Lee leads No. 3 LSU past Mississippi St. (AP)
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP)—LSU’s Jarrett Lee stepped back in the pocket, surveyed the field and let a pass fly. It was a beautifully thrown fade route to Rueben Randle, who beat two Mississippi State defenders to the corner of the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown. Everyone already knew LSU had a great running game and defense. Now the Tigers might be developing a quarterback to match. “Rueben made a great route—it was just a matter of putting it out there for him,” Lee said. “I feel like I’m becoming a more mature player. Really developing.” The senior quarterback, filling in for suspended Jordan Jefferson, completed 21 of 27 passes for 213 yards and the touchdown and No. 3 LSU defeated No. 25 Mississippi State 19-6 on Thursday night. Lee’s night was filled with conservative, but nearly perfect passes all over the field. Then in a crucial moment, his strike to Randle hushed a raucous Mississippi State crowd and gave the Tigers a 16-6 lead. His only real mistake was an interception minutes later, but as it had all game, LSU’s defense stuffed Mississippi State with little trouble. LSU (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) had 15 tackles for a loss and held the Bulldogs (1-2, 0-2) to 193 total yards and two field goals. “It was really fun to see,” LSU coach Les Miles said. Despite Mississippi State’s cowbells providing an ever-present backdrop, LSU won its 12th straight game in the series dating to 1999. Lee’s success is quickly making LSU fans forget about Jefferson, the expected starter who has been suspended all season after being arrested for his alleged role in a bar fight in August. Lee wasn’t necessarily spectacular, but he didn’t have to be, calmly managing the game and hitting open receivers when opportunities arose. It’s a stark contrast from his freshman season in 2008, when Lee threw 16 interceptions, including seven that were returned for touchdowns. Since those tough days he’s spent most of the time on the bench. Now with a new opportunity, he’s taking full advantage. It helps that LSU’s running game continues to be spectacular. Spencer Ware rushed for 107 yards on 22 carries. LSU was its own worst enemy much of the game before its late-game breakout. In a particularly brutal stretch in the third quarter, the Tigers committed five penalties in less than nine minutes, losing 67 yards in the process. Lee’s interception gave Mississippi State newfound life after falling behind 16-6. But LSU’s defense was good enough to make up for all those transgressions, constantly putting pressure on Mississippi State quarterback Chris Relf and disrupting the Bulldogs’ vaunted running game, which had gained at least 300 yards rushing in each of the season’s first two games. MSU’s Vick Ballard managed just 38 yards on 10 carries, while Relf rushed for 10 yards on 16 carries. Relf was benched for Tyler Russell late in the game, but the sophomore didn’t have any success either. “We didn’t get into a rhythm,” Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. “… We got behind and had to throw the ball and play their game. Our playmakers have to make plays. We will be all right—our guys always bounce back.” The loss continued Mississippi State’s frustration against SEC Western Division rivals. The Bulldogs are 2-10 against the West, with both of those wins coming against rival Ole Miss. It’s been a tough six days for Mississippi State, which lost to Auburn 41-34 on Saturday. As expected, the game was bruising from the outset. Relf was thrown to the turf on a sack by LSU’s Kendrick Adams on the second play of the game, and the tone never changed for either team. Though both teams are known for their run-first approach, the quarterbacks had a surprising amount of success, especially in the first half. Lee completed 13 of 15 passes for 128 yards in the first half and Relf countered with 9 of 11 completions for 78 yards. But that success bogged down once either offense entered the red zone, with both teams having to settle for field goals that did little to alter momentum. LSU scored first after a 16-play, 77-yard drive ended in Drew Alleman’s 21-yard field goal. Mississippi State answered with their own bruising 14-play, 57-yard drive, capped by Derek DePasquale’s 26-yard field goal. LSU took a 6-3 lead into halftime after Alleman drilled a 42-yard field goal with 1:18 left in the second quarter. The field goal parade continued in the second half, with DePasquale’s 42-yarder tying the game at 6 in the third quarter. Alleman answered with a 41-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 9-6 lead with 1:46 remaining. Finally, LSU was able to break through with Lee’s touchdown throw to Randle, which quieted the cowbells. “We went into half saying ‘We took some 3s, but they need to be 7s,”’ Miles said. “But the way our defense was playing, that almost wasn’t necessary.” By the end of the game, the small contingent of LSU fans in the corner of the stadium was chanting “This is our State,” a not-so-subtle jab at Mississippi State’s marketing campaign that is constantly shown on Davis Wade Stadium’s massive jumbotron.
