Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Kevin Obanor scored 13 of his 15 points after halftime as 18th-ranked Texas Tech beat No. 15 Iowa State 72-60. The Red Raiders have won their last three games when facing a ranked opponent and four of five since losing at Iowa State with only seven healthy players two weeks ago. Bryson Williams scored 16 points to lead the Red Raiders, and Davion Warren had 11. The Cyclones were led by Caleb Grill's 17 points. Both teams are 14-4 with four wins over Top 25 teams.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jalen Wilson scored 16 points, Christian Braun hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 10.9 seconds left and No. 7 Kansas defeated Oklahoma 67-64. Braun's corner 3 gave the Jayhawks a 65-62 lead, and he drained two free throws with four seconds remaining to help seal it. Big 12 scoring leader Ochai Agbaji had all 10 of his points in the final six minutes and Braun finished with 15 as Kansas won its third game in a row. Jordan Goldwire scored 15 points for Oklahoma. The Sooners have lost three straight. Agbaji headed to the locker room midway through the first half after hurting his left wrist. He returned later in the half and dominated down the stretch.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Mark Smith scored 22 points, Nijel Pack made a go-ahead layup with 1:13 left, and Kansas State held No. 23 Texas scoreless for the final 3 1/2 minutes to rally for a 66-65 win. Marcus Carr scored 19 of his season-best 25 points in the second half for Texas but missed a jumper with 2 seconds left, one of Texas' two chances to take the lead in the final minute. Courtney Ramey also misfired on a potential go-ahead jumper as Texas missed its last four shots from the field. Pack finished with 16 points and Mike McGuirl added 13 for Kansas State.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Amari Davis scored 23 points, Kobe Brown added 15 and Missouri beat Mississippi 78-53. Missouri won just its fourth game in 19 meetings with Ole Miss since the Tigers joined the Southeastern Conference in the 2012-13 season. Missouri led by double figures the entire second half. Ole Miss pulled within 57-47 after a 9-0 run, but the Tigers answered by scoring the next 15 points — with six points from Brown — for a 25-point lead with three minutes left. Javon Pickett and Ronnie DeGray III each had 11 points for Missouri. Daeshun Ruffin scored 12 points for Mississippi.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Perfect Game, which sets up youth baseball scouting camps, is expanding into softball. The company, founded in 1995, hired former Arizona softball coach Mike Candrea as an adviser for on-field programming and athlete recognition and Olympic gold medal winner Jennie Finch as educational ambassador to Destinee Martinez, its national director of softball operations. Perfect Game's softball program will host tournaments, combines and mentoring sessions for softball players and will establish on-line storage of performance data and video highlights. Perfect Game said it will charge $299 to attend a softball combine, which will include speed and agility testing, mentoring and access to cage data.
Update on the latest sports
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Cryer, Mayer lead No. 5 Baylor past West Virginia 77-68
UNDATED (AP) — LJ Cryer scored a career-high 25 points in his second start of the season, and No. 5 Baylor snapped a two-game losing streak with a 77-68 victory over West Virginia. Baylor bounced back after losing twice at home and relinquishing the No. 1 ranking. The defending national champion Bears have won 13 straight away from home, including four consecutive true road games. Matthew Mayer added 20 points for Baylor. Cryer started in place of leading scorer James Akinjo, who sat out with a bruised tailbone sustained in Saturday's loss to Oklahoma State. Malik Curry scored 19 points to lead West Virginia.
In other college basketball action:
— RayQuan Evans made a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left in overtime, John Butler blocked Wendell Moore Jr.'s driving attempt in the lane with 2 seconds remaining, and Florida State stunned No. 6 Duke 79-78. Florida State let a nine-point lead slip away in regulation and needed Evans' driving layup high off the glass with 2 seconds left to send the game to overtime. Paolo Banchero had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Duke. Caleb Mills had 16 of his 18 points in the second half and overtime for Florida State, which won its fourth straight game.
— Kevin Obanor scored 13 of his 15 points after halftime as 18th-ranked Texas Tech beat No. 15 Iowa State 72-60. The Red Raiders have won their last three games when facing a ranked opponent and four of five games since losing at Iowa State with only seven healthy players two weeks ago. Bryson Williams had 16 points to lead the Red Raiders, and Davion Warren had 11. The Cyclones were led by Caleb Grill's 17 points. Both teams are 14-4 with our wins over Top 25 teams.
— Jalen Wilson scored 16 points, Christian Braun hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 10.9 seconds left and No. 7 Kansas defeated Oklahoma 67-64. Braun's corner 3 gave the Jayhawks a 65-62 lead, and he drained two free throws with four seconds remaining to help seal it. Big 12 scoring leader Ochai Agbaji had all 10 of his points in the final six minutes and Braun finished with 15 as Kansas won its third game in a row.
