Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Saturday, November 5, 2016
NBA
Lillard scores 42, Blazers give Mavs worst start
By DAVE JACKSON
Associated Press
DALLAS — Damian Lillard
extended the Dallas Mavericks’
season-opening misery on the court.
Dirk Nowitzki’s aching Achilles
continued it off the court.
Lillard scored 27 of his season-
high 42 points in the second half to
lead the Portland
Trail Blazers to
a 105-95 victory
over Dallas on
Portland
Friday
night,
sending
the
Mavericks to the
first 0-5 start in
their 37-year fran-
chise history.
Dallas
Nowitzki sat
out the second half
with a sore right
Achilles and after
the game, the team announced he
would miss at least the next week.
“It’s just uncomfortable and
sore,” Nowitzki said. “So we
decided to just shut it down. I’m
already not moving great at 38 as it
is, so to be out there moving on one
leg is not helping myself and it’s not
helping the team.”
The Mavericks were also
without Andrew Bogut (personal
reasons), and Lillard and the Blazers
took advantage. With backcourt
mate C.J. McCollum saddled with
foul trouble for most of the game,
Lillard had 18 of Portland’s 25
points during a 14-minute stretch of
the second half.
“Sensational. Amazing. All-Star.
MVP,” McCollum said of Lillard’s
Portland
Trail Blazers
guard Dami-
an Lillard (0)
goes up for
a shot after
getting past
Dallas Mav-
ericks’ Dirk
Nowitzki
and Wesley
Matthews
(23) during
the first half
of an NBA
basket-
ball game,
Friday, Nov.
4, 2016, in
Dallas.
105
AP Photo/Tony
Gutierrez
95
performance. “He definitely saved
us. He saves us all the time.”
Mason Plumlee had 19 points
and Al-Farouq Aminu added 12
points and 10 rebounds for Portland.
J.J. Barea scored 23 points and
Harrison Barnes had 17 points and
10 rebounds for the Mavericks.
The Blazers led by three at
halftime despite shooting only 3 for
14 on 3-pointers in the first half, but
started 7 for 8 from beyond the arc in
the third quarter to open a 78-62 lead.
However, Portland went 0 for
10 for the rest of the quarter and the
Mavericks pulled to 79-76 entering
the fourth.
After Salah Mejri’s dunk closed
the gap to one, Lillard scored two
quick baskets at the other end, then
made a 3 with 8:18 left to put the
Blazers up 89-80. The Mavericks got
no closer than six the rest of the way.
“When they got it to one, I knew
coach was going to put me back in
a little earlier than usual,” Lillard
said. “As soon as he called my
name, I ran to the scorer’s table and
knew what needed to happen.”
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Coach Terry Stotts
earned his 300th win as a head
coach. . Lillard has scored at least
27 points in each of Portland’s first
six games. ... McCollum played
only 24 minutes due to foul trouble
and scored nine points, but his
driving lay-up with 4:34 to go gave
the Blazers a 95-87 lead. It was his
only basket after the first quarter.
... Shabazz Napier tied the score
at 26-26 after one quarter when
he stole the ball from Barea in the
front court and made a 32-footer at
the buzzer.
Mavericks: Devin Harris has
missed all five regular season
games after suffering a right big toe
sprain in the team’s final preseason
game. ... The Mavericks scored
more points (six) on the fast break
in the first quarter than their game
average of 4.5, the NBA’s lowest.
MISSING BOGUT
Lillard, who earlier this week
said Golden State’s defense was
“just not the same” without Bogut
this year, began exploiting Bogut’s
absence in the Dallas defense in the
second quarter with an attacking
style of play.
Lillard scored 10 points in the
quarter, all of them a result of drives
to the basket that ended in lay-ups
or foul shots.
“He’s a huge difference,” Lillard
said. “He makes a huge difference
for them defensively and offen-
sively as a big that can catch the
ball in the middle of the defense
and make plays. And he protects the
paint on defense.”
RALLY THE RESERVES
The Mavericks sliced into Port-
land’s third-quarter lead, playing
mostly with Barea and four reserves
in the game. Justin Anderson scored
two inside baskets and fired up the
crowd with a block of Aminu’s
layup at the other end.
