SPORTS SECTION E
NBA Standings
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2016
East & West, Page 3
Bahamas Half Marathon all set for November 20
SHOWN (l-r) are Anastasia Turnquest, Cara Douglas and Charles Johnson.
WITH about 400 registered participants, the 2016 Bahamas Half Marathon is in full swing for Sunday, November 20. The fun is scheduled to begin 6am at Arawak Cay. For the 4th year, Bahamas Roadmasters Running Club will be hosting the event, and donating part of the proceeds to a local charity. This year they have named the Crisis Center and Lupus 242 as the recipients. Caribbe-
an Bottling Company (CBC), the local distributors of CocaCola products, including Powerade and Dasani, will be hydrating all participants for the 3rd consecutive year. “The Bahamas Roadmasters and the Bahamas Half Team are looking forward to another fun and exciting event. We are thankful for our sponsors, especially CBC for continuing to support us with beverages, t-shirts, and participant bags,”
said Anastasia Turnquest, secretary, Bahamas Roadmasters Running Club. “We are excited to add to this event with both the 5K, and a one-mile course for people in wheelchairs as well. Join us on Sunday for a world class event.” “Here at Caribbean Bottling Company we believe in supporting activities and events that encourage healthy living and community outreach,” said Karla Wells-Lisgaris, brand
manager. “The Bahamas Half Marathon allows us to do this, while assisting a great group to host an amazing event that will this year benefit both the Crisis Center and Lupus 242.” With options ranging from a half marathon to a 10K and 5K, this event is truly for everyone. Registration is open both online at www.bahamashalf.com and at the Sports Center in the Harbour Bay Shopping Center until November 19.
Bahamians clash in NCAA Division 1 By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
M
onday night presented an early season matchup between a pair of Bahamians in men’s NCAA Division I basketball and the Legends Classic Austin Regional Round. Travis Munnings may have had the better individual numbers, but Shaquille Cleare and his Texas Longhorns emerged with the 80-59 win over the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. After a double double in the season opener, Munnings finished one point shy against Texas with nine points and 10 rebounds. He struggled from the field at just 2-13 and 1-6 from three-point range. Cleare finished with eight points and six rebounds and shot 4-7 from the field. Texas, the No. 23 ranked team in the country, moved to 2-0 while the Warhawks fell to 1-1. The Longhorns got off to a fast start to open the game and Cleare took advantage inside early on to score twice within the first two minutes. His second basket would cap a 10-3 lead heading into the first media timeout. Munnings made a three, a part of a 9-0 run to give the Warhawks a 12-10 advantage, but the lead would be short-lived. A balanced scoring attack led to a 37-28 Texas lead at the half. The Warhawks would trim the second half deficit to four (41-37) but it would be as close as they would manage for the remainder of the game.
“I thought our guys shared the ball pretty well, did a good job taking care of the ball, but we didn’t shoot the ball great in the first half,” Longhorns head coach Shaka Smart said. “They’re a good team. They’re going to win their share of games this year. They are hard to guard with their motion offence, and they are dangerous because they have a lot of different guys who can make threes.” Warhawks head coach Keith Richard echoed the sentiment of the threepoint line being the deciding factor as the Warhawks shot just 24 per cent from beyond the arch. “Well, we’re going to have to be a shooting team. We’re going to have to be a shoot it and make it team. But they forced us out just a step or two further than we needed to be at times, but we won’t see that length in our league. There will be some teams with some length but not like that. We’ve actually shot the ball pretty well in practice and exhibition and the first game. But again, they bothered us.” Also at the University of Texas, Lashann Higgs and the Longhorns’ No.8 ranked women’s team stumbled out of the game with a 71-50 loss to the Stanford Cardinal. Higgs finished with seven points and three rebounds in 17 minutes. “They were the better team. We haven’t executed things in practice the way we need to,” said Longhorns head coach Karen Aston. “We went through a stretch where we fouled too much, and we went through a stretch where we weren’t helping each other defensively. We will get home and
LOUISIANA Monroe guard Sam McDaniel (30) drives the ball around Texas centre Shaquille Cleare during Monday’s game in Austin, Texas. (AP Photos/Michael Thomas)
LOUISIANA Monroe forward Travis Munnings (1) looks to shoot against Texas centre James Banks (4) in the first half.
