UPAC BASKETBALL WARM UP TOURNAMENT 2014

                                                                 TEAM UPSA

Believe it or not basketball has come a long way in the country and the UPAC warm up games was a testament to the fierceness and competitive tactility of basketball teams to be displayed  at the main UPAC games.
The warm up games was fruitful with four teams  consisting of the University Of Professional Studies (UPSA) , University Of Ghana (UG) , Accra Polytechnic and Central University (CUC) all turning up to compete in this event.
When TEAM UPSA was balloted to play Accra Polytechnic most pundits concluded a routing on TEAM UPSA. However TEAM UPSA gave A. Poly a scare when the first minutes of the first quarter saw UPSA lead A. poly 8-6 neither A.Poly nor UPSA dominated the first quarter. However prior to the game A.Poly leveled the playing field after two of their star players in the names of  Dodzie Baniba and Doggy were rested.

                                                    DELVIN IN FOR A DRIVE



A.Poly got back in the game second quarter with some fine play and panache from Farhat and "Big time" who start to manifest themselves in the game , showing their class with so well worked drives, pull -up jumpers and a couple of three pointers. TEAM UPSA stuck to the two guard play which proved efficient on the offensive with Delvin of UPSA have a few drives down the paint to keep his team in the game. As the game progressed into the fourth quarter UPSA began using their shooting guard Kwarteng who made a couple of back to back three points. However A.Poly were quick to ensure they didn't lose their resounding lead with key player Farhat responding with his own. The game ended 50-42 in favor of A.Poly to ensure they booked a place in the final.


UG eases pass Central

                                                       UG VS CUC
The UG - Central game was tipped to be a walk in the park for the host. UG came with their shooting guns scoring 8 straight points before Central had a response with Francis and Joel leading the charge. The game took a dip in tempo in the second quarter , but picked up again in the third and fourth quarter. UG led most parts of the game and at some point led as many as 10 points. Central however managed to claw back into game with just a half basket between them and leading the game. However the fourth quarter proved to be the decider with Centrals big man fouling out and legon capitalizing on that with some drives down the paint. The game ended on a low scoring note as compared to the UPSA -A.Poly game with UG winning 35-21.


Accra Polytechnic emerges victors

                                                       TEAM A.POLY
There was no doubt that the final was between reigning champions A.Poly  and host UG would be exciting and riveting. Before tip off time the court was crawling with fans from both institutions and even though UG were the hosts their fans were over shadowed by the upbeat chanting fans of A.Poly showing their enthusiasm. A.Poly start with fire and all guns blazing going a scoring spree from tip off, being very cautious not to underestimate UG like they did against UPSA. UG didn't concede defeat and came back strong with great possession attacking the rim. Kofi turned things around with a couple of threes and jumpers and so did their senoir forward chronic. Their point guard Joel played to the delight of the pundits and undermined the fact that he was a freshman as the game wore on UG started matching A.Poly boot for boot and at the end of the third quarter UG was leading by a half bucket. In the fourth quarter A.Poly came out strong cause they knew it was the deciding moment. UG took their feet of the pedal which cost them points after A.Poly took advantage by feeding Farhat and Romeo who used their height and speed to  make drives  into the UG paint. At the tail end UG woke up from their slumber and responded with back to back three pointers to mitigate the point gap  only for Farhat to respond with his own to maintain the point gap just as he did against UPSA. The game ended 60 -54 in favor of A.Poly.

Even though the tournament was dubbed as a warm up , a lot of positives were taking from the organizers of the competition. An example is the use of a time clock, buzzer beater and score board to help improve the game. Participants of the competition showed a lot of team effort co-operation and discipline from the players down to the fans. This definitely got pundits  and fans riled up and just shows what to expect from the main tournament.


Romeo of A-Poly was adjudged the tournament MVP. The 6-10 forward/centre recorded almost every stat during the tournament. He was dominant under the rim, cleaning the board on the offensive and defensive end, dunked it a couple of times and occasionally nailed a 3 pointer.
UG’s Joel was arguably the most promising player of the tournament. Despite being only 18 and fresh out of Presec Legon, he handled the ball with dexterity, made smart plays, had great court vision and drove into the paint of opposing teams without the fear of getting blocked.

