Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Christian Braun had a career-high 31 points, Ochai Agbaji scored 23 and No. 8 Kansas emphatically turned back a second-half charge to beat St. John's 95-75 in the first basketball game at new UBS Arena. Senior forward David McCormack was a force inside with 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Jayhawks. Kansas has bounced back from a one-point loss to Dayton last week with consecutive double-digit wins. Remy Martin added 12 points and five assists, and Kansas clamped down on defense late. Julian Champagnie scored all but four of his 24 points after halftime for the Red Storm. The arena is the new home of the NHL's New York Islanders.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Jaden Ivey scored 19 points, Trevion Williams had 13 points and 18 rebounds, and No. 2 Purdue held off a late Iowa rally to win 77-70 in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Mason Gillis added 12 points off the bench for the Boilermakers (8-0). The Hawkeyes (7-1) were without leading scorer and rebounder Keegan Murray, who injured his ankle in Monday's victory at Virginia. Murray is averaging 24.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. His twin brother, Kris Murray, started in his place. Patrick McCaffery led Iowa with 15 points. Tony Perkins scored 14 and Murray 12 for Iowa.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs will be without starting cornerback Rashad Fenton and right tackle Lucas Niang for Sunday night's game against the Broncos, raising the possibility former All-Pro lineman Kyle Long could play for the first time in two years. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Friday that Fenton, the NFL's top-rated cornerback according to some grading services, would miss the game with the knee he strained two weeks ago against Dallas. Niang has been dealing with a rib injury. Long spent last season in retirement then returned this spring, only to fracture a bone in his knee during a workout in June.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Aliyah Boston had 21 points and 17 rebounds to lead No. 1 South Carolina to its first 9-0 start in six years with a 65-44 victory over Kansas State in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Boston continued her dominant stretch by outplaying another top forward in Kansas State's Ayoka Lee. Lee picked up three first-half fouls as the Wildcats struggled to slow down Boston the Gamecocks. Laeticia Amihere filled in for injured starting point guard Destanni Henderson and had 11 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and five blocks. Kansas State fell to 0-14 vs. No. 1 teams.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — No. 2 Michigan faces No. 15 Iowa in the Big Ten championiship game in Indianapolis this weekend. Neither team has won a conference title since they shared it back in 2004. The Wolverines could use a win to seal a spot in the College Football Playoff. That would give them a chance to return to Indianapolis for January's national championship game. Michigan is 11-1 and Iowa is 10-2 going into the game.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs have won 11 straight games against the Denver Broncos who are their onetime AFC West nemesis. And Kansas City coach Andy Reid's teams have won 19 of the 22 times they have played following a week off. But that doesn't mean the Broncos are going to go down without a fight Sunday night. They're in a logjam with the Chargers and Raiders a game back of the Chiefs in the division race and their primetime showdown at Arrowhead Stadium could suddenly thrust Denver into surprisingly solid playoff position. The Chiefs have won four straight while the Broncos have won three of four.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Rookie running back Javonte Williams is preparing to get his first NFL start Sunday night at Kansas City with veteran Melvin Gordon III listed as doubtful. Gordon missed practice all week with a sore hip and a sore shoulder. Williams is second in the league with 42 missed tackles he's forced and he's rushed for nearly 600 yards with a pair of touchdowns, including one in last week's win over the Chargers. The Broncos can move into first place in the AFC West with an upset of the Chiefs.
UNDATED (AP) — Kansas State has cut offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham and tights ends coach Jason Ray. Coach Chris Klieman says the two assistant coaches, whose contracts were due to expire in February, would not be retained for the bowl season. Kansas State finished 7-5 and should learn its bowl destination on Sunday. Former Heisman Trophy finalist Collin Klein, who had been working with Kansas State quarterbacks, will serve as the interim offensive coordinator for the bowl game. It's unclear whether he will be considered for the full-time job.
Update on the latest sports
NBA-SCHEDULE
Warriors end Suns' win streak
UNDATED (AP) — The Phoenix Suns' team-record winning streak has ended at 18 games.