get to work because that’s all we can do.” According to a vote of Big 12 head coaches, the Longhorns are predicted to finish second behind Baylor and also finish with a single first place vote. The Longhorns are coming off a 31-5 record and an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2015-16. Texas went 15-3 to finish second in the league and tied the school record for most Big 12 victories with 15. The Longhorns have appeared in back-to-back Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship games. Also in the state of Texas, Tavario Miller posted another productive outing for the Texas A&M Aggies. Miller finished with seven points and three rebounds in just 14 minutes of the Aggies’ 76-53 win over American University. They improved to 2-0 on the season. After holding Northwestern State to just 27.9 per cent shooting on Friday during the season opener, the A&M defence was again solid Monday night and held the Eagles to just 35 per cent shooting from the floor (21-of-60). In the NEC, Mike Carey Jr and the Wagner Seahawks suffered a letdown after an opening night upset on the road over the No.18 ranked UConn Huskies. The Seahawks fell 8776 over the UMass Lowell Redhawks. The Redhawks answered with a 9-0 run, however, over a five-minute stretch to take a 13-7 lead. The Seahawks struggled on the offensive end, shooting 36 per cent (22-of-61), which included a 7-of-26 (27 per cent) effort from threepoint range. Carey posted a double
double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Carey’s first three of the season gave Wagner its largest lead of the game very early on, a 7-4 advantage. LJ Rose made his debut with the BYU Cougars and shined with a win. Rose got the start and finished with four points, three rebounds and three assists in the Cougars’ 8273 win over the Princeton Tigers. “It was a dogfight on every possession. That’s a very good basketball team we played tonight, and a win that will be a good one for us in January and in March. Hats off to Princeton. They’ll win a lot of games,” said BYU coach Dave Rose. “We played a lot of guys that haven’t played at all for our programme this season. The result was really positive for our staff - the way they played aggressively and together.” BYU improved to 11-1 in home openers and 9-3 in season openers under Rose. The Cougars improved to a 5-0 overall series record against the Tigers. LJ Rose graduated from the University of Houston last year and committed to join the BYU for his post graduate campaign. Following an injury plagued senior season with the Houston Cougars where he appeared in just two games, Rose will look to conclude his collegiate career on a strong note. BYU has just four guards eligible for play this season after allowing Rose to step in and fill an immediate void. Although he played sparingly as a senior, as a junior Rose averaged 9.8 points and 5.3 assists in a starting role when relatively healthy.
Track and field season to open with BAAA Odd Distance Meet By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net TRACK and field season is approximately a month away and, as customary, the season will open with the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ Odd Distance Meet. All set to be hosted on December 17 at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium, the meet features a noon start time with an admission fee of $15 for adults and
$7 for children. Bahamian track and field athletes will begin their trek toward qualification in meets such as the CARIFTA Games in Curacao in April to the IAAF World Championships in London this August. The Odd Distance Meet was introduced over 30 years ago and is now a staple in the BAAA programme with some significant performances. In the Odd Distance meet, athletes are able to start their competitive season while participating
in events which are unusual and different than their usual competitions. Instead of competing in the traditional distances like the 100m or 200m, athletes will compete in either the 75m, 150m or 300m. Instead of competing in the 400m or 800m athletes can participate in the 300m or 600m. In the field events, athletes have to take limited approaches while concentrating on their styles. Coaches take this opportunity to teach the proper techniques
of the events and, in some cases, allow athletes to test and stretch their limits by running over-distance. The meet is always exciting with numerous athletes participating. With some junior athletes moving to the senior ranks, it is a time when some of the Under-17 move up to the Under-20 Division and test themselves. Many of the top junior athletes from last year will still be eligible for junior competition this year and the public looks forward to
seeing them open their competitive season. The meet is highly anticipated because it is the first competition on the track after months of preparation. For both the coaches and athletes, it’s used as a measuring stick to see how their off-season has progressed and sets the tone for the remainder of the year. More than 400 athletes registered to compete in last year’s meet, which also included athletes from the Family Islands.