Schlesinger tops Senior Women’s Am qualifiers (AP)
OOLTEWAH, Tenn. (AP)—Lisa Schlesinger took the top spot in the 64-player match-play field in the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur, completing a 4-under 68 on Sunday in the delayed opening round and adding a 71. The 53-year-old Schlesinger, from Laytonsville, Md., finished at 5-under 139 on the Honors Course. Mary Ann Hayward followed her opening 70 with a 76 to finish second at 2 over. The 51-year-old Canadian is coming off a victory two weeks ago in the Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur.
Nowitzki keeps Germany alive at Euros (AP)
SIAULIAI, Lithuania (AP)—After qualifying for the second round before even appearing on the court, Turkey beat Spain 65-57 on Monday to hand the defending champion its first loss of the European Championship. Spain did not use Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol(notes), who was resting a twisted ankle, and scored only two points in the final quarter. Turkey finished the game with a 16-0 run. Turkey was assured of going through when Britain beat Poland 88-81 earlier in the day in Group A. Spain, Turkey and host Lithuania made it through from that group. Elsewhere, Greece booked a place in the next round by beating Croatia 74-69 in Group C. Croatia was surprisingly eliminated. Finland beat Montenegro 71-65 in Group C, while Bulgaria defeated Georgia 79-69 in Group D. In a Group A match between two eliminated teams, Israel edged Italy 96-95 in overtime. Already-qualified Germany edged Latvia 81-80. Dirk Nowitzki(notes) and Chris Kaman(notes) sat out the fourth quarter. Ukraine’s 74-61 win over Belgium allowed Georgia to advance. Macedonia beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 75-63 and that result, along with Greece’s win, also helped Finland go through. Spain, Turkey, Lithuania, France, Serbia and Germany will be together in one group. Russia, Slovenia, Georgia, Macedonia, Greece and Finland will be in the other. Russia made sure to win Group D by defeating Slovenia 65-64 on Sergey Monya’s last-second shot. Both teams are through. Head-to-head results among qualified teams count in the second round. The top three teams in each of the four groups advance. The two finalists qualify for next year’s Olympics in London. Emir Preldzic(notes) had 18 points to lead Turkey past Spain. Omer Asik(notes) contributed 12 points, while Ersan Ilyasova(notes) had 11 rebounds. Marc Gasol(notes) of the Memphis Grizzlies had 12 points for Spain, while Felipe Reyes and Rudy Fernandez(notes) each contributed 11. Croatia’s Marko Popovic made four straight free throws to bring his team within two with 24 seconds remaining. Nikos Zisis made two for Greece, Croatia’s Dontaye Draper(notes) missed a 3-point attempt, Zisis made another free throw, Ante Tomic’s(notes) dunk made it a three-point game with 14 seconds on the clock. Konstantinos Vasileiadis then made two free throws, before Draper missed a layup. Croatia got the rebound but Stanko Barac missed a jumper. Vasileiadis and Antonios Fotsis both led Greece with 17 points each. Barac and Popovic had 14 points each for Croatia. Luol Deng(notes) of the Chicago Bulls had a double-double with 28 points and 14 rebounds for Britain. Joel Freeland added 27 points—14 of them in the fourth quarter—and 11 rebounds. Dardan Berisha had 19 points for Poland. Deng and Freeland dominated the boards and Britain had 46 rebounds for Poland’s 25. “We didn’t play to our level. Freeland and Deng killed us. The last quarter, we got close, but that’s not enough,” said Poland coach Ales Pipan, whose team had beaten Turkey by a point a day earlier. Thomas Kelati(notes) said the tough game against Turkey was partly to blame for Poland’s loss against Britain. “It took a lot of energy to beat a team like Turkey. I thought we had the energy, but we made mistakes, I made mistakes,” said Kelati, who finished with 14 points. Petri Virtanen made three of four free throws in the final 20 seconds for Finland to beat eliminated Montenegro. Tuukka Kotti had a steal with seven seconds remaining to deny Montenegro a last chance. Gerald Lee had 12 points for Finland, while Nikola Pekovic(notes) led Montenegro with 16, his only miss coming from a free throw. Bulgaria got 25 points from California-born Earl Rowland and Kaloyan Ivanov added 15 and nine rebounds. Georgia had 18 points and nine rebounds from Viktor Sanikidze, Marquez Haynes had 15, while Zaza Pachulia(notes) of the Atlanta Hawks had 13 points and six rebounds, but also six turnovers. Slovenia led throughout until Monya’s two-point shot, and Erazem Lorbek’s desperate attempt to win with two-tenths on the clock failed. Russia finished the group with five wins in five games, while Slovenia was 4-1. Andrey Vorontsevich led Russia with 18 points, while Slovenia’s Lorbek finished with 14.
