(Anaheim, CA)  --  The Seattle Mariners are hoping to get off to a good start in 2014 when they open the season on the road tonight against the Los Angeles Angels.  Felix Hernandez will take the mound as the Ms look to improve on 2013's fourth-place finish in the American League West.  Seattle has a new manager in Lloyd McClendon and a high-profile off-season acquisition in slugger Robinson Cano.  First pitch tonight is scheduled for 7:05.

Portland,  OR  (SportsNetwork.com) -  LaMarcus Aldridge had  28 points and the Portland  Trail Blazers  beat  the Memphis  Grizzlies by  a  105-98 margin  on Sunday.

Mo  Williams and Wesley Matthews added 17 and 15 points, respectively, for the
Blazers,  who  have won three in  a row and sit  two games ahead of the Golden
State Warriors for fifth in the Western Conference.

Zach  Randolph ended  with 21  points,  seven boards  and two  steals for  the
Grizzlies,  who sit a  half-game behind Dallas for the final spot in the West.
Marc Gasol and Mike Conley tallied 20 and 16 points, respectively, with Conley
also dishing out nine assists.

(Renton, WA)  --  The Seattle Seahawks are looking to shore up their secondary after losing several players to free agency.  The team has signed cornerback Phillip Adams, who played the past two seasons for Oakland, mainly in a reserve role.  Adams, who was drafted in the seventh round by the 49ers in 2010, has signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks.  He played for Seattle at the end of the 2011 season and during the 2012 pre-season before beginning his stint with the Raiders.

(Atlanta, GA)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers' losing streak is over after a 100-85 win over the Atlanta Hawks.  LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the Blazers' lineup with a vengeance, scoring 25 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.  Damian Lillard added 21 points and four assists.  Portland will wrap up its road trip this evening at Chicago.

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Seattle Seahawks won't be adding defensive end Jared Allen to their roster.  Allen, who visited the Seahawks twice last week as he tested the free-agency waters, has signed a four-year deal with the Chicago Bears.  The contract is reportedly worth 32-million dollars, with 15-point-five-million guaranteed.  ESPN reported the Seahawks offered Allen a two-year contract at six-million dollars per year.

Portland continues its five-game trip that started 0-3, with losses at Charlotte, Miami and Orlando. The trip concludes Friday at Chicago. ... The Blazers beat the Hawks 102-78 on March 5 at the Moda Center as Batum had 14 points and 18 rebounds to lead six Portland players who scored in double figures. ... The Blazers are averaging 102.8 points in March, their lowest scoring month of the season. Atlanta returns home to complete a back-to-back. The Hawks lost at Minnesota 107-83 on Wednesday to run their losing streak to four games. They had won five in a row before that. ... The Hawks are trying to hold onto the No. 8 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and still have a 2½-game lead on No. 9 New York. - Mike Tokito, The Oregonian

(Seattle, WA)  --  The season is over for the Oregon State women's basketball team.  The ninth-seed Beavers fell to top-seed South Carolina, 78-69, last night in Seattle in the second round of the NCAA women's tournament.  Jamie Weisner led Oregon State with 21 points, including five three-pointers.  Gabriella Hanson scored 16 for the Beavers, who ended their season after making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996.

(Orlando, FL)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers are on a three-game losing streak after falling to the Orlando Magic, 95-85.  The Blazers only shot 37-percent from the field and had 15 turnovers in the contest.  Robin Lopez scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Portland.  The Blazers will continue their road trip tomorrow when they visit the Atlanta Hawks.

(Miami, FL)  --  LeBron James' layup with 11.4-seconds left lifted the Heat to a 93-91 win over the Trail Blazers at AmericanAirlines Arena.  James ended with 32 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Heat, who have won four of their last six.  Chris Bosh donated 15 points, eight boards and four steals on his 30th birthday, while Chris Anderson added 13 points and 11 boards in the victory.  Damian Lillard posted 19 points and six assists to pace Portland, which fell to 0-and-2 on its five-game east coast road trip.  Mo Williams had 17 points, including a pair of free throws with 30.9-seconds remaining that capped a 7-0 run and tied the game at 91.

