HORNETS-BUCKS
Walker, Henderson lift Hornets over Bucks 108-101
MILWAUKEE (AP) β Kemba Walker scored 27 points and Gerald Henderson added 16 as Charlotte held off the Milwaukee Bucks 108-101 on Tuesday night, extending the Hornets winning streak to a season-high four games.
Brandon Knight had a season-high 34 points for the Bucks, who were prevented from matching last season’s victory total of 15.
Charlotte, which has beaten Milwaukee seven consecutive times, led 88-80 entering the final quarter and extended it to 96-84 as the Bucks went 3:39 without scoring.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored on a put back to put the Hornets up 102-91 with 2:46 left, but the Knight scored Milwaukee’s next eight point, pulling the Bucks within 103-99 on a 3-pointer with 25.9 remaining.
The Hornets held on with five free throws down the stretch.
HURRICANES-DEVILS
Terry scores in SO, Hurricanes edge Devils 2-1
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) β Chris Terry scored the only goal of the shootout and goalie Anton Khudobin came up big late in winning for the first time this season as the goal-starved Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Tuesday night.
Ron Hainsey scored in the third period to tie the game for Carolina, which won for only the second time in 10 games (2-7-1). The Hurricanes have just 13 goals during that stretch and Hainsey’s appeared to go in off his leg on a night when Carolina fired 33 shots at Cory Schneider.
Stephen Gionta scored for the Devils, who are 3-8-5 in their last 16 games. Schneider made 32 saves.
Khudobin, who had 18 saves, stopped Scott Gomez, Mike Cammalleri and Adam Henrique in the shootout before Terry beat Schneider with a forehand.
PANTHERS-STEWART
Panthers to lean on Jonathan Stewart against Falcons
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) β In their quest to become the first team to repeat as NFC South champions, the Carolina Panthers will lean heavily on healthy running back Jonathan Stewart.
Stewart has run for 437 yards and a touchdown in the past four games, helping Carolina vault into first place in the NFC South.
The Panthers (6-8-1) will play at Atlanta (6-9) on Sunday with the winner taking home the division title and securing a first-round home game in the playoffs.
Panthers coach Ron Rivera says “for him to be at this point in the season and feel healthy like he is is really good for us.”
That hasn’t always been the case.
Stewart missed 17 of 32 games the previous two seasons. He finished both seasons on injured reserve while battling ankle and knee injuries.
SC STATE-S UTAH
Southern Utah takes down South Carolina State 66-56
LAS VEGAS (AP) β A.J. Hess hit three 3-pointers and finished with 21 points to lead Southern Utah past South Carolina State 66-56 on Tuesday in the Las Vegas Classic.
Southern Utah won its third game of the season to best last year’s record of 2-27.
James McGee and Tyler Rawson had 12 points apiece for Southern Utah (3-7). Rawson had four blocks, grabbed eight rebounds and scored 10 of his points in the second half.
South Carolina State (4-10) was led by Greg Mortimer’s 14 points. Darryl Palmer had 13 and Edward Stephens 10.
SC State trailed just 47-41 but went without a field goal for 4-plus minutes. Hess scored the first five points of a 7-0 spurt to give Southern Utah a 13-point advantage (54-41), its largest of the game, with 6:14 left.
SOUTH CAROLINA-ROLAND
Junior receiver Roland leaves South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) β South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier says wide receiver Shaq Roland has left the team just days before the Independence Bowl.
Shortly after arriving in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Tuesday, Spurrier said the junior didn’t make the bowl trip and appears to be planning to drop out of school and turn pro.
Roland was named the best high school player in South Carolina in 2011, but never quite lived up to the hype with the Gamecocks.
He caught 26 passes for 356 yards and four touchdowns in 2014, showing little improvement from his sophomore season. Roland caught 56 passes for 891 yards and 10 TDs in his three years at South Carolina.
The Gamecocks face Miami in Saturday’s Independence Bowl.
NASCAR-LARSON-BABY
Baby on board: NASCAR driver Kyle Larson a father
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP) β NASCAR driver Kyle Larson is a rookie again, this time a new father.
The 22-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing driver welcomed his first child Monday. Larson tweeted a photo of himself, girlfriend Katelyn Sweet and their newborn son, Owen, at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center on Tuesday.
Larson said Owen Miyata Larson was born Monday at 11:09 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and was 19 Β½ inches long.
The 2014 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year, Larson finished 17th in the point standings. He had eight top-five finishes and 17 top-10s in 2014.
Sweet is the sister of Brad Sweet, a sprint-car racer who also has competed in NASCAR.
Larson became the latest first-time father in the Cup series, joining the club this year with Paul Menard, David Ragan and Clint Bowyer.
