|
MONTREAL -- Australian Open semifinalist Eugenie Bouchard will lead Canadas team at a Fed Cup womens tennis tie against Serbia next month. Reggie White Jersey . The native of Westmount, Que., who made headlines in Canada last week after unexpectedly making the final four in Melbourne, will be joined by Gabriela Dabrowski of Ottawa, Sharon Fichman of Toronto and Aleksandra Wozniak, Blainville, Que. The World Group II first-round series will be played indoors Feb. 8-9 at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex. "The team that will defend Canadas colours consists of experienced players on the international scene," said Canadian captain Sylvain Bruneau. "The girls are ready to take on the tough challenge that awaits them against Serbia and move one step closer to the World Group." The best-of-five series will mark Bouchards return home after her stellar Australian Open performance, which moved her up to No. 19 in the world rankings. The 19-year-old made her Fed Cup debut in 2011 and has a record 7-2. Last year in Kyiv, Bouchard won two matches despite playing with an injured ankle, including the decisive doubles with Fichman to give Canada a place in World Group II for the first time since 2010. Dabrowski, the countrys top doubles player at No. 61 on the WTA rankings, reached her first two WTA doubles finals in 2013 at Brussels and Linz in addition to winning two doubles titles of the ITF Challenger Circuit. Shes 3-0 in Fed Cup play. Fichman enjoyed the best season of her career in 2013, making the worlds top 100 for the first time (95th). In her first tournament of 2014 at Auckland, Fichman collected her first WTA doubles title. In Fed Cup, Fichman is 22-7 since making her debut in 2005 at the age of 14. Wozniak has struggled with injuries and will be playing her first Fed Cup tie since 2011. A member of the Canadian squad since 2004, she holds a 37-9 record on the circuit. Canada lost 3-2 to Serbia in 2011. Trent Cole Jersey . Salamida, 29, has played the last four seasons with the Goldeyes. Returning to the team halfway through last season, he went 7-1 with a 2. Harold Carmichael Jersey . The story of the scoreless first period was Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward, as the Jets outshot the Hurricanes 13-6 and had a number of grade “A” scoring chances, the best off the stick of Bryan Little.GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Breaking the school record for consecutive home wins should be something to celebrate. Not for No. 7 Florida, which has fallen one step short of the Final Four the last three years. Michael Frazier II scored a career-high 21 points and the Gators handled Georgia 72-50 on Tuesday night, notching their 25th straight at the OConnell Center. Undermanned Florida topped the previous mark set between March 2006 and November 2007. Two-time national champions Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford and Joakim Noah did most of the heavy lifting in that streak. This group, which has four seniors who have tasted plenty of disappointment, barely acknowledged their achievement. "Its cool to be a part of that and to accomplish something like that," centre Pat Young said. "Hopefully we can top it with an NCAA championship and a Final Four and all that good stuff. Making a record that someone else has to break is pretty cool. Hopefully it stays here for another 100 years or however Florida is around." If Frazier continues to play like he did against the Bulldogs, Florida (14-2, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) certainly could improve its chances of making a deep run in the NCAA tournament. Frazier made 7 of 16 shots, including 5 of 12 from 3-point range. His previous high was 20 points in a loss to Wisconsin early this season. Coaches and teammates told Frazier to keep shooting despite a 1-for-8 start. "Any time you can get hot like that, catch fire, it feels good," Frazier said. "My teammates had great confidence in me, coaches told me to keep shooting. That always feels good to have my teammates and my coaches behind me." Juwan Parker led Georgia (8-7, 2-1) with 13 points while Marcus Thornton added 11 points and seven rebounds. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 14 points for Florida, while Will Yeguete added 12 and Young 10. Florida won despite playing its second game without leading scorer Casey Prather, who sat out with a bruised right knee. The Gators had just seven scholarship players available. They got even thinner when point guard Scottie Wilbekin left the game midway through the second half with cramps. He got treatment and returned a few minutes later. But just as he re-entered the game, guard DeVon Walkker headed to the locker room with a busted lip. Black LeSean McCoy Youth Elite Jersey. In the midst of those issues, the Gators went 9:43 without a field goal in the second half, but the Bulldogs did little to take advantage of the lull. Georgias real problem was the opening 20 minutes. Florida used a 24-4 run in the first half to open a 20-point lead and pretty much coasted from there. The Bulldogs had 11 turnovers and 11 points with 4:26 remaining before halftime. "When you play like boys in a mans game, youve got to be tougher than we were tonight. Theres no way around it," Georgia coach Mark Fox said. "Weve got to play better on the road in environments like this against teams like this. ... We didnt come in here with the mentality we needed to play a team like them on the road." Georgia looked nothing like the same team that upset Missouri and Alabama to open SEC play. Floridas press and stifling defence created havoc. And hitting shots from behind the arc only added to Georgias woes. Frazier, Finney-Smith, Wilbekin and Walker all hit 3s in the decisive spurt. Florida finished 11 of 26 from 3-point range. "We lost our poise," Thornton said. "We got too relaxed and made some very immature plays, and once you get behind the 8-ball in a place like Florida, they will crush you quickly. The game was decided in right there in the first half." The Bulldogs had nearly as many turnovers (12) as points (16) at the break. They shot 31.6 per cent from the field, well shy of Floridas 50 per cent shooting. The closest Georgia got was 45-31 with about 11 minutes to play. Fraziers fifth 3 made it 70-39 and sent many scrambling for the exits in a laugher. Floridas last loss at the ODome was March 4, 2012, against Kentucky. The Gators have won eight straight this season and 12 in a row at home against the Bulldogs. "Im really, really proud of our guys," Gators coach Billy Donovan said. "Thats great. The guys that had won that many in a row obviously did some really special things. These guys havent won national championships, but theyve done some special things as well, and Im proud of them. Its a good milestone. "I think any time you can do something for the first time in school history its always nice." ' ' ' |
