WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2014 SPORTS Syracuse sink Notre Dame

SYRACUSE: Trevor Cooney has his shooting team since the 2011-12 season. Two years ago, one of those zones, and you’ve got to take your touch back - just in the nick of time for top- the Orange were unbeaten and ranked No. 1 hat off.” ranked Syracuse. Cooney scored a career-high 33 when they went to South Bend, and Notre Dame Cooney, 9 of 12 from long range, matched the points, matching a school record with nine 3- upset them 67-58. record set by Gerry McNamara in the 2004 NCAA pointers, and the Orange beat Notre Dame 61-55 It was the eighth time Notre Dame had beat- tournament and equaled by Andy Rautins in on Monday night in another matchup of former en a No. 1 team and turned out to be Syracuse’s 2008 and James Southerland in 2012. Big East foes. lone loss of the regular season. Jerami Grant and Fair, who combined for 54 After struggling to a woeful 25.4 percent (14 “That was in the back of my mind,” said C.J. points against Duke, combined for just 15, while of 55) from behind the arc in his first seven Fair, who had a season-low six points on 2-of-13 Tyler Ennis found little room in the lane to pene- Atlantic Coast Conference games, Cooney has hit shooting after scoring a career-high 28 against trate and finished with six points and eight 11 of 13 in the past two games and was the dif- Duke. “I didn’t want that to happen again.” assists. ference against the Irish as the Orange’s front line Cooney made sure there was no repeat, hit- Garrick Sherman led Notre Dame with 16 points, Steve Vasturia had 13, and Pat Connaughton 11, while Eric Atkins had nine on 3- of-10 shooting. Notre Dame closed within 38-32 on a 3-point- er from Atkins with 14:19 to play, but Syracuse responded with seven straight points. Grant slammed home a dunk after his block on Sherman and Fair followed with a slam off a Grant miss. Cooney completed the run with his seventh 3-pointer, which tied his personal best. SPAIN: A basketball and a Naismith trophy are displayed during the FIBA The Irish have four long-range threats in Atkins, Basketball World Cup official draw for the 2014 World Cup, at the Palau de la Connaughton, Vasturia, and Demetrius Jackson, who had combined for 127 3-pointers on the Musica in Barcelona. The competition will take place from August 30 to season entering the game, and Notre Dame’s September 14 in Spain. —AP long-range attack came alive in the second half after going 1 of 6 in the first 20 minutes. Two 3-pointers by Atkins, Vasturia’s three- US to take on Turkey in point play and a slam dunk by Tom Knight moved the Irish back within 43-40 with 8:41 basketball WCup group to go. Grant responded with a spinning drive BARCELONA: The United States will play orations. But the home audience through the lane and Cooney hit another 3. Turkey in the group stage of this sum- groaned when France was placed in Grant then fed Cooney for a reverse layup and three-point play and Cooney hit his ninth 3 for a mer’s World Cup of Basketball in a Spain’s path after the hosts had already 54-44 lead with 4:14 to play. Notre Dame refused rematch of the 2010 final. drawn Serbia and Brazil. to wilt, pulling back to 54-49 on Connaughton’s The rest of the opposition in Group C Spain coach Juan Orenga said that three-point play at 2:52. looks a lot easier, with the Americans the group has “four teams that can fight “That’s who this group is,” Brey said. “We also drawn on Monday to play the for a medal,” but that might not neces- haven’t been able to get over the hump and win Dominican Republic, Finland, New sarily be a bad thing. enough. We’ve been down on the road just Zealand and Ukraine. “If you face tough adversaries at the about every time, and we come back and give Trevor Cooney in action in this file photo. ourselves a chance. I love that about us. If we Host Spain, meanwhile, has a tougher start, things can be easier later as you keep doing that enough, I think we’ll get a cou- Group A with European champion advance,” Orenga said. “But we have to faltered. “It feels good,” Cooney said. “I kind of got ting five 3-pointers in the first half as the Orange ple of them.” France, Serbia, Brazil, Egypt and Iran. The make it through the group.” going and guys just found me in good spots.” gained a 13-point halftime advantage, then bare- Grant’s layup off a feed from Ennis and two US will open its title defense on Aug. 30 The top four teams in each group Syracuse (22-0, 9-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), ly held the Irish at bay in the second half. free throws by Ennis boosted the lead back to against wild-card entry Finland, with the advance to the knockout rounds to be which moved to No. 1 this week after its scintillat- “We put ourselves in position to make it eight, and the Orange made it interesting when Group C games played in the northern played in Madrid and Barcelona, with ing 91-89 overtime victory over Duke on interesting,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. Ennis and Fair each missed the front end of 1- Basque city of Bilbao. the medal games in the Spanish capital. Saturday night and Arizona’s loss to California, “We came into this game, and especially if you and-1s in the final minute. Atkins missed a floater extended its school record for most consecutive watch what they did to Duke, beating them up and Connaughton was off on a 3-point attack in The US beat Turkey in the final four Kevin Durant and Kevin Love have wins to start a season. in the paint. You really try to take stuff away in the final seconds. years ago, when the tournament was said they will return to the team, Notre Dame (12-11, 3-7) has lost seven of the paint. I thought overall with the guys that “I had a look and missed, which would have known as the world championship. “We although the rest of the roster hasn’t nine. Two days after one of