Penn State Nittany Lions vs Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on, September01, 2022. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)
West Lafayette, IN – If moral victories counted in the win loss column the Purdue Boilermakers would have something to build on. Penn State Nittany Lions defeated Purdue 35-31 in their season Big Ten opener.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on, September 01, 2022. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)
The Boilermakers stuck first blood settling for a field goal and the earlier 3-0 lead in the first quarter. With the strong arm of Aidan O’Connell who sliced up Penn State defense completing 29/58 for 356 yards with one touchdown.
“I have to be more precise where I’m throwing the ball.” quarterback O’Connell said. “I’ll take responsibility for that. We have to be on the same page across the board, the play-call signaling in and everybody getting lined and doing what we need to.”
The stats all add up to Purdue for the win but if running back King Doerue who carried 15 times for 57 yards and 2 key touchdowns. They amassed 426 total yards, twenty more then Penn State.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on, September 01, 2022. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)
Now Penn State now knows that Sean Clifford can carry the load throwing for 282 yards with 4 touchdowns completing 20/37 passes. Four different players caught touchdown pass to keep things balance and show off a few shinny weapons.
Penn State defense stacked box and created one on one matchups on the outside that could have been enough for Purdue to capitalize on.
“We had this one right where we wanted it with a chance to seal the game with one more first down and the game is over,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. “We weren’t able to get that. That’s what stings. I’m proud of the fight. We battled in the second half and didn’t give in. We had a chance.”
Penn State Nittany Lions vs Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on, September 01, 2022. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)
Now both teams will look to tweak their gameplans for game two with a road to Big Ten Championship still in sight for both teams.
Next week the 1-0 Penn State will host Ohio at high noon on Saturday September 10th. Purdue will host Indiana State back at home at 4pm on September 10th.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on, September 01, 2022. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)
Seattle, WA – The Seattle Storm pulled away from a tightly contested game two against the Washington Mystics, sweeping them and advancing to the WNBA semifinals. A tie game at the half seemed to pit the teams for another close finish, but the Storm starters were able to let loose and pour it on. Seattle was able to contain Elena Delle Donne, and will now face the first overall seed Las Vegas Aces.
MVP frontrunner Breanna Stewart started out the game slow, having missed all five of her shots at the halftime mark. Stewart was impacting the game in other facets, helping to crash the boards and facilitate to her teammates. Coming out of the half, Stewart began to regain her form. She hit a three, and looked like her “best player in the world” self after that. Stewart would finish the game flirting with a triple double, notching a 21 point, ten rebounds, eight assist double-double. Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn discussed her superstar postgame.
“Stewie didn’t hit shots, but she did everything else on the floor. She was facilitating, she was assisting, and the rebounding was huge for us… It shows who Stewie is. No matter what it is, Stewie can provide it for us,” Quinn said.
Unlike a solid majority of the Storms games, Breanna Stewart’s offensive input did not solely carry Seattle. The Storm got an entire team effort, from all five starters scoring in double digits and the bench providing meaningful minutes. Tina Charles provided an early spark and aggressive paint presence, Gabby Williams was active until a
concussion took her out of the game, Jewell Loyd hit shots all night, and Sue Bird herself had a great game. The greatest of all time contributed a double-double, and has been huge for Seattle down the stretch. Bird would discuss the team’s offensive success in the win.
“I thought that we were really patient… there were things that we knew they were going to do, and we wanted to take advantage of those mismatches… we were super, super patient. We were picky about which moments to run, and we finally got some things going in transition late,” Bird reflected.
Seattle played a pretty evenly matched Mystics team in round one, and they saw different results in the two games played. A close game led to big adjustments in the following contest, and those adjustments will be key in the Storms semifinal matchup against the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces tote the highest seed in the league, coming off of a dominating effort against the Phoenix Mercury. Seattle and Las Vegas face off in the playoffs for the first time since the Storm embarrassed the Aces in the 2020 Finals. Things will surely be different this time around, and it should be one for the history books.
Game one of the WNBA Semifinals between Seattle and Las Vegas begins on August 28th as the Storm go on the road. Tipoff for the first game of the series between the number four and number one seed is at 1PM PST, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Seattle, WA – With five minutes left in the first game of their round one matchup, it seemed like the Washington Mystics had things in control over the Seattle Storm. Seattle needed a hero late, and the important shots would come from a player who only had four points going into the final quarter. Jewell Loyd exploded for 12 points in the final ten minutes, the Storm got some clutch rebounds and defensive stops, and Seattle would take a thrilling game one.
