December 16, 2022 4:04 am
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) – Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang scored in his third game back since having a stroke and the Penguins beat the Florida Panthers 4-2 on Thursday night. Letang had the stroke Nov. 28, returned to practice 10 days later and got back in the lineup Saturday against Buffalo. In the second period against Florida, Letang scored a short-handed goal off a breakaway pass from Bryan Rust to tie it at 1. Jake Guentzel scored twice and Evgeni Malkin added a power-play goal for the Penguins. They won for the seventh consecutive time and are 12-1-1 in their past 14 games. áTristan Jarry made 32 saves to win his sixth consecutive start. Ryan Lomberg and Sam Reinhart scored for Florida.
December 16, 2022 4:01 am
SEATTLE (AP) – Rookie Brock Purdy a pair of touchdown passes to George Kittle, and the San Francisco 49ers won their first NFC West title since 2019, beating the Seattle Seahawks 21-13. Despite using their third starting quarterback this season, the 49ers continued to show they might be the class of the NFC alongside Philadelphia. San Francisco won its seventh straight, using its stifling defense to frustrate Seattle into countless mistakes. Playing on the road for the first time in his career, Purdy connected on his first 11 pass attempts. He finished 17 of 26 for 217 yards. Seattle lost for the fourth time in five games and its playoff hopes took another hit.
December 16, 2022 3:58 am
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Claire Chaussee had 25 kills, Anna DeBeer filled up the stat sheet and Louisville made history as the first ACC team to make the NCAA Volleyball Championship match by beating league rival Pittsburg 3-2 in the semifinals. Louisville won by scores of 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 22-25 and 15-2. DeBeer served the first eight points of the deciding set and PK Kong had four of her career-high 11 blocks as the Cardinals blitzed the Panthers. Elena Scott picked up her fifth ace, matching DeBeer, and Amaya Tillman two of her seven blocks as Louisville finished with a season high 19. Louisville hit .750 in the final set, Pitt was minus .353.
December 15, 2022 3:52 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Mason Rudolph has spent four-plus seasons being whatever the Pittsburgh Steelers have asked him to be. Never raising a fuss. Never saying the wrong thing. Third-string quarterback. Backup to Ben Roethlisberger. Spot starter. Benched in favor of an undrafted free agent. Agreeing to a one-year extension in hopes of being Roethlisberger’s successor only to have the Steelers spend last spring signing one quarterback and drafting another. The years change. Rudolph’s role too. His attitude, outwardly anyway, has not. So why start now? Of course, Rudolph would love to get the nod if rookie Kenny Pickett isn’t cleared from the concussion protocol in time to play Sunday at Carolina. Rudolph has been down this road before, however. Several times in fact. So no, he’s not getting ahead of himself even after splitting first-team snaps with Mitch Trubisky during practice on Wednesday. After spending the past three months watching from the sideline on game days after being made inactive, working with the ones (starters) was a pleasant break. And that’s it. “It was good to get some reps again and shake the rust off and be out there with the guys,” Rudolph said. “It was fun.” Asked if he viewed Mike Tomlin’s declining to announce a starter between himself or Mitch Trubisky — who has served as the primary backup after Pickett took over at halftime of Week 4 — if Pickett can’t go as a token of respect, the ever-politically correct Rudolph demurred. “I don’t read into it that much,” he said. “I just hear the decision has not been made so I need to prepare like I’m going to be the guy.”
December 15, 2022 3:48 am
Former Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller escaped sanctions when a report from the Independent Accountability Resolution Process largely accepted the program’s self-imposed penalties stemming from a NCAA rules violations case that dates back to 2017. Arizona’s athletics program was put on three years of probation through 2025. The school announced a one-year postseason ban in December 2020, which took effect for the 2020-21 season. The IARP report said former assistant coach Emanuel Richardson was given a 10-year show cause penalty after he “solicited and accepted $20,000 in cash bribes and paid $40,000 for a fraudulent academic transcript.” Miller emerged largely unscathed from the report. He is now the head coach at Xavier.
December 15, 2022 3:47 am
An investigation commissioned by the National Women’s Soccer League and its players union found “widespread misconduct” directed at players dating back to the beginnings nearly a decade ago of the top U.S. women’s professional league. A report detailing the results of the year-long investigation was published a little over two months after the release of U.S. Soccer’s own report on a separate investigation. Both investigations found instances of sexual abuse and manipulation within the league.
December 15, 2022 3:46 am
AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) – France and Kylian Mbappé are headed back to the World Cup final for a much-anticipated matchup with Lionel Messi after ending Morocco’s historic run at soccer’s biggest tournament. France beat Africa’s first ever semifinalist 2-0 with Mbappé playing a part in goals by Theo Hernandez in the fifth minute and then substitute Randal Kolo Muani in the 79th. France will head into Sunday’s title match against Argentina looking to become the first team to retain the World Cup title since Brazil in 1962. Mbappé has the chance to cement his status as soccer’s new superstar when he comes up against the 35-year-old Messi.
December 14, 2022 3:57 am
LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) – Lionel Messi is back in the World Cup final with Argentina on his mission to win soccer’s biggest prize for the first time. He could hardly be playing any better. Messi converted a penalty and had a hand in the other two goals by Julián Álvarez to lead Argentina to a 3-0 win over Croatia. It set up a meeting with either France or Morocco in Sunday’s title match. It will be the 35-year-old Messi’s second World Cup final in what might be his last ever appearance at the tournament. Croatia failed in its bid to reach a second straight World Cup final.
December 14, 2022 3:56 am
Star shortstop Carlos Correa and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a $350 million, 13-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations has told The Associated Press. The 28-year-old Correa also was a free agent one year ago after leaving the Houston Astros, and he reached a $105.3 million deal with the Minnesota Twins. That agreement gave him the right to opt out after one year and $35.1 million to hit the market again. Correa batted .291 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in his one season with Minnesota.
December 14, 2022 3:55 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has become the third NHL player to score 800 career goals. He scored three times at Chicago on Tuesday night. Ovechkin scored on his first two shots, beating Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek 24 seconds into the game before stuffing one home on a power play with 11:46 left in the first period. The 37-year-old winger then completed his 29th career hat trick when he knocked Anthony Mantha’s pass over a sprawled Mrazek 6:34 into the third. The rest of the Capitals jumped off the bench to celebrate after the milestone goal, and hats rained down on the ice from the crowd of 16,181 at the United Center. Fans then chanted “Ovi! Ovi!” – drawing a wave from Ovechkin. Washington beat Chicago 7-3.