It  was  the Trail Blazers' worst loss  of the season.  Damian Lillard had 20 points,  Dorell Wright  scored 17  and Wesley  Matthews ended  with 15  in the defeat for Portland.

"We  have to do a better job, but overall, they just played a better game than us,"  said Lillard, who  has scored at least 20 points in eight straight games and is averaging 24.0 ppg in that time.

The Blazers again played without All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge because of back  ailment  and he is  out for Monday's  game. Aldridge hasn't played since March 12 and is averaging 23.4 points and 11.1 rebounds.

Portland,  losers  in six of nine  games overall, is  1-5 in its last six road games,  19-16  outside the Rose  City and will  also visit Orlando, Atlanta on Chicago on the trip.

The Heat have won two straight and three of four games against Portland, which is 4-1 in its last five trips to south Florida.

(Seattle, WA)  --  The Oregon State women's basketball team is moving on in the NCAA Tournament after defeating Middle Tennessee, 55-36.  The Beavers' Sydney Wiese [[ weece ]] scored a career-high 26 points, including six three-pointers.  The Oregon State defense held the Blue Raiders to only 23-percent shooting from the floor.  The Beavers will play top-seed South Carolina in tomorrow night's second-round game at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.   
 

(Portland, OR)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers are winners of three of their last four contests, following a 116-103 victory over the Washington Wizards.  Wesley Matthews led Portland with 28 points, while Damian Lillard scored 23 points and dished out ten assists.  Dorell White added 15 points and Nicolas Batum [[ bah-TOOM ]] scored 12 for the Blazers.  Portland will begin a five-game road trip tomorrow against the Charlotte Bobcats.
 

(Milwaukee, WI)  --  Elgin Cook was key off the bench as Oregon handled BYU 87-68 in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament.  Cook had 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting and also grabbed eight rebounds in the win.  Joseph Young netted 19 points for the seventh-seeded Ducks.  The 10th-seeded Cougars struggled from the floor, shooting just 32.8-percent in the loss.  Tyler Haws had 19 points and Eric Mika and Matt Carlino 15 each for BYU, which closes out its season at 23-and-12.  The Ducks move on to play second-seed Wisconsin in the Round of 32 on Saturday.

(Corvallis, OR)  --  The Oregon state men's basketball team is through for the season after losing its first-round game of the College Basketball Invitational.  The Beavers fell at Gill Coliseum to Radford, 96-92.  Oregon State went into halftime trailing by 12 points, but closed the gap in the second half before time ran out.  Roberto Nelson led the Beavers with 26 points, while Eric Moreland and Hallice Cook each added 23.
 

(Portland, OR)  --  Wesley Matthews led a balanced attack with 26 points as the Trail Blazers edged the Bucks 120-115 in overtime at the Moda Center.  Nicolas Batum just missed a triple-double with 21 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.  Mo Williams dropped in 23 points off the bench, while Damian Lillard added 20 for the Blazers, who have won two-of-three on the heels of a four-game skid.  Robin Lopez donated 15 points and 14 boards in the victory.  Brandon Knight netted 24 points and Ramon Sessions scored 23 for Milwaukee, which has lost five straight and eight-of-nine overall.  Zaza Pachulia posted 17 points and 13 boards in defeat.

(Las Vegas, NV)  --  Washington and Texas will compete in the first ever American regular season sporting event in China in November of 2015.  The Pac-12 made the announcement during their conference tournament in Las Vegas.  The move is designed to showcase the conference's talent on a global level.  In addition to the Washington-Texas game, the Pac-12 will also send a conference all-star team to compete against top Chinese professional teams and a leading Chinese university.  Oregon State coach Craig Robinson and his staff will coach the roster made up of 12-to-13 players.

