Video: UConn Women Spank Memphis, 83-49

If there's one thing you can say about the UConn Huskies women's basketball team, it's that they are consistent.

Connecticut Huskies forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (23) goes up for a shot against Memphis during the second half at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.When they faced the Memphis Tigers 18 days ago, UConn only gave up 49 points. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis led them in scoring in that matchup with 21 points while Stefanie Dolson had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.

This time around, KML had 21 points and Dolson had a double-double of 12 points and 10 boards as UConn beat Memphis 83-49 in front of 8,365 at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on Wednesday night.

It's the 21st time the Huskies have won at least 20 games in a season (20-0, 7-0 American). It's also the eighth time they've started 20-0 which bodes well because they've won five national titles in those eight seasons. Memphis falls to 10-9 (3-4).

Dolson also had five assists and five steals while Moriah Jefferson had three points, six assists and nine steals.

Bria Hartley added 20 points with Breanna Stewart scoring 16 points and falling one rebound short of a double-double with nine. Stewie also had three blocked shots.

Breigha Wilder-Cochran paced the Tigers with 12 points. Asianna Fuqua-Bey had a double-double but it's not one you want to have. She scored 10 points but had 11 turnovers. Fuqua-Bey also led the team in rebounds with six along with Pa'Sonna Hope.

The Huskies started off slow in the first half as they seemed to be as cold as the air outside from the floor. Memphis hung tight early on as they trailed 11-8. The Tigers stayed close until about the seven minute mark when UConn closed out the half on an 11-3 run to take a 39-23 lead.

UConn got hot in the second half as they used an early 14-2 run to put away the Tigers and cruise to their 20th victory.

The Huskies are back in action on Sunday afternoon when they'll host the South Florida Bulls at the XL Center. Tip is scheduled for 12 p.m.

Memphis Tigers @ UConn Huskies 1/22/14 box score

Here are UConn's postgame quotes.

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photo credit: john woike – hartford courant

Red Sox Make Grady Sizemore Signing Official

As we learned earlier, the Boston Red Sox and Grady Sizemore agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth $750,000 with incentives that could bring the deal to $6 million. The Red Sox have now made it official.

Here's the release:

BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox today signed three-time All-Star outfielder Grady Sizemore to a one-year contract through the 2014 season. To make room on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Brayan Villarreal was designated for assignment. Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.

Boston Red SoxThe 31-year-old Sizemore has played eight major league seasons, all with the Cleveland Indians from 2004-11, batting .269 with 216 doubles, 43 triples, 458 RBI, 430 walks, and 601 runs scored. During that eight-year span, no other major leaguer reached both his totals of 139 homers and 134 stolen bases in 892 games.

Sizemore was named an American League All-Star in each of his last three full seasons from 2006-08. During that three-year stretch, he combined for a .279 batting average, a .380 on-base percentage, and a .499 slugging percentage. He also averaged 160 games played, appearing in all 162 Indians games in both 2006 and 2007.

Hampered by injuries over the last five years, he missed the past two seasons recovering from right knee and back surgeries. Before 2009, he had never been placed on the disabled list.

The left-handed batter has hit at least 20 home runs with at least 20 stolen bases in each of his four full major league campaigns from 2005-08, the most 20/20 seasons in Indians history. The only other players ever to record three 20/20 seasons within their first four years appearing in the big leagues are Darryl Strawberry (1984-86) and Bobby Bonds (1969-71).

From 2006-09, Sizemore ranked second in the American League with 426 runs and 276 extra-base hits (Alex Rodriguez, 438 runs; David Ortiz, 291 extra-base hits). He was the only AL player to score at least 100 runs in each of those four campaigns.

Sizemore led the majors with 134 runs, 53 doubles (tied, 1st in AL), and 92 extra-base hits in 2006. With 11 triples and 28 home runs that year, he became just the fourth player with a 50-double, 10-triple, 25-homer season, along with Hall of Famers Joe Medwick (1937), Chuck Klein (1932), and Lou Gehrig (1927).

In 2008, he became the 10th player in AL history to put together a 30-homer/30-stolen base season (33 HR, 38 SB) and earned a spot on the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Team.

The Indians' leadoff hitter for most of his career, Sizemore led the AL in pitches seen in three consecutive seasons from 2006-08 and has averaged 4.0 pitches per plate appearance in his big league career. He is Cleveland's all-time franchise leader with 22 leadoff home runs.

Exclusively a center fielder in his major league career, Sizemore earned back-to-back Rawlings Gold Glove Awards in 2007 and 2008. His lifetime .993 fielding percentage ranks second all-time among AL outfielders with at least 800 games played.

