Friday State Sports Briefs: Starks's status uncertain for Sunday's game

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GREEN BAY - Green Bay Packers' running back James Starks is not sure whether he'll play on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders at Lambeau Field.

Starks hurt his right knee and ankle on November 20th against Tampa Bay -- and he aggravated them in each of the next two games. Swelling in Starks' ankle has not gone down all week -- and he's been sitting out of practice. The second-year pro has not had a totally healthy season since his junior year of college. A shoulder operation forced Starks to miss his senior year at Buffalo. Then as rookie, he missed 13 games with an injured hamstring before being a standout in the playofs. This year, Starks has played in every game. But if he doesn't practice today, it's not likely he'll see action on Sunday. If he can't go, Ryan Grant and rookie Brandon Saine could both see more playing time.

Green Bay Packers' corner Charles Woodson has been cleared to play on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders at Lambeau Field. He was a full participant in yesterday's practice, after he suffered a concussion last Sunday in the Packers' win over the Giants in New York. Rookie linebacker Vic So'oto sat out practice with a back problem, but coach Mike McCarthy says it's apparently not serious. Starting middle linebackers A-J Hawk and Desmond Bishop both missed their second straight practices this week due to calf injuries. But Hawk had a chance to practice today -- and it's possible he can play against the Raiders.

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UW-Whitewater could face its toughest challenge in a long time, when it hosts Saint Thomas tomorrow in the semi-finals of the NCAA Division-Three football playoffs. The Tommies from Saint Paul have won more games since 2009 than any D-Three school except Whitewater and Mount Union. Fourth-year coach Glenn Caruso has taken Saint Thomas from a 2-8 record in 2007 to a 13-0 mark this year, with their first playoff bid since 1990. Whitewater has won 43 straight games including the last two national title contests over Mount Union. And the top-ranked Warhawks have breezed through the playoffs so far, outscoring their opponents 134-to-28 in three games. Saint Thomas has been equally as dominant, outscoring its three post-season challengers 131-to-22. In the other semi-final, Mount Union hosts Wesley College of Delaware. Tomorrow's winners advance to the D-Three title contest, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, a week from tonight in Salem Virginia. Whitewater and Mount Union have played in the last six Stagg Bowls, with each team winning three. Mount Union hosts Wesley College of Delaware tomorrow.

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It's a quiet night for Wisconsin college basketball. The state's Division-One teams all have the night off. The 14th-ranked Wisconsin men are gearing up to host Nevada-Las Vegas tomorrow afternoon. Also tomorrow, the UW-Green Bay men travel to 11th-ranked Marquette. And the UW-Milwaukee men are at Northern Iowa. The UW-Parkside teams are off through the end of Christmas. And there's only Division-Three game tonight -- a women's contest with Mount Mary at Beloit. Tomorrow's Division III schedule includes mostly conference games in men's-and-women's double-headers.

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The University of Wisconsin men's hockey team will host top-ranked Minnesota-Duluth tonight and tomorrow night. The Badgers were off last weekend, after sweeping Mercyhurst in a pair of home contests two weeks ago. It improved Wisconsin's record to 7-8-1 overall. And they're 4-7-1 in the WCHA. Duluth is 11-3-2 overall, and 9-2-1 in the conference. They're coming off a sweep at Michigan Tech last weekend, winning both games 5-to-3. Jack Connolly leads Duluth in scoring with 25 points, including 11 goals.

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The top-ranked University of Wisconsin women's hockey team will play at Bemidji State this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon. Wisconsin is 17-1 overall, after a sweep of Minnesota State-Mankato last weekend. No. 7 ranked Bemidji comes in at 10-5-2. This is the final series in the 2011 part of the Badger schedule.

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UW-La Crosse has seven-of-the-15 members on the WIAC's all-time men's cross country team. Phil Esten of La Crosse is the team's coach. He guided the Eagles from 1970-through-'97. All-time teams in all sports are being named as part of the WIAC's 100th anniversary celebration next year. The La Crosse runners competed between 1970 and 2001. They are Brett Altergoft, Greg Barczak, Jim Drews, Jim-and-Joe Hanson, Brad Wilson, and Tyler Foos. Others on the men's team are Jesse Drake and Arnie Schraeder of Stevens Point, Scott Steurnagel and Dave Lambert of Oshkosh, Tyler Sigl and Ryan Kleimenhagen of Platteville, Tom Hoffman of Whitewater, and Dan Stack of Eau Claire. Oshkosh dominates the all-time WIAC women's cross country team, with six-of-the-14 selections. They are Tiffany Speckman Ebensperger, Tiffany Fox, Laura Horejs, Ayla Mitchell, Cheryl Niederberger, and Liz Woodworth. Also chosen were Jenny Fiedler, Tori Neubauer, And Julia Rudd of La Crosse -- Katie Somers and Deanna Marchell of Eau Claire, and Sarah Anderson of Superior. Also on the all-time team are two runners from schools no longer in the WIAC -- Katie Webb of Marquette, and Wendy Burman of UW-Parkside. Deb Vercauteren of Oshkosh is the coach of the all-time female runners.

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The UW-Milwaukee women's basketball team got crushed at top-ranked Baylor last night, 72-41. Brittney Griner, Odyssey Sims, and Brooklyn Pope out-scored Milwaukee by themselves with a combined 57 points. Griner, a pre-season All-American, had 20. Sims had 19 points and 11 assists, and Pope had 18 points and 11 rebounds. The Lady Bears improved to 9-0, and they won their 28th straight home game. Milwaukee fell to 2-5. Baylor was up 56-19 after a 12-1 run early in the second half. Milwaukee had a 10-0 run later on, after all of Baylor's starters completed their night's work. Ashley Green scored 11 for UWM, which will wrap up a five-game road trip at 24th-ranked Oklahoma on Sunday. Panthers' coach Sandy Botham said the school received what she called a "nice little guarantee" to play at Baylor -- and they took it because they were going to Oklahoma anyway.

