AP Sports Summary for December 22nd, 2024:
Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, baseball's stolen base king, has died at 65
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Baseball Hall of Famer and stolen base king Rickey Henderson has died. He was 65. Known as baseball's "Man of Steal," Henderson had a lengthy list of accolades and accomplishments over his nomadic 25-year career. He was an MVP, 10-time All-Star selection, two-time World Series champion and Gold Glove winner. But it was stealing bases where Henderson made his name. He broke Lou Brock's single-season record of 118 by stealing 130 bases in 1982 and led the league in steals for seven straight seasons and 12 overall. He broke Brock's career record when he stole his 939th base on May 1, 1991. Henderson finished his career with 1,406 steals.
Howard throws 2 TD passes to Smith to help Ohio State rout Tennessee 42-17 in CFP
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Will Howard threw two touchdown passes to freshman Jeremiah Smith and Ohio State routed Tennessee 42-17 on Saturday night in a first-round College Football Playoff game, setting up a New Year's Day rematch with No. 1 Oregon at the Rose Bowl. Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson rushed for two touchdowns apiece as the Buckeyes (11-2) gave their fans an early Christmas present that should quiet some of the outcry following the devastating fourth straight loss to Michigan three weeks ago. Howard finished 24 for 29 for 311 yards, his second 300-yard game of the season. Smith had six catches for 103 yards.
Texas beats Clemson 38-24, advances to face Arizona State in College Football Playoff quarters
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Jaydon Blue ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns, the last a 77-yard burst in the fourth quarter, and Texas beat Clemson 38-24 on Saturday in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff. Blue's fourth-quarter touchdown came after Clemson rallied from down 31-10 to 31-24 on Cade Klubnik's third touchdown pass. Texas (12-2) advanced to the Jan. 1 Peach bowl to play Big 12 champion Arizona State. Blue also scored on 38-yard cut-and-dash burst in the second quarter. On his second, he dove into the line, shook a tackler, and then outraced three more to the end zone with just 11 minutes left. Klubnik, who grew up in Austin, passed for 336 yards for the Tigers (10-4).
Former walk-on DeLuca provides early spark, Penn State drills SMU 38-10 in CFP; Boise State up next
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas returned interceptions for touchdowns and Penn State toyed with mistake-prone SMU in a 38-10 victory in the opening round of the College Football Playoff. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions (12-2) advanced to face third-seeded Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve with the win. Penn State hounded SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings into three first-half turnovers, including a pair of ill-advised throws in the first half that DeLuca and Rojas converted into Pick-6s to give the Nittany Lions a lead they never came close to squandering. Penn State will have some history on its side when it faces Boise State. The Nittany Lions are 7-0 all-time in the Fiesta Bowl.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens draw even atop the AFC North, beating the 1st-place Steelers 34-17
BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes and Marlon Humphrey scored on a fourth-quarter interception return to help the Baltimore Ravens pull even with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North with a 34-17 victory over the Steelers. Pittsburgh would have clinched the division with a victory, but now the teams are deadlocked after the Ravens won for just the second time in the last 10 games in this series. Baltimore clinched a playoff berth. The Steelers had already done so. Russell Wilson threw two touchdown passes for the Steelers but Humphrey's pick-6 gave the Ravens a big cushion in a series that's been razor-thin of late.
Mahomes throws for TD and runs for score as Chiefs beat Texans 27-19 to close in on No. 1 seed
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 260 yards and a touchdown while running for a score on his ailing ankle, and the Kansas City Chiefs took a big step toward securing the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with a 27-19 victory over the Houston Texans. Kansas City improved to 14-1 with its fourth straight win over the Texans, who fell to 9-6. C.J. Stroud had 244 yards passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Texans. One of those TDs went to Tank Dell, who sustained a severe knee injury on the reception and had to be carted from the field.
Texans WR Tank Dell hospitalized after severe knee injury on TD catch vs. Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Texans wide receiver Tank Dell was taken to the University of Kansas Medical Center and will remain overnight after sustaining a severe left knee injury while making in a 30-yard touchdown catch in a 27-19 loss to the Chiefs. Dell was coming across the back of the end zone and made a spectacular catch on a pass from C.J. Stroud before colliding with Houston teammate Jared Wayne on the way to the ground. Dell was eventually placed on a stretcher and driven in a covered medical cart off the field, and then he was taken to the hospital.
JuJu Watkins and No. 7 USC hold off Paige Bueckers and fourth-ranked UConn 72-70
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — JuJu Watkins scored 25 points and No. 7 USC recovered from blowing a 18-point second half lead to beat Paige Bueckers and fourth-ranked UConn 72-70 on Saturday night. The game was a rematch of last season's Elite Eight contest that the Huskies won and featured two of the best players in women's college basketball with All-Americans Bueckers and Watkins. The pair guarded each other for most of the game. With the game tied at 67, Watkins passed the ball to Rayah Marshall for a layup with 1:21 left to give USC the lead.
