News Channel 9: Local Sports News

Syracuse tops #25 Rutgers on Senior Day

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:28:46 GMT

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Junior linebacker Doug Hogue broke the SU career record for tackles for loss in a game with 6.5 in Syracuse’s 31-13 win against No. 25 Rutgers (7-3, 2-3) on Saturday, Nov. 21.

Hogue finished with seven total tackles, one forced fumble and a personal-best 3.5 sacks to lead an impressive defensive performance. Junior free safety Mike Holmes added a career-high two interceptions, including one to thwart a late fourth-quarter drive by the Scarlet Knights.

Overall, the Syracuse defense tied the school record with nine sacks.

Courtesy: SU Athletics.

Syracuse runs away from No. 6 North Carolina

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:47:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) - Brandon Triche and Arinze Onuaku combined for 13 points in Syracuse's 22-1 run to open the second half and the Orange went on to a 87-71 victory over No. 6 North Carolina on Friday night in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic.

The Orange (4-0) were the only unranked team in the semifinals of the tournament that benefits Coaches vs. Cancer but they left Madison Square Garden with blowout wins over No. 13 California and the Tar Heels (4-1).

North Carolina had a 39-37 halftime lead but that was gone in a hurry as Triche and Onuaku had field goals in the first 40 seconds. By the time the run ended 8 minutes into the second half Syracuse had a 59-40 lead.

Tournament MVP Wesley Johnson had 25 points for the Orange, who beat California 95-73 in the semifinals. Onuaku finished with 15 points and Triche had 11.

Johnson, a 6-foot-7 junior transfer from Iowa State, was 10 of 17 from the field, including making half of eight 3-point attempts, and had eight rebounds.

Ed Davis had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Marcus Ginyard added 15 points for the Tar Heels, who lost almost all of a 19-point second-half lead before beating No. 15 Ohio State 77-73 to reach the title game.

North Carolina missed its first 13 shots of the second half and turned the ball over six times as the Orange just didn't miss. Syracuse started the half by making 10 of its first 14 shots and the baskets were coming down low from Onuaku and from the perimeter including a 3 by Johnson that made it 57-40.

The Tar Heels closed to 68-60 on a 3 by David Wear with 7:04 left, but Onuaku had the first and last baskets of a 6-0 run that ended any thoughts of a comeback for the ages.

The first half had the crowd, which was split almost evenly between Carolina Blue and Syracuse Orange, on a ride of runs that kept Madison Square Garden in a constant roar more accustomed to late in the season than late November.

Syracuse scored the first eight points of the game and was up 11-2 when Andy Rautins hit a 3.

It didn't take long for North Carolina to get right back in it as the Tar Heels scored 11 straight points, including two 3s by Will Graves.

There were four lead changes and four ties the rest of the half, which ended with the Tar Heels leading 39-37. It wasn't a perfect half as both teams had 10 turnovers.

Ohio State beat California 76-70 in the third-place game.

Click Here for more game notes.

Members of NewsChannel 9's sports department were at the game and sent these Tweets while the Orange were on the hardwood:

