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Sports 1B Weekend January 1-2, 2011 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Monta came up with big plays and then made a mistake that nearly cost the Golden State War- riors the win. Ellis scored 25 points and the Warriors overcame his late blun- der to hold off a rally in the final minute and beat the Charlotte Bobcats 96-95 on Friday. ‘‘What can I say?’’ Ellis said. ‘‘We still won. It’s all that matters. Everything else is blanked out. We did a lot of great things and played well together. We just won it as a team and ground it out.’’ Trailing 96-90, Charlotte made a run in the final minute, all keyed by Stephen Jackson, who finished with 22 points. He hit a free throw to begin the run, Gerald Hender- son tipped in Jackson’s miss, then Boris Diaw hit a layup off Jack- son’s inside feed to pull the Bob- cats within one point with 14.5 seconds remaining. Then came the blunder — Ellis was called for an offensive foul after pushing off Henderson on an inbounds play with 8.5 sec- onds left, giving Charlotte anoth- er a chance. But the Bobcats’ planned move — getting the ball to D.J. Augustin — didn’t materialize, forcing Jackson to put up a des- peration 3-pointer, which clanged off the back of the rim and bounced out of bounds as the horn sounded. ‘‘(Augustin) was supposed to get the ball,’’ a despondent Jack- son said after the game. ‘‘We were going to make a quick pick and let him try to make a play.’’ Stephen Curry, who earned AP All-America honors while play- ing at nearby Davidson, hit four 3-pointers and scored 24 points in his homecoming, while Dorell Wright added 17 for Golden State, which won for the fourth time in its last five games. ‘‘Our guys did an excellent job of keeping their composure to play the quarter out,’’ Warriors coach Keith Smart said. ‘‘On the road, things can happen crazy. But we managed to keep it togeth- er and get a win.’’ UCF wins 1st bowl on 4th try ‘Niners and Cardinals to play for last place Sunday ARIZONA (5-10) At SAN FRANCISCO (5-10) Sunday, 1:15 p.m., FOX OPENING LINE — San Francisco by 7 RECORD VS. SPREAD — Arizona 5-10, San Francisco 6-9 SERIES RECORD — 49ers lead 22-16 LAST MEETING — 49ers beat Car- dinals 27-6, Nov. 29, 2010 LAST WEEK — Cardinals beat Cowboys 27-26; 49ers lost to Rams 25-17 CARDINALS OFFENSE — OVERALL (31), RUSH (31), PASS (31) CARDINALS DEFENSE — OVERALL (28), RUSH (30), PASS (22) 49ERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (26), RUSH (21), PASS (22) PASS (24) 49ERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (14), RUSH (7), MCT photo University of Central Florida wide receiver Brian Watters (6) and others leap in celebration after UCF defeated Georgia, 10-6, in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Friday. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Latavius Murray scored on a 10-yard touchdown run with 9:01 left, and Central Florida held on to beat Geor- gia 10-6 Friday in the Liber- ty Bowl and cap the best sea- son in school history with the program’s first postsea- son victory. The Knights (11-3) had never won more than 10 games in a season and had lost their first three bowl games, including their last visit here in 2007. The Con- ference USA champs made this win even sweeter by knocking off a Southeastern Conference team in the process. Georgia (6-7) snapped a four-game bowl winning streak with its first loss since the 2006 Sugar Bowl. Worse for the Bulldogs is notching their first losing season since going 5-6 in 1996. The Bulldogs had the ball last and converted two fourth downs before Kemal Ish- mael knocked