Sports

Highs and lows of hoops

With the NBA All-Star break just a week away, many surprises have surfaced in the conference standings. Any couch potato could have predicted the Boston Celtics would be on top of the Eastern Conference and the Los Angeles Lakers would have the lead in the West.

AU soars over Army

A stifling AU defense combined with a game-high 14 points from sophomore guard Nick Hendra helped lead the Eagles to a commanding 58-34 victory over the U.S. Military Academy Black Knights Wednesday night. The win was the third in a row for AU, which improved its overall record to 15-7 and league record to a first-place tie at 6-1.

Caps all mended

With the M*A*S*H unit closed up, the Washington Capitals have shown they can tangle with the leagues elite. The Capitals are arguably the hottest team in the NHL today. They have won six of their last 10, with strong victories against the Eastern Conference-leading Boston, defending champs Detroit and Pittsburgh.

Best division in MLB?

Pitchers and catchers report in less than two weeks, so it's time to start looking towards the 2009 season. This week's division preview: AL East. The AL East will be the division to watch in baseball this upcoming season because it has arguably the best three teams in the American League (and maybe all of baseball).

Video: We Wish We Were Experts - Super Bowl

D.C. hoops struggle

When are D.C.'s winning woes going to end? In the fall, the Nationals finished in last place in Major League Baseball with a record of 59-102. Even with a new, state-of-the-art stadium, the Nationals could not muster enough fan support or talent to put up a fight against the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Florida Marlins and Atlanta Braves of the NL East.

Ryan, Eagles win 72-61

Senior guard Nicole Ryan scored a game-high 17 points, including 11 in the second half alone, to help the Eagles capture a road victory over the Lafayette College Leopards Saturday afternoon. The win improved AU's league record to 5-2 and overall mark to 15-7 on the season.

AU wins 78-65

Faced with a 62-all tie with nine minutes remaining in yesterday's Phil Bender game against Lafayette College, seniors forward Brian Gilmore and Garrison Carr combined to score 10 of the team's final 16 points as the Eagles pulled away for a 78-65 victory.

An alternative look at sports

On the first football-free Sunday of the year, alternative sports took center stage. With the Super Bowl less than a week away, the sports media is a buzz about the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals. While Ben Roethlisberger and the Kurt Warner are the center of attention now, several different athletes grabbed the spotlight last weekend, including snowboarding's Shaun White and figure skating's Alissa Czisny.

Kirk scores 25 in defeat

New career highs in points for sophomore forwards Michelle Kirk and Liz Leer were not enough for the AU women's basketball team to overcome the U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen last night at Bender Arena, losing by a final score of 68-61. The loss drops the Eagles' record to 14-7 overall and 4-2 in the Patriot League.

Big East, ACC Dominate AP Men's College Basketball Polls

Dominance was the only word that can be used to describe this week's Associated Press top 25 teams. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Big East Conference represented 11 teams in the top 25. Not to mention seven of the top 10. To put this in perspective, eight conferences represented the remaining 14 schools.

Manny being Manny still best in MLB

Over the final two months of the 2008 season, Manny Ramirez put up historic numbers with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ramirez, 36, hit an astounding .396 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs over the final two months of the regular season as the Dodgers surged to win the NL West.

Carr's three gives Eagles win

It was not until a final second three-pointer clanged off the rim and bounced to the floor before the AU men's basketball team could finally exhale, having survived a wild 68-67 victory over the U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen last night. The win improves the Eagles' record to 12-7 on the season and 4-1 in the Patriot League.

Win propels Eagles into first

The AU women's basketball team moved into first place in the Patriot League after its 64-58 win over the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders Saturday. Sophomore forward Michelle Kirk and redshirt junior guard Nicole Ryan led the Eagles' offense with a combined 35 points, while sophomore forward Liz Leer orchestrated the defense with four blocks and seven rebounds.

NHL mid-year review

With much of the country in the grip of another harsh winter last week and the annual All-Star weekend taking place today in the home of Les Canadiens, it is time to take a look back on highlights and lowlights the first half of the National Hockey League season.

Men's b-ball suffers first league loss

Despite a game-high 19 points from senior point guard Derrick Mercer, the AU men's basketball team was unable to complete their comeback against the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders Saturday afternoon, losing on the road 71-62. The loss is the first for the Eagles in Patriot League play and dropped their overall record to 11-7 on the season.

Eagles take down Columbia