Orlando

Defense Helps Magic To Victory Over Pistons

Published

8 years ago

March 2, 2018

ORLANDO (FNN SPORTS) - Aaron Gordon and the Orlando Magic brought the heat against the Detroit Pistons in overtime at Amway Center Friday. Photo: AP.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – The Orlando Magic’s defense stole the show in the final 6 minutes and the overtime session as they defeated the Detroit Pistons by the score of 115-106 in overtime at Amway Center Friday night. Lead by Aaron Gordon, who had game high of 29 points and 13 rebounds, the Magic held the Pistons to one field goal made in the final 11 minutes of the game.

Detroit missed 17 of their last 18 shots during that time. The only made basket was a breakaway dunk by James Ennis III that tied the game at 104. That dunk also sent the game into overtime. The Magic had a chance at the end of regulation to win the game, but Nikola Vucevic threw an errant pass which ended up in the hands of Ennis III.

“I did, it’s all we talked about for the last 48 hours and I did see improvement during that stretch. You know, they missed a couple open looks throughout that stretch, but for the most part, the defensive intensity was really good and I think we were really committed to getting a W tonight.”- Magic Head Coach Frank Vogel on his team’s defensive effort over the final 11 minutes of the game

Rookie Jonathan Isaac, who played his first game since before Christmas, tipped Detroit’s end bound pass forcing overtime. In overtime, Evan Fournier caught fire. Evan started the game 3-11 shooting, hit one huge three-pointer late in regulation and knocked another one to cap off his 7 points he scored in overtime.

“I don’t know. I’m just upset about my overall performance tonight and when I had the opportunity to knock down the shot to go up two [points], I was just in the moment, like I always say. I didn’t think about my misses or the bad plays I made. It went in and I kind of gained confidence on it. In overtime, it was just time to be aggressive.” – Magic Guard Evan Fournier on his overall game against the Pistons

Even though Isaac was on a minute restriction in his first game back in over 2 months, he was all over the court making most of his impact on the defensive side of the ball. He finished with 2 steals, 2 rebounds and a few defected passes.

“Tonight was amazing. Our team chemistry and just how hard everybody played; I felt a great energy with us and guys just really wanted to win. That was great and of course, I have butterflies every game, but they started to go away as the game went on.”- Magic Forward Jonathan Issac on his return to the Magic

Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 10 rebounds and D.J Augustin had a season-high 20 points and 9 assists in the game for Orlando. Orlando will have another home game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday Night before traveling for a five-game, nine-day West Coast road trip next week.

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Danny Thompson is a sports contributor or Florida National News. | info@floridanationalnews.com

Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

1 year ago

March 9, 2025

Mike Brodsky

Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

NFL

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Published

2 years ago

October 30, 2024

Mike Brodsky

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Former UCF football players Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant have partnered with GMTM to launch their Search for Greatness Combine at UCF on Saturday, November 9th. They’re giving local athletes a chance to showcase their talents and explore new sports opportunities. Griffin will be inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2nd, during halftime of the Arizona vs. UCF football game. He is remembered for his tenacity, setting an NFL Combine record with the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker, and playing four seasons in the NFL, overcoming the challenge of only having one hand. He is now training to make the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team and hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics. Joey Grant, the co-founder and CEO of GMTM, is a former UCF team captain, playing mostly Center for the Knights from 2011-2015.

Participation at the upcoming combine is free and invite-only, targeting athletes over the age of 18. To be considered, athletes must submit a highlight video via GMTM’s platform, showcasing their athleticism. GMTM will evaluate submissions and invite the most promising athletes to participate in the combine. The goal for this year’s event is to get 1,000 athletes to submit videos and be part of the combine process. Athletes chosen will receive personalized invites with further instructions, including event time slots and details. The athletes will be evaluated for their key athletic traits, to identify opportunities for them across multiple Olympic sports or professional sports programs. To learn more, or to apply for the combine, visit: https://gmtm.com/articles/the-search-for-greatness-at-ucf-with-shaquem-griffin-what-you-need-to-know.

Florida National News spoke with Shaquem and Joey about the combine, college football in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, and Griffin’s hall of fame induction. You can watch the full interview here:

Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant interview

Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com and www.FloridaSportsChannel.com for more.

Florida

Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

2 years ago

March 10, 2024

Mike Brodsky

Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. Scheffler first won the API in 2022.

Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler finished at 15 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 66 today. Wyndham Clark finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, did not make the cut, this weekend, finishing 7 over par after the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.