SPORTS Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Page 13A
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Defensive front 7 still concerns OSU’s Meyer
AP Photo/Frank Franklin
KENTUCKY'S BERNISHA Pinkett (10) defends Dayton's Kelley Austria (22) in the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA women’s college basketball tournament Tuesday in New York.
UD women fall 84-70 NEW YORK (AP) — A’dia Mathies rebounded from the worst game of her career to match her career high with 34 points and lead second-seeded Kentucky to an 84-70 win over seventh-seeded Dayton on Tuesday night in the second round of the NCAA women’s tournament.
The Wildcats (29-5) will face Delaware in the semifinals of the Bridgeport Regional on Saturday. Clinging to a 46-44 advantage early in the second half, Mathies scored 10 points during a 16-3 run to take control of the game. The two-time SEC player of
the year hit two 3-pointers, including one to cap the burst and make it 62-47. She didn’t hit a field goal in the first round win over Navy. She made 13 of 17 against Dayton. Andrea Hoover scored 22 points to lead the Flyers (283), got no closer than eight the rest of the way.
Defensive stoppers to meet in West Region JOHN MARSHALL AP Basketball Writer Most kids who have big dreams picture themselves hitting the winning shot in the big game, doing an imaginary countdown before hoisting toward the backyard basket. Ohio State guard Aaron Craft’s countdown had an alternative slant. “I think we know I’m a defensive guy,” Craft said after his last-second shot against Iowa State sent the Buckeyes to the West Region semifinals. “So I think I’m in the backyard (saying) three, two, one, taking a charge, something like that.” College basketball has few true defensive stoppers, players who can alter a game without scoring a point. The opening West Region semifinal at Staples Center on Thursday night will have two: Craft and Arizona’s Nick Johnson. Athletic, active guards, Craft and Johnson have been disruptive forces all season, tasked with slowing the opposing team’s best perimeter players, doing just that more often than not. They are the main cogs to their teams’ defensive success and thrive on it. “I take that personally, knowing that I’m the main defensive guy and my energy really affects the team,” Johnson said. “I’m taking it personally upon myself to do it every single game and show my team I’m playing really, really hard. It’s contagious.” The nephew of late Boston Celtics guard Dennis Johnson — another player noted for his defensive prowess —Johnson arrived in Tucson as a rare high school prospect who enjoyed playing defense. He’s lived up to that reputation in two years at Arizona, becoming the defensive engine for the Wildcats this season as a sophomore. A freakishly athletic 6-foot3, Johnson has exceptional lateral quickness and springy legs that allow him to soar in for blocks when opposing players least expect it. San Diego State’s Chase Tapley found that out in the championship game of the Diamond-
AP Photo/Al Behrman
IOWA STATE forward Georges Niang, bottom, and Ohio State guard Aaron Craft struggle over a loose ball in the first half of a third-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday in Dayton. head Classic, when Johnson swatted away what appeared to be an uncontested layup at the buzzer to secure the Wildcats’ title on Christmas night. After a midseason funk, Johnson has come alive again at the end of the season, starting with a strong performance against Arizona State point guard Jahii Carson in the regular-season finale. Johnson then hounded Colorado’s Spencer Dinwiddie in the quarterfinals of the Pac12 tournament, limiting the Buffaloes’ leading scorer to 4 of 12 shooting, and had an emphatic block on a 3-point attempt by Askia Booker in the closing seconds. Though the Wildcats lost to UCLA in the Pac-12 semifinals, Johnson took Bruins point guard Larry Drew II almost entirely out of the game, helping to force him to miss all five of his shots in a scoreless night. In the NCAA tournament, Johnson had the primary assignment on Belmont’s Ian Clark in Arizona’s opening game and helped hold the nation’s best 3-point shooter (46 percent) to 3-of-8 shooting from the arc and made him work hard for his 21 points. Against Harvard, Johnson held the Crimson’s leading scorer to eight points on 1-of11 shooting in Arizona’s runaway into the Sweet 16. “With Nick Johnson, he has become our team’s best
perimeter defender,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “He has all the athletic talent. He has the mindset to be great. I believe one day he will be an elite defender.” Craft may already be there. The Big Ten defensive player of the year last season, he was the catalyst to the Buckeyes’ run to the Final Four in New Orleans. Even though he was edged by Indiana’s Victor Oladipo as the conference’s defensive player of the year this season, Craft may have been even better on the defensive end than he was a year ago. “I think Victor Oladipo is a tremendous, outstanding, awesome defender, one of the best I’ve ever seen,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. “But Aaron Craft is in another whole, other world when it comes to defense. This basketball team would not be anywhere near where it is without the impact he makes on the defensive end.” While Johnson does some of his best work in the air, Craft is a more low-flying craft. With roadrunner-quick feet and a crouch like a big cat ready to pounce, Craft is nearly impossible to get around off the dribble. He has quick hands and great anticipation to go with it, snatching the ball from ballhandlers while they’re dribbling or jumping off his man into passing lanes for steals.
COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer has been enjoying watching Florida Gulf Coast’s NCAA tournament run. He has a vested interest because daughter Gig plays volleyball for the Eagles. Meyer said Gigi might attend Friday night’s regional semifinal between the Eagles and the University of Florida at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. “That’s incredible for that school,” he said about FGCU’s upset victories over Georgetown in the second round and San Diego State in the third. “I don’t think they were even Division I when she first got there. And that coach (Andy Enfield) ‚Äî they’re good. I watched them the other day. That’s not like smoke and mirrors. They are really good players. That’s going to be a really good game (with Florida).” But Meyer’s loyalty ends there, since he was the head coach at Florida from 2005-10, winning two national championships. “Always a Gator,” he said with a slight grin. “Always a Gator.” Speaking after Tuesday’s indoor workout at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, Meyer said he was pleased with many players and positions as the Buckeyes approached the midpoint of spring workouts. But he remains concerned by the fill-ins for the departed John Simon, Johnathan Hankins, Nathan Williams and Garrett Goebel on the defensive line and Zach Boren and Etienne Sabino at linebacker. “I’m still worried about defense,” the second-year coach of the Buckeyes said. “I still keep looking for Goebel and Simon and those guys up front. They’re getting better though: Adolphus Washington, Noah Spence. There’s some talent. You just wish there were one or two older guys up there to help them out.” The Buckeyes, coming off a surprising 12-0 season, have completed six of their 14 practices leading up to their annual spring intrasquad scrimmage on April 13 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Everett Withers, Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator, said he feels a sense of urgency to come up with some solutions to finding replacements. Linebacker Ryan Shazier has been slowed by injury. Former blue-chip recruit Curtis Grant, a disappointment through his first two years with the team, is being counted on to have an impact. If the current players don’t answer the bell, the coaching
AP Photo/Columbus Dispatch
OHIO STATE coach Urban Meyer talks to the team during the first day of the NCAA college football team's spring practice at Woody Hayes Athletic Center recently in Columbus. staff may rely on incoming freshmen to fill spots. “We just have to keep going,” Withers said. “Before you know it, spring will be over with and some of those younger guys will be coming in here and we’ll be seeing how they do. I think the (experienced) guys understand the time frame.” Ohio State went through a very physical practice on Tuesday, which Meyer attributed to the fact that much of it was dedicated to shortyardage scrimmages resulting in one-on-one battles. Carlos Hyde, established as the top running back, made way for Rod Smith and Bri’onte Dunn, who are battling for the second-team tailback job. Another candidate, Jordan Hall, has a slight hamstringer injury and was attending to academic considerations. While starting quarterback Braxton Miller watched most of the scrimmage, third-team QB Cardale Jones got a lot of work during the scrimmage, as did defensive lineman Chris Carter. The coaching staff is trying to groom all of them for playing time after not playing much in their careers. Meyer said he’s been splitting his time equally watching the offense and defense. “I think the fact our staff’s been together now, there’s very good chemistry in that room and I’m watching both sides,” he said. “I’m real anxious about the development, like everybody, of the defensive front seven.”
Three MVPs at Fairlawn Fairlawn recently held its winter awards night, honoring participants in boys and girls basketball. • In girls basketball, there were special awards handed out, with the top one, the Most Valuable Player award, going to Olivia Cummings. She also won for most rebounds and best free throw percentage and also won the coach’s Award. The Jet Award went to Cheyenne Driskell, the Captain’s Award to Abbie Roe, the assists award to Haley Slonkosky, the best defensive player award to Roe, the field goal percentage award to Driskell, the most threepointers award to Kelsey Oates and the most improved award to Allison
Watkins. •In boys basketball, the MVP was shared by Trey Everett and Anthony Gillem. Gillem won the Captain’s Award, and also the best field goal percentage, best free throw percentage and most three pointers awards. Everett took home the rebounding award and the most assists award, Jessie Hughes was named best defensive player, and Brad Caudill won the most improved award. • In cheerleading, most improved was Sam Forman, the Spirit Award went to Cheyenne Driskell, the Coach’s Award to Kaileigh Poe and the Captain’s Award to Sam Morris