— Johnny Davis scored 27 points, helping No. 8 Wisconsin beat Northwestern 82-76. Wisconsin earned its seventh straight win, building on its best start since it was also 15-2 during the 2014-15 season. Wisconsin's Chucky Hepburn banked home a 60-foot heave at the halftime buzzer for two of his 14 points.
— Kyler Edwards had 23 points and seven rebounds, Fabian White Jr added 16 points and five rebounds, and No. 10 Houston won its eighth straight by beating South Florida 74-55. Josh Carlton finished with 15 points and five rebounds on Tuesday night, and Taze Moore scored 13 points for the Cougars, who are 16-2 and 5-0 in American Athletic Conference play. Houston now has the third-longest active home-winning streak in the nation behind Gonzaga and Liberty.
— E.J. Liddell had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 19 Ohio State never trailed in its 83-37 win over IUPUI. Liddell extended his streak of double-figure scoring to 27 games and recorded his third double-double this season.
— Luke Williamson made five 3-pointers and scored 15 points, and No. 22 Loyola Chicago won its 10th straight game, routing Evansville 77-48. Chris Knight added 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting for the Ramblers, who improved to 5-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference. That's their best start in league play since joining the MVC for the 2013-14 season. Loyola entered the AP Top 25 on Monday for the first time this season.
— Mark Smith scored 22 points, Nijel Pack made a go-ahead layup with 1:13 left, and Kansas State held No. 23 Texas scoreless for the final 3 1/2 minutes to rally for a 66-65 win. Marcus Carr scored 19 of his season-best 25 points in the second half for Texas but missed a jumper with 2 seconds left, one of Texas' two chances to take the lead in the final minute.
— Uros Plavsic's short jumper with 55 seconds left broke a tie at 60, and 24th-ranked Tennessee held off in-state rival Vanderbilt 68-60 for the Vols' ninth straight win in this series. Vanderbilt has yet to win a SEC game at home despite being 2-0 on the road in league play. Coach Jerry Stackhouse now is 0-5 against Tennessee.
— Adama Sanogo scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead No. 25 UConn over Butler 76-59 in the first of two games this week between the two programs. It was the third straight double-double for Sanago, who also blocked four shots. He was joined by Andre Jackson, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Connecticut, which returned to the top 25 this week for the first time since mid December.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Towns' three-point play helps Wolves edge Knicks 112-110
UNDATED (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns converted a go-ahead three-point play with 29 seconds leftt and the Minnesota Timberwolves edged the New York Knicks 112-110.
The Knicks got a strong game from Kemba Walker in his return from a nine-game absence with a sore left knee and nursed a lead for most of the fourth quarter. But the Timberwolves rallied and then held on when Alec Burks missed a 3-pointer that would have won it for New York.
Anthony Edwards scored 21 points and Towns had 20 for the Wolves, who won for the sixth time in eight games to level their record at 22-22. D'Angelo Russell added 17 points.
In other NBA action:
— Klay Thompson scored 21 points, Stephen Curry had 18, and the Golden State Warriors returned from a tough trip to beat the Detroit Pistons 102-86. Curry was back after a one-game absence. He shot 6 for 11 with four 3-pointers and added eight assists. He fell on his right hand during a win at Chicago on Friday, then missed Sunday's 119-99 loss at Minnesota. Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points for the Warriors, who were coming off a 1-3 road stretch. Thompson found a groove in his second home game since returning from two devastating injuries and surgeries that cost him more than 2 1/2 years.
NBA-NEWS
Turner is expected to miss at least two week
UNDATED (AP) — Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner is expected to miss at least two weeks with an injured left foot. Team officials say Turner has been examined by multiple specialists who diagnosed Turner with a "stress reaction." He will continue to receive treatment and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Elsewhere around the NBA:
— A Golden State Warriors minority owner who said "nobody cares" about the Uyghurs (WEE'-ger) in China is under fire and the team is distancing itself from him. Billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya dismissed the situation in China on the latest edition of his All-In Podcast. Golden State reacted by saying his views aren't reflective of those of the team.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Kotkaniemi scores twice, Hurricanes roll past Bruins 7-1
UNDATED (AP) — Jesperi Kotkaniemi (yehs-PEHR'-ee kaht-kahn-YEH'-mee) scored twice during Carolina's five-goal first period, Jaccob Slavin (SLAY'-vihn) added a goal and two assists after a two-game absence, and the Hurricanes snapped the Boston Bruins' five-game winning streak with a 7-1 victory.
Teuvo Teravainen (TOO'-voh tehr-ah-VY'-nehn) , Seth Jarvis, Derek Stepan and Andrei Svechnikov (SVEHCH'-nih-kahv) also scored for the Hurricanes, who have won two straight and seven of nine. They earned the win playing in their first road game in 17 days because of COVID-19 postponements.
