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11/30/08 - 11:41 PM
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Sharief Ishaq - bio
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - New Orleans put the game in Drew Brees’
hands, and Tampa Bay took it right away.
The relentless Buccaneers defense pressured the NFL’s leading
passer all afternoon, then intercepted him twice in the closing
minutes Sunday to stay atop the NFC South with a 23-20 victory over
the Saints.
“You know you’re going to get opportunities,” Bucs cornerback
Ronde Barber said after Brees threw on nine of New Orleans’ first
11 plays and finished with 47 attempts on a rainy day that might
have discouraged some other quarterbacks.
Instead it was Tampa Bay’s defense, sometimes overlooked during
the team’s 9-3 start, that got the best of the Saints star.
“We’ve got to relish this because we feel like we’re one of the
best secondaries in the league, and I think our performance today,
at least in our minds, proves it,” Barber said.
Brees, on pace to break Dan Marino’s single-season yardage
record, threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns but also was picked
off three times - once in the end zone on a pass that Barber tipped
to Cato June - and sacked once.
“We had our perfect chances out there and we didn’t take
advantage of it,” Brees said. “It’s disappointing, very
disappointing. It’s probably one of the more disappointing losses I
have ever been a part of.”
The victory was the fourth straight for Tampa Bay. The Bucs are
6-1 since Jeff Garcia regained the starting quarterback job, which
he lost after a poor performance in a season-opening loss against
the Saints (6-6).
Garcia was limited to 119 yards passing, but threw 38 yards to
Antonio Bryant for a third-quarter touchdown that put the Bucs up
20-10. Carnell “Cadillac” Williams also scored on an 8-yard run,
his first TD since a career-threatening knee injury 14 months ago.
“That was big,” said Williams, who gained 20 yards on four
carries in his second game since being activated from the
physically unable to perform list. “I was just glad that down
around the goal line they called my number.”
Brees was 25-of-47 and wiped out a 10-point fourth-quarter
deficit by throwing a 20-yard TD pass to Pierre Thomas and taking
advantage of a short punt to tie the game on Garrett Hartley’s
second field goal with 5:34 to go.
With the game on the line, though, he couldn’t stop New Orleans
from falling to 0-17 when trailing after three quarters under coach
Sean Payton.
“We talk all the time about (putting games away in the fourth)
despite what happens through the entire course of the game. We had
a chance, at least two chances, and we didn’t take them at all,”
Brees said.
“Give them credit because they played very well and knew what
to do to throw us off offensively and make the plays on defense.
What hurts really is that we had a chance to win it in the end and
didn’t take it.”
A week after gaining 418 yards in a 51-29 rout of Green Bay, the
Saints’ high-powered offense sputtered until Brees put together a
six-play, 72-yard drive just before the half to give New Orleans a
10-6 lead on his 13-yard TD pass to Lance Moore.
Brees hurt the Bucs with three completions of 39 or more yards
in the season opener, but Tampa Bay’s secondary did a much better
job this time. Marques Colston’s 37-yard reception set up the
Saints’ first TD, though Brees’ longest completion other than that
was 22 yards to Colston in the first quarter.
The Bucs took control early in the third quarter, marching 46
yards to regain the lead on Williams’ first TD since Sept. 23,
2007, against St. Louis - the week before he torn the patellar
tendon in his right knee.
Special teams has been a big part of Tampa Bay’s success, and
return man Clifton Smith was a huge factor again Sunday. He ran
down Glenn Pakulak’s 70-yard punt and raced 42 yards to the Saints
39 to set up a second-quarter field goal, then had a 12-yard return
to the New Orleans 43 to position the Bucs for Garcia’s TD throw to
Bryant.
Josh Bidwell’s 18-yard punt helped the Saints tie the game, but
he redeemed himself with a 37-yarder that pinned the Saints at
their own 7 with just under four minutes to go. Phillips
intercepted a pass intended for Colston to set up the winning field
goal, then Buchanon sealed the victory with his pick on a throw
intended for Moore with a little more than a minute left.
“I really feel something special about this team. This is a
championship team. We continue to get better; the chemistry
continues to grow,” Williams said.
“We’ve got a lot of unselfish guys on this team that play
roles. If we keep it rolling like this, the sky’s the limit for
this team.”
Notes: Colston had six catches for 106 yards. Reggie Bush played
for the first time since tearing the meniscus in his left knee on
Oct. 19 and having arthroscopic surgery. He finished with zero
yards rushing on three carries and five receptions for 32 yards.
... Warrick Dunn led Tampa Bay with 74 yards rushing on 22
attempts.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

BATON ROUGE—LSU junior guard Allison Hightower matched a career-high with 19 points, but Middle Tennessee guard Alysha Clark poured in a game-high 37 points to deal to the LSU women’s basketball team a 79-75 loss to the Blue Raiders on Sunday afternoon at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

The Lady Tigers (1-3) saw a double-digit second half lead evaporate and lost two home games in a row for the first time since the 1995-96 season. LSU dropped consecutive games to No. 22 Florida and Arkansas that year. Middle Tennessee (5-1) won its fourth straight game and first road contest of the year.

“We just haven’t been able to follow through,” LSU head coach Van Chancellor said. “Our young team just cannot seem to put it all together just yet. We have great kids and players, and they want to learn. It is fixable though.”

