Author Archives: ianbethune

Video: Second Half Surge Gives UConn 89-53 Win Over Green Bay For Gulf Coast Title

Anytime someone plays the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team, you expect them to give their best effort. Sometimes that endeavor doesn’t always work.

But when you play a team like the Green Bay Phoenix, who won’t back down from a challenge and will basically play anyone anywhere, you really have to work to beat them because they won’t defeat themselves.

A 14-2 run to start the second half got things on the right foot as the Huskies went on to an 89-53 win over the Phoenix to win the Gulf Coast Showcase in front of 3,217 at Germain Arena in Estero, FL on Sunday night.

UConn improves to 5-1 while Green Bay falls to 5-2.

Moriah Jefferson led the way for the Huskies with 19 points and five assists. Breanna Stewart added 17 points and nine rebounds while Tournament MVP Kia Nurse had 16 points and six rebounds. All-Tournament performer Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis chipped in with 13 points while Gabby Williams had another strong game off the bench with 10 points.

UConn placed one more on the All-Tournament Team in Morgan Tuck who had had eight points.

The Phoenix were led by Mehryn Kraker’s 12 points. She was also named to the All-Tournament team along with her teammate Megan Luken who had six points, six rebounds and seven assists. Tesha Buck finished with 10 points.

The Huskies are back in action on Saturday afternoon when they head to South Bend, IN for a matchup with their top rival, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Jimmy V Classic. Tip is scheduled for 3:15 p.m.

UConn Huskies vs Green Bay Phoenix 11/30/14 box score

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photo credit: brad horrigan – hartford courant

Photos-MBB: UConn Huskies vs Texas Longhorns – 11/30/14

UConn G Ryan Boatright (11) flies through the air to make a pass against Texas in the second half at Gampel Pavilion.

Here are photos from the Texas Longhorns’ 55-54 win over the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT on November 30, 2014.

To see full size picture or slide show, please click on image
(mobile/tablet users: to scroll through photos, you can swipe left or right; to remove caption, tap photo.)

Video: Holmes’ Three Sinks UConn In 55-54 Longhorns Win

The UConn Huskies student section were preparing themselves to storm the court against the #7 Texas Longhorns with just seconds remaining. Unfortunately Jonathan Holmes had other plans for them.

Holmes’ three-pointer with two seconds left gave the Longhorns a 55-54 win over the #24 Huskies in front of a sold-out crowd and nationally televised audience at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT on Sunday afternoon.

Texas coach Rick Barnes drew up a play that called for them to go for a two but the first option was covered. As Holmes cut towards the ball, UConn guard Ryan Boatright‘s ankle gave out for the second time, leaving Holmes wide open to nail the game winner.

“They just executed a good play at the end,” UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. “We called a time out. We wanted to switch everything and guard in the corner.”

“I think Boatright rolled his ankle and couldn’t get out to Holmes, and Daniel got caught. A great execution play by them.”

Boatright led the Huskies (3-2) with 24 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Daniel Hamilton added 13 points and seven rebounds while Kentan Facey led the team with eight rebounds while scoring four points.

Holmes led the Longhorns (6-0) with 13 points and eight rebounds. Demarcus Holland and Javan Felix both chipped in with 10 points apiece.

UConn is back in action on Friday night before breaking for final exams as they’ll take on the Yale Bulldogs at Gampel. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Texas Longhorns @ UConn Huskies 11/30/14 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Kevin Ollie and select players.

Here are UConn’s postgame notes.

2014 NCAA Football Rankings – Week 15 (Nov. 30)

The NCAA football rankings are out and the Alabama Crimson Tide find themselves as the No. 1 team in both polls this week despite the Florida State Seminoles being undefeated.

Alabama is followed by Florida State, the Oregon Ducks, TCU Horned Frogs and Baylor Bears in the top five of both polls.

As we’ve come to expect, there are no teams from the American Athletic Conference ranked this week. However, the Central Florida Knights, Cincinnati Bearcats and Memphis Tigers are among the others receiving votes in both polls.

