Fan Stop Central

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State (24-12) had five players in double figures and shot 57-percent from the field to turn back Pacific 78-65 in the championship game of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament here Tuesday.

The Bears got a team-high 16 points from Caleb Patterson who came off the bench to score 11 in the second half and finished 7-for-10 from the field with 5 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Kyle Weems scored 14, while Nafis Ricks added 13 for MSU.

After Pacific led 35-29 at the half, Patterson hit a pair of critical jumpers early in the second half – both with the Tigers up by four points – to keep the Bears close. With 11:06 to play in the game, Joe Ford’s basket put Pacific up 50-44. However, the Bears reeled off 11 unanswered points over the next two minutes, capped by a steal and dunk by Jermaine Mallett with 9:02 to go to put Missouri State on top 55-50.

Cuonzo Martin’s Bears would never trail again, and Missouri State increased its advantage to double figures on a layup by Patterson with 3:33 on the clock. The 67-56 lead capped a 23-6 run, and the crowd of 6,205 at JQH Arena helped the Bears close out the game with 7-for-8 free throws in the final two minutes to seal the win.

The victory was the 19th at JQH Arena this season for the Bears, which tied Kansas for the national lead in home-court wins. The Bears’ 24th victory of the year overall matched the second-most in a season by a Missouri State club and marked the first time the program has ended the season with a win since 1978-79.

The Bears landed three players on the CIT All-Tournament team, including most-valuable player Will Creekmore who was 3-for-3 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 at the line en route to 10-point night. Adam Leonard, who also had 10 points against Pacific, joined Creekmore and Weems on the all-tourney team.

Pacific (23-12) was helped by Ford’s 16 points, while Sam Willard posted 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Both were rewarded with all-tournament honors along with Appalachian State’s Donald Sims and Fairfield’s Anthony Johnson.

Missouri State outrebounded Pacific by a 31-24 margin in the game, giving them the rebounding advantage for the 29th time this season and 10th game in a row. The Bears were 27-for-47 from the field and 19-for-26 (.731) at the line with five three-pointers.

Pacific finished 22-for-51 (.431) from the field, but struggled at the line in the second half with a 7-for-13 (.538) performance in the second period and 13-for-20 line overall. Pacific knocked down eight three-pointers in the game, including three by Demetrece Young who had a game-high 17 points as one of four Tigers in double figures.

The CIT national title brought to a close a milestone season for Martin’s Bears who were 11-20 a year ago. The team’s +10.5 turnaround matched the fifth-best improvement in the nation, according to the NCAA.

The Bears will depart with just one senior, Justin Fuehrmeyer, who had 2 points and 2 assists in his final appearance at JQH Arena.

In the first half, the Bears jumped out to a 10-4 lead just over four minutes into the game on a Mallett three-pointer. After a Weems layup at the 14:28 mark, Pacific reeled off 13 of the game’s next 15 points to build a 20-14 advantage over the next four minutes.

Missouri State climbed back ahead with just under eight minutes to play in the half as it capitalized on a steal and layup by Nafis Ricks, a short jumper by Mallett and a traditional three-point play by Ricks to lead 24-22.

The Tigers ended the half on a 13-5 run that included a clutch three-pointer by Pat Eveland at the 1:01 mark to make it a six-point game at the break.

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In theaters June 11
One year ago an elite commando unit was sent to prison for a crime they did not commit. They promptly escaped from a maximum security facility. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers for hire. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire – The A-Team!

The A-team Movie

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WATCH – This is the season’s Jin & Sun centered episode. There really wasn’t a whole lot of revelations in this episode. There were a couple of story points to hit, but overall I think this episode could have been shortened and allowed for more story revelation.

Details and information at Lostpedia »

In the sideways, Sun and Jin are still with the customs officer at LAX. Jin gets his watch back, but the money is confiscated. They proceed to their hotel where they insist on having two rooms, when Jin points to his ring finger, indicating they are not married. This is probably the biggest reveal of the episode in the sideways.

However, they get to their rooms and Jin heads over to Sun’s room where they “get it on.” Shortly, Martin Keamy arrives at the door and Jin hides in the bathroom. Keamy finds Jin and takes him to the restaurant while Kelvin (who speaks 9 languages) takes Sun to the bank to get the money the customs officer kept. Keamy tells Jin (now in the fridge) that the money was a fee for Keamy to kill Jin because “Mr. Paik’s employees aren’t allowed to socialize with his daughter.” Keamy says that he’s sorry but some people are just not meant to be together.

On the island, Jin is captured and taken to Widmore’s side of the island. He demands to speak to Widmore and Widmore tells his cronies to bring “the package” from the submarine. We see a struggle on top of the sub while Widmore’s crew is bringing Desmond off of the sub. This is the other revelation of the episode.

