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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2016)
SPORTS FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2016 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS Sports shorts NBA Finals EOU fi nishes 41st in Director’s Cup Cavaliers send series back to Cali CLEVELAND — Eastern Oregon University took fourth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) and 41st overall in the fi nal standings of the 2016 Learfi eld Directors’ Cup, the NAIA announced. EOU tallied 313.50 total points in the standings, slipping in behind Northwest Christian (40th, 317.25), Southern Oregon (8th, 591.25) and College of Idaho (12th, 542.50). The Learfi eld Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s fi nish in up to 20 sports in Division I (10 women’s, 10 men’s) and 12 sports in the NAIA. Cleve- land Cav- aliers guard J.R. Smith (5) cele- brates a basket against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of Game 6 of bas- ketball’s NBA Finals in Cleve- land, Thurs- day, June 16, 2016. AP Photo/ Ron Schwane) Ex-Baylor coach claims wrongful termination AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Fired Baylor coach Art Briles is ripping his former employer, accusing the school of wrongful termination and indicating he has no FACES interest in settling a federal lawsuit fi led against him and the university by a woman who was raped by a Briles football player. In a motion fi led Thursday as part of the lawsuit, Briles said he wants a judge to assign him new counsel and his personal attorney Ernest Cannon, said the school was using the coach as a scapegoat for its failings in handling allegations of sexual assault. “The conclusion is inescapable that the motive of Baylor and the Board of Regents was to use its head football coach and the Baylor athletic department as a camoufl age to disguise and distract from its own institutional failure to comply” with federal civil rights protections, Cannon wrote to Baylor’s attorneys. “If you’re convinced it’s a state administered system, your athletes have to pay the price for that. … If it’s tough love, it’s tough love.“ — Dick Pound Former WADA president speaking about possible sanctions for the Russian track and fi eld program in relation to doping. Russia will learn today whether its athletes will be allowed to compete in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1954 — Rocky Marciano scores a 15-round unanimous decision over Ezzard Charles at New York to retain the world heavyweight title. 1961 — Gene Littler shoots a 68 in the fi nal round to edge Doug Sanders and Bob Goalby in the U.S. Open. 1976 — The 18-team NBA absorbs four of the six remaining ABA teams: the New York Nets, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets. 2010 — The University of Utah accepts an invitation to become the 12th member of the newly expanded Pac-10 conference. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com Warriors can’t escape early hole as James, Cavs force Game 7 Cleveland its fi rst and the Cavs saved Game 6 major sports cham- their season for the pionship since Dec. second time in four 27, 1964. days and are headed “I want to win back to Oakland’s Golden State Cleveland for sure,” James Oracle Arena for said. “But I want to Sunday’s climactic give everything I’ve game on the brink got and we’ll see of history. One more win and they’ll what happens. We forced a Game 7. become the fi rst team to overcome It’s going to be a fun one.” The Warriors never imagined a 3-1 defi cit in the NBA Finals, and more importantly, give title-starved being in this spot. The defending By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND — LeBron James scored 41 points, Kyrie Irving added 23 and the Cleveland Cavaliers sent the NBA Finals packing for Cali- fornia by beating the rattled Golden State Warriors 115-101 on Thursday night to even this unpredictable series and force a decisive Game 7. James delivered another epic performance in an elimination game 101 115 HERMISTON champions, who powered their way to a record 73 wins in the regular season, won the fi rst two games by 48 combined points. But MVP Stephen Curry and Co. have lost their touch, their poise and are in danger of their historic season — and a second title — vanish. Curry was ejected from Game 6 with 4:22 left after he was called for his sixth personal foul, cursed at an offi cial and fi red his mouthpiece See NBA FINALS/2B College National Finals Rodeo Bulldogs earn postseason honors BMCC poised for strong fi nish Hermis- ton’s Brady Christian- sen draws contact from Lincoln’s Blake Phil- lips (18) as Benjamin Hofmann in the Bull- dogs’ 15-1 loss to the Cardinal on Friday in Hermis- ton. Six Timberwolves with shot at fi nal round East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Hermiston lacrosse fi nishes year with fi ve all-conference picks By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian Five Hermiston Bulldogs made the cut on the High Desert League’s all-conference rosters following the 2016 season. The Bulldogs placed junior attacker Brady Christiansen and junior midfi eld Tucker Salinas on the all-conference second team and senior attacker Javier Garcia, and sophomore defensemen Tayler Arnold and Jake Palmer were named as honorable mentions. As a team, Hermiston went 6-10 overall playing as an independent this season. Christansen, a third-year varsity starter for the Bulldogs, was happy to see several team- mates join him with all-confer- ence recognition. See BULLDOGS/2B CASPER, Wyo. — The Blue Moun- tain women’s rodeo team will have a chance to end the long-go with a bang at the College National Finals Rodeo. After no Timberwolves competed in Thursday’s performance, several members of the team are poised to lock up berths in the short-go in tonight’s fi nal performance of the third round. The T-Wolves remain in second place in the team points with 260, and leader Gillette College is just 37 points ahead. Danyelle Williams also trails Gillette’s Taylor Engesser by just 20 points in the women’s all-around stand- ings. Williams will compete in barrel racing and breakaway, but can only reach the short-go in the barrels after she missed her fi rst breakaway attempt See RODEO/2B MLB Mariners hang on against Rays, avoid sweep Lee, Seager power Seattle to victory By MARK DIDTLER Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Seattle Mari- ners fi nally held onto a lead and won their series fi nale at Tampa Bay. Dae-Ho Lee drove in three runs, James Paxton went six effective innings and the Mariners avoided a three-game sweep by beating the Rays 6-4 on Thursday. Seattle wasted a four-run lead in Tuesday’s 8-7 loss. The Mariners took a two-run Seattle Tampa Bay 6 4 advantage Wednesday before dropping a 3-2, 13-inning decision. “Every game was tough to get through it, but we’re lucky to get out of here with a win today,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “There were no easy innings today.” Lee had an RBI single in a three-run fi rst and drove in two with a double during the fourth. He is tied for the team-lead with Robinson Cano with seven games of three or more RBIs this year. Paxton (1-2) gave up three runs and seven hits. The left-hander had been winless in seven starts since a victory at Toronto on May 23 last year. “Getting a win today was huge,” Paxton said. “We didn’t want to come out of this series being swept.” Steve Cishek, the third Seattle reliever, pitched the ninth for his 15th save in 19 chances. Blake Snell, a 23-year-old Seattle native, was recalled from Triple-A Durham before the game and started for the Rays. See MARINERS/2B AP Photo/Chris O’Meara Seattle Mariners’ Chris Iannetta looks down at Tampa Bay Rays catcher Curt Casali after knocking him down while being tagged out at home plate trying to score from third base on a fl y out by Shawn O’Malley during the seventh inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 16, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
