NFL-PATRIOTS
Coach defends team practices
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) β Bill Belichick spent a considerable amount of time discussing pressure on Saturday, but it had nothing to do with the Super Bowl.
The New England Patriots coach says his team did everything right in preparing footballs for last week’s AFC Championship game. In a lengthy, detail-oriented presentation to reporters, Belichick explained how the Patriots conducted experiments over the last few days on what goes into inflating a ball and how it reacts to different weather conditions.
His conclusion is that the team did nothing wrong and that it welcomes the league’s inquiry.
The NFL is investigating why footballs used by the team in the AFC championship game against Indianapolis were insufficiently inflated. Belichick could not provide answers, but he explained how other things such as temperature could have an effect.
The Patriots are scheduled to play the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.
T25-SCHEDULE
Unbeaten Kentucky wins again
UNDATED (AP) β The top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats are 19-0 for the second time since John Calipari took over the program five years ago. The Wildcats also own a 6-0 mark in the SEC after Devin Booker scored 18 points and Aaron Harrison added 13 in a 58-43 triumph over South Carolina.
The game turned after the Gamecocks took a 24-23 lead with 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the first half. Kentucky immediately went on a 14-0 run and South Carolina shot 4 for 27 the rest of the way.
The only other unbeaten team in Division One men’s basketball is No. 2 Virginia, which takes on Virginia Tech on Sunday.
In other top-25 action:
β Third-ranked Gonzaga ran the nation’s longest home winning streak to 36 games as Przemek Karnowski and Gary Bell Jr. each scored 13 points in a 91-60 rout of Pacific. The Bulldogs have won 13 straight to improve to 20-1, the best start in team history.
β Frank Kaminsky scored eight of his 22 points in overtime to push sixth-ranked Wisconsin past Michigan 69-64 at Ann Arbor. Sam Dekker had 15 points for the Badgers, who blew an 11-point lead in the second half before improving to 18-2 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten.
β Seventh-ranked Arizona ripped California 73-50 behind Stanley Johnson’s 18 points and nine rebounds. Dusan Ristic contributed 12 points as the Wildcats improved to 18-2.
β Texas Tech had been 0-6 in the Big 12 until Devaugntah (dah-VAHN’-tay) Williams scored a career-high 22 points and Toddrick Gotcher added 17 in the Red Raiders’ 78-73 stunner against ninth-ranked Iowa State. Gotcher made five of Texas Tech’s 11 3-pointers.
βCliff Alexander had 15 points and nine rebounds as 11th-ranked Kansas beat No. 17 Texas 75-62. Brannen Greene made four 3-pointers and four Jayhawks scored in double figures as they upped their record to 16-3.
β No. 15 North Carolina got 18 points and 14 rebounds from Brice Johnson in a 78-74 win over Florida State. Marcus Paige scored 19 points to lead the Tar Heels to their fifth consecutive ACC victory.
β Jevon Carter sank two free throws with 1 second left in overtime to lift No. 18 West Virginia past TCU 86-85. Devin Williams and Juwan Staten had 18 points apiece for the 16-3 Mountaineers.
β Lester Medford had 17 points, including a 3-pointer in a late 10-0 run that put 21st-rated Baylor ahead to stay in a 69-58 victory against No. 19 Oklahoma. Kenny Chery tied the game by hitting a 3-pointer with 6:45 remaining before finishing with 13 points.
β Dyshawn Pierre scored 21 points and 22nd-rated Dayton remained unbeaten at home with a 63-60 triumph over Richmond. Kendall Pollard scored 18 points and put the Flyers ahead to stay 57-55 with a shot in the lane.
β Purdue beat No. 25 Iowa 67-63 behind Rapheal Davis, who scored 16 of his 24 points in the first half. Basil Smotherman and A.J. Hammons each scored 13 points for the Boilermakers.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Aldridge plays, leads Blazers…Grizzlies hammer Sixers
UNDATED (AP) β Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge has decided to put off thumb surgery. The Washington Wizards wish he hadn’t.
Aldridge scored a game-high 26 points and had nine rebounds as the Blazers beat the Wizards 103-96. He helped Portland clinch the victory by hitting four free throws in the final minute.
Aldridge said on Thursday that he needed surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumb, a procedure that would cause him to miss from six to eight weeks. He hurt the thumb in the second quarter of the Blazers’ 98-95 victory on Monday night.
The Trail Blazers went 9-for-9 from the line in the final 68 seconds to secure their first victory in three games.
Damian Lillard finished with 20 points and Wesley Matthews added 19 to help Portland overcome John Wall’s 25 points for the Wizards.
In other NBA action:
β Zach Randolph had 17 points and 14 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies won for the sixth time in seven games, thumping Philadelphia 101-83. Jeff Green finished with 18 points and Vince Carter chipped in 13 to help Memphis improved to 31-12.
β O.J. Mayo scored 20 points and Milwaukee hit 11 of its 17 3-point attempts in a 101-86 win over Detroit. Mayo, a reserve guard, made three 3s in a 47-second span of the second quarter to spark an 18-2 run that gave Milwaukee a 54-40 lead late in the first half.
β Utah crushed Brooklyn 108-73 as Gordon Hayward scored 24 points and Trey Burke had 19. The Nets have dropped their last two games by a combined 74 points and are 3-10 this month.
β Brian Roberts scored 17 points and Charlotte made it nine wins in 11 games by stifling New York 76-71. The Hornets won despite missing 24 of their first 29 shots.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-SENIOR BOWL
North beats South
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) β Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah took MVP honors after leading the North to a 34-13 victory over the South in the Senior Bowl.