Sizemore was originally a third-round selection by the Montreal Expos in the 2000 June Draft. In 11 career postseason games, all with the Indians in 2007, the Seattle, WA native owns a .279 average (12-for-43) with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, and eight walks.

Villarreal, 26, was acquired from the Detroit Tigers last July 30 as part of the three-team trade that brought Jake Peavy from the White Sox to the Red Sox. He combined to allow 10 runs in 4.1 innings in the major leagues last year with the Tigers (7 games) and Red Sox (1), and also made 35 minor league relief appearances between Detroit's Triple-A Toledo, Boston's Triple-A Pawtucket, and a rehab stint with Short-A Lowell. The right-hander is 4-8 with a 4.56 ERA (38 ER/75.0 IP) and 86 strikeouts in 74 career major league outings from 2011-13.

Report: Red Sox To Sign Grady Sizemore

Grady Sizemore

It's appears that Grady's Ladies will be moving to Boston for the 2014 season.

According to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, the Boston Red Sox and OF Grady Sizemore have come to terms on a one year deal worth $750,000. Bradford reports that he can earn another $5.25 million in incentives.

Sizemore hasn't appeared in the big leagues since the end of the 2011 season with the Cleveland Indians. He hasn't played a full season in the big leagues since 2008 due to many injuries.

One, I find it interesting that the Red Sox are giving him a big league contract considering the fact that he hasn't played in a baseball game since 2011. Are Sizemore's knees and back healthy?

Secondly, is he going to be the every day centerfielder? Or is he going to be the fourth outfielder? Or will he platoon with Jonny Gomes in left field?

Thirdly, what does this mean for Daniel Nava, who you expected to platoon with Gomes?

All those questions boil down to how healthy Sizemore is. And if he ends up healthy at the end of spring training, the Red Sox could send Nava to another team to grab some pitching depth.

It's absolutely a low-risk, high reward signing if Sizemore can stay healthy. Based on his track record, that's not likely to happen. But if he can play pretty regularly, he definitely can be an asset.

And if he's not, the Red Sox will have only spent $750,000 on him, which in MLB terms is like pocket change.

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photo credit: getty images

UConn’s Shabazz Napier Named To Wooden Midseason Top 25 List

LOS ANGELES (January 22, 2014) — UConn Huskies senior guard Shabazz Napier (Roxbury, Mass.) has been named to the Midseason Top 25 for the John R. Wooden Award, presented annually by the Los Angeles Athletic Club to college basketball’s top player. 

John R. Wooden AwardThe list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are the front-runners for the sport’s most prestigious individual honor based on their play so far this season. The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the official voting ballot, which will consist of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. However, players not chosen to the midseason list are still eligible for the ballot. The Wooden Award All-American Team, consisting of the nation’s top 10 players, will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Napier has sparked the Huskies to a 15-4 start this season, leading the team in scoring (17.4), rebounding (6.2), assists (5.9), steals (1.9), and minutes played (34.5). He has been named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week twice and has been named to the league’s weekly Honor Roll six times.  

Napier is also on the watch lists for a number of other prestigious awards, including the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, the 2013-14 Senior CLASS Award, the Oscar Robertson Trophy, and the Naismith Trophy. 

Creighton senior forward Doug McDermott, a Wooden Award All-American in 2012 and 2013, looks to become the first three-time selection on the men’s side since North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough (2007-09). McDermott is the nation’s No. 2 scorer at 24.9 ppg (through Jan. 19), and averages 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field for the 16-3 Bluejays. He is the only returning Wooden All-American this season.

In terms of conferences, distribution of players was fairly even atop the top traditional conferences. The ACC had five selections from three schools, followed by the Pac-12 and Big Ten with four selections each, the Big 12 and SEC with three each, The American Conference had two, Napier and Louisville senior Russ Smith, while the Atlantic 10, Big East, Missouri Valley, Mountain West had one each.

