12052016 sports by tribune242

SPORTS SECTION E

MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016

NFL SUNDAY

Dolphins lose, Pg 5

MATSUYAMA HOLDS ON FOR 3RD STRAIGHT VICTORY By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

GOVERNOR-General Dame Marguerite Pindling makes the presentation to Class A champions Tida Wave during the Best-of-the-Best Regatta. Photo: Patrick Hanna/BIS

Tida Wave and crew emerge victorious By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

hile Brooks Miller and his Tida Wave ran away with the A class title in the inaugural Best of the Best Regatta, Stefon Knowles carried home the titles in both the B and C classes respectively on board the New Susan Chase and the Whitty K. The exciting four days of competition came to a close last night on the impressively transformed Montagu Bay with both Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling and Prime Minister Perry Christie making the joint trophy presentation. Minister V Alfred Gray, whose Ministry of Agriculture and Local Government was responsible for hosting the event, which attracted

New Susan Chase, Whitty K win B and C Class all of the winners of the various regattas in the Bahamas this year, joined the list of dignitaries. Also present for the ceremony were Rev Philip McPhee, the consultant for sailing at the Ministry of Agriculture and Renee Glinton, permanent secretary. After emerging out of the three days of elimination races with two firsts and a third place, the Tida Wave surged ahead early in the race and managed to get out of the way of a near collision between the Lady Muriel and Original Courageous as they headed around the first buoy. “It was close for a while, but once we got out there in the clear, it was kind of easy sailing after

that,” Miller said. “It feels great. We were successful. The competition was good, but my crew was outstanding as usual. I have to give most of the praise to them. They do most of the work. I just try to help along the way.” From his vantage point ahead of the pack, Miller said he managed to get a glimpse of what transpired behind him as the Lady Muriel and the Original Courageous nearly collided. “We kind of witnessed it and I talked to both skippers to try to find out what had happened,” Miller said. “According to the Courageous, they didn’t have enough space going to the buoy so they had to go on the opposite

side. I asked the Lady M if they gave them enough buoy room and they said yeah. “When you are sailing, you need to be fair and give the other guy his rights. That’s only fair, that’s the only way I know how to sail.” Heading towards the first buoy, the New Courageous was closer but she just missed going around the marker to avoid hitting the Lady Muriel. After missing the buoy, the New Courageous had to circle around again to clear it and by then, the Lady Muriel was trying to chase the Tida Wave. Although a protest was lodged,

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HIDEKI Matsuyama has been one of the hottest golfers on the PGA Tour recently, and that stellar play continued in the Ba- MATSUYAMA hamas en route to the 2016 Hero World Challenge Championship. In a tournament dominated by the return of Tiger Woods, Matsuyama became the story, shooting -18 under (270) to claim the tournament title at the Albany Golf Course. Ranked No.6 in the world, the Japanese native withstood a late rally from No.4 ranked Henrik Stenson of Sweden who finished two shots back at -16 (272). Matsuyama entered the fourth and final round with a commanding seven stroke lead, but nearly faltered down the stretch as he bogied 14 while Stenson birdied both 14 and 16. He had his worst round of the tournament, shooting a 73 on the final day, but was able to hold on down the stretch for the win. “The back nine was a struggle, especially with that double bogey at 10. But somehow I was able to make pars there at 16, 17, 18, really difficult holes so I’m very happy,” he said. “It’s tough with a seven‑stroke lead, but somehow I was able to pull it off. Hopefully, this experience will help me in the future. I probably felt the most pressure, at 16 after Henrik hit it in there about six feet. But I was able to answer, and when he hit it that close, I was thinking, wow, if I don’t make par here, it’s a two‑shot swing. But thankfully I was able to hit the green and make par there.” Matsuyama won his first World Golf Championships

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‘The Tank’ KOs Brazilian in 1st round with ‘conch punch’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net IF there was anybody who doubted whether Sherman ‘the Tank’ Williams still has what it takes to be a heavyweight contender, he proved it on Saturday night. The Grand Bahamian stopped Brazilian Mateus Roberto Osorio with a first round knockout with the “conch punch” at the Ceres Arena in Aarhus, Denmark. “Everything went well. It was a good fight,” Williams told The Tribune after the fight. “This opponent was coming off five straight fights where he had some good performances, so I just wanted to take the fight to him. “I got him with a jab, went to the body and over the top with the over hand right. The first two overhand rights didn’t land, but I caught him flush on the temple with an overhand right and a left hook and he fell big time with

DAYS TO KICKOFF

a big KO. The way he fell to the ground, I know he wasn’t going to get up.” Osorio, nicknamed ‘the Tsunami,’ was rising a two-win streak in his native home of Sao Paulo, Brazil. But against the 44-yearold Williams, who resides in Vero Beach, Florida, it wasn’t any match. With the win, Williams improved to 39-15-2 as he wowed the crowd in dropping 32-year-old Osorio to 9-3. “The crowd was really ecstatic. I was pleased that the Danish fans were rooting and cheering for me,” Williams said. “Me and my team came out 100 per cent all Bahamian and they received us well. “The two plus months that I’ve been here working out with the two Danish fighters definitely serve me well and I feel good about the possibilities going forward here in Denmark.” With a new promoter from Denmark, Williams said the goal is to see if he can finally get the rematch with the former undisputed world

SHERMAN WILLIAMS assisted in his corner during the fight. heavyweight champion Evander ‘the Real Deal’ Holyfield. The two met on January 22, 2011 at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia for the World Boxing Federation title in a bout that was ruled a “no contest.” “They really want me to do the Holyfield rematch that should have happened a few years ago, but Holyfield talked his way out of

every possibility when it was proposed,” Williams said. “So he knocked out their champion Brian Nielson, so I think they want to avenge that loss. But if that don’t happen, there is a possibility that I can fight one of the two British heavyweight contenders.” Right after the showdown with Williams, Holyfield travelled to Copenhagen, Denmark where he won a TKO over Nielson in Koncerthuset. He has not fought since, although he’s still in the gym training. While he waits to see if Holyfield will accept a rematch, Williams said he’s hoping that his nomination for the British Commonwealth heavyweight title will be accepted. “It’s not all set in stone yet, but it’s positive conversation and that fight could be held next year in Toronto, Canada or England,” he said. “Working with a new promoter here in Denmark, it could even possibly be held here if we can work out the purse bid.