(Renton, WA)  --  Kicker Steven Hauschka will remain with the Seattle Seahawks after signing a three-year deal.  Hauschka is the fifth unrestricted free agent to re-sign with the Seahawks, inking a contract worth nine-point-15-million dollars.  Last season was Hauschka's best, as he made 33 of 35 field-goal attempts and kicked two three-pointers to win overtime games.  He was also second-best in the NFL in field-goal percentage, making 94 percent of his attempts.

(Corvallis, OR)  --  Oregon State is about to make its first NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament appearance in 18 years.  The Beavers, who are seeded ninth, will play eighth-seed Middle Tennessee State on Sunday at five p.m. in Seattle.  The winner of the contest will play next Tuesday against the winner of the South Carolina-Cal Northridge game.

(Seattle, WA)  --  Cornerback Walter Thurmond is the latest Seattle Seahawks unrestricted free agent to sign a deal with another team.  Thurmond has inked a one-year contract with the New York Giants for three-and-a-half-million dollars.  The "Seattle Times" reports free-agent defensive end Jared Allen, who's considered to be one of the NFL's top pass-rushers, visited the Seahawks over the weekend.  Seattle has five unsigned free agents remaining on its roster.

(Portland, OR)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers are three-and-six for the month of March after losing at home to the Golden State Warriors, 113-112.  The Blazers took an eleven-point lead into halftime, but the Warriors chipped away throughout the second half to overcome the deficit.  Damian Lillard had 26 points and seven assists for the Blazers, while Nicolas Batum tallied 23 points and 14 rebounds.  Portland will host Milwaukee tomorrow night.

(Las Vegas, NV)  --  Jordan Adams led five players in double figures with 15 points as UCLA crushed Oregon 82-63 in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas.  Travis Wear and Zach LaVine both netted 14 points for the Bruins, who will take on sixth-seeded Stanford in the semifinals on Friday.  Kyle Anderson added 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the victory.  Joseph Young dropped in a game-high 29 points for the Ducks, who fell to 23-and-9 on the year.

(San Antonio, TX)  --  LaMarcus Aldridge and Mo Williams will each miss multiple games for the Portland Trail Blazers.  Results of MRIs conducted on both players were announced yesterday.  Team officials say Aldridge is out with a lower-back contusion that he suffered against San Antonio Wednesday night, and Williams is nursing a right-hip strain he suffered during the Memphis game.  Williams is expected to be sidelined for at least the next two weeks, while Aldridge will likely miss the next two games.
 

Las  Vegas, NV  (SportsNetwork.com) - Joseph Young scored 19 points on 8-of-11
shooting  as the  Oregon Ducks handily defeated the Oregon State Beavers 88-74
in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Jason  Calliste had  17 points for the seventh-seeded Ducks (23-8). Mike Moser
added  13 points  and Dominic Artis chipped in 10. Oregon takes on second-seed
UCLA in the next round.

Angus  Brandt  finished with 20 points  while Roberto Nelson logged 19 for the
10th-seeded  Beavers (16-15).  Hallice Cooke  registered 12  points and  eight
boards and Devon Collier netted 11 points.

Oregon shot 43.8 percent from the floor, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range,
in  the first half, but led by a score of only 41-40 at the break. OSU drained
73.7 percent of its field goal attempts, but took 13 fewer shots that Oregon.

The Ducks were on fire in the second period as they connected on 80 percent of
their  field goal tries.  With 14:12 left in the game, the Beavers were up one
but Oregon went on a 20-6 run to bust the game open and cruise to victory.

Oregon's bench outscored the Beavers' reserves 46-6.

(San Antonio, TX)  --  The losing streak is now four games for the Portland Trail Blazers, who fell to the San Antonio Spurs, 103-90.  The Blazers shot under 39-percent from the floor to help the Spurs win their eighth straight contest.  Damian Lillard led Portland with 23 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 14.  Nicolas Batum [[ bah-TOOM ]] scored 13 points and collected 14 rebounds.  The Blazers will visit New Orleans tomorrow night.

