NCAA women’s tix on sale
Tickets for the 2018 NCAA Women’s Basketball Albany Regional went on sale Wednesday. Siena College, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and the Times Union Center will co-host the Albany Regional which is set to take place March 26-28.
The Albany Regional semifinals tip-off on Saturday, Mar. 24 at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., with the regional final set for Monday, Mar. 26 at 7 p.m.
“In 2015, Albany demonstrated that it could become a regular site for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Regionals when it set an attendance record its first-time hosting,” MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor said. “The community support in 2015 was a crucial element in the awarding of the 2018 and 2019 regionals, as well as the 2020 NCAA Men’s Basketball First & Second Rounds. With the recent
opening of the Capital Center and the major renovations to the Times Union Center, the stage is set for an even better experience for the participating teams and student athletes this coming March.”
The 2018 NCAA Women’s Basketball Albany Regional returns to the Times Union Center for the first time since 2015 when the MAAC and Siena last cohosted the event. The 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Albany Regional led all of the four regional sites that year with a total of 15,949 attendees.
In 2015, the nation’s No. 1 overall seed Connecticut defeated both No. 7 Texas and No. 5 Dayton in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Albany Regional at the Times Union Center. The Huskies went on to capture their 10th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship in program history after their stop in Albany.
College swimming
Caitlyn Gardiner, a Ballston Spa native, helped the RPI’s swimming and diving team defeat RIT with a final score of 203-97. The Engineers are back in the pool this weekend with a meet against Ithica Saturday for RPI Family Weekend.
Cross country
EDGE Four Greenwich sophomores and a seventh grader took the top four places as the Witches won the 2017 Wasaren League GIRLS Cross Country Championships at Saratoga Spa State Park.
Brynne Wright led Greenwich with a time of 18:35.43 followed by fellow sohomore Emma Cronin, 7th-grader Teagan Wright and Quinn Collins in fourth.
Carrie Burnell finished sixth for Hoosic Valley, who was runner up in the team competition followed by Emma Willard, Berlin, Mechanicville and Saratoga Catholic. WASAREN TITLE » Senior Kevin Cronin routed the field by nearly 30 seconds to prove he is the fastest runner in the Wasaren League and help Saratoga Catholic to a team title at Saratoga Spa State Park Tuesday.
Cronin clocked a 17:03.56 to beat Stillwater’s Joe Yusaitis, who ran a 17:33.27. Hoosic Valley’s Ben Corey was third followed by Stillwater’s Nick Roy and Hoosick Falls sophomore Aiden Scott in fifth.
Griffin Day, Michael Halligan, JP Tagliafierro and Michael Tagliafierro Jr. helped the Saints score a 5162 victory over Greenwich. Stlilwater was third with 77 points followed by Hoosic Valley, Berlin, Mechanicvile and Tamarac.
Girls swimming
BALLSTON SPA 87, TROY 67
Marisa Swider won the 100 backstroke and Maeve McDermott took the 100 breaststroke and the 200 free for the only individual even wins for the Flying Horses in a league loss to the Scotties.
Annalise Pepper, Corinne Pepper, Emma Hoffman and Tierra Damico each won events for Ballston Spa.
Forget the touchdown Tre’Davious White scored, or the NFL rookie defensive player of the month honor he won in September. The Buffalo Bills starting cornerback would rather focus on his flaws to stay grounded.
Take last Buffalo’s come-from-behind 30-27 win over Tampa Bay last weekend, for example.
Rather than celebrate what proved to be the game-deciding fumble he forced and recovered to set up Stephen Hauschka’s 30-yard field goal with 14 seconds left, White was still brooding over allowing Mike Evans to catch a go-ahead touchdown pass three minutes earlier.
“There was nothing I could have done,” White said Wednesday, of Evans’ near-indefensible right-toe-dragging 12yard catch just inside the right sideline. “But still, you know, I’ve got to live with it.”
Allowing a slight smile when reminded of how he punched the ball loose from Adam Humphries’ hands the very next time he stepped on the field, White said: “My game went from terrible to OK.”
His coaches and teammates might disagree with that assessment as Buffalo (4-2) prepares to host Oakland (3-4) on Sunday.
And yet, the Bills firstround draft pick refuses to settle for anything less than perfection despite being tied for the NFL lead with 11 passes defensed, having scored on a 52-yard fumble return in a win over Atlanta or intercepting a Trevor Siemian pass in a win over Denver, while being on the field for all but two of Buffalo’s 409 defensive plays.
“I don’t think I’m too hard on myself,” said White, who was inconsolable on the team bus after being burned by A.J. Green scoring a 77-yard touchdown in a 20-16 loss to the Bengals. “It’s part of just wanting to get better and better each week — never getting complacent.”
Coach Sean McDermott doubts anything might dent White’s makeup based on how he responded against the Bucs.
“When I see plays like that, I don’t worry as much about that in terms of mental toughness and being able to bounce back,” McDermott said. “The success he’s had is not a mistake, it’s not happenstance. He’s wired the right way.”
White has made an
Buffalo claimed CB Lafayette Pitts on waivers a day after he was released by Jacksonville. ... Buffalo opened a roster spot by releasing CB Tony McRae two days after being claimed on waivers.