The bj-league's eighth season tipped off on Saturday with three games, and the defending champion Ryukyu Golden Kings defeated the host Kyoto Hannaryz 82-73 in Koto Toyama's first game at the helm.Toyama coached the Miyazaki Shining Suns during the past two seasons before being named the third head coach in Ryukyu history.(Official game statistics were unavailable at press time, eight hours after the 3 p.m. tipoff.)Big Bulls 88, Albirex BB 82In Niigata, Dai Oketani, who guided Ryukyu to a pair of championships, earned a victory in his first game on the bench for the Tohoku franchise, now in its second season.Former Ryukyu center Dillion Sneed had 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds for Iwate.After the game, Sneed summed up the season-opening win this way on Facebook: "Positive start to the season right there."Longtime Sendai 89ers guard Kenichi Takahashi scored 20 points, including 10-for-12 at the free-throw line, for Iwate, while fellow newcomer Reggie Okosa had 14 points. Marquette University product Lawrence Blackledge scored 12, grabbed nine boards and blocked six shots. Masato Tsukino sank three 3-pointers and contributed 11 points in the victory.For Niigata, forward Rodney Webb had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Nile Murry scored 17 and Chris Holm grabbed 12 rebounds.An announced crowd of 3,189 attended the game.89ers 63, Phoenix 61In Hamamatsu, Sendai edged the hosts in a defensive struggle that went down the wire.The teams shot a combined 46-for-148 from the field.It was Hamamatsu Higashimikawa's first game as a member of the Western Conference after a distinguished four-season stint in the Eastern Conference, which included two championships and a championship runnerup finish last season."We're just happy to open the season with a win on the road against a great team like Hamamatsu," Sendai coach Bob Pierce told The Japan Times. "We came out running — 22 points in the first quarter — but then Hamamatsu's defense toughened up."In the fourth quarter, Sendai trailed 52-45, but rallied back to take a six-point edge, 63-57, with 2 minutes remaining."That 18-5 run was what saved us despite some overall sloppy play throughout," Pierce said.89ers newcomer Sam Willard, a University of the Pacific product, had 15 rebounds in his bj-league debut. He scored six of his seven points in the fourth quarter. Pierce called his fourth-quarter offensive output "six hard-earned points ... (that) were part of our run to re-take the lead for good."Kevin Coble, who played college ball at Northwestern University, scored a team-best 17 points for Sendai, and DePaul product Karron Clarke "did a little bit of everything," the Sendai coach said, noting his strong defense and nine rebounds.Sendai captain and fan favorite Takehiko Shimura poured in 16 points, handed out four assists and made three steals. Guard Yasuaki Arai, a former Saitama Bronco, had six points and four assists in his first game for the 89ers.For the Phoenix, Kevin Galloway (Texas Southern) had 20 points, 17 rebounds and four assists and one-time MVP Jeffrey Parmer (Florida Atlantic) scored 18 points and raked in 12 rebounds, while 211-cm Elbert Fuqua (Texas-San Antonio) had nine points and 11 boards.
Showing posts with label Reigning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reigning. Show all posts
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Reigning champion Radwanska reaches Pan Pacific Open final
World No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska moved within a win of becoming the first Pan Pacific Open champion to defend the title in eight years after defeating Angelique Kerber in the semifinals Friday.
