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Stock Watch: McIlroy's European Masters loss is still a win
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 03:44

Each week on GolfChannel.com, we’ll examine which players’ stocks and trends are rising and falling in the world of golf.
RISING
Class of 2019 grads (+8%): It’s difficult to recall a glitzier collection of young studs earning cards: Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler, Robby Shelton, Kris Ventura, Mav McNealy, Doug Ghim and Matthew NeSmith, just to name a few. All of those dudes – every single one of them – did major damage in college. The fall portion of the Tour schedule will be must-see TV.
Rory (+5%): Losing to someone named Sebastian Soderberg was a letdown, but consider: Golf’s newest $15 million man was apparently so content with his fat check that he hopped on a plane to Switzerland, battled through some middle-round fatigue and then rallied with five birdies in the last seven holes to get into a five-man playoff. Brooks Koepka might own the No. 1 ranking, but Rors is the true No. 1.
Chris Baker (+4%): Why is the Korn Ferry Tour Finals a better option than the flukiness of the old Q-School? For second-chance stories like Baker, who spent the past seven seasons in the minors and narrowly missed out on a Tour card during the regular season (No. 26!), then tied for fourth in the finale – including a gutsy par putt on the 72nd hole – to secure his promotion. Good stuff.
Yealimi Noh (+2%): Three ahead with four to play, the 18-year-old non-member bogeyed two of the last three holes to kick away a late lead, but she continued to show that she’s the real deal. In limited action she has a pair of top-6 finishes – clearly, she’s tour ready.
Jin Young Ko (+1%): Going bogey-free for an entire round is impressive. Playing 72 holes without a bogey is nuts. But extending her streak to 114 holes without a dropped shot is historic – topping even the longest mark on the PGA Tour, held by Tiger Woods (110).
FALLING
Scott McCarron (-1%): The best senior player of the year could have added another title to his collection, but on the 72nd hole Wes Short Jr. received a gift from the golf gods: His long approach into the home hole barely cleared the water and bounced off a rock, landing on the green and leading to a two-putt birdie for the win. Unreal.
Lorenzo Gagli (-2%): All credit for even getting into the Omega Masters playoff, after making three birdies in the last four holes of regulation, but overtime was a disaster: He brained a spectator with his errant tee shot, then rinsed his approach shot to exit stage left.
Juli Inkster’s picks (-3%): So much for Morgan Pressel and Stacy Lewis having a weight lifted once they were selected for Inkster’s American squad. They both missed the cut in Portland.
Blayne Barber (-4%): Those who whiffed on a Tour card now have more than four months to rue their mistakes. That’s rough for Barber, who bogeyed three of his last five holes to fall outside the number.
Justin Harding (-5%): The South African missed the cut in the last event of the Finals, which put his fate in another player’s hands. The difference between Nos. 25 and 26 on the Finals list ended up being 0.125 points – which means that Harding won’t be a Tour member next season. Ouch.
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Tuesday prime-time match-ups set for World Long Drive Championship
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 07:03

The ultimate stage is set for the longest hitters in the world, as Monday identified the 16 men and eight women who will be on display during Tuesday night’s live prime-time telecast of the 44th World Long Drive Championship.
The Open division Round of 16 will feature nine hitters ranked in the top 20 in the world, including No. 1 Kyle Berkshire and No. 2 Tim Burke. The Round of 16 matches are as follows (listed by world ranking):
(1) Kyle Berkshire vs. (82) Tommy Hug
(15) Wes Patterson vs. (17) Mark Costello
(6) Justin Moose vs. (28) Josh Koch
(4) Justin James vs. (31) Jordan Brooks
(3) Will Hogue vs. (39) Emil Rosberg
(9) Jeff Gavin vs. (27) Rob Tiettmeyer
(15) Josh Cassaday vs. (24) Mitch Grassing
(2) Tim Burke vs. (64) Ryan Gregnol
In the Women’s Division, world No. 1 (and reigning world champion) Phillis Meti led the way, winning each of her sets en route to advancing to the quarterfinals, including a 344-yard drive which was the longest of the day among the women.
