TJ Sheffield #8 with the go a head touchdown during between Illinois Fighting Illini Football vs Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on, September 25, 2021. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)
West Lafayette, IN – Purdue kept playing for four quarters and never gave up even when the momentum swayed towards Illinois. The only touchdown of the game was scored in fourth quarter by TJ Sheffield with 14 yard catch for lead, Purdue 13 – Illinois 9.
Both teams defense came ready to play bending but not breaking. They scored five field goals in the battle back and forth. I know Illinois will not be taking moral victories but their defense put pressure on the Boilermakers throughout most of the game.
Aidan O’Connell under center during between Illinois Fighting Illini Football vs Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on, September 25, 2021. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)
Marvin Grant was all over the field recording six solo tackles and countless pressure all game. Purdue defense recorded nine tackles for loss in the game with two critical sacks.
Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters threw for only 100 yards on the day never getting the opportunity to get comfortable in the pocket.
Meanwhile the duo of Aidan O’Connell and Jack Plummer were able to throw for a combined 277 yards with the final touchdown. Receiver Milton Wright led all receivers with seven catches for 88 yards total.
Illinois Fighting Illini Football vs Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on, September 25, 2021. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)
“We just felt like because we became one-dimensional, we think Aidan is our most accurate thrower and that’s not a knock on Jack,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. “He stands in there. he’s poised, he played to the end and he helped us find a way to win.”
Illinois had some success on the ground led by Joshua McCray with carried the ball 24 times for 156 yards rushing with a long of 38 yards.
Illinois Fighting Illini Football vs Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on, September 25, 2021. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)
When you look at game time adjustments coach Brohm quarterback switch in the 3rd quarter payed off big in the end.
Illinois now has to push through to try to get a victory again after losing four in a row after opening victory over the cornhuskers.
Jack Plummer back to pass during between Illinois Fighting Illini Football vs Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on, September 25, 2021. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)
This week Purdue will have to see who will lead them out the tunnel next week as the starting quarterback when they host Minnesota on Oct 2, at high noon.
The day was simple. Pitt was the better team and it showed. New Hampshire simply gave up and allowed the Panthers to score over 70 points on them.
Kenny Pickett threw for 403 yards and 5 TD’s and one for a run. Jordan Addison hauled in six passes for 179 yards and three scores and then freshman running back Rodney Hammond ran for 100 yards and reached the end zone three times in what was an extraordinary “turn around” from last week.
Photo by Ed Thompson / fi360 News
Pitt piled up a school record 707 yards and had little trouble against the overmatched Wildcats who were 3-1. The Panther’s 77 points were the most by the Panthers since an 88-0 win over Westminster College in 1927. The team simply liked all the cylinders were running and the teams confidence level was at small time high so to say.
“That’s what it’s supposed to look like,” Pat Narduzzi said, before being asked what the team gained from such a lopsided win. “Nothing. Nothing gained, nothing lost. It’s what you expect to do. That’s the most impressive thing. I think it’s hard to score 77 on air. Our guys went out and executed, but we need to be consistent. It’s got to be that way every Saturday.”
Confidence hadn’t been an issue all season for the offense. Kenny Pickett already has 15 TD passes through the first four games. Something he didn’t last fall too many times. Picket’s 1-yard touchdown dive on the Panthers’ opening drive gave him 17 rushing TD’s for his career, which is the most by a Pitt quarterback ever. Kenny Pickett completed 24/28 passes and led Pitt to scores on their eight possessions with him in the game yesterday before Narduzzi went to the bench to give Pickett quarter off with the game so in control.
Photo by Ed Thompson / fi360 News
N. Hampshire, who Is ranked 22nd in the FCS, saw any hopes of the school’s first win over a Power Five program in 15 years dwindle after falling behind by 4 TD’s in the first 14 minutes. N. Hampshire allowed a “safety” on their opening drive and pretty much set the tone for the next 3 quarters. The Wildcat’s second play was the Panthers DB Damarri Mathis to step in front of a pass by Bret Edwards and run it back for a 35 yard pick-6 that made it 14-0 before five minute has ticked off the game clock. Pitt’s defense would end up giving up 160 yards of offense a week after surrendering 516 to Western Michigan which one was of the more embarrassing games Narduzzi and his staff had under their belts.