Stephen Curry bounced back from one of the worst shooting nights of his career by scoring 23 points as the Golden State Warriors ripped the Suns, 118-96. Three days after going 4 of 21 while missing 11 of 14 3-point tries in a 104-96 loss in Phoenix, Curry shot 8 of 20 with six 3s, five rebounds and five assists.
Andrew Wiggins added 19 points as Golden State extended its home winning streak to 11.
Deandre Ayton had 23 points and six rebounds for Phoenix.
Checking out Friday's other NBA action:
— The Clippers posted a 119-115 win over the Lakers behind Luke Kenard, who scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and hit two clutch 3-pointers in the final minutes. Paul George scored 19 points for the Clippers, who never trailed and never pulled away in the city rivals' first meeting of the season. LeBron James had 23 points and 11 rebounds in his first game back from a one-game absence under the NBA's health and safety protocols.
— Kevin Durant delivered 30 points in the Nets' fifth victory in six games, a 110-105 downing of the Timberwolves. Durant was 12 of 13 from the line in leading five Nets with at least 10 points. Patty Mills finished with 23 points and James Harden contributed 20 with nine assists and seven rebounds.
— Donovan Mitchell had 34 points and six assists to lead the Jazz over the Celtics, 137-130. Mike Conley added 29 points and seven assists, while teammate Rudy Gobert (goh-BEHR') tallied 18 points and 12 rebounds. Utah made a season-high 27 3-pointers and shot 53% from long distance to overcome Jayson Tatum's game-high 37 points for Boston.
— Kyle Lowry made up for the absence of four Miami starters by scoring a season-high 26 points in the Heat's 113-104 decision at Indiana. Duncan Robinson scored a season-high 24 points and made four 3s for the Heat, while Tyler Herro (HEE'-roh) added three treys and 18 points. Miami was 16-of-34 shooting from beyond the arc, compared to the Pacers' 9 of 36.
— The 76ers outlasted the Hawks, 98-96 as Joel Embiid (joh-EHL' ehm-BEED') drained a jumper with 42 seconds remaining to give Philadelphia its first lead of the second half. Embiid provided 28 points and 12 boards for the Sixers, who have won both meetings with Atlanta this season after being knocked out by the Hawks in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals last spring. Trae Young had 25 points for the Hawks, who led 90-80.
— Cleveland has a four-game winning streak after Darius Garland furnished 32 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds to a 116-101 win at Washington. The Cavaliers led by 29 following a 19-0 spurt that bridged both halves. Jarrett Allen had 28 points and 13 rebounds for his sixth consecutive double-double.
— The Pelicans missed 18 of their first 20 shots and still came away with a 107-91 trouncing of the Mavericks. New Orleans outscored Dallas, 63-43 after halftime for its fourth win in six games following a 3-16 start. Brandon Ingram delivered 24 points, while Jonas Valanciunas (YOH'-nuhs val-ehn-CHOO'-nuhs) and Willy Hernangomez each had double-doubles.
— Eric Gordon capped his 24-point performance by hitting a short jumper with 1.6 seconds left to send the Rockets to their fifth win in a row, 118-116 over the Magic. Christian Wood had 20 points for the Rockets and Garrison Mathews scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Cole Anthony dropped in eight of his game-high 26 points while Orlando tied the game with a 13-0 run in the final period.
NBA-NEWS
Blazers executive Neil Olshey dismissed after probe
UNDATED (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers have fired Neil Olshey.
The team's president of basketball operations and general manager was let go after an investigation into workplace conduct.
The Blazers hired an outside firm last month to investigate workplace environment concerns stemming from allegations of misconduct involving Olshey.
The Blazers promoted director of player personnel Joe Cronin to interim general manager.
In other NBA news:
— Wesley Matthews is back with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks signed the swingman Friday, bringing him back after he spent the 2019-20 season with them. Matthews has averaged 12.6 points in 849 games over 12 seasons.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-PAC-12 TITLE GAME
Utes blow past Ducks
LAS VEGAS (AP) — No. 14 Utah is going to the Rose Bowl for the first time in school history after dominating the Pac-12 championship game.