(Memphis, TN)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers are struggling with a three-game losing skid after falling to the Memphis Grizzlies, 109-99.  Damian Lillard's 32 points and seven assists weren't enough for the Blazers, who have lost 14 road games this season.  LaMarcus Aldridge scored 19 points and grabbed ten rebounds for Portland.  The Blazers will be in San Antonio tonight to play the Spurs.

(Renton, WA)  --  Defensive end Michael Bennett will remain a Seattle Seahawk.  The team has announced that Bennett has signed a multi-year deal, preventing the veteran from becoming an unrestricted free agent.  ESPN reports the four-year contract is worth 28-point-five-million dollars, with 16-million guaranteed.  Bennett reportedly was offered more money by two other teams, but opted to stay in Seattle.

(Houston, TX)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers are on a two-game losing streak after falling in overtime to the Houston Rockets, 118-113.  The Blazers were in control most of the way, but a furious fourth-quarter rally allowed the Rockets to tie the game at the end of regulation.  Houston outscored Portland in OT, 12-7.  LaMarcus Aldridge scored 28 points and Wesley Matthews added 26 for the Blazers, who hope to get back into the win column tomorrow night at Memphis.

Following a stretch of seven in eight games at home, the Blazers hit the road tonight to take on the Mavericks. Dallas has been able to manufacture offense largely behind the efforts of Dirk Nowitzki, Monta Ellis and Vince Carter, but the defense has lagged pretty far behind.  Pre-game today at 4:35 p.m., tip-off at 5:30 p.m. on KBND.

(Portland, OR)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers are winners of six of their last seven games after defeating the Atlanta Hawks, 102-78.  The Blazers used a stiff defense to hold the Hawks to 34-percent shooting.  Mo Williams came off the bench to score 15 points to lead six players who hit double figures for Portland.  Nicolas Batum [[ bah-TOOM ]] had 14 points and 18 rebounds for the Blazers, who will visit the Dallas Mavericks tomorrow night.

Eugene, OR (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Moser lead the way with 22 points and 17
rebounds, as the Oregon Ducks bested the Arizona State Sun Devils, 85-78, in a
Pac-12 Conference bout at Matthew Knight Arena.

Jason  Calliste added 16 points for Oregon (21-8, 10-7 Pac-12), which extended
its winning streak to six games. Damyean Dotson scored 15 points, Joseph Young
chipped in 13 points and Waverly Austin hauled in 10 rebounds and blocked five
shots.

For ASU (21-9, 10-7), which had won two straight coming in, Jahii Carson paced
all  scorers  with 28 points  on 4-of-5  from 3-point range. Jermaine Marshall
netted  16  points, Jordan Bachynski  tallied 13  points, 11 rebounds and five
blocks and Bo Barnes logged 13 points.

Oregon  held a 33-25 lead at intermission after shooting 42.4 percent from the
field  in  the opening 20  minutes, including  4-of-9 from 3-point range. ASU,
meanwhile, shot just 30.8 percent in the first half.

The  Ducks appeared  poised to pull away  up by 14 less than five minutes into
the  second half,  but the Sun Devils  answered with a 19-8 run to bring their
deficit  to just  three, 55-52, with 10:52 left following a pair of Shaquielle
McKissic  free  throws. ASU would get  no closer, however, and Oregon shot 10-
of-10 at the foul line in the final 1:21 to put the game away.

Oregon  won the  rebounding battle,  40-33, and  outscored ASU  in the  paint,
32-12.
 

(Portland, OR)  --  The Lakers pulled off a surprising 107-106 win over the Trail Blazers at the Moda Center when Damian Lillard missed a long jumper as time expired.  Wes Johnson scored the game-winning basket on an alley-oop off an inbounds pass in the closing seconds for Los Angeles.  Johnson finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists.  Pau Gasol posted 22 points, nine boards and five helpers for LA, which has won two in-a-row.  LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 21 points and six rebounds in the loss.  Damian Lillard chipped in 20 points with five boards and five assists.  Portland had a five-game winning streak snapped.