AP National Sports

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama has pulled out of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. That means Max Homa gets the day off and will advance as the winner of his group. Matsuyama is citing a neck injury for conceding the match against Homa. He was warming up on the range for about 20 minutes

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina leading scorer Gregory “GG” Jackson II says he’s entering the NBA draft after one season in college. The 6-foot-9 freshman started 29 of 32 games this season and averaged 15.4 points per contest. He also led the team with 26 blocks and 24 steals. The 18-year-old is projected to

SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Kaori Sakamoto has fended off a challenge from South Korea’s Lee Hae-in to become the first Japanese woman to defend her title at the figure skating world championships. Sakamoto led after the short program and made only one mistake in the free skate at Saitama Super Arena when she singled a

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland coach Steve Clarke has extended his contract through the 2026 World Cup. The deal should make him the Tartan Army’s longest-serving coach in more than 20 years. The Scottish Football Association announced the deal ahead of European Championship qualifying games against Cyprus and Spain. Clarke led Scotland to Euro 2020

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich has praised Julian Nagelsmann as an “outstanding” coach amid reports he is set to be fired and replaced by Thomas Tuchel. Both Kicker magazine and German tabloid Bild reported Thursday that Bayern was ending Nagelsmann’s spell in charge following the team’s 2-1 loss at Bayer Leverkusen

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine has renewed its push to keep Russian athletes out of the Olympics ahead of an International Olympic Committee board meeting next week which is expected to lay out the framework for their return to many international sports events. Ukraine’s sports minister Vadym Guttsait is sharply critical of the IOC’s push

By KIKI RICE For The Associated Press GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — UCLA freshman Kiki Rice is checking in periodically from the NCAA Tournament as told to AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg. In the second installment, Rice talks about playing in the tournament, the UCLA dance parties pregame, heading to South Carolina.

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — The Trevor Bauer era in Japan began Friday at an introductory news conference with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. The 2020 Cy Young Award winner is in Japan on a one-year deal that could let him prove himself and return to Major League Baseball. He was

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Adam Lowry scored the tiebreaking goal with 9:13 to play and the Winnipeg Jets made progress in the playoff race with a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Kyle Connor scored his 28th goal and Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves for the Jets, who opened

By GARY B. GRAVES AP Sports Writer LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Alabama was expected to be in the Sweet 16 as the overall top seed in the NCAA Tournament. Few thought the teams standing between the Crimson Tide and a trip to the Final Four would be No. 5 seed San Diego State, sixth-seeded Creighton

BEIJING (AP) — China’s scandal-plagued football association has been rocked by new corruption probes into its chiefs of discipline and competition. The sports ministry on Friday said Wang Xiaoping, director the CFA’s Disciplinary Committee, and Huang Song, were both “suspected of serious violations” of law and discipline — the government’s usual bywords for graft. Huang

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — A confrontation between two players in the postgame handshake line following Bowling Green’s win over Memphis on Thursday night in the Women’s NIT has been referred to campus police. As the teams walked toward center court following Bowling Green’s 73-60 win in the Round of 16 game, Memphis’ Jamirah Shutes

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Andrei Kuzmenko scored his 35th goal to set a Canucks franchise record for a first-year player as Vancouver cruised to a 7-2 rout of the San Jose Sharks. The Russian forward also had an assist and topped the 34 goals scored by Pavel Bure in 1991-92. J.T. Miller, Dakota Joshua,

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Basketball Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — Julian Strawther hit a 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds left to answer a 3-pointer by UCLA’s Amari Bailey, lifting Gonzaga to a wild 79-76 win over UCLA in the Sweet 16. The Bruins were the West Region’s No. 2 seed and stormed back from an eight-point

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer DALLAS (AP) — Joe Pavelski scored the tiebreaking goal on a third-period power play, and the Stars overcame Sidney Crosby’s first career goal in Dallas in a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Roope Hintz and Jamie Benn also scored as the Stars moved a point ahead of Minnesota

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 127-105 in their first game since losing Paul George to a knee injury. Leonard shot 13 of 15 from the floor. George sprained his right knee in the closing minutes

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Logan Thompson made 37 saves, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Calgary Flames 3-2. Nicolas Roy scored for Vegas in his return from an 18-game absence. Jonathan Marchessault and Michael Amadio also scored. Thompson exited late in the third period with an injury. Jonathan Quick played the final 6:07 of

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram had 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the first triple-double of his seven-year NBA career, leading the New Orleans Pelicans to a 115-96 victory over the short-handed Charlotte Hornets. Ingram picked up three consecutive rebounds late in the third quarter to get to double-digits in that category.

By SAMMI SILBER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — John Carlson had a goal and an assist in his return from a fractured skull, and the Washington Capitals beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1. Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom also had a goal and an assist. Nikita Zaitsev scored for Chicago in the third period, and