The six-goal loss was Boston's worst of the season.
In other ice action:
— Victor Hedman had two goals and an assist, Nikita Kucherov extended his scoring tear since returning from injury and the Tampa Bay Lightning topped the Los Angeles Kings 6-4 for their fourth straight win. Hedman was one of only four Tampa Bay defensemen who dressed after three were scratched due to injuries. Kucherov had a power-play goal in the second period along with an assist. The right wing, who missed 32 games with a lower-body injury that required surgery, has 11 points in six games since returning to the lineup.
— Sean Monahan scored twice for the first time this season and the slumping Calgary Flames beat the NHL-leading Florida Panthers 5-1. Rasmus Andersson got his first goal of the season, Matthew Tkachuk and Blake Coleman also scored and Johnny Gaudreau had four assists for Calgary. The Flames snapped a four-game skid and won on home ice for the first time since Nov. 29. They were 2-7-1 in their past 10 games. Jacob Markstrom had 28 saves for Calgary. He had given up at least four goals in his previous five starts.
— Christian Dvorak scored twice, Sam Montembeault made a career-high 48 saves for his second win of the season and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Dallas Stars 5-3 for their third road win. Dvorak and Michael Pezzetta scored 22 seconds apart in the second period, and Tyler Toffoli, Dvorak and Josh Anderson beat Jake Oettinger three times in 3:15 for a 5-2 lead early in the third. Braden Holtby replaced Oettinger after Anderson's goal at 4:18. Jacob Peterson, Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski scored for Dallas, which never led. The Stars have been outscored 15-5 during a three-game losing streak.
— Alex Ovechkin (oh-VECH'-kin) scored his league-leading 27th goal of the season, Tom Wilson scored in overtime and the Washington Capitals beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3. Wilson's goal 26 seconds into the 3-on-3 OT gave the Capitals their first victory in that situation this season. Ovechkin's goal was the 757th of his NHL career. The Jets have lost four of five.
— Michael Houser made 43 saves in his season debut and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Ottawa Senators 3-1. Houser became the sixth goalie to start a game for Buffalo this season. Mark Jankowski, Dylan Cozens and Alex Tuch scored for the Sabres. Drake Batherson had the lone goal for Ottawa, and Anton Forsberg stopped 30 shots. Ottawa's first home game since Dec. 11 was played without fans because of COVID-19 regulations.
— Oliver Wahlstrom scored in the ninth round of a shootout to lift the New York Islanders to a 4-3 win and send the Philadelphia Flyers to their ninth straight loss. Wahlstrom finally got one past Carter Hart to help the Islanders beat the Flyers for the second straight night. Claude Giroux (juh-ROO') scored for the Flyers. Casey Cizikas (sih-ZEE'-kuhs) tied it at 3 for the Islanders when he scored with 4:28 left in regulation.
— Thatcher Demko made 31 saves to lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-1 victory over the skidding Nashville Predators. Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Juho Lammikko scored for Vancouver. The win ended the Canucks' stretch of nine consecutive road games on a high note.
NHL-NEWS
NHL will stop testing asymptomatic, vaccinated players, coaches, staff
UNDATED (AP) — The NHL will stop testing asymptomatic players, coaches and staff who are fully vaccinated following the All-Star break. The only exception is when the tests are needed for crossing the U.S.-Canada border. The league and Players' Association agreed to keep the five-day isolation period that went into place in late December.
The league says positive COVID-19 test results are declining.
The NHL and NHLPA will review protocols again Jan. 31. So far this season, 104 games have been postponed. Several of those postponements were prompted by attendance restrictions in Canada.
In other NHL news:
— The Montreal Canadiens have hired player agent Kent Hughes as their general manager, hoping he can turn around a team with the worst record in the NHL. The 51-year-old Montreal native replaces Marc Bergevin, who was fired Nov. 28 following the Canadiens' poor start.
— Centers Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nazem Kadri (NA'-zehm KA'-dree) of the Colorado Avalanche and Mika Zibanejad (MEE'-kah zih-BAN'-eh-jad) of the New York Rangers, and Anaheim winger Troy Terry have won the final roster spots for the NHL's All-Star Weekend as a result of fan voting. The league said Zibanejad cannot attend the Feb. 4-5 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for personal reasons. He will be replaced by Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel (GEHNT'-sul), who finished second in the Metropolitan Division voting. The event features a three-game tournament played in a 3-on-3 format, with 11-man teams from each of the league's four divisions.
