February 6, 2022 7:37 am
PITTSBURGH — Storm Murphy scored 10 of his 20 points in the final 8 minutes and Justyn Mutts added 16 to help Virginia Tech, which blew most of a 28-point second-half lead, hold off Pittsburgh for a 76-71 win on Saturday night. Nahiem Alleyne added 14 points for Virginia Tech (13-10, 5-7 Atlantic Coast Conference). Hunter Cattoor hit a 3-pointer to give the Hokies a 52-24 lead — their biggest of the game — about 30 seconds into the second half, but Pitt (8-15, 3-9) scored 15 of the next 18 points and later used another 15-3 run to trim its deficit to six when Jamarius Burton made to free throws with 8:22 to play. Murphy answered with a 3 just 29 seconds later and added to layups before he hit 1 of 2 free throws to push the lead back into double figures with 46 seconds left. Onyebuchi Ezeakudo hit a quick 3-pointer and after Alleyne missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Femi Odukale made another and then hit two free throws to make it 74-71 with 8 seconds to play. Storm made two foul shots to cap the scoring. Odukale scored 22 of his 25 points in the second half and Burton finished with 21 — including 14 after halftime — for Pitt. Mouhamadou Gueye added 13 points.
February 6, 2022 7:40 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Terrence Shannon yelled after falling to the floor following a first-half dunk and had to be helped off the court, dragging his right leg. He returned in time to help No. 14 Texas Tech get a rare road win. Bryson Williams scored 15 points, Shannon sparked a second-half comeback and the Red Raiders beat West Virginia 60-53 on Saturday. Under the first-year coach, the Red Raiders (18-5, 7-3 Big 12) have matched their win total from each of the past two seasons. And while Texas Tech won for the second time in six road games, the Red Raiders have won three straight and five of their last six, with the lone loss at Kansas in double overtime. West Virginia couldn’t hold onto a six-point halftime lead, making just four field goals in the second half.
February 6, 2022 7:43 am
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Any other time Jordan Spieth can see the golf ball sitting up on grass inside a red hazard line, it’s a simple choice: Hit the shot. Saturday at Pebble Beach was different. He could see the ball. He could also see a 60-foot drop off the cliff onto the ocean rocks below the edge of the eighth fairway. His caddie tried to talk him out of it three times. Spieth decided to take 7-iron from 162 yards, a real cliff-hanger of a shot, and he lived to tell about it. He wound up with par, the signature shot Saturday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am that was more memorable than anything Bill Murray, Macklemore or any of the other celebrities did. And it ultimately put Spieth right in the mix for another title at Pebble Beach with a 9-under 63, his best score in the tournament and leaving him one shot behind a trio at the top.
February 5, 2022 8:19 am
BEIJING (AP) – Norway has won gold in the biathlon mixed relay, beating France and the Russian team at the Beijing Olympics. Johannes Thingnes Boe of Norway, Quentin Fillon Maillet of France and Eduard Latypov of the Russian team left the range close together after the last round of shooting and raced for position until the final stretch, when Boe sprinted for the win. Norway came into the relay as the World Cup leader. Marte Olsbu Roeiseland and Tarjei Boe also had strong performances.
February 5, 2022 4:36 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman won the Hardest Shot competition and St. Louis’ Jordan Kyrou (KY’-roo) was the Fastest Skater during the NHL All-Star skills competition with a distinct Vegas flavor Friday night. Carolina’s Sebastian Aho (AH’-hoh) won the Accuracy Shooting contest at T-Mobile Arena on a night when the biggest impressions were left by the Sin City settings and showmanship. Columbus’ Zach Werenski won the Fountain Face-Off, in which the All-Stars stood on a floating platform in the middle of the Bellagio casino’s famous fountains up the Strip and shot light-up pucks at a series of targets all around them. Several more All-Stars then played a game called 21 in ’22, in which they shot at a 35-foot outdoor wall of oversized playing cards in a version of blackjack. Dallas’ Joe Pavelski won that competition by getting closest to 21.
February 5, 2022 4:34 am
BEIJING (AP) – Beijing Olympic organizers and the International Olympic Committee have responded to questions about why an athlete from China’s Uyghur community was picked to help deliver the Olympic flame to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games. The cross-country skier at the center of the issue is from Xinjiang province, where Western governments and human rights groups say the Beijing government has oppressed members of the Uyghur Muslim minority on a massive scale. The selection for the high-profile duty was seen by some as a provocation.
Asked about the choice, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said “we don’t discriminate against people on where they are from” and she was entitled to take part as a competitor.
February 5, 2022 4:32 am
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) – The Senior Bowl quarterbacks are vying to be No. 1. In an NFL draft where it seems unlikely for a passer to be the top overall NFL draft pick, that means a competition among players like Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, North Carolina’s Sam Howell and Liberty’s Malik Willis to be the first quarterback taken. They’ll culminate their weeklong NFL audition for NFL teams with Saturday’s Senior Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mississippi’s Matt Corral is also a candidate for the No. 1 status, but he couldn’t participate in the Senior Bowl since the junior hadn’t yet graduated.
February 4, 2022 3:25 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Major League Baseball has asked a federal mediator to intervene in stalled labor negotiations that likely will put off the start of spring training. On the 64th day of a lockout, MLB Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem asked the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to enter the dispute. An agreement by the players’ association is needed for the federal conciliation service to enter talks. The union declined comment and its lawyers were expected to consult with players. There is now almost no hope spring training workouts will start as scheduled on Feb. 16. Baseball’s ninth work stoppage will soon threaten opening day on March 31.
February 4, 2022 3:24 am
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Doug Pederson was the first person interviewed when the Jacksonville Jaguars opened their head coaching search on Dec. 30. He now has the job. Pederson waited more than month for a callback, got a second interview Tuesday and landed the job two days later. He led the Eagles to their lone Super Bowl victory four years ago and takes over for Urban Meyer, who was fired after 13 games and countless missteps in what will go down as one of the worst coaching tenures in NFL history.
February 4, 2022 3:22 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Bill Fitch has died at 89. Fitch was the original coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and guided the Boston Celtics to the 1981 NBA Championship. His 25-year NBA coaching career also included stops with the Houston Rockets, New Jersey Jets and Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in 1998. No cause of death was given.