“So I’m happy to end 2016 strong with a big first round KO with the conch punch. This is my craft. I love to get into the ring and fight. For all of the naysayers and the speculators who were saying that the Tank doesn’t have the power and he’s too slow, that is all rubbish.” Williams said if George Foreman could have regained the world heavyweight title at 54, knocking out Michael Moore, who was 28, there’s no reason why he can’t continue to propose another world title shot. “Age is just a number with heavyweight boxing,” he said. “This is a new era in boxing. The up and coming boxers don’t have the stickability, the tenacity and the hunger. So as long as I’m feeling great and God gives me the ability, I’m going to step up one fight at a time.” In the meantime, Williams said he’s enjoying his stay in Europe and touring the whole of Scandinavia.

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PAGE 2, Monday, December 5, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

ALFRED GRAY, Minister of Agriculture Marine Resources, makes the presentation to C Class winner Whitty K and crew.

TIDA WAVE, NEW SUSAN CHASE AND WHITTY K EMERGE VICTORIOUS FROM PAGE 1 the result was not available up to the time of the trophy presentation and Glinton said they would hold off issuing the prize money until it was sorted out. However, captain Emmit Munroe declined to stick around for the outcome. He refused to make any statement, only to say that he didn’t intend to stick around because what happened to his Original Courageous was unfair. In the B class, Stefon Knowles and the New Susan Chase were too far gone for either second place Ant’s Nest of the Queen Drucilla to catch her. They were the three boats who emerged from the first three days of elimination in that same order. And even though his Whitty K was able to bounce back and pull off the final race in the C class to clinch another title, Knowles said it didn’t go down without some controversy as well. Apparently, the Sacrifice, which had emerged as the top boat during the first three days of competition, lodged a protest claiming that the Whitty K got a bailer from one of the local boats watching on the side. But Knowles said there

PRIME MINISTER Perry Christie makes the presentation to B Class champions New Susan Chase. wasn’t any rule against them getting assistance because they were in “jeopardy.” He said if they didn’t get the bailer, they could have sunk. He pointed out in the rules that they were in their rights to get the assistance. The Aliv Thunderbird came in third. As for the B class, the New Susan Chase was unbeatable, winning all four

races, including the finale on Sunday. “There’s nothing they could do with her,” Knowles said of the New Susan Chase. “We expected to win. The Ant’s Nest nor the Queen Drucilla were no match for us.” After experiencing their share of problems in the A class where they missed the buoy in the first race and had three men overboard

in the second race, Knowles said he just missed a complete domination of the entire regatta. “In the first instance, the bowman was sitting around with the jib and I can’t see the buoy in such a big boat,” Knowles said. “So I have to listen to who is up front and they made a bad call. We didn’t go around he buoy, so we had to go back around.

“That bowman got fired on the high seas, so we had to use another bowman in the second race. “We had two boats coming on starboard and instead of going up another 50 or 60 feet, we had some difficulties when we went around it and we missed it again.” Unfortunately, Knowles said he had no other choice but to fire that bowman too.

But he noted that because there was “no money involved,” when he meant he fired them, he could only remove his best friend and his brother from the bow. Had it not been for problems experienced, the 33-year-old Knowles, the second youngest skipper in the regatta, said it was the sixth time in a row that he won two out of the three races in the regatta.

MATSUYAMA HOLDS ON FOR 3RD STRAIGHT WIN

FROM PAGE 1

title last month in Shanghai at the HSBC Champions, winning by seven shots from Stenson and Daniel Berger. He won the Taiheiyo Masters in Japan two weeks later, again by seven shots. He has won four times in his last five events. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t do any tourist things this visit, but it’s such a beautiful country and the beaches and the ocean and the sea, and to be able just to wake up and look out over the beautiful scenery,” Matsuyama said. “And then also to be able to play

golf on such a great golf course at the same time, it was a marvelous week.” On his goals moving forward he said: “Probably number one is to win a major; number two, to win on the PGA Tour and just keep grinding.” Americans took the next six spots with Matt Kuchar, Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson tied for third at -13 under and Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth and Brandt Snedeker tied for sixth at -11 under. Spieth heralded Matsuyama’s dominant performance all tournament long where he never fell

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA, right, of Japan, poses with Tiger Woods and the trophy yesterday after winning the Hero World Challenge golf tournament at the Albany Golf Course in Nassau, Bahamas. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) below the second spot, trailing JB Holmes on day one. “This has been shown before. He [Matsuyama] is on an awesome run right now. It’s hard to call it a run again when it just means that somebody’s got the game clicking. You can’t really call it a run because even when he doesn’t play that well, he still plays well,” Spieth said. “He’s got all the keys. I think he’ll be a major champion within the next couple years personally. It’s awesome to see him tearing it up here.” In his first competitive tournament in over 15 months, Woods finished 15th in the field at -4 under. Woods made 24 birdies for the week out of 72 holes, but played the par-5s in just 4 under par. He also made six double bogeys for the week. “I think it was a great week to be back playing again, competing and playing against some of the best players in the world. Un-

fortunately, I made a lot of mistakes this week. A lot of birdies, but also made a lot of mistakes,” Woods said. “Big picture, It feels good. It feels good to be back out here playing again, competing and trying to beat these, the best players in the world. I missed it. I love it. I’ve done it, I think this is ‑‑ I’m entering my 21st season I believe, somewhere around there, 20, 21. I’ve been doing it for a very long time and this stretch where I’ve been off for almost a year and a half has been rough and the last few years have been rough. I’ve had some very, very difficult times and have some great friends that have helped me over the times to get me to this point and I’m just so thankful to be back here playing again.” With his 15th-place finish Woods is projected to move inside the top 650 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Headed into the tournament, he was ranked No. 898.

This year’s Hero World Challenge field included 13 of the top 25 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, three major championship winners from 2016, the Rio Olympics’ gold, silver and bronze medallists, and 12 players who competed in October’s Ryder Cup. The field of 18 PGA TOUR players invited included the current four major championships winners, the top 11 players available from the Official World Golf Ranking), the defending champion and two special-exemption players. The Hero World Challenge included a $3.5 million purse, a $1 million winner’s prize and Official World Golf Ranking points awarded. In its second year hosted in the Bahamas at the Albany Resort, it also included live television coverage by The Golf Channel during all four rounds and by NBC during the third and fourth rounds.