A key to the game identified by Storm head coach Noelle Quinn pregame was to try and contain two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne. Seattle was able to do a decent job through the first three quarters, but the final period had Delle Donne’s fingerprints all over it. Every time the Storm would make a run and look to close out the game, Delle Donne would hit a tough bucket in response. The Mystics superstar nearly carried her team to victory, and will surely be a force to be reckoned with in game two. MVP candidate Breanna Stewart discussed the challenge that is guarding Delle Donne.
Jewell Loyd shoots. (Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News)
“Elena is really tough to guard. I think all three (Stewart, Jewell Loyd, and Gabby Williams) talked about it after the game, she hit some really tough shots. That’s the goal; try to make things difficult, try to make her facilitate. She rose to the occasion; we see her again on Sunday and we just gotta be prepared…everyone is stepping up to be the best in these moments,” Stewart said.
Seattle shooting guard Jewell Loyd, nicknamed the Gold Mamba, had a rough game until the final period. Loyd missed all five of her shots from the field through 30 minutes. Loyd, who has had multiple clutch moments in the last few seasons let alone her career, put her head down and went to work. Her 12 points in the fourth quarter kept the Storm in the game and kept pace with the points put up by Elena Delle Donne. The Gold Mamba was able to forget her early struggles, and forge another clutch moment in Storm basketball. Storm head coach Noelle Quinn reflected on her shooting guard’s performance.
“In the first half, she didn’t hit a bucket. I’m very proud of her, because it shows a lot of growth. Especially having been here with her, as her teammate, knowing that she has been in these playoff situations. Maybe she hasn’t pushed through before, but she pushed through today in a big way. It wasn’t how she started, but how she finished,” Quinn reflected.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
The Storm saw great performances all over the board, including an early explosion of energy by forward Gabby Williams. The athletic Williams was able to pester Washington early, fighting for rebounds, attacking the rim, and swatting shots. Veteran center Tina Charles was aggressive in the paint and got a vital rebound with 48 seconds left to set up a Loyd jumper that gave Seattle a lead they wouldn’t lose the rest of the game. The tools are all there for the Storm, but they must execute properly to advance against a tough matchup in the Mystics.
Game two of the first-round matchup is Sunday, August 21st at Climate Pledge Arena. Tipoff for the potential series clincher is at 1PM PST, as the Mystics will look to scrape out a victory and force the series to Washington DC for a game three. The matchup will be streamed on ESPN nationally. In order to combat the deep Mystics lineup headlined by Delle Donne and Natasha Cloud, Seattle will need strong performances yet again from Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd, as well as a better performance from their bench in order to take the series.
Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles Sparks have officially missed out on the 2022 WNBA Playoffs after their second blowout loss to the Connecticut Sun this week. Although the game started in a competitive way, the Sparks had to swallow a 93-69 loss on Thursday night.
The Sun were off to a solid start, shooting at 58.8% from the field in the first quarter. The Sparks weren’t quite as accurate but they didn’t fall behind by much, as the Sun only led by five points at the end of the first quarter.
Photo by fi360 News
Unfortunately for them, the rest of the game was a different story.
During the second period, Connecticut started pulling away and was up by as many as 15 points. At halftime, the Sparks found themselves down 43-54. That deficit continued to grow after the break.
By the end of the third quarter, only Brittney Sykes had scored in double digits with 14 points for Los Angeles. She went on to finish the night as the team’s leading scorer with 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Nneka Ogwumika was the only other LA player that reached double figures with 10 points.
Ogwumike (30) / Photo by fi360 News
Connecticut, one of the top rebounder teams in the league, did what it knows best and registered 42 boards through the night. This helped the Sun beat the Sparks 23-9 in second chance points. They finished the evening shooting at 50% from the field with four players in double digits. Alyssa Thomas led the winning offense with 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting. She almost registered a double double with nine rebounds while also adding five assists and one steal.
“Its been a journey this year with this squad.”, said coach Fred Williams
Since July 7, the Sparks have only won three of their last 14 games. They have one more chance to end the season on a high note when they host the Dallas Wings on Sunday at 4 p.m. PT for their last game of the regular season.
Photo by fi360 News
“Trying to get on a constant flow,” said Sykes about the ups and down of the season. “I think we did really good at control what we can control.”
