buzz muddleheaded: Latest New York sports

Published: February 14, 2013 3:31 AM
By The Associated Press ?

BKN-RAPTORS-KNICKS

Raptors beat Knicks 92-88 for 4th straight win

NEW YORK (AP) -- Reserve Alan Anderson scored 26 points in one of the few good offensive performances for either team, and the Toronto Raptors beat the New York Knicks 92-88 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight victory.

DeMar DeRozan added 20 points for the Raptors, who overcame a 4-for-21 performance from Rudy Gay because Knicks star Carmelo Anthony was just as bad.

Anthony finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds but shot 5 of 24 for the Knicks, who dropped their final two games leading into the All-Star break.

KNICKS-ANTHONY INJURED

Anthony unsure about All-Star game with arm injury

NEW YORK (AP) -- Carmelo Anthony's All-Star game start could be in jeopardy after he received a deep bruise in his right arm that caused numbness.

Anthony says he wants to play Sunday in Houston but is "not going to force it."

The New York Knicks forward says, "As bad as I would want to play in the All-Star game, participate, if I can't go, I can't go. Nothing I can do about that."

Anthony was hurt early in the Knicks' 92-88 loss to Toronto on Wednesday when he tried to step in front of a driving DeMar DeRozan and took an elbow to his biceps. Anthony says it created a contusion and left him battling a "dead arm" throughout the game.

Anthony finished with 12 points on 5-of-24 shooting.

BKN-NUGGETS-NETS

Johnson and Nets beat Nuggets 119-108

NEW YORK (AP) -- Joe Johnson scored 26 points, including five 3-pointers, C.J Watson added 25 points and five 3s, and the Brooklyn Nets avoided another second-half meltdown with a 119-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.

All-Star center Brook Lopez had 23 points and eight rebounds and Kris Humphries chipped in 14 points for Brooklyn.

The 119 points were a season high for the Nets. They also tied a season-high with 16 3-pointers.

Brooklyn is now 2-1 in games played without star point guard Deron Williams, who has sat out the last two games due to sore ankles.

Ty Lawson led the Nuggets with 26 points and hit all of his five 3-point attempts. Denver has lost three in a row after winning a season-high seven straight games.

DEVILS-JETS TRADE

Devils get Ponikarovsky in deal with Jets

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- The New Jersey Devils reacquired forward Alexei Ponikarovsky from the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday for a seventh-round draft pick this year and a fourth-round pick in 2014.

The 32-year-old Ponikarovsky, from the Ukraine, completed last season with New Jersey, finishing with seven goals and 11 assists in 33 games following a trade with Carolina. He signed with Winnipeg as an unrestricted free agent and had two goals in 12 games for the Jets this season.

In 12 NHL seasons with Toronto, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Carolina, New Jersey and Winnipeg, he has 137 goals and 179 assists in 648 regular-season games.

YANKEES-MARINERS TRADE

Yankees acquire RHP Shawn Kelley from Mariners

NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Yankees have added depth to their bullpen, acquiring right-hander Shawn Kelley from the Seattle Mariners for minor league outfielder Abraham Almonte.

The teams announced the trade Wednesday night.

The 28-year-old Kelley went 2-4 with a 3.25 ERA in 47 appearances for Seattle last season and figures to fill a middle-relief role with the Yankees. He was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Feb. 7 when the club signed catcher Kelly Shoppach.

About a week earlier, Kelley and the Mariners agreed to a $935,000, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Kelley is 10-9 with a 3.52 ERA in four big league seasons, all with Seattle.

Almonte, 23, batted .276 with four homers, 25 RBIs and 30 steals in 78 games for Double-A Trenton last season.

BBA-YANKEES-RIVERA

Rivera plans to announce if this is final season

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera says he's reached a decision on whether this will be his final season and plans to announce it before opening day.

"Yes, I have," Rivera said Wednesday after the Yankees' first spring training workout for pitchers and catchers. "But again, I will tell you guys when I think it's the right moment."

The 43-year-old reliever had surgery June 12 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, an injury that occurred while he was shagging fly balls during batting practice in Kansas City on May 3.

The right-hander expects to be ready for the regular season. He threw 25 pitches off a bullpen mound and said it felt good.

"It was wonderful to be out there again," Rivera said.

METS-PARNELL

Parnell will close for Mets if Francisco ailing

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) -- New York Mets manager Terry Collins plans to use Bobby Parnell as the team's closer if Frank Francisco is not ready to pitch on opening day.

Francisco has been shut down with the same right elbow inflammation that ended his season last September and ultimately led to December surgery to remove bone spurs.

Collins told Parnell on Tuesday night that he would be the first reliever in line if Francisco isn't able to start the season with the team.

Collins said Wednesday that newcomer Brandon Lyon would likely would move into the eighth-inning spot in that scenario.

