big stops tonight.”

From Milwaukee’s perspective, they got the stop they needed at the right time.

“We anticipated the switch because they had been switching the whole game,” said Rivers. “We got [Griffin] the ball right in the middle of the floor with a point guard on him. Matthew Dellavedova got into his legs and the next guy challenged his shot.”

Dellavedova, who came off the bench, played a key role on the offensive end as well in the deciding fourth quarter. Dellavedova scored eight points in the closing quarter, including two big threes that threw cooled off Clipper rallies.

“I think [Dellavedova] is setting good screens, so when I see Chris Paul in front of me, I know Delly is wide open,” said Giannis Antetokounmpo. “I think he did a great job of separating, and he was able to get his feet set and knock them down.”

Dellavedova, who scored 12 points, was one of three Bucks reserve bench players that scored in double figures.  If you compare the plus/minus in the box scores, there is a huge difference between the two squads in this game.

Clippers need to find a way to be productive when their starters aren’t on the floor. Aside from the 14 points Jamal Crawford scored, the bench wasn’t effective at all. The reserve players gave back the good equity the starters built every time the unit was on the court.

Milwaukee, on the other hand, benefit from a balanced scoring attack. They featured eight players with 20 or more minutes of playing time and had six players who scored in double figures.

“When we’re unselfish and we make the extra pass, good things happen,” said Jason Kidd after the game. “We didn’t put a lot of minutes on Khris [Middleton] tonight, which is a bonus… Again, everybody who pitched in, who played, it was a big team win on the road.”

Antetokounmpo had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists in only 28 minutes. Bucks rookie point guard Malcom Brogdon is making a run at Rookie of the Year; he scored 11 points and dished out five assists.

Milwaukee (33-34) began the day with slim half game lead over Miami for the eight and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the win puts them in the seventh spot as they try to avoid a first round matchup against Cleveland.

After the game Clippers coach Doc Rivers announced that Deandre Jordan and Griffin would not be traveling with the team to Denver to play in Thursday night’s game.

UC Davis Wins Big West Championship

Courtesy of Marlin Agoub
www.facebook.com/BigWestConference/

Anaheim, Calif. – If you needed proof that defense actually does win championships, look no further than the Honda Center on Saturday night where the UC Davis Aggies put clamps on the UC Irvine Anteaters. With a 50-47 victory, UC Davis wins its first Big West Tournament championship and earned its first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

“Before the tournament started we told the guys that the best defensive will walk away with the biggest prize and go dancing,” said UC Davis coach Jim Les. “These guys, for these three games, were dominant.”

Brynton Lemar scored 11 points in the final four minutes to lead UC Davis to victory.  In the closing moments with a 46-44 lead, Lemar was face-to-face with UC Irvine’s Luke Nelson milking the shot clock and having a conversation before he drove the lane and scored two points on a goal tending.

“I literally told him, ‘you know I worked too hard for this. I’m not going to let this slip out,’” Lemar explained. “He said, “Alright, let’s see it.’ So I took it as a challenge. I love challenges and I’m not going to back down from nobody… It was a great experience.”

#UCDavis cutting down the nets. Big West champs

A post shared by Mr. Wilson (@spitsgame) on Mar 11, 2017 at 11:08pm PST

Lemar scored a game-high 20 points. Chima Moneke, who’s put back at the buzzer of the Aggies’ semifinal game earned them a championship opportunity, was selected as the Big West Tournament MVP.

“This was the toughest last four minutes I ever played,” said a delighted Moneke. “I’m just happy we won.”

J.T. Andrele scored the first points of the game for UC Davis to put them ahead on the scoreboard. It was a lead that they never gave up for the first 30 minutes, mainly because they made life hard on offense for UC Irvine.

The Aggies kept the Anteater starting backcourt of Nelson and Jaron Martin in check throughout the first half by holding them to a combined 2-8 from the field. Martin would finish with only three points total.

UC Irvine committed as many turnovers as they had field goal attempts in the first 10 minutes – nine. UC Irvine, with two minutes left in the first half, had as many points as turnovers – 11; Irvine committed 13 turnovers overall in the first half.

“They were physical, they were aggressive, the way championship basketball is often played,” said UC Irvine head coach Russell Turner. “

When they weren’t turning the ball over, the shots weren’t falling. UC Irvine shot 6-23 in the first half. UC Davis led UC Irvine 24-16 at the half. It was the lowest scoring output in any half by UC Irvine all season.

Irvine scored the first five points of the second half, sending a reminder as to why they’re the top-seeded team in the conference.  They took their first lead of the game on a Tommy Rutherford dunk, midway through the second half.

There was a lot of nervous energy in the building in closing minutes but it was apparent that nervous isn’t a word used to describe Lemar. When the Aggies started to tighten up, he was a cool as a fan, continuously driving for layups and making free throws. In the semifinal, Lemar scored nine points in the overtime period. 

Moneke's Heroics Send UC Davis to First Championship Game

Courtesy of Zyaire Porter T.G.Sportstv1

Anaheim, Calif. – A put-back at the buzzer by Chima Moneke sends the UC Davis Aggies to the championship game with 66-64 victory over the Cal State Fullerton Titans in overtime.

Brynton Lemar carried the Aggies on his back during the overtime period when he scored all nine of the Aggies’ points prior to Moneke’s late-game heroics. Lemar scored a game-high 23 points.

“As a senior, I think it’s my responsibility to step up and make plays,” said Lemar. “I saw the defense sag off a little bit and they weren’t really hedging on screens. They were playing all guards. I was just trying to be aggressive and make good plays.”

Moneke finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds. His physicality overwhelmed the Titans for most of the game as he continued get in the paint for his points and grabbed seven offensive rebounds, none was more important than his final one.

“I saw that [Fullerton player] just watching the shot, so I just snuck in and knew I was going to get the offensive rebound,” said Moneke. “I just tried to stay cool. I knew there was enough time for me to get it up.”

The nightcap began as a sloppily-played basketball game, although UC Davis closed out the first half strong by making eight of its last 12 shots after opening the game by making only two of its first 15 field goal attempts. Fullerton scored the first seven points of the game but went cold, scoring only 11 the rest of the half. Fullerton shot 7-31 in the first half and going scoreless in the last three minutes of the first half.

The second half was played with much more intensity than the first. Both teams were more efficient in shooting the ball, especially the Titans’ Tre’ Coogins, who took it upon himself to shoulder the load to make a ball game out of it.

UC Davis was in charge for most of the second half. It was Moneke and Lemar tag teaming with an inside to outside game for the Aggies. Moneke shot 16 free throws; putting the Cal State Fullerton bigs in foul trouble in the process, which forced them to go small for the majority of the second half.

“We got to a point where we had to play five guards, the way the whistle was going,” said Cal State Fullerton coach Dedrique Taylor. “The physically beat us up and I thought they were allowed to do that tonight throughout the course of the game from the onset.”

Small ball seemed to have worked in Fullerton’s when Coogins shot from deep to give Titans a 53-51 lead that they couldn’t keep because found his way to the foul line for a pair of free throws to tie the game at 53. A pair of free throws by Coogins gave the Titans another lead but Lemar drove to a short post for a jumper with 20 seconds left that put the game into overtime.

The win sends UC Davis to its first trip to the Big West championship game since they entered the league in the 2007-08 season. They will face UC Irvine who defeated Long Beach State in the first semifinal game.