SPORTS SECTION E
WORLD SERIES
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016
Game 6, Page 13
TAR national stadium gets $800,000 facelift, thanks to NSA By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE National Sports Authority (NSA) has undergone a massive resurfacing of the infield at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, just in time for the staging of the 3rd Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. Jeffrey Beckles, general manager of the NSA, revealed yesterday that the $800,000 project which began on August 6 should be completed on December 6, just in time for the big collegiate game on Friday, December 23. “We made a decision that we needed to upgrade the infield surface here at the stadium,” said Beckles during a press conference for the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. “The foundation was a challenge for us. It wasn’t so much what was
A VIEW of the new surface of the infield at the TAR national stadium. Photo: Tim Clarke/The Tribune on top of it, but what was underneath. So we escalated it down to about three feet, took out all of the stuff that was prohibiting good growth and maintenance of a good sort base. “We came back with a brand
new celebration Bermuda field. As you can see, the staff is still here working, the contractor is still here working. We’ve given ourselves one of the best opportunities, not just to upgrade the field, but to upgrade the value of
our venue, whether it’s for American football or soccer, which we have now put ourselves in a very good position to attract quality soccer games over the next few years.” Classic Golf Bahamas, a locally based company responsible for the construction of the Baha Mar Golf Course, the Albany Golf Course and now they are working on the Lyford Cay Golf Course, has been contracted to carry out the resurfacing of the infield. “They have a very good reputation. The Albany project and what you have seen at Baha Mar satisfied us that we had a good Bahamian quality company that could do this work,” Beckles said. “This was sort of easy for them considering the dynamics of a golf course compared to just doing this course. “So we’re happy to have a Ba-
hamian company that is capable of doing a commendable job, such as what they are doing.” Beckes said the difficulty was because the foundation for the infield was not done properly in the initial stage when the construction was done by the People’s Republic of China in donating the stadium to the people of the Bahamas. The Chinese were responsible for building the stadium. “We realised that rather than continuing to spend money on top of it, trying to make it look good, we needed to give ourselves an opportunity to have a successful turf. Now we have grass that has a great chance of thriving for several years to come.” Beckles said every capital expenditure that the NSA administration, headed by Lynden Maycock, has undertaken in the past two years can be justified.
ORGANISERS: POPEYES BAHAMAS BOWL WILL BE BIGGER AND BETTER
Buddy scores 10 for winless Pelicans NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo capped a 24-point, 10-rebound performance with a pivotal 3-pointer with 1:34 to go, Jabari Parker added 21 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the winless New Orleans Pelicans 117-113 last night. Anthony Davis scored 35 points — the third time he has scored at least that many points — to go with 15 rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals. But once again, it was not enough for New Orleans, which has dropped its first four games, including three at home. Milwaukee rookie Malcolm Brogdon had his best game yet, scoring 14 points — 10 in the second half. Tony Snell had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, while Rashad Vaughn scored 12 points and Matthew Dellavedova had 11 points and eight assists. The Bucks looked to pound the ball inside and the Pelicans could offer little resistance. Milwaukee scored 58 of its points in the paint, compared to 38 for New Orleans. The Bucks outrebounded the Pelicans 50-42. Tim Frazier had 20 points and nine assists for New Orleans,
By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THEY won’t know exactly which two teams will be coming down to compete until the Thanksgiving weekend, but if the first two editions were any indication, organisers anticipate that the third annual Popeyes Bahamas Bowl will be bigger and better. Scheduled for Friday, December 23, on the new turf laid down on the infield of the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, the collegiate bowl game will be between schools from the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference. The game will be televised nationally in the United States on ESPN. The organising committee, led by Chris Pika, the director of communications for the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, held a press conference yesterday at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium to outline the details for this year’s event. “We’re excited about the third game coming up. We’re getting ready to hit the halfway point in our
SHAKE ‘N’ BAKE: Rookie Buddy Hield scored 10 points in 14 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks last night. (AP) SEE NBA CAPSULES ON PAGE 13 while Solomon Hill added 18 points and E’Twaun Moore had 17. Hill and Moore combined to shoot 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Rookie Buddy Hield, the NBA’s sixth overall draft pick, scored 10 points, but was just 1 of 6 from 3-point range. The game featured significant
swings in momentum, with the Pelicans leading by as many as nine points early and the Bucks taking a 12-point lead in the third quarter when Antetokounmpo’s layup made it 74-62. New Orleans responded with an 11-0 run that began with Moore’s 3 and ended with Hill’s 3, but the
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Bucks rebuilt a 10-point lead in the middle of the fourth quarter with a 13-4 run that included Brogdon’s dunk and his 3-pointer. The Pelicans got as close as 114112 on Davis’ floater with 1:46 left, but Antetokounmpo responded with a clutch 3 and New Orleans didn’t recover.