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Monday, December 5, 2016, PAGE 3

Americans Mendelblatt and Fatih win Star Sailors League Finals MARK Mendelblatt and Brian Fatih, of USA, have won the SSL Finals 2016 and a lion share of the $200,000 prize purse. In a dramatic final day, the American pair came with a whisker of being eliminated in the semi-final and a highly competitive final race saw three different teams take the lead in an epic display of sensational racing in the tactically challenging Montagu Bay. Ten teams contested the SSL Finals 2016 in the Star Sailors League Knock-out format. The trade winds were back in the bay with 12 knots of breeze pumping up at times and shifting both left and right on the short race track. Quarter Final - Eight teams, one race, with the bottom three eliminated. Croatians, Fantela & Arapovic, struggled in the bigger breeze and were eliminated, along with their countrymen; Stipanovic & Sitic. The Danish/Northern Ireland combo of HøghChristensen & Milne, battled hard to make the cut but lost out by one boat length to Polgar & Koy (GER). Semi-Final - Six teams, one race, with the bottom three eliminated. Mendelblatt & Fatih, who were rewarded a bye from the Qualifying Rounds, joined the fray. The battle for the crucial third place was to end in high drama. Kusznierewicz & Zycki (POL) and Mendelblatt & Fatih, were locked in an intense downwind battle on final downwind leg, and just metres from the line, the Polish team broke their

TEAM USA and crew celebrate on the winners’ podium after Mendelblatt and Fatih won the SSL Finals 2016 and a lion share of the $200,000 prize purse. pole, spinning out just before the finish line. Polgar & Koy were also eliminated, as was the defending champions Szabo (USA) & Natucci (ITA). SSL Grand Final – Four teams, one race, with the bottom three eliminated. Negri and Lambertenghi (ITA), who were rewarded a double bye for winning the Qualifying Rounds, joined the fray. Scheidt & Boening (BRA) got a cracking start and with renown downwind speed to come, the Brazilians looked like they would run away with the final. However, Mendelblatt &

Fatih (USA) matched the Brazilians downwind, and the two leaders gybed at the first leeward gate, almost together. Mendelblatt & Fatih engaged Scheidt & Boening on the second upwind leg and gained the advantage. Rohart & Ponsot (FRA) kept in clean air on the other side of the course, making it a three way fight for the line. The Americans managed to hold off the Brazilians at the last top mark, while Rohart & Ponsot gybed early, heading straight for the finish line. The SSL Finals 2016 went right down to the wire,

although Negri & Lambertenghi were struggling in fourth place, all three teams ahead of the Italians had led during the race. Mark Mendelblatt & Brian Fatih (USA) crossed the line just ahead of Xavier Rohart & Pierre-Alexis Ponsot to win the SSL Finals 2016. Robert Scheidt & Henry Boening (BRA) finished just behind in third with Diego Negri & Sergio Lambertenghi in fourth place. Gold Medal: Mark Mendelblatt & Brian Fatih (USA): “Very hard battle out there today, again like

when we won it a couple of years ago,” Mendelblatt said. “But I told Brian ‘let’s keep our heads down and keep trying. He did a great job crewing the boat and somehow we managed to get around them.” Silver Medal: Xavier Rohart & Pierre-Alexis Ponsot (FRA): “It’s been a difficult qualification round, I was feeling quite good but not good enough to beat those strong guys, I was a bit afraid about today but finally we found the good mood with wind with speed and everything, so we really enjoyed

the day and we took every opportunity,” Rohart said. Bronze Medal: Robert Scheidt & Henry Boening (BRA): “This has been a fantastic competition, really competitive racing in super conditions,” Scheidt said. “We tried our best but we are a team that has just come together and although we showed we are very capable of winning, we made a mistake at the last leeward gate and that cost us. Congratulations to Mark and Xavier and everybody involved, when we have great sport like this, sailing is also the winner.”

EASTERN MICHIGAN EAGLES FACE OLD DOMINION MONARCHS IN POPEYES BAHAMAS BOWL By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE matchup is set, now both teams and their respective fanbases are undergoing the final weeks of preparation for the third edition of the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. Event stakeholders introduce the head coaches of both participating teams, the Eastern Michigan Eagles and the Old Dominion Monarchs at a press conference to officially announce the teams headed to the Bahamas. The teams will face off December 23 at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium, with a 1pm scheduled kickoff time. Eastern Michigan will play in a bowl game for the first time since 1987 as the Eagles accepted a bid to represent the Mid-American Conference The Eagles (7-6 overall, 4-4 in MAC play) will be led

to their first bowl appearance since the 1987 California Bowl by head coach Chris Creghton, who is in his third season (10-26 record overall) at the school, and his 20th season as a college head coach (149-72 record overall). “1987 was a long time ago. For 29 years, at this time of year EMU has been turning in equipment and watching other trams play in a bowl game so when we say we are grateful it is for every experience opportunity we are going to have on this trip. If you haven’t seen our teams reaction when we announced that we were going to come down to the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, you have to find it. When we showed the pictures of the Bahamas and the Atlantis, our guys went crazy. It was a phenomenal celebration.” Eastern Michigan’s Athletic Department foreshadowed a possible Popeyes Ba-

hamas Bowl birth years ago. “It was almost two years ago our athletic administration went out and purchased passports for our football team because she and they believed we were going to for to a bowl game. And because the MAC had the possibility of being tied in with the great Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. She said we’ve got to get passports. When it happens and if it happens with the Bahamas, we have to be ready to go,” Creighton said. “My vision for our football programme has always been to make playing at EMU one of the most incredible experiences of our guys lives. Winning and winning championships is apart of that but at the very core I think it is about two things – life long relationships and new experiences. So to be able to bring all of Eagle Nation football out of the country to the Bahamas I

can’t tell you how much that means for our guys to be able to experience to meet such an incredible country and the people who inhabit it. We are going to come to visit paradise but I’ll tell you we’re are also going to do everything we can to spend time with people and build relationships. You are making dreams and goals come true by inviting EM to be here and we are going to give you everything that we have. We are going to play as hard as we possibly can to give you guys an awesome game.” Old Dominion, representing Conference USA, will play in a bowl game for the first time in school history. The Monarchs (9-3 overall, 7-1 in C-USA play) will be led to their first-ever bowl appearance by head coach Bobby Wilder, who is in his eighth season (66-30 record overall) at the school, and the school’s only head

coach since restarting the programme in 2009. The Monarchs will come into the game with a fivegame win streak and wins in eight of the last nine games. Wilder said the game will be a fitting matchups between two young programmes trending in the right direction. “This game is history for both schools and that’s exciting. If you look at our programmes were very similar as underdog programmes that have had some success,” he said. “We really have a remarkable group so of young people. We started the season at 1-2 and then we really had some things happen that really changed us as people and as a team and we went on to win eight of our next nine which is a credit to everyone involved in our programme.” Wilder said the team’s motto “Aim High” is some-

thing they look to exhibit to the Bahamian public, both on and off the field. “We only started playing football eight years ago. We’re a brand new programme. You’ll see on the front of our helmets it says ‘Aim High’ and these two words mean everything to our programme. It means everyday we are trying to be great students, great football players and great people. We are trying to not only do well on the football field as a team but to have an impact on our world,” Wilder said. “We have only had 54 home games and all 54 have been sellouts. Were going to work hard to bring that to this game but that’s just to show you how remarkable this experience has been and the support we have at Old Dominion football.” The game will be televised on ESPN and broadcast on the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Radio Network.