ROUND UP OF EPL WEEK 12

After a the international break the Preimier League action was back again and on saturday , 22nd November Chelsea took on West Bromich Albion at the bridge. Diego Costa continued his fine form scoring in the 11th minute to give the host the lead. Hazard then made it two to the host in the 25th minute.
West Brom struggled all day to hold Chelsea even before Yacob got sent off. Chelsea on the other hand took their feet of the pedal since West Brom weren't threatening enough.

Everton also took on West Ham at the Goodison Park and made away with all three points. Lukaku scored the opener in the 26th minute. In the second half Zarate scored in the  56th minute to bring  the game level. Everton however got the winning goal through Osman who made his 400th appearance for the club.

West Ham's defeat ensured that their five match unbeaten run was ended.

Leicester played Sunderland later in the day with the gamee ending in a draw. Both teams created lots of chances but failed to make it count in the final third. As per Premier league  Gus Poyet stated that the match was always going to be difficult since Leicester came into the game to end their goal drought.

Manchester City also took on Swansea City and finish in style ,coming from behind to beat Swansea.
In the first half Bony scored the opener in the 6th minute. However Jovetic got the equalizer in the 19th minute to give the host a life line. In the second half Toure scored his second goal this season as he scored in the 62nd minute to give the host the points the needed to close the gap on Chelsea.

Newcastle played Queens Park Rangers  and continued their winning streak with a win one nil win. The only goal came from Sissoko in the 78th minute. This takes them to  a five match unbeaten run , with the fans supporting Pardew to the fullest now. He has really changed a lot in the team to turn things around.

 Stoke City lost to Burnley by two goals to one with goals coming from Ings in the first half. He scored the opener in the 12th minute and his brace a minute later. Stoke pulled one back through Walters in the 32nd minute. This helped Burnley secure their second win of the season.

In the final game of the day Arsenal played Manchester United in a crunching derby encounter. Even though Arsenal lost the game a lot of positives could be taking from it. The first half the game was goalless , but got of to a crazy start in the second half as Gibbs scored an own goal giving Manchester United  the lead in the  56th minute. Rooney later made matters worse as he scored in the 85th minute making him the only player to score more goals against Arsenal than any other player.  Giroud then got the host back  in the  game with five minutes additional time but it was little too late.

On Sunday Crystal Palace  took on Liverpool with the Reds seeking a moral booster from this game since their form took a little dip. Liverpool got of to a flying start when Lambert got the opener just after the first minute. Crystal Palace however got level through Gale in the 17th  minute. In the second half Crystal Palace picked up the pace and took the lead in the 78th minute and finally putting the game to rest after a great goal from Jedinak in the 81st minute.

In the final game on Sunday Hull City took on Tottenham , Tottenham got a late winner to ensure they got three points. Livermore scored his first goal against his formal club for the first time in the 8th minute to give Steve Bruce men the lead. However at the start of the second half got red carded send Steve Bruce into a state of frustration. That cost Hull City as ten men now had to work extra hard. Tottenham got the equalizing  goal in the 61st minute through Kane  and finally got the winner through Eriksen in the 90th minute.

ROUND UP OF EPL WEEK 11

This week got of to a durby match as Liverpool took on Chelsea , the game was full of intensity from start to finish. In the first half Can scored the opener in the 9^th minute , the lead was later cancelled by Cahill in the 14^th minute . In the  second half Costa put the blues in front in the 67^th minute ensuring they kept their unbeaten run.

Chelsea now move a daunting 15 points clear of Liverpool sending a clear statement they are in for the title.

Next Burnley took on Hull City , this time Steve Bruce’s men couldn’t come out with a win as they lost by one goal to nil. The only goal came in the 50^th minute through Barnes.  It was Burnley’s first win of the Premier League bringing great joy to the Burnley faithful. The first half wasn’t intense with few chances created ,  in the second half after Bruce’s header Hull City came alive but only managed one shot on target.

Manchester United took on Crystal Palace and it took Juan Mata’s goal in the 67^th minute to secure Manchester United’s first win in four matches. However Crystal Palace loss meant they had gone five games without a win.