‘We see NAIA membership in our short term future’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WHILE the College of the Bahamas will be transformed into the University of the Bahamas next week, everybody is waiting for the unveiling of its new Athletic Department. Kimberly Rolle, the current athletic director of the Caribs, was tight-lipped as to exactly how it will all pan out, but she indicated that there is something exciting being planned. “This year, the president (Rodney Smith) has formally written to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to become a member,” Rolle said. “The conversation has begun. So far it has been really productive and headed in the right direction, so we are really excited about that.
“We see NAIA to the NAIA, facilities membership in our become important.” short term future and With the incorposo we are just waitration of the national ing for the university facilities into their to happen so that we programme, Rolle can mobilise a lot of said they can now have our plans. With the their men’s basketball, university coming on women’s volleyball, stream, it will assist women’s softball, us in fast tracking our men’s baseball and agenda.” golf, if they choose to Rolle said Prime go that route. ROLLE Minister Perry Chris“We now have the tie has already profacilities for collegiate nounced that the 450 acres of teams to now come in and particisporting complex will be annex to pate in,” she said. “So to have that the UB. platform at the 450 acres is huge “That means that we will have for our sports development and direct access to what is known as so we are excited about the talks the national facilities,” Rolle said. we are engaged in with the NAIA “That now becomes a part of the and the sporting facilities that will athletic platform for the univer- be available to us.” sity. That is huge for us because Additionally, Rolle said that as you can imagine, with a move would open the door for the uni-
versity to look seriously at its recruiting programme for their athletic teams to seek out the international teams to help their athletic programme to blossom. “In the short term, two to four years, we see tremendous growth within the athletic platform,” Rolle said. “We have two Jamaicans here on our athletic team, but 99 per cent is Bahamians. “I think one of the other things we will have to look at in the very near future is obtaining full-time coaches. That has to happen for our programme to grow. These coaches will then be accountable for our programmes to grow.” At present, all of the coaches are on a part-time basis. They include: Softball - Oria ‘Big O’ Wood, assisted by Spurgeon Johnson. Men’s basketball – Bacchus Rolle, assisted by Lavar Johnson.
Track and field – Rupert Gardiner, assisted by Ednal Rolle and Bradley Cooper. Women’s volleyball – Cora Hepburn, assisted by Renaldo Knowles. “We do not have a single coach full time on our staff,” Rolle said. “We may have to start in the first instances where we may have to hire one or two and then build the complement of the coaching staff. “That is something that has to happen if we want to really see the growth and progress in our teams and take them to another level. For example, our track team and men’s basketball team is competing against full-time coaches. But the mere fact that we have been competitive is encouraging.” The men’s basketball is coming off a trip to Florida over the week-
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PAGE 12, Wednesday, November 2, 2016
BRATHWAITE PUTS WEST INDIES IN STRONG POSITION
Raonic hits 17 aces as he reaches third round of the Paris Masters By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — Fourth-seeded Milos Raonic hit 17 aces as he beat Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6 (5), 6-4 yesterday to reach the third round of the Paris Masters. The big-serving Canadian has been hampered by a right ankle injury that forced him to withdraw ahead of his China Open semi-final three weeks ago. Since then, he has lost in the third round of the Shanghai Masters and in the first round of the Swiss Indoors last week. But he was moving freely as he beat Carreno Busta for the third time in as many career meetings — all this year. “The ankle is improving. I still have it wrapped up for safety,” Raonic said. “But it’s not really causing any nuisance.” At 5-5 in the tiebreaker, Carreno Busta patted a return into the net and Raonic sealed the set with an ace. He secured the only break in the second set when his opponent scooped a low shot into the net. Raonic, a runner-up here to topranked Novak Djokovic two years ago, sealed victory with consecu-
tive aces. “It’s always important for me to serve well,” Raonic said. “I haven’t served that well this summer, this hard court swing.” Seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych avoided another early exit by beating Joao Sousa 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 to also reach the third round. At 4-4 in the deciding set, Berdych trailed 15-40 and saved two break points. Although Berdych won the Shenzhen Open in China last month, the Czech player’s form dropped sharply with first-round exits at the Japan Open and the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. Between those tournaments, there was a second-round loss at the Shanghai Masters. Losing ranking points forced Berdych out of the top 10 for the first time since reaching the 2010 Wimbledon final. It also leaves him needing to reach the semifinals in Paris to have a chance of qualifying for the season-ending ATP finals in London — a difficult task considering he could face Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. “If you don’t play your best, you don’t really deserve to be there,” Berdych said. “Luckily, I’m healthy. Who would have said that
