Sports category, Page 549

INDIANAPOLIS — Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic promised his players a tasty reward when they finally strung together a three-game winning streak. Now it’s time to pay up. With All-Star Scottie Barnes logging his fourth triple-double of the season and RJ Barrett scoring 24 points in Monday night’s 130-122 victory,...

South Florida started the year with a new coach in Amir Abdur-Rahim and a roster picked to finish in the bottom half of its league, then had a rough start that seemed to justify that status. Instead, the 25th-ranked Bulls are closing February in far different position: armed with their...

MANCHESTER, England — Brazil international Antony was assured on Tuesday that he still has a future at Manchester United despite plunging down the pecking order of wingers at the English club. The 24-year-old Antony became the second most expensive player in United’s history when he arrived for $95 million in...

For as enjoyable as Sunday’s win over the Philadelphia Flyers was, the Pittsburgh Penguins won’t be able to count on scoring seven goals every night moving forward. But, for the offensively challenged Pens, knowing they’ve got that club in their bag may certainly come in handy for the rest of...

As manic as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ (60 points) 7-6 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers (67 points) was Sunday, it’s precisely the kind of win the Penguins needed to have. It was a win over a hated rival. It was two points gained on the Metropolitan Division’s third playoff team. And...

After a rare three-day weekend, “First Call” is back at “Breakfast With Benz” with plenty of Pittsburgh Steelers conversation. The franchise has signed a former Baltimore Ravens linebacker. We get an update on Ryan Clark’s status at ESPN. A couple of former Steelers have options on a potential draftee at...

DUNEDIN, Fla. — The closer Jared Triolo got to the major leagues, the more he realized his future might be at a position other than third base because of Ke’Bryan Hayes’ presence on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Triolo proved he could fill in at the hot corner when the NL Gold...

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Tylor Perry scored 29 points and made six 3-pointers, Cam Carter added 19 points and Kansas State let a 25-point lead slip away before beating West Virginia 94-90 in overtime on Monday night. Kansas State (17-11, 7-8 Big 12 Conference) set an NCAA single-season record with its...

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — With his coach and general manager set to address reporters — and likely his employment situation — at the NFL scouting combine Tuesday, Russell Wilson reiterated over the weekend that he hopes to return to the Denver Broncos in 2024. Wilson said he still aims to win...

The offensive artistry of Auston Matthews has reached the point where even hyperbole seems almost plausible. “Everything he’s shooting,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said recently, “is going in the net.” It sure does feel that way. With 52 tallies through 56 games, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ goal-scoring marvel is on...

The Mid-American Conference is inviting UMass to join as a full member, starting in 2025, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither the school nor the MAC had confirmed the move. The person...

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Spring training Sho-time starts Tuesday with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani will make his exhibition debut with the Dodgers when he serves as the designated hitter for Los Angeles on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. Los Angeles has been taking it slowly with the two-way...

All signs point toward Anthony Kim ending his 12-year absence by playing the LIV Golf event in Saudi Arabia, with the latest indication a video tease from Greg Norman on Monday. Kim was a raw talent who broke the country club image in golf with his belt buckles and bling,...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Pittsburgh Penguins will begin a crucial four-game western road trip without forward Bryan Rust. The 31-year-old Rust stayed behind in Pittsburgh while dealing with an upper-body injury suffered in the third period of a 7-6 win over Philadelphia on Sunday. Reilly Smith replaced Rust on...

Texas rose to its highest ranking in more than a year in the Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll Monday after another week of shakeups among the top teams. The Longhorns moved up two spots to No. 3 after four of the top seven teams lost at least one...

There was a time more than two decades ago when Jeff Capel and Brad Brownell matched their teams and their wits against each other with a different prize at stake than what will go to the winner Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. Capel was the coach at...

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — José DeLeón, a major league pitcher for 13 seasons who led the National League in strikeouts for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1989, has died. He was 63. Los Leones del Escogido, DeLeón’s team in the Dominican Winter League, said he died Sunday evening at...

Just as terrifying for Duke coach Jon Scheyer as seeing his All-ACC center Kyle Filipowski hobble off the floor because of an injury inflicted by a fan from the opposing team was another scene Saturday that hasn’t received the same amount of attention. Truth be told, it could have had...

The Penn State softball team is cooking — with a new chef in the kitchen. First-year Nittany Lions outfielder Haylie Brunson, a junior from Mt. Pleasant and a former TribLive Westmoreland player of the year, is hitting a team-best .385 (15 for 39) with two homers and 14 RBIs. She...

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals placed the franchise tag on receiver Tee Higgins, which likely will keep him with the team at least one more season, the team said Monday. If the Bengals can’t reach a long-term agreement with the 25-year-old Higgins before July 15, he’ll play the 2024 season...

HAMPTON, Ga. — Daniel Suarez knows he will return to Atlanta Motor Speedway as a playoff contender Sept. 8. Suarez also can count on retaining his spot on Trackhouse Racing’s team when the NASCAR Cup Series makes its 2025 stops in Atlanta. The popular driver from Monterrey, Mexico, ended speculation...

Now it is Houston’s turn at the top of the Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll. The Cougars moved to No. 1 for the first time this season in Monday’s latest poll, climbing one spot to end the six-week stay of reigning national champion Connecticut. Houston (24-3) became...

February began with college football’s top prospects descending on Mobile, Ala., to take part in the Senior Bowl. It will end with another congregation in a confined environment, this time the annual NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Prospects begin meeting with NFL coaches and executives as early as Tuesday, with on-field...

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Roansy Contreras pumped a 94.8 mph four-seam fastball to Bo Bichette on his first pitch and topped out at 96.2 on a first-pitch four-seamer to Toronto’s No. 3, hitter Danny Jansen. After a season that began in the starting rotation but was spent mostly in the minors...