Los Angeles, CA – The Connecticut Sun didn’t need to win but they took this 97-71 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks as a tune-up for the playoffs.
Sun center Jonquel Jones led the game with 18 points four of the five starters scoring in double digits. Jones pulled down 9 rebounds one shy of a double-double. Her backup Brionna Jones came off the bench to score 12 points and two rebounds.
Nneka Ogwumike (30) / Photo by fi360 News
The absence of a true center for the Sparks shows by the points in paint with the inside scoring at will.
Nneka Ogwumike (30) had a team high 14 points with only 1 rebound was not the correct recipe.
As the game continued the Sun just kept pushing the lead more and more with the Sparks not having an answer inside or outside. The Sun were up by 21 at half and never had to worry about the game being in danger.
“We just didn’t take care of the ball,” said Brittney Sykes on team having 21 turnovers in the game by the Sparks.
Natisha Hiedeman (2) / Photo by fi360 News
Former Sparks Odyssey Sims coming off the bench on the second lineup forced the action for the Suns to keep the game with the same cushion in the second period.
The Suns jumped out to 10-point lead to end the first quarter with 27-17 score. Guard Natisha Hiedeman (2) scored a quick five points to start the game out fast with center Jonquel Jones holding down the paint 6 points and 4 rebounds.
With the Sparks looking in from the outside 1.5 games back from a playoff spot now #11 in the WNBA. While the Connecticut Sun have already clinched a playoff spot today standing as #3 team. Now needing help along the way the Sparks must win these last three games to even smell the word playoffs.
“It’s not going to be easy,” said N. Ogwumike, “We have to play with max effort.”
Photo by fi360 News
The Sparks will have 48 hours to regroup and be ready to face the Sun again Thursday night to rebound and look to get a win. Tipoff will be at 7:30pm pst on Thursday August 11th.
Sue Bird with the layup. Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
Seattle, WA – In the final regular season home game of Sue Birds career, the Seattle Storm failed to keep up with the high-powered Las Vegas Aces. Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart provided great performances for the Storm, but several key players failed to help push Seattle over the edge. With the emotions of the game riding high, the Storm could not close it out after bringing the game within a single possession four minutes into the fourth quarter. With the loss, the chances of Seattle having the Western Conference go through Climate Pledge Arena are getting tight.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, two former MVP award winners that again lead the voting this season, put on a show inside of Climate Pledge Arena. Stewart followed up her season high in points with another performance that triumphed the last game. Stewie poured in 35 points while snagging ten rebounds despite a first quarter that saw her go 0-4 from the field. Across the court, Aces forward A’ja Wilson Poured in 29 points and grabbed six rebounds while looking like a cheat code. Head coach Pokey Chatman (Noelle Quinn was out with health and safety protocols) discussed Stewart and Wilson.
“The caveat with A’ja and Stewie is that they are hybrids into today’s game. Can play the four to the five, don’t play the traditional back to the basket. I think that’s what is special is because they are evolving their game, and doing so without losing any part of their game,” Chatman remarked.
Tina Charles (Photo by Chanel Foster / fi360 News)
Storm center Tina Charles looked dominant for extended periods of time for Seattle. For the majority of the game, Charles led the team in scoring and was the only player really keeping the Storm afloat. While Stewart would catch up and put in her MVP like performance, Jewell Loyd only notched one point, while Gabby Williams and Sue Bird were in single digits. Charles was able to contribute in the paint, from beyond the arch, and even defensively. Outings like this will be crucial for Seattle in the postseason. Head coach Pokey Chatman discussed the difficulty of facing Vegas and their bench stepping up.
“Frustration would be disrespectful to their talent… You have to keep tight on their players, they’re one of the top teams… Chelsea made some tough ones, that’s what the great players do. You have to take the other ones away. They stepped up, they made big plays, that’s what the stars do,” Chatman said.
Sue Bird is the most accomplished athlete in Seattle sports history, and certainly up there when it comes to basketball as a whole. The veteran will have a statue and her jersey number retired when things are all said and done, and it is difficult to put her entire legacy into words. Several celebrities were on hand to witness the memorable game, including several past teammates of Bird. Her impact is immense, and her career isn’t over just yet.
Photo by Chanel Foster / fi360 News
Following the emotional loss to the Aces, Seattle now goes on the road for three games to end the regular season. These next three games are critical for Seattle due to playoff seeding, and none of them are going to be easy. They begin the road trip in Chicago against the defending champion Sky. The Tuesday, August ninth matchup against Chicago tips off at 5PM PST.