PAGE 2, Wednesday, November 16, 2016
THE TRIBUNE
Clinching their berth
THE BAHAMAS Volleyball Federation women’s national team joined the men in advancing to the second round of the AZOVA qualifying series for the 2018 FIVB World Volleyball Championships. After watching the men book their ticket in Martinique last month to head to Trinidad & Tobago for the next round next year, the women clinched their berth for the second round to take place in Jamaica in July. The women did it by wrapping up their three-game series on Sunday at the Clifton Hunter High School with a 25-16, 25-10, 25-11 win over Bonaire to finish in second place at 2-1. The team lost their opener 25-21, 25-11, 26-24 to top finisher Guadeloupe, but bounced back to pull off a 25-10, 25-12, 25-14 win over the Cayman Islands. Team captain Kelsie Johnson posted 10 points behind Melinda Bastian’s leading 18 and Brittany Bonamy’s 11.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, November 16, 2016, PAGE 3
Nashad signs with Eagles in NCAA Division II By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net ANOTHER Bahamian talent on the basketball court will receive an opportunity to elevate his game and educational opportunities. Nashad Mackey is expected to continue his basketball career at the NCAA Division II level after he signed with the EmbryRiddle Eagles this week. Mackey is currently in his second year with the Daytona State College Falcons in the Juco Ranks. The 6’6”, 215-pound swingman said the educational opportunities at Embry-Rid-
WESTERN CONFERENCE
dle was at the forefront College and 18 points of his decision-making and 15 rebounds in a process. 77-74 loss to Florida “I always valued Southwestern. my education. Being “My time here at an engineering major, Daytona has been a Embry-Riddle is one of blast, I’ve spent countthe best programmes less amounts of hours nationwide. The uniworking on my game versity and campus is and making a body growing rapidly. Also transition. It paid off Embry-Riddle is a winquite fine. I became ning programme under more athletic and agthe leadership of Steve ile, making the game Ridder, who is father a whole lot better for of the head coach at myself,” he said. “I Daytona State. I also think I’ll fit into the developed a great relaprogramme effectively. tionship with the entire My skill set is sufficient coaching staff through to make immediate imthis recruiting propact and, who knows, cess and I believe they maybe an all conferhad my best interest at ence player. At this NASHAD MACKEY heart,” he said. level division two and In his freshman seawith this programme I son with the Falcons, he averaged 9.8 points can play anywhere on the court from 1-5.” and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting This season is ERAU’s third and final 47 per cent from the field and 26 per cent year of the NCAA II transition process affrom three-point range. ter spending its entire history in NAIA. This season, Mackey has seen those numMackey was a former standout for the bers increase across the board and through CR Walker Knights and head coach Trefive games is averaging 15.6 points, 10.8 re- vor Grant. He relocated to the US and the bounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 assists per game Champagnat Catholic School Lions prowhile shooting 56 per cent from the field gramme in Hialeah, Florida, along with feland 37 per cent from three. low Bahamians Jaron Cornish and Oswald In five games he has posted three double Parker. doubles with several standout performancMackey was named to the Miami Heres, including 28 points and 11 rebounds in ald’s All-Dade first-team for 4A-2A schools a 105-78 win over South Georgia Technical in Dade County, Florida, and also named
NASHAD MACKEY (with ball) in action. He signed with the Embry-Riddle Eagles this week. Photo: 10thyearseniors.com
to the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) and Source Hoops 20142015 Boys Class 2A All-State Teams. He posted averages of 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks per game. This offseason his attempt to make the men’s senior national team was seen as a learning experience and motivation to get better. “After the national team experience I think there’s always room for improvement, but if I can do anything to get better it would be staying consistent. Being consistent on both sides of the court. And if there was anything to improve it would be my foot speed,” he said. “Overall I’m grateful to be in the position I’m in now and ready to embark on this journey. With God all things are possible.”
EASTERN CONFERENCE
PAGE 4, Wednesday, November 16, 2016
LeBron James slams Phil Jackson for using term ‘posse’ By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — LeBron James respected Phil Jackson’s unmatched coaching accomplishments. That affection has vanished. “I’ve got nothing for him,” James said yesterday. James fired back at the 11-time coaching champion and current New York Knicks president for using the word “posse” in a recent interview to describe the NBA megastar’s business associates. James said he lost all respect for Jackson and his comments underline a larger societal issue for young African-Americans trying to succeed in business. In the interview, Jackson, 71, said James has always demanded preferential treatment and called his departure from Miami as a free agent a “slap in the face” to the Heat organisation. Jackson recalled a time when James asked for the team to stay over in Cleveland while on a road trip, a request that put coach Erik Spoelstra in a bind. “You can’t hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland,” Jackson said in the ESPN interview . The word “posse” struck a chord with James, who has surrounded himself with childhood friends during his career. Jackson’s language also touched a flash point at a
time of heightened racial tension in the country. “We see the success that we have, but then there is always someone that lets you know how far we still have to go as African-Americans,” James said Tuesday following the Cavaliers’ morning shootaround. “I don’t believe that Phil Jackson would have used that term if he was doing business with someone else and working with another team or if he was working with anybody in sports that was owning a team that wasn’t African-American and had a group of guys around them that didn’t agree with what they did. “I don’t think he would have called them a posse. But it just shows how far we have to go. But it won’t stop us from doing what we need to do as a group. I’ve put together a great team, I’ve empowered some guys since I was a kid and we’ve all grown together and become one of the people that try to model after, so we’re not going to let Phil Jackson’s comments stop us from doing what we need to do. It just gives us extra motivation. But it’s still sad, though, to see that people at the top always want to try to put guys in power down.” James was offended by Jackson’s flippant use of a term many find degrading. “If you go and read the definition of what the word ‘posse’ is, it’s not what I’ve built over my career,” James said. “It’s not what I stand for. It’s not what my family stands for.”
