Sports

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer SYDNEY (AP) — There are potentially good things ahead for women’s basketball in Africa despite the lack of success in international competition. But to turn the corner, there needs to be more financial investment by countries and exposure to the sport. Mali, the lone African representative in Sydney at

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Russian athletes who do not endorse their country’s war in Ukraine could be accepted back into international sports. IOC president Thomas Bach suggests this pathway back for Russians in an interview published on Friday. Bach tells Italian daily Corriere della Sera “it’s about having athletes with

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain has not called up any of the female players who renounced playing for their nation in a decision that the Spanish soccer federation interpreted as a move towards removing their coach. Coach Jorge Vilda dropped all 15 players who last week sent emails to the

By James Robson AP Sports Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed measures are in place to protect players’ mental health at a time when club captain Harry Maguire has been the subject of intense criticism. The England international has been dropped at club level and is fighting for

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Sport’s highest court has been asked to judge a case that aims to remove Ecuador from the World Cup by no later than Nov. 10. That’s  just 10 days before the team should face host Qatar in the opening game. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it registered appeals by

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Panthers coach Matt Rhule says he’s “very hopeful” that running back Christian McCaffrey will play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals after missing the last two days of practice with a quad injury. McCaffrey returned to practice on Friday and is listed as questionable on the

By KEN MAGUIRE AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) — Saints backup quarterback Andy Dalton is preparing to square off with Kirk Cousins again in London. Dalton is expected to start after Jameis Winston was listed as doubtful for New Orleans’ game against the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. Dalton took first-team snaps

By HOLLY MEYER Associated Press Dolores Mejia thought the Chicago Bears could use a Hail Mary. In fact, she said the prayer several times as she watched the 1986 Super Bowl, pairing the intercession to the Holy Mother with two other rosary staples — the Our Father and the Glory Be — before her team

TOKYO (AP) — James Wiseman scored 20 points as the defending champion Golden State Warriors defeated the Washington Wizards 96-87 to open the NBA preseason in Japan. Wiseman missed all of last season while rehabilitating his injured right knee. He played 24 minutes, connecting on eight of 11 shots while grabbing nine rebounds, in Tokyo.

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer SYDNEY (AP) — Han Xu scored 19 points and Huang Sijing hit two free throws with 3.4 seconds left to lift China to the gold-medal game of the women’s World Cup with a 61-59 win over host Australia. China will play the U.S. for a gold medal on Saturday.

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Auto Racing Writer While last year’s intense Formula One title battle went to the wire and captivated the world of sport, this year’s championship has long looked like a procession for Max Verstappen. It could be all over by Sunday if the Red Bull driver wins the Singapore Grand Prix and

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer Hines Ward sees some Pittsburgh in San Antonio. Ward, who played his entire 14-year career with the Steelers and was MVP of their Super Bowl win over Seattle in 2006, is getting his first opportunity to be a head coach with San Antonio in the new XFL. The

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer SYDNEY (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 17 points and the United States raced out to an early lead to put away Canada 83-43, advancing to the gold-medal game of the World Cup for the fourth consecutive tournament. The Americans will face China, which edged Australia 61-59. The U.S. (7-0),

By The Associated Press North American players in the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League are in a difficult position amid calls from the U.S. and Canadian governments for them to leave. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a security alert urging American citizens to leave Russia. The KHL responded by saying there was no concern about

By LUKE OLSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Mitch Haniger and Jarred Kelenic both homered twice, J.P. Crawford singled home the winning run in the 11th inning and the Seattle Mariners closed in on their first playoff berth in 21 years by beating the Texas Rangers 10-9. The Mariners moved a half-game ahead of Tampa

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Two months into the season, it looked like the New York Mets were headed for an NL East runaway. Not so fast was the reply from the reigning World Series champions. Sparked by two budding stars, the Atlanta Braves suddenly found their mojo. Now, they’re a

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer Tua Tagovailoa stumbled to the ground, his legs wobbly and unable to walk to the huddle after banging his head Sunday. And then Thursday night, he was carried off the field by stretcher after another hit caused his head to violently slam against the turf and his hands

By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — Miguel Vargas hit a tiebreaking, two-run single with the bases loaded in the sixth inning and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers beat San Diego 5-2 to slow the Padres’ playoff push. The Dodgers added to their franchise single-season record with their 108th win.

