Sunday, October 3, 2010

Latest Sports Buzz

Latest Sports Buzz

Couples Grabs One Shot Lead At Ensure Classic

Posted: 03 Oct 2010 05:21 PM PDT

John Nestor – AHN Sports Correspondent

Conover, NC, United States (AHN) – Fred Couples has Bernhard Langer looking up at him for a change.

Couples fired a 6-under-par 66 on Saturday at Rock Barn to take a one-stroke lead over Langher after two rounds of the Ensure Classic.

Couples is the one looking up at Langer on both the Champions Tour money list and in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.

Langer, who is looking for his sixth victory of the season on the Champions Tour, leads Couples by over $300,000 on the money list and 6672 points in the Schwab Cup standings.

Couples is at 12-under 132 after a round with nine birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey. After four birdies on the front nine, Couples birdied Nos. 10 and 12 to start the inward nine.

He ran into trouble on the par-4 13th, carding a double-bogey, but Couples rebounded with birdies at the 14th and 16th.

Another dropped shot at the 17th did not rattle Couples, who finished with a birdie on 18 for a one-stroke lead.

Langer started the day with a bogey but bounced right back. He birdied his next two holes and added two more birdies on the front nine.

Back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 had Langer threatening to take the lead but he dropped a shot at 17 before rebounding with a closing birdie.

Langer signed for a 5-under 67 and is at 11-under 133 for the tournament.

Morris Hatalsky had eight birdies and a bogey for a 65 that got him to 10-under and in a tie for third with Nick Price, who signed for a 67.

Tommy Armour III (67) and Dan Forsman (68) are at 9-under 135.

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Michigan State Takes 20-10 Halftime Lead Over Wisconsin

Posted: 03 Oct 2010 05:21 PM PDT

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John Raffel – AHN Sports Correspondent

East Lansing, MI, United States (AHN) – Keshawn Martin’s 74-yard touchdown on a punt return midway in the second quarter has ignited Michigan State to a 20-10 halftime lead in the Big 10 opener for both teams Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

Martin’s electrifying run gave MSU a 13-10 lead early in the second quarter. It was the first punt return for a touchdown by Michigan State since 2002.

The Spartans opened the scoring in the first quarter on Dan Conroy’s 36-yard field goal.

Wisconsin took a 7-3 lead on the second play of the second quarter on James White’s 16-yard touchdown scamper around right end. The Badgers increased the lead to 10-3 on their next drive on Philip Welch’s 49-yard field goal.

MSU notched another field goal early in the quarter from Conroy, again from 36 yards.

Martin followed later in quarter with his touchdown.

With 23 seconds to play, MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins passed for an 8-yard touchdown to Mark Dell to extend the Spartans lead.

Michigan State has 151 yards passing and 71 rushing. Wisconsin has 55 yards through the air and 63 on the ground.

Both teams entered the Big Ten opener with 4-0 overall records. Wisconsin was ranked No. 9 and Michigan State No. 21 in the national coaches’ poll.

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Northern Iowa Gives AD Dannen Four-Year Extension

Posted: 03 Oct 2010 05:21 PM PDT

AHN Sports Staff

Cedar Falls, IA, United States (AHN) – Northern Iowa athletics director Troy Dannen will continue to assume his post through at least 2014 after signing a four-year extension deal Friday.

The four-year contract extension worth served as a reward for Dannen, who propelled Northern Iowa to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference.

After just two years in his post, Dannen led Northern Iowa to an improbable three MVC tournament titles, winning in both men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball.

According to Kansas City.com, Northern Iowa’s three-championship season marked the first time in MVC’s history since its establishment in 1907.

Aside from Northern Iowa’s conference success, the Panthers also rocked the college basketball world last March, scoring a 69-67 upset victory over No.1 seed Kansas to reach the Sweet 16 of this year’s NCAA Tournament.

Several days after the stunning win, Dannen signed head coach Ben Jacobson to 10-year contract extension, keeping the program stable under Jacobson’s tutelage through 2020.