THE TRIBUNE
MOTLEY 17 POINTS AS BAYLOR UPSETS NO. 4 OREGON 66-49 By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Basketball Writer
CAVALIERS forward LeBron James and New York Knicks president Phil Jackson. (AP) Along with close friends Maverick Carter, Rich Paul and Randy Mims, James has built a sports business empire. Among the group’s most prominent successes are landing James a lifetime contract with Nike worth nearly $1 billion and launching a film and TV production company that has partnered with Warner Bros. Carter handles James’ business affairs while Paul serves as his agent — and for several other top players — and Mims works with the Cavs. They formed LRMR marketing shortly after James turned pro, and the 31-year-old three-time champion was criticised for surrounding himself with friends. “I’ve tried to put my guys in position to where they
can walk in a meeting and go places and they don’t need me because they got to a point where they’ve done their homework,” James said. “They’ve studied on what they want to do and they can hold a meeting without me because of the respect that they have and the knowledge they have. That’s just 12 years of hard work and dedication that we put to each other. I know Phil’s in a position of power in our sport, but to criticise me and my guys over that is nonsense.” The Cavs play the Knicks on December 7 in Madison Square Garden, a game surely to be intensified by the Jackson-James drama. James seemed hurt someone of Jackson’s stature would try to demean him. “It seems like when my
name is involved with other people that’s helped build the game, it’s like, ‘How can we criticise what he does on and off the floor?’ instead of trying to help me,” he said. James has been outspoken on social issues and doesn’t intend to stop. “My whole goal is while I have this platform and this muscle that I have right now is how can I better the youth that looks at me every single day and sees what I do and sees what I say and sees the way I walk and talk and what I wear and use it as a positive way to get out of the situation they’re in,” he said. “I’m not going to be that guy that ever downplays somebody or tries to knock someone off just to feel better about myself.”
WACO, Texas (AP) — Johnathan Motley scored 17 points in his season debut and Baylor got a big early-season victory, 66-49 yesterday over the No. 4 Oregon team playing without its preseason All-American. The Ducks (1-1) are missing Dillon Brooks, their 6-foot-7 junior forward who was their leading scorer last season but is still recovering from foot surgery during the offseason. Motley missed the season opener for Baylor (20) because of a one-game suspension after violating an NCAA rule by playing in an improper summer league game. The Ducks (1-1) quickly had a 3-0 lead when Chris Boucher hit from long range on the game’s first shot, before they missed their next six shots. After Motley made his first shot of the season and Manu Lecomte’s buzzerbeating 3-pointer, Baylor never trailed again. Lecomte had 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting that included four 3-pointers. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr grabbed 14 rebounds for Baylor. Dylan Ennis led Oregon with 16 points, and Boucher finished with 12. Jordan Bell had 11 rebounds. Baylor’s lead was only one midway through the first half when Lual-Acuil blocked a shot and was pumping his arms after making a pass to Wendell Mitchell for a layup. Lual-Acuil made the next basket when he posted right under the goal, and got an inbound pass from Lecomte. After Al Freeman and Lecomte hit consecutive 3s, Baylor had stretched the lead to 25-14. BIG PICTURE Oregon: While the Ducks were able to get past Army in their opener without Brooks, they clearly could have used their standout forward against the Bears, who dominated inside. Oregon struggled shooting at 33 per cent (19 of 58) from the field and got outrebounded 41-30. Baylor: The Bears are now 4-7 in their last 11 games against top-five teams, and this was a boost for a team picked to finish in the middle of the tough Big 12 Conference. Maybe this will get the notice of poll voters. The Bears haven’t been getting any votes so far this season. UP NEXT
ENGLAND’s Jamie Vardy celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal passing Spain’s goalkeeper Jose Reina, left, during the international friendly match at the Wembley stadium in London yesterday. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
