AP Sports Summary for March 3rd, 2024.
LeBron James reaches 40,000 points to extend his NBA career scoring record
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James reached 40,000 points Saturday night, still going strong in his 21st NBA season as he tries to put the career scoring record out of reach.James drove past Michael Porter Jr. and hit a layup with 10:39 left in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Denver Nuggets for the historic basket.James received a standing ovation at the next timeout, while coach Darvin Ham gave him a congratulatory pat on the chest. There was an in-arena video presentation, which was preceded and followed by James raising the ball over his head.
Shead breaks tie with short follow with 0.4 seconds left, No. 1 Houston beats Oklahoma 87-85
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jamal Shead hit a short follow shot with 0.4 seconds left and No. 1 Houston beat Oklahoma 87-85 on Saturday night, giving coach Kelvin Sampson a victory over one of his former schools. Shead missed a driving layup attempt, but corralled the rebound and put the Cougars back ahead after they blew a 15-point lead. Emanuel Sharp tipped away a desperation pass by Oklahoma's Milos Uzan as time expired. L.J. Cryer led Houston (26-3, 13-3 Big 12) with 23 points, making 5 of 9 3-pointers. J'Wan Roberts added 20 points and Shead had 14 points. Rivaldo Soares had 16 points for Oklahoma (19-10, 7-9). Sampson coached Oklahoma from 1994 to 2006 and ranks second in program history with 279 wins.
No. 15 Baylor is led by Dennis and Nunn in win over No. 7 Kansas, which has first consecutive losses
WACO, Texas (AP) — RayJ Dennis had 19 points and 10 assists, Jayden Nunn scored 18 points with consecutive fastbreak layups to ignite a key run for No. 15 Baylor and the Bears beat seventh-ranked Kansas 82-74. The Jayhawks have consecutive losses for the first time this season. Yves Missi added 17 points and fellow freshman Ja'Kobe Walter 11 for the 21-8 Bears. Big 12 scoring leader Kevin McCullar Jr. had 20 points in his return to the Kansas lineup after missing four of the previous five games with a bone bruise in his knee. Hunter Dickinson also had 20 points for 21-8 Kansas.
Acing drills at the NFL scouting combine can lead to riches but don't forecast football greatness
All eyes may be on the draft prospects at the NFL scouting combine as they run the 40-yard dash, bench press 225 pounds and see how high and far they can jump and how quick they are. But while acing any one of these tests can lead to a better draft selection and more money, they're not necessarily a sign of success to come on the field. Many who have set records in various drills at the combine haven't found similar success on Sundays.
Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. is dealing with some right knee irritation
Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. has some irritation around the meniscus in his surgically repaired right knee. The reigning NL MVP had an MRI on Friday. He will be evaluated on Monday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who repaired the outfielder's torn right ACL in July 2021. The 26-year-old Acuña is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, but that timeline could change after he sees ElAttrache in California. Acuña led Atlanta to its sixth consecutive NL East title in 2023. The outfielder hit a career-best .337 with 41 homers, 106 RBIs and 73 steals in 159 games.
WNBA teams see increase in ticket sales after Caitlin Clark announces plans to enter draft
NEW YORK (AP) — Soon after Caitlin Clark announced her plans to enter the WNBA draft, the Indiana Fever's ticket offices got noticeably busier. Pacers Sports and Entertainment says in a statement that the organization has seen "a spike in ticket inquiries." The Fever wouldn't disclose how many tickets they've sold. Still, getting Iowa star Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft would be a boost to the franchise. Indiana was second-to-last in attendance last season, averaging 4,067 fans at home games. Clark and Iowa have sold out nearly all their road games the past two seasons.