“I had a couple of body issues where I’ve been quite tight in places which has kind of hindered my swing,” Meti said after advancing to the quarterfinals on Monday afternoon. “So, I’m just being really mindful of that.”
The Women’s Division quarterfinal matches include:
(1) Phillis Meti vs. (10) Alex Phillips
(5) Troy Mullins vs. (6) Heather Lynne Manfredda
(4) Alexis Belton vs. (8) Mary Driscol
(3) Chloe Garner vs. (9) Katie Wills
Tuesday night’s live telecast gets underway at 8:30 p.m. ET on Golf Channel.
Click here for more articles, scores and videos on worldlongdrive.com
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Alexis Sanchez has said he has no regrets over his decision to join Manchester United last year.
The Chile international signed for Inter Milan on a season-long loan after 18 months at Old Trafford where he managed only five goals in 45 appearances.
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The forward has joined up with Romelu Lukaku at Inter after the Belgium international also joined the Nerazzurri this summer.
"I'm very happy I went to Manchester United," he told BBC Sport. "It's the club that's won the most in England.
"When I went to Arsenal it was fantastic -- I was happy there -- but United were growing at the time, they were buying players to win something.
"I wanted to join them and win everything. I don't regret going there."
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said Sanchez could feature for the club after his loan spell in Serie A but the forward said he needs regular minutes on the pitch to feel happy.
"I think that I'm happy when I play for my national team," he added. "I was happy at Manchester United too, but I've always said to my friends I want to play.
"If they would let me play I'll do my best. Sometimes I'd play 60 minutes then I wouldn't play the next game -- and I didn't know why."
Meanwhile, Inter have confirmed Sanchez will wear the No. 7 shirt at the club this season.
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'I've lost a bit of sleep thinking how we're going to get Stokes out' - Paine
Published in
Cricket
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 08:45

The search for a weakness in Ben Stokes' considerable armour is keeping Tim Paine awake at night. Such an admission is rare in cricket's often sanitised press conferences in which captains talk of focussing on their processes, execution of plans and whatever other bland sportspeak is in vogue. So it was intriguing to hear Paine, asked if he could be another Australian captain who floundered on an England allrounder, concede that, while his own position is of no concern, the question of how to deal with Stokes is causing considerable insomnia.
"Nah I haven't lost a hell of a lot of sleep thinking about my captaincy," Paine said on the eve of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford. "But I have lost a bit of sleep thinking how we're going to get him out, that's for sure. He's a class player and he's really confident at the moment. He's going well."
It remains to be seen if Stokes' Headingley heroics become a series-winning contribution in the vein of Ian Botham or Andrew Flintoff, and Joe Root will undoubtedly be spending a similar portion of his waking hours pondering the best way to remove Steven Smith from the crease. But for Paine, at least, there were enough signs in the morning session on day four at Headingley that Nathan Lyon may provide the key to neutralising Stokes.
In the period before the new ball was introduced on the final day in Leeds, it seemed all but certain that Lyon would take Stokes' wicket, so often did he tease the outside edge of the bat with sharp turn and considerable bounce. It was only later, after Jonny Bairstow's arrival at the crease energised the run rate, that Stokes was able to dominate Lyon in brutal fashion.
"We've got some plans for him - but we've just got to execute them a bit better. As I said post [the Headingley] Test match, I think Nathan Lyon has actually bowled really well to him. He's created a number of chances each time he's bowled to him. We think as a fast bowling group, we can tweak things a little bit to him, but the other side of it is we hold our chances when Nathan is bowling to him. If we can do that, I think Gaz [Lyon] can open the game up for us through that middle order. The last two Tests in particular, we've let Nathan down a bit with our fielding."