AP Top 25				USA Today Poll
RK	TEAM	REC	PTS	RK	TEAM	REC	PTS
1	Alabama (25)	11-1	1426	1	Alabama (28)	11-1	1507
2	Florida State (29)	12-0	1423	2	Florida State (28)	12-0	1489
3	Oregon (5)	11-1	1391	3	Oregon (6)	11-1	1458
4	TCU	10-1	1274	4	TCU	10-1	1339
5	Baylor	10-1	1243	5	Baylor	10-1	1300
6	Ohio State	11-1	1192	6	Ohio State	11-1	1269
7	Michigan State	10-2	1048	7	Michigan State	10-2	1136
8	Arizona	10-2	1027	8	Arizona	10-2	1050
9	Kansas State	9-2	995	9	Kansas State	9-2	1037
10	Mississippi State	10-2	944	10	Mississippi State	10-2	979
11	Wisconsin	10-2	910	11	Wisconsin	10-2	955
12	Georgia Tech	10-2	823	12	Georgia Tech	10-2	867
13	Ole Miss	9-3	753	13	Missouri	10-2	820
14	Missouri	10-2	740	14	Ole Miss	9-3	709
15	Georgia	9-3	606	15	Georgia	9-3	590
16	UCLA	9-3	512	16	Oklahoma	8-3	582
17	Arizona State	9-3	495	17	UCLA	9-3	517
18	Oklahoma	8-3	485	18	Arizona State	9-3	486
19	Clemson	9-3	418	19	Clemson	9-3	439
20	Auburn	8-4	358	20	Louisville	9-3	395
21	Louisville	9-3	346	21	Auburn	8-4	361
22	Boise State	10-2	265	22	Boise State	10-2	253
23	LSU	8-4	145	23	Nebraska	9-3	166
24	Utah	8-4	79	24	LSU	8-4	87
25	Nebraska	9-3	64	25	Minnesota	8-4	86
Dropped from rankings:				Dropped from rankings:
Marshall 19, Colorado State 21, Minnesota 22				Marshall 20, Colorado State 21
Others receiving votes:				Others receiving votes:
USC 61, Minnesota 47, Duke 22, Marshall 22, Memphis 21, Colorado State 18, Air Force 7, West Virginia 4, Stanford 4, Northern Illinois 3, UCF 3, Cincinnati 1				Utah 59, USC 52, Duke 50, Marshall 22, Colorado State 21, Cincinnati 18, Northern Illinois 15, Memphis 10, Stanford 9, Air Force 7, Louisiana Tech 5, UCF 3, Arkansas 2

Paw Prints: The Daily UConn Huskies Roundup – 11/30/14

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a DAILY basis.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It’s game day for the UConn men’s basketball team as they’ll take on the Texas Longhorns at Gampel Pavilion. Tip is scheduled for high noon and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and will also be available on WatchESPN. If you can’t watch the game you can always listen on the UConn IMG Sports Radio Network.

It’s also game day for the UConn women’s basketball team as they are in Estero, FL for the Gulf Coast Showcase. Tonight at 8:30 p.m., they’ll take on the Green Bay Phoenix in the finals. The game will be televised locally on SNY and will be available on WatchESPN outside of the SNY footprint. If you can’t watch the game you can always listen on the UConn IMG Sports Radio Network.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Video: UConn Women Drub Vanderbilt 91-52 [sox and dawgs]

UConn women’s game report: Nurse, Tuck starring in starting roles [ct post]

Stewart gets a lot of help from her friends [ct post]

UConn Beats Vanderbilt, 91-52 [hartford courant]

5 UConn Women’s Lessons Learned: Impressive Start For Tuck, Nurse [hartford courant]

Sources Say Complaint Came From Vanderbilt [hartford courant]

UConn routs Vanderbilt, reaches Gulf Coast Showcase title game [new haven register]

Tuck, Nurse lead UConn to rout of Vanderbilt [sny uconn]

Notebook: Nurse enjoying Canadian reunion [sny uconn]

Huskies All Access: Kathy Auriemma [sny uconn]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Boatright wishes Texas wasn’t missing Taylor for showdown [ct post]

Barnes Wants Texas To Be Like UConn And Play A Tough Schedule [hartford courant]

UConn men set for top 10 test from Texas [new haven register]

Ollie knows how important today’s game is [the day]