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The UW-Green Bay women won at Toledo last night, 72-65. The 21st-ranked Phoenix improved to 8-and-0, and they snapped Toledo's 22-game home winning streak. Green Bay trailed by two at the intermission, but they went in front for good with a 12-0 run early in the second half. Lydia Bauer led the Phoenix with 23 points, including five three-pointers. Sarah Eichler made four threes and scored 14 for Green Bay. Andola Dortch had 18 for Toledo, the defending WNIT champion which lost to UWGB for the second time this season. The Phoenix beat them 84-68 on November 16th. Toldeo fell to 5-3 overall.

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The University of Wisconsin women's basketball team made only 15 field goals last night in a 73-to-44 loss at Kansas in the Big Ten-Big 12 Challenge. The Badgers had season lows for points, field goals, and shooting percentage at 28-point-six. Wisconsin trailed by two midway through the first half, when Kansas pulled away with a 12-0 run. The Jayhawks led by 19 at the break, and the rout was on. The Badgers committed 16 turnovers to six for Kansas. The Jayhawks shot 44-percent and made 15-of-20 free throws -- a season-high in free throw attempts for a Wisconsin opponent. Aishah Sutherland had 12 points and 16 rebounds for Kansas, which improved to 8-1. Morgan Paige scored 14 for the Badgers, who dropped to 4-6. They'll host Drake on Sunday.

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Wisconsin running back Montee Ball was passed over last night for the Doak Walker Award. Trent Richardson of Alabama received the honor as the nation's top running back. He helped the second-ranked Crimson Tide make the BCS title game, while rushing for 15-hundred-83 yards this season. Ball, a junior, leads the nation with 17-hundred-59 yards and 38 touchdowns. He needs one more TD in the Rose Bowl to tie Barry Sanders for the NCAA's all-time season touchdown record. Also last night, Ball and Badgers' guard Kevin Zeitler made the second squad on the Walter Camp Football Foundation's All-American team. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was the big winner at the college football awards' ceremony. He received the Maxwell Award as the country's top all-around player, and he won the Walter Camp player-of-the-year trophy. Ball, Luck, and Richardson are among the five finalists for the Heisman Trophy to be presented tomorrow night in New York.

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The Marquette University men’s basketball team said today that center Chris Otule has an ACL ligament injury in his left knee. The player and the team’s medical staff will decide a course of treatment in the next few days – and that will determine how much time he’ll sit out. Otule, a junior, was hurt on Tuesday night while chasing down a loose ball in Marquette’s win over Washington.

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SCORES

--Women's college basketball

Lakeland 53, Concordia-Mequon 51

Marian 70, Edgewood 41

Alverno 64, Maranatha Baptist 48

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--Boys High School Basketball

Algoma 63, Southern Door 46

Augusta 46, Gilman 45, OT

Bay Port, 54, Ashwaubenon 33

Beaver Dam Wayland 68, Dodgeland 58

Chippewa Falls McDonell 64, Eau Claire Regis 58

Clinton 44, Whitewater 21

Colby 72, Granton 33

Edgerton 61, Walworth Big Foot 39

Elk Mound 78, St. Croix Central 17

Elmwood 71, Plum City 50

Fox Valley Lutheran 65, Clintonville 49

Freedom 66, Ripon 52

Gibraltar 65, Oconto 60, OT

Hillsboro 49, Cashton 34

Ithaca 61, La Farge 60

Jefferson 43, Orfordville Parkview 42

Kewaunee 37, Sevastopol 26

Kiel 59, Two Rivers 53

Little Chute 51, Berlin 25

Luxemburg-Casco 52, Seymour 47

Marshfield Columbus 40, Neillsville 28

McFarland 76, Brodhead 58

Mondovi 58, Glenwood City 40

Nekoosa 53, Adams-Friendship 40

Niagara 48, Lena 37

North Crawford 62, Kickapoo 36

Oostburg 59, Ozaukee 43

Prescott 65, Osceola 38

Racine Lutheran 66, Brookfield Academy 52

Sheboygan Falls 57, Kewaskum 48

Stanley-Boyd 67, Cadott 57

Thorp 43, Fall Creek 37

Valders 56, Chilton 52, OT

Washburn 70, Butternut 9

Winneconne 74, Wautoma 43

Wisconsin Lutheran 73, West Bend East 46

Wrightstown 71, Brillion 63

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--Girls' high school basketball

Clear Lake 30, Clayton 26

Crandon 66, White Lake 22

Florence 32, Phelps 25

Green Bay Notre Dame 56, Pulaski 51

Highland 43, Albany 33

La Crosse Central 63, West Salem 51

Madison West 46, Madison La Follette 43

Maple Northwestern 75, Webster 7

Minong Northwood 60, Cameron 50

Northland Lutheran 48, Nebraska Lutheran 28

Oneida Nation 46, Milwaukee South 24

River Valley 33, Pecatonica 31

Superior 80, Duluth Denfeld 50

Turtle Lake 74, Cumberland 13

Verona 57, Janesville Craig 42

Watertown Luther Prep 42, Greendale Martin Luther 34

Wausau Newman 58, Marathon 35

Wisconsin Rapids Assumption 47, Edgar 43

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