I’d be answering questions about London when I was in the hospital in Cincinnati? This is a nice bonus.” Berdych was referring to the appendicitis that forced him out of this year’s US Open. Even though his play looked patchy, his serving was strong with 14 aces, including a couple of booming ones on second serve. Berdych is hopeful that working with coach Goran Ivanisevic — the big-serving Croat who won Wimbledon in 2001 — will improve his game. “I like his approach and how he tries to simplify things,” the 31-year-old Berdych said. Berdych, the 2005 Paris Masters champion, next faces either 10thseeded Roberto Bautista Agut or Gilles Simon. Six other players are vying with Berdych for the two remaining spots at the ATP finals. Dominic Thiem and Marin Cilic, who won the Swiss Indoors, held the last two places before this week. David Goffin, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Lucas Pouille and Bautista Agut are the other contenders playing here. There were also second-round wins for 12th-seeded Richard Gas-
MILOS RAONIC (AP) quet of France and No. 14 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. Gasquet won 6-4, 7-6 (11) against American Steve Johnson and Dimitrov was leading 6-3 when Marcos Baghdatis retired with a right leg problem. In remaining first-round play, John Isner beat Mischa Zverev 7-6 (8), 6-4 and next plays No. 15 David Ferrer. Jack Sock, Feliciano Lopez, Nicolas Mahut, Viktor Troicki, Ivo Karlovic and Gilles Muller also reached the second round. Muller faces Djokovic today.
Man City beats Barcelona 3-1 in sweet win for Guardiola By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Ilkay Gundogan scored either side of Kevin De Bruyne’s curling free kick to help Manchester City come from behind to beat Barcelona 3-1 in the Champions League, as Pep Guardiola got the better of his old club yesterday. Lionel Messi’s 90th goal in Europe’s top club competition gave Barcelona a 21st-minute lead, but City was rampant after Gundogan’s equaliser in the 39th. It was a landmark win for City over a team that the English club has modelled itself on since becoming a major force in the game after an Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008. And it was a satisfying one for Guardiola, who coached Barcelona to 14 trophies between 2008-12. City’s pressing was relentless in the second half, forcing errors from Barcelona’s makeshift defence and holding midfielder Sergio Busquets, and De Bruyne was at the heart of everything. The Belgium playmaker whipped home a 25-metre free kick in the 51st minute to put City 2-1 up and then provided a stunning through-ball in the lead-up to the third goal, slammed in by Gundogan from close range in the 74th
MANCHESTER City’s Ilkay Gundogan jumps on scorer Kevin De Bruyne and other teammates as they celebrate their side’s 2nd goal during the Champions League group C soccer match against Barcelona at the Etihad stadium yesterday. (AP Photos/Rui Vieira) after the ball fell at his feet off the arm of Sergio Aguero. City had lost all five of its meetings with Barcelona in the Champions League over the past four
seasons — including a 4-0 defeat at Camp Nou two weeks ago. Barcelona missed the chance to secure progress to the last 16 with two games to spare, and is now two
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points clear of City. Guardiola’s team should advance with a draw at third-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach in round five.
KRAIGG Brathwaite became only the fifth West Indian to carry his bat in a Test innings as his superb unbeaten 142 and three quick wickets for Jason Holder put the touring team in a strong position after three days of the third Test in Sharjah against Pakistan. For the first time on a long, fruitless tour of the United Arab Emirates, West Indies found themselves ahead in a game after losing the first two Tests. Brathwaite steered West Indies to a hard-earned first innings lead of 56 before Holder made inroads into the Pakistan top order in a lively spell after tea. Pakistan lost four wickets before erasing the deficit, but Azhar Ali and Sarfraz Ahmed stabilised the innings with an unbroken 39run partnership and took Pakistan to 87 for four at stumps. The inroads into Pakistan’s batting came via a short-ball barrage. Holder bowled a fast bouncer to Sami Aslam that the batsman could only top edge to fine leg. Another welldirected bouncer saw Asad Shafiq fend the ball to Darren Bravo at gully. Then Younis Khan got a faint touch to a leg-side delivery to give Holder his third wicket. When Misbahul-Haq pulled offspinner Roston Chase straight to Devendra Bishoo at deepbackward square leg, Pakistan had lost four wickets for 11 runs to slip to 48 for four. With Pakistan’s lead only 31, they are far from safety as West Indies push for their first win in 14 Tests. The foundation had been laid by Brathwaite, who became the fifth West Indies batsman to carry his bat. He was the epitome of patience and concentration for the majority of his 318-ball innings and his temperament was matched by an ability to work ones and twos to all corners of the ground. Resuming on 95, Brathwaite worked the fifth ball of the morning from Mohammad Amir for two through midwicket to bring up his fifth Test century. With Devendra Bishoo, Brathwaite added 60 runs for the eighth wicket before Wahab Riaz wrapped up the West Indies innings and claim his second five-wicket haul in Tests.
