K-HEART SPORTS – WEDNESDAY – 03/13/24
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (NDSU) – The North Dakota State women’s basketball team came up short in a back-and-forth battle with top-seeded South Dakota State, falling 67-54 in the championship game of the Summit League Tournament. It was NDSU’s first appearance in the league title game. The loss dropped the Bison to 21-11 on the season. The contest was a defensive battle, featuring seven lead changes and six ties. The Bison held the lead or were tied for the lead for more than half the game. NDSU forced 16 Jackrabbit turnovers, including 13 in the first half alone. The Bison were unable to overcome 33 percent shooting and a 3-for-18 mark from three-point range. SDSU shot 44 percent overall and 47 percent from beyond the arc. The Bison led 37-35 with less than three minutes left in the third quarter, but SDSU scored seven straight to go up five. NDSU fought back to within one at 47-46 when Heaven Hamling hit a three-pointer with 6:30 left in the game. The Jackrabbits scored the next 14 points to take control. Hamling finished with 16 points, six rebounds, and three assists to lead the Bison in all three categories. Elle Evans had 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals for NDSU.
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UND HOCKEY-HONOR
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (UND) – Freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon. The blue liner is one of six representatives on the team, nearly earning unanimous honors with 14 out of 15 first place votes. Livanavage was among the top-scoring defensemen in the NCHC, racking up 18 points in 24 conference games to rank second behind fellow all-rookie member Zeev Buium of Denver among freshman blueliners and fifth among all NCHC D-men. He tallied two goals and dished out 16 assists, which tied for sixth among all NCHC skaters in conference play and second among rookies. Livanavage has 25 points overall this season in 36 games, including 22 assists to tie for ninth among all NCHC players. He has won a trio of NCHC weekly awards this season, including Defenseman of the Week twice, and was the NCHC January Rookie of the Month. On the season, Livanavage has appeared in all 36 games this season with three goals and 22 assists for 25 points. The Phoenix, Ariz., native has potted 22 points over the final 24 contests and his second for the most points by a UND rookie defenseman since 1999-00.
Voting was conducted by the eight head coaches at each institution and eight media members, one covering each member school. Coaches and media voted for six forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders, awarding first-team votes for six players (three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender) and second team votes for the other six selections. Three points were awarded for a first team vote while one point was awarded for a second-team vote, with the most points at each position earning the honors. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players, making 15 first-place votes (45 points) the maximum a player can receive. The NCHC will announce its All-Conference Teams on Wednesday and its individual award finalists on Thursday. Individual award winners will be announced at the annual NCHC Awards Celebration in Saint Paul, Minn. on Thursday, March 21 on the eve of the 2024 NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
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TIMBERWOLVES-CLIPPERS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 37 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker added a season-high 28 and the Minnesota Timberwolves roared back from an early 22-point deficit for a 118-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. Kawhi Leonard left the game with back spasms between the first two quarters, the Clippers said. He played the entire first quarter, but he was seen leaving the Clippers’ downtown arena during the second quarter. Mike Conley scored 23 points for the Timberwolves, who avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season with a huge rally following Leonard’s departure. After trailing 57-35 midway through the second quarter in the same building where the Wolves lost to the Lakers two days earlier, Minnesota seized control in the second half and finished the team’s largest comeback since November 2012. Rudy Gobert had eight points and 11 rebounds before leaving the game late with a rib injury. Coach Chris Finch wasn’t sure of the injury’s severity, but he praised Gobert for raising his defensive effort after the Wolves fell far behind, eventually keying their comeback. Paul George scored 22 points and James Harden had 12 for the Clippers, who have lost two straight games for only the second time since Christmas. The Timberwolves play at Utah on Saturday.