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani pitched no-hit ball into the eighth inning and extended his hitting streak to 14 games as he led the Los Angeles Angels over the Oakland Athletics 4-2. In his final home start of the season, Ohtani issued a leadoff walk to

By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The first-place New York Mets are calling up top prospect Francisco Álvarez for their pivotal weekend series against the Atlanta Braves, according to a person familiar with the decision. The person confirmed the move to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Mets

By BEN ROSS Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Ford Proctor hit a grand slam for his first career home run, Carlos Rodón struck out 10 in six scoreless innings and the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 6-4 on Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep. Austin Wynns and Wilmer Flores also drove

By JOHN COON Associated Press PROVO, Utah (AP) — BYU survived another slow start to avoid a potentially damaging loss to an instate rival. Jaren Hall threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns to help the No. 19 Cougars to a 38-26 victory over Utah State on Thursday night. Hall, who favored his right shoulder

By MITCH STACY AP Sports Writer CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Burrow tossed a late 2-yard touchdown pass to Hayden Hurst to seal a 27-15 win for the Cincinnati Bengals over Miami. The game was marred by the horrific sight of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa being taken off on a stretcher. Tagovailoa was chased down and

By TOM KERTSCHER Associated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) — Avisaíl García came off the injured list and hit a grand slam in the eighth inning in the Miami Marlins’ 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night. The loss left Milwaukee a half-game behind Philadelphia for the final NL wild-card berth. The Phillies lost their

IDYLLWILD, Calif. (AP) — Two rock climbers, including a former NFL player, were found dead near a Southern California peak after rescue crews responded to reports of injuries, authorities said. The climbers were identified Thursday as Chelsea Walsh, 33, and Gavin Escobar, 31. Rescuers were called around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday to Tahquitz Rock near Idyllwild

By MITCH STACY AP Sports Writer CINCINNATI (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained neck and head injuries after being slammed to the ground Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals and was stretchered from the field. The Dolphins said Tagovailoa was conscious, had movement in all his extremities and was taken to University of

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookies Oscar Gonzalez and Steven Kwan drove in runs in the eighth inning as the Cleveland Guardians kept Tampa Bay from clinching one of the AL’s three wild-card spots, rallying to beat the Rays 2-1. The Central champion Guardians took two of three in a tight

THE COLONY, Texas (AP) — Xiyu Lin made a 10-foot eagle putt late in her round. That gives her the lead in The Ascendant LPGA with a 65. Lin is one shot ahead of Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand and Lizette Salas. Thitikul is coming off her second win of the season. A victory this week

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Davis Riley has a share of the lead in the Sanderson Farms Championship. Riley grew up in Mississippi about 90 miles away and considers this a fifth major. He thinks that’s why he has struggled the last few years. He was bogey-free in the opening round for a 66. Will Gordon

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer Colton McKivitz is undaunted by the big void he must fill on San Francisco’s offensive line. McKivitz will be thrown into the starting lineup for the 49ers’ showdown with the Los Angeles Rams with All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams sidelined with a high ankle sprain. McKivitz says he

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An already historic season by New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge could well be capped with baseball’s first Triple Crown in 10 years. Minnesota’s Luis Arraez is standing in his way. He went 2 for 5 for the Twins in their loss to the Chicago White

By FRED GOODALL AP Sports Writer TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Three touchdowns in three games hardly qualifies as getting the job done offensively. Tom Brady knows he and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to be better moving forward, beginning with a highly anticipated matchup Sunday night against Patrick Mahomes and the high-scoring Kansas City Chiefs.

