AP Sports Headlines for Saturday Morning
No. 6 Tennessee tops No. 10 Clemson 31-14 in Orange Bowl
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Joe Milton passed for 251 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 6 Tennessee finished off its best season in more than two decades by topping No. 10 Clemson 31-14 in the Orange Bowl. Squirrel White, Bru McCoy and Ramel Keyton had the scoring catches for the 11-2 Volunteers, who matched their best record since 2001. Cade Klubnik, in his first start for Clemson, completed 30 of 54 passes for 320 yards for the 11-3 Tigers. But Clemson just kept coming up empty on chances. The Tigers got into Tennessee territory on nine of their first 10 possessions. They turned those trips into only two field goals.
Aaron Judge is AP male athlete of year after setting HR mark
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has been voted The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. He hit 62 home runs to break an American League record that lasted six decades. The outfielder edged Los Angeles Angels pitching and hitting star Shohei Ohtani in balloting. Ohtani won the award last year. Judge joins an esteemed list that includes Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan. Among the former Yankees to win was Roger Maris, who set the previous AL mark of 61 homers in 1961.
Brazil mourns Pelé, who made every part of the country proud
Bocaina de Minas, BRAZIL (AP) — With Pelé's death, Brazilians have lost a piece of their hearts. Down a dirt road in the mountains of Minas Gerais, Pelé's home state, Jorge Tavares received the news of the soccer star's death from a 4 a.m. newscast. As a boy, Tavares and his cousins listened to Pelé's World Cup games on the radio. His dazzling performance inspired them to play a game they had never seen, first using a ball made of socks and string. "We feel this a lot. He leaves a legacy, a person of color who was crowned king of soccer, and he also brought a lot of peace outside Brazil," Tavares, a 67-year-old school-van driver, said in an interview at the barbed-wire fence outside his home. "He represented Brazil to everyone abroad."
James has season-high 47 on 38th birthday, Lakers beat Hawks
ATLANTA (AP) — LeBron James scored a season-high 47 points on his 38th birthday with many of the sellout crowd at State Farm Arena cheering his every move, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks 130-121. James, a four-time NBA MVP and an 18-time All-Star, nearly finished with a triple-double that included 10 rebounds and nine assists. He scored 16 in the second quarter, 13 in the third and 16 in the fourth. James began the game ranked ninth in scoring with a 27.8 average.
Cristiano Ronaldo makes big-money move to Saudi Arabian club
LONDON (AP) — Saudi Arabian soccer club Al Nassr has announced the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, ending speculation about the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's future. Al Nassr posted a picture on social media of Ronaldo holding up the team's jersey, with the club hailing the deal as "history in the making." Ronaldo had been a free agent has his contract was terminated by Manchester United following an explosive TV interview in which he criticized manager Erik ten Hag and the club's owners. He is coming off a disappointing World Cup where he was benched in the knockout rounds and Portugal lost in the quarterfinals to Morocco.
Pelé invigorated US soccer, paved way for '94 World Cup, MLS
NEW YORK (AP) — Clive Toye started his pursuit of Pelé with a trip to Jamaica and a cold call in 1971. Pelé signed with the New York Cosmos four years later. It put U.S. soccer on a path to hosting the World Cup in 1994 and launching Major League Soccer two years later. The Cosmos averaged 3,578 fans in 1974. Pelé joined in June 1975 and that season's average nearly tripled to 10,450. Pelé was 34 when he joined the Cosmos and scored 37 goals in 64 matches. He agreed to countless interviews and promotional appearances as part of a mission to make soccer mainstream.
Buchner accounts for 5 TDs, Notre Dame wins Gator Bowl 45-38
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tyler Buchner accounted for five touchdowns to help offset two interceptions returned for TDs, and No. 19 Notre Dame beat 20th-ranked South Carolina 45-38 in a wild TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. The highest-scoring game in the bowl's history was filled with big plays and memorable moments. Buchner delivered the knockout blow when he found tight end Mitchell Evans wide open for a 16-yard touchdown on a third-and-7 play with 1:38 remaining. Buchner, who regained the starting job after Drew Pyne entered the transfer portal following the regular-season finale, threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 61 yards and two scores.
Zaidi: Giants immediately communicated concerns about Correa
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Giants executive Farhan Zaidi says the club expressed concerns to Carlos Correa's representative immediately when an issue arose with the shortstop's physical exam that led to the deal collapsing. Zaidi, San Francisco's president of baseball operations, spoke publicly for the first time about how the $350 million, 13-year contract for Correa fell through Dec. 20. An introductory news conference was called off about three hours before it had been set to begin that day, and Correa agreed to a new deal with the New York Mets overnight.
Georgia-Ohio St: Perennial powerhouses who've met just once
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia and Ohio State have met just once, three decades ago in an era before playoffs and NIL. The Bulldogs won the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day in 1993. The teams will be playing for a whole lot more on New Year's Eve in the Peach Bowl semifinal of the College Football Playoff — a berth in the national title game. The top-ranked Bulldogs are looking to take the penultimate step toward their second straight national championship. No. 4 Ohio State slipped into the final playoff spot without winning its division in the Big Ten.
TCU brings 'fight for credibility' to CFP against Michigan
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 TCU meet for the first time Saturday at the Fiesta Bowl. It is a matchup of one of college football's bluest blue bloods and the most unlikely team ever to reach the College Football Playoff. The Horned Frogs became just the second team to reach the final four after starting the season unranked. The first was Michigan last year. Michigan is the winningest program in college football history. TCU played in three conferences over 16 years before landing in the Big 12 11 years ago. It was picked to finish seventh in the league this year.
