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e rest of the way wan got the right roll. "Well, were thrilled to get th
in General Chat Thu Sep 26, 2019 10:07 pmby yyys123 • | 1.470 Posts
INDIANAPOLIS -- This time, Jordan Morgan got the ball to bounce the right way -- and Michigan celebrated. A little more than one year after missing a last-second tip-in that would have given the Wolverines a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, the 6-foot-8 forward scored on a layup with 7.9 seconds left to give No. 8 Michigan a 64-63 victory over Illinois in Fridays Big Ten tournament quarterfinals and a shot at another league championship. "Im telling you -- I probably exaggerate -- 10,000 times, at least 2,000 times in five years Jordan Morgan has run that same drill," coach John Beilein said. "Theres a bag to hit him, you still got to catch it in a crowd and keep it up and dunk it if he can. He said he wanted to add a little drama to the game, so he decided to put it up on the rim. Illinois had a chance to win it when Tracy Abrams drove in for a layup, expecting contact, but the ball hit the front of the rim and bounced off. No foul was called. Its about time something went right for the Wolverines (24-7) in this tournament. Since going 3-0 to win the first title in 1998, Michigan has not won more than one game in the annual tourney. The Wolverines later vacated that tourney title because of NCAA infractions, and Michigan has endured everything from an embarrassing 21-turnover game in a 2006 first-round loss to Evan Turners buzzer-beating 40-foot heave, which gave rival Ohio State a 69-68 quarterfinal win in 2010. Things are supposed to be different this year. After ending a 28-year drought between outright regular-season titles with a win at Illinois last week, Michigan came into this weekend with the No. 1 tourney seed for the first time in school history and with a full head of steam -- six straight wins. But it almost happened again. Michigan blew a 13-point second-half lead, scored just six points in the final 7 1/2 minutes and then wound up getting bailed out by Morgan when Big Ten player of the year changed the play coach John Beilein called in the huddle. "I was looking to be aggressive and raised up to shoot and man, the guy guarding me was still chasing me and the big was chasing me too and J-Mo rolled down the lane and he was wide open," Stauskas said. "I hit him with the ball and he laid it in." The Wolverines usual trio led the way. Stauskas had 19 points despite going 4 of 12 from the field and 2 of 10 on 3-pointers against Illinois zone defence, Glenn Robinson III had 15 points and seven rebounds and Caris LeVert finished with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. Yet it was Morgan, who wound up the star. He made the only two shots he took -- none bigger than the layup he never expected that sent Michigan into Saturdays semifinals against either fourth-seeded Nebraska or fifth-seeded Ohio State, who played in the second quarterfinal of the day. Michigan swept Nebraska this season and won at Ohio State in this seasons only meeting with the Buckeyes. Morgan, who missed the shot that gave Indiana last years outright regular season title, made this one. "As far as catching it, I just put it on the rim and got a nice roll," he said matter-of-factly. Ninth-seeded Illinois (19-14) was on the cusp of pulling off a major upset after finally retaking a 59-58 lead on Rices driving layup with 4:53 left. The Illini allowed just one 3-pointer, one free throw but couldnt stop Morgans layup the rest of the way. Abrams and Rayvonte Rice each finished with 11 points. Kendrick Nunn had 10 points as the Illini lost for only the second time in seven games. "Its obviously an uncontested shot that I probably could make," Abrams said. "We obviously wanted to get that one in and we wanted to win, but there was a lot of other plays that we can account back to that we could have did different or could have got an extra rebound." Illinois zone defence changed game. Following a media timeout with 11:26 left, Stauskas made two free throws to give the Wolverines a 55-44 lead. The Illini answered with 10 straight points and finally took the lead on Rices driving layup with 4:53 left. Michigan tied the score at 61 with 3:10 to go, but all the Wolverines could muster the rest of the way was one free throw from Stauskas until the surprised Morgan got the right roll. "Well, were thrilled to get that win because as you can see, as Illinois has shown in their last six games, how well the program has played after a tough January," Beilein said. "They proved how good they were, and, fortunately, we got some good bounces around the basket to finish the game." Black Friday Jerseys . -- A 25-year-old freelance journalist from British Columbia was formally charged on Thursday with a felony, five days after she was arrested in the United States over allegations she threatened to kill her hockey player boyfriend. Fake Jerseys From China . Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year. https://www.fakejerseyswholesale.com/ . -- Kyle Busch edged teammate Joey Logano at the Bristol Motor Speedway finish line Friday night to become the all-time winningest driver in Nationwide Series. Fake Jerseys Online . -- Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer will be out three to six weeks with a stress fracture of the third finger of his right hand. Cheap Authentic Jerseys . The Arena das Dunas in the northeastern city of Natal sustained minor damage during the protests, but demonstrators stayed away on Sunday and officials said the stadium passed its first test, with only minor adjustments needed going forward.OAKLAND, Calif. - After watching Max Scherzer breeze through a spectacular playoff opener, Detroit closer Joaquin Benoit began talking big. "We took the first step," Benoit said. "Its great. I feel like were already on the verge of the World Series again." The Tigers sure looked ready for another special October run, using a dominant performance by Scherzer to beat the Oakland Athletics 3-2 in the AL division series on Friday night. Scherzer overpowered the As with his blazing fastball, and then baffled them with his off-speed stuff. The right-hander struck out 11 over seven innings as the Tigers grabbed Game 1 of this playoff rematch from 2012. Miguel Cabrera helped stake Detroit to an early lead before the banged-up slugger left in the eighth as a precaution. "We won the game, I think thats the more important thing right now," Cabrera said. "For us, its not an issue. Its no time to complain, no time to worry." The only guy who could get anything going against Scherzer was Yoenis Cespedes — and that wasnt enough the way the likely Cy Young Award winner was pitching. The As struck out 16 times in all, a franchise record in a post-season game. "Today we noticed that my fastball seemed pretty good and my changeup seemed pretty good. Thats why I thought I was able to get into a groove and pitch deep into the game because of those two pitches," Scherzer said. "I thought I did a good job of attacking the zone and throwing first-pitch strikes, which I pride myself in." Cabrera, hindered by a groin strain late in a season of injuries for last years Triple Crown winner, didnt have to overextend himself on defence thanks to Scherzers 118-pitch gem. But he did look uncomfortable running out a grounder in the eighth. "I wasnt very comfortable taking him out of a one-run game, but there was a little bit more to it," manager Jim Leyland said. Cabrera and Alex Avila each hit first-inning RBI singles against 40-year-old All-Star Bartolo Colon, whose winless stretch against the Tigers extended to 10 1/2 years. Scherzer retired 16 of his first 18 batters and was nearly untouchable before Cespedes hit a two-run drive in the seventh for his first career playoff home run. The strikeouts were his most in seven post-season starts. Cespedes struck out in the ninth against Benoit, who retired the final four batters for the save. Leyland opted for Scherzer for the post-season opener over Justin Verlander, who goes Saturday night against 23-year-old rookie Sonny Gray in just his 11th career start. Verlander beat the As in Games 1 and 5 of their post-season series last October, helping Detroit survive on its way to the World Series. "I dont get caught up in the hoopla, where Im pitching," Scherzer said. The As missed early chances in Game 1 of the rematch — and there was little the raucous, yellow towel-waving sellout home crowd of 48,401 could do until Cespedes finally energized the ballpark. Scherzer received an American League-best 6.80 runs of support per nine innings over his 32 sstarts this season, but he didnt need anything more than those three first-inning runs in shutting down the AL West champions.dddddddddddd The majors lone 20-game winner, Scherzer (21-3) allowed three hits and walked two. "Hes always tough, he won 21 games," As manager Bob Melvin said. "Scherzers a strikeout guy, hes a swing-and-miss guy." Scherzer issued a two-out walk to Coco Crisp in the third, and then retired his next eight batters in order before Crisp drew a full-count free pass in the sixth. Scherzer struck out the side in the fourth and recorded two more Ks in the fifth. Oakland had the tying run aboard in the eighth but Josh Donaldson popped out against Benoit. "Scherzer was terrific and the bullpen came in and did a fine job," Leyland said. "He was awfully determined. I think he was thrilled to get Game 1." Omar Infante added a pair of singles for a Tigers team determined to take this post-season run one step further after being swept by the San Francisco Giants in the 2012 World Series. Detroit nearly added a run in the sixth but Gold Glove right fielder Josh Reddick threw out Victor Martinez at the plate. Colon put himself in a hole from the start, surrendering Austin Jacksons double to lead off the game and then hitting Torii Hunter with a pitch. Cabrera singled up the middle for the first run, and then Prince Fielder grounded into a double play to bring home another. Avila added an RBI single. Cespedes hit a one-out triple over Andy Dirks head in the second but Oakland was unable to drive him in. Leyland went with Dirks in left over Jhonny Peralta, who made the playoff roster a week after completing a 50-game suspension for ties to the Biogenesis lab accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs. Peralta lined out as a pinch hitter in the ninth. Colon had hoped for a triumphant return to the playoff stage eight years after his last appearance with the Angels. The right-handers 10 hits allowed were his most in 10 career post-season starts. "Bartolo threw an outstanding game," catcher Stephen Vogt said. "He made a couple of mistakes early and they took advantage." Colon, who wasnt part of the As playoffs last season while serving a 50-game suspension for a positive testosterone test, won 18 games this season but couldnt break out of his decade-long funk against the Tigers. The burly right-hander is winless — going 0 and 8 — in 14 starts against the Tigers since a victory on April 13, 2003. Cespedes was back in left field after missing the final two regular-season games at Seattle with a right shoulder injury. NOTES: Both catchers took hard foul tips off the mask. ... The crowd was the largest at the Coliseum since 53,974 on June 27, 2004, against the San Francisco Giants. ... Hunter was Colons first hit batsman all year. "The only ball I feel bad about is the one that hit Torii," Colon said. ... Fielder snapped an 0-for-13 stretch in the post-season with a third-inning single. ... First-pitch temperature was 77 degrees. ' ' '
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