Photo by Ed Thompson / fi360 News
The defense was ready to keep the Wildcats in check all afternoon. The two performances; a week apart were not similar in one single way. It truly looked like two different teams with no one resembling anyone from the week before contest.
The San Pedro Pirates (4-0) led the entire game against the Heritage Patriots (1-4) and even though Heritage tried to claw their way back, San Pedro was able to lock them up down the stretch in a 21-16 victory in San Pedro on Friday night.
Senior Receiver Robert Sarmiento bolted for a 25-yard TD out of a Wildcat play to put San Pedro up 21-9, with 3:56 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Photo by Brianne Ingram
“Rob [Robert Sarmiento] brings it to the table every single week,” said San Pedro Head Coach Corey Miller. “Every time his feet touch the grass he’s ready to go, and pound for pound is probably the toughest player in the L.A. City Section.”
Within 20 seconds, Heritage answered right back.
Heritage Senior Running back Jason Chupany drove for a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-16 with 3:36 minutes remaining in the game.
On third down with 13 yards to go, San Pedro threw an interception to Senior Linebacker Joseph Nunez to give Heritage one final drive for the lead.
It was now, or never.
Photo by Brianne Ingram
On fourth down with 9 yards to gain on their own 39-yard line, Heritage went for a run, but came up short and turned it over on downs at the 1:20 minute mark.
That was all she wrote.
Coach Miller credits the halftime adjustments to his team’s win.
Photo by Brianne Ingram
“Well, I think we came in at halftime and made some good halftime adjustments and that’s a quality program over there. They played some great competition, and by far the best team that we’ve played this season. So, this is exactly what we need to get us ready for the league opener.”
San Pedro Pirates take on the Banning Pilots at home next Friday, October 1, at 7 pm in their league opener.
HOLLYWOOD, CA - July 27. PAC-12 Media Day on Tuesday July 27th at the W Hotel in Hollywood CA.(Photo by Jevone Moore)
SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 today announced its 2021 football season’s third weekly performance awards, presented by Nextiva. See below for Week Three’s recognitions across the Conference and keep track of the 2021 Offensive Player of the Year watchlist here:
3rd player to win both Offense & Freshman in award in same week since the Freshman award began in 2019. Arizona State QB Jayden Daniels won it in November 2019 and USC QB Kedon Slovis won it in September 2019 in his first career start.
When starting QB Kedon Slovis was knocked out of the game on the opening series, true freshman backup Jaxson Dart came in and had a historic first-time performance under adverse circumstances. After seeing USC fall behind late in the first half, 14-0, in the rain and playing under an interim head coach, Dart rallied the Trojans to a 45-14 win.
Threw for 391 yards–the most ever by a Trojan in his debut–on 30-of-46 passing (65.2%) with 4 TDs. Its the 3rd most by a Pac-12 QB in their debut since at least 1997.
Also led USC in rushing with 32 yards on 6 carries, the first Trojan quarterback to do so since Matt Barkley in 2010 versus Stanford.
His first TD toss was a 38-yarder on fourth-and-9 with 32 seconds left in the second quarter to get USC finally on the board, and he did so while hobbling on a knee he bruised while rushing.
Also nominated for freshman: Jalen McMillan, WR, Washington; Noah Sewell, LB, Oregon; Andrew Edson, Edge, Washington State; Jimmy Wyrick, Safety, Stanford; Omarr Norman-Lott, DL, Arizona State; Easton Mascarenas, ILB, Oregon State
DEFENSE: Verone McKinley III, So., Safety, Oregon (Carrollton, TX)
Led the Oregon defense in a 48-7 win over Stony Brook, recording a pair of interceptions and three tackles (two solo).
Notched his second career multi-interception game and brought his season INT total to 3 through 3 games. 3 INT leads the Pac-12 and is tied for the most in FBS this season. Now has 8 career interceptions, 4 away from cracking the UO all-time top 10. Picked off passes in consecutive games for the second time in his career.
Earned a solid 80.1 overall grade by Pro Football Focus, including a stellar 88.5 grade in pass coverage.
Oregon’s defense held its opponent to single-digit points for the first time since Nov. 16, 2019. The Ducks held Stony Brook scoreless in the second half while allowing just 80 total yards.