Devin Lloyd had a pick-6 and Cam Rising threw for another score in the Utes' 38-10 rout of 10th-ranked Oregon. It was a carbon copy of their meeting two weeks ago, when Utah opened strong in a 38-7 thrashing of the Ducks.
Rising threw for 170 yards and ran for another 61 as the Utes improved to 10-3. Tavion Thomas had two of Utah's three rushing touchdowns.
Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown was just 13 of 24 for 147 yards for the Ducks.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NOTRE DAME-COACH
Irish pick Freeman to replace Kelly
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame has quickly hired a new football coach without embarking on a detailed search.
Defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman has been promoted to head coach of the Fighting Irish, less than a week after Brian Kelly left to take over LSU's program.
Athletic director Jack Swarbrick said Tuesday that Notre Dame would conduct a thorough search for the storied program's 30th coach. The search didn't last long as word began to leak Wednesday afternoon that Freeman was Notre Dame's choice.
The 35-year-old Freeman helped the Irish go 11-1 in what was expected to be a transition season after making the playoff.
T25 MEN'S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Purdue survives challenge from Iowa
UNDATED (AP) — Second-ranked Purdue was able to win its Big Ten opener despite blowing most of a 19-point lead.
Jaden Ivey scored 19 points and Trevion Williams had a double-double as the Boilermakers topped Iowa, 77-70. Williams provided 13 points and 18 rebounds in helping Purdue stay in line for a No. 1 ranking on Monday, thanks to Duke's loss to Ohio State earlier this week.
But the Boilermakers watched a 63-44 shrink to 70-68 following an 11-0 run by the Hawkeyes. Purdue closed on a 7-2 spurt to secure the win.
Patrick McCaffrey had a team-high 15 points for Iowa, which played without leading scorer and rebounder Keegan Murray because of an ankle injury.
Also on Friday's top-25 men's basketball schedule:
— Seventh-ranked Texas went on a 19-0 run and allowed just 17 second-half points in an 88-58 rout of Rio Grande Valley. Christian Bishop scored 17 points in just 14 minutes for the Longhorns, hitting all nine of his free throws. Timmy Allen and Tre Mitchell scored 13 points each for Texas, with Mitchell adding five rebounds and five assists.
— Christian Braun had a career-high 31 points, Ochai Agbaji (OH'-chy ahg-BAH'-hee) scored 23 to carry eighth-ranked Kansas to a 95-75 rout of St. John's. Senior forward David McCormack was a force inside with 15 points and 13 rebounds for the 6-1 Jayhawks. Julian Champagnie scored all but four of his 24 points after halftime for the Red Storm.
— No. 15 Houston crushed Bryant, 111-44 as Tramon Mark tied a career high with 22 points and Josh Carlton added 17. Fabian White Jr. had 13 of his 16 points while the Cougars were building a 52-21 lead. The Cougars shot a season-high 62% and made 10 of 23 3-pointers.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-COVID
Bruins get a win without playing.
SEATTLE (AP) — Fifth-ranked UCLA's game at Washington scheduled for Sunday has been canceled because of COVID-19 issues in the Huskies' program.
The game won't be rescheduled and will count as a Pac-12 victory for the Bruins. A conference rule for games impacted by COVID-19 says that if two schools can't agree on a date to reschedule, then the team dealing with the coronavirus outbreak will forfeit the game.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-MARYLAND-TURGEON
Turgeon out as Maryland men's hoops coach
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Mark Turgeon is out as Maryland's basketball coach after a slow start to his 11th season knocked the team out of the Top 25. The athletic department announced Friday that Turgeon was stepping down in what it called a mutual decision.
The Terrapins won at least 23 games in five of the past seven seasons, but Maryland has reached the Sweet 16 just once under Turgeon and hasn't gone further. The Terps began this season ranked, but a loss at home to Virginia Tech on Wednesday night dropped them to 5-3 on the season.