Crosby ‘likely’ to play this season (AP)
Penguins center Sidney Crosby carries the puck against the Predators on Sunday. Nashville won 4-3 in a shootout.(AP Photo/Don Wright) PITTSBURGH (AP)—Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby(notes) says it’s “likely” he’ll return to play this season, but stressed he won’t rush back to the ice. Crosby hasn’t played since suffering a pair of concussions in January. The former MVP said Wednesday he feels as good as he’s felt in a long time but refused to put a timeline when he’ll don his No. 87 jersey in a game. The 24-year-old added he never really considered retirement but is concerned about the recurrence of concussion-like symptoms as his workouts have grown more intense. “It’s not as simple as saying there’s a date and I’ll feel better,” Crosby said. “I’d love to have answers sometimes. There were different points where I was definitely frustrated.” Dr. Michael Collins, who has overseen Crosby’s recovery, says he expects Crosby to have a “long and fruitful” NHL career but cautioned bringing him back too soon would put those prospects at risk. “I have no earthly idea (on a return),” Collins said. Though Crosby has been been allowed to skate, it’s uncertain when he could be cleared to participate in a full-contact practice. “We’re going to introduce contact with Sid very carefully,” Collins said, “and we’re not even close to that.” Crosby has been a recluse since the Penguins were eliminated by Tampa Bay in the opening round of the NHL playoffs, spending most of his time rehabilitating in Canada. His silence has fueled speculation he’ll never play again, a notion he emphatically shot down. “Retirement? No,” Crosby said. “I think I’ve always thought about the consequence of this injury, making sure I’m smart with it because at the end of the day (retirement is) the last thing I want.” Crosby’s symptoms included “fogginess” that made it difficult for him to drive or watch television. He’s also endured painful migraines and likened the recovery process to a roller coaster. The good days far outnumber the bad ones at the moment. “I’m lucky,” Crosby said. “I feel like I’m in pretty good shape and on the right end of this right now.” Doctors don’t anticipate Crosby to live with long-term effects from the injury, at least on a personal level. The true test of his hockey future won’t be determined until he absorbs a hit at full-speed. Crosby took a pair of head shots within days of each other in early January, first against the Washington Capitals in the Winter Classic and then a few days later against Tampa Bay. He stressed he didn’t feel obligated to play against the Lightning, saying his symptoms didn’t really manifest until after he took the second hit. “I think I was feeling a little bit sore in my neck (after the first one),” Crosby said. “Obviously after the Tampa game, I was feeling some symptoms.” Those symptoms are largely gone, though they have popped up when Crosby gets to 80-90 percent exertion rate. “When I really fatigue myself or really stress (my system),” Crosby said, “I didn’t really respond the right way.” Still, the Olympic gold medalist remains steadfast in the belief that he’ll play again. He’s hoping his case will help lead the NHL to outlaw hits to the head. “A guy’s got to be responsible with his stick, why shouldn’t he be responsible with the rest of his body when he’s going to hit someone,” Crosby said. “Whether it’s accidental or not accidental, you’ve got to be responsible out there.”