Hightower was an efficient 8-of-12 from the field with six rebounds while playing nearly all 40 minutes. Freshman forward LaSondra Barrett reached double-figures for the first time in her career with 15 points, five boards and three steals.

However, Clark stole the show on Sunday afternoon with a shooting spree from all over the court. The reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week came into the contest averaging 22.4 points per game. She finished 14-of-20 from the field and added eight points from the free throw line while contributing 12 rebounds.

Middle Tennessee entered the game having made 52-of-140 (.371) 3-point shots on the season, and the Blue Raiders perimeter game once again proved to be the difference.

LSU held a 37-31 lead on Middle Tennessee at the half thanks to a 10-0 run and defense that limited the Blue Raiders to only two made 3-pointers on eight attempts. Clark and fellow guard Anne Marie Lanning heated up in the second half and combined for 34 points in the final period.

Lanning was 4-of-4 from 3-point range, two nights after burying seven from beyond the arc in a win over Arizona. Brandi Brown added three 3-pointers of her own.

The Lady Tigers held their largest lead, 41-31, when Latear Eason converted a Katherine Graham steal for a layup to start the second half.

Middle Tennessee then mounted a 17-7 run over the next seven minutes. Lanning tied the contest at 48-48 when she buried the second of two straight 3-pointers, but LSU answered with one of its four made shots from the beyond the arc when junior guard Andrea Kelly gave the Lady Tigers the lead again at the 11:20 mark of the second half.

In a game that featured 24 lead changes and 10 ties, the Blue Raiders regained the lead when Brown knocked down another 3-pointer to make it 72-69 with 3:57 to go. 

Eason helped LSU erase the three-point deficit and handed the Lady Tigers a slim lead when she recorded a steal and found Kristen Morris for an open jumper. On the following possession, Eason came up with another steal that led to an easy layup at the other end and a 75-74 LSU advantage with 1:09 remaining.

Lanning then provided the Blue Raiders the lead for good, 77-75, when she connected for her fourth 3-pointer 10 seconds later.

“What hurt us the most is the fact that one of our freshmen left Lanning wide open,” Chancellor said. “When we were up one point with one minute to go, we give a great shooter a wide open 3-pointer. We did the same thing with Notre Dame.”

LSU held for the last shot of the game, but Clark delivered again, this time on the defensive end of the floor when she blocked a Barrett shot attempt on the base line with five seconds to play. Lanning iced the game on two made free throws to preserve the 79-75 margin.

LSU shot 46 percent (29-of-63) from the floor and was 4-of-8 from 3-point range. The Lady Tigers forced 22 turnovers while only committing 11 of their own. Meanwhile, Middle Tennessee shot a blistering 65 percent (17-of-26) from the field in the second half to finish at 58 percent (30-of-52) for the game.

The Blue Raiders outrebounded LSU, 34-27, and were 10-of-11 from the free throw line.

The Lady Tigers play again at 7 p.m. CST Monday in rare back-to-back days of games at the Maravich Center. LSU welcomes Texas Southern (1-2) and head coach Yolanda Wells-Broughton, who served as an assistant on Chancellor’s Final Four staff last season.

BATON ROUGE, LA. (AP) - Marcus Thornton, LSU’s top scorer last
season, had gotten off to a somewhat slow offensive start this
season.
Thornton, who had scored in double figures once in the Tigers’
first four games, finished with 32 on Sunday night as LSU defeated
Troy 92-57.
Thornton made four 3-pointers, grabbed a season high eight
rebounds and recorded three assists in the victory. Thornton had
scored 25 points against Northwestern State a week ago, but totaled
only 22 points in the other three games.
“I’m getting accustomed to the system,” said Thornton, who
averaged 20 points per game last season. “The offense is designed
to get people open shots. I’m working on being a better all-around
player. So far, it’s working out.”
First-year LSU coach Trent Johnson is happier about the other
aspects of Thornton’s performance.
“Marcus is doing a good job right now,” Johnson said. “Marcus
took good shots tonight. He’s one guy who can make a bad shot. But,
it’s important that he takes shots within the offense. Don’t talk
just about his scoring. He’s doing other things well, too, right
now.”
Bo Spencer and Chris Johnson were the other players to score a
least 10 points for LSU (5-0). Spencer, who dished out six assists,
scored 13 points. Johnson finished with 12 points, nine rebounds
and a season-high five blocked shots.
Brandon Hazard was the top scorer for the Trojans (3-4) with 16
points. Richard Delk, Troy’s leading scorer, was limited to eight
points.
Thornton provided LSU with the impetus for a fast start, making
two 3-pointers and slamming home a missed shot as the Tigers scored
the first ten points of the game. Tasmin Mitchell had the other LSU
basket during that time.
Troy was still behind by 10 points at 24-14 slightly past the
midway point of the first half. Then, the Tigers went on a 15-5 run
to take a 20-point advantage. Johnson had a field goal and four
foul shots in that stretch.
The Trojans closed their deficit to 14 points at 41-27 by
intermission. Troy shot just 36 percent from the field in the
opening half. LSU’s second-half lead was never fewer than 12
points.
“LSU got a big lead right off the bat,” Troy coach Don Maestri
said. “We were playing come-from-behind before the game even
started. That was my fault. I shouldn’t have spread the ball that
early.”

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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