WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Auriemma’s milestone victory
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Geno Auriemma (aw-ree-EH’-muh) reached 900 victories faster than any other college coach when second-ranked UConn routed Cincinnati 96-36. Auriemma needed just 1,034 games to reach the milestone and is tied with former Texas coach Jody Conradt for fifth place on the all-time list of women’s college basketball coaches. Auriemma’s Huskies are 21-1.
He says he has no plans to slow down, saying: “I don’t want to stop setting the bar, and it’s up to everybody else to try and get there.”
Auriemma is 198 wins behind the all-time leader on the women’s coaching list, former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.
T25-SCHEDULE
Coach Cal’s club rises to 22-0
UNDATED (AP) — Andrew Harrison and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 38 points and scored key baskets down the stretch to help top-ranked Kentucky survive pesky Georgia 69-58. Coach John Calipari’s team, the lone remaining undefeated Division I men’s team left, improved to 22-0.
Harrison scored a season-high 23 points and Towns added 15 with 13 rebounds.
In other AP Top-25 hoops:
__ Frank Kaminsky scored 23 points and No. 5 Wisconsin overwhelmed Indiana, 92-78. Kaminsky was 9 of 12 from the field for the 20-2 Badgers. The Hoosiers played without leading scorer James Blackmon Jr., who had an ankle injury.
— Terry Rozier scored 22 points and No. 9-ranked Louisville overcame second-half shooting woes to beat the slumping Miami Hurricanes 63-55. The ‘Canes have lost three in a row.
— Seth Tuttle had 15 points and eight rebounds and Jeremy Morgan added 12 points as No. 14 Northern Iowa ran away from Indiana State 61-51.
__ Big 12 scoring leader Buddy Hield scored 21 points and No. 21 Oklahoma defeated No. 15 West Virginia 71-52.
— Kellen Dunham had 21 points and seven rebounds to lead No. 22 Butler to an 85-62 victory over St. John’s.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Celtics end slide
UNDATED (AP) — Avery Bradley scored 26 points, Jared Sullinger added 22 and the Boston Celtics snapped a three-game losing streak with a 108-97 victory over the New York Knicks.
Bradley shot 11 for 14 from the field for the Celtics. Carmelo Anthony was high man for the Knicks with 21.
In other NBA:
__ Golden State overwhelmed Sacramento 121-96 behind Stephen (STEH’-fihn) Curry’s 23 points. The Warriors improved their NBA-best record to 37-8, including 16-6 on the road. The Warriors rode a 23-0 spurt in the first half, holding the Kings scoreless for more than seven minutes.
__ The Portland Trail Blazers held off Utah 103-102. Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 25.
— D.J. Augustin had 25 points and 13 assists and the Detroit Pistons closed the first quarter on a 25-1 run in their 108-91 rout of Miami. Chris Bosh had 34 for the Heat.
__ Hollis Thompson scored a career-high 23 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 105-98 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Torrid Blues keep winning…Islanders and Canadiens lose at home
UNDATED (AP) — Vladimir Tarasenko tied the game late in the third period and then Jaden Schwartz scored in overtime to give the streaking St. Louis Blues a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Blues tied a franchise record with points in 12 consecutive games. They have won six straight and are 11-0-1 in their last 12.
In other hockey:
__ The Buffalo Sabres ended their club-record 14-game losing streak by shocking Montreal 3-2 at the Bell Centre. It’s the Sabres’ first road victory since Nov. 29, the last time they won in Montreal. Ex-Canadien captain Brian Gionta (JAHN’-tah) scored the game-winner for Buffalo, which is 15-33-3.
__ Jimmy Hayes’ second goal of the game 2:10 into the third period lifted the slumping Florida Panthers to a 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders. The Panthers are 2-6-1 in their last nine games.
__ Arizona surprised Columbus 4-1. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Shane Doan scored power-play goals in the second period.
— Troy Brouwer (BROW’ur) scored two goals, Braden Holtby stopped 27 shots and the Washington Capitals beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-0 for their second win in eight games.
— New Jersey nipped Ottawa 2-1. Mike Cammalleri scored the game-winner with his 17th goal early in the third period. The Devils have won seven of 11. __ Minnesota blanked Chicago 3-0 for the Wild’s fourth straight victory. Devan Dubnyk (DOOB’-nihk) stopped 24 shots in his third shoutout since joining Minnesota in mid-January.
__ Colorado nipped Dallas 3-2 in a shootout. Maxime (mahx-EEM’) Talbot scored the winner in the 11th round of the shootout.
— Mike Fisher had a goal and two assists, and the Nashville Predators handed the Toronto Maple Leafs a franchise record-tying 10th straight loss, 4-3.
__ Anaheim erased a two-goal deficit late in regulation and beat Carolina 5-4 in overtime. Ryan Getzlaf got the game-winner 45 seconds into OT.
__ Vancouver nipped Winnipeg 3-2. Lucas Sbisa (SPEE’-zah) got the game-winner 36 seconds into OT.
NFL-BROWNS
Wide receiver Gordon suspended for at least a year
CLEVELAND (AP) — The NFL suspended Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon for at least one year without pay for violating the league’s substance-abuse program. Gordon, who has already served two league suspensions, will have to apply for reinstatement.