PAGE 4, Monday, December 5, 2016

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‘Gronk’ may be sidelined but don’t be too quick to count out Brady and the Patriots WITH the news that Rob Gronkowski is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the year, all of New England breathes a sigh of regret, while the rest of the league lets out a sigh of relief. At 6’6 and 260 plus pounds, the loss of the feared ‘Gronk’ almost guarantees that the Patriots would fall short of the Lombardi right? But before you rush to condemn the AFC East leaders, here are a couple of reasons why you shouldn’t rush to conclusions. Tom Brady still throws passes. As we all know by now, the Patriots go as Tom Brady does. His struggles often times translate in to wins and losses for the team. Prior to the start of this season it was often argued that no quarterback was more critical to his team’s successes than Mr Brady, but recent stints by backup Jimmy Garoppolo and a spot start by third-string QB Jacoby Brissett has left many wondering which is actually more valuable to the other, Brady or that vaunted New England system. I am a staunch believer that the two are inseparable and depend on each other for their individual success. Now some critics would argue that at his age, Tom Brady is nearing a decline. Others would probably tell you that his arm strength isn’t what it used to be, or that his accuracy isn’t what it once was. Some may even say that his late game poise isn’t what it usually is, or that his ability to read zone rush packages has gone out the window. Scary thing is, they could even be right. But despite the noise in the market however,

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS

BY RICARDO WELLSedia.net rwells@tribunem

“PRIOR TO THE START OF THIS SEASON IT WAS OFTEN ARGUED THAT NO QUARTERBACK WAS MORE CRITICAL TO HIS TEAM’S SUCCESSES THAN MR BRADY, BUT RECENT STINTS BY BACKUP JIMMY GAROPPOLO AND A SPOT START BY THIRD-STRING QB JACOBY BRISSETT HAS LEFT MANY WONDERING WHICH IS ACTUALLY MORE VALUABLE TO THE OTHER, BRADY OR THAT VAUNTED NEW ENGLAND SYSTEM.” one thing is clear, nearing 40-years-old, Tom Brady is still among the NFL’s best at the quarterback position. Even after been “sacked” by the NFL for the first four games of the year Mr Brady has still found a way to put up top-tier passing numbers, re-write the history books; and before I forget, led his team to a AFC best 11-2; what fall off? Brady has put up north of 2,500 yards, 20 touchdowns in nine games. Trust me, a quick glance at the statistical charts would reveal that Tom Brady is going have a MVPlike season and is poised for something special this postseason. I mean at the end of the day, say what you want to say about the man, and just don’t run from the truth. Tom Brady is still the real deal. Simply unstoppable.

Brady’s Bunch Now that we have settled the quarterback controversy, let’s turn our focus to the guys catching the ball. While I have to admit that Gronk is a big part of what New England does to be successful, it often goes unsaid that Rob Gronkowski is just one part of the cerebral machinery known as the Patriots receiving core. Brady has made a career out of spreading the ball around and keeping the entire squad involved and interested over the course of the entire year. Equipped with two of the game’s best possession receivers in Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, the Patriots have made a living off of a steady, 4 to 5 yard style of offence for well over a decade. Heading into Sunday’s match-up with the Los Angeles Rams, Edelman had

NEARING 40-years-old, Tom Brady is still among the NFL’s best quarterbacks. (AP) 23 catches for 259 yards over his last three games, and three touchdowns in the last two games. Amendola, in his fourth season with the Patriots, has morphed into the team’s security blanket on third down. In fact, one third of Amendola’s catches this year have occurred on third down, 80 per cent of which have gone for first downs. Add to that mix a speedy Chris Hogan who came over to the team last offseason, a role expansion for first year deep threat, Malcolm Mitchell and the steady resurgence of Martellus Bennett; this year’s unit maybe team’s best chance at a post season run since threw lobs to Randy Moss and crew back in the day. Stingy Defence As the old adage goes, defence wins championships. Sure, with a secondary as patchy as theirs, you could expect yards to be put up. But what this team does well and rarely receives credit for is they keep teams out of the redzone; especially when it matters most.

The 2016 Patriots defence continues to be one of the league’s peskiest units. Embodying the phrase: “bend, but don’t break”, the Pats defence has made a living this year of limiting opposing teams to field goals. I mean we like to point fingers at the ridiculous numbers produced by Tom’s gang on the other side of the ball, but this tough, physical and intense defensive unit deserves a lot of credit for what they have done over the course of the season. Littered with certified pass rushers and run stuffers that make up for the team’s passive secondary, the Patriots have managed to amass the league’s third rank defence from the perspective of points allowed. Believe it or not, New England is allowing, on average, 3.5 points per game fewer than its 2016 opponents. Trust me, this unit has enough talent to keep the Patriots in any game. Big Bad Bill And finally, similar to any world-renounced choir-

master, the symphony orchestra known as the New England Patriots seems to execute best when Big Bad Bill Belichick is at his best. To keep it frank, 2016 has to be up there with some of Coach Belichick’s best work. Starting the year without his franchise quarterback and Rob Gronkowski, the maestro guided his team to a 3-0 start. We have seen his level of mastery on display throughout his career. In fact, it would be best to say that no one has managed to fill gaps and holes better than Coach Belichick. It seems that just as quick as he loses a player, he finds a way to coach a replacement up to par. Yes, like I said before, Gronk is a tremendous player that most teams will self-destruct after losing, but as you know by now, the Patriots are always the exception to the rules. *Sly Wink! • Ricardo Wells writes Fourth Quarter Press every Monday. Comments to rwells@tribunemedia.net

SHAQUILLE CLEARE AND LONGHORNS SNAP THREE-GAME LOSING STREAK By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net A lighter more slender Shaquille Cleare has been the anchor on the Texas Longhorns’ frontline and helped spark a come from behind win this weekend to snap his team’s three-game losing streak. Cleare finished with 11 points and five rebounds in the Longhorns’ 77–68 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, on Saturday. Cleare reached double figures in scoring for the first time this season and the third time in his Longhorns career (40 games). His 11 points were a season high after he previously scored eight twice and just three points shy of his Longhorns career high scored last season against Baylor. Cleare also stood out on the defensive end with a momentum-shifting block that sparked a Texas run and erased a 12 point halftime deficit. The Longhorns improved to 4–3 on the season and face another tough test as they travel to face the Michigan Wolverines Tuesday. He entered his senior season listed at 275 pounds, 10 pounds fewer than last year’s playing weight of 285. In roughly 400 minutes of play last season, Cleare finished with just one blocked shot. This season, he has already blocked six shots in the last five games alone. The Longhorns have produced consecutive Big