Lowry, Skinns, Eckroat tied for lead entering final round of Cognizant Classic
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Shane Lowry nearly won at PGA National two years ago. The Irishman has given himself a big chance to get a victory there Sunday. Lowry, David Skinns and Austin Eckroat were tied for the lead Saturday after third round of the Cognizant Classic. Lowry and Skinns had rounds of 66 to and Eckroat shot a 68. They were at 13-under 200. Lowry is looking for his third victory on the PGA Tour. Skinns is trying for his first top-10 finish in 33 tour starts. Eckroat is seeking his first tour win in his 50th start. Jacob Bridgeman (65), Min Woo Lee (66), Martin Laird (66), Kevin Yu (70) and Victor Perez (70) were 10 under.
Sports analytics may be outnumbered when it comes to artificial intelligence
BOSTON (AP) — When it comes to artificial intelligence, the sports analytics crowd may be outnumbered. The people who turned NBA games into a 3-point shooting contest aren't quite sure what will happen when AI fully invades sports. Philadelphia 76ers team president and analytics early adopter Daryl Morey says "this is the first thing that we don't understand." The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference brings together thousands of number-crunching sports fans to attack the pressing issues in games. Previous hot topics have been diversity, gambling and the slow pace of baseball games. This year's gathering has an artificial intelligence focus, with a handful of talks addressing how AI can affect sports on the field and in the front office.
Messi, Súarez score twice as Inter Miami routs Orlando City 5-0
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi and Luis Súarez scored two goals each and Inter Miami routed Orlando City 5-0 on Saturday. Suárez also assisted on the two goals. With a prolific career that has resulted in 381 club goals over 19 seasons, Suárez scored his first two in MLS within a seven-minute sequence early in the first half. Robert Taylor scored the fifth goal for Inter Miami, which is unbeaten for the first time through its first three games in club history. Orlando City dropped to 0-1-1.
Women's boxing champion Serrano unable to fight in Puerto Rican homecoming because of eye injury
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Women's boxing champion Amanda Serrano was prevented from fighting Saturday night because of an eye injury, forcing her homecoming bout in Puerto Rico to be scrapped at the last minute. Serrano was to defend her IBF, WBA, and WBO women's featherweight titles against Germany's Nina Meinke, with Jake Paul, the YouTube star-turned boxer who is also her agent, fighting in the previous bout so Serrano could have the main event in front of her home fans. Paul won his fight by first-round knockout. However, shortly after, it was announced that Serrano was declared unfit to fight by the Puerto Rican Boxing Commission because of an eye injury she sustained Friday.
Here is the latest ACC sports news from The Associated Press
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Filipowski scored 21 points and No. 10 Duke shot 59% before halftime to build a huge lead on the way to beating Virginia 73-48. Tyrese Proctor added 15 points for the Blue Devils, who stayed near the top of the league race primarily on the strength of a dominant first half Saturday night. That included the 7-foot Filipowski outscoring Virginia through the opening 15 minutes as Duke rolled to a 25-point lead before halftime. Reece Beekman had 18 points and Isaac McKneely added 12 points for the Cavaliers.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Harrison Ingram scored a season-high 22 points as No. 9 North Carolina rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half and beat North Carolina State 79-70. Elliot Cadeau scored 15 points and RJ Davis finished with 14 after being held to two in the first half. Armando Bacot added 13 points for North Carolina, which won its fourth straight game and maintained its hold on first place in the ACC, ahead of Duke. Jayden Taylor hit five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, and DJ Horne scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half for N.C. State, which lost for the third time in four games.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Chris Bell scored 23 points and Judah Mintz scored 21 points and Syracuse held off Louisville for an 82-76 win beating the Cardinals for the fourth-straight time. Mike James scored 18 points and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Louisville. Syracuse led 64-47 after Brown made a pair of foul shots with 9:49 left. Louisville then went on to outscore Syracuse 27-14 to get within 78-74 on a James 3 with 39 seconds left. The Cardinals targeted Taylor to foul down the stretch as he was just 1 of 5 from the stripe up to that point. He responded to the challenge and made 4 of 6 down the stretch to seal the win.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Markus Burton scored 21 points, Tae Davis added 18 points and Notre Dame defeated Clemson 69-62, the fifth win in the past six games for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame's biggest lead of the game was three points before Davis scored six consecutive points and Burton later added a 3-pointer to give Notre Dame a 59-51 lead with less than 5 minutes remaining. Braeden Shrewsberry hit another key 3-pointer and the Fighting Irish led by seven with 90 seconds remaining. Davis went 4-for-4 at the line and Burton made one of two in the final minute to preserve the win. PJ Hall scored 21 points to lead Clemson.