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WILD-COYOTES
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored two goals and assisted on another, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves as the Minnesota Wild earned their fourth victory in five games, 4-1 over the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night. Kaprizov scored an empty-netter with 2:32 to play, firing the puck the length of the ice to seal the win. Arizona had pulled goalie Karel Vejmelka with just under three minutes remaining. Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno also scored for Minnesota. Foligno’s goal was an empty-netter after Arizona pulled Vejmelka a second time in the final minutes. Nick Bjugstad scored for the Coyotes, who have lost four of five. Kaprizov has 39 points in his last 24 games. The Wild host Anaheim on Thursday night.
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VIKINGS-FREE AGENCY
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have their bridge quarterback for the post-Kirk Cousins era and a new ball-carrier who ought to add yet more fuel to their fiercest rivalry. The Vikings stayed aggressive in free agency Tuesday by adding former Green Bay running back Aaron Jones and 2018 third overall draft pick Sam Darnold as a temporary replacement for Cousins. Jones, who was released Monday by the Packers after they landed 2022 All-Pro Josh Jacobs, gets a one-year, $7 million contract, agent Drew Rosenhaus told The Associated Press. Darnold, who played last season for San Francisco, will get a one-year, $10 million deal, a person with knowledge of that contract told the AP. The Vikings also agreed to sign kicker John Parker Romo, according to a second person with knowledge of that deal. Both people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contracts had not yet been finalized. The signing period opens Wednesday.
As Cousins agreed to leave Minnesota for Atlanta on Monday in a busy opening to the NFL’s negotiation window, the Vikings swiftly addressed their defense by agreeing to contracts with edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel and inside linebacker Blake Cashman. Then they pivoted to offense. Darnold, who went 13-25 as a starter for the New York Jets after they selected him out of Southern California, was traded to Carolina in 2021. He missed most of the 2022 season with the Panthers due to a sprained ankle, and after becoming a free agent last year, he joined the 49ers to back up Brock Purdy. The 26-year-old Darnold has thrown for 63 touchdowns and 56 interceptions in 66 games with a completion rate of 59.7%. With the Jets, he was a teammate of Josh McCown, who was recently hired as Minnesota’s quarterbacks coach. Darnold becomes the presumptive starter for the Vikings, who still have 2023 fifth-round pick Jaren Hall and veteran Nick Mullens under contract. They almost certainly will draft another quarterback next month, owning the 11th overall pick in the first round and assessing a deep class at the vital position.
The deal with Jones was surprising. The Packers initially said they planned to bring him back. He was released instead when a pay cut didn’t work out, and the Vikings swooped in to add a well-regarded player who has enjoyed plenty of success at their expense. The Vikings ranked 29th in the NFL in rushing yards per game and 24th in rushing yards per attempt last season. They released Alexander Mattison last week, but they’re high on the potential of Ty Chandler entering his third year and now have a proven second option for carrying the ball. Though he was limited to 11 games last season because of hamstring and knee injuries, Jones came on strong down the stretch by finishing with five straight 100-yard rushing games, including two in the playoffs. One of those was on Dec. 31 in a blowout win at Minnesota. Jones rushed for 793 yards on 143 carries over his last eight games against the Vikings, an average of 5.5 yards per attempt. In 2022, Jones played in all 17 games and rushed for 1,121 yards. With 8,016 yards from scrimmage in seven seasons, Jones has the sixth most among NFL running backs over that time.
Romo went undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2022 and has had brief stints with Chicago and Detroit. He has not kicked in a regular-season NFL game and spent last season in the XFL. Greg Joseph, who has kicked for the last three years for the Vikings, becomes an unrestricted free agent Wednesday. The Vikings also agreed to terms to bring back free agent wide receiver Brandon Powell and released defensive lineman Dean Lowry, who started four games and finished the season on injured reserve. Lowry was a low-profile free agent addition last year by way of, yes, Green Bay. From Ryan Longwell to Darren Sharper to Brett Favre to Greg Jennings to Za’Darius Smith to now Jones, several high-profile players have gone directly from the Packers to the Vikings over the last two decades. When Jones takes the field in September, he’ll be the 63rd player all-time with action for both the Packers and the Vikings, according to Sportradar.