Southampton continued their fine form as they beat Leicester by two goals . All the goals came from Long in the 75^th minute and 80^th minute to secure victory for the Saints. Leicester are now in the relegation as the Saints move into second place four points behind leaders Chelsea.

Later West Ham faced AstonVilla at the Boleyn Grounds with the game ending in a draw. Aston Villa ended their six match losing streak.  Aston Villa presented a more resolute defense to make away with a point.

Queens Parker Rangers took on Manchester City   , the game ended in an astonishing draw with City giving a run for their money. The game produced four goals with two coming in the first half , Austin opened the score in the 21^st minute. Aguero then pulled Man City back in the 32^nd minute putting the visitors back in the game. QPR restored their lead in the 76^th minute after Demichelis scored an own goal , Aguero put the visitors level again in the 83^rd minute to ensure Man City made away with a point in the game.

On Sunday Sunderland drew with Everton  at the Stadium of Light . The game got  to a slow start in the first half. The stadium really came to life in the 67^th minute after Larrson put the host in front , later Baines got the visitors level with a penalty in the 76^th minute. This meant Everton are now on beaten in six games in all competitions.

Tottenham took on Stoke City in the second game. Stoke City won the game by two goals to one after Bojan put them in the lead in the 6^th minute , Walters made it two in the 33^rd minute to end the first half. In the second half Chadlli pulled one back in the 77^th minute, this meant Spurs conceded their fourth home defeat of the season whiles Stoke City recorded their first league win over Spurs since 2011.

In the final game for Sunday Newcastle continued their winning ways as Perez and Coloccini’s goals powered them home to a two nil win over West Bromich Albion. The opener came in the 45^th minute just before the  first half whistle. Whiles the second came in the 62^nd minute from Coloccini , this ensured Newcastle got their fifth win of the season and moves them one point behind Arsenal and Manchester United in 8th. 

INTER UNIVERSITY CROSS COUNTRY GAMES

On 9th November, 2014 the team that represented the University Of Proffessional Studies returned from CASFORD FIELD at the University Of Cape Coast (UCC) with an encouraging result. Although the team placed 5th in the inaugural event there were many positives from the event. One of these positives was that all twenty participants (both Men and Women) completed the course maintaining their personal bests others also improved upon their personal best times. It only shows there is still more room for improvement.

However the University For Development Studies and the University Of Mines and Technology dropped out of the competition due to various factors.

Here are the results from the competition,

POSITION	INSTITUTION	WOMEN	MEN
1ST	UNIVERSITY OF GHANA	47	45
2ND	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST	54	55
3RD	UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION WINNEBA	90	101
4TH	KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY	160	142
5TH	UNIVERSITY OF PROFFESSIONAL STUDIES	214	243

ROUND UP OF UCL GROUP STAGE WEEK 4

GROUP A



Malmo vs. Atletico Madrid 0-2
Malmo took on Atletico Mardid in the return leg and lost by two goals to nil. Atletico scored the opener in the 30th minute through Koke. Atletico later doubled their lead through Garcia in the 78th minute. This took the aggregate to 0-7 against Malmo, the home side were rather unlucky even though they created lots of chances.

Juventus vs. Olympiacos 3-2
The Old ladies took on Olympiacos in a  crunching encounter. Five goals were produced in that game with high attacking football. Pirlo opened the game with a goal in the 21st minute but th e goal was short lived after Bortia got the equalizer in the 24th minute. At the start of the second half things took a different turn as N'Dinga gave Olympiacos the lead in the 61st minute sending Olympiacos fans into a frenzy. However they shoot themselves in the foot when Roberto scored an own goal putting the host level pegging. Finally the winner everyone wanted in such games came from no one else but Pogba in the 66th minute to ensure Juventus backed all three points.

GROUP B

Basel vs. Ludogrets 4-0
Basel gave ludogorets a whooping four goals in their return leg taking them on to six points above Liverpool and ludogorets. Embolo gave Basel the lead in the 34th minute , Gonzalez later doubled the lead in the 41st minute.  At the start of the second half two more goals were scored with Gashi in the 59th minute and Suchy in the 65th minute.This takes them to second in Group B.