Another HUGE win for the Orange. 2 blowouts over ranked teams -- including the defending nat'l champs. SU zone defense looks scary good.
Rautins w/ a steal, then -- while seated on the ground -- hit Joseph for a huge dunk. 81-62 'Cuse. 3:17 to play.
Rautins w/ a big 3, then Kris Joseph takes a charge. 77-62 Orange.
Travis Wear 3-pointer makes it a single-digit SU lead ... but Orange responds w/ back-2-back buckets. 72-60. 6:14 to go.
http://twitpic.com/qaziv - Coach Boeheim & Roy Williams before the game.
UNC cuts lead to 10. 65-55. 7:55 to play.
http://twitpic.com/qayu5 - SU leads by 16. 65-49. 9:30 to go.
UNC just hit it's first bucket in a while. Kris Joseph w/ a jumper of his own. Orange now leads by 20, 62-42, w/ 11:30 to play.
Wes Johnson hits his 5th 3-pointer of game. Garden is going nuts. Makes you wonder how home games would be if SU played in a smaller arena.
Rick just picked up his 3rd foul. Wes has 3 fouls too.
Triche just took one to the lane, thru a UNC defender. FT good. 3 pt. play. SU leads 52-40 w/ 13:33 to go.
Andy w/ a no-look fastbreak pass to AO for a huge dunk. UNC calls timeout. SU up 47-40. 15:56 to play. "Let's go Orange" chants reverberate.
SU comes out strong. They lead 43-39 w/ 18:42 to play. UNC air-balled their first 2 shots.
39-37 UNC @ the break. General impression of 1st half: sloppy play by both sides. Let's see which coach uses halftime the best.
Garden crowd coming to life w/ chants of "Let's Go Orange" and "De-Fence."
SU really seems to be stuggling on the boards. Heels have a lot of 2nd chance opportunities.
SU just called for 10th team foul. 2:07 to play. 37-35 UNC.
Triche called for offensive foul for pushing-off. UNC takes lead. 35-33. 2:30 to go.
Scoop just pulled a nasty drive and lay-in ... but it's waved off for shot clock violation. UNC is trying to amp up permimeter pressure.
Ed Davis cuts lead to 3, 33-30. 5:05 to play. Still a lot of turnovers and poor defense by both teams.
Sloppy, back-&-forth game. This one comes down to coaching. Who gets their team to calm down & execute? Who uses timeouts/halftime best?
SU just committed it's 7th team foul of half, w/ 9:05 still to play. This is UNC's chance to come back. SU up 31-23.
Both teams are playing very sloppy on both ends of the floor (10 combined T0's). SU leads 29-22 w/ just under 10:00 in the 1st half.
UNC went on 11-2 run to take lead at 13-10. SU finally scored, them commited their 5th foul of half on other end. 15-12 Heels. 14:00 to play
Andy just drilled a 3 to put SU up 11-2. Must feel OK.
Andy Rautins just tried taking a charge on a fastbreak, and is slow to get up. Noticeable limp, but he's staying in the game.
The Garden is PACKED, and it's nearly all SU fans. 'Cuse is on an 8-0 run to start, and the crowd is going nuts.
SU-UNC. Coaches vs. Cancer finals. Roy Williams-Jim Boeheim. That's almost 1400 career wins, and 3 nat'l titles between them.
Cuse score first. 3pts from Johnson
the game is underway. UNC takes the first shot and misses a three

Jardine leads 'Cuse to 95-73 win over No. 13 Cal

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:01:23 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) - Scoop Jardine scored a career-high 22 points, Wes Johnson had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Syracuse raced past No. 13 California 95-73 on Thursday night in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic.

Arinza Onuaku added 12 points for the Orange, who made Madison Square Garden feel like home in the tournament benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. Syracuse will play No. 6 North Carolina or No. 15 Ohio State for the championship on Friday night.

Syracuse confounded the Bears (2-1) from the tip with coach Jim Boeheim's trademark zone defense, building a double-digit lead by halftime.

Cal star Jerome Randle finished with 25 points, while Jamal Boykin had 14 and Patrick Christopher 12.

Click here for other game notes.

Members of NewsChannel 9's sports department were at the game and sent these Tweets while the Orange were on the hardwood:

Big win for SU. Great defense, great offense. Still some sloppy play here and there, and FTs were an issue. Final: 95-73 SU.
AO just brought the 'Cuse crowd to life w/ an emphatic fastbreak dunk. SU leads 75-54. 7:55 to play.
66-50 Orange. 11:26 to play. 'Cuse has 6 team fouls.
Rautins and Wes very active on defensive end. SU is blowing this thing open. 64-41 'Cuse. 15:00 to play.
Scoop has 18 pts and looks like he's in the zone. 59-41 SU. 15:53 to play. 'Cuse continues to do a good job applying the pressure on 'D.'
AO nearly brought down the hoop, he dunked so hard. 54-39 Orange on top. 17:20 to go.
44-33 SU @ the half. SU shoots over 50% from field, but just 50% from FT line. Cal in foul trouble most of half. Nice defensive job by SU.
3:55 to go in 1st. SU up 37-21. Cal has 10 team fouls, 3 from big man Markhuri Sanders-Frison. Rick and AO are pounding backup C Max Zhang.
This is getting real ugly for Cal. Orange up 30-16 w/ 7:52 left in 1st. SU's putting a lot of pressure on the Bears. Forcing a lot of TO's.
10 min. to play in 1st, and Cal already has 8 team fouls. 24-14 Orange, and that's w/ a lot of misses from charity stripe.
Wes Johnson just skyrocketed up and missed a wide-open dunk; the kind that ends up on the Not Top 10. 21-14 SU w/ 12 min. to go.
4 min in: 9-7 SU. Scoop just crossed his defender and hit Rick for an easy bucket. Huge chorus of "oohh's" from the very pro-SU crowd.
SU just regained the lead with a 3pt shot from Rautins
20 min 'til tip. Key to game for SU: don't let Cal get hot from deep. Randle, Christopher & Robertson can stroke from 3. Good defense = win.

