December 22, 2024 7:40 am
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists and Jacob Markstrom made 12 saves for his second shutout of the season as the New Jersey Devils beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0. Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils, who won for the fourth time in five games. Tristan Jarry made 25 saves for the Penguins, who were shut out for the third time this season.
December 21, 2024 7:49 am
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Jeremiyah Love tied the Notre Dame record with a 98-yard touchdown run, Riley Leonard added two more scores and the Fighting Irish shut down the highest-scoring team in the College Football Playoff, overwhelming Indiana 27-17 on Friday night. The seventh-seeded Fighting Irish (12-1) won their 11th straight — and their first playoff victory. They’ll face second-seeded Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. Tenth-seeded Indiana (11-2) completed a magical season by finishing with its second fewest points this season on a cold, brisk night in the first CFP game ever played on a campus site. Both of the Hoosiers’ losses came to top-five opponents. Indiana hasn’t won at Notre Dame since 1898.
UNDATED (AP) — Penn State and SMU head into the College Football Playoff with the weight of history on their shoulders. This is the Nittany Lions’ best shot at making a run at a national title since the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal tarnished the program 13 years ago. SMU is still perhaps best known for being given the death penalty by the NCAA in the 1980s for illegally paying players. Former Nittany Lions give coach James Franklin credit for bringing the program back to prominence. Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee says the work to restore SMU’s reputation began long before he arrived in 2022.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 13 Clemson got into the College Football Playoff on a thunderous kick in the final seconds of the ACC championsip. No. 4 Texas limped in after a great regular season was deflated by a frustrating overtime loss to Georgia in the SEC title game. Now these two heavyweights meet for the first time with even higher stakes: Their first round showdown in the newly expanded College Football Playoff on Saturday is the first step toward what both hope is a national championship. Clemson (10-3) was all but forgotten after a season-opening humiliation at the hands of Georgia, and now has some swagger and a puncher’s chance of winning the whole thing. Clemson won national titles in 2016 and 2018 but missed the playoff the last four seasons. Texas (11-2) is the only one of last year’s four playoff teams to make it into the expanded field this season. The Longhorns peaked at No. 1 at midseason and their only two losses were to Georgia, the No. 2 seed in the playoff.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — No. 7 Tennessee will play sixth-ranked Ohio State in a first-round College Football Playoff game under the lights in the Horseshoe on Saturday night. Tennessee emerged from the tough SEC to earn this game. The Buckeyes are playing for respect and redemption after an embarrassing loss to Michigan to wrap up the regular season. The best matchup might be in the trenches. Ohio State’s injury-ravaged offensive line will try to contain Vols pass rusher James Pearce Jr. and one of the best defensive lines in the nation. This will be the first December game in the 102-year history of Ohio Stadium.
December 21, 2024 4:53 am
(AP) A person familiar with the decision says Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was fined $5,628 by the NFL for wearing mismatched cleats that were not “constitutional team colors.” The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league had not disclosed the fine, which stemmed from Hurts wearing Air Jordan cleats in two different shades of green during the Eagles’ 27-13 victory over the Steelers on Sunday. The Nike subsidiary behind the shoes indicated on social media that it would pay Hurts’ fine. Jordan Brand said on X: “We’re paying the fine. You can’t ban greatness.”
December 21, 2024 7:00 am
High school basketball teams wrap up section play Thursday/Friday ahead of the two-week holiday break.