“They went hard. They had
energy. They ignited the crowd,”
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said.
“That’s what this is going to take.
It’s a time when everyone is going
to need to dig very deep.”
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: At Memphis on
Sunday.
College Football
Mountaineers try for five straight
By MATT ENTRUP
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Miah Perez, of BMCC, jumps high to get in position
for a spike during Friday’s game against Big Bend
College at McCrae Activity Center.
T-WOLVES:
Continued from 1B
as a team and didn’t have a
single ace.
After starting regional
play 2-3, Blue Mountain
has won eight of its last
10 to secure a spot in the
NWAC
Championships
going into the final game
of the regular season on
Wednesday at Yakima
Valley.
“I think now we’re just
focusing on having more
fun and realizing that for
some of this is it, this is all
we’re going to play ever,”
said Chavez of the strong
finish. “I think we’re just
having a lot more fun now.”
“I think we’ve improved a
lot this season, just in time.”
The T-Wolves will be
trying to win their fifth-
straight NWAC title when
the four-day tournament
held Nov. 17-20 in Tacoma,
Washington.
“It’s definitely a great
feeling knowing that we’ll
have the chance to possibly
win NWACs again this
year,” Mix said. “We’re
just happy to be going to
the tournament.”
———
BBCC
8 12
8 — 0
BMCC
25 25 25 — 3
KILLS — BBCC (17): Maddy Powers
5. BMCC (40): Jordan Mix 10, Shelby
Schreier 9, Miah Perez 7.
BLOCKS — BBCC (1): Maddy Powers
1. BMCC (3): Shelby Schreier 1.5.
ASSISTS — BBCC (17): Savannah Bass
8. BMCC (38): Kylee Chavez 31.
ACES — BBCC 0. BMCC (17): Miah
Perez 5, Kristin Williams 4, Jordan Mix 4.
DIGS — BBCC (29): Lindsay Sorensen
10. BMCC (46): Bailey Tillotson 8, Miah
Perez 7, Jordan Mix 7.
BULLDOGS:
Continued from 1B
state quarterfinals while
ending the season for No.
10 Hermiston.
The Bulldogs had gone
into the lead on a two-yard run
by Peter Earl with 8:24 left in
the second quarter, but the No.
7 Lions’ defense had plenty of
success getting them off the
field the rest of the game.
Hermiston finished with
just 178 total yards and
eight first downs, but didn’t
turn the ball over and kept
St. Helens out of the end
zone until the fourth quarter.
The Lions (7-2) broke
up the shutout with 9:51
to play in the game on
an eight-yard run up the
middle by Dylan Brady, but
Hermiston (5-5) blocked
the extra point to retain a
7-6 lead.
Even with their offense
stalled, the Bulldogs had a
chance to close out the Lions
on a fourth-and-nine with
just over a minute left to
play but Lions running back
Myles Terry picked up just
enough for the first down on
a pass from Levin Norton.
St. Helens capped the drive
with a five-yard touchdown
pass from Norton to Ben
Eldred. The Lions finished
with 335 yards of offense.
Hermiston quarterback
Andrew James was 6-of-14
for 94 yards and Dayshawn
Neal caught four passes for
79 yards. James was Herm-
iston’s leading rusher with
47 yards on eight carries.
The Bulldogs were
penalized five times for 30
yards while St. Helens drew
eight flags for 45 yards.
———
HHS
0 7
0
0 — 7
SHHS
0 0
0 12 — 12
Scoring plays
2nd Quarter
8:24 — HHS, Peter Earl 2 run
(Dayshawn Neal kick), 7-0
4th Quarter
9:51 — SHHS, Dylan Brady 8 run
(Jacob Hawkins kick blocked), 6-7
0:16 — SHHS, Ben Eldred 5 pass from
Levi Norton (pass failed), 12-7
Individual statistics
PASSING — Hermiston (6-15-0, 94):
Andrew James 6-14-0, 94; Dayshawn
Neal 0-1-0. St. Helens: Levi Norton 10-
14-1, 107, TD.