Ronaldo 2 goals shy of 100 in European competitions By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Unless Cristiano Ronaldo suddenly decides to add mercy to his list of virtues, the Real Madrid forward will have a good shot at scoring his 100th goal in European competition today. Ronaldo, who once aptly described himself as “rich, handsome and a great player,” is two goals short of that landmark before Madrid visits Legia Warsaw in the Champions League today. The Portugal forward arrives primed for more goals after recovering his ruthless touch on Saturday, when he scored his 38th career hat trick in a 4-1 win at Alaves in the Spanish league. Ronaldo is the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League, with 95 of his European goals coming in the tournament he helped Madrid win for a record 11th time last season. But Barcelona rival Lionel Messi has closed the gap with Ronaldo in their never-ending scoring duel after netting six goals to lead the Champions League this season. That’s compared to Ronaldo’s two so far. Messi has 89 Champions League goals, and 92 in all UEFA competitions. Legia looks like easy pickings for Ronaldo. The Polish team has lost all three group matches and
conceded a tournamenthigh 13 goals. And its players will face Madrid all alone at Wojska Polskiego Stadium, whose doors will be closed to the public by UEFA as a penalty for fans’ racist behaviour and the fireworks thrown during a previous loss to Borussia Dortmund. Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane said Legia has played well despite the poor results. “We respect Legia. This is a good team, that can get you into trouble,” Zidane said. They were not very lucky with results, but, as I said, they can be dangerous for opponents.” Madrid, which beat Legia 5-1 in their first meeting without any goals from Ronaldo, are undefeated in 26 matches across all competitions dating back to last season’s quarterfinals. They have won their last five matches overall by the combined score of 24-5. Gareth Bale will also be eager to shine after signing a new contract with Madrid through 2022. The only worry for Madrid is the absence of injured centre backs Pepe and Sergio Ramos. Madrid will qualify for the last 16 if it wins and Dortmund beats Sporting Lisbon in the other Group F match. • Here are some others things to know about today’s matches:
ous trouble, but Leicester City is outperforming the other English sides in its first foray in the Champions League. Three wins in as many matches mean Leicester can seal a place in the knockout rounds with another win over FC Copenhagen. In the other group match, FC Porto welcomes Brugge hoping to break a run of four home matches without a victory in Europe.
REAL Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo makes a scissor kick during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Deportivo Alaves, at Mendizorroza stadium, in Vitoria, northern Spain, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrie GROUP E Group E is proving to be this season’s most competitive quartet. Only three points separate leader Monaco from last-place CSKA Moscow before they meet in the Mediterranean principality. Monaco has been boosted this campaign by the arrival of Poland defender Kamil Glik, whose late goal earned a draw against Bayer Leverkusen. Tottenham hosts Leverkusen with both sides
hoping for a win combined with a Monaco slip to move to the top of the group. Spurs haven’t won in five matches across all competitions without injured striker Harry Kane. GROUP F Dortmund, like Madrid, can advance with a win over Sporting Lisbon. Mario Goetze, who returned to Dortmund this season from Bayern Munich, has shown some flashes of his rich talent. But
more will be needed for Dortmund make another run to the final like in 2013, which Goetze missed because of injury. “To do it would be my biggest dream come true,” Goetze said. “Yet that was a long time ago. I’m focusing on the future and on this Champions League season. It’s not going to be easy next time against Sporting.” GROUP G Its Premier League title defence may be in seri-
GROUP H Juventus and Sevilla are level at the top of Group H and can go through with victories in their respective home matches against Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb. Juventus faces Lyon fresh off an encouraging 2-1 win over domestic rival Napoli, which allowed it to build a four-point lead in Serie A. “I can be satisfied with our start, but I’m also sure we have a lot of room to improve,” Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain said. “We’re expecting a difficult game. Lyon had better results in their recent games and they gave us a real test two weeks ago.” Sevilla will be without midfielder Samir Nasri, who has been playing well for the Andalusian side on loan from Manchester City. Nasri scored Sevilla’s winner in a 1-0 victory in Zagreb. He then picked up a left leg muscle injury over the weekend.
