Sport
International
Thursday, January 20, 2011
15
Wallace helps Bobcats hold off Bulls 83-82 Associated Press Writer
CHICAGO – D.J. Augustin scored 15 points, Gerald Wallace had 13 points and 16 rebounds and the Charlotte Bobcats held off the Chicago Bulls 83-82 on Tuesday night. Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson added 12 points apiece to help the Bobcats snap a three-game losing streak, with their last win coming at home against the Bulls last Wednesday.
AFP PHOTO / TORSTEN BLACKWOOD
Venus Williams of the US reacts to a point against Sandra Zahlavova of the Czech Republic during their round two women’s singles match on the third day of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 19, 2011. Williams won 7-6, 6-0, 6-4.
Venus in wonderland after comeback in Melbourne Agence France Presse
MELBOURNE – Venus Williams reached into the world of make-believe during her amazing comeback win over unheralded Czech Sandra Zahlavova in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday. Wearing a self-designed dress based on “Alice in Wonderland”, Williams lived out her own fantasy as she recovered from a painful groin injury to overcome the gallant Zahlavova 6-7 (6/8), 6-0, 6-4. Williams’ unusual outfit featured a yellow criss-cross pattern showing plenty of skin and a tiny patterned skirt, with flesh-coloured “nude” shorts underneath. “The outfit is inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Don’t laugh,” she later said to guffaws. “It’s kind of about a surprise, because when Alice goes down the hole, the rabbit hole, she finds all these things that are so surprising.” Venus, who turned heads with an extra-short, shimmery blue number in her opening match, has been the centre of attention in the absence of her injured sister Serena, known for her outlandish attire. “This outfit is about having a surprise in tennis — a dress, and kind of, you know, showing some skin and then just having a print,” she said. “Prints don’t happen that often in tennis. So it’s called the Wonderland dress. It was fun.” “I put a lot of thought into my dresses,” she continued. “I love fantasy, and this was kind of a way to express who I am on the court.” And her dress garnered most of the attention as Williams raced away to an early 4-1 lead before Zahlavova launched a stirring comeback. With the tense first set deep into a tiebreak, Williams hit an overhead backhand on set point then screamed in pain as she strained a muscle in her groin. “I think this is probably the most acute one (injury) that I’ve ever had,” she said. “In recent time that I can remember pain, I think this was one of the toughest ones for sure. But I just wanted to stay on the court and try to survive and see if I could feel better another day.” She did more than survive, coming out after a medical time-out to blast 15 winners past a shellshocked Zahlavova and put herself firmly back in the match. She said she never considered not going on after the time-out.
Derrick Rose scored 33 points to lead Chicago, but missed a shot at the buzzer. Ronnie Brewer had 12 points and Luol Deng added 10 for the Bulls, who were playing without injured forward Carlos Boozer — second on the team in scoring (20.1 points per game) and rebounds (10.1). The Bulls got a chance for the win after an official’s review gave them ball at their own end. Initially, a deflected ball had been awarded to Charlotte, but the review showed that the ball went off Augustin’s fingertips. After Kyle Korver’s driving shot was blocked out of bounds, Chicago got the ball to Rose, who drove the middle of the floor and shot a fadeaway over Charlotte’s Gerald Henderson Jr., but missed off the front of the rim. Wallace was called for a technical foul for tripping Brewer and Kyle Korver made the subsequent free throw to give Chicago a 74-72 lead with three minutes to play. Wallace apparently hurt his ankle on the play, limping around and grimacing as Korver shot his free throw.
However, Wallace looked fine on a putback dunk that tied the score at 74.Rose answered with a doublepump drive and layup, putting Chicago back up by two. Wallace hit two free throws, but Rose answered again, hitting a pull-up jumper with 1:44 to play. Two possessions later, Wallace hit a driving layup in transition and was fouled. His free throw put the Bobcats up 79-78 with 1:13 to play. After a timeout, Rose scored on a putback to put Chicago up by a point. Jackson answered with a jumper, giving the Bobcats an 8180 lead with 47.5 seconds to play. Deng missed a jumper for Chicago and Jackson was fouled. His two free throws put Charlotte ahead by three. Rose drove and scored on a short runner, cutting the Bulls’ deficit to one with 25.2 seconds left.Rose’s 12 points sparked a third-quarter surge for Chicago. His 3-pointer highlighted a 10-2 run that put Chicago up 57-51. At the time of Rose’s 3, the Bulls were 4 for 4 from 3-point range. They finished 6 for 12 from beyond the arc, while Charlotte
missed all 13 of its 3-point shots. The Bobcats were able to hang close well into the fourth quarter thanks to a disparity in turnovers. Charlotte forced 14 Chicago turnovers while committing just nine, and enjoyed a 25-8 edge in points off miscues. Charlotte shot 60 percent from the floor in the opening quarter and 50 percent for the first half, leading 47-44 at the break. Augustin scored nine points to lead Charlotte in the opening half. Rose led Chicago with 13 points. Boozer sprained his left ankle in Chicago’s win over Miami on Saturday and is listed as day-to-day. The Bobcats took advantage of his absence, outscoring the Bulls 46-28 in the paint. Tyrus Thomas returned to action for Charlotte and had eight points and four rebounds against his former team. Thomas, who played his first 3 1/2 seasons with the Bulls before being traded to Charlotte last season, was suspended for the Bobcats’ game in Philadelphia on Monday for elbowing New Orleans’ Emeka Okafor in the head.
Charlotte Bobcats point guard D.J. Augustin, left, defends against a driving Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011, in Chicago. Augustin led the Bobcats with 15 points in their 83-82 win. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
Armstrong says not worried by new doping claims Associated Press Writer
ADELAIDE, Australia – Lance Armstrong says he has nothing to worry about “on any level” over new doping allegations raised in a report
by Sports Illustrated. The seven-time Tour de France winner curtly brushed aside questions about the story before taking part in Wednesday’s second stage of the Tour Down Under.
In a report posted Tuesday on its website, Sports Illustrated magazine previewed a longer investigative piece that will appear in this week’s issue, available Wednesday, that challenges Armstrong’s statements
that he cut ties to an Italian doctor and training adviser who has long been accused of helping cyclists cheat. Armstrong repeatedly refused to comment on the report Wednesday
before saying he had perused it and “I have nothing to worry about on any level.” Johan Bruyneel, Armstrong’s mentor and the manager of this Radio Shack team, also refused to discuss the report.