College Basketball Scores
Friday, Dec. 30
EAST
Albertus Magnus 91, Nichols 85
American 60, Lafayette 47
Army 80, Lehigh 78
Baruch 62, Rutgers-Camden 47
Berry 79, Emory 74
Brandeis 60, Westfield St. 47
Christopher Newport 98, Wilmington (Ohio) 48
Colgate 101, Loyola (Md.) 67
Curry 89, Bard 78
Drew 75, Keystone 68
East Stroudsburg 93, Slippery Rock 66
Edinboro 71, Bloomsburg 62
Elizabethtown 70, Stevenson 69
Fairfield 73, Marist 54
Frostburg St. 78, Dist. of Columbia 76
Holy Cross 60, Bucknell 58
Hood 109, Waynesburg 51
Indiana (Pa.) 76, Millersville 45
Keene St. 62, Emerson 54
Kutztown 92, California (Pa.) 82
Lock Haven 69, Gannon 64
Marywood 83, Mount St. Mary 63
McDaniel 72, St. Vincent 70, OT
Mercyhurst 88, Mansfield 58
Moravian 81, Bryn Athyn 78
Morgan St. 61, Hartford 54
Mount St. Vincent 79, Union (NY) 72
Navy 75, Boston U. 58
Nazareth 82, Clark 63
Pitt.-Bradford 89, Grove City 75
Pitt.-Johnstown 79, Shepherd 62
Pittsburgh 76, North Carolina 74
Rutgers 90, Coppin St. 57
Saint Joseph (Conn.) 67, Worcester Tech 55
Saint Joseph's (Maine) 75, S. Maine 52
Shippensburg 78, Clarion 52
Siena 83, Quinnipiac 76
Springfield 81, Roger Williams 63
St. Peter's 67, Manhattan 57
Swarthmore 87, Immaculata 57
Trinity (Conn.) 71, Framingham St. 51
West Chester 82, Seton Hill 68
Wheaton 89, Colby Sawyer 81
Wheeling Jesuit 88, Franciscan 64
SOUTH
Anderson (SC) 82, Southern Wesleyan 77
Belmont Abbey 60, Lenoir-Rhyne 56
Centenary 90, Dallas 70
Clemson 78, NC State 64
E. Mennonite 60, Mary Baldwin 58
Ferrum 74, William Peace 68
Fort Lauderdale Eagles 71, Fort Valley St. 59
Francis Marion 87, Coker 75
Georgia Southwestern 87, Middle Georgia 59
Guilford 76, Centre 39
Hendrix 83, Ozarks 80
Lee 89, Lindsey Wilson 50
North Alabama 66, Jacksonville St. 62
Oglethorpe 92, LaGrange 88
SC State 111, St. Andrews 58
South Carolina 74, E. Michigan 64
St. Mary's (Md.) 78, Bridgewater (Va.) 76
Stetson 86, Lipscomb 80, OT
Vanderbilt 93, SE Louisiana 55
Virginia Union 88, Fairmont St. 83, OT
MIDWEST
Akron 84, Concord 58
Ashland 81, Wayne St. (Mich.) 70
Aurora 76, Monmouth (Ill.) 64
Bemidji St. 77, Mary 67
Carleton 99, Bethany Lutheran 91
Cornerstone Golden Eagles 84, Davenport 82
Elmhurst 84, Calvin 80
Hiram 87, Adrian 68
Illinois College 74, Augustana (Ill.) 69
Lake Forest 80, Carroll (Wis.) 74
Lakeland 109, Cardinal Stritch 80
Malone 96, Central St. (Ohio) 61
Marian 79, Wis.-Oshkosh 74
Miami 76, Notre Dame 65
Michigan St. 89, Buffalo 68
Minot St. 77, Minn.-Crookston 57
Missouri S&T 102, Baptist Bible 77
N. Dakota St. 71, North Dakota 49
Notre Dame (Ohio) 94, Mount Aloysius 56
Ohio 76, Chicago St. 59
Penn State-Altoona 83, Oberlin 78, 2OT
Rockford 75, Beloit 64
Rockhurst 75, William Woods 71
Saginaw Valley St. 87, Grace Bible 68
St. Mary's (Minn.) 83, North Park 82
Wabash 90, Edgewood 63
Washington (Mo.) 86, Westminster (Mo.) 49
Wis.-River Falls 73, St. Scholastica 55
Wisconsin 76, W. Michigan 66
Wooster 68, Heidelberg 65
SOUTHWEST
Dallas Baptist 75, Ark.-Fort Smith 64
Embry-Riddle (AZ) 88, Barry 79
Houston Christian 101, New Orleans 96, OT
Lubbock Christian 85, Cameron 61
Oklahoma Christian 87, Texas-Tyler 76, 2OT
Southwestern (Texas) 76, Howard Payne 63
St Edwards 88, Texas A&M International 72
St. Thomas (Texas) 67, Austin 62
Texas A&M 86, Prairie View 66
FAR WEST
Academy of Art 97, Holy Names 82
Angelo St. 77, W. New Mexico 63
Black Hills St. 84, Adams St. 64
Claremont Mudd 71, Haverford 44
Colorado Mesa 67, CSU-Pueblo 60
E. New Mexico 84, Texas-Permian Basin 75
Fort Lewis 93, S.D. Mines 82
Fresno Pacific 80, Dominican (Cal.) 63
Hawaii 74, UC Davis 66
Milwaukee Engineering 89, Caltech 83, 2OT
Occidental 60, Husson 59
Pacific Lutheran 64, Gustavus Adolphus 61
Southern Cal 80, Washington 67
UCLA 67, Washington St. 66
West Texas A&M 72, Midwestern St. 71
Willamette 98, Douglas College Royals 66
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