American – Syndication Server

Tar Heels explode for second half surge in win vs American

In what looked like a good game at the half, North Carolina blew past American in the second 20 minutes.

North Carolina broke loose in the second half to beat American 107-55, proving just how dominant of a college basketball team the Tar Heels have the possibility of being. Here is how the game shaped up.

The first half was back and forth with UNC keeping the lead for the majority of the half. The biggest lead they got out to was 12 points when they were up 41-29 with two and a half minutes left in the half.

American never led in the entire first half.

They went into the halftime break with a nine-point lead, 43-34. Elliot Cadeau finished the first 20 minutes with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, just four points shy of the sophomore guard’s career high.

RJ Davis’ struggles shooting the ball continued as he had just four points on 2-of-6 shooting in the half including 0-for-3 from beyond the arc.

For the third straight game, this was a tale of two halves for Tar Heels basketball. In just 15 minutes in the second half, North Carolina had taken their nine-point halftime lead and made it a 43-point lead.

On top of that, Jalen Washington hit a career-high in scoring while Elliot Cadeau finished one point shy of his. Washington was a large part of that second-half surge, scoring 10 of his 18 points in the second half.

John Holbrook and Dante Mayo Jr. both scored their first points of the season in this win with Russell Hawkins also getting playing time.

RJ Davis finished the game with 13 points. Seth Trimble scored 13 points and pulled down six rebounds. Cadeau and Washington finished with 18 points with Cadeau also dishing out eight assists.

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Notre Dame dismantles Ball State, 95-60

The Irish keep rolling.

The following is courtesy of Notre Dame athletics:

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The most complete performance to date.

That was the way Karen & Kevin Keyes Head Coach Niele Ivey unquestioningly described her team’s 95-60 dismantling of Ball State (2-2) on Sunday at Purcell Pavilion to move to 4-0 on the year. No. 9 Notre Dame left little to no doubt from the start, scoring 27 points in both the first and second quarters and holding Ball State to just nine points in the second 10 minutes. Notre Dame led by as much as 39, and five Irish players finished with 10+ points for the second time this year.

A huge piece of that first-half deluge came as a result of guard Dara Mabrey’s five three-pointers before the break, the first time she’s had such a showing since sinking seven threes against Oklahoma in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Mabrey finished with a total of 19 points, three rebounds and three assists.

“Dara’s one of the best three-point shooters in the country,” Ivey said. “Seeing her light it up from the perimeter right away from the beginning of the game [is awesome].”

Notre Dame topped the Cardinals in every category, including bench points (41-17), fast breaks (19-11) and second chance points (15-6). The Irish blocked eight shots, including a season-high three from center Lauren Ebo. She had her first double-double in a Notre Dame uniform on Sunday, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

A couple of newcomers posted career highs in the points category against the Cardinals; graduate student and Stanford transfer Jenna Brown had 10, while freshman KK Bransford posted 16.

“It was special for me, and it was special for my teammates to see what I can bring to the team,” Bransford said after the game. “Tonight I felt really confident just knowing that [my teammates] have my back.”

Bransford went 8-8 from the free throw line and posted six rebounds as well. She is the lone freshman currently on the team, but she played like a veteran on Sunday.

The depth and contributions across the board bode well for Ivey, who has hopes of making the Final Four for the 10th time in program history.

“I think that we’re just scratching the surface.”

Notre Dame heads to the Bahamas this week to play in the Goombay Splash for a Thanksgiving tournament. First up is a match against American (0-3) on Thursday at 4:15 p.m. The contest can be streamed on FloHoops, and additional information about the tournament can be found here.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame heading to Bahamas for Thanksgiving weekend tournament

How would you like to spend Thanksgiving with the women’s basketball team?

We don’t know what will happen to Notre Dame this season. What we do know is the team will enjoy Thanksgiving dinner in a tropical paradise. That’s because the Irish are one of six programs to be invited to the 20th edition of the Goombay Splash in Bimini, Bahamas. The tournament begins Nov. 24, this year’s date for Thanksgiving, and ends Nov. 26 with each team getting either two or three games along the way.

The Irish’s first game will be played Thanksgiving against American, a first-time opponent. Arizona State awaits both teams regardless of the result because it plays the loser of the Thanksgiving game the next day and the winner the day after. George Mason and LSU face each other in the Thanksgiving game to determine who will play on which day.

If you have to be away from your family during a major holiday, it’s hard to pick against the Bahamas as a location. Don’t believe me? Let’s go back a few years and watch Central Michigan’s reaction to going to the inaugural Bahamas Bowl, which was held on Christmas Eve:

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Abner Mares proud to have become American citizen

Abner Mares said he’s happy to have become an American citizen given how much his adopted country has given him.

Abner Mares has had an eventful past year or so.

The former three-division titleholder, now 34, has recovered from a detached retina that cost him a fight with Gervonta Davis in February of last year. He has a new trainer, Manny Robles. And, oh yeah, he’s an American now.

Mares, who was born in Mexico but has lived in the U.S. for many years, recently received his U.S. citizenship.

“It means a lot,” he said on The PBC Podcast. “I take a lot of pride becoming a United States citizen because this country has given me everything, everything, despite me being born in Mexico.