Lyon's distress - he did miss the run-out that could have sealed it for Australia - at the conclusion of the third Test was painfully clear, as he dropped to the ground and had to be pulled up onto his feet by Paine before walking off, disconsolate, covering his face with his arm. In the aftermath of the match, Paine revealed he had encouraged the spinner to be an example to the other players and not allow the disappointment overwhelm him. At Old Trafford, Paine confirmed that Lyon has risen to the challenge.
"The instant disappointment was there for all of us to see after, on the field. But I think you go off the field for five minutes and sit down and put it all in perspective and realise that we are in the middle of an Ashes and he's a huge asset for us and I think he is ready to go. I would say he is really driven for these last two Test matches. He's found out a bit who his friends are in the last week and he's continued to prove people wrong, like he has his whole career."
A friendship that appears unlikely to form during this series is the one between Paine and Jofra Archer. The captain visibly bristled when Archer's recent comments about Australia panicking towards the end of the third Test were mentioned and the "choker" tag that has appeared in some media.
"No, and I've addressed it previously," said Paine, when asked if Australia had panicked or choked. "Jofra's entitled to his opinion, he's had plenty of those that's for sure. But we made some mistakes, it happens, we've addressed it as a team, we've spoken about it honestly. I was certainly one of those people who made mistakes, it happens in cricket, we've moved on and we're here ready for a great Test match."
The brusque manner of Paine's answer was sharp enough to invite further inquiries about whether or not Archer had touched a nerve or taken up residency under his skin.
"Not at all," said Paine. "Just that, as I said, I was told a few things when I was down in Derby - I haven't actually seen the quotes - but, yeah, talk is talk and we are here to play this Test match. What's happened in the past has happened and Jofra is entitled to his opinion. As I said, it doesn't faze us one way or another."
It was a dismissive deflection and one that suggests Paine won't be losing any sleep over Archer's chat, unlike Stokes' elusive wicket.
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England turn to Craig Overton in hope of consistency rather than flamboyance
Published in
Cricket
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 08:37

He probably isn't the player the crowds will be looking forward to watching, he probably isn't the bowler keeping Steve Smith awake at night and he probably isn't likely to feature on the front cover of Wisden, but Craig Overton's selection for this fourth Test makes some sense.
Overton is, in many ways, an archetypal English seamer. He is not especially quick - 85mph may be his peak speed - and doesn't gain the sharp movement of James Anderson. But he will hit a consistent line and length, he will gain more bounce than most, he bowls a decent bouncer and he will not wilt under pressure. He won't let England down.
With England keen to ensure their strike bowlers are not worked into the ground and concerned that Chris Woakes is a little jaded after a tumultuous few months, Overton has been called up to offer reliability and control. They are not the most glamorous of attributes but, in a team blessed with more flamboyance than consistency, more champagne than bread-and-butter, such skills have their place.
ALSO READ: England replace Woakes with Overton
While his selection here may seem to come out of the blue, it doesn't really. He was put on unofficial standby as a concussion substitute earlier in the series and, in the last month, is said to have recovered that bit of nip and bounce that suggests he is at his best. He has claimed 32 wickets at 21.34 this Championship season and while his brother, Jamie (who has claimed 26 at 18.88 this season), is notably sharper, he is also less reliable.
Some, it seems, will never forgive Overton for an incident in 2015 when he was alleged to have abused - perhaps racially - Sussex's Ashar Zaidi. And it is true there were aspects of the case - not least that the comments were reported by two exemplary witnesses, non-striking batsman Michael Yardy and one of the umpires, Alex Wharf - which remain concerning.
Before rushing to condemn him, however, it is worth remembering he was found guilty of a Level One offence - using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting - and not a Level Two or Three offence - which would have encompassed racial abuse. In short, he wasn't found to have committed the more serious charge. As a result, it doesn't seem especially reasonable to continue to hold it against him.
The England management have long admired his tough character. This was demonstrated early in his Test career when he not only top-scored in the first innings of his debut Test in Adelaide - he made 41 from No. 9 - but also bowled the most overs and took the most wickets in Australia's first innings. His maiden wicket was Steve Smith.
