Month: December 2022

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi stands on the brink of a long-awaited World Cup winner’s medal as Argentina faces defending champions France in the final. But having experienced defeat in the final of 2014 in Brazil when Argentina lost 1-0 to Germany through extra time the 35-year-old Messi

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — France coach Didier Deschamps says he knows most neutral fans want Argentina to win the World Cup final to give Lionel Messi the perfect send-off from soccer’s biggest tournament. Deschamps appreciates that some people in France hope that happens as well because of Messi’s popularity

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Football Australia has vowed to take strong and swift action with harsh punishments after an A-League soccer match between rivals Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory was abandoned Saturday after fans invaded the field and attacked City goalkeeper Tom Glover. The match referee was also injured. Video on social media shows a

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer Argentina arguably has the World Cup’s most fervent fans. They are known for their rhythmical singing, incessant drumming and trance-like ferocity. The country’s history of success at the World Cup is rivaled by few. Argentina won the World Cup in 1978 and 1986 and lost in the final three

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The World Cup is the biggest marketplace in soccer. Perform well in front of a global audience and chances are that Europe’s leading clubs will soon come calling. And with the transfer window opening in January Qatar has been the perfect opportunity for emerging players

By JACK MAGRUDER Associated Press TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Travis Boyd knocked in his own rebound early in the third period to break a tie and Clayton Keller added his second goal of the game late as the Arizona Coyotes held on to beat the New York Islanders 5-4. Shayne Gostisbehere and Nick Bjugstad also

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) — Steven Verplancken Jr. scored 15 points and Junior Ballard added 14 points off the bench as Weber State routed Cal Poly, 74-45 on Friday night. Bryan Penn-Johnson dunked more than seven minutes into the game to pull the Mustangs even at 11-11, but Weber State responded with 18 unanswered

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Dominique Ford scored 31 points to lead Idaho to a 125-51 victory over Northwest Indian College on Friday night. Ford sank 12 of 21 shots with seven 3-pointers for the Vandals (5-6). He added seven rebounds. Isaac Jones scored 20 points in 11 minutes, sinking 9 of 11 shots. Michael Hanshaw

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James scored 30 points, Russell Westbrook had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers smoothly overcame Anthony Davis’ latest injury in a 126-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Davis missed the second half with a right foot injury, but

By The Associated Press OREM, Utah (AP) — Trey Woodbury had 17 points in Utah Valley’s 80-54 victory against Antelope Valley on Friday. Woodbury also contributed eight rebounds and five assists for the Wolverines (8-4). Blaze Nield scored 14 points and added four steals. Justin Harmon was 6 of 14 shooting (1 for 3 from

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — Shemar Rathan-Mayes’ free throw with 21 seconds left gave Youngstown State a 10-point lead and the Penguins held on to earn an 85-81 win over Southern. P.J. Byrd converted two three-point plays and knocked down a 3  in the final 18 seconds but could not pull the Jaguars closer than four

MOLINE, Ill. (AP) — Quinlan Bennett scored 14 points to lead Western Illinois to a 79-50 victory over Eureka College. Bennett sank 7 of 9 shots with two 3-pointers while playing just 16 minutes for the Leathernecks (7-4). Stephan Gabriel scored 13 off the bench, while reserve KJ Lee had 10 rebounds to go with

MURRAY, Ky. (AP) — Quincy Anderson came off the bench to score 16 points, sparking Murray State to a 68-60 victory over Austin Peay. Anderson sank 5 of 9 shots with two 3-pointers for the Racers (7-4). DJ Burns and Kenny White Jr. scored 15 apiece. Burns hit 7 of 10 shots and grabbed eight

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Jordan Kyrou scored twice, Ivan Barbashev and Pavel Buchnevich each had a goal and an assist, and the St. Louis Blues beat the Calgary Flames 5-2 for their third straight win. Brandon Saad also scored, and Brayden Schenn and Robert Thomas each had two assists for the Blues. Thomas Greiss stopped

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) — Brandon Swaby and Jonathan Cisse each scored 16 points and Incarnate Word pulled away in the second half to post a 77-65 win over Bethune-Cookman. The Cardinals trailed by five at intermission, but outscored the Wildcats by 17 points over the final 20 minutes to earn the win.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis is missing the second half of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Denver Nuggets with a right foot injury. Davis apparently got hurt Friday night when he landed awkwardly after a layup attempt under the basket in the first quarter, although he kept playing until halftime. Davis scored

TULSA, Okla. — Max Abmas scored 23 points to help Oral Roberts defeat Missouri State 80-77. Abmas was 9-of-16 shooting with two 3-pointers for the Golden Eagles (9-3). Connor Vanover pitched in with 19 points and eight rebounds. Issac McBride had 14 points and the Golden Eagles extended their win streak to six. Jonathan Mogbo