2nd time McKinley has won this award with first time coming in October 2019. He’s the first Duck to win the award since Jamal Hill won it after the 2020 Pac-12 Championship Game.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Britain Covey, Jr., PR/WR, Utah (Provo, UT)
Tallied 132 punt return yards, a career-high, in the game at San Diego State. Highlighted the day with an 80-yard return for a touchdown, the longest single return in the Pac-12 this season and 4th longest in FBS.
132 total PR yards for the night rank sixth all-time at Utah for a single game. It’s also the most in FBS this season and top performance in the Pac-12 since 2013. Shaky Smithson was the last Ute to return for as many yards, doing so during the 2010 season.
1st Ute to win the award since kicker Jadon Redding won it twice last season. First Utah returner to win the award since Cory Butler-Byrd in September 2015.
OFFENSIVE LINE: T.J. Bass, Jr., OG, Oregon (Deming, WA)
Tied for the team high with four knockdowns in No. 4 Oregon’s 48-7 win over Stony Brook.
Earned a terrific 86.4 grade by Pro Football Focus, including a stellar 93.5 run-blocking grade. 93.5 run-block grade ranked second nationally among all offensive linemen and first among guards in Week Three, and his 86.4 overall grade was tops in the nation among guards and 11th overall.
Helped pave the way for an Oregon rushing attack that went for 173 yards on 39 carries. Oregon’s offense scored 40-plus points for the first time this season.
2nd time Bass has won this award, having previously been honored in November 2020. Ducks win the award in back-to-back weeks after Alex Forsyth won it after Oregon’s win over Ohio State. Oregon also won the award in consecutive weeks last season with Ryan Walk and T.J. Bass winning the first 2 weeks of the 2020 season. Since this award began in 2019, Oregon has won it 12 of the 24 weeks.
Also nominated: Will Craig, LT, California; Luke Wattenberg, C, Washington; Jake Levengood, OL, Oregon State; Henry Hattis, RG, Arizona State
Outside linebacker who plays on the defensive line as a rush end, had a blindside strip sack of Washington State quarterback Victor Gabalis in the end zone and USC’s Tuli Tuipulotu recovered for a touchdown. At the time, the Trojans were leading just 21-14 late in the third quarter. Jackson ended up with 4 tackles in the game.
2nd time Jackson has won this award, having won in December of last season.
Also nominated: Devin Kaufusi, DT, Utah; Simon Sandberg, DL, Oregon State; D.J. Davidson, DL, Arizona State
Pasadena, CA – And the Bruins had to lose on blown coverage.
UCLA mustered a back and forth comeback of the ages. Fresno State gave up a nine point lead on two fumbles that led to back-to-back UCLA touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs answer back with Washington transfer Jake Haener using up five minutes of the clock that ended up with a 20 yard touchdown connection to Erik Brooks. UCLA had to rely on Dorian Thompson Robison and covering 75 yards in under two minutes, his favorite target and Kyle Phillips was open on the left side of the field swinging the lead right back to the Bruins. That left 54 seconds for Fresno State. That left 54 seconds for Haener, who already was over 350 yards passing and seemingly couldn’t miss anyone, needing to cover 75 yards to pull off a miraculous comeback.
Haener found three different receivers and let his men run down the sidelines controlling the clock. It only took 30 seconds for the Bulldogs to reach the Bruins 23 yard line. After an incompletion, Haener rolls over to the right and saw Bruins corner Mo Olsing III collapse in man coverage. That left Jalen Cropper wide open five yards from the goal line. With the connection, Cropper turns around and found five yards of wide open space, sending the Fresno State faithful to a frenzy.
If anyone were to look at this game as a potential upset, it was far from it. Fresno State came into the Rose Bowl with a 2018 feeling finishing that year 11-2. Haener is entering his second year and in each game he has learned so much to play as a veteran quarterback. In his first three games, Haener has managed eight total touchdowns and led the NCAA in passing yards, being also the only man under center to throw over 1000 yards entering Saturday. Fresno State’s two wins were nothing short of being dominant, shutting out Connecticut and putting away FCS Cal Poly away very early. In their loss to Oregon, Fresno state held a fourth quarter lead before giving up 10 unanswered points and walking away from Auzten Stadium empty handed. Saturday night they had that chance at redemption against another Pac-12 school, and in every way possible Haener and company had to make that happen.
