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SPORTS Wednesday, February 25, 2015 East Oregonian NCAA Basketball NFL Oregon’s Joseph Young is hoist- ed by fans after Oregon defeated No. 9 Utah 69-58 in the NCAA basketball game at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015. Young scored 14 points in the game. AP Photo/The Regis- ter-Guard, Andy Nelsonw Tourney berth not out of question Victory over Utah has UO on cusp By STEVE MIMS The-Register Guard EUGENE — Oregon’s win over ninth-ranked Utah on Sunday moved the Ducks into most NCAA Tournament projections. The Ducks were the last team in the bracket forecasted by ESPN’s Joe Lu- nardi as a No. 12 seed on Monday, while Jerry Palm of CBSSports.com has Ore- gon as a No. 10 seed. Oregon (20-8) still needs to win a few more games to get the call on Selection Sunday in less than three weeks, but few expected the Ducks to be in the mix for a third straight trip to the NCAA Tourna- ment this late in the season. After an off- season when three players were kicked off the team and two others transferred to leave the Ducks with three returning players, coach Dana Altman acknowl- edged he didn’t know if Oregon would be around for March Madness. “You like to be optimistic, but I’m a realist,” Altman said after Sunday’s 69- 58 win over the Utes. “When you have only three guys back and two that really played, other than talent, experience is the next most important thing so I was really worried just about our experience level. I think that showed early, but I have been really, really pleased with the way guys stuck together and stuck with me.” Altman said he has been tough on his team in recent weeks as they won seven of nine games to move into third place in the Pac-12 Conference at 10-5. “It hurts a coach when you give up easy baskets, so I probably got on them more the last month,” he said. “I call it encouragement, they call it getting on them, because I knew it was there. I knew it was in them.” Oregon senior guard Joseph Young said he also knew the Ducks could have a successful season even after they were SLFNHG WR ¿QLVK HLJKWK LQ D SUHVHDVRQ Pac-12 media poll. “Going back to where they had us in WKH FRQIHUHQFH ZH XVHG WKDW DV FRQ¿- dence,” Young said. “What they thought we’d be because of our lack of size, we put that to the side and came together as RQHWHDP:H¿JKWDGYHUVLW\DOODURXQG us, all the people criticizing us, and keep getting better.” With Oregon on the outside of the NCAA bubble last week, Young made a bold proclamation, telling report- ers, “We are going to the tournament.” Young downplayed the importance of those remarks after the win over Utah. ³7KDW¶VMXVWWKHFRQ¿GHQFH,KDYHLQ this team,” Young said. “We put a lot of work in and day in and day out we have to go 100 percent so we can keep that statement. We’re not really worried about it, that’s why I put the statement out there early.” Oregon jumped up 12 spots to No. 44 in the RPI rankings following the upset of the Utes. Oregon is on the road for the rest of the regular season beginning with a trip south this week to play at Cal- ifornia on Wednesday and Stanford on Sunday. “Where this team has come from the beginning to now and all the work we put in, but it’s still not done,” Young said. Young was Oregon’s only returning starter entering the season. After scoring 18.9 points per game last season he has boosted his scoring James passes Pippen for most assists by forward Associated Press AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Showing off his all-around game, LeBron James broke Scottie Pip- pen’s NBA record for career assists by a forward when he found Kevin Love for an