Month: March 2022

By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 20 points and set a dominating tone in the opening minutes for Texas Tech, which overwhelmed Montana State 97-62 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders had one of the best-shooting games in the first round since

By STEPHEN WHYNO and JAY COHEN AP Sports Writers The Tampa Bay Lightning have made a trade to go for a third consecutive Stanley Cup title. The two-time defending champions acquired forward Brandon Hagel from the Chicago Blackhawks. Tampa Bay sent two first-round picks and young forwards Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk to Chicago for

By The Associated Press Midfielders Randall Leal and Aarón Suárez were dropped along with defender Ricardo Blanco from Costa Rica’s final three World Cup qualifiers. Defenders Ian Lawrence and Carlos Martínez were on the 27-man roster announced by coach Luis Fernando Suárez along with midfielders Brandon Aguilera and Carlos Mora, and forward Anthony Contreras. Costa

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have agreed to a three-year deal with safety and special teams star George Odum. A person familiar with the deal said Odum’s contract is worth $10.95 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Associated Press IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Morgan Maly matched a career high with 20 points and Lauren Jensen and Molly Mogensen each had 16 as 10th-seeded Creighton defeated No. 7 seed Colorado 84-74 in an NCAA tournament first-round game. Emma Ronsiek added 10 points for the Bluejays, who won in their

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders have signed free agent running back Ameer Abdullah to a one-year deal. The move adds another receiving back to compete in a deep running backs room. Las Vegas previously signed free agent Brandon Bolden and are also bringing back starter Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake this season.

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer WACO, Texas (AP) — Chloe Lamb scored 20 points and the South Dakota women earned their first NCAA Tournament victory, beating Mississippi 75-61 in the first round. Fellow senior Hannah Sjerven had 20 points and seven rebounds as the 10th-seeded Coyotes (28-5) broke through in their fourth consecutive tournament

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Matthew NeSmith had the round of his young career at Innisbrook. He tied the Copperhead course record with a 61. He set the 36-hole record at 14-under 128. And it gave him a two-shot lead going into the weekend at the Valspar Championship. NeSmith

ROME (AP) — Mario Balotelli has been left off Italy’s squad for the World Cup playoffs. The European champion is also without midfielder Manuel Locatelli after he tested positive for COVID-19. Italy faces North Macedonia in Palermo, Sicily, on Thursday. The winner will play at Portugal or Turkey for a spot at the tournament in

By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Freshman Jabari Smith 20 points and 14 rebounds as second-seeded Auburn pulled away from Jacksonville State late in the first half to win its 10th straight NCAA Tournament opener 80-61 in the Midwest Region. Walker Kessler finished a block shy of a triple-double with 13

By FOSTER NIUMATA Associated Press Wales lock Alun Wyn Jones has lauded the bonds between rugby, family and community on the eve of becoming the first player in international rugby to appear 150 times for their country. Jones returns from double shoulder surgery to feature for Wales for the first time in 20 weeks when

By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A defense attorney for a man charged with fatally shooting former NBA player Lorenzen Wright attempted to poke holes in the testimony of a convicted killer who said Wright’s ex-wife gave him details about the slaying. Jimmie Martin has provided key testimony in the trial of

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Freddie Freeman has joined the Dodgers for his first workout since agreeing to a $162 million, six-year contract to join Los Angeles’ powerhouse roster. Freeman arrived at the Dodgers’ Camelback Ranch training complex in a suit and tie, but he quickly got into Dodger Blue

By The Associated Press The United States has demanded consular access to WNBA star Brittney Griner, who is faring well behind bars in Russia, according to a member of a Russian state-backed prison monitoring group. Griner is accused of bringing vape cartridges into Russia containing an oil derived from cannabis. Ekaterina Kalugina, a member of

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — E.J. Liddell scored 16 points, Big Ten Freshman of the Year Malaki Branham added 14 and seventh-seeded Ohio State shut down 10th-seeded Loyola Chicago from start to finish, winning 54-41 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes advanced to play Villanova on Sunday

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Panthers say they’ve agreed to terms on contracts with free agent defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis from the Washington Commanders and linebacker Damien Wilson from the Jacksonville Jaguars, giving the team some needed depth on defense. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Ioannidis had 16 sacks and 27 quarterback hits for the Commanders in