Seattle, WA – In their second too last regular season home game of the 2022 season, the Seattle Storm started out with four straight three pointers. That flaming start kicked off a dominant showing that saw a complete team effort that encapsulated the definition of Storm basketball. Lockdown defense, running the floor, and a barrage from beyond the arch would give Seattle their 20th win on the season. The win would also move them one step closer to making sure that the playoffs run through Climate Pledge Arena.
The Storm got great contributions from every member of the starting five, with decent additions by the bench. MVP candidate Breanna Stewart led the way with 33 points and eight rebounds, while every starter except for Tina Charles poured in at least 13 points. There are other circumstances that came into play for Charles, though, as she only attempted two shots and got into foul trouble early.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
With Storm legend Lauren Jackson in the building, Seattle showed out, but especially Stewart. Stewart continues to be the leading candidate for the most valuable player award, and her 33-point performance (her season high) only helps that case. When Breanna Stewart is healthy, the Storm tend to win a championship, or at very least make a deep playoff run. Stewart would discuss what it meant to her to have Jackson in the building.
“To me, LJ is obviously a legend, one of the best to ever do it, the fact that we have similar paths now after being drafted in Seattle… Growing up, she was one of the players that I was looking up to because of her versatility, the inside-out game. To be able to have her here, obviously it’s an honor, I think it’s amazing for her to be here for Sue and you want to put on a show for her. She’s definitely someone that I look up to, and we said it in the locker room, but she helped build what we are with the Storm. Really appreciating that and never forgetting it,” Stewart remarked.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
For the Storm, the road to finish out the regular season is a bumpy one. Seattle will have to face the two teams tied for the most wins in the league, and this same Lynx team that is battling for a playoff spot.
The schedule does not favor Seattle to end the regular season, as their last three games are away from home. The order of those games goes Chicago (best record in the league), Minnesota (vying for a playoff spot), and Vegas (second best record in the league). I asked head coach Noelle Quinn about the importance of gaining momentum in these two final home games, and here is her answer.
“It’s extremely important. To be playing well, to garner the momentum that is needed to sustain us to the end of the year. You don’t wanna jump to far ahead, tonight is very important. Minnesota is in the playoff race as well; we know what type of fight and sense of urgency that they are gonna come out with. We have to match that, that is the type of vibe and feel needed in the postseason… It’s important to play at a high level to jump start us into this tough road trip ahead,” Quinn said.
The Storm get a few days off before returning to play, when they will tip off at Climate Pledge Arena for the final time in the regular season. Sue Bird and Briann January’s final home regular season game of their career will come in a tough battle against the Las Vegas Aces.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 Nelson
Seattle, sitting at second in the Western Conference, will need to win out in order to secure the highest overall seed and home court for the duration of the postseason. If they want to do that, they have to go through Vegas twice, starting with Sunday’s matchup that tips off at 12PM PST on ABC.
Los Angeles, CA – Do not let the box score fool you. The Los Angeles Sparks 84-77 loss to the Minnesota Lynx was not closer than the box score would suggest. Yes, Los Angeles had spurts that made the game intriguing, but this game saw the Sparks fall behind by 20 points during the game.
The lone person Los Angeles can depend on showing up, night in, and night out, is Nneka Ogwumike. She scored 23 points and five rebounds were the lone bright spot against the Lynx.
WNBA
After Liz Cambage abruptly walked out of the locker room and away from the team, Cambage took the expectations of this team making the playoffs. This team, if not this franchise, is in disarray. If by some miracle they make it to the playoffs, whomever they face in the first round will be a big challenge for them.
As the questionable detention of Brittney Griner has overshadowed the season, Ogwumike will probably head on a plane to Russia when the season ends to play to earn a living that her meager American salary does not support.
Ogwumike has watched future Hall-of-Fame players Candance Parker and Chelsea Gray depart for greener pastures in recent years and now is the lone cornerstone of the struggling franchise as of late.
Chennedy Carter (7) fi360 News
Long gone is the Sparks’ first-round pick, and so is the general manager and head coach Derek Fisher that packaged it for guard Chennedy Carter. If Fred Williams is not the long-term solution as head coach. What becomes of Ogwumike?