RUSHING — Hermiston (22-84, TD):
Andrew James 8-47; Johnathan Hinkle
6-19; Peter Earl 5-18, TD; Dayshawn Neal
3-(-4). St. Helens (48-228, TD): Myles
Terry 18-96; Tyler Rea 12-89; Dylan Brady
8-44, TD; Haidon Allen 4-15; Austin
Dragoo 1-2; Jax Ogle 2-0; Levi Norton
3-(-16).
RECEIVING — Hermiston: Dayshawn
Neal 4-79; Tucker Salinas 1-11; Johnathan
Hinkle 1-4. St. Helens: Haidon Allen 5-64;
Myles Terry 4-38; Ben Eldred 1-5, TD.
LA GRANDE — Eastern
Oregon football coach Tim
Camp has led the Moun-
taineers to a school-record
53 wins, but they’ll go for
their first five-game winning
streak in his eight seasons
when they host Rocky
Mountain on Saturday at
Community Stadium.
The No. 11 Mountaineers
(6-2, 6-2 Frontier) are coming
off an explosive 48-14 win
at College of Idaho and will
look to close out their home
schedule strong against
Rocky Mountain (4-5, 4-4).
The Battlin’ Bears come
into La Grande for a noon
Rocky Mountain
#11 EOU
Battlin’ Bears Mountaineers
(4-5, 4-4)
(6-2, 6-2)
• Today, noon
• at Community Stadium,
La Grande
• Radio: NewsTalk 103.1 FM
kickoff looking to mend their
wounded pride after giving
up 610 yards of offense in a
62-10 loss to No. 7 Montana
Tech for their second-straight
defeat.
“They’re going to be a
team that’s going to come
in here and they’re going
to expect to win, so we’re
going to have to play our best
game,” Camp told EOUs-
ports.com.
It’ll be tough to top last
week’s performance, which
saw returner Calvin Connors
tie an NAIA record with a
100-yard kickoff return for
touchdown. Wide receiver
Josh Richards also had a
career-high 174 yards on six
receptions, and scored EOU’s
first points on a 75-yard
catch. The EOU defense also
got in on the act with Kalliy
Ceesay’s 83-yard interception
return for a touchdown.
“I really liked the way the
kids prepared all last week
and I think that led to a big
team win on the road in the
Frontier Conference, so very
excited for this program,”
Camp said.
Senior quarterback Zach
Bartlow, who is two rushing
touchdowns shy of Chris
Ware’s program record,
is coming off a 17-of-29,
269-yard passing game in
which he threw two touch-
downs and no interceptions.
His 271.3 yards passing
per game is second in the
Frontier Conference. Rocky
Mountain has the second-rated
pass defense in the Frontier
allowing 221.6 yards a game.
The teams’ meeting last
year was a double-overtime
thriller that Rockey Moun-
tain won 36-35.
Fans can listen to Satur-
day’s game on NewsTalk
103.1 FM.
Stanford fighting for bowl bid against OSU
By MICHAEL WAGAMAN
Associated Press
STANFORD, Calif. —
Fighting to become bowl
eligible this late in the season
isn’t something that Stan-
ford coach David Shaw is
accustomed to, which might
explain his reluctance to talk
about the subject.
The Cardinal have won
three of the last four Pac-12
championships and entered
the season heavily favored to
keep the trend going. Instead,
Stanford (3-3, 5-3) has been
a middle-of-the-pack team
slowed by injuries and an
inconsistent offense.
A win Saturday against
Oregon State (1-4, 2-6) would
ease some of the sting and
make Stanford bowl eligible
for the sixth time since Shaw
replaced Jim Harbaugh in
2011, though Shaw prefers
that not be the focus.
“That’s for everybody
outside of our small world to
think about, which bowl game
to think about, where you might
finish,” Shaw said. “All we can
do is try to play our best foot-
ball. To look any further past
the horizon is unnecessary.”
Stanford won the Pac-12
title in 2012, 2013 and 2015,
playing in the Rose Bowl
each time. The Cardinal also
played in the Fiesta Bowl in
Shaw’s first season and in the
Foster Farms Bowl last year.
The Rose Bowl is no
longer a possibility this year,
so Stanford will have to settle
for playing elsewhere in the
postseason.