UConn Football links

Memphis Exacts Revenge Over UConn Earning Share of AAC Title [sox and dawgs]

UConn Football: Memphis Post Game Wrap [uconn huskies youtube]

Boyle getting his snaps a little too late [ct post]

UConn Is No Match For Memphis [hartford courant]

Mistakes Leave Boyle ‘Disappointed’ [hartford courant]

QB Nebrich, After Leaving UConn, Excelling At Fordham [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

W. Ice Hockey. UConn Tops Yale, 3-1, In Nutmeg Classic Consolation Game [uconn huskies]

M. Ice Hockey. UConn Shutout at Brown, 1-0 [uconn huskies]

M. Ice Hockey. Offensive Troubles Continue [hartford courant]

Video: UConn Women Drub Vanderbilt 91-52

UConn Huskies All-American Breanna Stewart spent a good portion of the game on the bench with foul trouble so it gave head coach Geno Auriemma a chance to see what the team could do without her.

If he saw what I saw, he had to be pleased with the effort of what’s supposed to be her supporting cast.

Morgan Tuck and Kia Nurse each had 16 points to lead UConn to a 91-52 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores to advance to the finals of the Gulf Coast Showcase at Germain Arena in Estero, FL.

The Huskies (4-1) advance to play the Green Bay Phoenix in the finals. It’s the first loss for Vanderbilt (5-1) who’ll take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the third place game.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis added fourteen points, including four-of-six on three pointers. Stewart had 12 points as did Moriah Jefferson who also had five assists and four steals.

Kiah Stokes played perhaps her finest game of the young season as she came off the bench to score eight points, pull down seven rebounds and block seven shots.

Vanderbilt’s Christa Reed led all scorers in the game with 17 points. Kristen Gaffney added 12 points and a team-high five rebounds. Paris Kea had six assists for the Commodores but also committed seven turnovers.

The championship game between UConn and Green Bay will start at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday night and be shown locally in Connecticut on SNY.

UConn Huskies vs Vanderbilt Commodores 11/29/14 box score

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photo credit: brad horrigan – hartford courant

Bourque Nets Game Winner in Wolf Pack’s 3-1 Win Over Sound Tigers

Bridgeport, CT, November 29, 2014 – Ryan Bourque’s second-period power-play goal was the game-winner, and Cedrick Desjardins made 21 saves, Saturday night at the Webster Bank Arena, as the Hartford Wolf Pack defeated the Bridgeport Sound Tigers by a score of 3-1.

Ryan Haggerty and Joey Crabb also scored for the Wolf Pack (11-8-2-0, 24 pts.), who won for the third time in their last four games, and Ryan Malone had two assists. Mike Halmo scored the only Bridgeport goal, and David Leggio made 28 saves.

“I think we played a full 60 minutes, and it was really important for us to be good in all three zones, especially on the road,” Bourque said. “It’s not a really fun place to play here (in Bridgeport). To be able to bring our best effort out like that, it’s really good moving forward.”

The first period saw the Wolf Pack outshoot the Sound Tigers 11-5, and both teams score late power-play goals.

Haggerty gave the Wolf Pack a short-lived 1-0 lead at 15:58, with Bridgeport’s Aaron Ness off for tripping. A pass by Oscar Lindberg from the right-wing corner deflected to Haggerty at the left side of the goalmouth, and Haggerty had plenty of time to bang the puck in before Leggio could react.

Just 29 seconds later, though, Hartford’s Dylan McIlrath was hit with a cross-checking penalty, and Bridgeport’s league-leading power play took advantage at 17:12. Alan Quine fed the puck to Halmo on the right side in the Wolf Pack zone, and Halmo stickhandled toward the net and put a forehand shot just inside the goalpost to Desjardins’ right.

The Wolf Pack again had a big shots advantage in the second, 13-5, and the Hartford power-play unit came up with its second goal of the game, and the eventual game-winner, at 17:10, with C.J. Stretch in the box for high-sticking.

Chris Bourque fed the puck from the right point to Ryan Malone along the goal line, and Malone immediately put it right on the stick of Ryan Bourque in the slot. Bourque let go a quick shot that beat Leggio on the stick side, for a 2-1 Wolf Pack lead.

