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Sports 1B Monday January 4, 2010 Monday Fiesta Bowl — TCU vs. Boise State, 5:15 p.m., FOX NCAAB — Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 4 p.m., ESPN NFL playoff field set on last day of season STANDINGS AFC West W L T Pct PF PA Chargers 13 3 0 .813 454 320 Denver 8 8 0 .500 326 324 RAIDERS 5 11 0 .313 197 379 Kansas City 4 12 0 .250 294 424 East W L T Pct PF PA New England10 6 0 .625 427 285 N.Y. Jets 9 7 0 .563 348 236 Miami 7 9 0 .438 360 390 Buffalo 6 10 0 .375 258 326 South W L T Pct PF PA Indianapolis 14 2 0 .875 416 307 Houston 9 7 0 .563 388 333 Tennessee 8 8 0 .500 354 402 Jacksonville 7 9 0 .438 290 380 North W L T Pct PF PA Cincinnati 10 6 0 .625 305 291 Baltimore 9 7 0 .563 391 261 Pittsburgh 9 7 0 .563 368 324 Cleveland 5 11 0 .313 245 375 NFC West W L T Pct PF PA Arizona 10 6 0 .625 375 325 49ERS 8 8 0 .500 330 281 Seattle 5 11 0 .313 280 390 St. Louis 1 15 0 .063 175 436 East W L T Pct PF PA Dallas 11 5 0 .688 361 250 Philadelphia 11 5 0 .688 429 337 N.Y. Giants 8 8 0 .500 402 427 Washington 4 12 0 .250 266 336 South W L T Pct PF PA New Orleans 13 3 0 .813 510 341 Atlanta 9 7 0 .563 363 325 Carolina 8 8 0 .500 315 308 Tampa Bay 3 13 0 .188 244 400 North W L T Pct PF PA Minnesota 12 4 0 .750 470 312 Green Bay 11 5 0 .688 461 297 Chicago 7 9 0 .438 327 375 Detroit 2 14 0 .125 262 494 ——— Sunday's results Baltimore 21, Oakland 13 San Francisco 28, St. Louis 6 Atlanta 20, Tampa Bay 10 Buffalo 30, Indianapolis 7 Carolina 23, New Orleans 10 Chicago 37, Detroit 23 Cleveland 23, Jacksonville 17 Dallas 24, Philadelphia 0 Green Bay 33, Arizona 7 Houston 34, New England 27 Kansas City 44, Denver 24 Minnesota 44, N.Y. Giants 7 N.Y. Jets 37, Cincinnati 0 Pittsburgh 30, Miami 24 San Diego 23, Washington 20 Tennessee 17, Seattle 13 End of regular season National Football Conference Jan. 10, 1:40 p.m. 5. Green Bay at 4. Arizona Jan. 9, 5 p.m. 6. Philadelphia at 3. Dallas Jan. 16-17 Highest remaining seed at 2. Minnesota Jan. 16-17 Lowest remaining seed at 1. New Orleans NFC Championship January 24, 3:40 p.m. American Football Conference Jan. 9, 1:30 p.m. 5. N.Y. Jets at 4. Baltimore Jan. 10, 10 a.m. 6. Baltimore at 3. New England Jan. 16-17 Highest remaining seed at 2. San Diego Jan. 16-17 Lowest remaining seed at 1. Indianapolis AFC Championship January 24, Noon Super Bowl XLIV at Miami Feb. 7, 3:25 p.m. 49ers beat Rams to earn .500 season ST. LOUIS (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers fin- ished strong, scoring three touchdowns in the final 7 1/2 minutes. The St. Louis Rams bowed out with a per- formance worthy of the No. 1 overall pick. Vernon Davis tied the NFL record for touchdown receptions by a tight end with his 13th of the season, sparking the 49ers' late surge in a 28-6 victory on Sunday. ''Well, my number was called and coach told me if there was a DB out there, do what you do best and just run by him,'' Davis said. ''That's what I did, I just ran as fast as I could.'' Frank Gore added 107 yards rushing on 23 carries and two TDs for the 49ers (8-8), who pulled away after a desultory first half in which they mustered only 52 yards and trailed 3-0. ''This is not the style of game we wanted to have,'' coach Mike Singletary said. ''This is not the way we wanted it to go. I'm thank- ful we were able to come out of this game, get the heck out here, get the heck out of St. Louis with a win.'' San Francisco ended a string of six consecutive losing seasons, halted a six- game road losing streak and finished 5-1 against the NFC West. The Rams (1- 15) wrapped up their first winless home schedule since going 0-6 in 1959 and only the third in franchise history. The Rams needed a loss in the finale to secure the No. 1 pick for the first time since 1997, when they trad- ed up to get seven-time Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace. Their puny offense filled the bill with 109 yards total offense, fifth-worst in fran- chise history and lowest since they had 105 yards on Sept. 8, 1996, at San Fran- cisco. Steven Jackson had 63 yards rushing on 20 carries for the Rams, whose biggest play was a 56-yard punt return by Danny Amendola to the San Francisco 19 that led to a field goal that cut the 49ers' lead to 7-6 with 9:11 to go. The 49ers held an oppo- nent to 10 or fewer points for