open 3-pointer against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. Pippen had held the top mark of 6,135 since taking it from John Havlicek in 2004. James tied that with an alley-oop pass to Timofey Mozgov early in the second quarter. Three minutes later, he added No. 6,136 with the SDVV WR /RYH ZKR ¿QLVKHG with eight 3-pointers for 24 points in the Cavaliers 102- ZLQ-DPHV¿QLVKHGZLWK 11 assists giving him 6,142 for his career. Larry Bird and Kevin *DUQHWW¿OORXWWKHWRS James also holds the single-season record for assists by a forward with 651 in 2009-10. He broke Havlicek’s record of 614. average to 19.8 points per game. He’s also improved on last year’s totals with 4.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. 6L[ RWKHU SOD\HUV DYHUDJH DW OHDVW ¿YH points per game. “I said at the beginning of the season, it’s not Joe Young, I’ve got a squad with me,” Young said. “I can’t play every- thing by myself on the court and they understand that. Everyone needs to step up and make the extra play, not just me. They are going to deny me and keep the ball away from me. It is not just about offense. I feel like when I don’t score, it is a big deal to people. I like to play de- fense too, I play the game.” Young was just 5-for-16 from the ¿HOGDJDLQVW8WDKDQGVFRUHGSRLQWV but he made a jumper just before half- time that gave Oregon a 32-27 lead and KHDGGHGDWKUHHSRLQWHULQWKH¿QDOWZR minutes that put Oregon ahead 62-55. “Joe didn’t have as good of a shoot- ing night, but he hit a huge one when we needed it,” Altman said. Freshman Dillon Brooks scored 19 points — including 11-straight Oregon points down the stretch — to lead the Ducks over Utah. “Dillon was aggressive taking the ball to the hole,” Altman said. “Take away a couple bad turnovers he had and it was an exceptional game. He had seven rebounds and I thought he played really well.” Brooks was nominated for confer- ence player of the week after having 33 points and 13 rebounds in a sweep of Colorado and Utah. “Dillon is not a freshman anymore and I told him that,” Young said. “He is a sophomore and he has to make that transition. He did well at the end of the game. He stepped up big time.” Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives on Detroit Pistons cen- ter Andre Drummond (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tues- day, Feb. 24, 2015 in Au- burn Hills, Mich. AP Photo/ Carlos Osorio 9iGeo shoZs +ernanGe] ¿anFee¶s rePoYing bo[ froP hoPe By MICHELLE R. SMITH Associated Press FALL RIVER, Mass. — Prosecutors in the murder trial of former New England Patriots player Aaron Her- nandez on Tuesday played video surveillance that VKRZHGKLV¿DQFHHUHPRYLQJ a trash bag from the home and putting it in a car the day after the victim was killed. Hernandez is charged with the June 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, who was GDWLQJWKHVLVWHURIKLV¿DQ- cee, Shayanna Jenkins. Also charged are two Hernandez acquaintances, Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, who have pleaded not guilty. Or- tiz and Wallace will be tried separately. On several video clips played for the jury Tuesday, Jenkins is seen leaving the basement of the home with the trash bag that contains what looks like a large box. She puts down the bag and rearranges what appears to be clothing on top. Then she walks through the backyard and is shown putting the box in the trunk of her sister’s car. The .45-caliber Glock Page 3B window. “She was crying. She was nervous, and she was walking back-and-forth,” Barbosa said through a Por- tuguese translator. Also Tuesday, Lloyd’s mother, Ursula Ward, repeat- edly mouthed the words “my baby, my baby” as