TEXAS centre Shaquille Cleare shoots during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Alabama on Friday in Austin, Texas. (AP) 12 Defensive Players of the Year in Myles Turner and Prince Ibeh and lean on Cleare to help fill that void with a young frontline. Cleare averaged 3.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as a junior last season, his first with the Longhorns after transferring from Maryland. He spent the previous season as a redshirt, but worked out with the Longhorns and went through two-a-day practices routinely. He committed to the Longhorns under head coach Rick Barnes. However, Barnes was replaced by former VCU head coach Smart last offseason. Cleare, a native of Andros, completed high school

at the Village School in Houston, Texas, where he averaged 26.5 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks per game. He was listed as the No.30 overall prospect by ESPN and No.53 by Rivals.com for the Class of 2012. Following his stellar high school career, Cleare appeared in 37 of 38 games for the Terps, including eight starts. He averaged 3.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12 minutes per game as the team finished 25-13, 8-10 in the ACC. As a sophomore, Cleare averaged three points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game while appearing in all 32 games with 20 starts.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, December 5, 2016, PAGE 5

Dolphins’ 6-game run ends with flawed 38-6 loss to the Ravens By DAVID GINSBURG AP Sports Writer BALTIMORE (AP) — Filled with the confidence that comes from a six-game winning streak, the Miami Dolphins rolled into town prepared to launch a December to remember. As dusk arrived yesterday, the Dolphins somberly packed their bags following their most lopsided defeat of the season, a 38-6 bashing by the Baltimore Ravens. Miami gave up touchdowns on Baltimore’s first two possessions, fell behind 24-0 at halftime and staggered to the finish. The lowlights: Ryan Tannehill’s three interceptions, plus a defence that gave up 496 yards and four touchdown passes and allowed the Ravens to average 7.1 yards per offensive play. “We just did nothing to get us going,” first-year coach Adam Gase lamented. “And then all of a sudden, we’re behind. It’s tough to battle back against a team like this.” The Dolphins (7-5) hadn’t lost a game since October 9. For six straight outings, they used the

NFL CAPSULES CHIEFS 29, FALCONS 28 ATLANTA (AP) — Eric Berry returned an interception for a touchdown, and then brought back another pick for a 2-point conversion that gave the Kansas City Chiefs an improbable 29-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Falcons (7-5), rallying from a 27-16 deficit, went ahead 28-27 on Matt Ryan’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Aldrick Robinson with 4:32 remaining. Atlanta decided to go for 2, looking to stretch the margin to a field goal. But Berry stepped in front of Ryan’s pass and ran 99 yards the other way to give the Chiefs (9-3) their winning margin. It came after Denver won a game in similar fashion last month, returning a blocked PAT for the winning points at New Orleans. Berry had another huge play with less than a minute to go in the first half, picking off Ryan’s pass over the middle and bringing it back 37 yards for a touchdown. After reaching the end zone, the suburban Atlanta native handed the ball to his mother sitting in the stands at the Georgia Dome. Those weren’t the only big plays for the Chiefs. CARSDINALS 31, REDSKINS 23 GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Carson Palmer threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns and David Johnson scored twice. The loss by the Redskins (6-5-1) clinched a playoff spot for the 11-1 Dallas Cowboys. Palmer’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with 11:09 to play put Arizona ahead 24-20, the fourth lead change of the second half. After a Washington field goal, Palmer’s 42-yard pass to J.J. Nelson with 1:56 padded gave the Cardinals (56-1) a 31-23 lead. Washington drove to the Arizona 28-yard line before Patrick Peterson’s interception of Kirk Cousins’ pass with 41 seconds left sealed the victory. Johnson, who also scored on a 1-yard run, became the second player in NFL history to top 100 yards from scrimmage in the first 12 games of a season. Edgerrin James was the other. RAIDERS 38, BILLS 24 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Derek Carr threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns to rally the Raiders to their biggest comeback in 16 years. After falling behind 24-9 following touchdowns on the first two drives of the second half for Buffalo (6-6), the Raiders (10-2) took the game over with 29 straight points. They won their sixth straight to remain one game ahead of Kansas City in the tough AFC West. Oakland scored touchdowns on three straight drives, including scoring

RAVENS outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, left, tackles Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill after losing his helmet in the second half of yesterday’s game in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) same formula to win: a solid running game, few turnovers and a stout job by the defence. None of those qualities was on display against the Ravens, who

strikes from Carr to Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper for his sixth fourthquarter comeback of the season. This was the biggest comeback for the Raiders since overcoming a 21-point deficit to Indianapolis to win 38-31 on Sept. 10, 2000. The defense also tightened by forcing three straight three-and-outs and then getting a turnover when Khalil Mack deflected Tyrod Taylor’s pass that Nate Allen intercepted . STEELERS 24, GIANTS 14 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns, Le’Veon Bell rolled up 182 yards of total offense, and Pittsburgh’s resurgent defense harassed Eli Manning into a flurry of mistakes. Antonio Brown edged good buddy Odell Beckham Jr. in their personal showdown, catching six passes for 54 yards and an acrobatic scoring grab at the back of the end zone. Tight end Ladarius Green added six receptions for 110 yards, both career highs, and a touchdown as the Steelers (7-5) won their third straight to keep pace with Baltimore atop the AFC North. Manning completed just 24 of 39 passes for 195 yards with two touchdowns and two picks in the red zone for the Giants (8-4), whose six-game run ended with a thud. Beckham was largely a non-factor despite a game-high 10 receptions for 100 yards. BUCCANEERS 28, CHARGERS 21 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jameis Winston threw a goahead, 12-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Brate midway through the fourth quarter and Keith Tandy intercepted Philip Rivers in the end zone with 2:56 left to give the Buccaneers their fourth straight victory. Rivers had the Chargers on the move in the final minutes before Tandy got in front of a pass to Dontrelle Inman and picked it off. Tandy’s momentum carried him into the end zone, giving the Bucs the ball on their 20. They ran out the clock. The Bucs (7-5) pulled into a tie with Atlanta atop the NFC South. Rivers threw two secondhalf interceptions, including Lavonte David’s pick-6. The Chargers (5-7) were trying to get back to .500 for the first time since Week 2. PACKERS 21, TEXANS 13 GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns, and the Packers pulled away with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Packers (6-6) weathered snowy conditions at Lambeau Field, making just enough plays on the cold turf. Brock Osweiler connected with DeAndre Hopkins for a 44-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 left to get within eight for Houston.