Abdullah rushed for 73 yards and added 40 receiving on just 11 touches. Minnesota running back David Cobb gained 69 yards on 11 carries, including a 4-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
Texas cornerback Quandre Diggs and Miami-Ohio’s Quinten Rollins had third-quarter interceptions for the North.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-ALABAMA
Kiffin to return
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) β Lane Kiffin says he’s staying on as Alabama’s offensive coordinator under head coach Nick Saban, spiking reports that he was a candidate to become offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.
The former head coach of the Oakland Raiders, Southern California and Tennessee led Alabama to a school-record for total yards in his first season with a new quarterback in Blake Sims. Alabama lost to Ohio State in a national semifinal game.
NHL-ALL-STAR GAME
Skills events set for today…Lightning’s Johnson injured
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) β It was fun and games at the NHL All-Star’s skills competition at Columbus, Ohio.
Blue Jackets star Ryan Johansen allowed the 7-year-old son of the team’s trainer to take his shot in the breakaway challenge. Moments later, Philadelphia’s Jake Voracek trumped Johansen by grabbing diminutive Calgary rookie Johnny Gaudreau (GOO’-droh) and guiding him toward scoring a goal.
Nashville’s Shea Weber fired the hardest shot with a 108.5-mph blast. Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks had the fastest time in the accuracy shooting, and Tampa Bay’s Jonathan Drouin was the fastest skater.
The team captained by Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno (foh-LEE’-noh defeated one led by Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews (tayvz), 25-19.
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tyler Johnson could miss Sunday All-Star game because of a lower body injury that prevented him from participating in the skills competition. Johnson is eighth in the league with a team-high 48 goals on 17 goals and 31 assists in 46 games this season.
The Lightning did not reveal the severity of the injury of how Johnson was injured.
MLB-SELIG
Outgoing commissioner talks with AP
NEW YORK (AP) β Outgoing baseball commissioner Bud Selig (SEE’-lihg) says he leaves with no regrets after nearly 22 1/2 years on the job.
Selig spoke to The Associated Press on his final day on the job before giving way to Rob Manfred. He said he envisions the possibility of Major League Baseball expanding to other countries.
Selig also defended the actions of the game in how it dealt with the drug crisis that dominated the news for several years and said he leaves the game with no major problems.
MLB expanded the playoffs, added instant replay and changed the All-Star Game format under his direction.
MLB-WHITE SOX
Coleman back in the game
CHICAGO (AP) β The Chicago White Sox have hired six-time National League steals champion Vince Coleman as a base-running instructor. The last player to steal 100 bases in a season will work with major leaguers and minor leaguers throughout the season.
TENNIS-AUSTRALIAN OPEN
UPDATE: Reaching the quarters
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) β Now he’s no longer just the kid who upset Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon, he’s also the teenager who beat the guy who beat Roger Federer at the Australian Open.
Nick Kyrgios came back from two sets down and saved a match point to beat Andreas Seppi 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 8-6 on Sunday night, becoming the first Aussie to reach the last eight in Melbourne Park men’s draw since 2005, and the first male teenager since Federer to reach two Grand Slam quarterfinals.
Second-seeded Maria Sharapova has reached the quarterfinals with a dominant performance against No. 21 Peng Shaui (pehng shway).
Sharapova won the last nine games in a 6-3, 6-0 victory to set up another meeting with seventh seed Eugenie (yoo-JEE’-nee) Bouchard.
No. 3 seed Simona Halep advanced to the quarterfinals for the second straight year with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium.
Bouchard advanced with 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Irina-Camelia Begu. Bouchard is 0-3 lifetime against Sharapova, who has beaten her in the last two French Opens.
No. 10 Ekatarina Makarova also advanced to the quarters with 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Julia Goerges.
Sharapova isn’t the only former champion to reach the quarters on Sunday. Rafael Nadal (nah-DAHL’) stayed in contention for his second Australian Open title with a 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 win over Kevin Anderson.
Next up for Nadal is Tomas Berdych, who reached the quarters for the fifth consecutive year with a 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 win over local hope Bernard Tomic. The seventh-seeded Berdych hit 52 winners and broke Tomic four times.
PGA-HUMANA CHALLENGE
Four-way tie for Humana lead
LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) β Erik Compton shares the lead with three others through 54 holes of the PGA’s Humana Challenge in California.
Compton fired a 5-under-par 67 for a 17-under total, tying him with Bill Haas, Justin Thomas and first-round leader Michael Putnam.
Matt Kuchar (KOO’-chur) had a two-shot lead until he bogeyed three of the last four holes to fall one stroke back. Kuchar is tied with Ryan Palmer, Scott Pinckney and Steve Wheatcroft.
Champions Tour-Mitsubishi Electric Championship
Co-leaders heading into third round
KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii (AP) β Miguel Angel Jimenez has moved into a first-place tie with Rocco Mediate through two rounds of the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii.
Jimenez moved up the leaderboard with an 8-under-par 64 that puts him 11-under for the tournament. Mediate followed Friday’s 66 with a 5-under 67, keeping him two strokes ahead of Olin Browne.
FIGURE SKATING-US NATIONALS
Wagner wins
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) β Ashley Wagner has won her third U.S. figure skating title, bouncing back better than ever from last year’s miserable performance.
Wagner added two new combinations to her long program, and she landed both of them for a total of seven triples. Her 148.98 points for the free skate and 221.02 overall were U.S. Championships records, beating defending champ Gracie Gold by a whopping 15.48.
FIGURE SKATING-CRANSTON-OBIT
Canadian Olympic figure skater dies
UNDATED (AP) β Canadian figure skater and former Olympian Toller Cranston has died, according to Skate Canada. He was 65.
Cranston was a six-time Canadian senior men’s champion who earned bronze medals in the 1974 world championships and 1976 Olympics.
