Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian Wednesday, December 6, 2017 2018 Winter Olympics Russians can compete at Olympics, but without flag By GRAHAM DUNBAR Associated Press LAUSANNE, Switzer- land — Russian athletes will be allowed to stand on the medal podium at the Winter Olympics — just not with their anthem playing or their nation’s flag rising above them. The International Olympic Committee barred Russia and its sports leaders from the upcoming games in South Korea after its lead investigator concluded members of the Russian government concocted a doping scheme at the 2014 Sochi Games that “caused unprecedented damage to Olympism and to sports.” Not welcome in Pyeong- chang next year will be any sign of the Russian Olympic Committee or any member of its sports ministry, which was responsible for what investigators concluded was a top-to-bottom scheme of “manipulation and cheating” to ensure Russians could dope at the Olympics on their home turf and not get caught. The IOC punishment did leave room for many Russians to compete under the name “Olympic Athlete from Russia” or OAR. They would have to pass drug tests to prove they were clean and also did not benefit from the Sochi scheme. If they win, the Olympic flag would be raised and the Olympic anthem played to honor their victories. That is, if Russian President Vlad- imir Putin allows them to go to the Feb. 9-25 games. He previously has said it would be humiliating for Russia to compete without its national symbols. “An Olympic boycott has never achieved anything,” IOC President Thomas Bach said at a news conference. “Secondly, I don’t see any reason for a boycott by the Russian athletes because we allow the clean athletes there to participate.” Alexander Zhukov, the Russian Olympic Committee president who also was suspended from his IOC membership, told TV reporters in Lausanne that one key was preserving the name “Russia” in the team name. “They’ll be called Russian athletes and not some kind of neutrals ... that’s very important,” Zhukov said. If it was a victory to have the word “Russia” in the team name and invite some Russian athletes to compete, it came at a cost. The IOC also suspended the Russian Olympic Committee until at least the start of the closing ceremony in South Korea. In an embarrassment for Russia’s hosting of the 2018 World Cup, the IOC also banned Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko from the Olympics for life. Mutko heads the orga- Jean-Christophe Bott, Keystone A woman waves a Russian flag outside of the Interna- tional Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in front of the Olympic Rings prior to the opening of the first day of the executive board meeting of the Internation- al Olympic Committee (IOC) at the IOC headquarters, in Pully near Lausanne on Tuesday. nizing committee of soccer’s next World Cup. As sports minister in 2014, he was deeply implicated in the Sochi doping plot by two IOC commissions and a World Anti-Doping Agency investigation. “The IOC executive board has made its positon to the responsibility of Mr. Mutko very clear,” said Bach, who would not comment if it was appropriate for soccer’s governing body FIFA to continue working with an official who is also president of Russia’s soccer federation. At the State Kremlin Palace on Dec. 1, FIFA Pres- ident Gianni Infantino said at a joint news conference with Mutko that the IOC’s decision would not affect the World Cup. That message was repeated Tuesday by FIFA in a