Saluting the crowd: World No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska beats Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-1 on Friday in the Pan Pacific Open semifinals in Tokyo. KYODORadwanska cruised past fifth seed Kerber in 59 minutes, winning 6-1, 6-1. The last player to win the title back to back was Lindsay Davenport in 2003-2004.In Saturday's final, Radwanska will face surprising Russian veteran Nadia Petrova who beat an injured Samantha Stosur, last season's U.S. Open champion, 6-4, 6-2."There were a lot of tight games especially in the end," Radwanska said of her match with Kerber, who reached the last four by default after world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka pulled out."She's a big fighter, she never gives up. I think I played a good match today. Everything was working today and I'm happy about that."Radwanska, a part-time student back in her native Poland, and the 30-year-old Petrova last played each other in 2008, when they met four times with Radwanska winning on three of those occasions."She's been playing great tennis this week and played a lot of good tight matches," the 23-year-old Radwanska said of Petrova. "For sure it won't be easy, but I'm just very happy I could reach the final again and will do everything to win the title."Kerber tried to make a contest out of the match, taking the first game of the second set. But Radwanska — who did not double fault once whereas Kerber had seven — won the next six games to underline her domination.In the first semifinal at Ariake Tennis Forest Park, Stosur lacked the flair she showed a night earlier when she eliminated Petrova's compatriot Maria Sharapova, going down 6-4, 6-2 to the 17th seed.Petrova defeated No. 6 Sara Errani in the quarterfinals in three sets despite a bad back, and did not slow down against the ninth-ranked Stosur.Petrova landed nine aces compared to none by Stosur, who did not convert a single break point.Petrova reached the Pan Pacific Open final for her first time, and her second final of the season following the UNICEF Open she won in the Netherlands, in June."Sam is a tough opponent to play," she said. "She has a strong forehand and likes to dominate the game. With her you have to be alert, you have to play your best and I think I accomplished that today."Petrova needed treatment on her lower back during her victory over Errani but said it was not an issue against Stosur."My back is doing well, I'm very pleased," Petrova said. "Overall at this stage, me and Agnieszka are beaten up already but this is the final. This is the last match of the tournament. You have to give it your best and everything you have left."Stosur, on the other hand, did have physical issues against Petrova as she suffered an abdominal injury early in the match."I did something to myself in the third game of the match and I kind of kept going thinking it would go away but it didn't seem to," Stosur said. "I got some treatment and got it taped up and I was able to keep playing but I guess it's not the ideal situation."
Saluting the crowd: World No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska beats Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-1 on Friday in the Pan Pacific Open semifinals in Tokyo. KYODORadwanska cruised past fifth seed Kerber in 59 minutes, winning 6-1, 6-1. The last player to win the title back to back was Lindsay Davenport in 2003-2004.In Saturday's final, Radwanska will face surprising Russian veteran Nadia Petrova who beat an injured Samantha Stosur, last season's U.S. Open champion, 6-4, 6-2."There were a lot of tight games especially in the end," Radwanska said of her match with Kerber, who reached the last four by default after world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka pulled out."She's a big fighter, she never gives up. I think I played a good match today. Everything was working today and I'm happy about that."Radwanska, a part-time student back in her native Poland, and the 30-year-old Petrova last played each other in 2008, when they met four times with Radwanska winning on three of those occasions."She's been playing great tennis this week and played a lot of good tight matches," the 23-year-old Radwanska said of Petrova. "For sure it won't be easy, but I'm just very happy I could reach the final again and will do everything to win the title."Kerber tried to make a contest out of the match, taking the first game of the second set. But Radwanska — who did not double fault once whereas Kerber had seven — won the next six games to underline her domination.In the first semifinal at Ariake Tennis Forest Park, Stosur lacked the flair she showed a night earlier when she eliminated Petrova's compatriot Maria Sharapova, going down 6-4, 6-2 to the 17th seed.Petrova defeated No. 6 Sara Errani in the quarterfinals in three sets despite a bad back, and did not slow down against the ninth-ranked Stosur.Petrova landed nine aces compared to none by Stosur, who did not convert a single break point.Petrova reached the Pan Pacific Open final for her first time, and her second final of the season following the UNICEF Open she won in the Netherlands, in June."Sam is a tough opponent to play," she said. "She has a strong forehand and likes to dominate the game. With her you have to be alert, you have to play your best and I think I accomplished that today."Petrova needed treatment on her lower back during her victory over Errani but said it was not an issue against Stosur."My back is doing well, I'm very pleased," Petrova said. "Overall at this stage, me and Agnieszka are beaten up already but this is the final. This is the last match of the tournament. You have to give it your best and everything you have left."Stosur, on the other hand, did have physical issues against Petrova as she suffered an abdominal injury early in the match."I did something to myself in the third game of the match and I kind of kept going thinking it would go away but it didn't seem to," Stosur said. "I got some treatment and got it taped up and I was able to keep playing but I guess it's not the ideal situation."
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