Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Ryan O'Reilly was the only scorer in the shootout and the St. Louis Blues beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Tuesday night. Eight skaters took shots in the contest, with O'Reilly beating Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck (31 saves). Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and assist, and Jordan Kyrou also scored for St. Louis. Blues goalie Jordan Binnington made 39 stops. Kyle Connor netted his team-leading ninth goal, and defenseman Neal Pionk scored for Winnipeg.
NEW YORK (AP) — Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 29 points and No. 3 Kansas beat Michigan State 87-74 at the Champions Classic on the opening night of college basketball. Remy Martin added 15 points and David McCormack had 10 for the Jayhawks, who returned four starters from last season's squad that lost to USC in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks were missing forward Jalen Wilson, who was suspended last week for the first three regular season games after he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving last month. A.J. Hoggard scored 17 points and Julius Marble added 13 for the Spartans.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Keegan Murray scored 22 of his career-high 24 points in the first half when Iowa broke the game open and went on to beat Longwood 106-73 to win its 11th straight season opener. Murray scored eight straight points in the midst of a 23-3 run to start the game. He scored 12 points in a 16-2 streak later in the half for a 33-point lead before the Hawkeyes went into the break ahead 56-29 with Murray already surpassing his career high of 14. Jordan Bohannon, the Hawkeyes' leading returning scorer at 10.6 points per game, finished with 18, making six 3-pointers. Isaiah Wilkins scored 19 points with eight rebounds and Leslie Nkereuwem added 17 points for Longwood.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Alex Padilla got his first opportunity to play meaningful snaps for Iowa and did enough to impress coach Kirk Ferentz. Now he's days away from what probably will be his first start in place of the injured Spencer Petras. The sophomore is listed No. 1 on the depth chart for Saturday's home game against Minnesota and he's been working with Iowa's No. 1 offensive unit all week. Padilla led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back touchdowns in a 17-12 win over Northwestern last week and passed for 172 yards.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark had 26 points and Monika Czinano added 14 points as No. 9 Iowa opened the season with a 93-50 win over New Hampshire. Clark and Czinano were 1-2 in the nation in field goals last season and both began this season with strong offensive performances. Clark had 17 first-half points despite picking up two first-quarter fouls. The Associated Press preseason All-American made 6 of 10 shots and added eight rebounds and six assists. Amanda Torres and Sophia Widmeyer each had 13 points for New Hampshire.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Trenton Massner scored 21 points and he and Luka Barisic hit 3-pointers in the final 20 seconds to rally Western Illinois to a 75-74 victory over Nebraska in a season opener. The Leathernecks had a two-point lead after George Dixon's layup with 3:48 left, but Alonzo Verge Jr. hit a free throw and a layup, and Trey McGowens capped the 5-0 spurt with a dunk to give Nebraska a 72-69 lead with 2:07 to play. C.J. Wilcher hit 1 of 2 free throws to push the lead to four before Massner buried a 3-pointer to get Western Illinois within 73-72 with 20 seconds remaining. Verge sank 1 of 2 free throws before Barisic hit the game-winner with 7 seconds left.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Ty Gordon registered 19 points as Nicholls narrowly defeated Northern Iowa 62-58 in a season opener. Devante Carter had 12 points for Nicholls. Pierce Spencer added 2 points and 11 rebounds. Austin Phyfe had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Panthers. Tywhon Pickford added 13 points.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Javon Pickett scored 18 points and led five in double figures as Missouri pulled away late to beat Central Michigan 78-68 in the season opener for both teams. Central Michigan used a 12-4 run to pull to 64-62 with 3:22 remaining. Pickett answered with a 3-pointer, Kobe Brown made 5 of 6 free throws and then added a dunk following Amari Davis' missed 3, and the Tigers led 74-68 with 38 seconds left. Jermaine Jackson Jr. had 19 points and five assists to lead Central Michigan. It was the debut for Chippewas' coach Tony Barbee, who spent the previous seven seasons on Kentucky's staff.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-CFP RANKINGS
Bulldogs, Tide still top CFP; Ducks, Buckeyes and Bearcats climb
UNDATED (AP) — Georgia and Alabama remained 1-2 when the latest CFP rankings came out on Tuesday.