Check out the pic below. Bob Knight and Coach Boeheim catching up on Garden floor before the game. There's over 1700 wins between them.

http://twitpic.com/q5k2t - 1987 Revisited

What up 'Cuse fans? Ch. 9 is officially on the Isle of Manhattan. SU-Cal tips in a few hours. Check us out for updates thruout the tourney.

Top Recruit Picks Vols Over Orange

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:10:52 GMT

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Highly-touted basketball recruit Tobias Harris announced his college decision tonight at the ESPN Zone in New York. Harris picked Tennessee over the likes of Syracuse, Louisville, and Kentucky. The Long Island-native shared the Class A State player of the year honors with Brandon Triche last season. Harris is a 6'8" power forward who is considered among the Top 5 high school seniors in the entire country.

Marrone announces Derrell Smith out with injury

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:18:13 GMT

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – Syracuse University’s head football coach Doug Marrone announced the loss of another player from his team – this time due to injury. Senior linebacker Derrell Smith will miss the final two games of the season due to a tear in his lateral meniscus.

Smith reported some soreness in his left knee after playing versus Akron. The tear was revealed by an MRI scan. Marrone said that Smith will undergo surgery in the near future and rehabilitation will sideline him for the rest of the season.

Smith is SU’s leading tackler, and averages 8.2 tackles, .65 sacks, and 1 tackle for loss per game. He ranks sixth among BIG EAST defenders. Smith also has four forced fumbles, which ties him for fourth on the Syracuse single-season record list.

Syracuse will play #25-ranked Rutgers this Saturday, November 21, in the Carrier Dome. Prior to the game, the team will hold a salute to Smith, and the rest of the senior class.

Crunch go down in Albany

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:52:39 GMT

Crunch go down in Albany

Albany (WSYR-TV) – Albany’s rookie Drayson Bowman scored 2 goals in the second period and led the River Rats to a 5-2 victory over the Crunch in Albany Wednesday.

During their second game this week, the Crunch and River Rats battled through a scoreless first period. Albany, however, out shot Syracuse by 13-9, and their persistence would pay off – Albany led the game 3-0 after 2 periods.

Albany scored first again in the third period. The Crunch didn’t get on the board until 4:02 into the third when Alexandre Picard scored off a rebound from a Trevor Frischmon shot.

The first professional goal from Brock McBride brought the Crunch to within two, but an empty-netter from Steven Goertzen’s secured the win for Albany.

Fewell picked to replace Jauron as Bills coach

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:38:28 GMT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Perry Fewell shared a simple but blunt philosophy in taking over as the Buffalo Bills interim head coach after Dick Jauron was abruptly fired on Tuesday.

"Play like hell and win," Fewell said.

That's the plan and also the challenge for Fewell, following the defensive coordinator's promotion. He has seven games left in the season to prove that he's capable of turning around a struggling team and a franchise that's now on its fifth coach in nine years and in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for a 10th straight season.

It starts on Sunday, when the Bills (3-6) travel to play at Jacksonville.

Fewell then showed he's smart enough to not make any guarantees, when asked to assess how much he can do to fix an offense that's sputtered for most of the season despite the presence of Terrell Owens.

"We are who we are," Fewell said, adding he'll wait until Wednesday to announce whether quarterback Trent Edwards or backup Ryan Fitzpatrick will start this weekend. "We have that identity. We're going to try to give a little spark, but we are who we are."

Bills owner Ralph Wilson prompted the shakeup, which caught Fewell and several players by surprise. The move came during the players' day off and after Buffalo stumbled out of its bye week to fall further out of contention with a 41-17 loss at Tennessee last weekend.

Wilson described his decision to change coaches as a difficult one, but one "for the best interest of our team."

"I really don't have anything to say," was all Jauron would say when reached on his cell phone by The Associated Press.

In electing to promote Fewell, Wilson credited the assistant for having done "a great job with our defense and demonstrated excellent leadership skills," while noting the players and staff have confidence in him.

Fewell is in his 12th NFL season, and fourth with Buffalo as the team's defensive coordinator, after being hired by Jauron, whose background is primarily on the defensive side. Fewell also becomes the team's first black head coach.

He was offered the job by Wilson, shortly after he and the coaching staff were informed by Jauron that he had been fired.