While this is a hard game for the Bruins to swallow, it is very hard to see this as a letdown. The question will now lie on what they have learned getting ready for Pac-12 play next week against Stanford. Playing against a man like Haener who has proven his worth trying to earn solid paychecks next year could be the best thing to happen for UCLA. Currently the Bruins only have two opponents who are ranked in the top 25 the rest of the season, with Arizona State losing to BYU late Saturday night. These three games are a far different outcome compared to what the Bruins finished with under the first three years under Chip Kelly. If the Bruins can take this game as a learning experience, the Bruins can make the Pac-12 South potentially a one team race.
Seattle, WA – The Washington Huskies (1-2) finally found their offensive groove in a 52-3 blowout of the Arkansas State Red Wolves (1-2) on Saturday, September 18, 2021.
Entering the game, the Huskies and second-year head coach Jimmy Lake needed to answer the swirling questions surrounding the program after a disappointing 0-2 start, which had not occurred for Washington since the dismal 0-12 season of 2008.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
The top concern for the team entering Saturday’s matchup was the offense. The Huskies tallied just 17 total points through the first two weeks with a single touchdown per game.
Following an initial three-and-out drive to start the game against the Red Wolves, the Huskies finally showed the scoring potential fans had hoped to see.
Quarterback Dylan Morris opened the scoring onslaught for Washington with a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cade Otton, who entered the game ranked 6th all-time for the Huskies in career receptions by a tight end.
Morris would later find receivers Jalen McMillan and Terrell Bynum for two additional touchdown strikes of 33 and 42 yards, respectively – giving him three scores on the day to go along with 367 yards through the air on 23-of-39 attempts and a single interception.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
McMillan finished the game with 175 yards and ten receptions to go along with the touchdown.
The Huskies struggled to run the ball against both Montana and Michigan but established complete control of the trenches in this one with help from a committee of running backs.
Richard Newton, the starting throughout the season thus far, led the way with 55 yards on ten attempts and a touchdown. But it was senior Sean McGrew, seeing the field for the first time in 2021, who left the biggest impression for the Huskies rushers, earning two touchdowns and 31 yards on just six carries. Kamari Pleasant and Cameron Davis also added to the Huskies’ 208 total rush yards on the day, gaining 48 and 27 yards on 8 and 7 carries each.
In all, the Huskies tallied 598 yards of total offense with more than seven yards per play and nearly tripled their scoring output from the first two weeks.
The stout Washington defense may not have commanded the same level of attention as their offensive counterparts, but they gave the talented Arkansas State offense no room to work all day long.
After pitching a near three-quarter shutout, broken only by a Blake Grupe field goal with less than three minutes remaining in the third, the Huskies would add two fourth-quarter turnovers to their body of work, including a 72-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown and an interception returned for 34 yards in the final minutes of play.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
The Arkansas State Red Wolves have given up more than 50 points in back-to-back weeks and will look to rally in their visit to Tulsa (0-3) next week.
The Huskies, meanwhile, hope to carry their momentum into their Pac-12 season opener next week at home against the California Golden Bears (1-2).
After what was arguably the biggest win in program history last weekend, the Oregon Ducks returned to Autzen Stadium Saturday where they hosted the Stony Brook Seawolves. Despite a long list of injuries and a slow first half, the 4th ranked Ducks defeated the Seawolves 48-7.
Oregon was able to jump out to a 10-0 lead after Verone McKinley intercepted Stony Brook quarterback Tyquell Fields on the first possession of the game but would only head to halftime with a 17-7 lead. McKinley, who had the game winning interception against Ohio State last week, added another interception in the second quarter.
Photo by Megan Connelly
Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown was 14/18 159 yards with both a passing and rushing touchdown but suffered an undisclosed injury late in the first half that would force him to miss the remainder of the game. Brown’s injury opened the door for the highly anticipated debut of true freshman Ty Thompson, in which he led the Ducks to victory after they outscored the Seawolves 31-0 in the second half.
Thompsons first career touchdown came midway through the third quarter where he found freshman tight end Terrance Ferguson on a 1-yard pass. Thompson would later find freshman wide receiver Dont’e Thorton on a 54-yard touchdown, finishing the day 6/9 with 82 yards and two touchdowns.