Perhaps more persuasively, he shrugged off a cracked rib - sustained when Pat Cummins struck him with a short ball - to bowl 41 overs in Australia's first innings in the following Test in Perth. He was only forced to admit defeat when throwing himself into a diving boundary save. He heard a large crack as he landed - the little crack becoming something more substantial - and was ruled out for the rest of the series. Paul Farbrace used to say, were it up to him, he would include him in every England team.
Overton will have the role of workhorse here. He may be expected to bowl long, tight spells and ensure Jofra Archer, in particular, can be used more sparingly. England hope that his extra height will extract a bit more bounce from a surface that isn't expected to offer the same lateral movement as other tracks in this series. Indeed, in normal circumstances, it looks to be the sort of surface - a little cracked already and with little grass cover - on which two spinners might be played. But with Adil Rashid injured and Moeen Ali out of sorts, Jack Leach will be relied upon to carry that burden. At least one member of England's coaching staff thought it an oddly hospitable pitch which offered no home advantage.
Woakes can probably count himself unfortunate. Having suffered from a knee injury through the winter tours, he was obliged to play several games for Warwickshire in order to prove his fitness ahead of the World Cup. He then played in the series against Pakistan, the whole World Cup and every Test so far this summer. And, while England insist he was fit for selection here, there were times at Leeds, at least, when the miles in the legs started to show. He will hate to miss out on this game, but the break may do him good.
In the longer term, the England management are concerned at his effectiveness on flat surfaces, especially flat surfaces where there is no Duke's ball available to him. They point out he could still play at The Oval in the unlikely event that the pitch is green but his captain's use of him so far this series - lack of use, might be more accurate - does not augur especially well for him.
Sam Curran, too, could be forgiven for wondering why he is with the squad. But while he clearly has talent with bat and ball, he is a bit slower and a bit shorter than Overton. The concern is his batting is not quite strong enough - he hasn't scored a first-class century - to bat in the top six and his bowling not quite strong enough to be relied upon to ensure that Archer and co aren't over-bowled. His best chance of a place may be at No. 7 instead of Jos Buttler.
It is revealing that the only selection change has involved the bowlers. While there has been the odd day in recent years when England's bowlers have struggled for penetration or consistency, this team's primary problem remains their fragile batting. Shuffling that top-order seems unlikely to suddenly unearth a pair of aces. There are two of three batsmen in this side who really need to repay the faith shown in them.
In the longer term, there seems to be a strong temptation to play Zak Crawley and Dominic Sibley in a top three that also includes Rory Burns. But for that, it seems, we will have to wait until they reach New Zealand. There is important business to be conducted first.
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Jason Behrendorff out of Sussex's Blast quarter-final with back injury
Published in
Cricket
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 09:41

Sussex will go into their T20 Blast quarter-final against Worcestershire on Friday night with only one overseas player, after Jason Behrendorff was recalled by Western Australia following a back injury.
Behrendorff, who signed as a replacement overseas player due to Rashid Khan's Afghanistan commitments, played only two games in the tournament, going wicketless against both Essex and Glamorgan.
He was a more direct replacement for Tymal Mills, the left-arm seamer, who was ruled out of the tournament in August, also with a back injury.
Behrendorff's injury means that Sussex will go into Friday night's game with Alex Carey as their only overseas player.
It is unlikely that Carey would be available for Finals Day if Sussex were to make it. His state, South Australia, begin their 50-over season against Queensland three days later, and it is expected that they will recall him to train before that game.
Rashid would also be missing due to a clash with Afghanistan's T20I tri-series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, meaning that if Sussex were to win on Friday night, they could well be without an overseas player.
Friday's game sold out within 48 hours of going on sale, giving Sussex a seventh full house in eight Blast home games, and captain Luke Wright paid tribute to the club's fans.
"The atmosphere at Hove this year has been the best I can remember for many seasons," Wright said. "Even in my 15th season playing T20 at the ground, the cheers of Sharks fans never fail to send a tingle down the spine when walking out to the middle."