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are bringing back linebacker Leighton Vander Esch along with safety Malik Hooker and long snapper Jake McQuaide. Vander Esch will play on a one-year contract worth up to $3 million after the fifth-year option on the 2018 first-round pick’s rookie contract wasn’t picked up. Vander Esch never has

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida hired San Francisco’s Todd Golden as its men’s basketball coach Friday. The Gators are bringing in the 36-year-old former Auburn assistant to revitalize a program that had grown stale under Mike White. Golden signed a six-year contract worth $3 million annually to replace White,

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Outfielder Corey Dickerson and the St. Louis Cardinals finalized a $5 million contract for the upcoming. The 32-year-old Dickerson fills a big need for the Cardinals by adding a left-handed bat to their lineup. He hit .271 with six homers and 29 RBIs while appearing in 109 games for the Marlins

By ERIC OLSON AP Sports Writer Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg announced he eliminated the position of special assistant to the head coach and that Doc Sadler would leave the program. The folksy Sadler had grown into a beloved figure among fans during his six-year run as head coach from 2006-12. He returned when Hoiberg was

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Karla Erjavec scored 14 points to lead a balanced Miami offense to a 78-66 win over South Florida in the first round of the women’s NCAA tournament. The No. 8 seeded Hurricanes (21-12) shot 54% and all 10 players who played more than a minute scored

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki is joining the new-look Chicago Cubs, finalizing an $85 million, five-year deal. Chicago will pay an additional $14,625,000 as a posting fee to Suzuki’s club, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan’s Central League. The 27-year-old Suzuki was a five-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner in nine seasons

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer Australian professional cyclist Lachlan Morton, whose ultra-endurance feats have benefited charities around the world over the years, is undertaking another epic ride Saturday to raise money in support of Ukrainian war refugees. The 30-year-old rider for American team EF Education-EasyPost will depart from Munich on a nonstop, 1,063-kilometer odyssey

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills released starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei in a move which frees up much-needed salary cap space at a position the team spent restocking in free agency this week. The ninth-year player, who sat out the 2020 season for COVID-19 reasons, had two seasons left on a five-year,

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions have signed outside linebacker Charles Harris to a $13 million, two-year contract and wide receiver Kalif Raymond to a one-year deal worth nearly $1 million. Detroit announced the moves Friday, retaining unrestricted free agents that flourished last season under first-year coach Dan Campbell. Harris had career highs

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers have signed punter Pat O’Donnell as an apparent replacement for Corey Bojorquez. Bojorquez is an unrestricted free agent. The 31-year-old O’Donnell has spent the past eight seasons with the Chicago Bears. He has a career gross punting average of 45.1 yards and a net average of

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Oregon assistant coach Chris Crutchfield has been hired as the new head men’s basketball coach at Omaha. He was a two-sport athlete for the Mavericks in the 1990s. Athletic director Adrian Dowell announced Crutchfield’s hiring less than two weeks after longtime coach Derrin Hansen was fired after a second straight five-win

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Shaun Norris has opened a three-shot lead with a second-round 62 at the Steyn City Championship in South Africa. The home player moved to 18 under par with a near flawless round that contained eight birdies and an eagle. He picked up four shots in his last four holes by finishing birdie-eagle-birdie-par.

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kris Bryant and the Colorado Rockies finalized their $182 million, seven-year contract. The third baseman and outfielder gets a $7 million signing bonus, payable within 15 days of the signing. He receives a $17 million salary this year, $27 million in each of the next

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen has restructured his contract to give the team salary cap relief. His agency announced a new deal that gives him $18 million guaranteed. Thielen’s previous contract was carrying a cap hit for 2022 of more than $16.8 million that the Vikings can now reduce by lowering

CHICAGO (AP) — Sergiño Dest will miss the United States’ last three World Cup qualifiers after straining his left thigh and was replaced on the roster by left back George Bello. Dest, the top American choice at right back, was hurt Thursday during Barcelona’s Europa League win at Turkey’s Galatasary. His injury left DeAndre Yedlin

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — NFL prospect David Ojabo appeared to be injured at Michigan’s Pro Day workout. The NFL Network reported Friday that the defensive end was injured in a pass-rushing drill, went down clutching his left leg and had to be helped off the field. His agent

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz has agreed to a contract extension through the 2028-29 season. Walz thanked athletic department and school officials for recognizing his program’s success with the extension. The 15-year coach, 410-112 at the school with three women’s Final Four appearances and four Atlantic Coast Conference regular season