SPORTS SECTION E
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016
‘Tum Tum’ ties career high in Spartans OT win By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
T
he injury plagued and slumping Michigan State Spartans received a lift off their bench from Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr to open conference play on a winning note. Nairn tied his career high for the second time this season with 13 points and also added four rebounds and three assists in the Spartans’ 75-74 overtime win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Miami, on Tuesday night. Nairn’s three-pointer from the top of the key with 2:33 left to play in overtime gave the Spartans breathing room at 71-68. He finished 5-11 from the field, including 2-5 from beyond the arch. Spartans senior guard and former Minnesota commit Alvin Ellis III made two free throws with 10.6 seconds left to finish with a career-high 20 points to give the Spartans the lead for good. His free throws capped a 13point second half comeback, as the Spartans emerged with a win in their first overtime game of the season. Minnesota led by as much as 15 in the first half and held a 13-point advantage at the break. The Spartans went on a 7-0 run to open the second half and cut the deficit to 39-31. MSU later used an 18-3 run to go up 58-57 and take its first lead since 6-5. It was the latest chapter in a heated Big Ten rivalry that has produced several close finishes in recent years. The Spartans and Golden Gophers went to overtime for the third time in the last four meetings. It was also Michigan State’s first overtime game of the season. The game featured nine ties and 13 lead changes. The Spartans improved to 9-5 while the Golden Gophers fell to 12-2.
MICHIGAN State’s Lourawls Nairn Jr (centre) lays up in from of Minnesota’s Nate Mason, right, during the first half of Tuesday’s NCAA college basketball game in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone) The Spartans will continue conference play when they host Northwestern Wildcats, currently in the midst of a nine-game winning streak, on Friday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. Wildcats also opened Big Ten play with a win, an 87-77 decision over the Penn State Nittany Lions. Tuesday’s offensive outburst from Nairn was a timely one for the Spartans who have suffered numerous injuries this season and are still without leading scorer and rebounder, freshman forward
Miles Bridges – currently sidelined with an ankle injury. Prior to the matchup against Minnesota, Spartans head coach Tom Izzo revealed that Nairn is currently wearing a precautionary walking boot due to “a little stiffness in his foot.” He reiterated the soreness was not related to the plantar fasciitis that sidelined Nairn for seven games last year and limited him for much of conference play. The junior guard did not miss any practice time during the week. “(Team doctors) don’t want it
to get to anything, so it was totally precautionary,” Izzo said. “I think he’ll be fine, I really do.” Tuesday’s win was also the first time Nairn has posted double digit scoring since last month’s Battle 4 Atlantis. Nairn scored 13 points and set a new career high with three, threepoint field goals made in the Spartans’ 73-62 win over the St John’s Red Storm. He originally set the career high during his sophomore season when he posted 13 points and eight assists against Boston College last season.
Bahamas Bowl draws estimated 1.37m viewers to ESPN By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE Popeyes Bahamas Bowl made history for the Old Dominion University Monarchs when the team won its first bowl game and it also became the most watched game in programme history. The event has been the subject of much scrutiny and sparked dialogue in regard to fan attendance at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium. However, the television ratings continue to bolster its status among the ESPN lineup. The Monarchs’ 24-20 win over the Eastern Michigan Eagles on December 23 drew an estimated 1.37 million viewers to ESPN, the lowest in the three-year total of the game. Ray Lawry rushed for 133 yards on 23 carries, including the game- clinching first down. He was named the offensive MVP. Monarchs quarterback David Washington finished 11-20 for 188
yards and three scores and linebacker TJ Ricks was named the defensive MVP. The announced crowd at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium was 13,422. The numbers represent a decline from the 2015 game which saw the Western Michigan Broncos top the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders and drew in 2.1 million viewers on ESPN. Those viewing numbers from 2015 represented a 43 per cent increase from the 2014 game, its inaugural edition. The high scoring matchup between the Central Michigan Chippewas and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers drew in an estimated 1.5 million viewers. The 2016 game finished fifth among cable television broadcasts on December 23. The Dollar General Bowl, which saw Troy defeat Ohio, topped the chart of programmes on the day at over 2.5 million viewers, followed by the Armed Forces Bowl with over 2.3 million viewers.
Said Monarchs head coach Bobby Wilder, following completion of the historic season: “I just want to say how excited we are to win the game, but number two how grateful we are for how we were treated this week by everybody associated with the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl – all the wonderful people we met. This was a lifechanging experience. We talked about this all week. We made memories to last a lifetime, and to win the game makes it that much more special. But you can get caught up so many times in college athletics with wins and losses that you forget the experiences
you have. I met so many people that had nothing to do with this bowl game – whether it was at the hotel, or when we left the Atlantis, it just reminds me how special everybody is here.” Despite the loss, Eagles head coach Chris Creighton said it was a rewarding experience for his programme. “Our guys had so many different experiences. We had some time the other night where some of the guys were sharing their time with the kids. The community service trip was a big deal to some guys. And some guys, being in the ocean for the first time was a big deal. Some of our captains were swimming with dolphins for the first time,” he said. “But I think we would all, in the end, just say it was a special team we had, and just being together on a trip like this, preparing to try to achieve our goal – our full goal – being here and having that opportunity I think was our best experience.”
NFL PICKS
Week 17 - Pages 2 & 3
CAMERON RILEY TIED FOR 6TH IN AMERICAN JUNIORS By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net BAHAMIAN junior national golf standout Cameron Riley is currently representing the country on the international circuit against elite golfers from around the world. Riley is tied for 6th at the 2016 American Junior Tournament at the World Golf Village in St John’s County, Florida. Riley shot an opening round 75 (+3) to tie Adam Guedra of Sweden and Stefan Holczer of Venezuela. Thacher Neal of the United States was the only golfer to shoot under par in round one and leads the field with a round of 70 (-2). Riley bogeyed holes three, eight and nine to finish the front nine at +3. On the back nine, he was even through the first five holes and birdied the 15th. He would bogey 17 to finish the day at +3. The tournament continues today and Riley will tee off at 9:30am along with Holczer and Jun Kim of the United States. Riley finished last year’s event tied for No.25 overall when he shot rounds of 81, 81 and 77. The WJGS hosts sanctioned junior golf tournaments around the world designed to enrich young golfers, patrons, and sponsors lives by creating a unique competitive experience. Tour organisers herald the “family friendly environment” for players, parents, coaches and others as one of its main attractions. In addition to the tournaments, the events also give golfers an opportunity to learn about the physical, mental and technical aspects of their game through educational seminars and individualised help offered at each event. The structure of the series is designed to showcase the best junior players (ages 12-19) on the world stage, mimicking the “Harder German Junior Masters” series. According to its website: “The new junior series pursues a goal of operating each tournament at “major tour” standards agreed to by tournament directors and sponsors. The World Junior Golf Series will also initiate a new World Ranking System as a result of this international play. Those players qualifying for series play may also apply for a scholarship to the Foundation’s golf academy located at Jacksonville, Florida, that features academic and golf schooling, mental awareness and tips on how to live a healthy life.” Riley is the current Bahamas junior boys national champion and a veteran player for the Bahamas. Most recently, the Florida A and M Rattler helped team Bahamas finish sixth at the 29th edition of the Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships last summer. Riley was the second best finisher for Team Bahamas, 29th overall and 10th in the boys’ 17-and-under division.