the most emotional destroy you in the paint we did a good job. But been a really big shot for us,” Atkins said. “That have some tough teams in the group,” been set. Durant was named the 2010 wins in Jim Boeheim’s 38 years as head coach, we couldn’t do a good job on Cooney. Seven of was a huge play. But they played great. They said Team USA’s executive director Jim tournament’s most valuable player after Syracuse played its first game as the nation’s top the nine I think we challenged. He was just in made plays when they were needed.” —AP Tooley. “Turkey is very strong. But we leading the US to victory in Istanbul. can’t overlook anyone. We have learned “Durant and Love have come out as that from the past.” wanting to be the leaders of the group,” The US and Spain are in groups on Tooley said. Two weeks ago, Team USA OSN to offer live coverage of opposite sides of the bracket, meaning named a 28-man pool it will later use to the title favorites can’t meet until the form 12-man rosters for both the World Sept. 14 final. Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. Sochi Winter Olympics in HD Group B includes Argentina, Greece, “Everyone on the list is interested,” Croatia, Senegal, Philippines, and Puerto Tooley said. Rico. 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Viewers can also use the OSN DVR HD and OSN Plus HD to record their Aamir Sohail favorite events and watch what they want, when they want. Pakistan appoints Sohail as chief cricket selector Warburton back to lead LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Sohail, an attacking left-handed Aamir Sohail was yesterday appointed batsman who played 47 Tests and 156 chief selector of the national cricket one-day internationals for Pakistan and against Ireland team and also tasked with developing was a major part of the World Cup win- the game in the country. ning team in 1992 said he will do his The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said best to lift the team. “Pakistan team is LONDON: Regular captain Sam taincy from , the lock and it’s a good opportunity for Andrew “We feel in most tournaments we the 47-year-old will act as the head of a doing well in one-day matches and Warburton will return to Wales’s starting who deputised as captain for the Coombs to start as well,” said Gatland in get stronger as it goes on and that will four-man selection panel besides being Twenty20 and I will try to further lift XV for the champions Six Nations inter- injured loose forward in the British and a Welsh Rugby Union statement. need to be the case this weekend.” national against Ireland in Dublin on Irish Lions’ decisive third Test victory Wales were not at their best against a Wales team announced yesterday to the director of game development. The that as well as our showings in the Test Saturday. The back-row forward, who against Australia in Sydney last year. determined Italy but Gatland said he play Ireland in a Six Nations internation- director role encompasses everything matches,” Sohail told reporters. began his comeback from a shoulder Behind the scrum, Lions full-back expected his side, who’ve gone two Six al at Dublin’s Lansdowne Road on from grassroots to first-class cricket. Aamir’s first task will be to select the injury by coming off the bench against is set to win his 50th Nations without an away defeat, to Saturday: Pakistan has not had a chief selector national squad for the Asia Cup to be Italy in Wales’s opening 23-15 victory Wales cap aged just 25 in an unchanged improve on that performance at since the Islamabad high court last held in Bangladesh from February 25 - over Italy at ’s Millennium back division. Ireland, 28-6 winners over Lansdowne Road. “Last weekend was a Wales (15-1) month suspended all decisions taken March 8. Stadium last weekend, replaced Justin Scotland in Dublin last weekend, are good hit out for a lot of reasons, but we Leigh Halfpenny; , by interim cricket board chief Najam Sohail backed Test and one-day cap- Tipuric at openside flanker in the team due to name their side tomorrow. still have things to work on and we know Scott Williams, , George announced by coach In last season’s corresponding fix- how important this game is,” said North; , Mike Phillips; Sethi, whose tenure began in July 2013. tain Misbah-ul Haq. “Misbah has led the yesterday. The New Zealander made ture, the Irish beat Wales 30-22 on the Gatland. “We haven’t lost an away match , (capt), Sethi had appointed former captain team well and I don’t need to defend three changes in all to the side that took opening weekend in Cardiff, although in the Six Nations since 2011 and we ; Alun Wyn Jones, Andrew and wicketkeeper Moin Khan as chief him,” said Sohail of the 39-year-old the field against the Azzurri, with sec- the Welsh recovered to take the title. have to have the belief and confidence Coombs; Adam Jones, Richard Hibbard, selector. Sohail’s appointment is the first Misbah. “We have to work together and ond row Andrew Coombs replacing Wales are now bidding to become the that we can do it again this weekend.” . major decision by Zaka Ashraf who was powers matter much less to me than , sidelined because of a first side in the history of the Six Nations’ Former Ireland coach Gatland Replacements: , Paul reinstated as PCB chairman in January, solving problems.” This will be Aamir’s hamstring injury, and 101-times capped various guises to win three successive added: “It’s going to be tough, both James, Rhodri Jones, , Justin eight months after being suspended by second tenure as chief selector, having prop Gethin Jenkins in for Paul James. outright championships. “It’s great to sides won their opening game, we will Tipuric, Rhys Webb, , Liam the court over dubious elections. held the post in 2003. —AFP Warburton has regained the cap- bring Sam and Gethin back into the side have to be physical and take it to them.” Williams. —AFP