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But unlike Friday night, when USM committed a season-low five turnovers, the Golden Eagles contributed five turnovers to a 10-2 MTSU run that left the Blue Raiders ahead 24-23 with 3:11 left in the first half.

But LaDavius Draine answered with a 3-pointer and Tyler Stevenson added a jumper in the waning seconds to leave USM ahead 28-24 at halftime.

The second half was more of the same, with MTSU (3-7, 1-3) twice taking the lead and tying the game two more times, including 53-53 with 3:13 to play.

But Tae Hardy, who had 14 of his career-high 18 points in the second half, made a near-no-look shot in the lane to give USM a lead it would not lose, though the Blue Raiders refused to go away.

Stevenson missed two free throws, but a steal by Jaron Pierre Jr. led to a follow slam off a missed shot by Stevenson for a 57-53 USM lead.

Jalen Jordan’s free throw brought MTSU within three, but Hardy added a pair of foul shots for a five-point USM edge, 59-54.

Two more Jordan free throws made it a one-procession game with 46 seconds to play, before a pair of free throws by Pierre with 29 seconds to play pushed the lead back to five.

MTSU’s Jo’Vontae Millner-Criss knocked down a 3-pointer to get the Blue Raiders back within 61-59 with 16 seconds to play, but PIirre hit two more free throws and Draine added another for the final margin.

“We were very scared of a letdown (Saturday),” Ladner said. “We played hard, but we weren’t sharp.

“But I’m very proud of our guys. We were able to beat a very determined basketball team when we didn’t quite have our ‘A’ game. Our guys grinded it out.”

For a second consecutive game, MTSU struggled shooting the basketball, hitting 36.2 percent from the floor and 23.1 percent from 3-point range.

USM committed 20 turnovers, but the Blue Raiders coughed up 16 of their own.

MTSU also hurt itself from the free-throw line in the second half with six misses in 14 attempts.

USM made 17-of-24 free throws, led by Hardy, who connected on all six of his attempts. Along with his 18 points, Hardy finished with three assists and two steals.

Stevenson finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Draine had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Pierre scored just eight points a day after going for 24, but all eight points came in the second half. He also came away with a game-high nine rebounds and two steals.

Jordan led MTSU with 14 points and six rebounds, Millner-Criss had 10 points and five rebounds and DeAndre Dishman finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals.

USM will travel to the University of Texas-San Antonio next weekend for a two-game C-USA set.

A source: https://www.wdam.com/2021/01/17/usm-holds-off-mtsu-complete-c-usa-sweep/

But unlike Friday night, when USM committed a season-low five turnovers, the Golden Eagles contributed five turnovers to a 10-2 MTSU run that left... Show more

But unlike Friday night, when USM committed a season-low five turnovers, the Golden Eagles contributed five turnovers to a 10-2 MTSU run that left the Blue Raiders ahead 24-23 with 3:11 left in the first half.But LaDavius Draine answered with a 3-pointer and Tyler Stevenson added a jumper in the waning seconds to leave USM ahead 28-24 at halftime.The second half was more of the same, with MTSU (3-7, 1-3) twice taking the lead and tying the game two more times, including 53-53 with 3:13 to play.But Tae Hardy, who had 14 of his career-high 18 points in the second half, made a near-no-look shot in the lane to give USM a lead it would not lose, though the Blue Raiders refused to go away.Stevenson missed two free throws, but a steal by Jaron Pierre Jr. led to a follow slam off a missed shot by Stevenson for a 57-53 USM lead.Jalen Jordan’s free throw brought MTSU within three, but Hardy added a pair of foul shots for a five-point USM edge, 59-54.Two more Jordan free throws made it a one-procession game with 46 seconds to play, before a pair of free throws by Pierre with 29 seconds to play pushed the lead back to five.MTSU’s Jo’Vontae Millner-Criss knocked down a 3-pointer to get the Blue Raiders back within 61-59 with 16 seconds to play, but PIirre hit two more free throws and Draine added another for the final margin.“We were very scared of a letdown (Saturday),” Ladner said. “We played hard, but we weren’t sharp.“But I’m very proud of our guys. We were able to beat a very determined basketball team when we didn’t quite have our ‘A’ game. Our guys grinded it out.”For a second consecutive game, MTSU struggled shooting the basketball, hitting 36.2 percent from the floor and 23.1 percent from 3-point range.USM committed 20 turnovers, but the Blue Raiders coughed up 16 of their own.MTSU also hurt itself from the free-throw line in the second half with six misses in 14 attempts.USM made 17-of-24 free throws, led by Hardy, who connected on all six of his attempts. Along with his 18 points, Hardy finished with three assists and two steals.Stevenson finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Draine had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.Pierre scored just eight points a day after going for 24, but all eight points came in the second half. He also came away with a game-high nine rebounds and two steals.Jordan led MTSU with 14 points and six rebounds, Millner-Criss had 10 points and five rebounds and DeAndre Dishman finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals.USM will travel to the University of Texas-San Antonio next weekend for a two-game C-USA set.A source: https://www.wdam.com/2021/01/17/usm-holds-off-mtsu-complete-c-usa-sweep/