the seventh time behind a season-high eight sacks including 3 1/2 by Justin Smith, who entered the game with 2 1/2 sacks. Rams rookie quarter- back Keith Null was 7 for 17 for 57 yards and absorbed five of the sacks before sustaining a possible concussion in the third quarter. Spagnuolo said wide receiver Donnie Avery sustained a concussion and said Null ''was fuzzy as well,'' but added, ''I don't know if they used the term concussion.'' Davis tied the mark set by Antonio Gates last sea- son with the longest catch of his career, getting behind the defense on a 73-yard reception from Alex Smith that put the 49ers ahead 14- 6 midway through the fourth quarter. Gore had four 100-yard games in the last five games, and five overall. For much of the game, the punters dominated. The Rams' Donnie Jones punted a season-high 11 times for a 50.1-yard average while Andy Lee tied his season high with nine punts for a 46.7-yard average. MCT photo Frank Gore eyes the end zone Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. Raiders can't play spoiler, Ravens clinch wild-card OAKLAND (AP) — With one vicious stiff-arm, Willis McGahee pushed aside the last obstacle stand- ing between the Baltimore Ravens and another playoff bid on his way to a career- best day. McGahee ran for a career-high 167 yards and three touchdowns, pushing down Hiram Eugene on a 77-yarder, and the Ravens clinched an AFC wild-card berth by beating the Oak- land Raiders 21-13 on Sun- day. The Raiders (5-11) pro- vided a stiff challenge for much of the game but were unable to pull it out in the end behind former starter JaMarcus Russell. Dannell Ellerbe inter- cepted a pass from Russell late in the third quarter to set up McGahee's third touch- down that made it 21-13. Ellerbe then recovered a fumble by Russell at the Ravens 23 with 9:42 to go to end a possible scoring threat by Oakland. After a three-and-out for the Raiders, McGahee iced the game with a 36-yard run on third-and-4 from his 15 to cap his first 100-yard rushing game of the season. The loss gave the Raiders seven straight seasons with at least 11 defeats, the worst run in NFL history. It also could mark the end of coach Tom Cable's stint in Oak- land as his job status will likely be decided in the next few days. Cable made some progress in his 28 games as Raiders coach but his inabil- ity to develop Russell into a legitimate NFL starter may ultimately doom him. He said he's confident he'll be back next season but has received no reassurances from owner Al Davis. ''I'm disappointed because we didn't win,'' Cable said. ''I thought we were going to. And yet I feel excited about what's coming back. But there's got to be some things added and tweaked and fixed.'' Russell was benched midway through this season and came on in relief in three of the final seven games, including in the sec- ond half Sunday after Char- lie Frye left with an injured ankle and back. Russell led a comeback in Denver two weeks ago and appeared poised to do so again after directing the Raiders to a field goal that cut Baltimore's lead to 14- 13 late in the third quarter. But his two turnovers brought out the boo birds in Oakland and provided a fit- ting end to a disappointing third season for the former No. 1 overall pick. Russell committed 17 turnovers while throwing only three touchdown passes all sea- son. ''You can't turn the ball over when you're playing a team as good as the Ravens,'' Russell said. The Ravens struck first when McGahee scored on a 2-yard run to cap Balti- more's second drive. It was McGahee's touchdown in the second quarter that was truly highlight-reel material. Frye responded by lead- ing the Raiders on a 79-yard drive capped by a 12-yard pass to Zach Miller. MCT photo JaMarcus Russell is tripped up, Sunday. BOWLS Today's bowl Fiesta Bowl At Glendale, Ariz., 5 p.m., FOX Boise State (13-0) vs. TCU (12-0) Saturday's bowl results Alamo Bowl Texas Tech 41, Michigan State 31 Liberty Bowl Arkansas 20, East Carolina 17, OT PapaJohns.com Bowl Connecticut 20, South Carolina 7 Cotton Bowl Mississippi 21, Oklahoma State 7 International Bowl South Florida 27, Northern Illinois 3 NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division W L Pct GB Lakers 26 6 .813 — Phoenix 21 13 .618 6 Clippers 14 18 .438 12 KINGS 14 19 .424 12.5 WARRIORS 9 23 .281 17 Southwest Division