Meanwhile, Northern Iowa vice president Tom Schellhardt lauded Dannen for bringing the Panthers to greater heights despite a severe budget deficit.

Dannen’s four-year deal is reportedly worth $678,000 per year.

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US Women Rout Spain; To Take On Czech Republic In FIBA Final

Posted: 03 Oct 2010 05:21 PM PDT

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Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic (AHN) – Tamika Catchings scored 14 points, Sylvia Fowles added 13 points and Diana Taurasi 11 as the United States women cruised to a 106-70 victory over Spain Saturday in a FIBA semifinal game.

The Americans jumped to an early 11-1 lead and went up by as much as 42 to remain undefeated at the month-long tourney (8-0). They are trying to avenge a bronze finish at the 2006 worlds, where they lost to Russia in the semifinals.

The US will play the gold-medal game of the FIBA 2010 women’s basketball world championship against host country Czech Republic, which ousted Belarus 81-77 in overtime.

Eva Viteckova scored 18 of her 21 points in the second half and overtime. Her three-pointer with under two minutes left put the Czechs up for good, 77-73 and her late free throws sealed the win 17 seconds left.

The United States will be going for its eighth gold medal in the worlds. For the Czech Republic, the finals appearance mark their first since dissolving from Slovakia in 1993.

The prior Czechoslovakia never won a gold, but did grab two silver medals and four bronzes since the tournament’s inception in 1953.

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Michigan State Upsets Wisconsin In Big Ten Opener

Posted: 03 Oct 2010 05:21 PM PDT

John Raffel – AHN Sports Correspondent

Detroit, MI, United States (AHN) – Quarterback Kirk Cousins passed for 269 yards and three touchdowns and Keshawn Martin returned a punt 74 yards to power Michigan State past Wisconsin 34-24 in the Big 10 opener for both teams Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

Cousins completed 20-of-29 pass attempts and had a pair of 1-yard touchdown tosses in the second quarter as MSU won the battle of the ranked unbeatens.

Both teams entered the Big Ten opener with 4-0 overall records. Wisconsin was ranked No. 9 and Michigan State No. 21 in the national coaches’ poll.

Martin’s electrifying run gave MSU a 13-10 lead early in the second quarter. It was the first punt return for a touchdown by Michigan State since 2002.

Trailing by 10 at half, Wisconsin cut its deficit to 20-17 early in the third on James White’s 34-yard run.

The Wisconsin defense stopped Michigan State on a fourth-and-goal attempt from the Badger 1-yard line later in the quarter.

But MSU came back to score with two seconds remaining in the third quarter on Cousin’s 1-yard TD pass to Charlie Gantt for a 27-17 lead.

The Badgers got a score back early in the fourth on Scott Tolzien’s 12-yard TD pass to Jacob Pedersen, making it 27-24.

But on another fourth-down gamble at the Badger 1-yard line, MSU again went for it and Cousins passed to B.J. Cunningham for the game-clinching touchdown. The scoring drive took up almost eight minutes.

The Spartans opened the scoring in the first quarter on Dan Conroy’s 36-yard field goal.

Wisconsin took a 7-3 lead on the second play of the second quarter on White’s 16-yard touchdown scamper around right end. The Badgers increased the lead to 10-3 on their next drive on Philip Welch’s 49-yard field goal.

MSU notched another field goal early in the quarter from Conroy, again from 36 yards.

Martin followed later in the quarter with his touchdown run. With 23 seconds to play in the half, Cousins passed for an 8-yard touchdown to Mark Dell to extend the Spartan lead.

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Giant Collapse? Padres On Verge Of Forging Tie In NL West

Posted: 03 Oct 2010 05:21 PM PDT

Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

San Francisco, CA, United States (AHN) – Entering their weekend three-game series against the first-place San Francisco Giants, the San Diego Padres needed to complete an unlikely sweep to force a one-game playoff for the NL West crown.

