Sports

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Austin Ekeler has already accomplished his primary goal of getting the Los Angeles Chargers back to the playoffs. With two regular season games remaining, Ekeler has a couple personal milestones to chase. Ekeler leads the NFL with 16 touchdowns for the playoff-bound Chargers, who

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Three players were ejected after a fight between the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons late in the first half of their game. Orlando’s Franz Wagner was ejected for a flagrant foul, while Detroit’s Killian Hayes and Hamadou Diallo were ejected for their actions during the ensuing scuffle

By CHRIS BURROWS Associated Press OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Tennessee was expecting a challenging Southeastern Conference opener, and Mississippi provided a stiff test. Then Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler delivered for the Vols. Vescovi scored 22 points and combined with Zeigler to convert six free throws in the final 1:09, helping No. 7 Tennessee top

By DAN GREENSPAN Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The seventh-ranked Utah Utes and ninth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions will be missing key players who have decided not to participate in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2 to focus on the NFL draft. While opt-outs are a relatively new phenomenon for the oldest and most

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Emanuel Miller had 20 points with 10 rebounds, and No. 18 TCU extended its win streak to nine games with a 103-57 victory over Central Arkansas. Mike Miles Jr. added 21 points as the 11-1 Horned Frogs hit triple digits in scoring for the

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Tyler Higbee didn’t take a direct route to become the most prolific tight end in Rams franchise history. Over the past seven seasons, Higbee’s production has risen and fallen wildly depending on his health, the Rams’ game plans and the bond with his various

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Jerry Rosburg was more than three years into his retirement following a 40-year career as an assistant football coach when a phone call in mid-September interrupted his morning coffee as he sat on his lakeside deck in Florida. It was his old friend George

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Led by Trazarien White’s 16 points, the UNC Wilmington Seahawks defeated the Monmouth Hawks 68-55 on Wednesday night. The Seahawks are now 11-3 on the season, while the Hawks dropped to 1-13.

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Drew Timme had 18 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes, Efton Reid III added a season-high 16 points and No. 10 Gonzaga raced past Eastern Oregon 120-42 on Wednesday to set a program record for the largest margin of victory. It was Gonzaga’s first time beating an opponent by 70-plus

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Led by De’Lazarus Keys’ 16 points, the Texas A&M-CC Islanders defeated the Our Lady of the Lake Saints 88-74 on Wednesday night. The Islanders improved to 7-6 with the win.

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers already has played through a broken thumb and injured ribs this season. Now he’s dealing with a left knee issue as he attempts to keep the Packers in playoff contention. Rodgers didn’t practice Wednesday because of the knee

MONCTON, New Brunswick (AP) — Dalibor Dvorsky, Robert Baco and Filip Mesar scored in a 3:19 span in the second period and Slovakia beat the United States 6-3 on Wednesday in the world junior championship. Libor Nemec, Peter Repcik and Alex Ciernik also scored for Slovakia and captain Simon Nemec had three assists in the

NEW YORK — Led by Da’Shawn Phillip’s 21 points, the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks defeated the Columbia Lions 74-67 in overtime on Wednesday night. The Hawks moved to 6-7 with the victory and the Lions dropped to 5-10.

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Mike White felt ready to play two weeks ago. His broken ribs had doctors telling him otherwise. After sitting for two games, White was cleared for contact and is preparing to start at quarterback again for a New York Jets squad fighting

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Tyler Lockett was back catching passes and participating in the Seattle Seahawks walkthrough barely a week after having surgery to stabilize a broken bone in his left hand. Seattle coach Pete Carroll says Lockett was able to participate without significant discomfort. Both Carroll and Lockett

By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Riley Leonard threw for 173 yards and ran for two touchdowns, and Duke wrapped up an impressive first season under Mike Elko with a 30-13 victory over UCF in the Military Bowl. The Blue Devils have won four consecutive bowl games, although this was their

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — Neymar was sent off in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-1 win against Strasbourg after the Brazil forward’s second-half dive in the penalty area in his first match since the World Cup. Neymar picked up his first yellow card in the 61st minute for catching Strasbourg midfielder Adrien Thomasson

By MARK LONG AP Pro Football Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Doug Pederson insists there’s no such thing as a meaningless football game. So Pederson has his Jacksonville Jaguars going “full steam ahead” as they prepare to play at rival Houston in a game that means little to the team’s postseason chances. The Jaguars (7-8)

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa has been in quite a zone this year. He leads the NFL in sacks and is spearheading the league’s top defense. Bosa leads the NFL with 17 1/2 sacks despite missing one game and is tied

LONDON (AP) — Liverpool has completed the signing of Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven. The 23-year-old Gakpo who scored three goals at the World Cup will officially join the Premier League club when the transfer window opens on Sunday. Chelsea has agreed to sign striker David Datro Fofana from Norwegian club Molde. The