England’s late collapse allows Spain to draw 2-2 at Wembley By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — England players celebrated a two-goal lead over Spain by contributing to the mannequin challenge but then froze on the field, conceding two late goals to allow the visitors to snatch a 2-2 draw yesterday. Jamie Vardy won a penalty that Adam Lallana converted in the ninth min-
ute and then the Leicester striker ended his 14-game goal drought for club and country with a 48th-minute diving header. England felt so relaxed in its final game of the year that Vardy performed the mannequin internet craze, where people freeze in dramatic poses. He stretched out his left arm while Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling and Theo Walcott also froze around downbeat
Spain players on the Wembley Stadium field. The video will spread online, but England won’t want to see the end of the friendly game again. Iago Aspas marked his Spain debut by curling in an 89th-minute strike and Isco slipped the ball under substitute goalkeeper Tom Heaton in the sixth minute of stoppage time. “It was an ugly game, a tough game,” Spain coach
Julen Lopetegui said. “But we reacted well.” The comeback ensured Lopetegui maintained his unbeaten start as Spain coach, since replacing Vicente del Bosque after the team’s European title defence ended in the round of 16 in June. England also made a managerial change after going out at the same stage in France, embarrassingly to Iceland. England began
to rebuild under Sam Allardyce but he was ditched after only one game over unguarded comments to undercover reporters. Installed as interim manager, Gareth Southgate has steadied England with four games unbeaten, including two wins and a draw in World Cup qualifying. England conceding late goals to a second-string Spain side will alarm the Football Association but
Oregon played the first of five games in nine days. The Ducks are home Thursday night to play Valparaiso, where current Baylor coach Scott Drew was previously a head coach — after his father and before his brother. Baylor is home for its third consecutive game to start the season, against Florida Gulf Coast on Friday night. Florida Gulf Coast’s run to the NCAA Sweet 16 was in 2013, the season that Baylor was NIT champion. Southgate is still expected to be handed the job on a permanent basis rather than returning to the under21s. “We are devastated because we put a lot of work into it,” said England captain Jordan Henderson, whose cross set up Vardy’s header. “To concede two like that late on is very disappointing. It is hard to reflect because it is so disappointing.”
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, November 16, 2016, PAGE 5
AP source: No. 1 pick Jared Goff to make Rams debut on Sunday By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer THOUSAND OAKS, California (AP) — A person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press that quarterback Jared Goff will make his NFL debut on Sunday when the No. 1 pick starts for the Los Angeles Rams. The source spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday because Rams coach Jeff Fisher hadn’t made the official announcement. Los Angeles (4-5) hosts the Miami Dolphins this weekend at the Coliseum, where Rams fans chanted “We want Goff!” two weeks ago during a loss to Carolina. Goff watched the first nine games of his rookie season on the sideline for the Rams, who have scored an NFL-worst 15.4 points per game with one of the league’s least successful offences. Veteran Case Keenum has started every
game, passing for 2,169 yards with 11 interceptions and nine TDs. After weeks of increasing scrutiny on the offence’s struggles, the Rams finally decided to see what they’ve got in Goff. Los Angeles couldn’t score a touchdown in last weekend’s 9-6 victory over the New York Jets, failing to reach the end zone for the third time in nine games. Los Angeles traded several top draft picks to Tennessee in April to move up to draft Goff, hoping to solve years of underperformance at the NFL’s most important position. The Rams also traded up to make a splash in their return to Los Angeles after a 21-year sojourn in St Louis, where they hadn’t made the playoffs since 2004 or had a winning record since 2003. But after Goff played unimpressively in the preseason, Fisher repeatedly declined to promote the
RAMS QB Jared Goff is expected to make his NFL debut Sunday when the No. 1 pick starts for the Los Angeles Rams against the Miami Dolphins. (AP) rookie over the past two months while his offence struggled on almost a weekly basis, saying he wanted Goff to be in an ideal position to succeed. It’s increasingly clear that the Rams’ offence doesn’t provide an optimal opportunity for any quarterback, but at least Goff will now be learning on the job.