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Wednesday, November 2, 2016, PAGE 13
Cubs rout Indians 9-3, send World Series to deciding Game 7 By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Addison Russell hit a grand slam and drove in a record-tying six runs, leading the Chicago Cubs over the Cleveland Indians 9-3 st night and forcing the World Series to a deciding Game 7. Indians ace Corey Kluber, dominant while winning Games 1 and 4, starts again on short rest tonight at home against big league ERA leader Kyle Hendricks. The Cubs are trying to overcome a 3-1 Series deficit for their first championship since 1908. The Indi-
NBA CAPSULES CAVALIERS 128, ROCKETS 120 CLEVELAND (AP) — Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 32 points and the reigning NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers remained undefeated, beating the Houston Rockets 128-120 last night. Kevin Love scored 24 points while LeBron James added 19 points and 13 rebounds as Cleveland placed six players in double figures. The Cavaliers are 4-0 for the first time in 16 years. James Harden scored a season-high 41 points and had 15 assists for Houston. Ryan Anderson’s 3-pointer cut Cleveland’s lead to 114-112 with 2:18 to play, but 3-pointers by James and J.R. Smith and another 3 by Irving with 34 seconds left pushed the margin to 125-116. The game’s tip-off was moved up an hour to 6 p.m. because the Indians and Cubs were playing Game 6 of the World Series across the street at Progressive Field. JAZZ 106, SPURS 91 SAN ANTONIO (AP) — George Hill had 22 points and Utah made a
ans haven’t won it all since 1948. Kris Bryant had four hits for Chicago and homered for the second straight game. Anthony Rizzo also homered. The Cubs got two gift runs in the first inning when Russell’s pop fly dropped between two outfielders. Jake Arrieta cruised to the win, adding to his victory in Game 2. Closer Aroldis Chapman got four outs before exiting in the ninth. Russell’s slam in the third made it 7-0. He tied Albert Pujols, Hideki Matsui and Bobby Richardson for most RBIs in a Series game. season-high 15 3-pointers, handing San Antonio its first loss of the season. Rodney Hood had 19 points, Trey Lyles 15 and Shelvin Mack 14 for Utah, which finished 15 for 31 from 3-point range. Kawhi Leonard led San Antonio with 30 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 21. Hill made four straight baskets starting with about 6 minutes left, scoring 10 points to give the Jazz a 96-88 lead with 4 minutes remaining. Utah built a 12-point lead in the opening quarter by shooting 72 percent from the field and 88 percent on 3s. The Jazz made seven 3-pointers in the first quarter, one more than their previous season high for a game. HEAT 108, KINGS 96 MIAMI (AP) — Goran Dragic scored 25 points, Tyler Johnson had seven of his 22 in overtime and Miami beat Sacramento. Hassan Whiteside got his fourth double-double to start the season, 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat — who have won 15 straight at home over the Kings. Dragic added eight rebounds and eight assists,
CHICAGO Cubs’ Addison Russell hits a grand slam against the Cleveland Indians during the third inning of Game 6 of the Major League Baseball World Series last night in Cleveland. (AP) and Dion Waiters scored 20 points for Miami. Rudy Gay scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Sacramento. DeMarcus Cousins scored 30 points for the Kings, but fouled out late in regulation and Sacramento was outscored 17-5 in the extra session. The Heat wasted an 8071 lead in the final six minutes of regulation. MAGIC 103, 76ERS 101 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Serge Ibaka sank two free throws with 1.4 seconds to snap a tie game and send Orlando over Philadelphia. The Magic rallied from an 18-point deficit to win for the first time in four games this season. Sixers center Joel Embiid lost his dribble at the top of the key and Orlando snagged the ball with 5.7 seconds left. Sixers guard T.J. McConnell was whistled for a flagrant foul on Ibaka’s layup attempt. Ibaka made both and the Magic retained possession and kept the Sixers winless. Embiid had two costly turnovers in the final minute for the Sixers. Ibaka scored 21 points and Nik Vucevic had 24 points and 14 rebounds. Hollis Thompson led the
CLEVELAND Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) celebrates after a 3-point basket in the second half of last night’s game against the Houston Rockets in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 128-120. (AP)
‘We see NAIA membership in our short term future’ FROM PAGE 11 end where they lost their two games played. In the first game, the Caribs lost 95-85 to Ave Marie University. In that game, Kemsy Sylvestre scored 35 points with eight rebounds, Justin Smith had 20 points and four assists and Jason Stubbs chipped in with 10 points. After a day off, the team played Florida Memorial University, losing 77-54. Smith led the attack with 16 points, Sylvestre had 15 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out and Justin Munroe added 10 points and eight rebounds. This weekend, the Caribs will host its homecoming against Trinity College with a pair of games on tap at 8pm Friday and Saturday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.