The Cardinal have history
on their side against Oregon
State, having won the last
six games between the two
conference rivals.
The Beavers have lost
Oregon St.
Stanford
Beavers
Cardinal
(2-6)
(5-3)
• Today, 12:30 p.m.
• at Stanford Stadium
• TV: FS1
three straight and five of six
overall. They are coming off
a 35-31 loss to Washington
State, which is tied for the
North Division lead.
“We’ll have to answer the
toughness bell in this week,”
Oregon State coach Gary
Andersen said. “I think we’ve
done a good job with that this
year when we’ve matched
up against people that want
to stand up and throw some
heavy, big-boy punches.”
DUAL THREAT: Stan-
ford’s backfield is no longer
the sole territory of 2015
Heisman Trophy candidate
Christian McCaffrey. Bryce
Love, who filled in when
McCaffrey sat out the Oct.
22 loss to Colorado with
an undisclosed injury, has
continued to be a key part
of the Cardinal’s running
game now that McCaffrey is
healthy. The duo combined
for 247 rushing yards during
last week’s win at Arizona
and Shaw said he intends to
continue to use both backs
moving forward.
U G W O E G B U
BENCHED: Oregon State
outside linebacker Bright
Ugwoegbu will spend the
first half on the bench after
being flagged for targeting
following a hit on Washington
State quarterback Luke Falk
last week. Ugwoegbu has 5
½ sacks and is tied for second
in the Pac-12 with 11 tackles
for loss.
Ducks, Trojans hoping for highlight in their unusual seasons
By GREG BEACHAM
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES —
Oregon is ordinary. Southern
California is just so-so.
Two down seasons have
removed some of the shine
from these West Coast
powers’ showdown at the
Coliseum on Saturday. For
the first time in the 21st
century, neither USC nor
Oregon is ranked for their
meeting.
But there’s still plenty
of reason for both teams to
keep fighting. The Trojans
(5-3, 4-2 Pac-12) have a
four-game winning streak
and plans for continued
contention in the Pac-12
South, while the Ducks (3-5,
1-4) are playing for bowl
eligibility and a boost to next
season — and possibly coach
Mark Helfrich’s job security.
“Like I told our team,
Oregon
USC
Ducks
Trojans
(3-5)
(5-3)
• Today, 4 p.m.
• at Los Angeles Coliseum
• TV: ESPN
don’t buy into this 3-5 record
that they have,” USC coach
Clay Helton said. “This team
could easily be 6-2, and if you
don’t bring your ‘A’ game,
you’re going to get beat. We
have to take this game as
serious as a heart attack.”
The game also features a
matchup between two prom-
ising freshman quarterbacks
who refused to wait their
turns to play.
Sam Darnold will get
his sixth straight start for
USC, while Justin Herbert
will make his fourth start for
Oregon. Both passers seized
their jobs from their older
counterparts during the disap-
pointing stretches of their
teams’ seasons, and both have
capitalized impressively.
Darnold is the type of
athletic, big-armed quarter-
back who would look perfect
in the Ducks’ up-tempo
offense, and the school
pursued him in recruiting.
The Orange County native
made an unofficial visit to
Eugene before committing to
USC, and he won the Trojans’
starting job as a redshirt in
September, usurping veteran
Max Browne.
Five games later, Darnold
has already set USC’s
freshman single-season record
with 18 touchdown passes.
“He’s just a really
good football player and
surrounded by excellent
talent,” Helfrich said. “A guy
that presents a great passing
threat and a great run threat
that really makes it go.”
Herbert pulled a similar
trick at Oregon this season,
taking over for Dakota
Prukop after the Ducks’ 2-3
start. The first true freshman
to start for Oregon since 1983
has posted a series of lofty
offensive performances, even
setting the school record for
total offense with 512 yards
last week against Arizona
State while the Ducks ended
their five-game skid.
Herbert knows the USC
defense presents a markedly
different challenge. The
Trojans have been on a roll
defensively during their
streak, most recently holding
high-octane California to 24
points in a blowout win.
“I think they’re just an
exceptional team,” Herbert
said. “So regardless (of their
record), they’re going to
have a good defense and a
great offense.”