down Aaron Murray’s final long throw into the end zone as time expired. And in an ending remi- niscent of Thursday night’s Music City Bowl finish to regulation, the game seemed to be over before it actually was. Murray’s first deep throw into the end zone land- NFL At A Glance By The Associated Press AMERICAN CONFERENCE East WL T Pct PF PA y-New England 13 2 0 .867 480 306 x-N.Y. Jets 10 5 0 .667 329 297 Miami 7 8 0 .467 266 295 Buffalo 4 11 0 .267 276 387 South WL T Pct PF PA Indianapolis 9 6 0 .600 412 368 Jacksonville 8 7 0 .533 336 385 Tennessee 6 9 0 .400 336 316 Houston 5 10 0 .333 356 410 North WL T Pct PF PA x-Pittsburgh 11 4 0 .733 334 223 x-Baltimore 11 4 0 .733 344 263 Cleveland 5 10 0 .333 262 291 Cincinnati 4 11 0 .267 315 382 West WL T Pct PF PA y-Kansas City 10 5 0 .667 356 295 San Diego 8 7 0 .533 408 294 Oakland 7 8 0 .467 379 361 Denver 4 11 0 .267 316 438 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East WL T Pct PF PA y-Philadelphia 10 5 0 .667 426 363 N.Y. Giants 9 6 0 .600 377 333 Washington 6 9 0 .400 288 360 Dallas South x-Atlanta 12 3 0 .800 383 278 x-New Orleans 11 4 0 .733 371 284 Tampa Bay 9 6 0 .600 318 305 Carolina 2 13 0 .133 186 377 North WL T Pct PF PA y-Chicago 11 4 0 .733 331 276 Green Bay 9 6 0 .600 378 237 Minnesota 6 9 0 .400 268 328 Detroit West 5 10 0 .333 342 356 WL T Pct PF PA St. Louis 7 8 0 .467 283 312 Seattle 6 9 0 .400 294 401 San Francisco 5 10 0 .333 267 339 Arizona 5 10 0 .333 282 396 x-clinched playoff spot BOWLS 5 10 0 .333 380 423 WL T Pct PF PA By The Associated Press Subject to Change Thursday, Dec. 30 Holiday Bowl At San Diego Washington 19, Nebraska 7 Friday, Dec. 31 Meineke Bowl At Charlotte, N.C. South Florida 31, Clemson 26 Sun Bowl At El Paso,Texas Notre Dame 33, Miami 17 Liberty Bowl At Memphis,Tenn. UCF 10, Georgia 6 Chick-fil-A Bowl At Atlanta South Carolina (9-4) vs. Florida State (9- 4), late(ESPN) Saturday, Jan. 1 TicketCity Bowl At Dallas Northwestern (7-5) vs.Texas Tech (7-5), 9 a.m. (ESPNU) Capital One Bowl At Orlando, Fla. Michigan State (11-1) vs. Alabama (9-3), 10 a.m. (ESPN) Outback Bowl At Tampa, Fla. Florida (7-5) vs.Penn State (7-5), 10 a.m. (ABC) Gator Bowl At Jacksonville, Fla. Michigan (7-5) vs. Mississippi State (8-4), 10:30 a.m. (ESPN2) Rose Bowl At Pasadena, Calif. y-clinched division ——— Sunday’s Games Oakland at Kansas City, 10 a.m. Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 10 a.m. Miami at New England, 10 a.m. Minnesota at Detroit, 10 a.m. Carolina at Atlanta, 10 a.m. Pittsburgh at Cleveland, 10 a.m. Buffalo at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m. Cincinnati at Baltimore, 10 a.m. Arizona at San Francisco, 1:15 p.m. San Diego at Denver, 1:15 p.m. Chicago at Green Bay, 1:15 p.m. Jacksonville at Houston, 1:15 p.m. N.Y. Giants at Washington, 1:15 p.m. Dallas at Philadelphia, 1:15 p.m. Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1:15 p.m. St. Louis at Seattle, 5:20 p.m. End Regular Season ed incomplete and the clock appeared to run out. But replay officials reviewed the play and ruled the clock should have stopped with 2 seconds left. Players from both teams went back to their sideline. The Bulldogs had one more shot to pull out the win. Murray rolled to his left and heaved the ball into the end zone, but Ishmael knocked it to the ground with one hand to start the Knights’ celebra- tion. They had to move under cover quickly because a storm front that caused tor- nadoes in Arkansas hit min- utes after the game ended, SCOREBOARD TCU (12-0) vs. Wisconsin (11-1), 2 p.m. (ESPN) Fiesta Bowl At Glendale, Ariz. Connecticut (8-4) vs. Oklahoma (11-2), 