Does Los Angeles bring in someone like Michael Cooper or Lisa Leslie to lead this franchise and establish a missing culture, or will Ogwumike watch her remaining years in the WNBA squandered? She deserves more than this roster. But unfortunately, no one can consistently alleviate the nightly pressures she faces. This team still searching for it’s identity and direction, and Nneka Ogwumike deserves more.
Karim Benzema converts from the penalty spot for Real Madrid's first goal. Photo by Brenton Tse / fi360 News
Pasadena, CA – The final leg of the Soccer Champions Tour ends with a bang with the matchup between Real Madrid and Juventus.
Tonight’s Real Madrid 2 – 0 victory gave the fans something to cheer about all the way to the parking lot tailgates after parties.
This year’s SCT consisted of 5 of the most globally known clubs in soccer. Juventus, Chivas De Guadalajara, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Club America who played in 4 iconic venues here in the United States.
Eden Hazard clears the ball out of his own box. Photo by Brenton Tse / fi360 News
The final stop took place at the very iconic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, CA. In front of a sellout crowd of more than 93,000 screaming fans, Madrid and Juve were looking to give their American fans an exciting game and they didn’t fail.
A goal in the first minute of play had the crowd in a roar, but, offsides was called on Real Madrid to take away the early score. Real Madrid were in attack mode early and often.
In the 18th minute, Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) converted a penalty kick to gain a 1-0 lead.
Juan Cuadrado and Dani Ceballos jostle for the ball. Photo by Brenton Tse / fi360 News
Back and forth play led to some close calls for each club but no luck. After the first 45 minutes Real Madrid held unto a single score lead.
In the 68th minute, Jesús Vallejo (Real Madrid) after some very nice moves assisted Marco Asensio who scored the second goal of the game.
Madrid dominated this friendly by controlling the time of possession which included a shot advantage of as well
Win or lose, the players and coaches just enjoyed the experience of playing in the states.
“The energy of the crowd has all been love everywhere we have gone” said Madrid’s coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Karim Benzema attempts to shoot past Mattia Perin. Photo by Brenton Tse / fi360 News
Juventus midfielder Di María talked about the experience at the Rose Bowl, “It’s a place where people don’t get to see these clubs much,” he said. “The stadiums are always full. The results in these games don’t have much influence. We try to make it a nice show.”
The two teams will now look to prepare for games that matter after entertaining the Southern California crowd.
Seattle, WA – Behind the great performances of Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart, the Seattle Storm were able to avenge their July 3rd loss to Atlanta. Seattle takes the season series 2-1 against the Dream, thanks in part to Charles and Stewart combining for 50 of the 82 Storm points. The stifling Seattle defense again did their job, creating nightmares for the Dream as they were held to a 34.5% from the field.
Storm center Tina Charles had her best game as a member of the Seattle franchise, posting a monstrous 27 point and 15 rebound stat line. Add four blocks to that, and you get a small idea of what Atlanta had to deal with when Charles was on the court. In the past two games, Charles has overtaken Ezi Magbegor for the starting role, and showed out, notching consecutive double-double efforts. Teammate Breanna Stewart discussed the importance of Charles’ involvement in the offense, and Charles herself would discuss switching into a starting role.
Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard (10) shoots.
“There’s definitely an extra effort to get Tina the ball. Especially today when she was on the block, trying to find her because she was in a really good groove. Atlanta was leaving her open from the perimeter, so she was able to score from all over the floor,” Stewart stated.
In regards to starting on the bench but now starting, Charles said “It really helped to come off of the bench when I first got here, just being able to watch Stewie and Ezi and their movements within the offense. Just knowing that your role changes as the team changes, this is a different team, and my role has changed. That’s the beauty of being able to adjust.”
Seattle’s calling card for the season has been their suffocating defense, which often jumpstarts their offensive attack and transition. From the length of Breanna Stewart, the basketball IQ of Jewell Loyd and Sue Bird, to the shot blocking ability of Ezi Magbegor and Tina Charles. Seattle has different tools all over their starters and bench to cause issues for opposing teams, and that continued in this matchup. Atlanta was held to 34.5% from the field and only 24%, as leading scorer Rhyne Howard was held to 30% from the field.
Photo by Chanel Foster / fi360 News
The Storm have been able to stay the course despite losses here and there throughout their schedule. Outside of a stretch that came right after the season opener, the Storm have not lost more than three games in a row. Seattle has a tough task in their next matchup, as they look to avoid a season sweep by the Connecticut Sun. Tipoff is at 4PM PST on July 28th inside of Mohegan Sun arena.