When asked about the status of Anthony Brown moving forward, Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal stated, “We expect him to be OK and he looks good”. Only three weeks into the regular season, the Ducks have already been plagued with injuries which have forced them to use inexperienced personnel in big moments.
Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News
“We played 80 guys tonight,” said Crisobal. “A lot of guys saw significant playing time and a lot saw their first playing time. We weren’t trying to rest guys. We were just banged up.”
Oregon will open Pac-12 play next Saturday September 25th where they will host Arizona (7:30 p.m., ESPN).
DALLAS (FWAA) – Oregon safety Verone McKinley III posted six tackles and helped seal a 35-28 win at No. 3 Ohio State with a late interception that gave the Ducks one of the young season’s highlight wins. For snagging the game’s only turnover and being a key to Oregon’s first win over a top-five team in 10 years, McKinley earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games in the weekend of Sept. 11, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the first time for an Oregon player to earn this weekly honor since it began in 2001. Oregon had a Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalist, Haloti Ngata, in 2005. McKinley has been added to this season’s Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list.
McKinley, a 5-11, 194-pound sophomore from Carrollton, Texas, also forced a fumble and had two of Oregon’s five pass breakups as he turned into a field general for a defense that was missing standout starters Kayvon Thibodeaux, an All-America lineman, and linebacker Justin Flowe. McKinley keyed in on run-stops as well with the six tackles that helped contain an Ohio State offense that gained 612 total yards but never led in the game. The Ducks had three fourth-down stops and held OSU to 6-of-15 third-down conversions.
The Buckeyes had just crossed midfield with four minutes remaining on what was a potential game-tying drive before one of Oregon’s two sacks pushed them back. Facing third-and-18 at the Ohio State 45, McKinley got under a poorly-thrown ball in coverage to make his sixth career interception. He is just the second Oregon player since 2000 and the first since 2007 to finish with an interception, a forced fumble and multiple pass breakups in a single game.
McKinley showed his nose for the ball last year in six starts among the Ducks’ seven games, finishing with 21 solo stops among his 41 total tackles that was third on the team. He snagged four interceptions as a redshirt freshman in 2019.
The win is Oregon’s first over a top-five team since beating Stanford in 2011 and snapped Ohio State’s 23-game home win streak.
The Ducks host Stony Brook at 4:30 p.m. PT Saturday in a Pac-12 Network broadcast.
The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football then became a star for professional football’s Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw “Bronko” Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its programs and initiatives, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com.
About the Charlotte Touchdown Club The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, N.C., region. The club’s activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship, and leadership of area athletes and coaches. Since 1990, the club has raised and donated nearly $3 million to benefit area high school and collegiate athletics. For more information, contact John Rocco (704-347-2918 or jrocco@touchdownclub.com). The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is touchdownclub.com.
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LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 04: USC Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) runs out of the pocket during a college football game between San Jose State Spartans against the USC Trojans on September 4, 2021, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)
DONTE WILLIAMS TO SERVE AS INTERIM HEAD COACH FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON
LOS ANGELES – USC Director of Athletics Mike Bohn today announced that the university is making a change in leadership of the football program and parting ways with head coach Clay Helton.
HOLLYWOOD, CA – July 27. PAC-12 Media Day on Tuesday July 27th at the W Hotel in Hollywood CA.(Photo by Jevone Moore)
Bohn and Helton addressed the program together during the regularly scheduled team meeting this afternoon. Bohn made it clear that USC’s leadership believes in the highly talented group of student-athletes on the team and is committed to building a program that consistently competes at the highest level.
The move ends Helton’s tenure as USC’s head football coach, where he led the Trojans to a 46-24 overall record. Helton, who also twice served as interim head coach, guided USC to its only two New Year’s Six bowl games in the past decade. Under his direction, the football program won the 2017 Rose Bowl, the Pac-12 conference title in 2017, three Pac-12 South division titles, and earned a visit to the Cotton Bowl in 2017. He also secured three top-seven recruiting classes.
“Clay is one of the finest human beings I have met in this industry, and he has been a tremendous role model and mentor to our young men,” Bohn said. “We appreciate his many years of service to our university and wish him nothing but the very best. Consistent with our values as an institution, he deserves the utmost respect from the Trojan Family during this transition.”