Crabb gave the Wolf Pack some breathing room at 5:46 of the third period with his third goal of the season, and second in the last three games. Crabb intercepted a Quine pass, just outside the Sound Tiger blue line, and broke back down right wing before powering a high shot past Leggio.

After that, Desjardins and the Wolf Pack defense did the rest, giving the Wolf Pack their second straight win in the season series with Bridgeport, after the Sound Tigers had taken the first two.

The Wolf Pack are now off until this Friday night, December 5, when they visit the Syracuse Crunch for a 7:00 PM game. All of the action of that battle can be heard live on Fox Sports Radio 1410, and on-line at www.foxsportsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com.

The Wolf Pack’s next home game is Saturday, December 6, with the Springfield Falcons visiting the XL Center for a 7:00 game. The first 5,000 fans into that game receive a free Wolf Pack car magnet.

Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499. Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger.

To speak with a Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

Hartford Wolf Pack 3 at Bridgeport Sound Tigers 1
Saturday, November 29, 2014 – Webster Bank Arena

Hartford 1 1 1 – 3
Bridgeport 1 0 0 – 1

1st Period-1, Hartford, Haggerty 4 (Malone, Lindberg), 15:58 (PP). 2, Bridgeport, Halmo 5 (Quine, Stretch), 17:12 (PP). Penalties-Czuczman Bri (hooking), 5:03; Ness Bri (tripping), 14:20; McIlrath Hfd (cross-checking), 16:27.

2nd Period-3, Hartford, R. Bourque 4 (Malone, C. Bourque), 17:10 (PP). Penalties-Gillies Bri (interference), 0:43; McIlrath Hfd (unsportsmanlike conduct), 3:28; Halmo Bri (high-sticking), 3:28; Stretch Bri (high-sticking), 15:36; Ness Bri (goaltender interference), 18:10.

3rd Period-4, Hartford, Crabb 3 5:46. Penalties-Quine Bri (delay of game – faceoff violation), 13:18; Kostka Hfd (hooking), 14:06; Jackson Hfd (holding), 16:51.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 11-13-7-31. Bridgeport 5-5-12-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 2 / 6; Bridgeport 1 / 3.
Goalies-Hartford, Desjardins 5-2-0 (22 shots-21 saves). Bridgeport, Leggio 3-4-0 (31 shots-28 saves).
A-4,918
Referees-Ryan Murphy (5).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Luke Galvin (2).

Memphis Exacts Revenge Over UConn Earning Share of AAC Title

UConn’s Jamar Summers takes down Keiwone Malone of Memphis in the end zone as the Tigers took a 13-0 lead late in the second quarter.

The Memphis Tigers went into Saturday’s game against the UConn Huskies with one thing in mind, winning at least a share of the American Athletic Conference title.

On the other hand, UConn was looking to play spoiler and gain some momentum heading into the final week of games and the offseason.

Well it turned out that Memphis was the better team on Saturday as they took advantage of UConn mistakes as they went on to a 41-10 win in front of 35,102 at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN

The Huskies drop to 2-9 (1-6 American) while the Tigers improve to 9-3 (7-1 American).

At key times during drives, Jhavon Williams, Jamar Summers and John Green were called for pass interference or defensive holding. Those calls helped Memphis put the game away.

“We just have some young guys on the perimeter that were exposed a little bit,” said UConn head coach Bob Diaco. “But they fought and they battled, they were just a little bit handsy, and they were game-changing penalties.”

For the most part, the Huskies didn’t play badly at all. There were some questionable play calls but Ron Johnson ran the ball with the authority behind the constantly improving offensive line.

Even quarterback Tim Boyle had time to throw, a luxury that wasn’t afforded to him last year or earlier in the year for Casey Cochran and Chandler Whitmer.

As Diaco would say, they need to continue to eliminate the things that cause losing like pass interference penalties, pre-snap penalties, missed chip shot field goals.

Look, this UConn team might not be good right now but you can see what Diaco is doing is starting to take shape. And as these younger players get more mature, you should see less and less of plays that cause losing and more that create winning moments.

Until then, everyone needs to be patient.