plowed to their fourth win in five games with surprising ease. “We got punched in the mouth today,” offensive tackle Branden Albert said. “Are we going to con-

Nick Novak missed the extra point, with footing slippery at Lambeau. The Texans (6-6) had one last shot after the Packers failed to run out the clock. But Osweiler’s last-ditch pass-and-lateral play from Houston’s 12 with 4 seconds left failed, handing Houston its third straight loss and dropping it into a tie with Tennessee atop the AFC South. Nelson finished with eight catches for 118 yards and a touchdown for Green Bay. LIONS 28, SAINTS 13 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Matthew Stafford passed for 341 yards and two touchdowns. Golden Tate exploited a coverage breakdown on third-and-long for a 66yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter when Detroit (8-4) was clinging to a six-point lead. The Lions, who’ve won seven of eight, dominated statistically, but four opportunities inside the New Orleans 20 ended with Matt Prater field goals, allowing the Saints (5-7) to stay close until the fourth quarter. This time, however, the Lions pulled away for their most comfortable victory of the season after seven previous victory margins of one to seven points. The Lions also became the first team in 60 Saints home games to stop Drew Brees from completing a touchdown pass, although tight end Coby Fleener had a pass bounce off his hands at the goal line. PATRIOTS 26, RAMS 10 FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Brady became the NFL’s career leader in victories by a quarterback, earning his 201st by throwing for 269 yards and a touchdown. Brady, who was 33 of 46, had tied Peyton Manning last week in a win over the New York Jets. His lone touchdown came on a 14-yard pass to Chris Hogan in the first quarter. LeGarrette Blount scored the game’s first touchdown , rumbling for a 43-yard, ankle-breaking score in the first quarter while spinning around safety Maurice Alexander in the process. He finished with 88 yards on 18 carries. The Patriots (10-2) have won seven of their last eight. On the same day that Los Angeles coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead were given contract extensions, the recently relocated Rams (4-8) proved they still have a long way to go after losing for the seventh time in eight outings. BRONCOS 20, JAGUARS 10 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Bradley Roby returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown, helping the Broncos gain ground in the AFC playoff picture. Roby picked off Blake Bortles’ wobbler across the middle in the third quarter and went untouched the other way. Star linebacker

tinue to get punched in the mouth, or are you going to do something about it?” Gase, naturally, will direct his players to take the latter approach. “Go back to work. That’s what we have to do,” he said. “Nobody likes losing. I know our guys are really battling. We just did not make any plays.” It was pretty much the exact opposite of what had been happening during the six-game winning streak. “Seems like every week, we’ve usually had something happen that could get things heading in the right direction,” Gase said. “We went the wrong way today. It was just one thing after another. We didn’t execute, and they pounced all over it.” The Ravens twice converted fourth-down plays before scoring touchdowns. They took advantage of Tannehill’s interceptions — he threw only one during the six-game streak — and they benefited from seven penalties totaling 57 yards. Then there was an 18-play drive by Baltimore that took over nine minutes and wore down a defence

Von Miller hit Bortles as he released the ball. It was the 11th pick-6 of Bortles’ three-year career and his third in the last four games. Houston and Detroit also returned interceptions for touchdowns in games the Jaguars lost by less than seven points. The latest one resulted in a seventh consecutive loss for Jacksonville (2-10) and secured another miserable milestone for the smallmarket franchise. The Jaguars became the fifth team in NFL history to post double-digit losses in six consecutive seasons, joining Tampa Bay (1983-94), Detroit (2001-06), Oakland (2003-09) and Cleveland (2008-13). Jacksonville had a chance to tie in the final minutes, but Bortles fumbled trying to make a play in the pocket. The Broncos (8-4) rebounded from an overtime loss against Kansas City, and with Miami’s loss at Baltimore, moved into position to get one of the conference’s wild-card spots. BENGALS 32, EAGLES 14 CINCINNATI (AP) — Andy Dalton threw a pair of touchdown passes and Cincinnati finally got its depleted offense moving without receiver A.J. Green. The Bengals (4-7-1) got their first win since Oct. 23, beating a team that’s in a swoon of its own. The Eagles (5-7) opened the season with three straight wins, but have dropped seven of nine. Dalton had completions of 50, 44, 29, 23 and 21 yards. The Bengals scored on each of their first six possessions for a 29-0 lead, reinventing themselves with Green and running back Giovani Bernard sidelined by injuries. The previous time they scored on their first six possessions was 2009 against the Bears. The only bad moment: Mike Nugent missed another PAT kick wide to the right, his fourth miss in a span of five tries. Nugent made field goals from 32, 33, 26 and 38 yards, the last one deflecting off the left upright. BEARS 26, 49ERS 6 CHICAGO (AP) — Jordan Howard ran for 117 yards and a career-high three touchdowns and the Bears handed San Francisco its 11th straight loss. The 49ers (1-11) extended their franchise-record losing streak and set a club low with 6 yards net passing on a day when Colin Kaepernick got lifted for Blaine Gabbert. The Bears (3-9) finished with a season high in points and picked up a rare win in a matchup between two of the NFL’s worst teams. Matt Barkley, making his second start with Jay Cutler sidelined by a season-ending shoulder injury, went nearly the entire first half without a completion. But he led a touchdown drive near the end of the second quarter and finished 11 of 18 for 192 yards.

that was already on its heels. “That was very tough,” linebacker Mike Huff said. “In that situation we have to find a way to get off the field. But they kept executing, and they converted too many third downs.” Joe Flacco shredded the Miami defence with four TD passes while completing 36 of 47 passes for 381 yards. “When they were playing zone there were some holes in there, and I had time to sit back there and drill them with it,” he said. Miami got its only touchdown came after a fumble recovery gave the offence the ball at the 8-yard line. That made it 24-6 early in the fourth quarter, and naturally, the 2-point conversion pass came up short. All is not lost for the Dolphins, who were bidding to win a seventh straight for the first time since 1985. That didn’t happen, but they’re still very much in the playoff hunt. “We have four games left,” Tannehill said. “Everything we want is still in front of us. We just have to reset and correct our mistakes. We’ll be ready to go next week.”