Fewell declined to discuss whether he's been given an opportunity to keep the job beyond this season, but called his promotion "the opportunity of a lifetime."

The Bills' defense under Fewell has shown a resilient quality, though the numbers don't always show it. The unit's best season under Fewell was last year, when it finished 14th in the NFL in yards allowed despite missing numerous players to injuries.

Things haven't been better on the injury front this season. The defense ranks 26th in the NFL yards allowed, but Fewell has made do with a unit that's played with as many as six regulars out of the lineup, including two starters on injured reserve.

The defense, which is allowing an average of 173 yards rushing, has been credited for keeping the Bills competitive. Buffalo has either led, been tied or been within a score of the lead entering the fourth quarter in all of its games except for a 38-10 loss at Miami on Oct. 4.

The trouble has been the inept offense that's averaging just over 15 points, is unsettled at quarterback and features an inexperienced line.

The Bills haven't generated 300 yards of offense in eight of nine games this season, including their past seven. They also haven't had a quarterback reach 200 yards passing since Edwards had 230 yards in a 33-20 win over Tampa Bay in Week 2.

So much for the spark Owens was supposed to provide after he signed a one-year $6.5 million contract in March, days after the receiver was released by Dallas.

Receiver Lee Evans expressed his support for Fewell, and doesn't mind his defensive background, saying "I don't think that plays into it."

"The way our defense is playing with all the injuries, it's a testament to him. They've done a great job of keeping us in games," Evans told The AP. "I think this is a great opportunity for him. ... I think he should try to stick with the things that made him the coach he is, rally the team and keep us on the same page."

Jauron has been on the hot seat ever since last season, after he led the Bills to their third consecutive 7-9 finish.

Expressing a need for continuity, Wilson elected at the time to retain Jauron. The Hall of Fame owner, however, noted that he was aware of Bills fans' dissatisfaction with the team, and warned that he wasn't going to be "complacent" in seeking improvements, particularly on offense.

Defensive end Chris Kelsay was shocked to learn of the move happening this late in the season, but not entirely surprised. Kelsay was well aware before the start of the season that changes were in store if the Bills faltered.

"I think everybody understood this was a big year and there was lots at stake," Kelsay told the AP, adding he maintains his respect for Jauron. "I feel a little responsible for it, and most players do. I feel like I let him down because we, as players, are the ones to blame."

Jauron out as Buffalo Bills coach

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:57:14 GMT

Buffalo (WSYR TV) -The Buffalo Bills fired head coach Dick Jauron Tuesday afternoon, the team said in a release.

Buffalo defensive coordinator Fewell Perry is expected to become the Bills' interim head coach, a Bills source told NFL.com's Vic Carucci.

In just short of four seasons with the Bills, Jauron compiled a record of 24-33.

The Bills failed to make the playoffs in each season under Jauron. Buffalo has not made the playoffs since 1999, the longest active streak for a non-expansion team.

The Bills' next game is this Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

JAURON IS RELIEVED OF DUTIES AS BILLS HEAD COACH

Orchard Park, NY—Bills owner Ralph Wilson, Jr. announced today that Dick Jauron has been relieved of his duties as head coach.

Wilson said, “I am announcing today that I am relieving Dick Jauron from his duties as our head coach, effective immediately. I have tremendous respect for Dick and thank him for all of his efforts during these past four years. While this was a very difficult decision, I felt that it is one that needed to be made at this time for the best interest of our team. We will now focus on moving forward and preparing for our game this week in Jacksonville.”

A separate announcement regarding the naming of an interim head coach will be forthcoming soon.

Orange lose two more players

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:04:45 GMT

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Syracuse coach Doug Marrone could only grin while delivering the latest bad news for the Orange.

Marrone said Monday the Orange, who have had their roster thinned by injuries and suspensions, would be without two more players for Saturday's home finale against No. 25 Rutgers (7-2, 2-2 Big East).

Freshman kick returner Mike Jones and reserve tight end/snapper Dalton Phillips will miss the final two games of the season.

"The injuries don't stop for us," Marrone said. "We have a lot of players that we've lost. We keep talking about it, but you need to move on. No one's going to feel sorry."

Marrone said Phillips was hospitalized from an injury suffered in Saturday's 10-9 loss at Louisville. Phillips was hurt in a violent collision while blocking during a Syracuse kick return in the third quarter and appeared to be unconscious on the field. He changed and watched the remainder of the game from the sideline and traveled with the team back to Syracuse.