The Padres are now just one win away from that unlikely scenario thanks to a stellar 6 1-3 innings of one-run ball by Tim Stauffer in a 4-2 win Saturday afternoon.

Yorvit Torrealba and Scott Hairston drew bases-loaded walks in the first inning gave San Diego a 2-0 lead.

Hairston batted in another run in the third on a fielder’s choice and Miguel Tejada padded the lead with an RBI single in the fourth before the Giants ever got on the board.

Barry Zito gave up four runs (three earned) in 3.0 innings for San Fran. Juan Uribe hit a homer in the seventh and Pablo Sandoval added an RBI single in the ninth.

The Padres Heath Bell secured his 47th save in 50 opportunities despite allowing a run in the ninth.

San Francisco (91-70) looks to avoid the monumental collapse before its home crowd against the Padres (90-71) in the regular season’s final game for both teams Sunday at 4:05 pm ET.

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Bill Haas Moves In Front By Four Shots At Viking Classic

Posted: 03 Oct 2010 05:21 PM PDT

John Nestor – AHN Sports Correspondent

Madison, MS, United States (AHN) – Bill Haas is in perfect position to pick up his second win of the season.

Haas fired a 3-under-par 69 on Saturday at Annandale Golf Club and has a four-stroke lead after three rounds of the $3.6 million viking Classic.

After opening the tournament with a pair of 66s, Haas fired eight birdies Saturday but gave shots back with three bogeys and a double-bogey.

At 15-under 201, Haas has a four-shot cushion over a trio of golfers.

Michael Allen, Nathan Green and Brendon de Jonge are tied for second at 11-under 205. Allen and Green each carded rounds of 2-under 70 and de Jonge settled for a 1-over 73.

Haas won the Bob Hope back in January and finished one spot out of a berth in the Tour Championship. He opened with a pair of bogey-free rounds but was not as sharp Saturday.

An opening bogey was quickly overcome with three straight birdies starting on no. 3. Haas added two more birdies on the front nine but had a rough start to his back nine.

A bogey at No. 10 was follwed by a double at the 12th. Consecutive birdies at Nos. 14 and 15 righted the ship, but only temporarily as Haas dropped a shot at the 16th.

He closed with a birdie at the 18th and has 18 birdies through three rounds, tied for first in the field.

de Jonge also carded 66 in each of his first two rounds but had trouble getting started.

He bogeyed three of his first four hols and had five bogeys on the day. He carded his first birdie of the day at No. 11 and added another at the 14th.

An eagle on the closing par-5 18th kept de Jonge within striking distance.

Jason Bohn is alone in fifth at 10-under 206 after a 5-under 67.

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Seattle Nets Three Straight Goals To Topple Toronto FC

Posted: 03 Oct 2010 05:21 PM PDT

Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

Seattle, WA, United States (AHN) – After going down 1-0 in the early going, Steve Zakuani, Blaise Nkufo, and Sanna Nyassi scored three consecutive goals as the Seattle Sounders survived a 3-2 slugfest against Toronto FC Saturday afternoon.

Toronto FC captain Dwayne De Rosario scored the game’s first goal in the 16th minute, but Zakuani answered in the 21st to tie the game.

Nkufo added a header just five minutes later and Nyassi put the game in the bag with a goal in the 59th minute to make it 3-1.

FC rallied and pushed upfield, finally resulting in a goal from Chad Barrett in the 88th minute.

But FC could not overcome the Sounders’ 17 shots (seven on goal) in the loss, especially since only managing two shots on goal themselves.

Toronto (8-12-7, 31 points) sits fourth in the Eastern Conference, only six points from securing the final Wild Card spot for the MLS playoffs.

Seattle (12-9-6, 42) sits slotted in the second Wild Card spot with six games remaining on its schedule.