It was an interesting episode in general, but it wasn’t an episode that made me forget to breathe.

Details and information at Lostpedia »

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WATCH THIS EPISODE – This much awaited episode finally gives us the story behind the ageless wonder, Richard (a.k.a. Ricardo, a.k.a. Ricardos) Alpert. In 1867 (on the Canary Islands), Richard’s wife (Isabella) was gravely ill. He promised he would save her and rides off in the rain to find the doctor. He arrives at the doctor’s place (who has the medicine), but Richard seems to not have enough money. They struggle and the doctor falls, hits his head on a table and the doctor dies. Richard takes the medicine and rides back to Isabella only to find that she has already died. Men catch up to Richard and he goes to jail where he reads a Bible while awaiting execution for his crime.

Details and information at Lostpedia.com »

In jail, Richard is visited by a Catholic priest. Father Suarez notices that the Bible Richard is reading is in English and Richard tells him that he has taught himself English and dreamed of moving to the New World with his wife. The priest receives his confession and Richard confesses killing the Doctor. Father Suarez denies Richard absolution, heretically stating that murder is a sin that cannot be forgiven, only made up for with a life of penance, which, as he will be executed next day, won’t be possible, so he will go to Hell. The next morning Richard is blindfolded and taken to a room where Jonas Whitfield, an officer of a ship is waiting. The officer questions Richard about his English and willingness to work and satisfied, pays the priest and declares that Richard is now the property of Magnus Hanso.

On the Black Rock, Richard and other slaves are in chains below deck while the ship is caught in a terrible storm. A fellow slave, Ignacio, looks out of the cracks in the ship and tells Richard he sees land. The man then sees the Statue of Taweret and he shrieks that he sees the Devil. The ship then is carried up by a gigantic wave which throws her against the head of the statue.

Richard and his fellow captives awaken to daylight. Five officers remain alive. Whitfield comes below deck and proceeds to kill the captives one by one with his sword. He tells Richard that they have no water and limited supplies and it would only be a matter of time before they attempt to kill him. Just as he is about to kill Richard, the familiar sounds that accompany the black smoke are heard above deck followed by trashing and screaming, then there is silence. Finally the black smoke takes Whitfield and draws right up to Richard’s face. The smoke examines him and leaves.

Some time later, a man comes to Richard and says he’s a friend, offering him some water. Richard asks after Isabella and explains what happened and the Man in Black says that “he has her”, implying that the Devil got her. Richard begs him for help to save her and the Man in Black says he is willing to, as he’s also trapped. The Man in Black has keys he obtained from the dead officers but makes Richard promise him to do exactly as he’s told before he frees him. The Man in Black unlocks the chains and when Richard thanks him the Man in Black says “it is good to see you out of those chains”. Then the Man in Black carries Richard out of the Black Rock as he explains that the only way to retrieve Richard’s wife and escape from Hell is to kill the Devil. The Man in Black gives Richard the same sword/knife we see Dogen give to Sayid and tells him the same thing Dogen told Sayid about how to kill him … “don’t let him talk – plunge directly into his chest – etc.”

As Richard approaches the foot of the statue with knife drawn Jacob attacks and disarms him. On the beach the two sit together. Jacob says that he is not the devil. He also explains that he brought The Black Rock to the Island. Richard asks why. Jacob uses a bottle of wine as a metaphor for the island. The wine is evil, malevolence, the bottle is containing it, because otherwise “it would spread.” He explains that the cork represents the island, holding the darkness where it belongs. Jacob says that the Man in Black believes everyone can be corrupted because it is in their nature to be bad and that he, Jacob brings people here to prove the man in black wrong. When questioned on whether or not Jacob has brought people to the island in the past and what happened to them, Jacob replies that he has but they are all now dead. Jacob says he wants people to know the difference between right and wrong without being told. He then offers the job of representative or intermediary for Jacob to the people he brings to the island, people that, regardless of what they had done, would leave their past behind. When Richard says that he wants his wife back, Jacob admits he cannot help, and neither can he absolve him of his sins. However, he can help with Richard’s third wish, to live forever and never die.