THE STANDINGS

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, December 5, 2016, PAGE 7

Bolt says 200m world record now likely beyond him FORMULA ONE By JOHN LEICESTER AP Sports Writer MONACO (AP) — The world’s fastest man is slowing down. Usain Bolt again said he doesn’t plan to run the 200 metres in his final season, realising that his world record of 19.19 seconds is now likely beyond him. Speaking Friday in Monaco before picking up the IAAF’s male athlete of the year award for a sixth time, the 30-year-old Bolt said he thought he could dip under the 19-second barrier at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. But coming off the bend in the final, he felt his legs didn’t have a record-beating performance in them. “After last season, I kind of figured out that no matter how hard I work at this point, it probably is going to be hard to get the 200-metre world record,” Bolt said. “And it’s a lot more work and for me, coming to the end of my career, I’m not trying to do too much work.” He also didn’t sound optimistic about breaking his 100-metre record of 9.58, either. “If I can go through my season — which I doubt — without any injuries, then anything is possible,” he said.

Bolt ruled out a return for the 2020 Tokyo Games. The ninetime Olympic champion said his coach has told him, “‘Do not retire and come back to the sport, don’t ever do that.’ ... So you have got to make sure you are sure.” “Not to brag or anything, but a lot of people at 30 haven’t accomplished what I’ve accomplished, so, for me, I think I’ve done all I wanted to,” Bolt said. He made it clear that his last season would be more of a farewell tour than a final drive for more records. He’s targeting a few races in his favourite places: he mentioned Ostrava, Lausanne and Paris. “This season is pretty much mainly for the fans,” Bolt said. “A lot of people always wanted to see me compete and haven’t had the chance.” There are some things he is certain he won’t be doing: — He ruled out playing American football, saying he doesn’t want to get hit. — He also ruled out switching to bobsled, like American hurdler Lolo Jones, saying “anybody who knows me knows I don’t do well with cold.” — And there is zero chance that he will challenge 800-metre

“From then on, I just took the step and worked.” The next year, he won the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay at the Beijing Olympics. He repeated those feats in London and Rio. Bolt thinks he could have done even better had he knuckled down earlier. “I was asked the question earlier what would I have told my 14-year-old self, and I thought it would be definitely to get serious quicker,” Bolt said. “I think when I was transitioning to being a professional I was relying more on my talent than actually on the work I was doing.” Although he stressed that it wasn’t a regret, Bolt said that breaking the 19-second barrier in the 200 was probably his only unrealised running ambition. “It was something that was possible, could be possible, and I missed out on,” he said. Coming off the bend in the 200 in Rio, he realised it was beyond him. “In my mind I genuinely thought that I could have run under 19 seconds until I came off that corner, and my legs decided that we weren’t going to do anything about this,” he said. “It’s just one of those things.”

USAIN BOLT (AP) Olympic champion David Rudisha to a race over 400 metres. “That won’t happen,” Bolt said. “Not even for charity.” Bolt said his immediate plans in retirement are “pretty much to do nothing.” “No more training. I don’t have to go to the track unless I want to,” he said. Bolt pinpointed the world championships in 2007 as a turning point in his career. After placing second behind Tyson Gay in the 200, Bolt’s coach told him to get serious. “’You’re slacking off in the gym. If you want to win you have to get stronger,’” Bolt said he was told.

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 69° F/21° C

TAMPA

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Sunshine and patchy clouds

Mainly clear

Sunshine and patchy clouds

Partly sunny

Clouds and sun with a shower or two

High: 82°

Low: 70°

High: 82° Low: 70°

High: 82° Low: 71°

High: 83° Low: 72°

High: 81° Low: 65°

AccuWeather RealFeel

90° F

77° F

92°-82° F

98°-78° F

98°-76° F

87°-61° F

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

almanac

ABACO

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 73° F/23° C

8-16 knots

WEST PALM BEACH High: 83° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

6-12 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE E

FREEPORT

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 72° F/22° C

MIAMI

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

8-16 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 80° F/27° C Low .................................................... 72° F/22° C Normal high ....................................... 80° F/26° C Normal low ........................................ 68° F/20° C Last year’s high ................................. 83° F/29° C Last year’s low ................................... 73° F/23° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ............................................... 48.94” Normal year to date ................................... 38.72”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 70° F/21° C

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 75° F/24° C

KEY WEST

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 76° F/24° C

7-14 knots

ANDROS

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

11:25 a.m. 11:59 p.m.

2.8 2.3

5:08 a.m. 5:57 p.m.

0.4 0.3

Tuesday

12:16 p.m. -----

2.7 -----

6:02 a.m. 6:47 p.m.

0.5 0.2

Wednesday 12:56 a.m. 1:12 p.m.

2.4 2.6

7:04 a.m. 7:41 p.m.

0.5 0.1

Thursday

1:56 a.m. 2:12 p.m.

2.6 2.6

8:10 a.m. 0.4 8:37 p.m. -0.1

Friday

2:57 a.m. 3:13 p.m.

2.8 2.6

9:16 a.m. 0.2 9:34 p.m. -0.3

Saturday

3:57 a.m. 4:13 p.m.

3.0 2.7

10:19 a.m. 0.0 10:29 p.m. -0.6

Sunday

4:54 a.m. 5:11 p.m.

3.3 2.7

11:19 a.m. -0.3 11:24 p.m. -0.8

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:41 a.m. 5:20 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

11:16 a.m. 10:53 p.m.

First

Full

Last

New

Dec. 7

Dec. 13

Dec. 20

Dec. 29

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 76° F/24° C

N E

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 76° F/24° C

7-14 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 81° F/27° C Low: 77° F/25° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

tiDes For nassau

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 74° F/23° C

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

CAT ISLAND

QUITTING at the top, Formula One champion Nico Rosberg shocked the world of motor racing by announcing he was retiring at 31, five days after earning his first grand prix drivers title. “I have decided to end my Formula One career. I had a very, very clear dream, that was to become Formula One world champion. I have achieved this childhood dream now and I am not willing to do that sort of commitment again,” Rosberg said on Friday. “So I have decided to follow my heart, and my heart has told me just to stop there, to call it a day.” Rosberg said he made the decision last Monday, a day after finishing second at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to clinch the title. “I am on the peak, so this feels right,” he said.

uV inDex toDay

TONIGHT

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 72° F/22° C

CHAMPION NICO ROSBERG ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 80° F/27° C Low: 76° F/24° C

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 76° F/24° C

GREAT INAGUA

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 75° F/24° C

8-16 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday:

WINDS SE at 6-12 Knots S at 8-16 Knots SE at 7-14 Knots SSE at 7-14 Knots ESE at 6-12 Knots SE at 7-14 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ESE at 6-12 Knots SSE at 7-14 Knots SSE at 7-14 Knots S at 10-20 Knots SE at 7-14 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ESE at 7-14 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ESE at 8-16 Knots ESE at 4-8 Knots SSE at 4-8 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ESE at 7-14 Knots SE at 7-14 Knots SE at 7-14 Knots

