Sports

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Sophomore Taylor Bell came off the bench to score 17 of her career-high 22 points in the second half to lead Southeastern Louisiana to its first NCAA Tournament with a 66-57 win over Lamar in the championship game of the Southland Conference Tournament. The Lions never led in the first

SYDNEY (AP) — The National Rugby League said it is investigating the racial abuse of star South Sydney fullback Latrell Mitchell during a game on Thursday. Mitchell is of Indigenous descent. He was verbally abused by a teenage fan wearing a Sydney Roosters jersey. The fan left at halftime of the match which South Sydney

By MARK THIESSEN Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Mushers and their dogs in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race face plenty of variables in the Alaska wilderness. An unexpected one this year has been heat that is taking a toll in a sport better suited for temperatures well below zero. Jason Mackey said a

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — General manager Les Snead is remodeling the Los Angeles Rams, and he says quarterback Matthew Stafford will be a foundational part of his effort alongside Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald. Whether Jalen Ramsey, Allen Robinson or Leonard Floyd are part of that reconstruction project remains

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — No. 13 Virginia has lost forward Ben Vander Plas to a season-ending injury. The school announced Thursday that Vander Plas broke his right hand during practice the day before. The announcement came before the Cavaliers faced North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. The 6-foot-8 graduate transfer

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The TPC Sawgrass is one of the most unpredictable courses in golf. And it got a most unpredictable leaderboard after one round of The Players Championship. The leader is Chad Ramey, who had never see the Stadium Course until this week. He shot

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders have re-signed running back Ameer Abdullah and guard Netane Muti. Abdullah was used primarily as a pass-catching back and on special teams last season. He caught 25 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown, and averaged 20.9 yards on 26 kickoff

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Michael Wacha was one of the last pitchers on the free-agent market this offseason, but the contract was well worth the wait for the veteran pitcher. Wacha signed last month with the San Diego Padres for a guaranteed $26 million over four years. Depending on bonuses and player or team options,

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP National Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Before coaching his first game at Georgetown — indeed, his first game as a head coach at any level of basketball — Patrick Ewing acknowledged that his tenure would be judged on one basis: his record. “People could call me ‘the greatest Hoya ever,’ but as

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka has made a successful return to the BNP Paribas Open after four years away. He has beaten qualifier Aleksander Vukic 6-4, 1-6, 6-1. Wawrinka is a 37-year-old who has been ranked as high as No. 3 and is now No. 100 after a series

By JAMES ROBSON and KAREL JANICEK Associated Press MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes struck as Manchester United beat Real Betis 4-1 and began the healing process after Sunday’s humiliating 7-0 rout by Liverpool. Erik ten Hag’s players delivered a rousing response to the defeat at Anfield. The Europa League quarterfinals are

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A former Fox executive has been convicted of paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to nab broadcasting rights to the World Cup and other top soccer matches. A second ex-executive was acquitted. A Brooklyn federal jury delivered its verdict Thursday. Hernan Lopez was

By KIRK KERN Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Lamont Butler scored 16 points and No. 20 San Diego State held on to beat Colorado State 64-61 in the Mountain West Conference Tournament quarterfinals. The top-seeded Aztecs never led by more than five points in the second half, and Isaiah Stevens’ 3-pointer gave the eighth-seeded

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer GREENSBORO, N.C, (AP) — Kyle Filipowski overcame an early ankle injury to score 22 points, Tyrese Proctor added 11 points and 10 assists, and No. 21 Duke cruised to a 96-69 win over Pittsburgh in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Dereck Lively II had 13 points and Mark

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Jordan Hawkins scored 19 points and No. 11 Connecticut held off a furious second-half rally to beat Providence 73-66 in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals. The fourth-seeded Huskies advanced to face top-seeded Marquette in Friday night’s semifinals at Madison Square Garden. Playing in

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — Freshman Amari Bailey scored a season-high 26 points and No. 2 UCLA beat Colorado 80-69 in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament quarterfinals. The Bruins kept pushing for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with their 11th straight win. UCLA improved to 28-4. Bailey eclipsed

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer Geno Smith finally got to enjoy a day of being in the spotlight after signing the big contract that had eluded him most of his career. Smith’s three-year contract with the Seahawks will keep him as the presumptive starting quarterback in Seattle following a breakout season. Smith was named

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Riot police had to control crowd unrest during Manchester United’s Europa League match against Real Betis. Trouble broke out in the away section at Old Trafford late in round-of-16 first-leg match which United won 4-1. Police wearing helmets and protective gear tried to control the situation and were involved in altercations

FORT WORTH, Texas — Led by CJ Kelly’s 21 points, the UCF Knights defeated the SMU Mustangs 76-70 in the American Athletic Conference Tournament