“I think the guys are hungry, having come off their performances this weekend,” Rolle said. “They will be ready to show the COB community as well as the general community that they have taken their game to another level. “I think anybody who came to the games last year would have seen that as we took Florida Memorial to triple overtime and ended up losing a heartbreaker by just two points. It shows that we are competitive, but it’s now how do we get over the hump.” By participating in the New Providence Basketball Association, Rolle said the games have helped to catapult the Caribs to what the fans can expect this season. “The campus has a buzz about it,” Rolle said. “We expect the gym to be filled both nights. The students
can get in free once they produce their ID. So we are expecting a strong fan base for the games.” The games will serve as a prelude to the transformation of the college to the university status, but it’s not a part of the official programme. However, it will be the last time that COB will be known as the Caribs. When asked what they will be known as once they begin the University of the Bahamas, Rolle would only say “we will make an announcement in the coming weeks what the university mascot will be, what it will look like and what the new brand for the university will entail. “We want all of our fans and our alumni to stay tuned. We will be known as the University of the Bahamas...stay tuned.”
Sixers with 22 points. Embiid had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Dario Saric scored 21 points.
right knee injury. Memphis shot just 36.5 percent and turned the ball over 22 times.
TIMBERWOLVES 116, GRIZZLIES 80 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Zach LaVine scored 31 points and hit five 3-pointers, and Minnesota built a lead too big to give away in a victory over Memphis, its first of the season. Gorgui Dieng scored 17 points for the Timberwolves (1-2), who led by 17 points in the opener against Memphis and 18 against Sacramento before losing both games. Memphis coach David Fizdale decided to rest Mike Conley and Marc Gasol on the front end of a back-to-back that finishes at home on Wednesday night against New Orleans. Tony Allen made his season debut for the Grizzlies after missing the first three games of the season with a
PACERS 115, LAKERS 108 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Paul George scored 30 points, including Indiana’s final 12 of the game to rally the Pacers to a 115-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. The Lakers trailed by as many as 16 points, but rallied and had their final lead at 108-107 before George put it away. He made consecutive 18foot jumpers for a 111-108 lead, then followed through on the opposite end of the floor with the biggest defensive rebound of the game. The Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson missed an almost uncontested layup, and it was George who came down with the rebound, sending him to the free throw line to close out the contest.
Monta Ellis had 17 points and CJ Miles scored 16 for the Pacers. Thaddeus Young finished with 14. Lou Williams scored 19 points for the Lakers and Clarkson had 15. PISTONS 102, KNICKS 89 AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Tobias Harris scored 25 points and Marcus Morris added 22 to lift Detroit over New York. The Pistons have won three in a row — all by double digits — since dropping their season opener. They closed out this game with an impressive defensive stretch, holding New York to 10 points in the fourth quarter. Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points for the Knicks, and Derrick Rose added 19. Kentavious CaldwellPope scored 19 points for Detroit, and Andre Drummond had nine points and 13 rebounds.
PAGE 14, Wednesday, November 2, 2016
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Ferguson, Percentie are batting champions By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net SHERMAN Ferguson and Chryshan Percentie, whose teams fell short of making it to the championship series, left the New Providence Softball Association with some consolation as the 2016 men’s and women’s batting champion. Ferguson, the talented BTC Warriors centre fielder, led the men’s batting race with a .476 clip after he produced 20 hits in 42 atbat with 22 runs batted in (RBI), eight of which came on home runs and scored a total of 25 runs. He out-distanced Philip Johnson, the second baseman, for the pennant and championship winners C&S Hitmen, who had a .408 average as he went 20for-49 with nine RBI and 22 runs scored. Commando Security Truckers, who got swept in three games in the final by the Hitmen, had the next two best performances
from right fielder Terran Wood and centre fielder Lamar Watkins, both a .407 average as they went 22-for54. Wood came up with 22 runs scored, compared to 23 by Watkins and he had a 5-4 advantage in home runs, while Watkins outduelled him 19-18 in RBI. Zhivargo Archer, the catcher for the Warriors, rounded out the top five with a .400 clip. In his 30 at-bats, he had 12 hits with three homers, drove in nine runs and scored as many times. Individually, Watkins and Wood were tied for the most hits with 22 apiece; Ferguson scored 25 runs to edge out Watkins (23) and Johnson (22) and Ferguson also had the most base on balls with 13, one walk more than Hitmen’s Martin Burrows, Chances Mighty Mitts’ Christopher McPhee and Chedi Ferguson as well as Truckers’ Winston Seymour, all with 12. If that wasn’t enough, Ferguson drove in the most