statement which noted that its ethics and disciplinary committees could still open cases against Mutko and Russian soccer players impli- cated in doping cover-ups. The IOC also imposed a fine of $15 million on the Russian Olympic Committee to pay for its two investiga- tions into the case and toward future anti-doping work. The sanctions could be challenged at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Any Russian athlete hoping to earn invitations to Pyeongchang will have to come through a stricter-than- usual testing regime and not have a doping violation on Men’s College Basketball Bridges’ career-high 28 leads Nova past Gonzaga By DAN GELSTON Associated Press NEW YORK — Mikal Bridges had his coming out performance as one of top players in the nation, scoring a career-high 28 points to lead No. 4 Villanova to an 88-72 victory over No. 12 Gonzaga in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. Bridges, a 6-foot-7 junior guard, had shown Villanova (9-0) what he could do this season with three games of 20-plus points that already signaled he may be the best player on the Big East champs. Against an NCAA title game finalist and in prime time on basketball’s biggest stage, Bridges flashed the type of all-around talent that should make him an NBA first-round draft pick. His defining moment came in the second half: Bridges slashed the lane and unleashed a monster right- hand dunk over 6-11 center Jacob Larsen. Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins tried the same move on the next set only to have Bridges swat the ball out of bounds with a block that had the Nova fans that filled MSG roaring on each big screen replay. Bridges hit five 3s in the first meeting between two Villano- va guard Mikal Bridg- es (25) puts up a shot against Gonzaga guard Si- las Mel- son (0) during the first half of an NCAA college bas- ketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in New York. AP Photo/Ju- lie Jacobson programs that have ranked among the best for the last 15 years. Villanova won the 2016 national championship and the Zags lost the 2017 title game to North Carolina. He even startled one Zag into a turnover just by his presence around the rim. Zach Norvell Jr. led Gonzaga (7-2) with 22 points and Perkins had 16. Bridges cut off the Bull- dogs each time they made a small run. The Zags inched to seven early in the second half and Bridges connected on a 3. He came up with a tough bucket inside and drew a foul on one possession and followed with a 3 on the next to make it a 10-game game. Bridges dunk-and-block destroyed whatever mojo Gonzaga had left and the Wildcats cruised in their first real test of the season. The Wildcats played every bit like a national championship favorite in a first half where they picked apart the Zags. Bridges had 12 points, Phil Booth had Jimmy V Classic #4 Villanova #12 Gonzaga 88 72 11 of his 20 points and the Wildcats hit six 3s to build a 43-30 lead. Villanova is more than a few NBA-ready scorers carrying the offense. Eric Paschall missed both of his shots in the half but it was his kickout passes on consec- utive possessions that led to 3s from Booth and Bridges. Donte DiVincenzo made it three straight 3s that brought the Nova fans to their feet. Booth proved his twice surgically repaired left knee was fine on a high-flying dunk and even the players got loud at the Garden: Villanova’s deep reserves bolted from the bench and bellowed “Charge! Charge! Charge!” late in the half and sure enough the foul was called on Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura. The Wildcats made the short 105-mile trip compared to nearly 2,600 miles for the Zags and had the decided fan support at MSG. The Wild- cats, a regular at the Garden in the Big East Tournament, could hoist that trophy in front of the faithful again in March in New York. their record. Invitations will be decided by an IOC panel chaired by former France Sports Minister Valerie Fourneyron. The IOC also will bar Russian officials who were team leaders at Sochi, and coaches or medial staff who have been linked to doping athletes. The CEO of the Sochi Olympics, Dmitry Cherny- shenko, also had his place on an Olympic panel overseeing the 2022 Beijing Winter Games withdrawn by the IOC. Russia has repeatedly refused to accept that a state-sponsored doping program existed. Such denials helped ensure bans on its track federation and anti-doping agency have not been lifted. Instead, Russia blames Grigory Rodchenkov, the former director of Moscow and Sochi testing laborato- ries, as a rogue employee. It wants the scientist extradited from the United States, where he is a protected witness. The executive board reached its decision Tuesday after a scheduled 4½-hour debate when it heard from a Russian delegation that included world figure skating champion Evgenia Medve- deva. The delegation was led by Zhukov, who was later suspended. Two IOC commission leaders — appointed after WADA investigator Richard McLaren upheld Rodchen- kov’s doping claims in July 2016 — also reported to the Olympic board. The report by IOC-ap- pointed investigator Samuel Schmid, the former president of Switzerland who was asked to verify an “institu- tional conspiracy,” included a 50-page sworn affidavit from Rodchenkov, who was also a key witness for McLaren and an IOC disciplinary commission. The chairman of that disciplinary panel, Swiss lawyer Denis Oswald, reported about prosecuting Russian athletes implicated in cheating at Sochi. By Monday, 25 Russians had been disqualified from the Sochi Games and banned from the Olympics for life, and 11 medals were stripped. One Russian was cleared. Russia no longer leads the Sochi medals table. Even before the IOC reallocates the stripped medals, the United States has the most total medals and Norway has the most golds. The banned Russian athletes have said they will appeal the Oswald judgments at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Any sanctions imposed by the IOC can also be challenged at CAS, and later at Switzerland’s supreme court, which can intervene if the legal process has been abused. NFL Steelers’ Shazier remains hospitalized with back injury Associated Press to be transferred to a Pitts- burgh hospital later in the PITTSBURGH — Pitts- week. While the severity of the burgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier will remain in injury will remain unknown a Cincinnati hospital until at until the swelling subsides, least Wednesday to undergo the relentlessly upbeat Shazier offered a further testing on bit of hope Tuesday a spinal injury evening. suffered in the first “Thank you quarter of Monday for the prayers,” night’s win over the Shazier tweeted Bengals. . “Your support Shazier left Paul is uplifting to me Brown Stadium on and my family. a stretcher less than #SHALIEVE” four minutes into Shazier Shazier’s injury his team’s 23-20 victory over Cincinnati came on a relatively innocu- following a tackle that left ous-looking play. Cincinnati the 25-year-old writhing