GIANTS-BUEHLER

Giants add to roster, sign kicker Buehler

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Former Dallas Cowboys placekicker David Buehler has signed with the New York Giants. The team announced the move Wednesday.

Lawrence Tynes is entering the final year of his contract with New York, and Buehler will provide some competition in training camp. Buehler played for the Cowboys from 2009-11, handling kickoff duties most of the time. He led the NFL in 2009 with 29 touchbacks.

Buehler made 24 of 32 field-goal attempts and 42 extra points in 2010. He played in four games in 2011 and was placed on injured reserve Nov. 10 with a torn adductor muscle. He underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum on Dec. 11. He did not play last year, after failing a physical.

The Giants went 9-7 last season and missed the playoffs.

BKC-T25-SYRACUSE-CONNECTICUT

Connecticut beats No. 6 Syracuse 66-58

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Freshman Omar Calhoun scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers in the deciding second-half run, and Connecticut beat No. 6 Syracuse 66-58 on Wednesday night in the last scheduled game between the national powers.

Syracuse will play next season in the Atlantic Coast Conference while Connecticut will stay in the realigned Big East although the Huskies could be enticed to head to another conference if asked.

There is no chance they would meet again this postseason as Connecticut has been banned from the Big East and NCAA tournaments as part of a punishment for failing to post a passable APR score.

Their last game was a close one until Calhoun started hitting from beyond the 3-point line.

He started the run with a 3 that gave the Huskies (17-6, 7-4 Big East) the lead for good at 45-42 with 9:49 to play.

FORDHAM-XAVIER

Xavier gets 11th straight win over Fordham 79-66

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Justin Martin scored 16 points and set the tone with several gritty plays on Wednesday night, sparking Xavier to a 79-66 victory over Fordham and keeping the Musketeers unbeaten at home in Atlantic 10 play.

Semaj Christon scored 19 points, and Xavier (14-9, 7-3) had five players in double figures while remaining perfect at home in A-10 games. Xavier is 52-1 in A-10 games at the Cintas Center since the 2007-08 season.

The Musketeers have won their last 11 games against the Rams (6-19, 2-8), and lead the series 23-3.

Mandell Thomas scored 23 points for Fordham, which has lost five in a row and eight of its last nine games while missing one of its top players.

The Rams played their seventh straight game without senior forward Chris Gaston, an A-10 preseason first-team choice. He's been bothered by an injured knee.

TOLEDO-BUFFALO

Watson, McCrea lead Buffalo over Toledo 75-60

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Tony Watson scored 24 points and Javon McCrea had a double-double as Buffalo ended Toledo's five-game winning streak with a 75-60 victory Wednesday night.

McCrea had 14 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Bulls (10-15, 5-6 Mid-American Conference), who have won their last six games against the Rockets (11-11, 7-4).

Jarryn Skeete added 17 points for Buffalo, which outshot Toledo 51.9 percent (27 of 52) to 32.4 percent (22 of 68).

Trailing 22-21, Buffalo outscored Toledo 14-3 over the final 6:32 of the first half to take a 35-25 lead. McCrea had three layups during the run.

The Bulls' lead never dipped below double figures in the second half.

Rian Pearson, Matt Smith and Julius Brown scored 10 points each for Toledo, which held on to a share of the MAC West Division lead because Western Michigan lost to Bowling Green.

ARMY-LAFAYETTE

Wilson scores 24, leads Army past Lafayette 85-68

EASTON, Pa. (AP) -- Kyle Wilson scored 24 points and Ella Ellis added 20 as Army trounced Lafayette 85-68 Wednesday night to snap a two-game skid and sweep the season series for the first time in four years.

The Black Knights (11-13, 4-5 Patriot League), who also defeated Lafayette 77-54 on Jan. 16, never trailed and led by 31 with 6:36 remaining.

Wilson had 13 points in the first half as Army took a 38-19 lead into the break.

The Black Knights outshot the Leopards 55.6 percent (30 of 54) to 39.1 percent (25 of 64). Lafayette made only 1 of 12 3-point attempts in the first half, improving to 8 of 16 in the second.

Kyle Toth added 14 points and Kevin Ferguson had 10 rebounds as Army dominated the glass 43-25.

Tony Johnson's 18 points led the Leopards (12-14, 5-4), who came in as winners of four of their previous five games.

COLGATE-BUCKNELL

Muscala leads Bucknell to 69-61 win over Colgate

LEWISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Mike Muscala scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Bucknell led wire-to-wire in a 69-61 win over Colgate on Wednesday night, sweeping the season series.

The double-double was the 18th of the season for Muscala, who has scored in double digits in 29 straight games for the Bison (21-4, 8-1 Patriot League).

Tied with Lehigh atop the league standings, Bucknell has won five straight games and eight of its past nine, including 73-59 over Colgate on Jan. 16. The Bison posted the second-best 25-game start in program history after the 1983-84 team that began its season 22-3.