photos of her son’s body in the morgue were shown in court. She ¿QDOO\EURNHGRZQDQGKDG to leave the courtroom after photos of her son’s bare back with several bullet holes AP Photo/Brian Snyder, Pool Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernan- were shown. Shaneah Jen- dez bites his fingernail during testimony at his mur- kins, who was sitting with der trial at Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River, Ward, also cried and wiped Mass., Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015. her eyes. It’s the third time Ward that investigators say was week, the housecleaners tes- the murder weapon has nev- WL¿HGWKDW6KD\DQQDGLGQRW has had to leave the court- er been found. Ortiz told po- pay them cash that day. In- room when viewing photos lice Hernandez put guns in VWHDGRQHWHVWL¿HGVKHSDLG of her son’s body. When she WHVWL¿HGHDUOLHULQWKHWULDOWKH a box in his basement after by check. the killing, and prosecutors One of the houseclean- judge warned her not to cry. Earlier Tuesday, she have said Jenkins disposed ers, Carla Barbosa, cried of a box from the basement Tuesday after she saw sur- cried as the bloodstained after receiving a coded text veillance video of herself shirts he was wearing the message from Hernandez. moving her car so Shayan- night he died were shown Jenkins’ sister, Shaneah, na Jenkins could leave. She to jurors by a Massachusetts SUHYLRXVO\ WHVWL¿HG WKDW said Shayanna was gone state trooper, who pointed Shayanna had asked to bor- for a while, then came back out where the bullets had row her car the day after the and seemed normal. A little made holes. At least one ju- killing so she could go to while later, she said, she saw ror occasionally glanced at the bank to get cash to pay her speaking on the tele- Ward as she reacted to the the housecleaners. But this phone and looking out the evidence. Two members of Congress write Goodell about domestic violence casino elevator and origi- nally was suspended for two WASHINGTON — Two games by Goodell, a punish- members of Congress asked ment widely criticized as too NFL Commissioner Roger lenient. When video of what Goodell on Tuesday to clar- Rice did emerged, Good- ify whether teams can lose HOO FKDQJHG LW WR DQ LQGH¿- draft picks if they do not nite suspension. Eventually, properly address domestic though, that second punish- ment was erased by an arbi- violence. In a letter sent to Goodell, trator when Rice appealed. During a Senate Com- Sen. Brian Schatz, a Demo- crat from Hawaii, and Rep. merce Committee hearing Jackie Speier, a Democrat in December about domestic from California, wrote: “We violence in pro sports, law- urge you to create account- makers — including Schatz ability at all levels of the — pressed representatives NFL, particularly among of the NFL, NBA, NHL team owners, who have the and Major League Baseball PRVW GLUHFW ¿QDQFLDO LQFHQ- and their players’ unions on tives to avoid long-term matters such as whether they suspensions and quickly get conduct their own investi- gations into episodes of do- SOD\HUVEDFNRQWKH¿HOG´ The letter noted that the mestic violence, independent league has docked clubs of police; whether coaches draft picks in the past, such or other team personnel are as when the Saints were in- required to report instances vestigated for a bounty sys- of illegal conduct to law en- tem and when the Patriots forcement; and what sort of were caught videotaping an help is provided for abuse victims. opponent’s sideline signals. None of the four leagues’ “We support this poten- tial disciplinary action as a commissioners was present VLJQL¿FDQWLQGLFDWLRQWKDWWKH at that hearing. Schatz and Speier