The former Pro Bowler has been a repeat offender of the league’s drug policy, and his latest offense has jeopardized his once promising career. Last week, Gordon said his failed test was for alcohol.
NFL-BOGUS CROWD NOISE
Falcons’ owner admits it was done
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank says he has seen enough of the NFL’s investigation of fake crowd noise at Atlanta’s home games to acknowledge wrongdoing. The NFL has said it is trying to determine if the Falcons pumped artificial crowd noise into the Georgia Dome for home games the last two years. Apparently, the answer is yes.
Blank says he expects the league to report its findings in two to three weeks. The Falcons could be fined or penalized with the loss of a draft pick if found to have added fake crowd noise during the opposing team’s huddles.
SUPER BOWL
Parade delayed
BOSTON (AP) — The parade in Boston for the newly crowned NFL champion Patriots will take place Wednesday, weather permitting. Because of all the snow the event was pushed back a day by Mayor Marty Walsh. The decision was made by the city and the team after another foot of snow fell on Boston Monday.
According to the National Weather Service, Boston has seen a record 34.2 inches of snow over seven days.
In another Patriots note, special teams coach Scott O’Brien is retiring after 24 seasons in the NFL. Joe Judge will replace him. He had been O’Brien’s assistant since 2012.
SUPER BOWL
MVP Brady to give award to MVP on defense
BOSTON (AP) — Shortly after the Patriots completed their victory over the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, quite a few fans brought up the notion that MVP Tom Brady should give the truck he won for being named MVP to defensive back Malcolm Butler. The reasoning was that it was Butler who saved the game for the Patriots with his key last second interception.
Well, Brady has told listeners to WEEI radio in Boston that he intends to do just that, transfer ownership of the vehicle to the undrafted rookie out of West Alabama.
NFL-CHARGERS
Anchor of offensive line retiring
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Center Nick Hardwick of the Chargers has retired from the NFL after anchoring their offensive line since his rookie season of 2004. Hardwick says he decided at the start of the 2014 season that it would be his last. Hardwick had nerve problems during the 2013 season that he says “started to spiral out of control.” The 33-year-old started all 136 games he played in, including 67 straight.
MLB-NEWS
Angels’ Hamilton out 2 months…Angels, Rockies and Royals work out player deals
UNDATED (AP) — With spring training just around the corner, Los Angeles Angels slugger Josh Hamilton could be out for two months after surgery on his right shoulder. Hamilton, who was the 2010 American League MVP, will have surgery to repair his AC joint Wednesday.
In other baseball:
— Right-hander Garrett Richards and the Los Angeles Angels have avoided salary arbitration by finalizing a $3.2 million, one-year contract. Richards went 13-4 with a 2.61 earned run average last season.
— Kansas City’s postseason star Lorenzo Cain has agreed to a one-year contract for $2,725,000. The 28-year old Cain hit a team-best .301 with five homers, 53 RBIs and 28 steals in 33 chances last season.
MLB-CUBAN PLAYERS
MLB eliminates license requirement for Cuban players
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has eliminated its requirement that Cuban players obtain a license from the U.S. government before they are eligible to sign with big league teams.
The decision could speed the negotiating process for Yoan Moncada, a well-regarded 19-year-old infielder who left Cuba last year with permission from Cuba’s government.
MLB Executive Vice President Dan Halem sent a memorandum to teams Tuesday, saying the new policy was warranted following changes made last month by the U.S. government.
PGA-OBIT-SIFFORD
Charlie Sifford, first black on PGA Tour, dies at 92
UNDATED (AP) — Charlie Sifford, who only wanted a chance to play and broke the color barrier in golf as the first black PGA Tour member, died Tuesday night.
Sifford, who recently had suffered a stroke, was 92. Details of his death and funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
PGA of America President Derek Sprague says Sifford’s “love of golf, despite many barriers in his path, strengthened him as he became a beacon for diversity in our game.”
Sifford challenged the Caucasian-only clause and the PGA rescinded it in 1961. He won the Greater Hartford Open in 1967 and the Los Angeles Open in 1969. He also won the 1975 Senior PGA Championship, five years before the Champions Tour was created. He’s in the World Golf Hall of Fame and is a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.
The one goal that eluded him was a chance to play in the Masters, which did not invite its first black player until Lee Elder in 1975.
Tiger Woods has often said he would not have played golf if not for Sifford and other black pioneers.
PGA-CADDIES
Caddies suing Tour over bibs
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A group of PGA Tour caddies sued the PGA Tour in federal court for making them wear bibs that have the logo of the tournament sponsors without sharing in what it estimates as $50 million in endorsement revenue.
The class-action suit on behalf of 81 caddies was filed in San Francisco, where former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon successfully sued the NCAA for keeping college players from selling their marketing rights.
ARMSTRONG-MORE TROUBLE
Disgraced cyclist cited by police
ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — Authorities in Aspen, Colorado, say cyclist Lance Armstrong hit two parked cars with his SUV after a night of partying in Aspen but agreed to let his girlfriend take the blame to avoid national attention. Police say they cited Armstrong after the Dec. 28 hit-and-run but only after his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, admitted to lying for him.
Police say Hansen told them she had been driving home from a party when she lost control of Armstrong’s SUV, hitting the cars. But Hansen eventually told officers Armstrong was driving, and they both decided to let her take the blame.