Bronny James discusses the challenge of dealing with his mental health following cardiac scare
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The final buzzer sounded, the South Bay Lakers had won a game and Bronny James seemed completely at ease. Big smile. Handshakes with everyone. Even did a little dance step as he got to the bench. LeBron James' oldest son made his peace long ago with the realization that he's going to be judged differently because of who his father is. Bronny James insists that doesn't bother him, saying Saturday at the G League Winter Showcase that he looks at the game differently — and still with some challenges — after suffering cardiac arrest in July 2023 while practicing at the University of Southern California.
Lindsey Vonn's 2nd World Cup race back from retirement is canceled due to poor weather in St. Moritz
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Lindsey Vonn's second World Cup race back after nearly six years of retirement has been canceled due to strong winds and poor visibility. The 40-year-old Vonn placed 14th in a super-G on Saturday to mark her return to the circuit. Another super-G had been scheduled for Sunday. Vonn now won't race again until the next speed weekend in St. Anton, Austria on Jan. 11-12 with a downhill and a super-G.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final L.A. Lakers 103 Sacramento 99
Final Orlando 121 Miami 114
Final Memphis 128 Atlanta 112
Final Utah 105 Brooklyn 94
Final Milwaukee 112 Washington 101
Final Boston 123 Chicago 98
Final Cleveland 126 Philadelphia 99
Final New York 104 New Orleans 93
Final San Antonio 114 Portland 94
Final Dallas 113 L.A. Clippers 97
Final Golden State 113 Minnesota 103
Final Detroit 133 Phoenix 125
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Nashville 3 Los Angeles 2
Final OT Edmonton 3 San Jose 2
Final Calgary 6 Chicago 4
Final New Jersey 3 Pittsburgh 0
Final Boston 3 Buffalo 1
Final Winnipeg 5 Minnesota 0
Final N-Y Islanders 6 Toronto 3
Final Montreal 5 Detroit 1
Final OT Philadelphia 5 Columbus 4
Final OT Ottawa 5 Vancouver 4
Final Vegas 6 Seattle 2
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Kansas City 27 Houston 19
Final Baltimore 34 Pittsburgh 17
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (6)Ohio St. 42 (7)Tennessee 17
Final (5)Penn St. 38 (12)SMU 10
Final (4)Texas 38 (13)Clemson 24
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (2)Auburn 87 (16)Purdue 69
Final Ohio St. 85 (4)Kentucky 65
Final (5)Duke 82 Georgia Tech 56
Final (7)Florida 99 North Florida 45
Final (9)Marquette 72 Xavier 70
Final (10)Oregon 76 Stanford 61
Final (11)UConn 78 Butler 74
Final (13)Gonzaga 86 Bucknell 65
Final (15)Houston 87 Texas A&M-CC 51
Final (17)Mississippi 80 Queens (NC) 62
Final North Carolina 76 (18)UCLA 74
Final (20)Michigan St. 86 FAU 69
Final Mississippi St. 79 (21)Memphis 66
Final (23)San Diego St. 71 California 50
Final (25)Clemson 73 Wake Forest 62
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Houston at Toronto 6 p.m.
Indiana at Sacramento 6 p.m.
Denver at New Orleans 7 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Carolina at N-Y Rangers 12:30 p.m.
Anaheim at Utah 5 p.m.
Florida at Tampa Bay 5 p.m.
Los Angeles at Washington 5 p.m.
Ottawa at Edmonton 8 p.m.
Seattle at Colorado 8 p.m.
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Arizona at Carolina 1 p.m.
Cleveland at Cincinnati 1 p.m.
Detroit at Chicago 1 p.m.
L.A. Rams at N-Y Jets 1 p.m.
N-Y Giants at Atlanta 1 p.m.
Philadelphia at Washington 1 p.m.
Tennessee at Indianapolis 1 p.m.
Minnesota at Seattle 4:05 p.m.
Jacksonville at Las Vegas 4:25 p.m.
New England at Buffalo 4:25 p.m.
San Francisco at Miami 4:25 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Dallas 8:20 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Morgan St. at (3)Iowa St. 1 p.m.
Kent St. at (6)Alabama 1 p.m.
Brown at (8)Kansas 3 p.m.
Cent. Arkansas at (14)Oklahoma 1 p.m.
Grambling St. at (19)Cincinnati 4 p.m.
Fort Wayne at (24)Michigan 1 p.m.
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