Manchester City Women Announce Signing Of USA Defender

Manchester City Women have strengthened their defence after signing of USA star and World Cup winner Abby Dahlkemper.

The defender, who played in all USA’s successful World Cup campaign in 2019, joins fellow compatriots Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle in the City ranks, and has signed a two and a half year contract with the blues.

After finalising her move to England, Dahlkemper expressed her delight at joining the club. “I am so excited to join Manchester City. It’s a world class club full of incredible players and I can’t wait to get started.

“With all the talent in the FA WSL, I know that each game will present a new challenge and the opportunity to grow both as a player and as a person in England is going to be amazing, alongside having the chance to play Champions League football too.

“Sam and Rose have been saying nothing but brilliant things about the Club and hearing them speak so highly about the facilities, the staff and the players as well as their experience of a new technical and tactical challenge is something that was really appealing to me. I just can’t wait to get over and help the team in whatever way I can and be successful on the field.”

Manager Gareth Taylor was obviously thrilled to have a defender of Dahlkemper’s quality in the City backline. “We’re delighted to welcome Abby to Manchester City, another exciting addition to our squad. She is a very talented defender who has been successful both domestically and internationally - with her desire and hunger for victory, we know she’ll fit into our team ethos perfectly.

“We’re really looking forward to working with her over the coming seasons.”

Dahlkemper arrives from North Carolina Courage, where she made 78 appearances in three years for the side, scoring two goals. The defender started in all seven of the USA national team’s World Cup campaign, and missed just eight minutes action throughout the whole tournament, when she as withdrawn in the match against Chile, which the USA won 3-0. She was part of the solid American defence that only conceded three goals throughout the entire tournament.

The blues have only conceded 9 goals in the WSL this season, and the signing of Dalhkemper will hopefully keep that tally low.

A source: https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/2021/1/16/22234620/manchester-city-women-announce-signing-of-usa-defender

Manchester City Women Announce Signing Of USA Defender

Manchester City Women have strengthened their defence after signing of USA star and World Cup... Show more

Military Atmosphere Engulfs US Capital Before Biden Inauguration

WASHINGTON - Thousands upon thousands of troops are preparing to pour into an increasingly fortified Washington ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, as the district begins to remind some officials of beleaguered capitals such as Baghdad or Kabul, rather than the seat of government for the leader of the free world.

Military officials said Friday that 18,000 armed troops with the United States National Guard were expected to arrive in the U.S. capital over the next five days, in addition to the 7,000 sent in following the January 6 riot and siege of the U.S. Capitol by extremists supporting outgoing President Donald Trump.

The National Guard — a part-time force that can be deployed overseas but is often called upon to help with domestic emergencies — has become a key contributor to what some officials are describing as the strongest capital-area security response in history.

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The troops, along with the area’s police forces, are being briefed on the rules of engagement, which govern when they are authorized to respond with potentially deadly force.

Already, numerous streets around the Capitol have been closed to traffic, while the core area of the National Mall, which runs from the Lincoln Memorial to the west side of the Capitol and has been the site of some of the country’s most famous protests, is closed to visitors.

