Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY (AP) — Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are back in a familiar spot. Same for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. The Chiefs and Patriots have surged to first place in their respective divisions with monthlong winning streaks. The Colts, 49ers and Eagles have also turned things around in November. In the NFL's longest season, counting teams out before Halloween was premature. Teams who play their best football in November and December have the best shot to play deep into January and February.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 63 yards and a touchdown in his return from injured reserve as the Chiefs beat the Cowboys 19-9. Patrick Mahomes was 23 of 37 for 260 yards with an interception and a fumble for Kansas City, but he was bailed out by a defense that played its best game of the year. Charvarius Ward picked off Dak Prescott in the end zone near the end of the first half, and Chris Jones had 3 1/2 sacks while forcing and recovering a fumble. The result was the Chiefs' fourth straight win and a 4-0 mark against the NFC East this season.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys were short-handed because of injuries and COVID-19 before they faced the Kansas City Chiefs. Then it got worse during the game. Just before halftime Sunday, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb sustained a concussion as he went up for a jump ball in the end zone and did not return for the second half. Throw in a tweaked ankle for Ezekiel Elliott and it's no wonder the Cowboys didn't reach the end zone in a 19-9 loss to the Chiefs. Receiver Amari Cooper missed the game because he tested positive for COVID-19, and standout left tackle Tyron Smith was sidelined with an ankle injury.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Kobe Brown scored 19 of his 24 points after halftime, hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:29 left in overtime as Missouri rallied to defeat SMU 80-75 at the Jacksonville Classic. SMU (3-2) looked to have the game in hand after Emmanuel Bandoumel hit two 3-pointers to cap an 18-0 run to close out the first half, giving the Mustangs a 29-18 lead. Missouri (3-1) chipped away until a jumper by Brown cut the deficit to 62-59 with 1:50 left. DaJuan Gordon sent the game to OT with a three-point play — on an assist from Brown — with 29 seconds left. Brown's 3-pointer gave the Tigers the lead for good, but they didn't nail down the win until Ronnie DeGray III's three-point play with 8 seconds left gave them a two-score advantage.
ST. THOMAS (AP) — David Roddy had a career-high 36 points as Colorado State defeated Creighton 93-81 in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. Arthur Kaluma led the Bluejays on Sunday night with 16 points.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Aljaz Kunc scored 21 points to lead five players in double figures and Iowa State breezed to an 82-47 victory over Grambling. Kunc sank all seven of his shots, including five 3-pointers, for the Cyclones (4-0). Tristan Enaruna pitched in with 15 points and nine rebounds. Tyrese Hunter added 12 points, six assists and five boards. AJ Taylor topped the Tigers (0-4) with 12 points and Danya Kingsby scored 10.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Bryce McGowens scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, leading four players into double-figure scoring as Nebraska defeated Southern 82-59. McGowens, a 6-foot-7 freshman, was a perfect 10 of 10 at the free-throw line as he collected his first double-double for the Huskers. Derrick Walker made seven of eight field goals to finish with 15 points for Nebraska, Alonzo Verge scored 14 with six rebounds and four assists. Nebraska quickly built a 23-9 lead by the 5:09 mark of the first half and never let Southern get closer than 11 after that. Brion Whitley led the Jaguars with 17 points.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Defending Olympic curling champion John Shuster is going back to the Winter Games for a fifth time. The 2018 gold medalist skipped his team to victory over Team Dropkin at the U.S. trials, winning 5-4 to take the best-of-three finals two games to one and earn a spot in Beijing. John Landsteiner and Matt Hamilton will also return to the Olympics after winning it all in Pyeongchang. Chris Plys joined the foursome to replace Tyler George, who retired. Tabitha Peterson, Nina Roth, Tara Peterson and Becca Hamilton earned the American women's berth In Beijing.
NFL-SCHEDULE
Texans snap 8-game skid, end Titans' 6-game streak
UNDATED (AP) — Tyrod Taylor ran for two touchdowns and threw for 107 yards and the Houston Texans snapped the NFL's longest active skid by beating the Tennessee Titans 22-13 on a wet and rainy Sunday.
The Texans came in having lost eight straight since winning their season opener and hadn't scored a TD on the road since Sept. 19.
Desmond King had two of the Texans' four interceptions. Three of those came in the fourth quarter to snuff out the Titans' attempted rally. Houston turned those and a fumbled punt into 13 points.
Elsewhere around the NFL:
— Jonathan Taylor set a franchise record by scoring five touchdowns in the Indianapolis Colts' 41-15 rout of the unraveling Buffalo Bills. Taylor scored three times in the first half, including a 23-yard catch. He became the NFL's first player with five TDs in in one game since Alvin Kamara ran for six last season. The Colts won for the fifth time in six games to improve to 6-5. The Bills dropped to 6-4 and ceded their lead atop the AFC East, falling a half-game behind New England.
— Minnesota beat Green Bay by making sure Aaron Rodgers didn't get to touch the ball last. Greg Joseph made a 29-yard field goal as time expired to give the Vikings a 34-31 victory over the Packers. Rodgers threw three of his four touchdown passes in the second half, finishing 23 for 33 for a season-high 385 yards. Kirk Cousins passed for 341 yards and three scores.
— Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 63 yards and a touchdown in his return from injured reserve as the Chiefs beat the Cowboys 19-9. Patrick Mahomes was 23 of 37 for 260 yards with an interception and a fumble for Kansas City, but he was bailed out by a defense that played its best game of the year. Charvarius Ward picked off Dak Prescott in the end zone near the end of the first half, and Chris Jones had 3 1/2 sacks while forcing and recovering a fumble.
— Colt McCoy was outstanding filling in for Kyler Murray, throwing for 328 yards and two touchdowns, and the Arizona Cardinals beat the Seattle Seahawks 23-13. The Seahawks lost their second straight and for the fifth time in the past six games. McCoy outplayed Russell Wilson in his first home game since finger surgery. Wilson was 14 of 26 for 207 yards.
— Justin Herbert threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams with 2:17 remaining and the Los Angeles Chargers held off the Pittsburgh Steelers 41-37. Los Angeles had a 27-10 lead going into the fourth quarter before the Steelers rallied to take a 37-34 lead on Chris Boswell's 45-yard field goal with 3:24 left. Herbert finished 30 of 41 for 382 yards and three touchdowns, plus 90 yards rushing.
— Jalen Hurts ran for three touchdowns, Darius Slay returned an interception for a score and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New Orleans Saints 40-29. The Eagles have won two in a row for the first time this season and rookie coach Nick Sirianni earned his first victory at home in five tries. The Saints dropped their third straight since losing quarterback Jameis Winston to a season-ending ACL injury.
— Washington spoiled Cam Newton's return to Bank of America Stadium with a 27-21 win over the Carolina Panthers. Taylor Heinicke (HY'-nih-kee) threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns against the league's top-ranked pass defense. Terry McLaurin had five catches for 103 yards and a touchdown.
— Devonta (deh-VAHN'-tay) Freeman scored on a 3-yard run with 22 seconds remaining and the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens beat the Chicago Bears 16-13 even though star quarterback Lamar Jackson missed the game because of an illness. The Ravens ruled out Jackson 90 minutes before kickoff after he took some throws on the field. Chicago's Andy Dalton threw for two touchdowns after Justin Fields left the game with a rib injury in the third quarter, but the Bears lost their fifth straight.
— Nick Chubb caught a touchdown pass and ran for 130 yards as the Cleveland Browns held on to avoid a season-wrecking upset and keep Detroit winless with a sloppy 13-10 victory over the Lions. Chubb returned to Cleveland's lineup after a one-game absence due to COVID-19.
— Joe Mixon rushed for 123 yards and scored two touchdowns and the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 32-13. The well-rested Bengals came out of their bye week and snapped a two-game skid to climb back into the AFC North race, while the Raiders lost their third straight since their bye week when they led the AFC West.
— Tua Tagovailoa (TOO'-ah tuhng-ah-vy-LOH'-ah) threw a go-ahead 5-yard touchdown pass to Myles Gaskin early in the fourth quarter and the Miami Dolphins hung on to beat the New York Jets 24-17 for their third straight victory.
— Jimmy Garoppolo (gah-RAH'-puh-loh) threw two touchdown passes for the third consecutive week and the San Francisco 49ers dominated Jacksonville 30-10 for their third win in four games. Coming off their best game of the season — a 31-10 stunner against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night — the 49ers traveled cross-country on a short week and looked every bit like a playoff contender for the second time in six days, scoring on their first five possessions.
NBA-SCHEDULE
LeBron ejected after bloodying Stewart, Lakers beat Pistons
UNDATED (AP) — LeBron James was ejected early in the third quarter after drawing blood by hitting Isaiah Stewart in the face, leaving Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook to rally the Los Angeles Lakers to a 121-116 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Davis had 30 points, 10 rebounds and two big blocked shots late on Pistons 20-year-old rookie Cade Cunningham. Westbrook contributed 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, had 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to become the youngest player in franchise history with a triple-double.
James and Stewart were tangled up while boxing out for a rebound. James's left elbow and hand appeared to make contact with Stewart above the neck, sending him into a bloody rage. Detroit's center had to be held back more than once, keeping him separated from the NBA superstar. Stewart was also ejected.
In other NBA games:
— Stephen Curry was back and the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 119-104. But they were led by Jordan Poole, who had 33, including eight 3-pointers. Curry scored just 12 points but had eight assists, after sitting out a game with a sore hip.
— Cam Johnson scored a career-high 22 points, Deandre Ayton added 21 and the fast-starting Phoenix Suns ran their winning streak to 12, routing the short-handed Denver Nuggets 126-97. The Suns scored 48 points in the first quarter for a 20-point lead, hitting 7 3-pointers.
— DeMar DeRozan had 31 points, Zach LaVine added 21 and The Chicago Bulls rallied in the fourth quarter for a 109-103 victory over the New York Knicks. DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 31 points.