By The Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Led by Oso Ighodaro’s 16 points, the Marquette Golden Eagles defeated the Creighton Bluejays 69-58. The Golden Eagles are now 9-3 on the season, while the Bluejays moved to 6-6.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Kobe Johnson broke free for a 31-yard touchdown run midway through the final quarter, Dawson Weber came up with a clutch interception with just over a minute left and North Dakota State came back twice to beat Incarnate Word, 35-32 in a Football Championship Subdivision semifinal. The win sends the defending

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Ethan Greenfield, Luke Lehnen and DeAngelo Hardy delivered the big plays and North Central (Ill.) beat Mount Union 28-21 on Friday night at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to win the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl and claim the NCAA Division III championship. The Cardinals (15-0) finished off a perfect season for rookie

TULSA, Okla. — Brandon Betson scored 15 points off the bench to guide Tulsa past Mississippi Valley State 66-51. Betson shot 5 for 8 from beyond the arc for the Golden Hurricane (4-6). Anthony Pritchard went 6 of 8 from the field to add 13 points. Sam Griffin finished with 11 points. Kadar Waller led

By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Naz Reid scored a season-high 28 points and the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-110 to snap a three-game losing streak. Austin Rivers had 20 points and Anthony Edwards added 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Timberwolves. Minnesota was

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Sean Manaea and the San Francisco Giants have finalized a $25 million, two-year contract. The left-hander gets a $5 million signing bonus and salaries of $7.5 million next season and $12.5 million in 2024. He can opt out of the deal after the 2023 season and become a free agent again

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 33 points, Christian Wood added a season-high 32 with 12 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 130-110. Two of Dallas’ top three scorers each had 20 before halftime. The NBA scoring leader Doncic had 23 to 20 for Wood.

By BRIAN HALL Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Mats Zuccarello had three goals and an assist, and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 shots as the Minnesota Wild beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 for their fourth straight win. Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, and Sam Steel added two assists as Minnesota’s top

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Freshman Ryan Agarwal came off the bench to score a season-high 11 points and 13 players contributed to the scoring as Stanford returned from its break for finals by routing Green Bay, 85-40. The Cardinal, who took a 12-day break after falling to Arizona State, 68-64 December 4, built a 42-19

MATT CARLSON Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 27 points and the New York Knicks again used 3-point shooting to beat the Chicago Bulls, 114-91 on Friday night to sweep the two-game set and run their winning streak to six. Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes each added 22 points to help the Knicks

By IAN HARRISON Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Kyrie Irving hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Brooklyn Nets rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 119-116, extending their winning streak to a season-high five. Irving scored 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, eluding Toronto’s Fred VanVleet to connect on the

By KEVIN COONEY Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had 34 points and 13 rebounds, James Harden added 27 points and nine assists and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the short-handed Golden State Warriors 118-106 on Friday night. Stephen Curry sat out for Golden State two nights after injuring his left shoulder in a loss

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Zakiyah Franklin scored 26 points, Taiyanna Jackson and Ioanna Chatzieonti posted double-doubles and No. 22 Kansas pulled away in the second half to beat Tulsa 81-62. Franklin sank 9 of 14 shots with three 3-pointers for the Jayhawks (10-0). Jackson finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Chatzieonti scored 13

By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — After landing free-agent catcher Omar Narváez, the New York Mets have signed five players to minor league contracts. Narváez and the Mets agreed to a $15 million, two-year deal, a person familiar with the negotiations confirmed to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition

By BRIAN DULIK Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 18 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 118-112. Mitchell buried his eighth 3-pointer of the game with 3:41 remaining, putting Cleveland ahead for good at 112-110. Indiana had

By The Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — Led by Russel Tchewa’s 11 points, the South Florida Bulls defeated the Dartmouth Big Green 59-55. The Bulls improved to 5-6 with the victory and the Big Green fell to 4-9.

WASHINGTON — Souley Boum scored 28 points as Xavier beat Georgetown 102-89. Boum had seven rebounds, seven assists, and four steals for the Musketeers (9-3). Jack Nunge scored 18 points and added 12 rebounds. Zach Freemantle finished 7 of 11 from the field and scored 17. The Hoyas (5-7) were led by Amir Spears, who

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and 13 rebounds and the Sacramento Kings used a dominant performance from their starters to beat the Detroit Pistons 122-113 on Friday night. Sacramento’s starting five outscored Detroit’s 99-66. De’Aaron Fox had 24 points and nine assists for the Kings, and Keegan

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Trae Young scored 31 points, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 28 points on 7-of-10 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc and the depleted Atlanta Hawks handed the Charlotte Hornets their seventh straight loss, 125-106. AJ Griffin had 13 points and Frank Kaminsky added 12 for the Hawks,

OLEAN, N.Y. — Chase Johnston came off the bench to score 22 ponts and help Florida Gulf Coast turn back St. Bonaventure 71-58. Johnston added four steals for the Eagles (9-3). Isaiah Thompson scored 12 points with six assists. Andre Weir scored 10. Daryl Banks III led the way for the Bonnies (6-5) with 18

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Jake Haener can lead Fresno State to the biggest in-season turnaround in Football Bowl Subdivision history when the Bulldogs face Washington State in the LA Bowl on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs have won eight straight after starting the season 1-4. They would be the first