Sports

By The Associated Press Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts has a knee injury that will sideline him “in the short term,” coach Arthur Smith said. Smith added that it’s too early to know if Pitts, the No. 4 overall draft pick last year and a Pro Bowl pick as a rookie, will be placed on

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Doug Edert’s 23 points helped Bryant defeat Detroit Mercy 98-88 to conclude the round-robin Paradise Invitational. Edert made seven 3-pointers and added a couple of free throws for the Bulldogs. Earl Timberlake scored 19 points and added six rebounds and five assists. Sherif Kenney had 16 points. Antoine Davis finished with

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — No. 1 Georgia is looking for better short-yardage offense when it closes its regular season against in-state rival Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs were stopped on a fourth-and-1 play to open the fourth quarter of last week’s 16-6 win at Kentucky. Georgia also failed to convert

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — FIFA’s threat of on-field punishment for players pushed World Cup teams to back down Monday and abandon a plan for their captains to wear armbands that were seen as a rebuke to host nation Qatar’s human rights record. Just hours before the first players with

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Freshman Kiki Rice scored 18 points and Gina Conti added 16 to help No. 20 UCLA hold off Marquette 66-58 in overtime to win the Battle 4 Atlantis championship. Chloe Marotta scored 15 points to lead the Golden Eagles, and Jordan King had just

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — The Connecticut Sun hired Stephanie White to be their new head coach on Monday. White succeeds Curt Miller, who left to coach Los Angeles last month. She has a combined 15 seasons of experience as a player and coach in the WNBA, most recently as the head coach of the Indiana

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Mark Parsons has been named the new head coach of the Washington Spirit, returning to the team he led from 2013 to 2015. Parsons most recently served as head coach of the Dutch women’s national team. He parted ways with the team in August after it failed to defend its title

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Josh Heupel declined Monday to address what kept linebacker Jeremy Banks out of the Volunteers’ loss at South Carolina when asked if the defender had an altercation with a teammate or was suspended. Heupel said they anticipate Banks being with them this week. Heupel said “as far as what

ESTERO, Fla. — Rayquawndis Mitchell’s 35 points led Kansas City past Toledo 83-71 in the Gulf Coast Showcase. Mitchell also contributed six rebounds for the Kangaroos. Anderson Kopp added 13 points and six rebounds. Shemarri Allen finished with 13 points, while adding six rebounds. The Rockets were led by Rayj Dennis, who recorded 17 points.

By GERALD IMRAY AP Sports Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Cody Gakpo and substitute Davy Klaasen scored late to give the Netherlands a 2-0 victory over Senegal at the World Cup. Gakpo rose to glance in a cross by Frenkie de Jong in the 84th minute with the Dutch team’s first effort on target in

By HOWARD FENDRICH and KRISTIN M. HALL Associated Press No, LeBron James does not want to be traded — that was put into the world by a fake Twitter feed purporting to belong to the Los Angeles Lakers superstar when a pay-$8-and-pretend-to-be-anyone verification system made a brief appearance. And no, actor Edward Norton is not

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — There’s something different about Lionel Messi at this World Cup. He’s relaxed and happy and never stopped smiling Monday in a rare appearance at a news conference before Argentina’s first match of the tournament against Saudi Arabia. The pressure appears to have been lifted off

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer South Carolina and Stanford are still 1-2 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll after their game over the weekend. The Gamecocks won in overtime and got all 29 first-place votes in the AP Top 25. It was a chaotic week that saw half of the top 10 teams

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has a sprained left foot and will miss at least the next two games. Embiid joins teammates James Harden and Tyrese Maxey as Philly stars sidelined by injuries. The trio will miss the expected return of former Sixer Ben Simmons when Brooklyn plays Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brookly Nets guard Ben Simmons is ready for his hostile homecoming in Philadelphia. Simmons was an All-Star guard in Philadelphia before back injuries and what he said were mental health issues prompted him to demand a trade. Simmons was traded earlier this year to the Nets

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Portland will host a women’s Final Four for the first time after the NCAA women’s basketball committee chose the Oregon city for the 2030 national semifinals. The other four cities selected for the Final Four from 2027 through 2031 all have hosted in the past. Columbus, Ohio, will hold it in 2027,

By JENNA FRYER AP National Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi returns to the World Cup for a fifth attempt at finally winning soccer’s biggest prize. He’ll also be hoping to make history with Argentina. The Argentines are among the favorites to win in Qatar and victory would fill the one gaping hole in