Wooden Award Midseason Top 25

The players named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 on Wednesday:

Player Pos. School
Kyle Anderson G/F UCLA
Keith Appling G Michigan St.
Cameron Bairstow F N. Mexico
Jordan Clarkson G Missouri
Aaron Craft G Ohio State
Sam Dekker F Wisconsin
Cleanthony Early F Wichita St.
Tyler Ennis G Syracuse
C.J. Fair F Syracuse
Aaron Gordon F Arizona
Rodney Hood F Duke
Nick Johnson G Arizona
DeAndre Kane G Iowa St.
Doug McDermott F Creighton
Shabazz Napier G Connecticut
Jabari Parker F Duke
Adreian Payne C Michigan St.
Casey Prather F Florida
Julius Randle F Kentucky
Marcus Smart G Okla. St.
Russ Smith G Louisville
T.J. Warren F N.C. State
Andrew Wiggins G Kansas
Chaz Williams G UMass
Joseph Young G Oregon

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Video: Former Husky Cliff Robinson Will Be on Survivor: Cagayan

Former UConn Huskies men's basketball star Cliff Robinson, who has found himself in the background shots of the Real Housewives of New Jersey because of his wife's connection to people on the show, will now get a starring role of his own.

Cliff Robinson - Survivor: CagayanRobinson will be one of 18 people competing on Survivor: Cagayan that premieres on CBS on February 26. The show will feature three tribes, brawn, brains and beauty. Robinson will be a part of the brawn tribe.

The former NBA All-Star played at UConn from 1985-89 and was key part of the Huskies 1988 NIT Championship Team. He was inducted into the "Huskies of Honor" in 2007 where his number 00 stands along the other UConn greats at Gampel Pavilion.

"Uncle Cliffy" spent 18 years in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets.

He was drafted in the second round of the 1989 NBA Draft by the Trail Blazers where he spent eight seasons. He was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 1993 and an NBA All-Star in 1994 for the Trail Blazers. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team twice as a member of the Pistons.

He was recently in the news as he was part of the American basketball players contingent that went with Dennis Rodman to North Korea to play basketball for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's birthday.

It'll be interesting to see how Uncle Cliffy does out there in the world of Survivor.

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photo credit: monty brinton/cbs

Britton, Summers Join UConn Football Team

STORRS, Conn. – Chris Britton, a 6-2, 235-pound, linebacker from Harrisburg, Pa., and Jamar Summers, a 5-11, 178-pound, cornerback from East Orange, N.J., have enrolled at the University of Connecticut and joined the Husky football team. They will both take part in UConn's 2014 spring practice.

UConn HuskiesBritton, a product of Harrisburg High School, had more than 125 tackles in his senior season of 2012. Harrisburg went 11-3 in his senior season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania Class AAAA playoffs. Britton played in the Big 33 All-Star Game on June 15 in Hershey, Pa. He was also a standout basketball player in high school.

Summers played high school football at Orange High School and was named honorable mention All-State by MSG Varsity and first team All-Essex County by the Newark Star-Ledger. He spent the 2013 season at Milford Academy (New Berlin, N.Y.) and led the team in interceptions with five and had 20 tackles on the season. He was also a standout track and field performer in high school.

"The UConn football team is proud to welcome these two fine young men to our family," said UConn head football coach Bob Diaco. "Our veteran players and our coaching staff will immediately begin to help them with the transition to becoming members of the UConn student body and our athletic department's culture."

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Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/22

UConn Huskies Daily Roundup

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. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

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

It's game day for the UConn Huskies women's basketball team as they'll host the Memphis Tigers at the XL Center. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be televised locally in Connecticut on SNY. The game will also be available online at WatchESPN outside of the SNY footprint. If you aren't heading to the game or able to watch on television, you can always listen to the call from Bob Joyce and Debbie Fiske 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

Auriemma pleased Gibbons is back at Holy Cross [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

UConn hopes to get KML moving in right direction [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

The Story Of How UConn Landed Geno Auriemma [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Auriemma Wants Mosqueda-Lewis To Be More Aggressive [rich elliott – ct post]

Tuck Still Not Practicing Due To Knee Problems [rich elliott – ct post]

Huskies On Pace To Set NCAA Single-Season Record For Blocks [rich elliott – ct post]

A 50-20 game for former UConn star [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn's Morgan Tuck iffy for Memphis game [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn spreading the wealth on offense [jim fuller – new haven register]

Injury scare for UConn signee Gabby Williams [jim fuller – new haven register]

Women's Hoops Hosts Memphis in Wednesday Tilt [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn women on record pace for blocked shots [ct post]

Only A Sophomore, UConn's Jefferson Turning Into Dominant Point Guard [hartford courant]

UConn women lack depth, but have abundance of talent [new haven register]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Video: UConn Men Rebound With 90-66 Win Over Temple [sox & dawgs]

Wrapping Things Up From XL [dom amore – hartford courant]

DeAndre Daniels, Shabazz Napier Step Up in Ryan Boatright's Absence; Terrence Samuel Trying to Keep His Head Up [david borges – new haven register]

