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| Author: | khm1997 [ Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:20 am ] |
| Post subject: | soaring up for a reverse du |
SAN DIEGO -- Arms waving and legs churning, Arizona is racing back into the Sweet 16. The rest of the bracket should take notice of this one. If they play like this, the Wildcats are going to be awfully tough to beat. Overwhelming Gonzaga with its contest-everything defence, Arizona looked very much like the top seed in the West, blowing out the Bulldogs 84-61 on Sunday to reach the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years. "That Arizona team we saw tonight was as good a team as we have faced, that I can remember," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "It was just too much for us tonight." Coming off a shaky NCAA tournament opener, Arizona (32-4) ended a wild first weekend of upsets and buzzer beaters with a display of domination. This was not the epic double-overtime game these teams played in the 2003 NCAA tournament. This was an eye-popping display of what one of the nations best teams can do when it gets rolling. The Wildcats overran Gonzaga (29-7) with their size, athleticism and quick hands to blow the eighth-seeded Bulldogs out of the bracket. Turning one of college basketballs most efficient teams on its head, Arizona scored 31 points of Gonzagas 21 turnovers -- 15 on steals -- and never gave the Zags a chance after racing out to a 21-point lead in the first half. Aaron Gordon had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists for Arizona. Fellow freshman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also had 18 points and Nick Johnson finished with 17. Next up for Arizona is fourth-seeded San Diego State -- a team it beat in this same arena early in the season -- in the Sweet 16 just up the coast in Anaheim. "Tonight was one of our seasons best performances," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. "Obviously, you want to play well in the NCAA tournament and thats exactly what our team did tonight." Gonzaga has relied on its ability to control the game and take care of the ball during a run of 16 straight NCAA tournament appearances. Arizonas pressure ran the Zags ragged, leaving them trailing the Wildcats as they raced off to one layup after another. Przemek Karnowski scored 14 points and Kevin Pangos of Holland Landing, Ont., added 12 for Gonzaga, which hasnt reached the Sweet 16 since 2009. "We didnt do ourselves any favours," said Pangos, who kept playing after turning his ankle early in the game. "We let them feel pretty good about themselves. But they are a good team and they did speed it up a little bit." Arizona was jittery in its opener against Weber State, starting slow and allowing the Wildcats from Utah to claw their way back from a 21-point deficit in the second half to make it close. The first-game anxiety out of their system, the Wildcats played with confidence and plenty of energy against Gonzaga, sprinting up the floor after steals and defensive rebounds to set up easy shots in transition. Arizona made it look easy at times, dropping off passes for layups, flying in for alley-oops and spotting up for 3-pointers on the break. It was so good even Gordon, whose outside shot has been questioned, dropped in a 3-pointer. For good measure, he went in for what seems to become his signature move on the break, soaring up for a reverse dunk on an alley-oop from Johnson to put Arizona up 38-20. Gonzaga shot well against one of the nations best defences -- when it could get shots off. The Bulldogs struggled with Arizonas theyre-everywhere defence, playing catch-up on the break as the Wildcats snared passes and stripped dribblers for eight steals in the first half. Gonzaga had 11 turnovers that Arizona turned into 19 points for a 47-34 halftime lead that would have been more if the Bulldogs didnt make a late run. Arizona had one turnover and 13 assists on its 17 field goals -- 34 attempts -- with Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson combining to hit 8 of 9 shots while scoring 12 points each. "What we did today was push the tempo," Gordon said. "We noticed they werent getting back as well as they should and we just kept that going throughout the game." The second half started like this: two possessions by Gonzaga, two turnovers. Arizona kept the show going from there. Johnson had the defensive highlight of the half, tracking down David Stockton to block what appeared to be a breakaway layup and the ball went off a Gonzaga player, to boot. The offensive reel was highlighted by Gordon, who soared in for a rebound slam over two Gonzaga players. No chance for the Bulldogs and, if Arizona keeps playing like this, not much of one for anyone else. . -- Albert Pujols is thrilled to have a reason to forget about his first two disappointing seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. . "I honestly dont know," he said. Try this: 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds by Rajon Rondo, a 62-37 rebounding advantage by the Celtics and a horrible 4-for-30 shooting performance on 3-pointers by the Nets. http://www.cheapwhitesoxjerseysauthenti ... ith-jersey. -- Masahiro Tanaka knows that first appearance in a spring training game for the New York Yankees will be scrutinized. . Pinch-hitter Tommy Medica singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their first home game since Gwynn died of cancer Monday. . -- C.J. Cron hit an RBI single on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues, doubled his second time up and hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth inning to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night.GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Antoine Vermette scored late in the first period, Mike Smith stopped 23 shots and the Phoenix Coyotes got back to their defensive ways in a 1-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night. After some shaky performances coming out of the Olympic break, the Coyotes had a strong night in their own end, blocking shots and limiting scoring opportunities. Phoenix held Vancouver to 12 shots until midway through the third period. Smith made some tough saves down the stretch for his third shutout of the season and 27th in his career, helping Phoenix move ahead of Vancouver to tie Winnipeg for ninth in the Western Conference. Eddie Lack kept Vancouver in it with 31 saves, but the Canucks were unable get much going offensively to lose for the ninth time in 10 games. Both teams needed a jump-start after slipping down the Western Conference pecking order. Vancouver lost seven straight games before the Olympic break and followed a victory over St. Louis by losing to Minnesota, then Ottawa. Adding to the Canucks problems, Daniel Sedin, tied for the team lead in points, suffered a lower-body injury against the Senators and was out against the Coyotes. The team also dealt veteran goalie Robert Luongo to Florida earlier Tuesday. Phoenix has been inconsistent since starting the season strong, following wins against some of the NHLs best teams with losses against some of the worst. Despite saying they needed to play with urgency, the Coyotes have laboured since the Olympic break ended, earning one point in three games. Phoenix has had trouble holding leads, coughing it up five times in the past 11 games, including Sundays 4-2 loss to the Blues, when they gave up four goals in the third period..dddddddddddd Vancouver had a similar problem against the Senators, allowing four straight goals after going up 2-0. The Coyotes and Canucks played with a testiness expected between two teams scrapping for a playoff spot, with plenty of hitting, pushing and shoving throughout the first period. Phoenix had good pressure in the period and broke through late when Vermette fought off two Canucks and took a couple of swipes before knocking in a rebound for his 22nd of the season. The Coyotes kept up the pressure in the second period, but Lack was sharp, making some tough saves, particularly during an early Phoenix flurry. Vancouver couldnt find any holes in Phoenixs defence, though, going 13 minutes spanning the second and third periods without a shot on goal. The Coyotes thought they had a 2-0 lead when Mikkel Boedker scored midway through the third period. But it was waved off because Vermette, who was being held down by two Canucks players, was in the crease. It didnt matter the way they were playing defence and Smith was seeing pucks in his crease. Notes: A moment of silence was held before the game for two Phoenix police officers, including one who died, during a shootout on Monday. ... The Coyotes added what they hope will be a valuable scorer, acquiring Martin Erat and John Mitchell from the Capitals for forward Chris Brown, defenceman Rostislav Klesla and a fourth-round selection in the 2015 draft. ... Coyotes C Martin Hanzal did not play due to a lower-body injury. ... Vermette has scored 11 of his 22 goals this season against Canadian opponents. ... Vancouver plays at Dallas on Thursday in another game against a team fighting for one of the Wests last playoff spots. ' ' ' |
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