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Delhi Capitals set to buy out R Ashwin from Kings XI Punjab
Published in
Cricket
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 11:37

India offspinner R Ashwin is likely to join Delhi Capitals for the 2020 IPL. ESPNcricinfo understands Ashwin is on the verge of moving out of Kings XI Punjab, who signed him at the 2018 auction for INR 7.6 crore (then USD 1.176 million approx) and appointed him captain. It is understood that although the move would be termed as a trade, technically, Capitals are buying out the player in an all-cash deal.
It is understood that, Capitals apart, even Sunrisers Hyderabad had expressed interest in Ashwin at one point, but talks did not go far.
The offer to procure Ashwin is believed to have come from Capitals, with both franchises engaged in talks for the past few months. If the deal goes through, Ashwin's procurement would further swell Capitals' rich collection of spinners.
Capitals' other Indian and overseas spinners include Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Rahul Tewatia, Mayank Markande, J Suchith and Sandeep Lamichhane.
Capitals would become the fourth IPL franchise for Ashwin, who has previously represented Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant and Kings XI. Ashwin, who will soon be 33, is one of the most versatile and successful spinners in the IPL.
Over the years, Ashwin has not been afraid to experiment both with his bowling action and his stock balls, and has utilised his variety to create doubt and dominate batsmen. With his experience and skillset, Ashwin has proved to be an asset as he can bowl in the Powerplay, dry up runs in the middle overs, or restrict batsmen at the death. Overall, Ashwin has taken 125 wickets in 139 IPL matches at an economy rate of 6.79, which is the best among all Indian bowlers with 50-plus wickets.
With Ashwin as captain, Kings XI won 12 games and lost 16 in the past two IPL seasons. Although they were a contender for the playoffs at the halfway stage in both seasons, they eventually failed to advance.
It is understood that Kings XI, who recently sacked their entire coaching staff led by the New Zealander Mike Hesson, are likely to appoint a new captain with India batsman KL Rahul being the favourite. One of the Kings XI owners said that the management was keen to have a new captain who would lead the franchise in the future.
With stats inputs from Bharath Seervi
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Auburn moves into AP's top 10 after Oregon win
Published in
Breaking News
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 12:23

The Auburn Tigers moved up to 10th in the Associated Press college football poll after defeating Oregon in a thriller Saturday.
The Tigers moved up six spaces after their 27-21 victory over Oregon on freshman quarterback Bo Nix's touchdown pass to Seth Williams with nine seconds remaining.
Oregon, which was the only Top 25 team to lose Saturday, dropped from 11th to 16th.
The Top 25 went 23-0 against unranked teams to open the season, leaving the rankings mostly unchanged: No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama are at the top of the first regular-season AP college football poll of 2019.
The Tigers received 54 first-place votes out of 62 in the media poll, up two from the preseason. The Crimson Tide received the remaining eight.
The top seven teams in the preseason rankings held their spots Tuesday. Clemson and Alabama were followed by No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 LSU and No. 7 Michigan Wolverines. Notre Dame moved up a spot to No. 8, and Texas was ninth. Florida slipped three spots to No. 11.
POLL POINTS
Another record for Alabama. The Crimson Tide are ranked in the top five for the 56th consecutive week, dating to Nov. 8, 2015. That breaks a tie with Miami, which went 55 straight weeks in the top five from Oct. 8, 2000-Oct. 26, 2003.
MOVING IN, BUT NOT OUT
No. 24 Boise State was the only team to move into the rankings this week, but in a quirk, no team fell out. There was a tie at No. 25 between Nebraska and Iowa State. The Broncos are ranked again after rallying from 18 points down to beat Florida State on the road Saturday. Boise State has been ranked for at least one week the last 18 seasons.
The last time there were 26 teams in the Top 25 with a tie for the final spot was Nov. 18, 2012. The last time a full schedule of college football was played and no teams fell out of the rankings was Nov. 6, 2016.
IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING
There have been three times since the AP poll expanded to 25 teams in 1989 that no ranked teams lost during a regular-season weekend schedule. In 1996, Top 25 teams went 11-0 leading into the second regular-season poll. The Top 25 had two undefeated weeks in September 2004, going 18-0 the opening weekend of the season and 19-0 a few weeks later.
CONFERENCE CALL
The Southeastern Conference has four teams in the top 10 and six in the top 12. The last conference to represent half of the first dozen teams in the rankings was the SEC on Sept. 7, 2013: No. 1 Alabama; No. 6 South Carolina; No. 7 Texas A&M; No. 9 LSU; No. 11 Georgia; No. 12 Florida.
Big Ten -- 7.
SEC -- 6.
Pac-12 -- 5.
Big 12 -- 3.
ACC -- 2.
American -- 1.
Mountain West -- 1.
Independent -- 1.
RANKED vs. RANKED
No. 12 Texas A&M at No. 1 Clemson. Rematch of last year's game in College Station, when the Tigers needed a late stop of a two-point conversion to hold on for the victory.
No. 6 LSU at No. 9 Texas. First regular-season meeting since 1954.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Brazil overcame a double-digit deficit and beat Greece 79-78 in a thriller at the FIBA World Cup in Nanjing, China, on Tuesday.
NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 13 points but fouled out late in the fourth quarter for Greece.
Brazil's Alex Garcia, 39, seemed to stifle Antetokounmpo at every turn.
"Why this sport is wonderful," Brazil coach Aleksandar Petrovic said. "You have a guy who won MVP, he's 23 years old, and who stops him tonight? The guy who is 40 years old and kicks his ass."
Anderson Varejao, who last played in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors two years ago, led the way for Brazil with 22 points and nine rebounds, hitting seven of 10 shots in the second half.
Varejao hit a critical jumper for Brazil with 14 seconds left and Leandro Barbosa hit a final free throw for a three-point edge.
Greece's Kostas Sloukas had three free throws with two seconds left that would have tied the score, but he made only two. Bruno Caboclo took advantage of FIBA rules and batted the ball away to seal the win for Brazil.
"We showed that we have several players who can stop Antetokounmpo," Petrovic said. "But yesterday I was more occupied with Sloukas and [Georgios] Printezis, and that's what happened today. When I was preparing this game, a lot of people talked and joked about how to stop Antetokounmpo. I had for six months in my head, since the semifinals between Toronto and Milwaukee, how to stop Antetokounmpo. The problem tonight for us was Sloukas and Printezis."
Brazil improved to 2-0 and moved closer to the second round. Greece fell to 1-1 in Group F and will need a win in its final group game with New Zealand.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Tatum sprains ankle in OT of Team USA's win
Published in
Basketball
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 10:28

SHANGHAI -- Jayson Tatum sprained his left ankle in the closing seconds of overtime in Team USA's 93-92 victory over Turkey in the FIBA World Cup on Tuesday night.
Tatum rolled the ankle after delivering a pass to Khris Middleton, setting up the game-winning free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining. He had to be helped to the locker room and was off the floor when Middleton put the Americans ahead.
He will be reevaluated Wednesday in Shanghai before the full extent of the injury can be determined, coach Gregg Popovich said. But Tatum was already feeling better after getting some treatment and left the Oriental Sports Center in shoes and with only a minor limp.
"I think I was slipping a little bit, I think I rolled my ankle, I think I just slipped and fell the wrong way," Tatum said. "It feels better than when it first happened. I can walk a little bit. Obviously it's sore, but just get some treatment and see how I feel."
Tatum is likely to miss some time if for no other reason than Team USA's escape from near-defeat at the end of regulation and then again in overtime assured them of advancing to the second round. The Americans will play their final pool game against Japan, who has already been eliminated, with no stakes on Thursday.
The team won't face a possible elimination game until next week.
In addition to the crucial pass to Middleton, Tatum made two free throws with 0.1 seconds left in regulation to force overtime after being fouled shooting a 3-pointer. He pulled down several big rebounds late in the game and finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
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