Third-ranked Oregon, fourth-rated Ohio State and No. 5 Cincinnati all moved up one spot following Michigan State's loss to Purdue. The Spartans are seventh, just behind of Michigan.
Unbeaten Oklahoma remains eighth, followed by Notre Dame and Oklahoma State.
T25 BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Kansas, Duke win at MSG
UNDATED (AP) — It was a Garden party for third-ranked Kansas and No. 9 Duke.
Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 29 points in leading the Jayhawks to an 87-74 win against Michigan State in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. Agbaji made two free throws following a technical foul on Spartans coach Tom Izzo (IH'-zoh) and then hit a 3-pointer to give Kansas a 61-50 lead with 11:53 left.
Remy Martin added 15 points and David McCormack had 10 for the Jayhawks.
Trevor Keels scored 25 points and classmate Paolo Banchero added 22 to help the Blue Devils open Mike Krzyzewski's final season by beating 10th-ranked Kentucky, 79-71. Duke, which led by four at the half, built the advantage to 15 with just under 10 minutes left behind Keels.
Oscar Tshiebwe (SHEEB'-way) finished with 17 points and 19 rebounds for the Wildcats.
Also on the opening night of college basketball:
— Julian Strawther had 17 points and 10 rebounds as top-ranked Gonzaga clobbered Dixie State, 97-63. Rasir Bolton added 15 points for the Bulldogs, who were undefeated last season before losing to Baylor in the national title game.
— Johnny Juzang (JOO'-zang) scored 19 points, one of four starters in double figures for No. 2 UCLA in its 95-58 rout of Cal State Bakersfield. Jules Bernard also had 19 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 14 points and Tyger Campbell had 10.
— Fourth-ranked Villanova coasted to a 91-51 win over Mount St. Mary's behind Justin Moore, who hit six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 27 points for the Big East favorites. Preseason All-American Collin Gillespie scored 13 points for Villanova in his first game since suffering a torn MCL in his left knee.
— Tre Mitchell scored 13 points and fifth-ranked Texas earned new coach Chris Beard his first win for the Longhorns, 92-48 versus Houston Baptist. Transfer point guard Marcus Carr scored eight of the Longhorns' first 18 points and had five assists.
— Sasha Stefanovic made 5 of 6 3-pointers and finished with 23 points to lead No. 7 Purdue past Bellarmine, 96-67. Zach Edey added 16 points and Isaiah Thompson had 15 for the Boilermakers.
— Fifth-year senior Jacob Grandison scored a career-high 20 points as No. 11 Illinois cruised to a 71-47 romp over Jackson State.
— Emoni Bates scored 17 points in his collegiate debut and Jalen Duren and Lester Quinones added 15 apiece and No. 12 Memphis ripped Tennessee Tech, 89-65.
— Will Richardson provided 20 points and De'Vion Harmon chipped in 15 as 13th-ranked Oregon whipped Texas Southern, 83-66.
— Keon Ellis scored 18 points and Jaden Shackelford added 17, leading No. 14 Alabama to a 93-64 thumping of Louisiana Tech.
— Marcus Sasser scored 25 points and 15th-ranked Houston rallied from 13 down in the second half to defeat Hofstra, 83-75 in overtime.
— JD Notae scored 30 points for No. 16 Arkansas, which was forced to rally from an eight-point, halftime deficit to beat Mercer, 74-61.
— Akron was poised to knock off an Ohio rival before Zed Key drained a layup in the final second to give 17th-ranked Ohio State a 67-66 triumph over the Zips. EJ Liddell carried the Buckeyes with 25 points and 12 rebounds.
— Kennedy Chandler and Santiago Vescovi (vehs-KOH'-vee) each delivered 20 points in leading No. 18 Tennessee to a 90-62 rout of Tennessee-Martin.
— Caleb Love scored 22 points and No. 19 North Carolina led the whole way in Hubert Davis' coaching debut, earning an 83-67 win over Loyola of Maryland.
— Qudus Wahab furnished 17 points and Eric Ayala surpassed the 1,000-point plateau by adding 13 to 21st-rated Maryland's 83-69 downing of Quinnipiac.
— Wendell Green Jr. scored 19 points, fellow transfer K.D. Johnson added 12 points off the bench and No. 22 Auburn led Morehead State wire to wire in a 77-54 win.