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Despite Missing Ailing Coach, Michigan State Wins Battle Of Unbeatens

Posted: 03 Oct 2010 05:21 PM PDT

John Raffel – AHN Sports Correspondent

East Lansing, MI, United States (AHN) – Michigan State offensive coordinator Don Treadwell had reason to smile Saturday night.

“Without a doubt, it’s not dull around East Lansing these days,” smiled Treadwell after watching his quarterback, Kirk Cousins, pass for 269 yards and three touchdowns and Keshawn Martin return a punt 74 yards to fire undefeated MSU past Wisconsin 34-24 in the Big 10 opener for both teams.

Cousins completed 20-of-29 pass attempts and had a pair of 1-yard touchdown tosses in the second quarter as MSU won the battle of the ranked unbeatens.

Both teams entered the Big Ten opener with 4-0 overall records. Wisconsin was ranked No. 9 and Michigan State No. 21 in the national coaches’ poll.

“As you look at the game, we have big plays at critical times on both sides of the ball,” said Treadwell, who has been filling in on the sidelines while head coach Mark Dantonio recovers from a mild heart attack he sustained two weeks ago following an overtime victory over Notre Dame. “We’re so pleased that we can move forward. We’re anxious to get our head coach back.”

On Saturday, Dantonio was again hospitalized, this time for a blood clot in his leg.

“I know coach Dantonio is going through a difficult time,” said Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema. “He has a great team. That should make him feel better.”

Dantonio spoke to his team via speaker phone after a game in which Martin’s electrifying run gave MSU a 13-10 lead early in the second quarter. It was the first punt return for a touchdown by Michigan State since 2002.

Trailing by 10 at half, Wisconsin cut its deficit to 20-17 early in the third on James White’s 34-yard run.

The Wisconsin defense stopped Michigan State on a fourth-and-goal attempt from the Badger 1-yard line later in the quarter. But MSU came back to score with two seconds remaining in the third quarter on Cousins’ 1-yard TD pass to Charlie Gantt for a 27-17 lead.

The Badgers got one back early in the fourth on Scott Tolzien’s 12-yard TD pass to Jacob Pedersen, making it 27-24.

But on another fourth-down gamble at the Badger 1-yard line, MSU again went for it and Cousins passed to B.J. Cunningham for the game-clinching touchdown. The scoring drive took up almost eight minutes.

“Michigan State played a very good football game all four quarters,” Bielema said. “They reaped the rewards for it.”

The Spartans opened the scoring in the first quarter on Dan Conroy’s 36-yard field goal.

Wisconsin took a 7-3 lead on the second play of the second quarter on White’s 16-yard touchdown scamper around right end.

The Badgers increased the lead to 10-3 on their next drive on Philip Welch’s 49-yard field goal.

MSU notched another field goal early in the quarter from Conroy, again from 36 yards.

Martin followed later in quarter with his touchdown run. With 23 seconds to play in the half, Cousins passed for an 8-yard touchdown to Mark Dell to extend the Spartan lead.

Michigan State gained 175 yards on the ground to supplement Cousins’ passing performance. Edwin Baker led MSU with 87 yards.

White had 98 of Wisconsin’s 165 rushing yards. Tolzien was only 11-of-25 for 127 yards in passing.

“You have to credit our defense for doing a good job,” Cousins said. “Our crowd noise was phenomenal too.”

“I’m so proud of these kids,” said Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. “They played big-time football. I think they earned respect across the country and the guys played committed to the entire game.”

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Milton Rodriguez Stakes FC Dallas To 1-0 Halftime Lead Over Chicago

Posted: 03 Oct 2010 05:21 PM PDT

John Tranchina – AHN Sports Correspondent

Friday Harbor, TX, United States (AHN) – A goal by Milton Rodriguez, his fourth of the season, in the 19th minute, has FC Dallas up 1-0 over the Chicago Fire heading into halftime Saturday night at Pizza Hut Park.

As Dallas seeks to tie an MLS-record 18-game unbeaten streak, Chicago is clinging to faint playoff hopes and needs a win to stay alive.

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