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Ben Skowronek has been given an unlikely role as a fullback in the Los Angeles Rams’ offense. The second-year receiver is embracing the opportunity to make an impact all over the field. Skowronek was a major contributor to the Rams’ 20-12 victory at Arizona

CINCINNATI (AP) — Despite being banged up, Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is listed as active for the Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Tagovailoa was questionable all week with a sore back and ankle. For Cincinnati, right tackle La’el Collins was listed as active despite dealing with a sore back. Collins in an important

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Baker Mayfield’s transition to the Carolina Panthers hasn’t been a smooth one. The No. 1 overall pick in 2018 is near the bottom of the league in quarterback rating and completion percentage through three games. The Panthers are coming off their first win of the

By GENE CHAMBERLAIN Associated Press LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — After struggling initially with tackling, the Chicago Bears’ run defense surfaced in the second half of Sunday’s 23-20 win over Houston and is now looking to continue the success against Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants. The Bears had given up 203 rushing yards

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Changes are coming to the New York Jets’ offense. Nothing too drastic or radical but Zach Wilson’s return as the starting quarterback allows the team to do some things it simply couldn’t with 37-year-old Joe Flacco under center. Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur

By MATT CARLSON Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Struggling to end an 11-year playoff drought, the slumping Phillies lost their fifth straight game Thursday as the Chicago Cubs swept the season series from Philadelphia with a 2-0 victory. Philadelphia remained a half-game ahead of Milwaukee for the final National League wild card when the Brewers

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer U.S. women’s national soccer team star Alex Morgan won’t be on the roster when the United States plays England at Wembley Stadium next month because of a knee injury. Crystal Dunn will be there. She returns to the active roster for the first time since giving birth in

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer Alex Bowman will miss Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway with a concussion the Hendrick Motorsports driver apparently suffered last week at Texas. HMS said Bowman was evaluated Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina, and ruled out of this weekend’s playoff race. Noah Gragson will drive the No. 48 Chevrolet

TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays clinched a postseason berth without taking the field. Toronto was assured of an AL wild card berth when the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3. If Toronto holds its current position as the first of the AL’s three wild cards, the Blue Jays would open a best-of-three

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Willi Castro and Javy Báez homered to lead Detroit over the Kansas City Royals 10-3 for a three-game sweep that moved the Tigers out of last place in the AL Central. Detroit (63-92) has won six straight, matching its season high and ensuring the Tigers will not

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — J.D. Martinez hit a two-run homer to break an eighth-inning tie, Zack Kelly earned his first career victory and the Boston Red Sox beat Baltimore 5-3 to drop the slumping Orioles to the brink of postseason elimination. Baltimore led 2-0 before falling behind. Then the Orioles

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers defense is struggling without injured star T.J. Watt. The NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year is out indefinitely with a left pectoral injury. Pittsburgh is 0-2 without Watt in the lineup heading into a visit by the New York Jets. The Steelers

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens have put nose tackle Michael Pierce on injured reserve. The Ravens announced the move a day after coach John Harbaugh said Pierce had a torn biceps. The question at that point was whether he would try to play through the injury or have surgery. Pierce signed a

TORONTO (AP) — Rasmus Sandin has signed a two-year, $2.8 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 22-year-old from Sweden was the 29th overall selection in the 2018 draft. Sandin had 16 points in 51 games with Toronto last season. He’s played in 88 career regular-season games, with six goals and 22 assists, and

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — The Air Force football program received two years of probation from the NCAA and had its squad size reduced by 10 for four years as part of its sanctions for recruiting violations. The NCAA announced the penalties after Air Force and four individuals reached an agreement with NCAA enforcement

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies’ four-game weekend series at the Washington Nationals has been adjusted because of the forecast for rain in the nation’s capital from the remnants of Hurricane Ian. The teams will play a day/night doubleheader Friday instead of Saturday. Early afternoon games are still scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Struggling Philadelphia

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The UFC is holding its next fight show without fans or media members in attendance, and the mixed martial arts promotion isn’t saying why. The UFC will stage a 13-bout Fight Night card at the Apex Gym on its corporate campus, but no fans or reporters will be there. The UFC

By The Associated Press Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen are both in crisis before their high-stakes game in Munich restarts the Bundesliga after the international break. Bayern is without a win in four league games and ended a run of three straight draws by slumping to a 1-0 loss at Augsburg in its last game.