RBI with 22, two more than Burrows and he drilled the most home runs with eight, followed by Wood and Watkins with five and four respectively. The other category he didn’t fear well in at all was the most stolen bases that were shared by Dorsey Park Boys’ Tori Rolle and Mighty Mitts’ Moses Kerr. For the men’s pitching department, Truckers’ mainstay Thomas Davis was the best all season long until Hitmen’s ace Alcott Forbes turned things around in the postseason. Davis had the most strikeouts with 157, well ahead of Forbes’ 126. He also topped the most wins category with 11 over Forbes’ 9. He pitched the most innings in 40 or more appearances on the mound with 81 2/3 compared to Forbes’ 67 and Davis had the best earned run average of 2.49 with Forbes trailing at 3.13. On the ladies’ side, Percentie produced a .515 clip to take the batting crown as she ripped 17 hits with 13
RBI and scored six times in her 33 at-bats. Her nearest rival was Bommer G Lady Operators’ Ruthann Simms with a .477 average after she went 21-for-44 with 17 RBI and 16 runs scored. Thela Johnson of the defending champions Lady Stingers was third in 55 at-bats with 26 hits, 22 RBI and 28 runs scored. Completing the top five picture were Sophia Cartwright of the Lady Operators with a .472 average on 36 at-bats, 12 runs scored, 17 hits and nine RBI and Lady Stingers’ Keisha Pratt with a .469 average on 49 at-bats, 26 runs, 23 hits, 24 RBI and two homers. Three players were tied on top of the standings in the most hits category as Johnson and her Lady Stingers teammate Vonetta Nairn were joined by Sweeting with 26 each. Nairn, however, topped the most runs scored with 37, compared to Lady Operators’ Tyriece Curry with 35. Nairn also had the most walks with 15, one better than Lady Sharks’ Aaliyah Ferguson with 14. Pratt drove in the most runs to take the RBI ti-
BTC WARRIORS’ Sherman Ferguson in action. tle with 24, one more than Lady Wildcats’ Larika Russell with 23 and Johnson with 22. The Lady Wildcats, in losing the championship title in three straight games to the Lady Truckers, had a two-way tie with Mechelle Moss and Russell with three apiece in home runs and Lady Operators’ Dwayna Pratt had a total of 16 stolen bases, just ahead of teammate Curry and Lady Sharks’ Denisha Woodside with 15 each.
From the mound, Johnson had the most strikeouts with 81 for the Lady Stingers, followed by championship MVP Marvell Miller, who had 65. Johnson also had the most innings pitched in 40 or more atbats with 94 1/3 ahead of Miller’s 90. Miller, on the other hand, had the most wins with 11, two more than Johnson. But Sweeting topped the ERA category with a best of 3.66 with Miller in second with 4.43.
BAHAMAS BOWL WILL BE BIGGER AND BETTER FROM PAGE 11
contract,” said Pete Derzis, the senior vice president of ESPN events. “The word is catching on and everybody who’s been here has had a remarkably great time. “The people here are so friendly, the games have been competitive and the natural beauty of your country has really won them over. We get constant calls over the last 3-4 weeks as the season started to play out of people asking if they can be a part of the Bahamas Popeyes Bowl.” Derzis said the event could not be possible here without the support of so many people and that is necessary for the staging of any college football game, which is only second to the National Football League in the United States. “It’s a hot, hot product that continues to do great things,” he said. “For us, the things that I’m really pleased about is our conference partners have been giving back to the people of the Bahamas.” Last year, Conference USA interacted with the Ranfurly Home for Children and the Mid American Conference held a press conference to provide a financial gift to the Red Cross Society of the Bahamas. Derzis said this year, there are a series of events on tap when the teams and their following, as well as the Popeyes franchise coming with a number of their top executives. Richard Giannini, executive director of the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, said by the weekend of Thanksgiving, they will announce which two teams from the conferences will be participating in the game this year. “We’re the only Bowl that is allowed to announce its teams early,” he said. “The others won’t be able to do so until the week after. So that will give the game a little push and a little time for them to prepare to come down here.” Once the teams have been announced, Giannini said they intend to hold another press conference for the first weekend in December when the two coaches will be in town to address the media about their projections. “We just hope that we will have a game like the last two games that we have had,” he said. “The teams have been so appreciative of being here and the Bahamians have welcomed them with open arms and the staff at Atlantis has been so accommodating.” Harrison Thompson, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, said they welcome back the Bahamas Popeyes Bowl to their home in December. He noted that while the Bahamas has emerged from the passing of Hurricane Matthew, “we are back on our feet and we are open for business.” With this being the third year that the ministry has been directly involved in the organising of the game, Thompson said
