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Recap Georgetown 75 South Florida 45

Dave Johnson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:09:02 +0000

Henry Sims recorded 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and No. 14 Georgetown’s defense befuddled visiting South Florida for a 75-45 victory on Saturday.

Otto Porter (12), Jason Clark (11), Jabril Trawick (10) and Markel Starks (10) also scored in double figures for the Hoyas (18-4, 8-3 Big East), who have won five of their last six games. Georgetown shot 51 percent from the field.

Georgetown opened the second half with a 16-4 run to take a 20-point lead and South Florida (13-10, 6-4) could never get its offense in gear, shooting under 30 percent until the final minutes and committing 17 turnovers.

Augustus Gilchrist led South Florida with 15 points before fouling out.

South Florida went 10:54 without a point and Georgetown didn’t make a field goal for a span of 9:20 in the opening 20 minutes. The Hoyas managed a 14-0 run to take as much as a 13-point lead before South Florida closed within 23-15 at halftime.

Gilchrist had nine points in the first half for the Bulls, whose 15 points was a season low for a half. South Florida turned the ball over 11 times before halftime.

Georgetown is 5-1 at home in the Big East and 12-1 overall.

West Virginia pulls out of game with Florida State

Dave Johnson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:00:16 +0000

West Virginias football team has pulled out of a matchup with Florida State next season – at a hefty price.
Florida State officials confirmed that the Mountaineers backed out of the game and will pay the Seminoles $350,000 for the late exit.
The schedule was made up before West Virginia made the decision to bolt the Big East Conference for the Big 12.
Because of the additional conference games in the Big 12, the Mountaineers cannot fit Florida State into their schedule.
The game was scheduled for Sept. 8 at Florida State as part of a home-and-home series the next two seasons.

Blazers F Batum expected to play Saturday

Dave Johnson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:00:14 +0000

Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum is expected to return to the lineup for Saturday nights contest against Denver.
Batum has sat out the last two games with a bone bruise in his knee. He was hurt in Mondays loss to Utah.
The 23-year-old Batum is averaging 11.4 points and 4.1 rebounds this season.

Levin leads by 5 midway through Phoenix Open

Dave Johnson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:30:05 +0000

Spencer Levin extended his second-round lead at the Phoenix Open without picking up a club.
Levin saw his lead over Harrison Frazer grow to five strokes after second-round play was completed Saturday morning.
Levin shot an 8-under-par 63 Friday and was in the clubhouse with a three-shot lead over Frazar when darkness suspended play.
Frazer bogeyed two of his final three holes Saturday morning to complete a round of 67 that left him alone in second place.
Levin, seeking his first PGA Tournament win, has only one bogey through 36 holes and was at 14-under 128.
John Huh (66) and Web Simpson (69) were tied for third place at 8-under 134, one stroke ahead of Kyle Stanley (66).
Thirty-four players were still on the course when play was suspended Friday. The third round was scheduled to resume just before noon ET Saturday.

Canadiens D Markov skates again Saturday

Dave Johnson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:30:03 +0000

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov skated for 39 minutes Saturday on his surgically repaired right knee.
Markov has been sidelined since suffering an ACL and MCL tear against the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 13, 2010.
He appeared ready to return to the lineup earlier this season but needed to undergo another surgical procedure in December.
The Canadiens signed the 33-year-old Markov to a three-year, $17.25 million contract in June.
In 623 career games, Markov has collected 81 goals and 285 assists.

Bulls F Deng gametime decision for Bucks

Dave Johnson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:30:02 +0000

Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng has been listed as a game-time decision for Saturdays matchup at the Milwaukee Bucks.
Deng has been sidelined for the past seven games due to a torn ligament in his left wrist.
Chicago is 4-3 without Deng, the teams second-leading scorer at 15.9 points per game.

Pistons F Villanueva to be sidelined for a few weeks

Dave Johnson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:00:03 +0000

Detroit Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva will not be returning to the lineup anytime soon.
Villanueva is dealing with bone spurs and tendinitis in his right ankle and will have it partially immobilized for a few weeks.
The team said the diagnosis was made after multiple consultations with specialists. Villanueva will be re-evaluated after an unspecified time period.
The 6-foot-11 Villanueva has appeared in only two games this season, failing to score in a total of fewer than six minutes.
He averaged 11.1 points and 3.9 assists in 76 games with Detroit last season.

Thunder G Sefolosha to remain sidelined

Dave Johnson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:00:02 +0000

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha will remained sidelined for a few more days with a foot injury.
Sefolosha, who has missed the past three games, told the Oklahoman that will be out another four or five days while waiting for a tendon in his foot to heal.
The third-year guard is averaging 5.2 points and 2.7 rebounds for Oklahoma City. He has missed only three games in his first two seasons.

Antti Niemi likely to get more rest than last season down the stretch

Dave Johnson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:53:24 +0000

Sharks No.

1 goaltender Antti Niemi was back between the pipes at practice Friday, and he pronounced himself fit to play Saturday against the Phoenix Coyotes after missing one game because of a minor injury.

But unlike last season, when Niemi started 31 of the Sharks final 32 games, he probably is going to get some help down the regular-season stretch.

The development of Thomas Greiss into a top-flight backup and the brutal schedule ensure that the Sharks will go with something closer to a goaltending tandem in the final two months.

“Between now and the end of the year, we play a jam-packed schedule,” coach Todd McLellan said.

“And having the team confident in both of them is a valuable thing.

We know were going to need both.”

It will be a delicate balancing act for the Sharks, because the workaholic Niemi thrives when he plays on a consistent basis.

Hes the primary reason the Sharks were a torrid 23-6-3 after the All-Star break a year ago.

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Shortening of shifts paying off for Canes

Dave Johnson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:53:16 +0000

In a hockey game, every second counts.

Just ask the Los Angeles Kings, who won a game this week when time stood still for about a second.

But the Carolina Hurricanes, who face the Kings tonight at the RBC Center, realize the importance of time.

In a 3-0 victory Thursday over the Boston Bruins, the Canes shortened their playing shifts on the ice and were the fresher team over the full 60 minutes.

The Hurricanes had 11 players whose average shift length was fewer than 40 seconds.

The Bruins, in contrast, had one.

In Carolinas 5-2 loss Tuesday against the New York Islanders, the Canes had just three players average fewer than 40 seconds a shift.

Eric Staal averaged 48 seconds and Jeff Skinner 46.

“It was a conscious effort against Boston,” Staal said Friday of shortening the shifts.

“Against the Islanders, we talked about it but it didnt happen.

When you get stretched out, you just dont have as much jump.

“I think in Boston we had the benefit of putting pucks in good areas and were able to kind of double line change.

We kept (Zdeno) Chara and a couple of their other defensemen on the ice (for) an extended period.

When you can do that and have that fresh jump, it gives you that extra step and it was a difference-maker.”

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