wrote NFL takes these issues very seriously and intends to hold Goodell last year about the teams responsible for allow- issue. They told Goodell on ing cultures of violence and Tuesday that in a letter he abuse,” Schatz and Speier wrote last month he did not mention the possibility of wrote. The NFL did not respond taking away draft picks “as a immediately to a request for penalty for teams that do not address domestic violence comment from the AP. Domestic violence be- and sexual assaults proper- came a major topic of discus- ly.” They continue: “Please sion during last season for the NFL because of a series SURYLGH IXUWKHU FODUL¿FDWLRQ of cases involving players, on whether the removal of notably former Baltimore draft picks will be used as a Ravens running back Ray penalty for teams that do not appropriately address do- Rice. +H SXQFKHG KLV WKHQ¿- mestic violence and sexual ancee — now wife — in a assault.” Associated Press Pro Rodeo Peebles healthy again, scores big in San Antonio Semifinals begin By SUSAN KANODE PRCA Media SAN ANTONIO, Texas — When Steven Peebles left the AT&T Center last February, he was sporting a new champion- ship buckle for having won the San Antonio Stock Show Ro- deo bareback riding title. The Redmond resident was the big money winner at $21,770 and that put him on pace to qualify for his sixth consecutive Wrangler Na- tional Finals Rodeo where he was a serious contender for a world title – until disaster struck. Peebles broke his back early in the competition and was only able to participate in three of the 10 rounds at the WNFR. The last time he got on a bucking horse was in Las Vegas on Dec. 6 prior to com- ing to this year’s rodeo here Feb. 22. 7KH ¿UVW KRUVH KH URGH after his injury was Muf- ÀHG &ULHV IURP 7KH &DOJDU\ Stampede’s bucking string – a horse that has a reputation for getting contestants to the pay window, but is not easy to ride, especially for a rider who is just coming back from a broken back. When the judges added up their totals, Peebles had an 84 by his name, earning $2,281. He was out of breath when he got off, but his back was feel- ing good. “I’m pretty excited about how well this went,” he said. “I haven’t been able to work on my cardio, so I’m a little out of shape and out of breath, but my back feels good.” Peebles has been swim- ming and doing therapy to get back in shape. He got on his second horse on Sunday night DQGVFRUHGSRLQWV¿QLVKLQJ in a tie for fourth place. SePi¿naOs Just one year after winning the saddle bronc riding championship, Wade Sundell is on pace to do it all over again at the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo. 6XQGHOO PDGH KLV ¿UVW RI WZR DSSHDUDQFHV LQ WKH ¿UVW VHPL¿QDOV RQ 7XHVGD\ QLJKW in the AT&T Center. With an 87 point ride on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Big Fork, he took command of the leaderboard. The Coleman, Okla., resident earned $4,277 for that ride and now has total winnings of $7,984 here so far. 7KH ¿QDO SHUIRUPDQFH LV Saturday night. ——— Semifinals Qualifers Bareback Riding Group 1: 1. Austin Foss, $5,703; 2. Steven Dent, $4,277; 3. Richmond Champion, $2,851; 4. Anthony Thomas, $1,996. Group 2: 1. Seth Hardwick, $4,847; 2. Orin Larsen, $3,422; 3. Clint Cannon, $2,281; 4. Evan Jayne, $1,996. Group 3: 1. Kaycee Feild, $4,562; 2. Caleb Bennett, $3,421; 3. Winn Ratliff, $2,851; 4. Jessy Davis, $1,710. Group 4: 1. Bobby Mote, $4,562; 2. (tie) Brian Bain and Will Lowe, $3,992 each; 4. Colin Adams, $1,710. Group 5: 1. Clint Laye, $5,703; 2. Steven Peebles, $3,707; 3. Tanner Aus, $3,422; 4. Chase Erickson, $2,851. Steer Wrestling Group 1: 1. Cole Edge, $3,992; 2. Trevor Knowles, $3,136; 