Tiger says he will play in Hero World Challenge at Albany December 1-4 JEFFREY BECKLES (left) and Richard Giannini. the Bahamas seeks to gain financially from the teams, which bring in more than 100 players each, plus their fans. “When it first started, there were some challenges,” Thompson said. “But to see how far we have come in the past three years, I think we all need to be commended for the great work that Lea (Miller) and her team and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the National Sports Authority has done.” Jeffrey Beckles, general manager of the NSA, said this is the third year of the sixyear deal that the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl has with the Bahamas Government and, every year, it continues to get better and better. “The Bahamas Bowl has become a part of the celebratory part of our lives in December,” Beckles said. “While it will not ever rival Junkanoo, we do know that it is becoming a part of the Christmas celebrations.” As a host country, which is fast becoming the most viable sporting destination, Beckles said the team at the NSA and their partners from the Bahamas Popeyes Bowl and the Bahamas Government have made sure that the event continues to improve to make the game one to remember. Lea Miller, the promoter for the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, said to have ESPN here is just fantastic and she noted that it could not have been possible without the commitment that has been made by the Popeyes franchise. “We are so excited about their continued participation and their title sponsorship. They have been so amazing,” she said. “We are also excited to hear about the continued efforts of the local franchise down here and the success that they’ve had.” She also thanked the Ministry of Tourism, from Minister Obie Wilchcombe to Thompson and the rest of the staff, the Atlantis resort for their accommodation of the teams with the majority of their players having never left the United States before. Additionally, she expressed their gratitude to Coca-Cola and Kalik for coming on board as a major sponsor and national partners, and The Tribune for the role it plays in spreading the message.
By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer TIGER Woods said yesterday he is playing his Hero World Challenge at Albany resort in Nassau, Bahamas, December 1-4, which would be his first competition in more than 15 months if he follows through with it. Woods left himself open to doubt by entering the Safeway Open last month, only to pull out three days later when he said his game was not ready. “I am excited to make my return at the Hero World Challenge at Albany and play in this terrific tournament,” he said in a news release that announced the 18-man field for the unofficial tournament that awards world ranking points but is not part of any tour. Woods is the tournament host of a holiday event that began in 1999. He is a fivetime winner, all of those victories coming at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California, before the tournament moved to Isleworth in Florida and then to the Bahamas. Woods, now at No. 831 in the world ranking, last played in the Wyndham Championship in August 2015 when he tied for 10th. He had two back surgeries over the next few months and has said he would not return until fully healthy. He initially said in early September that he planned to play the Safeway Open and Turkish Airlines Open. Woods withdrew
THE PLAYERS Name (Official World Golf Ranking as of 10/23/2016), Country Dustin Johnson (2), USA Jordan Spieth (4), USA Henrik Stenson (5), Sweden Patrick Reed (7), USA Bubba Watson (8), USA Hideki Matsuyama (10), Japan Rickie Fowler (11), USA Justin Rose (12), England Jimmy Walker (17), USA Matt Kuchar (19), USA Russell Knox (20), Scotland Brandt Snedeker (22), USA Brooks Koepka (23), USA Louis Oosthuizen (24), South Africa J.B. Holmes (25), USA Emiliano Grillo (26), Argentina Tiger Woods (tournament host), USA Zach Johnson (exemption), USA
TIGER WOODS watches his shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the Wyndham Championship golf tournament last year in Greensboro, N.C. Woods said in a news release yesterday he will be playing in his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas the first week of December. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) on the Monday before the Safeway Open, saying his health was good and his body felt strong but that “my game is vulnerable and not where it needed to be.” He also pulled out of Turkey. The Hero World Challenge features players from the top 50 in the world, with an exception made for Woods as the tournament host. The 16 qualifiers came from the top 25 in the world ranking that was published the week after the Tour Championship. The lone sponsor exemption was given to Zach Johnson, who won the event in its last year at Sherwood by holing a shot for par from the drop area on the 18th hole to force a playoff that he won against Woods. The tournament will be missing at least the top two players in the world — Jason Day, who is taking the rest of the year off to rest his back, and Rory McIlroy. Still to be determined is whether US Open champion Dustin Johnson plays. Johnson, who is No. 3 in the world, will be in the Philippines on Tuesday of the tournament week (November 29) for an exhibition with McIlroy. He would have to fly straight from there to Los Angeles and then the Bahamas, arriving in Nassau on Wednesday morning in time for the pro-am. His manager said Johnson has not decided if he will try to play.