on quarterback Andy Dalton the turf, his legs motionless. hit Josh Malone for a short He underwent extensive 3-yard gain, with Shazier testing overnight, with the hitting Malone square in the team saying Shazier’s injury back. Shazier, in his fourth did not require surgery “at season after being taken in the first round of the 2014 this time.” The Steelers had hoped draft, led with his head while Shazier would be able to making the tackle. He immediately rolled return to Pittsburgh on Tuesday. The timetable has over onto his back, raising been pushed back at least 24 his hands in the air while to 48 hours. He will remain his legs went limp. He was at University of Cincinnati placed on a backboard, then Medical Center under the put on a stretcher before care of neurosurgeons being taken to the trauma David Okonwko and Joseph center at University of Cheng. Shazier is expected Cincinnati Medical Center. SCOREBOARD Local slate PREP BOYS BASKETBALL Thursday Stanfield vs. Arlington (at Umatilla), 2 p.m. Pilot Rock vs. Riverside (at Umatilla), 3:30 p.m. Faith Bible vs. Echo (at Umatilla), 5:30 p.m. Union at Umatilla, 7 p.m. Friday Irrigon vs. Imbler (at Heppner), 4:30 p.m. Ione vs. Prarie City (at Condon), 4:30 p.m. Walla Walla (WA) at Pendleton, 7 p.m. Chiawana (WA) at Hermiston, 7:30 p.m. Mac-Hi at Heppner, 7:30 p.m. Weston-McEwen vs. Salem Acadmey (at Kennedy), 7:30 p.m. Helix at Enterprise, 7:30 p.m. N. Clackamas Christian at Condon/Wheel- er, 7:30 p.m. Nixyaawii vs. Crane (at EOU), 7:30 p.m. Riverside, Umatilla, Pilot Rock, Stanfield, Arlington, Echo vs. TBD (at Umatilla), TBD PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL Thursday Riverside vs. Pilot Rock (at Umatilla), 2 p.m. Stanfield vs. Mac-Hi (at Umatilla), 3:30 p.m. Union at Umatilla, 5:30 p.m. Echo vs. Faith Bible (at Umatilla), 7 p.m. Friday Irrigon vs. Imbler, 3 p.m. Ione vs. Prarie City (at Condon), 3 p.m. Chiawana (WA) at Hermiston, 5:45 p.m. Mac-Hi at Heppner, 6 p.m. Nixyaawii vs. Crane (at EOU), 6 p.m. Weston-McEwen vs. King’s Way Christian (WA) (at Kennedy), 6 p.m. North Clackamas Christian at Condon/ Wheeler, 6 p.m. Helix at Enterprise, 6 p.m. Pendleton at Walla Walla (WA), 7 p.m. Riverside, Umatilla, Pilot Rock, Mac-Hi, Echo vs. TBD (at Umatilla), TBD PREP WRESTLING Friday Hermiston at Post Falls (ID) Pendleton, Mac-Hi, Heppner at La Grande Irrigon at Culver Invitational, 8 a.m. Saturday Irrigon at Culver Invitational, 8 a.m. Riverside at Leonard Schutte Invite (WA) Echo at Nyssa Tournament PREP SWIMMING Saturday Pendleton, Hermiston at Baker, Noon MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Wednesday Multnomah JV at BMCC, 5 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Friday Edmonds at BMCC, 7:30 p.m. Prep Scores Tuesday OSAA BOYS BASKETBALL Baker 92, Stanfield 41 Beaverton 73, South Salem 61 Butte Falls/Crater Lake Charter 69, Prospect 11 C.S. Lewis 37, Southwest Christian 27 Catlin Gabel 92, Chemawa 56 Central 57, Putnam 48 Central Catholic 41, Jesuit 37 Churchill 69, Lebanon 38 Coquille 62, Douglas 48 Corbett 72, Cascade 59 Corvallis 55, Marist 51 Crosshill Christian 63, Lowell 48 Dallas vs. Hood River, ccd. David Douglas 75, Century 61 Days Creek 48, Myrtle Point 33 Dayton 74, Blanchet Catholic 52 Dufur 43, Culver 37 Falls City 67, McKenzie 31 Glencoe 66, Benson 56 Glendale 46, Mohawk 42 Grant Union 68, Crane 55 Harper 51, Meadows Valley, Idaho 40 Henley JV 60, Gilchrist 42 Hermiston 69, Hanford, Wash. 60 Irrigon 72, Weston-McEwen 33 Kennedy 57, Vernonia 56 Lakeview 