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Jan. 3 Orange Bowl At Miami Stanford (11-1) vs. Virginia Tech (11-2), 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) Tuesday, Jan. 4 Sugar Bowl At New Orleans Ohio State (11-1) vs. Arkansas (10-2), 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) Thursday, Jan. 6 GoDaddy.com Bowl At Mobile, Ala. Miami (Ohio) (9-4) vs. Middle Tennessee (6-6), 5 p.m. (ESPN) Friday, Jan. 7 Cotton Bowl At Arlington,Texas Texas A&M (9-3) vs. LSU (10-2), 5 p.m. (FOX) Saturday, Jan. 8 BBVA Compass Bowl At Birmingham, Ala. Pittsburgh (7-5) vs.Kentucky (6-6), 9 a.m. b(ESPN) Sunday, Jan. 9 Fight Hunger Bowl At San Francisco Boston College (7-5) vs. Nevada (12-1), 6 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Jan. 10 BCS National Championship At Glendale, Ariz. Auburn (13-0) vs. Oregon (12-0), 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) NBA At A Glance By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB Boston 24 7 .774 — New York 18 14 .5636 1/2 Philadelphia13 19 .40611 1/2 Toronto 11 20 .355 13 New Jersey 9 24 .273 16 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 25 9 .735 — Miami Orlando 21 12 .6363 1/2 Atlanta 21 13 .618 4 Charlotte 11 20 .35512 1/2 Washington 8 23 .25815 1/2 Central Division WL Pct GB Chicago 21 10 .677 — Indiana 14 17 .452 7 Milwaukee 12 18 .4008 1/2 Detroit 11 21 .34410 1/2 Cleveland 8 24 .25013 1/2 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio28 4 .875 — Dallas 24 7 .7743 1/2 New Orleans19 14 .5769 1/2 Houston 15 16 .48412 1/2 Memphis 14 18 .438 14 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 22 11 .667 — Utah 22 11 .667 — Denver 18 13 .581 3 Portland 17 16 .515 5 Minnesota 8 25 .242 14 Pacific Division WL Pct GB L.A. Lakers 22 10 .688 — Phoenix 13 17 .433 8 Golden State1319 .406 9 L.A. Clippers10 23 .30312 1/2 Sacramento 6 23 .20714 1/2 ——— Thursday’s Games Orlando 112, New York 103 San Antonio 99, Dallas 93 Portland 100, Utah 89 Friday’s Games Chicago 90, New Jersey 81 New Orleans 83, Boston 81 Golden State 96, Charlotte 95 Indiana 95, Washington 86 Toronto at Houston, late Atlanta at Oklahoma City, late Detroit at Phoenix, late Philadelphia at L.A. Lakers, late Saturday’s Games Cleveland at Chicago, 4 p.m. New Orleans at Washington, 4 p.m. Golden State at Miami, 4:30 p.m. New Jersey at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Sacramento at Denver, 6 p.m. Memphis at Utah, 6 p.m. Dallas at Milwaukee, 6 p.m. Sunday’s Games Indiana at New York, 10 a.m. Atlanta at L.A. Clippers, 12:30 p.m. Boston at Toronto, 3 p.m. Dallas at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Houston at Portland, 6 p.m. Phoenix at Sacramento, 6 p.m. Memphis at L.A. Lakers, 6:30 p.m. prompting security to order everyone off the field and out of the stands due to light- ning. Latavius Murray finished with 104 yards on 18 carries, but it was the Knights’ defense that pulled out this victory. UCF came in with C- USA’s stingiest defense and 18th best in the nation. The Knights held Georgia to 280 yards total offense, well below the Bulldogs’ average of 393.8. Senior captain and two-time C-USA defensive player of the year Bruce Miller had 1 1/2 sacks in the fourth quarter, including one on the final drive. STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — 5-10 teams play for last place in NFC West. ... 