The Rams’ offence is 31st in the NFL with just 308.0 yards per game. Their passing game is ranked 25th with 225.4 yards per game, increasing in recent weeks because of Los Angeles’ profound struggles running the ball. The Coliseum crowd has been eager for a change, booing the offence and
chanting for the rookie while the Rams struggled through a 13-10 loss to Carolina two weeks ago. Los Angeles couldn’t score against the Panthers until midway through the fourth quarter. The Rams then failed to reach the end zone against the Jets, but the defence carried them to their first win since early October. Goff, who turned 22 last month, was a threeyear starter at California in a spread offence bearing little resemblance to the Rams’ more pro-style schemes. That additional learning curve persuaded the Rams to be patient with Goff while Keenum got his first chance to be an NFL team’s opening-day starter. But Keenum has struggled along with the Los Angeles offence, repeatedly failing to make big plays in important situations. The veteran has thrown eight interceptions and five TD
passes over the past five games for the Rams, who endured a four-game skid before last weekend’s win. Goff got additional practice time with the Rams’ first-team offence during their recent bye week, and Fisher repeatedly has said Goff was ready to run the Rams’ offence in a game. He’ll get his first shot against the Dolphins, who have the NFL’s ninthranked passing defence with potent pass-rushers Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake, who have combined for 12 sacks. Goff is the first quarterback chosen with the top pick who didn’t start his team’s opener since JaMarcus Russell in 2007. Since then, Matt Stafford, Sam Bradford, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and Jameis Winston had all started their teams’ first games. ESPN first reported the Rams’ decision.
THE STANDINGS
GIANTS wide receiver Sterling Shepard (87) celebrates with offensive tackle Bobby Hart (68) after scoring a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals during Monday night’s game in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP)
Giants heading toward first playoff berth since 2011 By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — That four-year playoff drought could soon be nearing an end for the New York Giants. Riding the play of their big-bucks defense and the gutsy play-calling of rookie coach Ben McAdoo , the Giants (6-3) posted their first four-game winning streak since 2013 by beating the Cincinnati Bengals 21-20 on Monday night. Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes, with the biggest being a 3-yard toss to rookie Sterling Shepard on a fourth-and-goal early in the fourth quarter with New York trailing 20-14. The six wins match the Giants’ total in each of the past two seasons under Tom Coughlin, and they give New York the best record among NFC teams not leading a division. Dallas tops the NFC East at 8-1, putting the Giants two games back. What helps the Giants is their upcoming schedule. They have a home game against Chicago (2-7) on Sunday and a visit to winless Cleveland the following week. “The team is playing as one,” said safety Landon Collins, who had his fourth interception in the past three games. “We’re playing as a unit and playing sound. We’re playing every week as a whole. We’re taking it weekby-week and getting better.”
The Bengals (3-5-1) trail the firstplace Ravens (5-4) in the AFC North but can still make the playoffs for a sixth straight year. Cincinnati has two games left with Baltimore and one with the Steelers, so it can make up ground. “It’s a long season, but obviously, it’s getting shorter,” said tight end Tyler Eifert , whose 71-yard catch-andrun set up A.J. Green’s touchdown reception. “We’re not too far back to where we can’t find a way to get into the playoffs. So we just have to keep our heads down, keep playing hard and control what we can control. We have to work on winning games, and when we do that, we’ll put ourselves in a winning position.” • Here are other things to watch: FINISHING On a night when the Giants inducted Coughlin into their Ring of Honor, the team played the way their former coach always exhorted them: They finished the game. New York played the fourth quarter like a top-tier team. The Giants defended a one-point lead, holding Cincinnati to 37 yards in the last period. On offense, they controlled the clock at the end, never giving the ball back to the Bengals. “We had a lot of pressure on Andy Dalton and got a couple of sacks, and for us to get the ball and run out the clock, that’s big-time football right there,” Manning said.
BENGALS’ SLUGGISH OFFENCE Cincinnati was held to 264 total yards and was only 2 of 11 on third down. “We were in too many 3rd-andlongs and that hurt us. We’ve got to be in 3rd-and-manageable situations,” Dalton said. The Bengals twice had to settle for field goals when they got to the red zone. The first came when they started a drive at the 7 after Dre Kirkpatrick’s interception in the second quarter. The Bengals didn’t gain any yards and got a short field goal. And rookie Tyler Boyd dropped a possible touchdown catch in the third, forcing Mike Nugent’s 38-yard field goal. “We have opportunities on offense to put more points on the board and we end up having to kick field goals and that ended up probably being the difference in the football game,” coach Marvin Lewis said. THE GIANTS CAN RUN THE BALL New York’s anemic ground game finally got going against the Bengals and sealed the victory with several clutch runs in the final minutes. The Giants had a season-high 122 yards rushing, the first time in six games they cracked the 100-yard barrier. Rashad Jennings led the way with 87 yards on 15 carries.