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Hunter Cattoor scored 26 points shooting 5 for 10 from 3-point range and Lynn Kidd scored 21 points and Virginia Tech rallied in the second half to beat Wake Forest 87-76. Kevin Miller scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half for Wake Forest. Hunter Sallis gave Wake Forest its last lead with a jumper with 14:42 remaining for a 52-51 advantage. Virginia Tech then took control outscoring Wake Forest 20-8 over nearly the next seven minutes for its first double-digit lead at 71-60 with 7:59 to go.
BOSTON (AP) — Blake Hinson knocked down the first of Pittsburgh's 16 3-pointers 12 seconds into the game and freshman Carlton Carrington scored a career-high 27 points as the Panthers rolled to a 90-65 wire-to-wire win over Boston College. Carrington hit a career-high seven 3s as the Panthers matched their season high, hitting 16 of 30.
ATLANTA (AP) — Kyle Sturdivant scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half, Baye Ndongo finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds and Georgia Tech pulled away to beat Florida State 85-76 on Saturday in the Yellow Jackets' final home game. Naithan George scored 15 points and Tafara Gapare and Tyzhaun Claude both had 10 rebounds and eight points for the Yellow Jackets, who won back-to-back games for the first time since December and split the season series. Jamir Watkins scored 15 points, Cameron Corhen 14 and Baba Miller and Primo Spears 13 each for the Seminoles.
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA has told its enforcement staff to halt investigations into booster-backed collectives or other third parties making name, image and likeness compensation deals with Division I athletes. In a letter to member schools, NCAA President Charlie Baker said the the Division I Board of Directors directed enforcement staff to hold off. The move comes a week after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia. The antitrust suit challenges NCAA rules against recruiting inducements, saying they inhibit athletes' ability to cash in on their celebrity and fame.
AP-Scorecard
TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
Final Atlanta 5 Minnesota 0
Final Philadelphia 5 Toronto 0
Final Baltimore 9 Pittsburgh 8
Final Atlanta 12 Tampa Bay 9
Final San Diego 5 Oakland 3
Final Texas 7 Milwaukee 5
Final Houston 2 N.Y. Mets 1
Final Miami 0 N.Y. Yankees 0
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Boston 5 Detroit 2
Final L.A. Angels 4 Cleveland 1
Final Chicago White Sox 6 Seattle 5
Final Chicago White Sox 6 Kansas City 1
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Washington 3 St. Louis 1
Final Arizona 2 San Francisco 1
Final Colorado 10 Chicago Cubs 9
Final Cincinnati 5 L.A. Dodgers 4
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Milwaukee 111 Charlotte 99
Final Orlando 115 Utah 107
Final Brooklyn 124 Atlanta 97
Final Golden State 110 New York 99
Final San Antonio 132 Oklahoma City 118
Final Phoenix 110 Houston 105
Final Denver 103 Miami 97
Final OT L.A. Lakers 134 Washington 131
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Carolina 4 Columbus 2
Final N-Y Islanders 5 Detroit 3
Final Toronto 4 Arizona 2
Final OT Buffalo 3 Tampa Bay 2
Final Boston 5 Vegas 4
Final SO Florida 4 Montreal 3
Final Dallas 4 Winnipeg 1
Final Nashville 6 Minnesota 1
Final Colorado 5 Chicago 0
Final Los Angeles 5 Vancouver 1
Final Seattle 2 Pittsburgh 0
Final Anaheim 6 San Jose 4
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (17)Saint Mary's (Cal.) 83 Pepperdine 57
Final (19)Washington St. 75 Southern Cal 72
Final (23)Gonzaga 86 San Francisco 68
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