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Brown scores 26, Sparks get 2nd win over Mercury

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:32 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Lexie Brown scored 26 points, Nneka Ogwumike had 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Phoenix Mercury 99-93 in overtime on Friday night.Brown drilled her third 3-pointer of the game with 1:03 left in overtime to extend Los Angeles’ lead to 95-91. Phoenix tried to get it to Diana Taurasi, but Jordin Canada intercepted the pass and raced the other way for a layup and a six-point lead with 42.1 left.Canada finished with 16 points and five assists for Los Angeles (2-2), which also beat Phoenix in a season opener. Layshia Clarendon added 11 points. The Sparks return home to host Seattle on Saturday.Brittney Griner had 24 points and 11 rebounds for Phoenix (1-3). Taurasi and Sophie Cunningham each added 19 points.Taurasi sank a baseline jumper for an 84-81 lead with 1:26 left, but Canada tied it at the other end on a 3-pointer. After both teams came up empty on offense, Griner was fouled with 21.2 left and she made two free throw...

Kilfoyl throws 3-hitter as Oklahoma St eliminates Utah from Women’s College World Series

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:32 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Lexi Kilfoyl threw a three-hitter, and No. 6 seed Oklahoma State beat No. 15 Utah 8-0 in five innings Friday night in a Women’s College World Series elimination game. Oklahoma State scored six runs in the second inning, including a two-run double by Morgyn Wynne. Katelynn Carwile had two hits and three RBIs for the Cowgirls. “We definitely had a game plan about picking the pitches that we wanted, being on time for our pitch,” Wynne said. “I think that that’s what made us most successful tonight was attacking early in the counts, hunting the pitches that we knew we could drive very well.”Oklahoma State coach Kenny Gajewski was pleased with the way the Cowgirls bounced back after being shut out by Florida State on Thursday. “I told our team after last night’s game that I couldn’t wait to see what their response would be,” he said. “I had a good feeling. Not sure I could tell you we were going to come out and run rule, but I figured we’d play well. There’s to...

Taylor drives in 6, leads TCU over Arizona 12-4 in Fayetteville Regional

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:32 GMT

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Brayden Taylor hit a three-run home run and used two singles to drive in three more runs, and TCU rolled to a 12-4 victory over Arizona in Friday’s nightcap of the Fayetteville Regional.Taylor finished with four hits in five trips to the plate for the second-seeded Horned Frogs (38-22), who advance to play No. 1 seed Arkansas (42-16) on Saturday. The third-seeded Wildcats (33-25) will play an elimination game against Santa Clara (35-19) earlier in the day.Kiko Romero hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning to give Arizona the lead. TCU answered with Taylor’s homer and an RBI single by Anthony Silva to take a 4-2 lead. Taylor pushed the lead to 6-2 with a two-run single in the second.Mason White hit a solo homer for the Wildcats in the fourth. Romero hit his second home run — a solo shot — in the eighth, but Kurtis Byrne answered with a two-run shot in the bottom of the inning and Austin Davis followed with an RBI double to complete...

French Open 2023: Gauff, 19, plays Andreeva, 16, in all-teen showdown; Nadal has hip surgery

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:32 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Much of this French Open can best be viewed through the prism of Rafael Nadal’s absence.For so many years, the goings on at Roland Garros were defined by Nadal and his unprecedented success at the place: 14 championships, a 112-3 record. And this year, what happens in Paris is significantly altered because he is not in the field — something that last happened in 2004.Nadal has not competed anywhere since injuring his left hip flexor at the Australian Open in January, and he had arthroscopic surgery on Friday night in Barcelona. Saturday, as it happens, is his 37th birthday.Nadal announced on May 18 he wouldn’t be able to return to competition at the French Open because his body wouldn’t let him. He said he needed to stop practicing and wasn’t sure when he could be back in action; he figures 2024 will be the final season of his superlative career.WHAT HAPPENED ON COURT FRIDAY?No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 Novak Djokovic picked up straight-set vic...

Vanderbilt scores eight early runs, routs Eastern Illinois 12-2 in Nashville Regional

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:32 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Alan Espinal drove in three runs, Vanderbilt hit two home runs and the Commodores routed Eastern Illinois 12-2 on Friday night in the Nashville Regional hosted by the Commodores.The Commodores scored twice in the first and added six in a third inning in which Espinal delivered a bases-loaded double and Davis Diaz hit a two-run home run. That was plenty of run support for Devin Futrell, who allowed single runs in the first and fifth innings. He went five innings, allowing two runs, one earned on seven hits with seven strikeouts.Jonathan Vastine added a two-run home in the seventh and Thomas Schultz pitched four scoreless innings for his second save.Ryan Ignoffo had two hits and Eastern Illinois’ only RBI.Top-seeded Vanderbilt (42-18) will play No. 2 Oregon in a winner’s bracket game on Saturday. No. 4 Eastern Illinois (38-20) will play Xavier in a loser-out. Oregon defeated Xavier 5-4 on Friday.___AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-s...

