December 13, 2020 7:38 am
PITTSBURGH — — Justin Champagnie scored 24 points and set career highs with 21 rebounds and five assists to help Pittsburgh win its fourth straight with a 67-50 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday. Champagnie is the 11th player in program history to have at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game for the Panthers (4-1) and the first to do it in back-to-back games. He had 20 points and 20 rebounds in a 71-70 win over Northwestern on Wednesday. Gardner-Webb missed its first 18 shots from the field and was scoreless until Anthony Selden’s 3-pointer with 7:43 left in the half cut the Panthers’ lead to 14-3. The Bulldogs (0-2) closed within 25-18 before the end of the period but got no closer in the second half. Xavier Johnson added 12 points for Pitt, including the Panthers’ only 3-pointer. Pitt finished 1 of 18 from 3-point range.
December 13, 2020 7:37 am
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Little by little over the last three games, Penn State has come closer to being the team coach James Franklin thought he’d have before the season began. A come-from-behind, 39-24 win over Michigan State on Saturday is evidence enough for Franklin to know the Nittany Lions have put their early-season struggles behind them. Quarterback Sean Clifford completed 17 of 27 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns and added 48 yards and another touchdown on the ground. Parker Washington hauled in a pair of touchdown passes for the Nittany Lions (3-5) who trailed 21-10 at halftime. Backup quarterback Will Levis added a rushing touchdown and receiver Jahan Dotson returned a punt 81 yards for a score for the Nittany Lions who won their third straight.
December 13, 2020 7:36 am
WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Singing the alma mater second never felt quite like this for Army. These Black Knights accomplished something never before done in the history of their rivalry with Navy: Beating the Midshipmen at West Point. Tyhier Tyler scored on a 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter, the Army defense stoned Navy with a goal-line stand in the third, and the Black Knights beat their archrival 15-0 on Saturday at fog-shrouded Michie Stadium. It was the first meeting between the teams at West Point since a 13-0 Navy shutout in 1943. The storied game is typically played at a neutral site like Philadelphia or Baltimore but the pandemic changed those plans. The game was moved to Michie Stadium from Philadelphia because COVID-19 regulations in Pennsylvania would not have allowed the Corps of Cadets and Brigade of Midshipmen to attend.
December 12, 2020 3:59 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The University of Pittsburgh football team says it will not participate in a bowl game. The school made the announcement the day after finishing the regular season at 6-5 thanks to a victory over Georgia Tech. The school says players voted to end the season, a decision supported by head coach Pat Narduzzi and athletic director Heather Lyke. Lyke and Narduzzi both praised the players for their hard work to abide by the strict health protocols brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
December 12, 2020 3:59 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Sean McNeil scored 15 points and No. 11 West Virginia rallied in the second half for a 62-50 win over North Texas on Friday. Taz Sherman added 13 points and Derek Culver had 10 points – all in the second half – and 10 rebounds for the Mountaineers. West Virginia trailed by eight points at halftime but scored the first 18 points of the second half to take control. Culver scored seven points during the decisive run. Javion Hamlet scored 15 points and Thomas Bell had 12 for North Texas.
December 11, 2020 3:53 am
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) – Cam Akers rushed for 171 yards in a breakout performance, Kenny Young returned an interception 79 yards for a touchdown and the Los Angeles Rams clinched their fourth straight winning season with a 24-3 victory over the New England Patriots on Thursday night. Jared Goff rushed for a touchdown and threw a TD pass to Cooper Kupp as the Rams, now 9-4, rolled to a one-sided victory in a rematch of their 13-3 Super Bowl loss in February 2019. Cam Newton passed for 119 yards before getting replaced by Jarrett Stidham in the fourth quarter of another dismal offensive game for New England. The Pats are now 6-7. Five days after the Patriots scored 45 points at SoFi Stadium against the Chargers, New England endangered its push for a 12th straight playoff berth with only its second loss in six games.
December 11, 2020 3:58 am
West Virginia has paused all football activities for the next seven days and will not host No. 13 Oklahoma on Saturday due to a surge of positive COVID-19 cases and contact tracing in the football program. Athletic director Shane Lyons says the game will not be rescheduled. The next game for the Sooners will instead be the Big 12 championship game against No. 10 Iowa State in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 19.
December 11, 2020 3:50 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers rookie outside linebacker Alex Highsmith drew raves from coaches following his first NFL start. Highsmith had five tackles in Pittsburgh’s loss to Washington while playing a season-high 60 snaps. Highsmith was thrust into a starting role after veteran Bud Dupree was lost for the season because of a knee injury. Highsmith is making the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker and has won defensive coordinator Keith Butler over with his “football IQ.” Highsmith and the Steelers face a stiff test when they travel to Buffalo to take on quarterback Josh Allen and the surging Bills.
December 11, 2020 3:56 am
Pittsburgh has taken right-hander Jose Soriano from the Los Angeles Angels organization with the first of 18 picks in the major league phase of the winter meeting draft of players not protected on 40-man rosters. The 22-year-old Soriano was 0-1 with a 1.93 ERA in three starts for the Arizona Rookie League Angels in 2019 and 5-6 with a 2.55 ERA in 15 starts and two relief appearances for Burlington of the Class A Midwest League. He missed last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
December 11, 2020 3:54 am
UNDATED (AP) – Outfielder Adam Eaton and the Chicago White Sox have reunited, finalizing a one-year contract that guarantees $8 million. Eaton gets $7 million next season, and the White Sox have an $8.5 million option for 2022 with a $1 million buyout. Eaton played for Chicago from 2014-16 and was dealt to the Washington Nationals at the December 2016 winter meetings for current ace Lucas Giolito, Dane Dunning and Reynaldo Lopez. Eaton helped the Nationals win the World Series in 2019. They declined their option on him after he hit .226 in 41 games last season.