'Green Zone'

Temporary fences increasingly block the view, while the U.S. Secret Service, in charge of security planning for the January 20 inauguration, has created Washington’s own “Green Zone” for the occasion, warning that any vehicle trying to enter will be searched for explosives and weapons.

The beefed-up security stands in sharp contrast to the presidential inauguration four years ago, when 8,000 National Guard troops were called in to help.

“I’m sad about it,” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters during a security briefing Friday.

“I’m committed to making sure that we get our city back,” she said. “But I also know that we have a special responsibility that there is a peaceful transition of power in our country.”

Officials organizing the security effort say the goal is to make sure the Biden inauguration is not marred by the same violence that led to the riot and siege of the Capitol earlier this month that left five people dead.

Concerning 'chatter'

They warn, however, that the threat of violence at the hands of domestic extremists is real.

“We are seeing an extensive amount of concerning online chatter,” Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, warned late Thursday, while briefing outgoing Vice President Mike Pence on the preparations.

"We're tracking calls for potential armed protests and activity leading up to the inauguration," Wray said. “We're concerned about the potential for violence at multiple protests and rallies planned here in [Washington].”

Officials said Friday that permits had been approved for two protests along Pennsylvania Avenue, which leads to the White House. But they said the protests would be limited to about 100 people, who will have to go through metal detectors and be escorted by police.

They were unsure whether extremist groups, such as the far-right Boogaloo Boys or Proud Boys, might seek to cause trouble.

“I don’t know if anyone has raised their hand to say, ‘We are coming, we will be there,’ but we are preparing as if they are,” Matt Miller, the agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office, told reporters.

Other parts of Washington are bracing for possible spillover.

“We do recognize that because we have such a robust and hardened perimeter, we have so many assets … there is a potential for people to go elsewhere, whether it's back to their state capitals or to other parts of the city,” Miller said.

“It's not just all hands on deck for the [Green] zone. It's all hands on deck for our entire agency,” said Robert Contee, Washington’s acting police chief. “Because our entire agency has a responsibility for the entire city.”

Security measures are also being put into place in the neighboring state of Virginia, which agreed to shut down a number of roads and bridges leading into Washington.

Other states are also on alert. Officials say they are in contact with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and local police agencies sometimes on an hourly basis.

“We have a tremendous capability built up to exchange information and be in the loop on potential threats,” Jared Maples, director of New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, told VOA.

“As far as the potential threat to the [New Jersey] statehouse [that] we are tracking, there's been a lot of chatter,” he said, noting a proliferation of flyers pushed via social media promoting insurrection.

“Right now, we don’t have a specific or credible threat,” Maples said. “But we are absolutely chasing down every single lead. We are investigating to the fullest extent any tip that comes in.”

Arrests elsewhere

Other states have started making arrests.

Florida officials, for example, arrested a former U.S. Army infantryman on Friday, charging him with inciting violence after he tried to rally his social media followers to attack protesters who might gather at the state Capitol in Tallahassee.

Daniel Baker, who had been kicked out of the Army and later fought against the Islamic State terror group in Syria with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), was reportedly upset over the riot and siege of the U.S. Capitol.

“Extremists intent on violence from either end of the political and social spectrums must be stopped, and they will be stopped,” Lawrence Keefe, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, said in a statement.

In New York on Tuesday, federal agents arrested 40-year-old Eduard Florea after he posted on social media that he planned to travel to Washington to kill one of the newly elected Democratic senators from Georgia.

Fears that some extremists might try to target U.S. officials and lawmakers grew Thursday after a court filing related to the siege of the Capitol alleged some of the rioters were seeking "to capture and assassinate elected officials."

But acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin said Friday that there was no “direct evidence” that any of the rioters had created so-called “kill capture teams.”

A source: https://www.voanews.com/2020-usa-votes/military-atmosphere-engulfs-us-capital-biden-inauguration

Military Atmosphere Engulfs US Capital Before Biden Inauguration

WASHINGTON - Thousands upon thousands of troops are preparing to pour into an... Show more

Military Atmosphere Engulfs US Capital Before Biden Inauguration Thousands upon thousands of troops are preparing to pour into an increasingly fortified Washington ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, as the district begins to… www.voanews.com/2020-usa-votes/military-atmosphere-engulfs-us-capital-biden-inauguration

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