— Willie O'Ree's No. 22 now has a permanent home in Boston's TD Garden. The first Black player to appear in an NHL game, O'Ree became the 12th player in franchise history to have his number retired prior to the Bruins' matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes. The honor came 64 years to the day after he became the league's first Black player on Jan. 18, 1958.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN
A look at the Australian open Day 3
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Defending champion Naomi Osaka has advanced to the third round at the Australian Open by beating Madison Brengle 6-0, 6-4. The four-time major champion is still on course for a fourth-round match against top-ranked Ash Barty at Melbourne Park.
Osaka will next face Amanda Anisimova.
Barty was front and center when the Australian Open celebrated its inaugural First Nations Day. But not for very long. She was on and off the court in 52 minutes in a 6-1, 6-1 victory over 142nd-ranked qualifier Lucia Bronzetti.
Rafael Nadal didn't get it all his own way on Rod Laver Arena. He needed five match points to beat No. 126-ranked German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.
NFL-NEWS
Garoppolo injuries
UNDATED (AP) — San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is dealing with injuries to his right thumb and right shoulder as he prepares for Saturday's divisional round playoff game at Green Bay. Garoppolo was limited at practice Tuesday for the 49ers. He played through the thumb injury the past two weeks after missing one game, and hurt his shoulder in the first half of last week's 23-17 playoff win over Dallas. But Garoppolo says that there's "no time to rest right now."
In other NFL news:
— The Minnesota Vikings have added Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to their candidate list for head coach. The vacancy was created when Mike Zimmer was fired. Morris has three-plus years of experience as an NFL head coach with both Tampa Bay and Atlanta.
— Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says all options are on the table when it comes to finding a starting quarterback in 2022. Ben Roethlisberger is likely heading toward retirement after 18 years. Backups Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins will get a chance to compete for the job, but Tomlin did not rule out using free agency or the NFL draft. Tomlin did indicate offensive coordinator Matt Canada will return for a second year, but added that longtime defensive coordinator Keith Butler and general manager Kevin Colbert could both retire in the coming months.
— According to a person familiar with the situation, the Carolina Panthers have expanded their offensive coordinator search to include former Washington coach Jay Gruden and three others. Along with Gruden, former New York Giants coach Ben McAdoo, Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy and former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly also have interviewed for the position.
— The Seattle Seahawks have fired defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and passing game coordinator Andre Curtis. Seattle was 28th in total defense and 11th in scoring defense this season. The Seahawks created just 18 turnovers this season, ranking 25th in the league.
— Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen kicked off the New York Giants' search for a GM last week and he got the opening second-round interview Tuesday. The Giants said the 42-year-old met with co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, and senior vice president of player personnel Chris Mara at the team's headquarters. He also talked with members of the team's front office and toured the facility. New York plans to bring back Chiefs executive director of player personnel Ryan Poles on Wednesday.
— Dak Prescott is apologizing for his comments that condoned Dallas Cowboys fans throwing objects at NFL officials after the team's playoff loss. The quarterback said in a series of tweets Tuesday night that he deeply regrets what he said when caught up in the emotions of a disappointing loss.
— Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Malik McDowell has been arrested in Florida on charges of beating a police officer and public exposure. Police in Deerfield Beach say they were responding to a "naked male walking near a school" when an officer approached McDowell sitting on a curb.
— Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Lerentee McCray flipped off a police officer, fled a would-be traffic stop and then reached speeds of 100 mph and crossed three lanes of traffic during an ensuing chase. The 31-year-old McCray was arrested early Sunday and released on a $5,000 bond about seven hours after his arrest.
MLB-NEWS
Brewers promote Henderson
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers have promoted Jim Henderson to take over as bullpen coach for the departing Steve Karsay. The Brewers also named Matt Erickson infield and assistant hitting coach and hired Daniel Vega as an assistant strength and conditioning specialist. Brewers officials said Karsay has stepped down to spend more time with his family after three seasons with the team.
In other MLB news:
— The Los Angeles Dodgers have promoted former major league pitcher Brandon Gomes to general manager in a move to fill a spot that had been vacant since 2018. Gomes had been an assistant GM with the team since 2019.
OBIT-LUSIA HARRIS
Women's basketball pioneer Lusia Harris dies at 66
UNDATED (AP) — Women's basketball pioneer Lusia Harris has died at the age of 66. Harris was the only woman to be drafted by an NBA team and scored the first points in women's basketball history at the Olympics. She was officially drafted by the New Orleans Jazz in the seventh round in 1977, but didn't try out for the team because she was pregnant at the time. Harris helped Delta State University win three straight national titles in the 1970s and earned a silver medal for the United States at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.
Harris averaged 25.9 points and 14.4 rebounds at Delta State, lifting the team to a 109-6 record during her time there. She's still the school's all-time leader in scoring with 2,981 points and rebounding.
Harris was named to the U.S. women's team in 1975. The following year, women's basketball made its Olympic debut and Harris scored the first points in the first game of the tournament.
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