NCAA Men’s Basketball
Last night:
#17 Michigan Wolverines 72, Penn State Nittany Lions 63
Robinson Leads #17 Wolverines Over Penn State
John Beilein has always coveted the type of player with near-limitless energy reserve who can provide a scoring spark off the bench. Michigan’s coach has found his man this year. Duncan Robinson supported #17 Michigan’s starters with 19 points and helped the Wolverines beat Penn State 72-63 on Wednesday night. Mo Wagner added 18 and Jordan Poole had 13 for the Wolverines (23-7, 12-5 Big Ten) who won their fourth straight. Tony Carr scored 21 points and Lamar Stevens added 19 for the Nittany Lions (19-11, 9-8) who trailed for all but about four minutes. The Wolverines entered the game having made 264 3-pointers, good for second in the conference. They dropped 10 more on the Nittany Lions including a pair of back-to-back shots from Wagner that broke up Penn State’s early second-half run. The Wolverines are guaranteed to be seeded no worse than fifth in the Big Ten tournament with the win.
Pitino: Louisville Should Consider Legal Action Against NCAA
Former Louisville coach Rick Pitino believes the school should consider taking legal action against the NCAA after the governing body ordered the Cardinals’ 2013 men’s basketball championship vacated as part of sanctions for a sex scandal. Pitino said Wednesday from attorney’s offices in New York that the NCAA’s decision was unfair. He did take responsibility for his assistant coaching hires and said he was defenseless, but he added that Louisville’s Board of Trustees should consider legal action “because the players deserve it.” The penalties handed down by the NCAA also include vacating 123 victories and the return of about $600,000 in conference revenue from the 2012-15 NCAA Tournaments.
NBA
Tonight:
Philadelphia 76ers @ Chicago Bulls 8 pm
Mavs’ Cuban Fined For Tanking Comments As He Begins Investigation Into Harassment
The NBA has fined outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban $600,000 for comments about tanking during a podcast with Hall of Famer Julius Erving. Commissioner Adam Silver said the fine was for “public statements detrimental to the NBA.” The podcast with Erving was posted Sunday, the day the All-Star game was played in Los Angeles. Cuban said that he met recently with some of his players and told them “losing is our best option.” Meanwhile, the Mavericks have hired outside counsel to investigate allegations of inappropriate conduct by former team president Terdema Ussery. The allegations were made public in a Sports Illustrated report that described a hostile workplace for women. Ussery was accused of making sexually suggestive remarks to several women while with the team from 1997-2015. The report said team website reporter Earl Sneed was twice accused of domestic assault while working for the Mavericks, including a guilty plea in a case that was dismissed when he met the conditions of the agreement.
Pistons’ Jackson Cleared For Light Workouts
Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson has been cleared to begin light workouts, although there is still no timeframe for his return to practice. Jackson hasn’t played since spraining his right ankle December 26 against the Pacers.
NHL
Last night:
Chicago Blackhawks 3, Ottawa Senators 2 (shootout)
Tonight:
Buffalo Sabres @ Detroit Red Wings 7:30 pm
Blackhawks Outlast Senators In Shootout
The Chicago Blackhawks were extended to a shootout before winning for just the second time in 11 games. Nick Schmaltz scored the clinching goal in the seventh round of the Hawks’ 3-2 win against Ottawa. Patrick Kane and rookie Alex DeBrincat also had shootout tallies to help Chicago win Joel Quenneville’s 1,600th game as an NHL head coach. Kane scored his team-leading 23rd goal and set up Artem Anisimov’s 16th in regulation for the Blackhawks.
Sabres’ Kane Expects To Be Traded
Buffalo Sabres forward Evander Kane says he fully expects to be dealt before Monday’s NHL’s traded deadline. Kane is in the final year of his contract and not considered a long-term fit for the last-place Eastern Conference team. Kane’s 19 goals rank second in Buffalo. He’s scored 20 or more in each of his previous two years since being acquired by the Sabres in a multi-player trade with the Winnipeg Jets in February 2015.
