INSIDE: CLASSIFIEDS, MARKET RECAP & WEATHER
B
S PORTS
THE BULLETIN • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021
bendbulletin.com/sports
MEN’S COLLEGE
BASKETBALL
Beavers fall short
against Buffaloes
CORVALLIS — McKin-
ley Wright IV scored 21
points and moved to No.
7 on Colorado’s career
scoring list as the Buffa-
loes beat Oregon State
61-57 on Saturday night.
Colorado won its fifth
conference road game of
the season, its most since
the 1961-62 season.
Wright passed Josh
Scott (1,709 points,
2012-16) and Stevie Wise
(1,717, 1987-91), finishing
the night at 1,718 career
points.
Evan Battey added 10
points for the Buffaloes
(17-7, 11-6 Pac-12), who
never trailed in the sec-
ond half.
The Beavers (11-11,
7-9) tied it at 35 early
in the second half and
closed the deficit back to
44-43 before Colorado
pulled away with an 11-2
run to lead by 10 with 4:19
left. Oregon State got no
closer than the final score.
Ethan Thompson had
18 points and seven as-
sists for the Beavers, mov-
ing past Deaundra Tanner
(457 assists, 1998-01) and
Darryl Flowers (457, 1983-
86) to No. 3 on Oregon
State’s career assists list
at 462. Warith Alatishe
added 12 points and 10
rebounds for the Beavers,
who had their five-game
home winning streak
snapped.
Colorado hosts No. 17
Southern California and
Oregon State travels to
Cal on Thursday.
— Associated Press
NHL
Sun, poor ice delay
outdoor game
The setting was spec-
tacular but the ice con-
ditions were far from it,
leading to an extended
delay between the first
and second period of the
outdoor game between
the Vegas Golden Knights
and Colorado Avalanche
at Lake Tahoe.
The NHL decided to
halt the game for more
than eight hours Satur-
day after bright sun and
temperatures hovering
around freezing led to
poor ice conditions that
had players and officials
repeatedly falling because
of holes on the ice.
“We’ve done over 30
outdoor games,” Commis-
sioner Gary Bettman told
broadcaster NBC. “This
has been the most diffi-
cult weather circumstance
we’ve had, and it’s a beau-
tiful day. But if you look up
at the sun, the cloud cover
is everywhere but where
the sun is, and it did a
number on the ice.”
The game was halted
after the first period at
12:55 p.m. but was ex-
pected to restart Saturday
night.
Bettman said some
players had wanted to
keep playing while others
didn’t, but the final deci-
sion was made in consul-
tation with the union be-
cause of safety.
The ice issues took
away from the spectacu-
lar setting for the game,
which is being played on a
makeshift rink on the 18th
fairway of a golf course on
the shore of Lake Tahoe,
with snow-covered moun-
tains in the background.
It snowed overnight
and into the morning
before the sun came out.
While the pristine con-
ditions made for perfect
views, it proved detrimen-
tal to the ice.
The NHL announced
that Sunday’s game be-
tween Boston and Phil-
adelphia will be moved
back by more than five
hours .
— Associated Press
MLB | MARINERS
COMMUNITY SPORTS
ROCKING THROUGH 2020
Manager
Scott Servais
shows faith
in roster
BY LARRY STONE
The Seattle Times
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin photos
Route-setter Joey Jannsen, left, and owner Jim Stone stand in the Bend Rock Gym together on Thursday.
Before the first Mari-
ners’ workout of the spring
Thursday in Peoria, Ari-
zona, manager Scott Servais
began his Zoom news con-
ference by
exclaim-
ing, “I love
this team!
I really
do.”
The task
for the
Scott Servais
Mariners
in 2019.
now is to
get their
fans to love it, too, which
has been a two-year work in
progress. And it could still
go either way. It is one thing
to have a bunch of quality,
dedicated, stand-up guys,
as Servais asserted. It’s quite
another to have a winning
team to rally behind.
See Mariners / B2
In a challenging year, Bend Rock Gym wins prestigious awards from USA Climbing
TENNIS | AUSSIE OPEN
BY MARK MORICAL
The Bulletin
I
Already a
star, on
court and
off, Osaka
eyes more
t was no doubt a challenge to
be in the business of sports
during a year that crushed
both businesses and sports.
But Jim Stone, owner of the
Bend Rock Gym, can take a sliver
of positivity away from 2020. The
gym was recently named climbing
BY HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer
gym of the year for 2020 by USA
Naomi Osaka already is
a star at age 23. She has the
four Grand Slam titles, the
record-breaking endorse-
ment deals and the willing-
ness to speak her mind to
prove it.
Now the question is:
Where does she go from
here?
It was telling that the
second question posed to
Osaka at the news confer-
ence following her 6-4, 6-3
victory over Jennifer Brady
in the Australian Open final
Saturday — after she took
a sip of celebratory bubbly
that she said made her “feel
a little bit funny” — was
about turning in better per-
formances at Wimbledon
and the French Open.
After all, each of her ma-
jor championships so far
came on hard courts at Mel-
bourne Park (2019, 2021) or
the U.S. Open (2018, 2020).
Climbing.
“I think the reward is reflective of
Bend and the climbing community in
Bend, Oregon,” Stone said. “It’s kind of
just what Central Oregon is all about.
We’re welcoming and we want to do a
good job at presenting ourselves. The
gym award goes to the community of
Bend.”
Stone added that the award was partly
based on Bend Rock Gym’s history with
USA Climbing over the past few years.
The gym has stepped in to offer USA
Climbing youth events and competitions
when other venues have closed or can-
celed.
Bend Rock Gym also played a role in
helping the Deschutes County Fair &
Expo Center in Redmond host the USA
Climbing Bouldering National Champi-
onship in 2019 and February 2020.
“We basically roll out the red carpet
and try to give them (USA Climbing)
every asset that we have,” Stone said.
See Rocking / B3
Visitors climb at the Bend Rock Gym on Thursday.
See Osaka / B3
WORLD CUP SKIING | WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
A ‘huge, resounding’ success:
Shiffrin medals in all 4 events
BY ANDREW DAMPF
Associated Press
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO,
Italy — An ear-to-ear smile.
No regrets. And another
medal wrapped around her
neck.
What a refreshing sight it
was to see Mikaela Shiffrin
basking in the afternoon sun-
light after another successful
day in the Italian Dolomites.
Make that a successful world
championships.
After collecting her fourth
medal in as many races Sat-
urday by taking bronze in the
concluding slalom, the Amer-
ican skier was asked if she was
content with how everything
went over these two weeks of
competition.
“Yes. That’s a huge, resound-
ing yes,” Shiffrin replied.
“I mean that’s incredible.
I had planned for four races
and I thought, ‘OK, that’s four
chances for a medal. Hope-
fully somewhere in these two
weeks I can do some good
skiing.’ And I’m really proud
of so much of the skiing I
did.”
It wasn’t just the skiing,
though.
Seemingly weighed down
by her own expectations and
outside pressure at past worlds
and Olympics, Shiffrin never
seemed the least bit disturbed
in Cortina.
“Every day had something
really special, and it’s some-
thing to smile about,” she said.
See Shiffrin / B3
Giovanni Auletta/AP
Mikaela Shiffrin shows her bronze medal on the podium after the
women’s slalom at the World Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, It-
aly, on Saturday.