WAVES 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-6 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 79° F 79° F 81° F 84° F 77° F 77° F 80° F 80° F 77° F 76° F 75° F 75° F 77° F 77° F 81° F 80° F 80° F 80° F 80° F 80° F 78° F 78° F 78° F 78° F 78° F 78° F

PAGE 8, Monday, December 5, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Westbrook’s 5th straight triple-double lifts Thunder By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Russell Westbrook became the first player with five consecutive triple-doubles since Michael Jordan had seven straight in 1989 and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 101-92 last night. Westbrook finished with 28 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists. The Thunder have won all five games during Westbrook's tripledouble stretch. It was Westbrook's 10th triple-double of the season and the 47th of his career. Enes Kanter had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Victor Oladipo added 15 points for the Thunder. Anthony Davis, the NBA's leading scorer, had 37 points and 15 rebounds for the Pelicans. Buddy Hield, who led nearby Oklahoma to the Final Four last season, scored 16 points in his first game back in the state. Oklahoma City led 49-41 at halftime. Westbrook had 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists at the break, and Davis kept the Pelicans in it with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Westbrook threw down a vicious right-handed jam on a drive down the middle in the third quarter that gave Oklahoma City a 57-47 lead. He clinched the triple-double on an assist to Kanter for a dunk with 2:14 left in the third quarter. The Thunder took a 78-66 lead into the fourth quarter. Hield drained a 3-pointer to cut

BUDDY HIELD SCORES 16 IN LOSS TO OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahoma City's lead to four with just under two minutes to go, but Westbrook's 3 with 51.3 seconds to go bumped the Thunder's lead back to 99-92. TIP-INS Pelicans: Hield got a standing ovation when he checked in late in the first half. ... G Jrue Holiday started for just the third time this season. He missed the first 12 games while his wife, former U.S. women's national team soccer player Lauren Holiday, recovered from surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. Thunder: Made 14 of 15 2-point shots and missed all nine of their 3-pointers in the first quarter. ... C Steven Adams sprained his left ankle in the first quarter and did not return. ... The Thunder missed all 15 3-point attempts in the first half, then made 6 of 13 in the second. ... Westbrook leads active players in career tripledoubles. ... Thunder are 26-2 the past two seasons when Westbrook has a triple-double. KNICKS 106, KINGS 98 NEW YORK (AP) — Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony each

scored 20 points, and New York held off Sacramento for its eighth win in 11 games. The Knicks took a 21-point lead in the first half, gave up 18 consecutive points in the third quarter and then outplayed the Kings down the stretch to win their third straight overall and improve to 9-3 at home. Brandon Jennings added 19 points for New York, and Kristaps Porzingis finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins had 36 points and 12 rebounds for the Kings, but shot just 9 for 30. MAGIC 98, PISTONS 92 AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Serge Ibaka scored 21 points and blocked four shots to help Orlando beat Detroit. Nikola Vucevic added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Magic. Pistons guard Reggie Jackson made his season debut after missing Detroit’s first 21 games with knee tendinitis. He had 18 points in 23 minutes. Marcus Morris led the Pistons with 21 points. Orlando won for the third time in four games while Detroit had its three-game winning streak snapped.

PELICANS guard Buddy Hield, front, works down the court against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Victor Oladipo, back, during the second half of last night’s game in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City won 101-92. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

GIANTS TOP THE PIRATES 89-83 THE New Providence Basketball Association continued its regular season at AF Adderley Gymnasium with some exciting games over the weekend. Here is a summary of the action: Giants 89, Pirates 83: Michael Bain Jr led a balanced scoring attack with 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists as Commonwealth Bank rebounded from a 40-38 halftime deficit to take control in the second half of the men’s division one feature contest on Saturday night. Tehran Cox had 16 points; Jeffrey Henfield came off the bench with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists; Mark Hanna also joined him with 12 points, three assists and two rebounds and Gijo Bain had eight points and three rebounds. In a losing effort, Domonique Fernander had a game high 26 points and 11 rebounds; Tevin Hudson had 22 points and seven rebounds and Kevin Wright Jr had 16 points, five assists and two rebounds. Hype Basketball 73, Panchos 62: Adrian Thompson had 25 points, five rebounds and four assists for Hype as they opened a 17-12 lead from the first quarter and never looked back.

Dave Davis came off the bench with 13 points and 14 rebounds; Larond Colebrooke had 12 points and five rebounds and Trevor Smith had seven points and four rebounds. For Johnson Trucking, Christoff Stuart had a game high 26 points with five rebounds; Tyrrell Griffin had 11 points and six rebounds; Franz Smith Jr had six points and eight rebounds and Kyheil Roberts had six points and six rebounds. Pros 70, Cleaners 64: In a game that saw the lead switch in each period, Island Game got 22 points with four rebounds from Derrick Ferguson as they held on for the win. Keithan Gray had 14 points and eight rebounds and Chico Francis had nine points and 15 rebounds. Rashad Woodside had 19 points and 12 rebounds to pace the losers. Dax Evans helped out with 12 points and seven rebounds; Tamiko King had nine points, 12 rebounds and four assists; Herbert Knowles had nine points and 12 assists and Romell Johnson chipped in with nine points. Rockets 74, Rhythm Rebels 66: Corey Williams came off the bench and sparked the Rockets as they withstood every surge their

opponents threw at them with 16 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Tomeko Moxey contributed 15 points and five assists; Rashad Morley had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Scottie Farrington canned 12 points with six rebounds. Rashard Williams had a game high 23 points, seven assists and three rebounds;

Alexander Rolle had 19 points and eight rebounds; Anthony Williams had 10 points and 20 rebounds and Akiel Bullard had eight points and seven rebounds. High Flyers 76, Triple K Stampers 70: In a closely contested match-up, Breezes got 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists from Jeremy Neely to secure the win.

Daltino Thurston had 15 points and eight rebounds; Devontee Gibson had 15 points and five rebounds and Shanton Pratt had 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. Triple K got 21 points, four assists and three rebounds from Michael Turnquest of the bench. Johnley Noel had 20 points and

eight rebounds; Wilben Seraphin had nine points; Elkin Sherman had eight points and five assists and Aaron Sands had seven points and 10 rebounds. Tonight 7pm - Rhythm Rebels vs Legends 8:30pm - University of the Bahamas vs Mail Boat Cybots

ON THE REPLAY: Commonwealth Bank Giants defeated the Pirates 89-83 as the NPBA continued its regular season at AF Adderley Gymnasium on Saturday night. Photos: Shawn Hanna/The Tribune