3. Sean Mulligan, $2,566; 4. Jake Rinehart, $2,281. Group 2: 1. K.C. Jones, $4,562; 2. Cody Cabral, $2,566; 3. Tanner Milan, $2,281; 4. Cody Cassidy, $1,711. Group 3: 1. Casey Martin, $3,992; 2. (tie) Bray Armes and Wyatt Smith, $3,136 each; 4. Sean Santucci, $2,281. Group 4: 1. Clayton Moore, $3,422; 2. Jason Thomas, $2,851; 3. Olin Hannum, $2,566; 4. Hunter Cure, $2,471. Group 5: 1. Blaine Jones, $3,422; 2. (tie) Stockton Graves and Rhett Kennedy, $2,851; 4. Seth Brockman, $2,281. Team Roping Group 1: 1. Charly Crawford/Shay Carroll, $3,992 each; 2. Derrick Begay/Clay O’Brien Cooper, $2,851; 3. Brandon Beers/ Cody Doescher, $2,851; 4. Jake Stanley/ Russell Cardoza, $2,281. Group 2: 1. Ty Blasingame/J.W. Borrego, $3,992 each; 2. Drew Horner/Jake Smith, $2,851; 3. David Key/Martin Lucero, $2,851; 4. Nathan McWhorter/Cole Davison, $2,281. Group 3: 1. Adam Rose/York Gill, $4,562; 2. (tie) Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell and Travis Tryan/Dugan Kelly, $3,422 each; 4. Kaleb Driggers/Travis Woodard, $2,281. Group 4: 1. Coleman Proctor/Jake Long, $3,422; 2. Levi Simpson/ Jeremy Buhler, $3,136; 3. (tie) Jake Cooper/ Justin Wade Davis and Turtle Powell/Dakota Kirchenschlager, $2,281 each. Group 5: 1. Nick Sartain/Rich Skelton, $4,562; 2. Clay Tryan/Jade Corkill, $3,992; 3. Brock Hanson/ Twister Cain, $2,851; 4. Jake Barnes/Junior Noguiera, $2,281. Saddle Bronc Riding Group 1: 1. Sterling Crawley, $5,703; 2. Dean Wadsworth, $4,562; 3. Tyrel Larsen, $2,281; 4. Taos Muncy, $2,281. Group 2: 1. Tyler Corrington, $4,562; 2. Rusty Wright, $4,562; 3. Tyrell Smith, $3,992; 4. Jesse Bail, $1,996. Group 3: 1. Cody DeMoss, $5,418; 2. (tie) Allen Boore, and Zeke Thurston, $2,281; 4. Bradley Harter, $1,996. Group 4: 1. (tie) Wade Sundell and Jake Wright, $3,707 each. 3. (tie) Chad Ferley and Cort Scheer, $3,136 each. Group 5: 1. Isaac Diaz, $4,847; 2. Spencer Wright, $4,277; 3. (tie) John Redig and Justin Caylor, $2,566 each. Tie-Down Roping Group 1: 1. Ryan Watkins, $3,422; 2. Rhen Richard, $2,281; 3. Monty Lewis, $2,281; 4. Michael Otero, $2,281. Group 2: 1. Cody McCartney, $5,132; 2. Chant DeForest, $2,851; 3. Cory Solomon, $2,556; 4. Tyson Durfey, $1,711. Group 3: 1. Cimarron Board- man, $3,422; 2. Jesse Clark, $2,851; 3. (tie) Clint Cooper and Chase Williams, $2,281. Group 4: 1. Tuf Cooper, $5,132; 2. (tie) Riley Pruitt and Ace Slone, $3,422 each; 4. J.C. Malone, $1,711. Group 5: 1. Adam Gray, $4,562; 2. Marty Yates, $2,566; 3. Cody Ohl, $3,422; 4. Timber Moore, $2,281. Barrel Racing Group 1: 1. Victoria Williams, $5,132; 2. Kenna Squires, $4,562; 3. Sarah Kieckhefer, $3,422; 4. Britany Diaz, $2,281. Group 2: 1. Sarah Rose McDonald, $6,843; 2. Ann Scott, $2,281; 3. Carley Richardson, $2,281; 4. Kimmie Wall, $1,711. Group 3: 1. Sarah Rose McDonald, $6,843; 2. Ann Scott, $2,281; 3. Carley Richardson, $2,281; 4. Kimmie Wall, $1,711. Group 4: 1. Kelly Tovar, $5,132; 2. Jana Bean, $3,422; 3. Alexa Lake, $2,851; 4. Mary Walker, $2,281. Group 5: 1. Fallon Tay- lor, $5,703; 2. Shelly Anzick, $3,992; 4. (tie) Kaley Bass and Benette Little, $2,851 each. Bull Riding Group 1: 1. Joe Frost, $3,992; 2. Nile Leb- aron, $2,851; 3. Chandler Bownds, $2,281; 4. Dallee Mason, $2,281. Group 2: 1. Parker Breding, $6,273; 2. Garrett Smith, $2,566; 3. Cody Teel, $2,281; 4. Bobby Welsh, $2,281. Group 3: 1. (tie) J.W. Harris and Ty Wallace, $3,992 each. 3. (tie) Jeff Bertus and Sage Kimzey, $2,281 each. Group 4: 1. Reid Bark- er, $4,277; 2. Bart Miller, $2,281; 3. Dylan Vick, $1,996; 4. Beau Schroeder, $1,711. Group 5: 1. Dalton Votaw, $4,562; 2. Tyler Smith, $3,422; 3. Casey Huckabee, $2,281; 4. Caleb Sanderson, $1,141.