“And, yes, I’m 100 percent Mexicano, Raza (race) and, you know, I am. But you gotta give respect where respect is due. Now my country, the United States, has given me everything. My kids were born here, it gave me a better life for my wife and I.

“So I take pride in that. I want to say I’m proud to be an American citizen now. I want to say it because there are a lot of people out there [saying] I’m still raza. That never changes. You gotta be thankful for a country that has given you a lot. I’m that. I’m thankful for this country, I’m blessed.

“I just became a United States citizen not too long ago and I’m really happy for that.”

Abner Mares said he plans to fight once or twice more and then call it a career. David Becker / Getty Images

The newly minted American will be working with Robles for his next fight, whenever the coronavirus pandemic allows it to happen.

Mares (31-3-1, 15 KOs) was asked on the podcast why he made the move from Robert Garcia to Robles and he said it had nothing to do with the job Garcia was doing. It was primarily about geography.

“It’s really simple, it’s nothing personal, nothing that had to do with me needing an adjustment in my craft. It was more, basically, a comfort move,” he said. “I was making a drive of about an hour, hour and a half, two hours from where I live [to Garcia’s training compound].

“I keep telling people that I’m on my last one or two fights. I want to make as much use of my time as I can. You know, I would train at noon with Robert … and come back at 2, 3 in the afternoon. A whole day would go by. I feel like I could’ve used that time to be with my kids, do something else.

“… I’m not saying that Robles isn’t a good coach to consider him for training and to learn. It’s a combination of both. I think Manny Robles is a great coach. And I’m happy to be working with Manny Robles.”

The question is: Working toward what?

Mares would still like to fight Davis, although he’s no longer first in line. And he mentioned Gary Russell Jr. and Oscar Valdez as possible opponents.

He didn’t mention a tune-up fight even though it will be two years in June since he last fought. As he said, he plans to fight only once to twice more and he wants to make the most of those opportunities.

“Honestly, accomplishments are not what I’m looking for,” he said. “… I’m not worried about titles, like becoming a four-time, five-time, six-time [titleholder]. Honestly, it’s on the personal side, being able to come back, being able to say I did it. I beat adversity, I beat doubters.

“You know, I came back and I fought and I won and that’s it. Even if I do one last fight. I’ll be comfortable with that.”

8 Mouthwatering Facts About Bacon (National Bacon Day)

8 Mouthwatering
Facts About Bacon.
Whether you fry it up in the morning or
prefer it as a candle scent, bacon is universally
loved for its delicious taste and smell. .
In honor of National Bacon Day on Dec. 30,
here are eight mouthwatering facts about bacon.
1. Bacon is one of the world’s oldest processed
meats, dating back to 1500 BCE.
2. In ancient Rome, bacon was called “petaso” and was
traditionally eaten with figs, pepper sauce and wine. .
3. John Harris opened the first bacon
factory in 1770 in Wiltshire, England. .
4. The phrase “bringing home the bacon” originated in
12th century England, when churches rewarded husbands
with bacon for having an argument-free marriage. .
5. During Word War II, rendered bacon fat
was used to create glycerin, which in turn was
used to create bombs and gunpowder.
6. The 1992 Hardee’s Frisco
Burger revitalized the popularity
of bacon and set the stage for
future bacon-ized burgers.
7. The average American
consumes upwards of 18
pounds of bacon annually. .
8. Camp Bacon is a five-day camp held every
year in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It features speakers,
cooking classes and other bacon-related activities.

8 Mouthwatering Facts About Bacon (National Bacon Day)

The History of Ugly Christmas Sweaters: Explained (National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day)

The History of Ugly Christmas
Sweaters: Explained.
Every year on Dec. 20, people from all across the
United States celebrate Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. .
While there isn’t an exact definition of what is
considered an ugly sweater, the general consensus
is the more embellishments, the uglier the sweater.
However, these types of sweaters weren’t
always considered ugly. In the 1980s, they
were popularly worn on sitcoms. .
It was around the same time that the
Christmas element was added, with
“jingle bell sweaters” becoming a
mass-produced, hot commodity. .
As fashion trends changed, so did the concept
of ugly versus stylish, and the sweaters were
quickly considered tacky and in bad taste. .
In terms of the trend of purposefully wearing
ugly Christmas sweaters, Vancouver, Canada,
claims to be the concept’s birthplace. .
Since 2002, the city has held an Original Ugly
Christmas Sweater party at the Commodore Ballroom.
Every guest is required to wear an ugly sweater. .
The co-founders of the event, Chris Boyd
and Jordan Birch, even own the trademarks
for the phrases “ugly Christmas sweater”
and “ugly Christmas sweater party.”

The History of Ugly Christmas Sweaters: Explained (National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day)

10 Weirdest Ingredients People Put in Their Stuffing (National Stuffing Day)

10 Weirdest Ingredients
People Put in Their Stuffing .
Whether you call it stuffing or dressing,
Americans traditionally prepare a filling to
put inside of their Thanksgiving turkeys.
In honor of National Stuffing Day, here are 10 of the
weirdest ingredients people put in their stuffing. .
1. Pepperonis
& Mozzarella.
2. Fruit.
3. Stale Bagels.
4. Sticky Rice.
5. Corn Chips.
6. Plantains .
7. Oysters.
8. Popcorn.
9. Twinkies.
10. Burgers.
What weird ingredient do you
put in your stuffing?