OLYMPICS
Women’s Hockey
Gold Medal Game
United States 3, Canada 2 (Shootout)
American Women Dethrone Canada In Shootout, Win Olympic Hockey Gold
The United States has the gold medal in Olympic women’s hockey for the first time in 20 years. The American women beat Canada in a shootout this morning for the 3-2 win. Canada had won the last four Olympic gold medals. Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson scored in the first extra round of the first shootout tiebreaker in Olympic women’s hockey history on Thursday to give the United States the gold medal. Maddie Rooney stopped Meghan Agosta on her second try of the shootout to clinch it. Rooney stopped 29 shots in regulation and the 20-minute overtime. It was 2-2 after three periods and 2-2 through five shooters in the tie-breaker. It was the second straight overtime in the gold medal game for these two teams. Finland won the bronze medal.
Vonn Fails To Medal In Alpine Combined
Michelle Gisin of Switzerland has won the women’s Alpine combined with an aggressive slalom run to edge American Mikaela Shiffrin at the Pyeongchang Olympics. Lindsey Vonn, the leader after the downhill portion, made a mistake early in the slalom Thursday and didn’t finish in what’s likely her final Winter Games. Gisin was nearly flawless in finishing in a combined time of 2 minutes, 20.90 seconds to hold off silver medalist Shiffrin by 0.97 seconds. Wendy Holdener of Switzerland earned the bronze. Shiffrin adds the silver medal to the gold she won earlier in the games in the
giant slalom. It was very likely the first and only Olympic race between U.S. teammates Vonn and Shiffrin.
Sweden’s Myhrer Wins Men’s Slalom Gold
Andre Myhrer of Sweden has won the Olympic men’s slalom, taking advantage of big favorites Marcel Hirscher and Henrik Kristoffersen failing to finish the race. Myhrer watched as first-run leader Kristoffersen skied out early in the second run Thursday. The 35-year-old Myhrer finished 0.34 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Ramon Zenhaeusern, who took an unexpected silver medal. Bronze medalist Michael Matt of Austria was 0.67 behind Myhrer’s two-run time of 1 minute, 38.99 seconds. Myhrer added gold to his bronze medal in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic slalom.
Unprepared And Outclassed, North Korea Wraps Up Olympics
North Korea’s 22 athletes have wrapped up their competition at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics without a finish higher than 13th. And even that was in a field of only 16. The sentimental highlight of the North’s participation in the games was the joint Korea ice hockey team, which featured players from the North and South together for the first time. Although it is ranked below the Olympic qualifying level, South Korea won a berth in the games because it is the host nation. South Korea’s president championed the effort to allow 12 North Korean players to join the team. They lost all of their matches.
In Other News From The Winter Games:
American David Wise has successfully defended his gold medal in the men’s halfpipe, edging teammate Alex Ferreira. Wise wiped out on his first two runs before sneaking past Ferreira on his third with a score of 97.20. Five of the first seven U.S. gold medals have come at Phoenix Snow Park.
Reigning world champion Anna Gasser edged two-time gold medalist Jamie Anderson to win gold in the Olympic debut of women’s Big Air snowboarding. Gasser stomped the last of her three jumps, a double cork 1080 that saw the Austrian flip twice while spinning three times. Anderson led going into the final round, but the American sat down while trying to land her last jump.
Russian state TV reports that curler Alexander Krushelnitsky will give back his Olympic bronze medal after failing a drug test. Krushelnitsky tested positive for the banned substance meldonium after he and his wife won bronze in mixed doubles. The Court of Arbitration for Sport had been due to hear Krushelnitsky’s case Thursday.
MLB
Rasmus resumes baseball career
Colby Rasmus has signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, seven months after the 31-year-old outfielder walked away from the game. The 31-year-old Rasmus was with Tampa Bay in mid-July when the Rays said he was going to “step away from baseball.” He was hitting .281 with nine home runs and 23 RBIs in 37 games for the Rays when he left the team. The Orioles also finalized their one-year, $3 million contract with Chris Tillman, a deal that includes performance bonuses. Tillman was 1-7 with a 7.84 ERA in 19 starts and five relief appearances last year, but he went 65-33 with a 3.81 earned run average in 143 starts over the previous five seasons.