Marrone said he would reveal the extent and details of the injuries to both players later Monday. They are the eighth and ninth players lost to season-ending injuries, and six have been hurt in the past two games.

Syracuse, winless in five Big East games to drop its conference record to 3-30 since 2005, has lost three in a row - including a 10-9 setback against Louisville on Saturday - and five of six since posting consecutive wins over Northwestern and Maine.

Marrone also has lost 20 scholarship players since he was hired last December and standout receiver Mike Williams quit the team two weeks ago. Marrone also suspended tailback Antwon Bailey, defensive end Torrey Ball and offensive guard Andrew Tiller for one game for violating team rules.

Still, Marrone has made gains in getting the program turned back in the right direction. Despite the losses, the players have not shown any signs of giving up as they did under previous coach Greg Robinson.

"There's a lot of plays we could have made. We didn't make those plays," Marrone said. "We have to keep building this team. We have a lot of players that we've lost. We keep talking about it, but you need to move on. No one's going to feel sorry."

Marrone again said former Duke point guard Greg Paulus, a graduate student here for only one year, would remain the starting quarterback with Ryan Nassib the backup. Paulus has completed 65.8 percent of his passes - 156 of 237 for 1,586 yards and 10 TDs with 14 interceptions - and remains on pace to finish the season with a school record. Bill Scharr holds the top spot at 63.3 percent (107 of 169 in 1989).

Nassib has played in seven games and has seen his playing time increase since the start of the season. But he's just 25 of 53 (47.2 percent) for 289 yards and two scores and one interception, both TDs coming in the second half of a 34-13 loss to West Virginia. Marrone hasn't given up hope of a couple more victories.

"We're still going out there to win games, not to give people experience for next year," said Marrone, an offensive lineman at Syracuse in the mid-1980s. "It's not next year until the last game is over. The way people are getting experience now on this team is through injury. We always played to win. I think that's what you do at Syracuse."

Syracuse owns a commanding 28-10 margin since its series with the Scarlet Knights began with a 14-14 tie in 1914. But Rutgers has won five of the past six under Schiano, who has molded them into a consistent contender for the conference title and strengthened the school's recruiting prowess in an area where Syracuse once was very successful.

The loss of tailback Ray Rice, who initially committed to Syracuse before becoming a star at Rutgers, still smarts.

"It's a game that we have to win," Marrone said. "It's no different than the other games we've played during the year. I don't look at it as a hostile situation. I worry about our football team. I don't worry about what the other team does recruiting or goes through."

Le Moyne men's soccer team headed for Regional Championship

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:44:33 GMT

Syracuse, N.Y. – Junior forward Angelo Reina (Frankfort, N.Y./Utica Notre Dame) scored his 18th goal of the season midway through the second half to give the 6th-ranked Le Moyne College men’s soccer team a 1-0 win over 25th-ranked Franklin Pierce in the NCAA East Region semifinals on Sunday afternoon at the Thomas J. Niland Athletic Complex.

The two teams, meeting for the third time this season, played a scoreless first half. The Ravens out-shot their hosts, 10-4, in the opening 45 minutes, but could not get a shot on goal. Following a save by senior goalkeeper Steve White (Cortland, N.Y./Cortland) on a shot along the endline by Frantz Francois, White punted the ball down field to Reina.

Reina fed the ball back to classmate Domenico Vitale (Liverpool, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse), who slotted a pass over to Joe Viviano (North Syracuse, N.Y./North Syracuse) along the right side of the field. Viviano launched a shot from the edge of the penalty box that was saved by Vinny Papageorgiou, but Reina, streaking towards the goal on the left side of the field, knocked the rebound into the back of the net for his eighth game-winning goal of the year.

With the goal, Reina ties the program’s single-season record with his 18th. Reina ties the record set by Walt Mirgorod in 1969 and equaled by Francesco Riverso in 2001. Reina also ties Lee Williams for the most points in a season with 42. Franklin Pierce ended the contest with a 25-7 advantage in shots, while also posting an 8-4 edge in corner kicks.

White turned away four shots in the contest for his career-high eighth shutout of the season and the 25th of his career. Papageorgiou recorded two saves in between the pipes for the Ravens. Le Moyne (18-2-2), which defeated the Ravens by a single goal in each of the three meetings this season, advances to the NCAA quarterfinals next weekend.

The Dolphins, who set a program record for wins in a season, will take on Southern New Hampshire University. During the regular season, the Penman topped the Dolphins, 3-0, in Manchester, N.H. on September 13th.

Courtesy: Le Moyne Athletics