Assistant Danny Manning was named interim coach for the rest of the season.
NFL-NEWS
Giants' Jones out with neck injury
UNDATED (AP) — New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones will not play against Miami on Sunday because of a neck injury.
Coach Joe Judge ruled out Jones on Friday after being told by the team's medical personnel that the third-year quarterback had not been cleared for contact. Jones had practiced on a limited basis on Wednesday and Thursday.
Veteran Mike Glennon will start for the Giants.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
— The Chiefs will be without starting cornerback Rashad Fenton and right tackle Lucas Niang for Sunday night's game against the Broncos. Fenton has a knee injury and Niang is dealing with a rib injury, raising the possibility that former All-Pro lineman Kyle Long could play for the first time in two years.
— Broncos rookie running back Javonte Williams will get his first start Sunday night at Kansas City if Melvin Gordon III can't play. Gordon didn't practice all week because of hip and shoulder injuries and was listed as doubtful Friday.
— The Seahawks could elevate Adrian Peterson from the practice squad to play against San Francisco on Sunday. Peterson was signed this week by the Seahawks due to concerns about depth at running back.
— Bears coach Matt Nagy says Justin Fields' broken ribs haven't improved to the extent that he can play against the Cardinals on Sunday. That means Andy Dalton will make his fourth start of the season.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Blueshirts blank Sharks, finish without Shesterkin
UNDATED (AP) — The New York Rangers' latest victory may be a costly one.
Ryan Strome's first-period goal stood up as the Rangers picked up their fifth straight win, 1-0 over the Sharks.
The Blueshirts have won seven straight at home and are 9-2-0 in their last 11 overall.
But New York finished the game without Igor Shesterkin, who appeared to suffer a right leg injury stretching out face-down in the crease just over five minutes into the third period. Alexander Georgiev stopped nine shots after Shesterkin recorded 19.
Adin Hill made 25 saves for the Sharks, who had won three in a row.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Yanni Gourde (YAH'-nee gohrd) scored his sixth goal of the season 49 seconds into the Kraken's 4-3 verdict over the Oilers. Colin Blackwell and Alex Wennberg scored less than two minutes apart in the second period, helping the expansion team win for the fifth time in seven games. Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl (DRY'-sy-tul) scored his league-high 21st goal of the season in the first period.
— The Flames extended their road point streak to eight games with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Ducks. Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk scored in the shootout after Sean Monahan furnished a goal and an assist.
— The Jets crushed the Devils, 8-4 behind Mark Scheifele's (SHY'-fleez) three goals and one assist. Nikolaj Ehlers (NIH'-koh-ly EE'-lurz) scored twice and Blake Wheeler had three assists in the rout.
— Max Pacioretty (pash-ah-REH'-tee) scored twice and Chandler Stephenson had a short-handed tally in a four-goal second that carried the Golden Knights to a 7-1 win over the Coyotes. Michael Amadio, Evgenii Dadonov (dah-DAH'-nahv) and Nicolas Roy (wah) each had a goal and an assist to help Vegas win for the first time in three games.
NHL-BLACKHAWKS INJURIES
Blackhawks F Tyler Johnson sidelined by neck surgery
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson is the second NHL player to have an unusual neck surgery.
A person with knowledge of the situation says Johnson's operation was the same artificial disk replacement surgery that Jack Eichel underwent last month. Team physician Michael Terry says the 31-year-old Johnson will be sidelined for approximately three months.
Johnson has one goal and two assists in eight games in his first season with Chicago.
GOLF-WORLD CHALLENGE
DeChambeau leads, Koepka, Morikawa 1 back
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau is the leader through two rounds of the World Challenge.
DeChambeau made five birdies in a six-hole stretch around the turn and overcame a late double bogey from a wild drive for an 8-under 64. That was good for a one-shot lead going into the weekend.
Brooks Koepka (KEHP'-kah) and Collin Morikawa are tied for second. Koepka whipped DeChambeau in Las Vegas at their made-for-TV match last week.
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