Sports

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The Western Illinois Leathernecks defeated the North Dakota Fightin’ Hawks 81-70 on Thursday led by Trenton Massner’s 34 points. The Leathernecks moved to 16-12 with the victory and the Fightin’ Hawks fell to 11-19.

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Serena Williams will be honored for her tennis achievements, business success and efforts to uplift the community at the NAACP Image Awards this weekend. The NAACP announced Thursday that Williams will receive the Jackie Robinson Sports award during the ceremony, which will air Saturday

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — A person with knowledge of the hiring tells The Associated Press that Sean Payton is bringing back ex-Broncos head coach Vance Joseph to Denver to serve as his defensive coordinator. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the hiring hadn’t been announced by

By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (AP) — Patti Zhou is an 11-year-old snowboarder from Beijing who could be the next big thing in the halfpipe and slopestyle. She’s making her Dew Tour debut in Copper Mountain, Colorado, this weekend. She’s slated to compete in the halfpipe and super streetstyle competitions. She

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) — The Breeders’ Cup has selected Del Mar to host the 41st world championships next year, marking the third time the picturesque Pacific track will stage the season-ending graded stakes races that feature the top thoroughbreds. Del Mar will present 14 Grade 1 races with purses worth more than $31 million

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — No. 5 Purdue big man Zach Edey has muscled his way into the national player of the year conversation. His 7-foot-4, 305-pound frame makes him hard to defend. He’s leading the Big Ten in scoring with 22.1 points and rebounding with 12.7. He’s fifth

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen will miss the rest of the regular season after having surgery on his lower right leg. The Predators announced Thursday that Johansen will miss an “estimated 12 weeks” after surgery Wednesday afternoon. Nashville would have to make the playoffs for Johansen to have a chance to

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson has been arrested on charges of reckless driving and racing. Dumas-Johnson was the second-leading tackler for the 2022 national championship team. Athens-Clarke County jail records show Dumas-Johnson was released Wednesday night after posting a combined bond of $4,000 — $2,500 for racing on highways/streets and $1,500 for

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Nick Holz as passing game coordinator Thursday, landing a quick replacement for Jim Bob Cooter. Cooter left the Jaguars last week to become offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts under new coach Shane Steichen. Holz joins Jacksonville after spending last season as UNLV’s offensive coordinator. Holz spent

By The Associated Press The women’s college basketball season is racing toward NCAA Tournament time. Conference tournaments will begin the first week of March, capped by Selection Sunday on Sunday, March 12. Sweet 16 weekend brings a twist this year for the women’s teams: There will be two regional sites instead of four: Greenville, South

SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Max Verstappen put in the most miles and put up the fastest time on the first day of Formula One preseason testing. The defending champion from the Netherlands lapped the Bahrain International Circuit .029 seconds faster than Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso. Verstappen did 157 laps. That was far more than

By JAY COHEN AP Baseball Writer PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Major League Baseball is introducing bigger bases this season as part of a flurry of changes designed to put more action and athleticism back in the game. The bases are expanding from 15-inch squares to 18 inches, which cuts down the distance between them by

By JIM SALTER Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — When season tickets sales began for Major League Soccer’s newest team, St. Louis City SC leaders figured they’d be a hot ticket in a city with a deep love for the sport. Even they were caught off guard by the response: More than 60,000 deposits for

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Browns have hired Ray “Bubba” Ventrone as their new special teams coordinator. He’ll replace Mike Priefer (PREE-fer), who was fired earlier this week. Ventrone had led the special teams groups with the Indianapolis Colts since 2018. The 40-year-old was a special teams star for

MADRID (AP) — Spanish authorities have opened an investigation into possible match-fixing in a Copa del Rey game two years ago. The Spanish league says police are looking into the first-round match between Levante and Huracán Melilla. Levante won 8-0. The league says it received an anonymous tip about the possible match-fixing.  Six people connected

By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Alabama standout freshman Brandon Miller was in the starting lineup and scored a career-high 41 points in a win over South Carolina. It came a day after police said he delivered a gun to a teammate who is charged in a fatal shooting near campus.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Yannik Paul has birdied his last four holes to shoot 7-under 65 and take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Indian Open on the European tour. The No. 119-ranked German’s hot finish lifted him above Honey Baisoya. Baisoya is leading a contingent of Indian players making a fast

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer In IndyCar’s effort toward environmental sustainability, one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers will rely on a desert shrub to produce a new source of natural rubber for its tires. Bridgestone Americas says it has made offseason advancements to incorporate more sustainable and bio-circular materials into its tires.