Real Madrid vs. Liverpool 1-0
Liverpool travelled to the Bernabau to play Madrid, in the first leg to Reds lost by three goals. In this fixture however  they lost by one goal to nil taking the aggregate to 0-4 against the Reds. The only goal of the game came in the 27th minute through Benzema ensuring Madrid beat the Reds back to back. It was a good game though but the Reds were still out classed and Madrid could have had more goals. The win enures Madrid qualifies for the round of 16  with 12 points amassed.

GROUP C
Zenit Saint Petersburg vs. Bayern Levekusen 1-2
Leaders Leverkusen travelled to face Zenit , the first half ended in a goalless with chances coming by for the home side . Both teams played some great attacking football but it was Son Heung -Min who got the opener 63rd minute for Leverkusen. He later got his brace in the 73rd minute.
Zenit pulled one back in the 89th minute through substitute  Rondon. The win takes Leverkusen five points clear on top and well in for the next stage.

Benefica vs. Monaco 1-0
Amazing result for Benefica after the beat Monaco in the return leg. The only goal of the game came from Talisca in the 82nd minute. Monaco were the high pressing team in the first half with some chances but in  the second half Benefica picked up the pieces and got their first win of the competition.

GROUP D
Arsenal vs. Anderlecht 3-3
Arsene Wengers men flattered to deceive  in this encounter after losing a three goal lead. It kind of remindered me of Istanbul final 2005 but that was nothing to compare since it was a group stage game. Arteta put the host in the host in the in front in the 25th minute through a penalty after Welbeck was fouled in the box. Sanchez got the second in the 29th minute , later Chamberlain made it three for the away team. In the second half Arsenal took their feet of the pedal and it cost them as Borre got his brace in the 61st and 73rd minute through a penalty , the equalizer then came through Mitrovic in the 90th minute to ensure they share a point a piece.

Dortmund vs. Galatasaray 4-1
Even with Dortmunds poor run of form in the Bundesliga Klopp's team still manage play so well in the Champions League.  In the first half Reus opened the score in the 39th minute In the second half Papastathopoulos  doubled the lead in the 56th minute Balta then pulled one back for Galatasaray , Immobile made it three in the 74th minute and to put the game to rest Kaya scored an own goal in the 85th minute. This takes Dortmund into the round of 16 for the third time running.

GROUP E
Manchester City vs. CSKA Moscow 1-2
CSKA Moscow got of to a flying start after Doumbia put them in the lead in the 2nd minute. Manchester City got back with a brilliant free kick from Toure in the 8th minute , however Doumbia got his brace in the 34th minute. In the second half City went down to nine men after Fernadinho was sent of in the 70th minute and Toure in the 82nd minute .The game stayed that way with Moscow bagging the 3 points , this further makes things difficult for City if they are to qualify  since they are still without a win.

Bayern Munich vs. As Roma 2-0
Bayern Munich beat Roma in the return fixture with goals from Ribery in the 38th minute still announcing his presence and Gotze scoring in the 64th minute to seal the deal for Bayern. Bayern now sit on top with two games to spare.

GROUP F

Paris -Saint Germain vs Apoel 1-0
Cavani scored the only goal of the game just as he did in the first leg, the goal came in the 1st minute catching the Apoel defense unawares. This ensured Paris made it to the round of 16 with two games to spare and landing the final blow on Apoel.

Ajax vs. Barcalona 0-2
Ajax took on Barcalona in a game that featured Suarez in the Champions League for the first time with Barcalona facing his formal club. The opening minutes of the game were a bit slow with few chances but nonetheless Messi scored in the 36th and 76th minutes making him equal the all time Champions League record. He was happy he had equaled it but the win that ensured they booked their place in the 1/16 brought him more joy as per Uefa.com.

GROUP G
Maribor vs Chelsea 1-1
Chelsea nearly got the scare of their lives when they nearly lost to Maribor away from home , escaping their first defeat of the season. The game really got of in the first half Ibraimi scored in the 50th minute to give the host the lead , Chelsea got the equalizer through Matic in the 73rd minute to share the spoils. There was late drama though as Handanovic saved Hazards penalty to preserve the point.

