Caroline, Martin named to NABC District 17 1st team
RENO – University of Nevada juniors Jordan Caroline and Caleb Martin have been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 17 first team. The duo helped the Wolf Pack capture back-to-back Mountain West regular season titles and make consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Caroline is averaging 17.9 points and team-high 8.8 rebounds per game. The 6-7 forward has scored 20 or more points in the last five games and leads the team with 13 doubles-doubles. He was selected to the MW first team and MW tournament team this season. Caroline has scored in double figures in 30 games and produced 17 games of 20 or more points. Twice he has scored a season-high 29 points.
Caleb Martin is second in the Mountain West averaging 19.1 points per game. He earned MW Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors along with first-team MW honors. In 30 games he has scored in double figures and 18 times has scored 20 or more points in a game.
Coleman scores 2, Devils beat Golden Knights 8-3
LAS VEGAS — Blake Coleman scored twice, Michael Grabner and Nico Hischier each had a goal and an assist, and the New Jersey Devils beat the Vegas Golden Knights 8-3 Wednesday night.
Taylor Hall, Travis Zajac, Stefan Noesen and Kyle Palmieri also scored for the Devils, who improved to 9-6-0 in their last 15 and moved one point ahead of idle Columbus for the top wild card in the Eastern Conference. Keith Kinkaid stopped 39 shots.
Erik Haula had two goals and Colin Miller also scored for Vegas, which just completed a 4-1 road trip. The Golden Knights gave up eight goals for just the second time this season while suffering their worst home loss. They have dropped three straight games in regulation at home for the first time.
Marc-Andre Fleury, who earned his 400th career victory against Philadelphia on Monday, gave up four goals on 11 shots before being pulled early in the second period.
Backup goalie Maxime Legace came on and also allowed four goals on 17 shots.
The Devils opened the scoring by taking advantage of a turnover at the blue line by Vegas’ Nate Schmidt, as Coleman swatted at Brian Gibbons’ pass with shot that slipped past Fleury through the five-hole.
Less than two minutes later, while streaking down the right side, Hischier’s attempt at centering a pass to the crease defelected off Vegas’ Tomas Tatar and past Fleury to make it 2-0.
Two goals 36 seconds apart extended New Jersey’s lead to 4-0 just 2:31 into the second period. First it was Zajac beating Fleury stick side, then it was Noesen slipping behind the defense for a breakaway and shimmying the puck through the five-hole, ending Fleury’s night.
Vegas got two back when Haula punched a rebound at the top of the crease in for a power-play goal at 11:08, and Miller fired a wrist shot from the point that sailed through a screen and past Kinkaid with 1:05 left in the middle period.
Coleman got his second of the game early in the third, followed by goals from Grabner, Palmieri and Hall to put the game out of reach.
Haula’s second goal came with 28 seconds left.