— Paul George scored 12 of his 29 points in the third quarter as the Los Angeles Clippers ended a two-game losing skid with a 97-91 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks played their third consecutive game without star Luka Doncic (DAHN'-chihch), who is on the mend from a sprained left knee and ankle.
NBA-KINGS-WALTON FIRED
Kings fire coach Luke Walton after 6-11 start to 3rd season
UNDATED (AP) — The Sacramento Kings have fired coach Luke Walton after getting off to a disappointing start in his third season in charge.
Walton had a 68-93 record in two-plus seasons as coach, failing to get Sacramento to the playoffs. Associate coach Alvin Gentry takes over on an interim basis.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Kraken end skid with win over Capitals
UNDATED (AP) — Jaden Schwartz had a goal and three assists and the Seattle Kraken beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 to snap a six-game losing streak.
Calle Jarnkrok and Yanni Gorde each added a goal and an assist for Seattle, which got 37 saves from Philipp Grubauer.
Alex Ovechkin scored his 15th goal of the season for the Capitals.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
— Defenseman Ryan Lindgren barely beat the third-period buzzer to lift the New York Rangers to a 5-4 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Lindgren's heroics came after the teams scored three goals each in a wild second period, including four goals in an 82-second span.
— Steven Stamkos scored the lone shootout goal while Brian Elliott stopped three shootout shots to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 5-4 win over the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota secured a standings point with a third period rally, tying it at 4 on two empty-net goals.
— Former Bruins goalie Dan Vladar stopped 27 shots for his second career shutout, and the Calgary Flames beat Boston 4-0. Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane scored a short-handed goal early in the third period for his 15th of the season.
— Mitch Marner scored the game's only goals as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New York Islanders 2-0. Toronto goalie Joseph Woll stopped 20 shots for his first career shutout.
— Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 40 shots in his first shutout of the season and the Chicago Blackhawks blanked the Vancouver Canucks 1-0. Brandon Hagel scored the game's lone goal with a third-period tip-in.
— The Arizona Coyotes defeated the Los Angeles Kings 2-1. It's the first back-to-back wins this season for the Coyotes.
T25 MEN'S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Arizona dominates No. 4 Michigan
UNDATED (AP) — Christian Koloko had 22 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots to lead Arizona to a dominating 80-62 win over No. 4 Michigan in the Roman Main Event.
Michigan couldn't get anything to fall from the perimeter, shooting 1 of 14 from 3.
In other top 25 men's college basketball games:
— No. 6 Purdue overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to beat No. 5 Villanova 80-74 and win the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. Zach Edey scored 21 points and Caleb Furst and Isaiah Thompson each added 12 points for the Boilermakers.
— Tennessee's two freshmen guards combined for 32 points and 13 assists as the Volunteers bounced back from their first loss of the season to beat No. 18 North Carolina, 89-72, in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament. Zakai Zeigler scored 18 points to go with five assists and Kennedy Chandler had 14 points, eight assists and five rebounds for the 17th-ranked Vols.
— No. 22 St. Bonaventure beat Marquette 70-54 to win the Charleston Classic. Jaren Holmes led the Bonnies with 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, Osun Osunniyi added 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
T25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL-POLL
Ohio State jumps to No. 2 past Alabama, Cincinnati
UNDATED (AP) — Ohio State is now No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll, jumping three spots past No. 3 Alabama and No. 4 Cincinnati in a close vote.
Georgia is a unanimous No. 1 for the seventh consecutive week. Alabama slipped past Cincinnati last week and then Ohio State leapfrogged them both after routing Michigan State.
Notre Dame is up to a season-high No. 5 and Michigan will go into its game against Ohio State ranked No. 6. Oklahoma State moved to a season-high No. 7 and is one of three Big 12 teams in the top 10, along with No. 9 Baylor and No. 10 Oklahoma. Mississippi rounds out the top 10 at No. 8.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NEWS
Florida fires coach Dan Mullen
UNDATED (AP) — Florida has fired coach Dan Mullen a day after his sixth loss in nine games.
The move comes two months after the Gators went toe to toe with defending national champion Alabama and a year after they had a chance to make the College Football Playoff.
In other college football news:
— Troy has fired football coach Chip Lindsey with one game left in his third season. Lindsey was 15-19 a Troy. Defensive coordinator Brandon Hall will finish out the season as interim coach.
PGA-RSM CLASSIC
Gooch sails to victory at Sea Island for 1st PGA Tour title
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Talor Gooch has picked up his first PGA Tour title, and he played like he had done this before.
Gooch played bogey-free at Sea Island in the final round. He led by as many as five shots on the back nine. He wound up with a 64 and a three-shot victory in the RSM Classic.
The victory sends the former Oklahoma State player to the Masters in April.
LPGA TOUR
Jin Young Ko delivers big finish to win LPGA player of year
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Jin Young Ko delivered her best performance against her toughest opponent. The South Korean star shot a 63 on Sunday to win the CME Group Tour Championship. That's what she needed to overtake Nelly Korda for LPGA Tour player of the year.
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