— Kyle Lofton and Jaren Holmes scored 17 points apiece as No. 23 St. Bonaventure rolled to an 75-47 victory over Siena, the Bonnies' first game as a ranked team since January 1971.
— No. 24 Connecticut crushed Central Connecticut, 99-48 behind Adama Sanogo's 20 points.
— John Carter Jr. scored 19 points and Navy got its first win over a ranked team since the David Robinson era by stunning No. 25 Virginia, 66-58.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Bucks knock off Sixers
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks are back at .500 after winning for just the second time in seven games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH'-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON'-poh) provided 31 points and 16 rebounds for the Bucks in a 118-109 victory at Philadelphia. Grayson Allen scored 25 points and hit a key 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter.
Bobby Portis added 19 points for the NBA champions, who played a day after celebrating the franchise's first title in 50 years with a trip to visit President Joe Biden at the White House.
Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points for the 76ers, who played without four-time All-Star Joel Embiid (joh-EHL' ehm-BEED') for the second straight game.
Philly has dropped two straight since a six-game winning streak.
Checking out Tuesday's other NBA action:
— Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points and the Jazz shot 51% in a 110-98 win over the Hawks. Bojan (BOY'-ahn) Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson added 16 points apiece to help Utah beat Atlanta for the second time in five days.
— The Clippers picked up their fifth straight win as Paul George scored 24 points and Reggie Jackson added 23 in their 117-109 decision over Portland. Nicolas Batum (bah-TOOM') added a season-high 22 points to help Los Angeles overtime Damian Lillard's 27 points.
NBA-NEWS
Jokic suspended, Morris, Butler fined for altercation
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has doled out punishment following an altercation at the end of the Denver Nuggets' win over Miami on Monday.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (nih-KOH'-lah YOH'-kihch) has been suspended one game for shoving Markieff Morris in the back. That means Jokic won't play on Wednesday when the Nuggets host Indiana.
Morris was fined $50,000 for his role in the mess, and Heat forward Jimmy Butler drew a $30,000 fine "for attempting to escalate the altercation and failing to comply with an NBA Security interview ."
Morris won't be playing on Wednesday, either. The Heat said he has a neck injury, diagnosed as whiplash, and has been ruled out from Miami's matchup at the Lakers.
NFL-NEWS
Aaron Rodgers stands by his comments
UNDATED (AP) — Despite being under pressure from all sides, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he stands behind the comments he made last week about why he didn't get vaccinated for COVID-19.
But Rodgers does acknowledge misleading some people about his status before testing positive.
Rodgers spoke Tuesday on "The Pat McAfee Show" on YouTube and SiriusXM, four days after discussing on the same outlet his reasons for avoiding a vaccine. Rodgers tested positive last Wednesday.
In other NFL news:
— A person familiar with the situation says Browns running back Nick Chubb could miss Sunday's game at New England after being placed on the COVID-19 list after testing positive. It's still possible Chubb could play against the Patriots as long as he tests negative twice.
— The Cowboys have placed kicker Greg Zuerlein (ZUR'-lyn) on the COVID-19 reserve list. Zuerlein is the first Dallas player to enter health and safety protocols since late September.
— Browns right guard Wyatt Teller has agreed to a four-year, $56.8 million contract extension through the 2025 season. Teller has developed into one of the NFL's best interior linemen during three seasons after coming over in a trade from Buffalo.
— The Falcons have released outside linebacker Jacob Tuioti-Mariner and punter Cam Nizialek. The release of Tuioti-Mariner was a surprise. He shared the team lead with two sacks. He moved from defensive tackle before the season after having 31 tackles and one sack last season.
— The Jets have placed safety Marcus Maye and tight end Tyler Kroft on injured reserve. Maye is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon in last Thursday's loss to the Colts and Kroft injured his chest in the game.
— Odell Beckham Jr. cleared NFL waivers without being claimed Tuesday and can now sign as a free agent with any team. Beckham was let go by the Browns on Monday, closing the book on his 2 1/2 seasons with the club. None of the other 31 wanted to pick up the remaining $7.25 million he's owed this season.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Canes beat Bolts in OT
UNDATED (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have set a team record for the fewest games to reach 10 wins.