49ers have won last three meetings, including Monday night game Nov. 29 that Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt calls embarrass- ing. Arizona managed only eight first downs in that game, getting 11 rushes for 13 yards. ... Both teams averaging below 20 points per game, Arizona at 18.8 (26th in NFL) and San Francisco 17.8 (28th). ... Cardi- nals trying to win back-to-back games for first time this season. A victory would give them wins in three of final four following seven-game losing streak. ... Cardi- nals strong safety Adrian Wilson looks to get intercep- tion for third straight game playing at Candlestick Park. In eight games in San Francisco, he has two intercep- tions, two sacks, four forced fumbles and fumble recov- ery. ... Arizona has 12 returns for TDs this season, one shy of NFL record set by Seattle in 2003. ... This marks debut of promoted defensive line coach Jim Tomsula leading the 49ers, who fired coach Mike Singletary after last week’s loss at St. Louis. Arizona will now have faced three of NFL’s four current interim coaches over final four weeks of the season. ... Alex Smith back as starting QB for 49ers after Singletary started Troy Smith in 25-17 loss to Rams before going to Alex Smith in fourth quarter. It’s likely to be final game for Alex Smith, the 2005 No. 1 overall draft pick, as a 49er. He becomes free agent after season. Chargers sacked him six times in his last start, a 34-7 loss Dec. 16. ... 49ers RB Frank Gore was lost for season after fractur- ing right hip against Cardinals on Monday night. Raiders look to sweep Chiefs to finish at .500 OAKLAND (7-8) At KANSAS CITY (10-5) Sunday, 10 a.m., CBS OPENING LINE — Kansas City by 4 RECORD VS. SPREAD — Oak- land 7-8; Kansas City 9-6 SERIES RECORD — Chiefs lead 54-47-2 LAST MEETING — Raiders beat Chiefs 23-20 in OT, Nov. 7, 2010 LAST WEEK — Raiders lost to Colts 31-27; Chiefs beat Titans 34- 14 (2), PASS (23) (29), PASS (3) PASS (28) RAIDERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (10), RUSH RAIDERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (13), RUSH CHIEFS OFFENSE — OVERALL (9), RUSH (1), CHIEFS DEFENSE — OVERALL (11), RUSH (12), PASS (19) STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — If Raiders win, they finish 6-0 in AFC West and become first team to go unbeaten in division and still miss playoffs, accord- ing to NFL. Chiefs would be division champs with 2-4 division record. ... Raiders won three in row at Arrow- head, looking for first season sweep of Chiefs since 2001. ... Raiders have topped 500 yards of total offense three times. ... Raiders have had 10 different players record at least one sack. ... Sebastian Janikowski, who kicked game-winning field goal in OT win over KC on Nov. 7, has set franchise record with 135 points. ... Dar- ren McFadden leads NFL in runs of 30 yards or longer with nine, KC’s Jamaal Charles leads in runs of 10 yards or longer with 43. ... Chiefs playing for No. 3 seed in playoffs and avoid going to New England in second round if they get there. ... Looking to win last three games for first time since 1986 and post fourth perfect home record in franchise history. ... Went 1-7 at home last season. ... Chiefs allowing league-low 12.4 ppg in seven home games and are only team not to have allowed rushing TD at home. ... Charles trails Hous- ton’s Arian Foster by 56 yards for rushing lead and leads NFL with average of 6.39 yards per carry. Warriors hold off Charlotte Bobcats, 96-95 Gerald Wallace added 20 points, D.J. Augustin 12, and Diaw and Henderson added 10 points each for the Bobcats, which trailed by as many as 11 points midway through the third quarter and fell short of getting a third consecutive win under inter- im coach Paul Silas. Ellis didn’t shoot particularly well against Charlotte — 11 of 23 from the field, and just 2 of 5 on 3-pointers — but he came up with the points when the Warriors needed them.