W L Pct GB Dallas 23 10 .697 — San Antonio 20 12 .625 2.5 Houston 20 14 .588 3.5 Memphis 16 16 .500 6.5 New Orleans 15 16 .484 7 Northwest Division W L Pct GB Portland 22 13 .629 — Denver 21 13 .618 .5 Okla. City 18 15 .545 3 Utah 18 15 .545 3 Minnesota 7 28 .200 15 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Boston 24 8 .750 — Toronto 17 18 .486 8.5 New York 14 20 .412 11 Philadelphia 10 23 .303 14.5 New Jersey 3 30 .091 21.5 Southeast Division W L Pct GB Orlando 24 9 .727 — Atlanta 21 11 .656 2.5 Miami 16 15 .516 7 Charlotte 14 18 .438 9.5 Washington 10 21 .323 13 Central Division W L Pct GB Cleveland 27 9 .750 — Chicago 14 17 .452 10.5 Milwaukee 13 18 .419 11.5 Detroit 11 21 .344 14 Indiana 10 23 .303 15.5 ——— Sunday's results Charlotte 91, Cleveland 88 New York 132, Indiana 89 Philadelphia 108, Denver 105 Toronto 91, San Antonio 86 Dallas at L.A. Lakers, late Today's games Atlanta at Miami, 4:30 p.m. Oklahoma City at Chicago, 5 p.m. New Orleans at Utah, 6 p.m. Portland at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. Saturday's results Dallas 99, Sacramento 91 Portland 105, Golden State 89 Boston 103, Toronto 96 Charlotte 107, Miami 97 Chicago 101, Orlando 93 Cleveland 94, New Jersey 86 Denver 105, Utah 95 Indiana 122, Minnesota 111 Memphis 128, Phoenix 103 Milwaukee 103, Oklahoma City 97, OT New Orleans 99, Houston 95 San Antonio 97, Washington 86 NCAA Sunday's Top 25 results No. 7 Duke 74, No. 21 Clemson 53 No. 12 Kansas State 91, South Dakota 69 No. 13 Georgetown 67, DePaul 50 Michigan 73, No. 15 Ohio State 64 No. 20 Texas Tech 86, UTEP 78 No. 23 Wisconsin 63, Penn State 46 Today's Top 25 games No. 9 North Carolina at College of Charleston No. 22 Fla. St. vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday's Top 25 results No. 1 Kansas 84, No. 18 Temple 52 No. 2 Texas 76, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 70 No. 3 Kentucky 71, Louisville 62 Pittsburgh 82, No. 5 Syracuse 72 No. 8 Villanova 74, Marquette 72 No. 10 Connecticut 82, Notre Dame 70 No. 11 Mich. St. 91, No. 25 Northwestern, 70 Oregon 90, No. 17 Washington 79 No. 24 UAB 73, Arkansas 72 NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division W L OT Pts GF GA SHARKS 27 8 7 61 142 106 Phoenix 25 14 4 54 111 99 Kings 24 15 3 51 124 120 Dallas 18 12 11 47 122 127 Ducks 16 19 7 39 115 137 Central Division W L OT Pts GF GA Chicago 29 10 3 61 137 90 Nashville 25 14 3 53 121 119 Detroit 21 14 6 48 108 104 St. Louis 17 18 6 40 108 121 Columbus 15 19 9 39 112 143 Northwest Division W L OT Pts GF GA Colorado 24 13 6 54 128 124 Calgary 24 12 5 53 114 98 Vancouver 25 16 1 51 132 103 Minnesota 20 19 3 43 111 124 Edmonton 16 22 4 36 115 138 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L OT Pts GF GA New Jersey 29 10 1 59 118 89 Pittsburgh 26 16 1 53 133 116 Rangers 19 17 5 43 108 115 Islanders 17 18 8 42 107 134 Philadelphia 19 19 3 41 117 118 Northeast Division W L OT Pts GF GA Buffalo 26 11 4 56 112 93 Boston 21 12 7 49 105 95 Ottawa 22 16 4 48 122 125 Montreal 21 20 3 45 114 120 Toronto 14 19 9 37 115 145 Southeast Division W L OT Pts GF GA Washington 24 11 6 54 145 116 Atlanta 18 17 6 42 132 135 Tampa Bay 16 15 10 42 103 121 Florida 17 18 7 41 123 135 Carolina 11 23 7 29 102 146 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Sunday's results Buffalo 1, Montreal 0 Chicago 5, Anaheim 2 Florida 6, Pittsburgh 2 Ottawa 7, Philadelphia 4 Today's games Los Angeles at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Boston at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m. Saturday's results San Jose 4, Edmonton 1 Calgary 3, Toronto 1 Carolina 2, N.Y. Rangers 1, OT Chicago 6, St. Louis 3 Colorado 3, Columbus 2 Detroit 4, Phoenix 1 Los Angeles 2, Washington 1 Nashville 3, Anaheim 1 New Jersey 5, Minnesota 3 N.Y. Islanders 6, Atlanta 5, SO Tampa Bay 3, Pittsburgh 1 Vancouver 3, Dallas 1 Scoreboard Scoreboard Week's Top Bowlers At Lariat Bowl Monday Mixers — Dec. 28 Rick Warren, 207, 537 BJ Gormley,199, 524 Monday Mixed Nuts — Dec. 28 Mike Armstrong, 240, 688 Rebecca Palmer, 265, 674 Tuesday Senior Mixers - Dec. 29 Darwin Brown, 237, 614 Patricia Patteson, 222, 518 Wednesday Morning Glory — Dec. 30 Tami Josephson, 212 Shelley Wells. 501 Wednesday Men's Commercial — Dec. 30 Ed McFadyen, 257, 641 Chris Goddard, 246, 665 Fred Zastrow, 245, 635 Glenn Moline, 237, 678