The Canes are 10-1-1 after Martin Necas (mahr-TEEN' NAY'-chas) scored 3:26 into overtime to complete a 2-1 win over the Lightning. Carolina also got a goal from Teuvo Teravainen (TOO'-voh tehr-ah-VY'-nehn) and Frederik Andersen stopped 17 shots.
Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy turned back 29 shots for the Lightning, who are 4-0-2 in their last six games.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— The Devils blew out the Panthers, 7-3 as Mackenzie Blackwood made 34 saves and Andreas Johnsson scored twice. P.K. Subban had the go-ahead goal to help New Jersey hand Florida its second straight regulation loss since a 10-0-1 start.
— Patrice Bergeron (pah-TREES' BEHR-zhuh-rahn) scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period before the Bruins held off the Senators. 3-2. Brad Marchand and Derek Forbort also scored for Boston, while David Pastrnak (PAHS'-tur-nahk) and Charlie McAvoy each had two assists in the Bruins' 20th win under coach Bruce Cassidy.
— Marc-Andre Fleury made 42 saves and then two more stops in the shootout against his original team, guiding the Blackhawks to a 3-2 victory against the Penguins. Seth Jones and Jujhar Khaira (JOO'-jehr KEHR'-ah) scored in regulation for Chicago, which is 2-0 under interim coach Derek King.
— Ryan O'Reilly was the only scorer in a four-round shootout that gave the Blues a 3-2 victory over the Jets. Pavel Buchnevich (booch-NAY'-vihch) had a goal and assist for the winners.
— The Kings' winning streak is up to six games after Adrian Kempe (KEHM'-peh) scored at 3:39 of overtime to end their 3-2 verdict over the Canadiens. Brendan Lemieux and Alex Iafallo (eye-ah-FAH'-loh) also scored and Cal Petersen made 33 saves for Los Angeles.
— Logan Couture's (koo-TOORZ') third-period goal proved to be the winner as the Sharks dumped the Flames, 4-1. Adin Hill turned back 37 shots and helped San Jose end Calgaru's 10-game point streak.
— The Ducks pulled out a 3-2 win over the Canucks on Troy Terry's goal 3:52 into OT. Cam Fowler and Isac Lundestrom scored in regulation as Anaheim earned its fifth win in a row.
— Shea Theodore and Reilly Smith scored 46 seconds apart early in the third period to lift the Golden Knights over the Kraken, 4-2. Alex Pietrangelo (peh-TRAN'-jeh-loh) and Evgeni Dadanov (dah-DAH'-nahv) also scored as Vegas won for the sixth time in eight games since a 1-4 start.
— Vladislav Namestnikov (nah-MEHST'-nih-kahv) scored in each of the first two periods to help the Detroit Red Wings take a three-goal lead in a 4-2 downing of the Oilers. Detroit won its third in a row and sent Edmonton to just its second loss in 11 games.
NHL-NEWS
Price says substance abuse led him to assistance program
UNDATED (AP) — Canadiens goaltender Carey Price says he voluntarily entered the NHL's player assistance program more than a month ago due to substance use.
Price says he had let himself get to a very dark place and he didn't have the tools to cope with the struggle.
Price rejoined the Canadiens on Sunday, but has not begun to practice. Instead, he has met with the team's athletic trainers to come up with a plan to get back into shape after having knee surgery on July 22, after leading Montreal to the Stanley Cup final.
In other NHL news:
— The Ducks have placed executive vice president and general manager Bob Murray on leave amid an ongoing investigation into his conduct. The Ducks said in a statement they recently became aware of accusations of improper professional conduct against Murray, who is the third-longest-tenured general manager in the NHL. The team did not specify the behavior he is accused of, adding that assistant GM Jeff Solomon will assume Murray's duties on an interim basis.
In other NHL news:
— The Penguins have settled a federal lawsuit filed by a former minor league assistant coach and his wife. Jarrod and Erin Skalde (SAHL'-dee) alleged the team's former top minor league coach sexually assaulted and harassed Erin Skalde in 2018. Their lawsuit also said team officials sought to keep the matter quiet while terminating the coach in 2019, but the Pens said in a statement they took prompt action when informed of the allegations.
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