Sports

US men lose to Honduras, miss third straight Olympics

Published on Mon, 03/29/2021 - 3:45pm
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By The Associated Press

 

American players fell to the field at the final whistle. Another missed Olympics soccer tournament for the U.S. men.

Juan Carlos Obregón scored in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, goalkeeper David Ochoa committed a blunder that gifted Luis Palma a goal two minutes into the second half and Honduras beat the United States 2-1 on Sunday in an Olympic qualification game at Guadalajara, Mexico.

Thompson’s rise helps power Beavers to the Sweet 16

Published on Fri, 03/26/2021 - 3:44pm
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 By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer

 

Ethan Thompson understood the moment. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t stop smiling.

Oregon State’s senior guard had just led the Beavers to a spot in the Sweet 16, the latest milestone for a team picked to finish last in the Pac-12 at the start of the season.

“We knew it was in us, this success,” Thompson said, the smile plastered on his face. “We pictured it from the beginning.”

Fox scores career-high 44, Kings roll past Warriors

Published on Fri, 03/26/2021 - 3:42pm
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A few moments before coming out of Sacramento’s blowout win over the Golden State Warriors, point guard De’Aaron Fox kept hearing his teammates urge him to continue shooting.

“They were like, ‘Go get 50,’” Fox said. “I’m like, ‘Let’s just get this game over with. There’s other opportunities for this to happen.’ That’s what I said. I wasn’t looking for a career high but if the shots were there, take them.”

Fox had a career-best 44 points as the Kings romped to a 141-119 victory against a short-handed Warriors team Thursday night.

NCAA tourney proof of shrinking talent gap in colleges

Published on Thu, 03/25/2021 - 3:29pm
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — One by one, the college basketball coaches had filed into the sweltering gym on the campus of Whitney Young Magnet High School, dressed in their polos and windbreakers and sporting their school logos, all craning their necks to get a glimpse of one of the best prep prospects to come out of Chicago in years.

It was impossible to miss the 6-foot-11 frame of Jahlil Okafor, casually throwing down those dunks in the warmup line.

It was much easier to miss freshman teammate Lucas Williamson.

Transfers boost Sampson’s Cougars and others into the NCAA Sweet 16

Published on Thu, 03/25/2021 - 3:27pm

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kelvin Sampson never set out to take a once-proud Houston program back to national prominence by leaning on transfers.

“Sometimes that’s just the way it works out,” Sampson said.

And there’s no reason to change that approach, either. Not after the transfer-led Cougars are back in the Sweet 16 for the second straight NCAA Tournament – making them one of multiple teams still alive in Indianapolis with a boost from players who started their college careers on other campuses.

Stars pair up, deliver 1-2 punches in women’s tourney

Published on Wed, 03/24/2021 - 3:47pm
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By PAT EATON-ROBB
AP Sports Writer

 

Some of the best play in the women’s NCAA Tournament has come in pairs. 

From Michigan’s Leigha Brown taking the scoring burden off of Big Ten player of the year Naz Hillmon to Iowa lighting up the scoreboard with the outside-inside threat of the Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano, talented teammates have stepped up to deliver potent 1-2 punches and knock out feisty opponents. 

Lower cap leads to more cuts than usual in NFL

Published on Wed, 03/24/2021 - 3:44pm

If it seemed as if NFL teams have been shedding contracts nearly as fast as signing them in recent weeks that’s because it’s almost true.

With a shrinking salary cap in a sport with few contracts that are fully guaranteed, teams have spent the weeks leading up to free agency and the first few days of the new league year getting out of deals signed in recent years when there was more money available to spend.

March was bound to be mad; NCAA tournament hasn’t disappointed

Published on Tue, 03/23/2021 - 3:47pm
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By JIM LITKE
AP Sports Writer

 

Considering how everything else has gone this past year, March was bound to be mad. So far, it hasn’t disappointed. 

The last perfect NCAA Tournament bracket was busted before the first round was over. The second round just wrapped with an even dozen upsets already in the books — a record for the opening 48 games and just one shy of the mark for the entire tournament — with all kinds of possibilities still out there. 

Larson to highlight charitable causes in return to iRacing

Published on Tue, 03/23/2021 - 3:46pm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Think of iRacing and Kyle Larson and the first thing that comes to mind is his use of a racial slur while participating in a late-night session nearly a year ago.

Of course it is, and Larson knows that. He can’t escape that he said the N-word, he can only continue to move forward in his bid for redemption and the work he’s done to repair the damage.

LeBron is out indefinitely after injury to his ankle

Published on Mon, 03/22/2021 - 3:12pm
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James left in the second quarter with a high right ankle sprain that the Lakers said will sideline him indefinitely, and Los Angeles went on to fall 99-94 to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

Two hours after the game, the Lakers announced that James is out indefinitely. The defending NBA champions already are without All-NBA big man Anthony Davis, who has missed 14 consecutive games with a right calf injury and likely won’t play again until April.