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer Russian players on two NHL teams opening the season in the Czech Republic will be allowed to participate in two games in Prague after all. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly says the Czech government has dropped its attempted ban of Russian players for San Jose and Nashville. The Czech Foreign

The Associated Press The banged-up Los Angeles Chargers look to snap a two-game skid when they visit the Houston Texans, one of two winless teams in the NFL. Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert is nursing a rib injury and defensive star Joey Bosa was placed on the injured reserve this week. The Texans have been

By The Associated Press The New York Giants and Chicago Bears have been two of the biggest surprises early in the 2022 season. Both teams have 2-1 records heading into their game Sunday. The Bears won six games in 2021, two more than the Giants. The teams are similar on offense this season with the

SALISBURY, England (AP) — The famous royal silks have returned to British horse racing with the first runner under the ownership of King Charles III finishing a distant second at Salisbury. Educator was the first horse to wear the purple, red and gold silks since the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8. Her

By The Associated Press Patriots QB Mac Jones made a surprise return to practice but was ruled out for the game with an ankle injury. Coach Bill Belichick said Brian Hoyer would get the start if Jones was unavailable. The Packers and Patriots are meeting for the first time since 2018. The Packers won 14-12

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Joel Embiid is an American citizen. Embiid said he was sworn in as a citizen two weeks ago in Philadelphia. Embiid is a native of Cameroon and also has French citizenship. Embiid said it’s way too early to think about which country he could potentially

By MATT CARLSON Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Jason Heyward plans to play next season, even if it won’t be with the Chicago Cubs. Heyward hasn’t been in a game since June 24 because of right knee inflammation. The 33-year-old outfielder hit .204 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 137 at-bats, and he

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It’s often easy to forget amid the highlight-reel throws and jaw-dropping statics put up by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes that nothing in the Kansas City offense works quite right without a good ground game. That is, until you see it bottled up like last

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Sports Writer The days of postseason bans and crippling scholarship reductions being used to punish schools for breaking NCAA rules appear to be winding down. Last month, the Division I Board of Directors adopted three proposals to modernize the infractions process. It also is looking for penalties that do

By The Associated Press The Arizona Cardinals would love nothing more than to get their running game going with James Conner. The problem has been they’ve dug themselves a hole with poor starts on offense and have been forced to abandon the run and throw. Arizona has been outscored 56-13 in the first half this

By The Associated Press No. 24 Pittsburgh begins its quest for a second straight ACC title when the Panthers host Georgia Tech in their conference opener. Pitt is off to a 3-1 start by relying heavily on junior running back Israel Abanikanda. Abanikanda leads the conference in rushing, averaging 119 yards per game and is

By The Associated Press The Baltimore Ravens host the Buffalo Bills this weekend in what should be a delightful quarterback matchup for neutral fans. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are both are off to stellar starts. And they’ll probably always be linked to some degree since both were drafted in 2018. The difference this week

By The Associated Press No. 17 Texas A&M has two wins since losing to Appalachian State and seeks a 2-0 start to SEC play, when it visits Mississippi State. The host Bulldogs look to even their league record by beating the Aggies for the second consecutive season. They won 26-22 last year in College Station

By The Associated Press Kentucky and Mississippi are set to meet in a matchup of unbeaten Southeastern Conference teams. The seventh-ranked Wildcats and No. 14 Rebels play at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. They haven’t met when both teams were ranked since 1958. Ole Miss and Kentucky are both 4-0 and hoping to challenge Georgia and Alabama for