Friday Girls
5A Trinity 49, Baldwin 33
Friday boys
5A Baldwin 56, Trinity 45
5A Bethel Park 60, Ringgold 52
3A Bishop Canevin 61, Wash High 59
3A Southmoreland 52, Charleroi 45
3A Waynesburg 69, Brownsville 41
2A Springdale 63, Bentworth 41
2A Greens. Central Catholic 96, California 37
2A Beth-Center 71, Fort Cherry 58
2A West Greene 52, Chartiers-Houston 51
2A Jeff-Morgan 75. Mapletown 29
Thursday girls
6A Upper St. Clair 66, Canon-McMillan 44
4A Yough 37, Ringgold 30
3A McGuffey 67, Charleroi 6
2A Burgettstown 44, Northgate 11
2A Ft. Cherry 66, Carlynton 18
2A Bentworth 29, Jeff-Morgan 28
2A Chartiers Houston 48, Beth Center 15
2A California 51, Carmichaels 17
1A Serra Catholic 71, Avella 46
1A Clairton 83, West Greene 72
1A Monessen 45, Mapletown 28
Thursday boys
1A Nazareth Prep 80, Avella 41
December 20, 2024 4:24 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Bryan Rust scored his second goal of the game 1:07 into overtime and Sidney Crosby had a season-high four points as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Nashville Predators 5-4. Rust also had two assists and Crosby finished with a goal and three assists. Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who have won three of four. Tristan Jarry made 22 saves. Crosby, the Pitsburgh captain, snapped a 10-game goal drought. Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Luke Evangelista and Brady Skjei scored for Nashville. Juuse Saros stopped 15 shots, and Filip Forsberg had two assists.
December 20, 2024 4:21 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Anna DeBeer recorded 14 kills before leaving with a right ankle injury, Payton Peterson recorded consecutive aces in her place and top-seeded Louisville beat No. 1 overall seed Pittsburgh 3-1 to reach its second NCAA volleyball championship in three years. The host Cardinals stopped a four-match losing streak against the Panthers, including two this season, and will face the winner of the second semifinal between Big Ten foes Penn State and Nebraska in Sunday’s championship. Louisville overcame a 25-21 opening-set loss to beat Pitt 25-23, 29-27 and 25-17. All-American outside hitter/right setter Olivia Babcock had 33 kills for the Panthers, whose 18-match winning streak was snapped.
Jess Mruzik had 26 kills, Caroline Jurevicius had 20 and Penn State rallied from an 0-2 semifinal hole for a five-set victory over Nebraska to reach the NCAA championship. Penn State will face host Louisville, which eliminated No. 1 overall seed Pitt 3-1 in the first semifinal, and set up a historic NCAA final between two women coaches. Katie Schumacher-Cawley guides the Lions, while Dani Busboom-Kelly leads the Cardinals. The Nittany Lions dropped the first two sets 23-25 and 25-18 before winning the next two 25-23 and 28-26 and 15-13 in the tiebreaker.
December 19, 2024 4:47 am
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins are bringing a familiar face back to their blue line. The Penguins traded future considerations to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Joseph has played in 23 games with St. Louis this season and amounted two assists. Joseph made his NHL debut with the Penguins in the 2020-21 season and signed with the Blues as a free agent in July 2024. In Pittsburgh, he played in 147 games and had eight goals and 29 assists. Joseph was traded to the Penguins in 2019, along with Alex Galchenyuk, for Phil Kessel, Dane Birks and a fourth-round pick in 2021 NHL Draft.
December 19, 2024 4:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — New Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz is eager to get to work. Horwitz was acquired by the Pirates during a dizzying 90-minute stretch in early December in which he was traded from Toronto to Cleveland to Pittsburgh. The Pirates are hoping the 27-year-old can bring some stability to a position that’s been a revolving door of late. They have had four different opening day first basemen in each of the last four seasons. Horwitz hit .265 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs in 97 games in 2024 for the Blue Jays.
December 19, 2024 4:39 am
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Lamar Jackson will finally have help he’s never enjoyed before against Pittsburgh. He’ll face the Steelers in front of a packed stadium that’s actually cheering for him. This weekend’s showdown between the Steelers and Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens is only the second time the star quarterback has faced Pittsburgh at home. The other was in 2020, with the coronavirus pandemic limiting the announced crowd to 4,345. Jackson is 1-4 as a starter against Pittsburgh. He’s never had a passer rating higher than 80.1 in a full game against the Steelers.
December 19, 2024 4:41 am
Besides first-round games at on-campus sites, the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff also serves up something now for this postseason: cold-weather northern venues as opposed to bowl games in warm, sunny climates. Whether that provides a home-field advantage for sixth-seeded Penn State, No. 7 seed Notre Dame and No. 8 Ohio State remains to be seen, but it’s a factor southern schools such No. 11 SMU and No. 9 Tennessee must prepare for. Tenth-seeded Indiana only has to travel a couple hundred miles north to South Bend but December football will be new to the Hoosiers, especially at No. 7 seed Notre Dame.