62, Burns 59, OT Lincoln 68, West Salem 67 Lost River 44, St. Mary’s 42 McKay 70, Willamette 67 McMinnville 56, Aloha 31 N. Clackamas Christian 54, Livingstone 40 Naselle, Wash. 61, Warrenton 57 North Bend 67, Junction City 58 North Eugene 56, Elmira 40 North Valley 56, South Umpqua 22 Nyssa 50, La Grande 48 Oakland 63, Elkton 20 Ontario 56, New Plymouth, Idaho 47 Oregon City 78, McNary 61 Oregon Episcopal 56, Horizon Christian Tualatin 45 Pacific 66, Bandon 32 Perrydale 54, Delphian High School 44 Pilot Rock 63, Griswold 19 Powers 50, Riddle 42 Reedsport 64, Mapleton 27 Regis 78, Monroe 73 Scappoose 90, Madras 73 Sheldon 50, Newberg 37 Sheridan 74, Nestucca 22 Siuslaw 71, Newport 69 South Albany 66, Philomath 56 Southridge 85, Wilson 67 Sprague 66, South Eugene 60 St. Stephens Academy 45, Jewell 32 Thurston 63, Roseburg 53 Tillamook 69, Gladstone 57 Toledo 64, Pleasant Hill 60 Tualatin 74, Sunset 56 Valley Catholic 74, North Marion 43 Waldport 74, Central Linn 61 Western Mennonite 49, Creswell 34 Woodburn 66, Milwaukie 55 Yamhill-Carlton 62, Estacada 49 OSAA GIRLS BASKETBALL Baker 49, Fruitland, Idaho 36 Banks 55, Stayton 52 Canby 57, South Salem 24 Cascade 61, Corbett 28 Catlin Gabel 50, Chemawa 38 Central Linn 41, Waldport 23 Clackamas 62, West Salem 35 Clatskanie 90, Knappa 39 Coquille 39, Douglas 31 Crescent Valley 55, Century 29 Dallas 39, St. Helens 36 Damascus Christian 41, Columbia Christian 31 David Douglas 48, Sandy 42 Dayton 69, Blanchet Catholic 31 Faith Bible 42, De La Salle 29 Grant Union 45, Crane 26 Harper 58, Meadows Valley, Idaho 29 Henley JV 49, Gilchrist 31 Hermiston 55, Hanford, Wash. 38 Hidden Valley 46, Brookings-Harbor 38 Hood River 40, Heritage, Wash. 39 Illinois Valley 37, Phoenix 29 Irrigon 48, Weston-McEwen 40 Jefferson 52, Willamina 28 Jewell 46, St. Stephens Academy 28 Junction City 53, North Bend 44 Kennedy 67, Vernonia 21 Lebanon 60, Churchill 47 Liberty 51, Hillsboro 41 Lost River 40, St. Mary’s 28 Lowell 38, Crosshill Christian 33 Madras 61, Scappoose 42 Marist 47, Corvallis 32 Marshfield 46, Cottage Grove 29 Mazama 56, La Pine 14 McKenzie 37, Falls City 19 McMinnville 62, Madison 21 Mohawk 49, Glendale 20 Monroe 65, Regis 29 Newport 54, Siuslaw 20 North Eugene 51, Elmira 36 North Marion 54, Sisters 14 Nyssa 48, La Grande 39 Parma, Idaho 52, Vale 20 Pendleton 56, Southridge, Wash. 48 Pilot Rock 49, Griswold 33 Powers 54, Riddle 34 Reedsport 46, Mapleton 23 Salem Academy 47, Amity 24 Sheridan 41, Nestucca 21 South Umpqua 44, North Valley 21 Southwest Christian 45, C.S. Lewis 6 Sprague 47, Lakeridge 38 St. Mary’s Academy 67, Forest Grove 57 Tigard 56, Grant 52 Valley Catholic 58, Country Christian 53 Waitsburg, Wash. 38, McLoughlin 35 Warrenton 65, Naselle, Wash. 28 West Linn 73, Central Catholic 71, OT Yamhill-Carlton 69, Estacada 19 Basketball NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct Boston 21 4 .840 Toronto 15 7 .682 Philadelphia 13 10 .565 New York 11 12 .478 Brooklyn 9 14 .391 Southeast Division W L Pct Washington 13 11 .542 Miami 11 12 .478 Charlotte 9 13 .409 Orlando 10 15 .400 Atlanta 5 18 .217 Central Division W L Pct Cleveland 17 7 .708 Detroit 14 9 .609 Milwaukee 12 10 .545 Indiana 13 11 .542 Chicago 3 19 .136 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W L Pct Houston 18 4 .818 San Antonio 16 8 .667 New Orleans 12 12 .500 Memphis 8 15 .348 Dallas 7 17 .292 Northwest Division W L Pct Denver 13 10 .565 Minnesota 14 11 .560 Portland 13 11 .542 Utah 13 12 .520 Oklahoma City 11 12 .478 Pacific Division