By The Associated Press Syracuse goes for a 5-0 start when Wagner of the Football Championship Subdivision visits Saturday. The game is Syracuse’s last before an open date. A brutal stretch of Atlantic Coast Conference games follows. Wagner has dropped 22 straight games and lost 66-7 at Rutgers in its other game against a Bowl

By The Associated Press Fourth-ranked Michigan travels to Kinnick Stadium to face Iowa on Saturday in a rematch of the 2021 Big Ten championship game. The Wolverines won that game 42-3 and FanDuel Sportsbook has them a 10 1/2-point favorite in this game. Iowa has won the last four meetings in Iowa City. Michigan will

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Browns All-Pro Myles Garrett returned to the team’s headquarters but didn’t practice Thursday after crashing his car earlier this week. Police cited Garrett for speeding, saying he lost control on a rural road Monday. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said he was going 65

By The Associated Press The No. 15 Washington Huskies will head on the road for the first time this season when they play at the UCLA Bruins on Friday. Buoyed by the arrival of new coach Kalen DeBoer and quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Washington has won each of its first four games by double digits.

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Auto Racing Writer Formula One driver Alex Albon even surprised himself by recovering from his recent appendicitis and respiratory failure in time to be ready for this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix. Albon jumps back into the Williams FW44 for Friday’s first practice session. It’s just three weeks after he was hospitalized

By The Associated Press Illinois’ Bret Bielema makes his return to Madison as an opposing coach when the Illini visit Wisconsin on Saturday. Bielema posted 68-24 record as Wisconsin’s coach from 2006-12 before leaving for Arkansas. Bielema is the first coach to take an opposing Big Ten team to the school where he won a

By The Associated Press Maryland is coming off its first loss of the season, but it was a credible performance in a seven-point defeat at Michigan. The Terrapins have three of their next four games at home and can really earn some legitimacy with a good October. They host Michigan State on Saturday. The Spartans

By KEN MAGUIRE AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) — A half-dozen NFL teams are aggressively targeting fans in Britain now that they have new marketing rights in the country. They’re signing commercial deals and hiring local media personalities in bids to expand their fanbases and tap international revenue. The Jacksonville Jaguars are the unofficial home

By The Associated Press Washington State will try to slow down California running back Jaydn Ott when the teams play Saturday in Pullman. Ott ran for 274 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 carries in leading Cal over Arizona last week. Ott’s yardage was the highest in a game by an FBS player this

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer SYDNEY (AP) — Brittney Griner anchored a dominant frontcourt that made the U.S. women’s basketball team the favorites in any international tournament. But the Americans have figured out a way to maintain their dominance even without the 6-foot-8 center. They have rolled through group play at the World Cup,

ZURICH (AP) — French financial regulators have cleared FIFA to start processing hundreds of millions of dollars from transfer fees owed to smaller clubs who nurture players. The FIFA Clearing House is a long-standing project now based in Paris. It’s designed to help clubs get their rightful share of future transfer fees involving players they

By The Associated Press LSU rides a three-game winning streak into Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn is coming off an overtime win over Missouri that was only secured with a goal line fumble. Embattled Auburn coach Bryan Harsin could use another win to take some heat off. He’s expected to start quarterback Robby Ashford for the

By The Associated Press No. 23 Florida State hosts No. 22 Wake Forest looking to open the season 5-0. The Seminoles are playing as a ranked team for the first time since 2018. Wake Forest hopes to get back on track following a double-overtime loss to No. 5 Clemson. This is just the second Top

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer Conor Daly will make his debut in NASCAR’s Cup Series next week at The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Daly will drive for The Money Team Racing, which is owned by retired boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. It will be the fourth race for the No. 50 Chevrolet TMT

The Associated Press Texas and West Virginia meet Saturday with both teams desperate to avoid an 0-2 start in the Big 12. West Virginia has recovered from a slow start to win its last two games behind a maturing run game led by freshman CJ Donaldson. Texas is still waiting to see if freshman quarterback