Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) The helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant and eight others that crashed outside Los Angeles was flying in foggy conditions considered dangerous enough that local police agencies grounded their choppers. Bryant's helicopter plunged into a rugged hillside Sunday with an impact that scattered debris over an area the size of a football field and killed everyone aboard. The accident unleashed an outpouring of grief from admirers around the country who mourned the sudden loss of the all-time basketball great who spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
UNDATED (AP) — The most compelling dramas in the NFL this season unfolded on the field, not off it. And any thought that the league was in jeopardy of losing its spot as America's favorite sport has been set on the back burner. Headlines about domestic violence, kneeling during the national anthem and player injuries largely faded into the background this season. They were replaced by stories about the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots and a young stable of stars, including 24-year-old quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who leads the Chiefs into the Super Bowl on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. The big game will wrap up a season in which the NFL enjoyed its second straight gain of 5 percent in TV ratings after two seasons that saw ratings go down.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Freshman McKenna Warnock scored 15 of her career-high 22 points in the fourth quarter when the No. 19 Iowa women broke open a close game and beat Michigan State 74-57 for the Hawkeyes' eighth straight victory. Warnock bested her previous high of 14 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Kathleen Doyle made seven steals and added 20 points. Taryn McCutcheon scored 12 points and Nia Clouden scored 10 to lead the Spartans. A season-best crowd of 13,420 watched as Iowa retired the No. 10 jersey of Megan Gustafson, just the second Hawkeye to receive such an honor.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Ty-Shon Alexander scored 24 points going 10 of 11 from the foul line and Marcus Zegarowski scored 14 and Creighton beat Xavier 77-66. Mitch Ballock scored 14 and Denzel Mahoney 14 off the bench. Creighton built a 10-1 lead and never trailed. They extended the lead to 33-19 on a pair of free throws by Mahoney followed by his three-point play with 4:56 before halftime. Xavier made a late 12-6 run to get within 39-31 at the break. Zach Freemantle led Xavier with 18 points, Naji Marshall 15 and Tyrique Jones 11 with 13 rebounds.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Trae Berhow scored the first five points of overtime, finishing with 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, and Northern Iowa defeated Loyola Chicago 67-62 to pull even with the Ramblers atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings. Green and Austin Phyfe topped Northern Iowa (17-3, 6-2) with 14 points apiece. Cameron Krutwig topped the Ramblers (14-7, 6-2) with 19 points and a career-best 14 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Anthony Murphy made 1 of 2 free throws with 4 seconds remaining in the game and Keandre Cook missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer as Drake edged Missouri State 71-69. Roman Penn paced Drake (15-6, 5-3 MVC) with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Prim topped Missouri State (10-11, 4-4) with career highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Goodwin had 17 points and 13 rebounds to carry Saint Louis to a 55-39 win over Fordham. Goodwon sank 8 of 13 shots from the floor in picking up his ninth double-double of the season for the Billikens (15-5, 4-3 Atlantic 10 Conference). Both teams set season lows for scoring during the game. Jalen Cobb hit three 3-pointers and scored 12 to lead the Rams (7-12, 1-6).
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Kayla Wells scored 18 points and N'dea Jones added a double-double as No. 15 Texas A&M rolled to a 72-53 victory over Missouri. Wells made 5 of 14 shots from the floor and all six of her free throws for the Aggies (17-3, 5-2 Southeastern Conference, who led 33-22 at halftime and broke the game open with a 22-11 third-quarter run. Aijha Blackwell paced the Tigers (5-15, 2-5) with 18 points and seven rebounds.
MIAMI (AP) — Super Bowl week is here. The Kansas City Chiefs were the first team to arrive in Miami on Sunday, a week before they'll take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 54. The 49ers came into town a couple of hours later. The first media session of the week for the Chiefs and the 49ers is Monday night, when the NFL has Super Bowl Opening Night at Marlins Park.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Denver 117 Houston 110
Final Toronto 110 San Antonio 106
Final New Orleans 123 Boston 108
Final New York 110 Brooklyn 97
Final L.A. Clippers 112 Orlando 97
Final Memphis 114 Phoenix 109
Final Atlanta 152 Washington 133
Final Portland 139 Indiana 129
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Kansas City 35 Tennessee 24
Final San Francisco 37 Green Bay 20
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (4)San Diego St. 71 UNLV 67
Final (11)Michigan St. 70 Minnesota 52
Final (12)Oregon 96 UCLA 75
Final (17)Maryland 77 Indiana 76
Final (25)Houston 68 South Florida 49
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Cleveland at Detroit 7 p.m.
Orlando at Miami 7:30 p.m.
Dallas at Oklahoma City 8 p.m.
Sacramento at Minnesota 8 p.m.
San Antonio at Chicago 8 p.m.
Houston at Utah 9 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Washington at Montreal 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Ottawa 7:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Dallas 8 p.m.
Toronto at Nashville 8 p.m.
St. Louis at Vancouver 10 p.m.
Anaheim at San Jose 10:30 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(3)Kansas at Oklahoma St. 9 p.m.
Wisconsin at (19)Iowa 8:30 p.m.
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