East Carolina stuns Oklahoma, 14-5 in Charlottesville Regional

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:32 GMT

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Troy Yesavage struck out seven over the first 5 ⅓ innings and East Carolina pounded six Oklahoma pitchers for 15 hits and 11 earned runs as the Pirates earned a 14-5 win in the first round of the NCAA Charlottesville Regional on Friday night. The Pirates advance to face host Virginia, which pummeled Army 15-1, in a second-round contest Saturday. Oklahoma faces the Black Knights in an elimination game.Yesavage faced 24 Sooners and started off 15 with a first-pitch strike en route to his seventh win in eight decisions. Four East Carolina pitchers combined to hold Oklahoma to just four earned runs on nine hits and recorded a dozen strikeouts.Lane Hoover had three hits and a walk and stole three bases for East Carolina (46-17). Braden Carmichael lasted 2 ⅔ innings in the start for Oklahoma (31-27) and took his first loss in eight decisions, allowing four hits and walking five.___AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports and https://twitter.com/...

Lifeguards, police cracking down on illegal boat rentals in Mission Bay

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:32 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego police and lifeguards are cracking down on illegal boat rentals in Mission Bay. According to authorities, crashes on the waterway spiked during the pandemic, which has caused them to increase enforcement on which boats are allowed to be rented in Mission Bay.City laws require boat rentals to come from licensed vendors that have a contract with the city, San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Rick Romero said. Applications to become licensed are currently paused, as officials audit the current list. Romero said officials are auditing the current list and making sure everyone is up-to-speed on the current rules. He said they are going through the list before opening it up to more applicants. There’s no timeline on when the applications will reopen.“It’s basically to prevent accidents from occurring, from people that maybe don’t know what’s going on out here," Romero said.Authorities said they saw a big spike in illegal boat rentals and crashes during the pandemic and are "play...

India train crash kills over 280, injures 900 in country’s deadliest rail accident in decades

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:32 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Rescuers waded through piles of debris and wreckage to pull out bodies and free people on Saturday after two passenger trains derailed in India, killing more than 280 people. Hundreds of others were trapped inside more than a dozen mangled rail cars overnight in one of the country’s deadliest train crashes in decades.The accident, which happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata on Friday night, led to a chaotic scene as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to free survivors.About 900 people were injured in the accident in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, said P.K. Jena, the state’s top administrative official. The cause was under investigation.At least 280 bodies were recovered overnight and into Saturday morning, Sudhanshu Sarangi, director of Odisha’s fire department, told The Associated Press. He said more than 800 injured passengers were taken to var...

Canada to ‘significantly’ enhance military presence in Indo-Pacific region: Anand

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:32 GMT

SINGAPORE — Defence Minister Anita Anand says Canada is committed to the support of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, and is reinforcing its military presence in the region.Speaking in Singapore at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual intergovernmental security conference, Anand announced Canada will significantly enhance its military presence in the Indo-Pacific through Operation Horizon.Anand says the new operation will replace the Indo-Pacific portion of Canada’s existing Operation Projection.It will involve the annual deployment of an additional warship to the region, increased Canadian participation in international exercises, and strengthened relationships with regional partners through increased security co-operation. Currently there are two Canadian military ships in the region, HMCS Montreal and the support ship MV Asterix.Anand says the new operation will empower Canada to play a more active role in contributing to regional security.This report by The Canadian P...

EXPLAINER: Panama launches operation against smugglers in Darien Gap

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:32 GMT

NICANOR, Panama (AP) — Panama unveiled a new effort to control illegal migration through the treacherous Darien Gap that spans its eastern border with Colombia on Friday.Hundreds of thousands of migrants have risked the dangerous trek through the jungle in recent years and the flow this year is on a record pace. Most of those who cross are trying to reach the United States.So in April, as the U.S. government prepared to lift pandemic-related restrictions that had allowed authorities to turn back asylum seekers at the border, it announced together with Panama and Colombia increased efforts in the largely lawless Darien Gap.Panama’s “Shield” campaign announced Friday is the first public display of those new efforts.WHAT IS THE DARIEN GAP?The Darien Gap earned its name because it is the break in the Pan-American Highway connecting South and North America. Darien is also the name of Panama’s easternmost province, which abuts Colombia.It is composed of dense, roadless jungle, mountains a...