HOLLYWOOD, CA – July 27. Bohn at PAC-12 Media Day on Tuesday July 27th at the W Hotel in Hollywood CA.(Photo by Jevone Moore)
Over the last two off-seasons, the athletics department has added significant resources to help the football program contend for championships. “The added resources carried significantly increased expectations for our team’s performance, and it is already evident that, despite the enhancements, those expectations would not be met without a change in leadership,” Bohn said.
USC first fielded a football team in 1888, and over the decades the Trojans have won 11 national titles, 34 bowl games and 39 conference championships and produced 169 All-American first teamers, six Heisman Trophy winners and 520 NFL players.
“Our university and its leadership are committed to winning national championships and restoring USC football to glory,” Bohn said. “I accept the enormous responsibility I have to our current and former players and the entire Trojan Family to live up to our incredible heritage.”
Associate Head Coach Donte Williams will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. With ten games still remaining in the regular season, Bohn expressed full confidence in Williams’ leadership and excitement about the meaningful opportunities for the team moving forward.
“This season is just getting started and we have the opportunity to really do something special with this team and this program,” Bohn said. “Donte is an experienced and well-respected coach who is renowned for his ability to develop relationships with student-athletes, and I appreciate his willingness to take on this challenge. We still have control of our own destiny in the Pac-12 Conference, a tremendously talented group of student-athletes, and complete faith in the phenomenal assistant coaches and outstanding support staff in the John McKay Center.”
Bohn also announced that USC will quickly launch a national search for the next head coach.
“We will actively and patiently pursue a coach who will deliver on the championship aspirations and expectations we all share for our football program. With our storied history, our talented roster, and the major investments we’ve made in the infrastructure of our football organization, I’m optimistic that we are better positioned right now than we have been at any other time in the past decade to recruit the best and right leader for USC.”
Bohn asked the USC community to “step up its support of our players, unify as the Trojan Family, and help show every potential coaching candidate and recruit that this is the greatest program in the country. Let’s do what we do best and Fight On!”
Los Angeles, CA – In a complete 180° turn from last Thursday night against the Connecticut Sun, the LA Sparks snapped their six-game losing streak against the Seattle Storm 81–53 on Sunday evening to remain in playoff contention.
“I think today the way we came out, we showed the game respect. We showed our opponent’s respect. Not to say that we haven’t before, but in a way where you compete the whole time no matter what the outcome is,” said Nneka Ogwumike.
The LA Sparks completely dominated the Storm in their final home game of the regular season at Staples Center.
Photo by Brianne Ingram
The Sparks came out aggressive from the jump and led by as many as 30 points.
They shot 48% from the field (30/62 FGs) and 93% (15/16) from the line.
“We shot the ball well tonight. We saw the ball go in early. I think that helped our confidence. But it really did look like a team. Like eight players rowing in the same direction. That helps,” said Head Coach Derek Fisher.
Guards Te’a Cooper and Erica Wheeler were putting the Storm on skates with their lethal crossovers.
Photo by Brianne Ingram
Cooper led all players with 19 points (7/13 FGs), 2 assists, and 2 steals. This is her 11th game that she has scored in double figures this season.
“I think the last few games I wasn’t really feeling like myself. I had next game mentality. I had to shake it off. I got back in the gym. Refocused. And I just came out with a better mindset. Ready to play,” said Cooper.
The Storm tried to make a run in the second quarter, but active hands by the Sparks allowed them to keep their distance to stretch the lead 18 at the half 45-27.
The LA Sparks held the Storm to a season low in points at 53.
Storm Star Forward Breanna Stewart was missing in action as she was sidelined with a left foot injury.
The Sparks have two games remaining in their regular season.
Photo by Brianne Ingram
“I’m just really happy for our players, and for the fans and the people that came out tonight,” said Coach Fisher. “It’s been a really up and down season. Lots of injuries. We started our home regular season in another building. I’m just really happy for our players to get a chance to finish their home regular season this way. And what that feels like when things do come together for you. We’ll enjoy this one tonight and then we’ll start to prepare ourselves for Atlanta.”
The LA Sparks travel on the road against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, September 16th at 4pm.
