February 21, 2021 8:03 am
PITTSBURGH — Florida State is way more than leading scorer M.J. Walker. Raiquan Gray had 16 points and eight rebounds, and the 16th-ranked Seminoles beat Pittsburgh 79-72 on Saturday for their third straight win. Florida State (13-3, 9-2 ACC) led for more than 35 minutes, but never by more than 11 points. Malik Osborne had 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds. RayQuan Evans also scored 12 points, and Scottie Barnes had 11. Pitt (9-9, 5-8) was able to shut down Walker, who finished 0 for 5 with no points, but Florida State’s depth was too much for the Panthers. Nine Florida State players scored four points or more. Walker remains seven points away from 1,000 for his career. Pitt (9-9, 5-8) shot 38.2% from the floor as Florida State used its size advantage and reserves to wear down the Panthers on both ends of the court. The Panthers were able to close the margin to four points in the game’s final minute after a Xavier Johnson jumper. Evans made five free throws down the stretch to help secure the victory.
February 20, 2021 2:57 am
One of the busiest local sports weeks crescendos to a conclusion Saturday. We’ve already provided live coverage of the AA Section 1 and AAA Section 4 Sub-Section wrestling tournaments. Over the next few days, we’ll have three high school basketball games, two Section wrestling tournaments and the WPIAL AA Championships. Here’s the schedule for the rest of the weekend:
Saturday, 8:50 am AAA Section 4 Wrestling Tournament (AM)
Saturday, 1:20 pm North Allegheny at Trinity girls basketball (FM)
Saturday, 1:50 pm WPIAL AA Wrestling Quarterfinals, Semifinals (AM)
Saturday, 5:20 pm WPIAL AA Wrestling Championship & Consolation Finals (AM)
February 20, 2021 3:56 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is showing no signs of slowing down as he reaches the 1,000-game plateau. Crosby will reach the milestone when Pittsburgh hosts the New York Islanders. He is the first member of the Penguins to reach the 1,000-game mark and at age 33 remains as dynamic as ever. Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan says Crosby’s work ethic sets him apart. Crosby is off to a solid start for the Penguins this season. His six goals are tied for tops on the team.
February 20, 2021 3:57 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Infielder Todd Frazier has agreed to a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates that includes an invitation to big league spring training. If Frazier is added to the 40-man roster, he would get a one-year contract paying a $1.5 million salary while in the major leagues. The Pirates are in need of depth at both corner infield spots after trading first baseman Josh Bell to Washington in the offseason. Colin Moran will move from third base to first full-time, with Ke’Bryan Hayes penciled in the starter at third. The 35-year-old Frazier hit .236 with four homers last season.
February 20, 2021 3:58 am
DETROIT (AP) – Antoine Davis had 26 points as Detroit Mercy topped Robert Morris 85-74. Davis made all 10 of his free throws. He added eight assists. Noah Waterman had 19 points for Detroit Mercy (10-9, 9-6 Horizon League), which earned its fifth consecutive home victory. Bul Kuol added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Chris Brandon had 14 points. Charles Bain had 19 points for the Colonials (4-13, 3-11). Cameron Wilbon added 15 points and six rebounds, and Jon Williams had 14 points.
February 19, 2021 3:54 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sidney Crosby picked up his sixth goal of the season, Tristan Jarry stopped 31 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins held off the New York Islanders 4-1. Teddy Blueger, Jason Zucker and Bryan Rust also scored for the Penguins. Pittsburgh collected just its third regulation victory of the season to bounce back from a dismal loss to Washington. Semyon Varlamov made 33 saves for the Islanders and Brock Nelson scored late to help the Islanders avoid being shut out but New York’s three-game winning streak came to a halt.
February 19, 2021 3:56 am
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – E.J. Liddell scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half and No. 4 Ohio State outlasted Penn State 92-82. Duane Washington scored 21 points and C.J. Walker added 13 for the Buckeyes, who used a 15-0 run midway through the second half to take control and win their seventh straight. Myreon Jones led Penn State with 18 points. Izaiah Brockington and Seth Lundy each scored 12 points and Jamari Wheeler added 11 for the Nittany Lions, who lost their third straight.
February 19, 2021 3:57 am
UNDATED (AP) – Jared Goff and Carson Wentz went 1-2 in the 2016 NFL Draft. Less than five years later, the quarterbacks have gone 1-2 in the NFL trade market. A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that the Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to trade Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round pick in this year’s draft and a conditional second-round selection next year. The 2022 draft pick can turn into a first-round pick if Wentz plays 75% of the snaps this year or 70% and the Colts make the playoffs. Wentz is coming off the worst season of his five-year career and was benched for rookie Jalen Hurts after 12 games. He was 11-2 with the 2017 Eagles before a knee injury ended his season and Philadelphia went on to win its only Super Bowl title. Wentz is an ideal fit to succeed Philip Rivers, who retired after leading the Colts to the playoffs in his only season in Indianapolis.
February 18, 2021 2:12 am
At the start of this basketball season, the WPIAL announced it would host an open basketball tournament, allowing every team to participate. This was an effort to mitigate COVID-19 impacts of unbalanced schedules and game cancellations. Member schools have to notify the League by 3 pm on Thursday if they are planning to participate. Over the weekend, WJPA surveyed Washington County athletic directors. Today, Ringgold joined 11 other schools in the county, deciding to enter the boys and girls playoffs. The Bentworth boys and girls teams along with the Beth-Center girls have opted out of the League’s first open tournament since 1984. Beth-Center previously said that neither of its teams would advance but decided to enter the boys tournament. Playoff brackets will be assembled by the League and announced Tuesday evening with the first round starting as early as Feb. 27.
February 18, 2021 3:54 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert says there’s work to be done if the team wants to bring back quarterback Ben Roethlisberger next season. Roethlisberger and the team have talked about reducing the veteran’s NFL-high $41 million salary-cap hit. Colbert pointed to a lowering of the salary cap and a roster in transition as significant obstacles to navigate if Roethlisberger wants to play an 18th season in Pittsburgh.