Bucknell led 34-23 at halftime, but the Raiders (9-17, 3-6) closed to 49-47 with 7:49 left. Muscala's back-to-back layups ended the threat and Colgate could get no closer than four points from there.

Cameron Ayers added 13 points and Bryson Johnson 12 for the Bison.

Murphy Burnatowski's 23 points led the Raiders.

HOFSTRA-GEORGIA ST

Georgia State shuts down Hofstra 61-43 in CAA play

ATLANTA (AP) -- Manny Atkins scored 13 points and Georgia State allowed a season-low in points in a 61-43 victory over Hofstra Wednesday night in Colonial Athletic Association.

The Panthers (13-14, 8-6), trailing 10-4, scored 16 consecutive points to lead 28-19 at halftime. They extended their lead to 43-25 midway through the second half and coasted home against Hofstra (6-19, 3-9).

Georgia State, which also got 11 points apiece from Devonta White and center James Vincent (5 for 5 from the floor), forced 22 Hofstra turnovers -- 14 on steals -- and turned those turnovers into 31 points. The Panthers also hounded Hofstra into 29-percent shooting from the field (12 of 41).

Stevie Mejia was the only player in double figures for the Pride. He posted his first career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. No one else scored more than six.

Atkins just missed a double-double with nine rebounds.

LA SALLE-ST BONAVENTURE

Galloway, La Salle edge St. Bonaventure 69-66, OT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) -- Ramon Galloway scored 23 points to go with six boards and five assists and La Salle won its third straight game, beating St. Bonaventure 69-66 in overtime Wednesday.

Tyrone Garland scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half and Steve Zach grabbed 10 boards.

La Salle (17-6, 7-3 Atlantic 10 Conference) led 16-14 before reeling off 10 straight points and taking a 38-27 advantage into intermission. St. Bonaventure, which trailed by as many as 16 in the first half, outscored the Explorers 34-23 in the second half to force overtime.

Charlon Kloof tied the game at 65 with 1:33 left in overtime but the Bonnies (11-12, 4-6) were outscored 4-1 the rest of the way. Eric Mosley was fouled on a 3-point attempt with two seconds remaining, trailing 68-65, but missed two of three free throws.

Mosley led four in double figures for St. Bonaventure with 15 points.

HOCKEY FAN KILLED

Fan leaving hockey game struck, killed by car

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Newark police say an 18-year-old New York man was struck and killed by a car as he left a New Jersey Devils hockey game.

Thomas Argenti of Pearl River was struck around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday in the area of the Prudential Center, the arena in downtown Newark where the Devils play their home games. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

No charges have been filed against the 28-year-old who was driving the vehicle that struck Argenti. Police say the driver stopped and remained at the scene.

SUPER BOWL-NFL PLANS

NFL ready to get Super Bowl played at Met Life

NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL says it's ready to get the 2014 Super Bowl played at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey no matter what the weather conditions are early next February.

The NFL has contingency plans for all games, but with a winter storm hitting the Northeast just after this year's Super Bowl in New Orleans, there are concerns about the championship game being played for the first time outdoors at a cold-weather site.

Several reports indicate the NFL has discussed changing the day of game set for Feb. 2 if weather complications arise. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy would not offer specifics of the contingency plans, but says Wednesday "we will be prepared if we have to make adjustments."

The date of the Super Bowl has never been changed for any reason.

However, dates, times and even sites of several regular-season games have been moved because of weather-related issues.

RUTGERS-WILSON

Rutgers names Darrell Wilson secondary coach

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) -- Darrell Wilson, who spent the last 11 seasons as an assistant at Iowa, has been named the defensive secondary coach at Rutgers. Coach Kyle Flood announced the hiring Wednesday.

Wilson, who previously served as the running backs coach for the Scarlet Knights in 1999, coached the secondary for the Hawkeyes in 2012, while assisting with special teams.

A former defensive back at UConn, Wilson has also coached at Rhode Island and Wisconsin. He played one season in the NFL with New England and five with Toronto of the CFL, winning the Grey Cup in 1983.

Rutgers went 9-4 last season in Flood's first year as coach.

ATH-US-ROAD-RACE

USA Track & Field to hold new national road race

NEW YORK (AP) -- USA Track & Field will hold a new national road race in the fall, open to both amateur and elite runners.

The governing body said Wednesday that the 7?-mile event will have a combined $100,000 prize purse for men and women. It's part of a three-year deal between USATF and Neustar, an information services company.

The competition will be called the .US National Road Racing Championships in reference to Neustar's. US domain name.

The date, location and course will be announced in the next few weeks. This will be USATF's first fully owned-and-operated road race.

USATF says the deal is its biggest single-event sponsorship in more than a decade.

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Source: http://www.newsday.com/latest-new-york-sports-1.4645091

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