Former Tiger Maybin Back With Miami
Outfielder Cameron Maybin has signed a one-year contract with the Miami Marlins, rejoining the team he played for in 2008-10. Maybin was with the Angels and Astros last year and helped Houston win the World Series. Maybin batted only .228 in 2017, but the 30-year-old is a .255 career hitter in 11 seasons with six teams.
Washington Inks Benoit
The Washington Nationals have agreed to a one-year deal with 40-year-old reliever Joaquin Benoit. The team also placed pitcher Joe Ross on the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
Bucs Sign OF Michael Saunders
The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed free agent outfielder Michael Saunders to a minor league contract and invited him to major league spring training. The 31-year-old hit a combined .202 with six home runs and 21 RBIs in 73 games for Philadelphia and Toronto last season. Saunders was an AL All-Star in 2016 with the Blue Jays, hitting 24 homers with 57 RBIs while batting .253.
Astros Minor Leaguer Hit With Drug Suspension
Houston Astros minor league pitcher Forrest Whitley has been suspended for 50 games without pay for a violation of baseball’s minor league drug prevention and treatment program.
Hall Of Famer Cepeda Still Hospitalized
The San Francisco Giants say Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda remains hospitalized in critical condition after a cardiac incident. The seven-time All-Star played in three World Series and won both the 1958 NL Rookie of the Year and 1967 NL MVP awards.
NFL
Panthers Re-Hire Marty Hurney As Full-Time General Manager
The Carolina Panthers have re-hired Marty Hurney as their full-time general manager. This will be Hurney’s second stint as Carolina’s general manager, having previously worked for the Panthers from 1998-2012, beginning as GM in 2002. Hurney also worked with the Panthers since last July as the interim general manager. The Panthers reinstated Hurney as interim general manager last week after an NFL investigation found no wrongdoing into charges of harassment by his ex-wife. He had been on a paid leave of absence during the investigation.
CB Vontae Davis Meets With Niners, Raiders
Free agent cornerback Vontae Davis has met with the 49ers and Raiders about upgrading their secondaries. A person familiar with Davis’ plans says he met with the two teams over the past two days. The two-time Pro Bowler is on the open market after being released by Indianapolis last November.
Saints Owner Hospitalized
Saints owner Tom Benson has been hospitalized with flu symptoms. The 90-year-old is resting comfortably at Ochsner Medical Center, according to a statement from the Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, which Benson also owns.
Judge Asked To Toss Confession In Death Of Colts Linebacker
A judge is being asked to throw out a confession from a Guatemalan man living illegally in the U.S. who’s charged in a drunken-driving crash that killed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver. The attorney for Manuel Orrego-Savala says his statements to a state trooper after the February 4 crash shouldn’t be allowed because he wasn’t first read his rights.
High School Girls’ Basketball
Last night:
Godwin Heights 60, Benton Harbor 35
Tonight:
Eau Claire @ New Buffalo 7:30 pm
Howardsville Christian @ Watervliet Grace Christian 6 pm
Junior College Basketball
Women
Last night:
Lake Michigan College Lady Red Hawks 69, Lansing Community College Stars 60
LMC Women Beat Lansing
Brooke Becker had 21 points and Jade Mosler had 20 to help the Lady Red Hawks of Lake Michigan College beat Lansing Community College on the road last night. Emily Atsinger added 10 points in the win. LMC is now 18-7 overall and 9-4 in the MCCAA West.
Men
Last night:
Lansing Community College Stars 82, Lake Michigan College Red Hawks 71
LMC Men Fall On Road To Lansing
The Lake Michigan College men’s basketball team stumbled against Lansing Community College last night, losing 82-71 on the road. The loss drops the Red Hawks to 12-14 overall and 8-7 in the MCCAA West. The Red Hawks play at home tomorrow against Glen Oaks Community College and Monday night against Muskegon Community College. Both games start at 7:30 at the Napier Avenue campus.