Sporting lisbon vs. Schalke 04 4-2
Sporting  got of to a bad start in the game with Slimani scoring an own goal in the 17th minute, however they manage to level things up in the 26th minute before the end of the first half. In the second half   Jefferson scored in the 52nd minute to give the host the lead , Nani then made it three for the host in the 72nd minute. Schalke then pulled one back through Aogo to keep up the pressure. However in the dying embers of the game Slimani got the final goal to put the game to bed. What a way to cover up for your mistake.

GROUP H
Athletic Bilbao vs FC Porto 0-2
Porto went high and might on Athletic Bilbao as they beat them by two goals to nil. Goals came in the second half with Martinez scoring in the 56th minute and Brahimi doubling it in the 73rd minute.
Martinez however missed a penalty in the 42nd minute but still covered up for that in the second half.
Bilbao are still bottom of the group after the game.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Bate 5-0

Bate lost to Shakhtar Donetsk by five goals to nothing , in the first half Srna got the lead for the host in the 19th minute In the second half  Teixeira  made it two in the 48th minute. Adriano who's the leading goal scorer this season in the Champions League scored a hatrick with goals coming in the 58th minute with a penalty and later in the 83rd and 90th minute. They now have a five point cushion over Bate in Group H.

ROUND UP OF EPL WEEK 10

This weeks action started with a game between Newcastle and Liverpool , amazingly Newcastle continued their impressive form in the league. Liverpool on the other hand still showed they lacked a lot of moral coming into the game and indeed paid for it. The only goal of the game came from Perez in the 73rd minute after a defensive blander from Moreno , Perez happily helped himself to become Newcastle hero again.

                                                 PEREZ BAGS THREE POINTS


Next of Arsenal took on Burnley , Burnley played well managing to hold on to Arsenal in the first half. The dead lock was broken in the 70th minute by Sanchez , Chambers later made it two in the 72nd minute , finally  Sanchez put the game to bed in the 90th minute.

                                            SANCHEZ SCORES TO SEE OF BURNLEY
 Chelsea took on Queens Park Rangers and were giving a run for their money, Oscar opened the score in the 32nd minute which ended the first half. In the second half two more goals came up as inform Austin brought QPR on level terms.  Chelsea managed to escape a draw after Hazard converted his penalty kick in stoppage time bagging all three points for the Blues.

                                             OSCAR CELEBRATES GOAL


Later in the  day Everton took on Swansea which ended in a goalless draw.  Both teams showed attacking style in the first half . Swansea were ten men in the second half of the game. Bony was presented with a few chances but couldn't convert them. Lukaku also had his chance in the dying embers of the game but failed to convert them.

                                             MCCARTHY FIRING HIS SHOT

Hull City played Southampton at the KC stadium, Southampton continued their winning strike after the only goal of the game came in the  3rd minute through Wanyama. With Southampton impressive run you could say the are well in challenge for the top half of the table.

                                             WANYAMA'S EFFORT SEAL THE DEAL


Leicester took on West Bromich Albion later in the day as well. The only goal of the game came out of the blue , with Cambiasso's own goal. That was enough to give  West Brom all three points.

                                           BRUNT CELEBRATES AFTER OWN GOAL

In the final game on Saturday was a cruncher between Stoke City and West Ham United. The game produced 4 goals and was the highest scoring for this week. The opening goal came in the  33rd minute from Moses . In the second half we saw three more goals , Diouf  gave Stoke their second in the 56th minute. However West Ham pulled one back through Valencia in the 60th minute,  Downing then leveled things in the 73rd minute ending the game in a draw.

                                           DOWNING RESCUES WEST HAM




On Super Sunday as we love to call it , Manchester City took on Manchester United  at the Eithad. The derby was entertaining with chances coming from both teams. Manchester United were down to ten men in the 39th minute after Smalling fouled Milner. The only goal of the game however  came in the 63rd minute through  Aguero.

                                                     AGUERO WINS DERBY

In the second match Aston Villa took on  Tottenham Hotspurs, Spurs had to came from a goal behind to carry the day. Weimann scored the  opening goal in the 16th minute , in the second half Spurs pulled level in the  dying embers of the game through  Chadli in the 84th minute , Kane gave Spurs the winner in the 90th minute  to steal the joy of  three points from the  Villa faithfuls.

                                                KANE CELEBRATES GOAL