Post-game breakdown, video: Temple [gavin keefe – the day]

Temple of the Dogs [neill ostrout – journal inquirer]

AAC will give Memphis night game in tourney [neill ostrout – journal inquirer]

Report card: Huskies cruise over Owls; Update on Ryan Boatright [william paxton – ct post]

The Daniels enigma [john silver -snyuconn.com]

Total Domination [uconn huskies basketball]

UConn hits Level Five against Temple, especially on boards [ct post]

UConn Routs Temple, 90-66 [hartford courant]

Boatright Was There In Spirit [hartford courant]

UConn's Daniels, Napier spell doom for Temple [new haven register]

UConn bounces back and routs Temple 90-66 [the day]

UConn Football links

DC answered a question in his mailbag [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Meet The Coaches: Anthony Poindexter [uconnhuskies.com]

 'Quick process' takes St. Joseph's Hashemi to UConn [ct post]

Other UConn related links

Warde Manuel’s Name Pops Up As Virginia Tech AD Candidate [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Manuel Denies Any Interest In Virginia Tech [john altavilla – hartford courant]

UConn AD Manuel refutes candidacy for Virginia Tech job [kevin duffy – ct post]

M. Track. Robert Rhodes Earns American Track Athlete of the Week [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Two Huskies Compete in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship [the american]

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Video: UConn Men Rebound With 90-66 Win Over Temple

Connecticut Huskies forward DeAndre Daniels (2) drives around Temple Owls forward Anthony Lee (3) during the first half at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014.

With a light fluffy snow falling outside the XL Center on Tuesday night, the UConn Huskies men's basketball team was inside making it rain with baskets.

Coming off a bad loss to the Louisville Cardinals where the Huskies were outplayed, they needed to make a statement against a Temple Owls team who's been to the past six NCAA Tournaments but is struggling this year. For that to happen, DeAndre Daniels would need to re-emerge.

Daniels did just that with a career-high 31 points and 12 rebounds to help UConn to a 90-66 win over Temple in front of an announced crowd of 4,741.

The Huskies improve to 15-4 (3-3 American) while the Owls fall to 5-12 (0-6). UConn was playing without Ryan Boatright, who was back in Chicago at the funeral of his cousin.

Shabazz Napier added 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Niels Giffey chipped in with 11 points while Lasan Kromah had seven points and eight rebounds.

Will Cummings paced the Owls with 20 points. Anthony Lee added 14 points while both Quenton DeCosey and Dalton Pepper both had 12 points. DeCosey led them with six rebounds.

With UConn trailing 9-6, they went on a 12-3 run. They followed that up with a 14-0 to push their lead to 32-16 and enjoyed a 48-34 lead at the half.

The Owls would get no closer than 14 points during the second half.

It was nice to see Daniels make a nice comeback after the stinker against Louisville. The one thing he needs to do is perform consistently. While Memphis was a good team where he had a superb game, this year's Temple team is no where in that category.

That's where the consistency of doing this on nightly basis comes in. If he can find that, good things can happen for the UConn men.

The UConn men are back in action on Saturday when they head to New Jersey for a matchup with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the RAC. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Temple Owls @ UConn Huskies 1/21/14 box score

Here are UConn's postgame quotes.

Here are UConn postgame notes.

FULL HIGHLIGHTS

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZvujU5mDMKY?list=UUCpTipFQZJNTTpIFx-j-aSg

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photo credit: john woike – hartford courant

New York Rangers Sign G David LeNeveu

NEW YORK, January 21, 2014 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with free agent goaltender David LeNeveu.

Hartford Wolf PackLeNeveu, 30, has split the season between the Hartford Wolf Pack and Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL), posting a record of 1-2-0 with a 2.68 goals against average and .906 save percentage in three games. He is 1-1-0 with a 3.50 goals against average and .891 save percentage in two games with Hartford. LeNeveu made his Wolf Pack debut on Friday, stopping 26 shots in a 4-2 win at Adirondack. He also appeared in eight games with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL, posting a 4-4-0 record with a 1.64 goals against average, .940 save percentage, and three shutouts.

The 6-1, 190-pounder has appeared in 22 career NHL contests over three seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes and Columbus Blue Jackets, posting a 5-9-2 record with a 3.43 goals against average and .887 save percentage. He made his NHL debut with Phoenix on October 6, 2005 at Los Angeles, and registered his first career win with a 24-save effort on October 25, 2005 against St. Louis.

The Fernie, British Columbia native was originally selected by Phoenix as a second round choice, 46th overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

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