Monmouth Edges Pitt At The Pete

December 13, 2021 2:57 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – George Papas had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, Shavar Reynolds added 14 points and Monmouth beat Pittsburgh 56-52. Papas scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers, in the first half. He made back-to-back 3s to take the lead for good and spark a 17-2 run that he capped with a layup and then a 3-pointer that gave the Hawks a 13-point lead midway through the first half. Jamarious Burton scored 13 of 15 points in the second half for Pitt (3-7). John Hugley and Femi Odukale added 14 points apiece. The Hawks (8-2) are off to their best start since winning 8 of 10 games to start the 2015-16 season

WVU Tops Kent State

December 13, 2021 2:59 am

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Taz Sherman scored 27 points to lead West Virginia to a 63-50 victory over Kent State on Sunday. Sean McNeil added 19 points for West Virginia, which won its sixth straight. The Mountaineers continue to have problems getting production from anyone besides Sherman and McNeil. No other West Virginia player scored more than four. After Kent State coach Rob Senderoff was ejected with 7:54 left, McNeil sank four free throws and capped a 14-0 run with a layup for a 54-37 lead. West Virginia shot poorly from the free-throw line for the second straight game, shooting 54%. Sincere Carry scored 18 points to lead Kent State.

DeSmith Shuts Out Ducks

December 12, 2021 7:57 am

PITTSBURGH — Goaltender Casey DeSmith found his confidence and it helped the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins to another win on Saturday night. DeSmith stopped all 33 shots he faced, and Brock McGinn gave the Pittsburgh Penguins the only goal they needed for a 1-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks. It was DeSmith’s seventh career shutout and first of the season, and his second straight win in his sixth appearance. DeSmith played four times in the team’s first 24 games and didn’t record a win. But in his last two, he has stopped 61 of 62 shots. McGinn scored his seventh of the season on Pittsburgh’s first shot of the game, 5:12 into the first period. He beat Ducks goalie John Gibson with a one-timer from the right faceoff dot off the rush, set up by Zach Aston-Reese with a backhand pass to the blueline. Sidney Crosby’s seven-game point streak ended, but Pittsburgh won its fourth straight game and ninth in 12 games.

Steelers In Tough Spot For Final Stretch Of Season

December 12, 2021 4:05 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves running in place as the season winds down. A 36-28 loss to Minnesota dropped Pittsburgh to 6-6-1 with four games to play. The Vikings pushed around the Steelers on both sides of the ball for long stretches. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin substituted liberally in search of a spark but couldn’t stop his team from failing to win for the fourth time in the last five games. The Steelers have 10 days to recover before hosting Tennessee on Dec. 19.

Pens Top Caps In Washington

December 11, 2021 4:03 am

WASHINGTON (AP) – Danton Heinen, Brock McGinn and Kasperi Kapanen scored, Sidney Crosby had two assists and the Pittsburgh Penguins held on to beat the rival Washington Capitals 4-2. The Penguins controlled the play for the first two periods before the Capitals mounted a comeback in the third. Pittsburgh extended its winning streak to three. Washington’s brief two-game streak came to an end. It was the 85th NHL meeting between Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Lars Eller scored for Washington.

NC State Breezes By Pitt Women’s Basketball In ACC Opener

December 11, 2021 4:04 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Raina Perez and Camille Hobby scored 15 points each to lead No. 2 North Carolina State over Pittsburgh 89-54 in the ACC opener for both teams. Perez made three 3-pointers, and the Wolfpack shot 47% from beyond the arc. Hobby scored all of her points in 12 minutes. NC State has won nine straight since opening the season with a loss to top-ranked South Carolina. Diamond Johnson scored 10 points for the Wolfpack. Elissa Cunane finished with nine points and 12 rebounds as NC State held a 51-37 advantage on the boards.

Steelers Late Rally Falls Short Against Vikings

December 10, 2021 3:51 am

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Vikings held on to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 36-28 by forcing an incomplete pass in the end zone on the final play. Ben Roethlisberger’s throw to Pat Freiermuth was on target. Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith sandwiched the rookie tight end at just the right moment to dislodge the ball. The Vikings nearly squandered a 29-0 late third-quarter lead. Dalvin Cook rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns in his faster-than-expected return from a shoulder injury for the Vikings. Roethlisberger had three touchdown passes in the second half. The Vikings improved to 6-7. The Steelers are 6-6-1.

Demaryius Thomas Found Dead In Home

December 10, 2021 3:55 am

ATLANTA (AP) – Former Denver Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas has been found dead in his suburban Atlanta home, according to local police.  The public information officer for the police department in Roswell, Georgia, says preliminary information is that Thomas’ death stems from a medical issue, and investigators currently have no reason to believe otherwise.  Thomas earned five straight Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring. He last played in the NFL in 2019, playing 11 games with 10 starts for the New York Jets.

Al Unser Dies At 82

December 10, 2021 7:55 am

Al Unser, one of only four drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 a record four times, died Thursday following years of health issues. He was 82. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said early Friday that Unser died at his home in Chama, New Mexico. Unser was part of an elite club of four-time winners of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Unser won in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987, and is the only driver with both a sibling and a child who also won the 500. His namesake son, Al Unser Jr., is a two-time winner. The Unser family combined for a record nine wins in the Indy 500.

PIAA Delays New Enrollment Classifications

December 10, 2021 3:36 am

The PIAA Board of Directors decided to delay the release of new two-year enrollment numbers until early January. The Association said it recently became aware of inconsistencies among schools in how Vo-Tech students were counted. The Board gave schools until Dec. 15 to check/re-submit their numbers. Following that, PIAA will recalculate the distribution of teams for each sport and notify all schools. Districts wishing to “play up” will have until Jan. 5 to notify PIAA and final numbers will then be released in early January. According to reports, as many as 40 WPIAL schools reported issues with their vo-tech numbers, triggering the PIAA pause.