W L Pct Golden State 19 6 .760 L.A. Clippers 8 14 .364 L.A. Lakers 8 15 .348 GB — 4½ 7 9 11 GB — 1½ 3 3½ 7½ GB — 2½ 4 4 13 GB — 3 7 10½ 12 GB — — ½ 1 2 GB — 9½ 10 Phoenix 9 17 .346 10½ Sacramento 7 16 .304 11 ——— Tuesday’s Games Toronto 126, Phoenix 113 Oklahoma City 100, Utah 94 Washington 106, Portland 92 Wednesday’s Games Atlanta at Orlando, 4 p.m. Chicago at Indiana, 4 p.m. Sacramento at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Dallas at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Memphis at New York, 4:30 p.m. Denver at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Detroit at Milwaukee, 5 p.m. Golden State at Charlotte, 5 p.m. Miami at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Minnesota at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. NCAA Men’s Basketball Top 25 Tuesday’s Games No. 1 Duke 124, St. Francis (PA) 67 No. 3 Michigan State 62, Rutgers 52 No. 4 Villanova 88, No. 12 Gonzaga 72 No. 6 Wichita State 95, So. Dakota St. 85 Arizona 67, No. 7 Texas A&M 64 Ball State 80, No. 9 Notre Dame 77 No. 10 Miami 69, Boston 54 No. 14 Minnesota 68, Nebraska 39 No. 18 West Virginia 68, No. 15 Virginia 61 No. 20 TCU 94, SMU 83 Texas Tech 82, No. 22 Nevada 76, OT Wednesday’s Games No. 13 Xavier vs. Kent State, 4 p.m. (FS1) No. 11 North Carolina vs. W. Carolina, 4 p.m. No. 5 Florida vs. Loyola-Chicago, 5 p.m. No. 2 Kansas vs. Washington, 6 p.m. (ESPN2) Pac-12 Tuesday Oregon State 74, Eastern Kentucky 62 Arizona 67, Texas A&M 64 Butler 81, Utah 69 NCAA Women’s Basketball Top 25 Tuesday No. 4 Louisville 91, Tenn-Martin 56 No. 5 South Carolina 69, Charleston 43 No. 20 Kentucky 100, Evansville 62 No. 8 Baylor 105, North Dakota 43 Wednesday’s Games No. 23 Green Bay at Dayton, 8 a.m. No. 21 Texas A&M vs. TCU, 9 a.m. No. 12 Ohio State at Florida, 2:30 p.m. No. 15 Maryland vs. Mt. St. Mary’s, 3:30 p.m. No. 3 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State, 4 p.m. No. 11 Tennessee vs. Troy, 4 p.m. Hockey NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 27 19 6 2 40 101 69 Toronto 28 17 10 1 35 99 84 Montreal 29 13 13 3 29 81 90 Boston 25 12 9 4 28 69 73 Detroit 28 11 12 5 27 79 91 Ottawa 25 9 10 6 24 74 86 Florida 27 10 13 4 24 79 93 Buffalo 28 7 17 4 18 60 96 Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA New Jersey 27 16 7 4 36 84 81 Columbus 28 17 10 1 35 80 70 N.Y. Islanders 27 16 9 2 34 101 92 Washington 28 16 11 1 33 84 84 Pittsburgh 29 15 11 3 33 86 95 N.Y. Rangers 27 15 10 2 32 91 81 Carolina 26 11 10 5 27 72 80 Philadelphia 27 9 11 7 25 75 83 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Nashville 28 18 7 3 39 92 80 St. Louis 28 18 8 2 38 92 75 Winnipeg 28 17 7 4 38 95 76 Dallas 28 16 11 1 33 86 81 Minnesota 27 13 11 3 29 80 82 Chicago 27 12 10 5 29 82 73 Colorado 26 12 12 2 26 81 86 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Los Angeles 29 18 8 3 39 90 63 Vegas 27 17 9 1 35 94 85 Vancouver 28 14 10 4 32 78 77 San Jose 26 14 10 2 30 66 61 Calgary 27 14 12 1 29 80 88 Anaheim 28 11 11 6 28 75 86 Edmonton 27 11 14 2 24 78 92 Arizona 30 7 18 5 19 73 104 ———— Tuesday’s Games New Jersey 4, Columbus 1 Tampa Bay 6, N.Y. Islanders 2 N.Y. Rangers 4, Pittsburgh 3 Detroit 5, Winnipeg 1 St. Louis 4, Montreal 3 Nashville 5, Dallas 2 Buffalo 4, Colorado 2 Vegas 4, Anaheim 3, SO Los Angeles 5, Minnesota 2 Vancouver 3, Carolina 0 Wednesday’s Games Calgary at Toronto, 4:30 p.m. Chicago at Washington, 5 p.m. Philadelphia at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m. Ottawa at Anaheim, 7 p.m.