In the present time, Richard had gone off into the jungle. Richard returns to the spot in a grassy clearing where he buried Isabella’s cross. He digs it up. Hurley walks out of the jungle. Richard is amazed that Hurley is there and angrily pushes him away reminding Hurley that he doesn’t know anything. Hurley asks him to calm down and as Richard starts to yell Hurley blurts out that it is Richard’s wife, Isabella who has sent him. Richard reacts in disbelief. Hurley says that she wants to know why Richard buried the cross. He tells Richard that she is standing right next to him. Isabella says to Hurley that Richard doesn’t believe him and Hurley explains that it sometimes takes a while. Richard slowly turns toward where Hurley is speaking. Although Richard can’t see Isabella he now addresses her. Hurley suggests he close his eyes and he will tell Richard what she says. She wants to tell him it wasn’t his fault for her death but that it was her time and that he’s suffered enough. He tells her he misses her and would do anything to be with her again. Isabella says that they are already together. She kisses him and then is gone. Richard put the necklace and cross around his neck. Hurley smiles, and says that Richard “got it”.

Hurley reveals that she also said there is something else that Richard must do. He tells him that he has to stop the Man in Black from leaving the island because if he doesn’t “We all go to hell.” Some distance away the Man in Black, in the guise of Locke, watches.

Details and information at Lostpedia.com »

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Watch this episode – Well, shouldn’t be any shocker, this one centers on Ben … but it’s a great one! More information and details at Lostpedia »

In the flash sideways (FS), Ben is a doctor of European History teaching high school history. We open on him teaching about Napoleon and discussing how he was banished to the island of Elba, where he was still emperor, but without his powers, he is no one. Who shows up as a teacher with Ben? Dr. Leslie Artz. They are complaining about budget cuts, etc and Locke chimes in, “why don’t you be principal?” Ben asks who would follow me and Locke says, I would.

On the island, Elana asks Ben about Sayid and he tells her that Sayid killed Dogen and the interpreter (revealing he knows who they were from some other encounter). Elana asks who killed Jacob and Ben tap dances around the answer until Elena looks at Miles, hands him the bag of Jacob’s ashes and tells him to use his ghost whisperer powers to find out. Miles does his thing and says that Ben killed him. Elana is pissed – tells Ben that Jacob was like a father to her. They continue walking to the original beach settlement.

In the FS, we see Ben at home making dinner for HIS FATHER (Roger)! Roger seems to be in bad shape. He definitely doesn’t look good. He is old and bald and is hooked up to an oxygen tank, and seems to just be on his last leg. Now, in an ironic twist, Ben changes out his oxygen tank and hooks it all back together … the irony … in the original timeline, Ben killed his father using a deadly gas, now he is keeping his father alive using a precious gas. Roger tells Ben that he wishes he could have given him a better life. He tells us that he did sign up for the Dharma Initiative, but if he hadn’t left the island, things would have been a lot better for them. The doorbell rings and it’s Alex, who we find out is one of his students and was asking for his help to study for her AP exam.

On the island we see Jack and Hurley in the jungle, when suddenly Alpert stumbles out of the jungle and says to follow him to the temple “this way.” Well, not really. They end up at the Black Rock ship where Alpert strolls right on in and we see the chains and shackles hanging.

(side note: if it hasn’t been said before, I believe Alpert was NOT the leader of the crew of the Black Rock – as it has been theorized – I believe Alpert was a prisoner on the Black Rock)

In the Black Rock, Alpert finds some of the dynamite and fashions a decently long fuse. He tells Jack and Hurley that he was “touched” by Jacob and now can’t kill himself, but he wants to end his life, so Jack and/or Hurley will have to light the fuse and run away. Jack lights the fuse, but sits down next to Alpert and tells him that he (Jack) is special too and that he is not meant to die either and he is going to prove it by sitting with Alpert until the dynamite blows them both up or it is miraculously stopped (Hurley runs away) … well guess what … the fuse stops short. Jack tells Alpert to start talking.

On the beach, Elana determines Ben’s fate and makes him begin to dig his own grave. Ben digs and digs and digs and digs and digs … etc. While Ben was digging, New Locke appears (via smoke monster sound) and tells Ben that he and the others are getting off the island, but if Ben wanted, he could be in charge of the island. New Locke tells Ben there is a gun 200 yards into the jungle, he can run into the jungle, get the gun and kill Elana, then meet them at the Hydra station on the other island. Ben takes off running. Elana chases. Ben gets the gun. Elana drops hers. Ben tells his story of devotion to Jacob and how he was tricked into killing Jacob. Ben says to just let him go because no one wants him anymore. Elana says he can come with her and they both walk back to the beach. Where we see Jack, Hurley and Alpert arrive on the beach as well.

There are so many more details that I could list out here. Watch the episode below or check out Lostpedia.com for more information and details at Lostpedia »

The teams have re-formed:
New Locke now has: Sawyer, Claire, Kate and Sayid (Jin is in Claire’s hut – not necessarily “with” him)
Ajira now has: Lapidus, Ben, Miles, Sun, Elana, Jack, Hurley and Alpert

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