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Wednesday, November 16, 2016, PAGE 7
Murray wins in his debut as world’s top-ranked player THIEM WINS FOR 1ST TIME AT ATP FINALS By CHRIS LEHOURITES AP Sports Writer
LONDON (AP) — Taking the court as the No. 1-ranked player for the first time, Andy Murray got the job done. The Wimbledon champion was tested for much of his opening match at the ATP finals but still came out on top, playing in his home country and beating Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-2 Monday at the O2 Arena. “It was obviously nice to play in that stadium with the crowd like that. It obviously helps,” Murray said. “After a long, kind of, few months, it’s nice to know that I’m going to be finishing the year playing in that sort of atmosphere.” Murray took over at the top of the rankings last week, replacing Novak Djokovic. But the year-end No. 1 ranking is still up for grabs and could be decided on Sunday if both Murray and Djokovic reach the final. The prospect of attaining that, however, doesn’t seem to be weighing too heavily on Murray’s mind. “The last few days, I haven’t thought about it too much,” Murray said. “It didn’t change
much for me.” It certainly hasn’t affected his ability to win matches. Murray has won a career-high eight titles this season, including a second Wimbledon title in July and a second straight Olympic gold medal in August. Since then, he has won titles in Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna and Paris. The latest victory on Monday didn’t come so easy. Murray struggled to win his service games in the first set against Cilic, but still ended up saving all but one of the five break points he faced in the match. On the other side, he converted four of his five break points. “When I need to step in, I didn’t. When I need to wait a little bit longer, I wasn’t waiting,” said Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion. “The hitting could have been better. Yeah, a little bit unfortunate to go 6-3, 6-2 down, where it felt it was much, much closer in the first set. Beginning of the second, I had couple chances as well.” In the early match, Stan Wawrinka finally lost a match at the ATP finals to someone who hasn’t been ranked No.
Wawrinka, Nishikori and Milos Raonic all have a chance to end up one spot behind Murray and Djokovic. Nishikori, currently ranked fifth, helped his own chances of reaching that third spot by breaking Wawrinka twice in each set while not allowing a single break point on his serve.
By CHRIS LEHOURITES AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) — After going through another second-set letdown, Dominic Thiem put things right and gave himself a chance to reach the semi-finals at the ATP finals. The eighth-seeded Austrian, who is making his debut at the season-ending tournament, held on to beat Gael Monfils 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 yesterday, making him 1-1 in the round robin. In his opening match on Sunday, Thiem lost to Novak Djokovic after winning the first set. In the second set of that match, he was blanked 6-0. “I tried to avoid the mistake I did in the first match, to drop a little bit. Didn’t really happen that good,” Thiem said. “But I was trying to stay tough in the third set.” He got some help this time, though. Although Monfils improved in the second set, winning all three of his break points to force a decider, his service game never really got going. In the final game of the match, the Frenchman gave it away with three of his five double-faults. “It was a tough one,” said Monfils, who is still recovering from a rib injury that forced him out of the Paris Masters at the end of last month. “I think I didn’t play a great match, but I gave everything I had.” Because of his injury, Monfils said he may pull out of his final match against Djokovic — even though he still has a slim chance of reaching the semi-finals. Thiem is in a better position to qualify, but will need to beat Milos Raonic Thursday.
Djokovic wins again, reaches semi-finals (AP) — Novak Djokovic edged a bit closer to the yearend No. 1 ranking. The second-ranked Serb beat Milos Raonic 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) last night to qualify for the semi-finals of the ATP finals and improve his record against the Canadian to 8-0. Djokovic is 2-0 at the season-ending tournament, and will retake the top ranking from Murray if he does better this week. Murray is 1-0 so far, and plays his second match today against Kei Nishikori. Djokovic never looked at ease in his second match at the O2 Arena, but he was able to hang on through two tough tiebreakers to earn the victory.
ANDY MURRAY 1 in the world. The US Open champion, who has reached the semi-finals of the seasonending tournament for the last three years, was beaten by Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-3. Wawrinka holds a 6-7 record at the tournament for the top eight players in the world, but his previous six losses were against Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — twice to each. Monday’s loss doesn’t mean Wawrinka is out of the tournament, but it hurts his chances of finishing the year as the No. 3-ranked player.
THe WeaTHer repOrT
5-Day Forecast
TOday
OrlandO
High: 77° F/25° C low: 53° F/12° C
Tampa
THursday
FrIday
saTurday
sunday
Variable clouds with spotty showers
An evening shower or two
Mostly sunny and breezy
Partly sunny and breezy
Partly sunny with a stray shower
Some sun with a shower; breezy
High: 76°
Low: 67°
High: 81° Low: 69°
High: 81° Low: 68°
High: 81° Low: 70°
High: 81° Low: 63°
AccuWeather RealFeel
AccuWeather RealFeel
AccuWeather RealFeel
AccuWeather RealFeel
AccuWeather RealFeel
AccuWeather RealFeel
81° F
63° F
83°-66° F
82°-67° F
86°-68° F
82°-60° F
High: 78° F/26° C low: 58° F/14° C
The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.
