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VANGUARD •• Tuesday, TUESDAY, March JANUARY 5, 2013 10, 2012 • SPORTS • ETC.
SPORTS
EDITOR: MARCO ESPAñA SPORTS@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-4538
No luck at the Stott Center Vikings lose last two home games, are eliminated from tournament play Zach Bigalke Vanguard Staff
Miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFF
michael harthun looks for an opening against Northern Colorado on Saturday. The Vikings fell to the Bears 85-75.
After losing on Thursday to the University of North Dakota, the Vikings had to win their final three games to stay alive in the race for one of the seven playoff spots in the Big Sky Conference. But a second-half run by the University of Northern Colorado on Saturday effectively ended those aspirations, as the Bears claimed an 85-75 victory on Senior Day at the Stott Center. Portland State’s seniors— guards Michael Harthun and Lateef McMullan and forwards Michael Harvey, Martin Whitmore and Renado Parker—were honored for their contributions to Vikings basketball in a pregame ceremony. Head coach Tyler Geving rewarded the quintet by naming them the starting five in their final game in the Park Blocks.
PSU came out hot against the Bears, as Harthun paced the offense with 14 first-half points. Midway through the half, Dre Winston Jr. hit a 3-pointer to cap a 14-5 run over the previous four minutes and give the Vikings their largest advantage of the game at 21-13. But the Bears slowly chiseled away at the lead, capitalizing on a two-minute stretch without Harthun on the floor to eliminate the gap and take a 44-41 lead into the locker room. The teams traded the lead back and forth throughout the first eight minutes of the second half. Harthun cooled off after halftime, going 2-for6 to finish with 18 points. Junior Aaron Moore picked up the slack, scoring a team-high 20 points in 31 minutes, but Harthun’s dip in production proved costly as the Bears finally grabbed a lead they would not relinquish. Northern Colorado guard Tate Unruh let a slight smirk slip as his 3-point attempt banked off the backboard and through the hoop to give the Bears a 57-56 lead with 12:10 left. The basket sparked a 24-8 run by the Bears over the next seven minutes that extended
the visitors’ lead to 17 with less than four minutes remaining. “That was a big basket,” head coach Tyler Geving said of Unruh’s shot after the game. “I thought we played pretty well up until that point. I don’t think he was calling glass on it, but it went in, and it was obviously a big play for them.” As they had so many times already this season, the Vikings caught fire in the final few minutes of the half, going on an 11-4 run to close out the game, but by that point the Bears had already put the contest out of reach. The loss sent Portland State to 8-18 on the season. Though they finished 9-6 at the Stott Center this season, the Vikings are just 5-13 in Big Sky play with two road games remaining and have no chance of reaching the conference tournament. They’ll close out the season on the road this weekend, with their last two games coming against Weber State University on Thursday and Idaho State University on Saturday. “We still need to come out and practice and do the right things,” Geving said. “Everybody has to look in the mirror and make adjustments.”
Hawks fall to Everett Blazers roll past Silvertips score upset on the road Bryan Zinschlag Vanguard Staff
The Portland Winterhawks are clearly the Western Hockey League’s best team—most nights. The Hawks were dumbstruck Saturday night as they fell 4-2 to the Everett Silvertips on the road. After a five-game winning streak, Portland has lost three in a row, stifling the momentum they would have liked to carry into the postseason. The loss to Everett was undoubtedly the most improbable during that streak. Portland entered Saturday night’s contest with twice as
many points as the Silvertips, and had outscored them 44-16 thus far this season. Despite the Hawks’ usual torrent of shots on goal (45), they only managed to net two of them, both supplied by assistant captain Ty Rattie. The Winterhawks took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Rattie capitalized on a penalty shot. Less than a minute later, Everett’s Kohl Bauml scored on the power play with assistance from Manraj Hayer and Mirco Mueller. Meanwhile, Silvertips goalie Austin Lotz stifled the Hawks’ attack. Among those goalies that play regularly, Lotz is statistically among the WHL’s worst, but he may have played the game of his life on Saturday, saving 43 of 45 shots from the league’s best offense.
karl kuchs/VANGUARD STAFF
ty rattie scored two goals against Everett, but Portland lost 4-2 on the road.
The scoring commenced in the middle of the third when Silvertips captain Reid Petryk scored with assistance from Joshua Winquist and Ryan Harrison. Rattie promptly followed with a power play goal, assisted by Seth Jones and Hawks captain Troy Rutkowski, evening the score at 2–2 with seven minutes to play. On yet another power play, the Silvertips took a 3-2 lead with two minutes remaining, as Bauml earned his second goal of the night with assistance from Landon Oslanski and Connor Cox. Hayer added an empty net goal in the final seconds and the Silvertips secured a wellearned win. With six games remaining in the regular season, the Winterhawks will look to turn things around as they prepare for the WHL playoffs. While the Hawks’ offense has been consistent all season, the performance of veteran goalie Mac Carruth will be pivotal for their championship aspirations. They also stand to gain from improved discipline; Saturday night showed them that no matter the opponent, yielding five power play opportunities will never make for an easy night. The Winterhawks will not have to wait for their chance to avenge Saturday night’s defeat. They host the Silvertips tonight at 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Timberwolves
Portland defeats Minnesota for season sweep
j.j. hickson and the Blazers scored a solid win at home against the Wolves.
Alex Moore Vanguard Staff
The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves handily on Saturday night, notching an emphatic 109-94 win over their Northwest Division rivals. Damian Lillard scored 24 points to lead the team, while J.J. Hickson contributed another double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds. The game marked the return of former Blazer favorite Brandon Roy to the Rose Garden, although he didn’t see any action on the court. Roy has suffered many setbacks to his comeback this season as knee trouble has drastically limited his play. The three-time all-star spent the game sitting behind the Minnesota bench but received a standing ovation from the crowd. With the win, the Blazers swept the Timberwolves in the season series for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Minnesota’s high expectations this year have been derailed by injuries—the team had only had nine players suited up to play against Portland. Still, a victory was by no
© Bruce Ely/The oregonian
means a given for the Blazers, who have struggled with consistency all season. Portland was determined to come out strong and did exactly that, jumping out to a lead in the first quarter that they would hold throughout the game. Minnesota kept the game within striking distance but couldn’t keep up with the Blazers, and Portland scored a much-needed win to get within striking distance of the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference. A good sign for Portland was the play of Eric Maynor, the guard acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline this year. Maynor
struggled in his first two games with the Blazers but got into a groove against the Wolves, contributing seven points and a career-high 12 assists. Portland will need Maynor to continue to develop his game in order to alleviate some of the nightly pressure on Lillard. The Blazers now move on to a difficult portion of their schedule, with upcoming road games against the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls and Thunder all slated for March. Tip-off for tomorrow’s matchup with the Grizzlies— currently in the fourth spot in the Western Conference standings, is set for 5 p.m.