Scoring:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
UConn Huskies	0	3	0	7	10
Memphis Tigers	6	7	21	7	41

1st quarter
MEM – 4:59 –Jake Elliott 21 Yd Field Goal

MEM – 0:44 – Jake Elliott 22 Yd Field Goal

2nd quarter

MEM – 1:55 –Keiwone Malone 6 Yd pass from Paxton Lynch (Jake Elliott Kick)

CON – 0:03 – Bobby Puyol 45 Yd Field Goal

3rd quarter

MEM – 7:36 – Keiwone Malone 9 Yd pass from Paxton Lynch (Jake Elliott Kick)

MEM – 3:15 – Tevin Jones 12 Yd pass from Paxton Lynch (Jake Elliott Kick)

MEM – 0:53 – Phil Mayhue 21 Yd pass from Paxton Lynch (Jake Elliott Kick

4th quarter

CON – 12:22 – Arkeel Newsome 39 Yd pass from Tim Boyle (Bobby Puyol Kick)

MEM – 5:09 – Jarvis Cooper 1 Yd Run (Jake Elliott Kick

Offensive Players of the Game:

Memphis QB Paxton Lynch was 22-of-41 for 194 yards and four touchdowns. He also had nine runs for 40 yards.

Defensive Player of the Game:

UConn S Andrew Adams had 13 tackles including 12 solo.

Turning Point(s) of the Game:

To me I think Bobby Puyol’s missed chip shot field goal in the second period was a big turning point. At that point, UConn was moving the ball very easily down the field and was only trailing 6-0. Had he made it, it would have been 6-3 and there’s no telling how the game would have turned out.

Offensive Notes:

Tim Boyle made his second consecutive start and was 12-of-24 for 160 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble. Ron Johnson had 22 carries for 67 yards while Max DeLorenzo had five carries for 37 yards and two catches for 18 yards. Geremy Davis had five catches for 62 yards while Noel Thomas had four catches for 41 yards. Arkeel Newsome’s only catch was good for 39 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive Notes:

Andrew Adams led the way for UConn with 13 tackles. Obi Melifonwu had eight tackles and a pass breakup. Jhavon Williams had six tackles and a pass breakup. Cole Ormsby had the only sack of the game for the Huskies.

Special Teams Notes:

Justin Wain averaged 36.9 yards on nine punts with two touchbacks. Bobby Puyol was 1-of-2 on field goals (made from 45, missed from 31) and was 1-for-1 on extra points. Arkeel Newsome had 16 yards on his only kickoff return.

Game Notes:

UConn Huskies @ Memphis Tigers 11/29/14 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Bob Diaco and Memphis head coach Justin Fuentes.

Injuries:

No major injuries for the Huskies during the game.

Next game:

UConn finishes up the 2014 season at home next Saturday when they’ll host the SMU Mustangs at 12 p.m.

photo credit: john woike – hartford courant

Video: UConn Can Play Spoiler Against Memphis

The Memphis Tigers can go from last place in 2013 to at least a share of the American Athletic Conference in 2014 this afternoon with a win over the UConn Huskies. UConn, on the other hand, would like to spoil the Tigers chances of winning the American title.

The American football championship trophy will be on hand today and UConn will do their best to prevent it from being presented to the Tigers. Not only will Memphis be looking for their first American football title, they’ll be looking to avenge a 45-10 loss to the Huskies in 2013.

Watch and/or listen below as UConn head coach Bob Diaco, QB Chandler Whitmer and WR Geremy Davis talk about playing spoiler.

Video: Diaco Hopes For Consistency on Road

With the UConn Huskies football team playing their final road game of the 2014 season, head coach Bob Diaco is hoping that his charges will play 60 minutes of consistent football.

UConn fans hope though that it is not 60 minutes of consistently bad football.

When the Huskies have been on the road, they’ve gotten off to slow starts, fallen behind and then ran out of time as they tried to battle back. We saw that in the losses to South Florida, East Carolina and Army. If you really wanted to, you could lump the Tulane game in.

So if UConn can play good solid football for 60 minutes, they may have a chance against the Memphis Tigers who are 18 point favorites.

Watch and/or listen below as Diaco talks about what he wants from his team in their final road game.

Sox and Dawgs

A New England Sports Blog