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almanac
E
W
aBaCO
S
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High: 74° F/23° C low: 71° F/22° C
8-16 knots
S
High: 78° F/26° C low: 64° F/18° C
6-12 knots
FT. lauderdale
FreepOrT
High: 78° F/26° C low: 65° F/18° C
E
W S
E
W
WesT palm BeaCH
N
High: 78° F/26° C low: 66° F/19° C
mIamI
High: 79° F/26° C low: 64° F/18° C
8-16 knots
Key WesT
High: 78° F/26° C low: 69° F/21° C
High: 76° F/24° C low: 67° F/19° C
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016
High: 74° F/23° C low: 70° F/21° C
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The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.
tiDes For nassau High
Ht.(ft.)
Low
Ht.(ft.)
Today
8:43 a.m. 9:06 p.m.
3.8 3.0
2:21 a.m. -0.8 3:11 p.m. -0.5
Thursday
9:36 a.m. 10:01 p.m.
3.7 2.9
3:14 a.m. -0.6 4:06 p.m. -0.4
Friday
10:30 a.m. 10:59 p.m.
3.5 2.8
4:09 a.m. -0.4 5:01 p.m. -0.2
Saturday
11:27 a.m. -----
3.3 -----
5:06 a.m. -0.1 5:59 p.m. 0.0
Sunday
12:01 a.m. 12:26 p.m.
2.6 3.0
6:08 a.m. 6:59 p.m.
0.2 0.2
Monday
1:04 a.m. 1:26 p.m.
2.6 2.8
7:13 a.m. 7:58 p.m.
0.5 0.3
Tuesday
2:08 a.m. 2:26 p.m.
2.5 2.7
8:19 a.m. 8:54 p.m.
0.6 0.3
sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset
6:27 a.m. 5:22 p.m.
Moonrise Moonset
7:47 p.m. 8:30 a.m.
last
new
First
Full
nov. 21
nov. 29
dec. 7
dec. 13
CaT Island
E
W
High: 79° F/26° C low: 72° F/22° C
N
S
E
W S
7-14 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 79° F/26° C Low .................................................... 67° F/19° C Normal high ....................................... 81° F/27° C Normal low ........................................ 70° F/21° C Last year’s high ................................. 86° F/30° C Last year’s low ................................... 72° F/22° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ............................................... 48.24” Normal year to date ................................... 37.30”
eleuTHera
nassau
7-14 knots
andrOs
san salVadOr
GreaT eXuma
High: 80° F/27° C low: 74° F/23° C
High: 80° F/27° C low: 73° F/23° C
N
High: 75° F/24° C low: 70° F/21° C
E
W S
lOnG Island
insurance management tracking map
High: 80° F/27° C low: 75° F/24° C
7-14 knots
mayaGuana High: 82° F/28° C low: 76° F/24° C
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
H
uV inDex toDay
TOnIGHT
CrOOKed Island / aCKlIns raGGed Island High: 80° F/27° C low: 74° F/23° C
High: 80° F/27° C low: 75° F/24° C
GreaT InaGua High: 84° F/29° C low: 76° F/24° C
N
E
W
E
W
N
S
S
6-12 knots
4-8 knots
marine Forecast aBaCO andrOs CaT Island CrOOKed Island eleuTHera FreepOrT GreaT eXuma
L
GreaT InaGua lOnG Island mayaGuana nassau raGGed Island san salVadOr
Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday:
WINDS NE at 6-12 Knots NNE at 8-16 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NNW at 7-14 Knots NNE at 10-20 Knots S at 4-8 Knots NNE at 10-20 Knots NNW at 7-14 Knots NNE at 8-16 Knots NNE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots N at 7-14 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots SE at 4-8 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NNE at 4-8 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots S at 6-12 Knots NNE at 10-20 Knots N at 4-8 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots NE at 6-12 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots N at 7-14 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots
WAVES 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 0-1 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-2 Feet 2-4 Feet 0-1 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet
VISIBILITY 6 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 8 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 8 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles
WATER TEMPS. 80° F 80° F 80° F 82° F 83° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 78° F 78° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 84° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 80° F 80° F 83° F 81° F 83° F 81° F
PAGE 8, Wednesday, November 16, 2016
THE TRIBUNE