January 20, 2020 2:54 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Patrick Mahomes tip-toed down the sideline for a game-turning touchdown, added three TD passes, and the Kansas City Chiefs made their first Super Bowl in a half-century by beating the Tennessee Titans 35-24 for the AFC championship. In two weeks in Miami, they will play the winner of the NFC title game between Green Bay and San Francisco. Mahomes did his usual superb job passing, but it was his 27-yard tap dance down the left sideline late in the first half that gave the Chiefs their first lead. From there, they outran the run-oriented Titans and star back Derrick Henry.
January 19, 2020 7:28 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Xavier Johnson could have chosen a cliche, something about how no one game is more important than any other. Instead, the Pittsburgh point guard went the other way. Two years ago, the Panthers went winless in the Atlantic Coast Conference. On Saturday they completed their first-ever season sweep of North Carolina by using a dominant first half en route to a 66-52 victory. And while the reeling and injury ravaged Tar Heels are a bit of a mess at the moment, they’re still one of college basketball’s blue bloods. North Carolina (8-9, 1-5) has dropped four straight and is just 2-6 without freshman star Cole Anthony, who is nearing the end of his rehab after undergoing knee surgery last month. Despite having a week to get ready, the Tar Heels fell behind by double digits before the game was 10 minutes old and never really recovered. Williams remains stuck on 879 career wins, still tied with mentor Dean Smith for fourth all-time among men’s Division I coaches. If North Carolina can’t develop an offensive identity soon, Williams might have to wait a while before moving ahead of Smith. The Tar Heels committed 16 turnovers and shot just 32% (19 of 60) from the field. Pitt’s defense had something to do with it. The Panthers (12-6, 3-4) swarmed the Tar Heels from the opening tip, cutting off passing lanes and harassing North Carolina into a series of sloppy mistakes. Three times in the first half the Tar Heels were called for traveling, which Williams attributed Pitt’s relentless and a raucous student section that surrounds the court at Petersen Events Center.
January 18, 2020 4:07 am
UNDATED (AP) – Two-time Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year Travis Etienne is returning to Clemson for his senior season. Etienne became Clemson’s all-time rushing leader Monday night when he surpassed the old mark after gaining 78 yards in his team’s 42-25 loss to LSU for the national championship. He gained 1,614 yards and 19 touchdowns this season and holds the ACC career mark with 56 rushing TDs this year. Etienne was projected as a second-round selection if he chose to turn pro.
January 18, 2020 4:04 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins won for the 13th time in their last 17 games, but they needed overtime to get by the NHL’s worst team. Sidney Crosby scored a power-play goal 1:33 into overtime to complete the Penguins’ 2-1 victory at Detroit. The Red Wings led 1-0 early in the third period until Bryan Rust notched his 20th goal of the season. Rust also set up the game-winner and Evgeni Malkin had two assists as the Penguins pulled within four points of the first-place Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan Division. Filip Zadina had the long goal for the Wings, who lost for the 22nd time in their last 27 games.
January 17, 2020 3:57 am
The Mets say new manager Carlos Beltran and the team have agreed to part ways in the latest fallout from the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. Thursday’s announcement came two days after Boston cut ties with manager Alex Cora, who was Houston’s bench coach in 2017 when Beltran played for the Astros.
January 17, 2020 3:40 am
UNDATED (AP) – Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans is the first AFC championship since 2002 that doesn’t feature Tom Brady or Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger. Brady and the New England Patriots are missing from the conference championship weekend for the first time since 2010. Brady has been to 13 AFC title games and won nine of them. John Elway’s Denver Broncos defeated the Cleveland Browns in two of the most famous AFC title game showdowns and the Cincinnati Bengals beat the San Diego Chargers in 1982 in minus-59 degrees wind chill that left Dan Fouts with icicles hanging from his beard.
January 16, 2020 3:47 am
UNDATED (AP) -The Vegas Golden Knights have fired coach Gerard Gallant less than two years after he led them to the Stanley Cup Final in their first season of existence. Peter DeBoer was named as his replacement a month after being fired by the San Jose Sharks. Vegas has lost four in a row to fall out of a playoff position in the Western Conference. The team is just three points back of first place in the Pacific Division. Gallant is the seventh coach to lose his job this season and the fifth for performance reasons. DeBoer joins his fourth NHL team as head coach.
January 16, 2020 3:45 am
UNDATED (AP) – Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has ended speculation that he will retire. The Arizona Cardinals have re-signed the 36-year-old Fitzgerald to a one-year contract after he led the team with 75 receptions, 804 receiving yards and four touchdown grabs this season. Fitzgerald is the Cardinals’ all-time leader with 250 games played, 1.378 receptions, 17,083 receiving yards, 120 receiving touchdowns, 120 total touchdowns and 49 100-yard games. He ranks second on the NFL all-time list in receptions and receiving yards, while his touchdown catches are sixth.
January 15, 2020 3:41 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh forward Terrell Brown thought he had a game-tying tip-in with 21 seconds to play, but he was called for a foul on the play, allowing No. 11 Louisville to escape Pitt’s upset bid with a 73-68 overtime victory. Pitt guard Trey McGowens’ driving layup attempt bounced off the rim, and Brown put it back, appearing to tie the game, but he was whistled for an over-the-back foul against Louisville’s Malik Williams. Williams hit both free throws to put Louisville up by two possessions, securing the victory.
January 14, 2020 12:33 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sidney Crosby is back. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain will be in the lineup on Tuesday night when Pittsburgh faces Minnesota. Crosby hasn’t played since undergoing abdominal surgery on Nov. 14. The Penguins have thrived in spite of the extended absence of the three-time Stanley Cup winner. Pittsburgh is 18-6-4 since Crosby’s last appearance on Nov. 9, tied for the second-best mark in the league during that span. Crosby says his rehab from the surgery was slow at times but watching the team go on a roll helped him stay positive.
