MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Ayoka Lee had 27 points with 11 rebounds and Kansas State held Houston to 14 second-half points in a 72-38 victory for the No. 11 Wildcats. Kansas State led 29-24 at halftime then used runs of 20-0 in the third quarter and 14-0 in the fourth to blow it open. K-State allowed only 41 points against Cincinnati in its other conference game, and this was the fourth time this season that the Wildcats allowed fewer than 40 points. Lee, who had 11 points in the first half, scored K-State’s first nine points of the third quarter, mostly during the 20-0 run. Her 27 total points came on 11-of-15 shooting and 5 of 8 free throws.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Bryce Thompson scored 13 points, Eric Dailey Jr. and Javon Small added 12 points apiece and Oklahoma State beat Chicago State 72-53. Thompson, who entered averaging 16.3 points in his last three games, was 4 of 11 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers. Dailey and Small were a combined 8-of-18 shooting overall. Dailey grabbed nine and Small had seven of the Cowboys’ 43 rebounds. Brandon Garrison blocked four shots and chipped in six points for Oklahoma State (8-5). Jahsean Corbett had 20 points and seven rebounds to lead Chicago State (7-14), which has lost five in a row.
WACO, Texas (AP) — Ja’Kobe Walter scored 23 points, fellow freshman Yves Missi added 16 while making all eight of his shots and 18th-ranked Baylor christened the brand-new Foster Pavilion with a 98-79 victory over Cornell. Missi scored the first points in Baylor's new home when the 7-footer from Cameroon made a short jumper 30 seconds into the game. RayJ Dennis had 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting for the Bears. Baylor won 401 games over 35 years at the Ferrell Center. Nazir Williams had 17 points to lead Cornell. Isaiah Gray and Chris Manon each had 12 points.
UNDATED (AP) — Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy says the sign-stealing scandal has overshadowed the work the team has put in to go unbeaten and reach the College Football Playoff championship game. Michigan plays Washington for the national title in Houston on Monday as the NCAA continues to investigate allegations the Wolverines had a staff member use video equipment to pick off future opponents’ play-call signs from the sideline. McCarthy said it would be unfortunate if wins were vacated because it would take recognition away from players who did things the right way.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes will sit out the Chiefs’ regular-season finale against the Chargers on Sunday in Los Angeles. The Chiefs clinched their eighth straight AFC West title and the No. 3 seed in the playoffs with last week's 25-17 win over the Bengals. Veteran backup Blaine Gabbert will start for Kansas City and Chris Oladokun will back him up. Chiefs coach Andy Reid declined to say whether other starters, such as tight end Travis Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones, will play against the Chargers.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Ravens coach John Harbaugh says Lamar Jackson will not play in Baltimore’s regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. Harbaugh said Tyler Huntley will start for the Ravens. The team has already clinched the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Josh Johnson will be Huntley’s backup. The announcement was no surprise now that Baltimore has wrapped up a first-round bye in the postseason. Jackson missed the end of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but has started all 16 games so far this season. Huntley has started eight games in his pro career.
UNDATED (AP) — Brock Purdy and Tua Tagovailoa were selected to their first Pro Bowl as the starting quarterbacks for their respective conferences. It’s the first time the two starting QBs are first-time picks since the 1999 season when Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner were chosen. Purdy was one of nine players picked from the San Francisco 49ers, who clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The 49ers had the most players selected. Baltimore and Dallas each have seven Pro Bowl players.
UNDATED (AP) — The Miami Dolphins went from playing for the AFC’s No. 1 seed to playing for their division to avoid the sixth spot this week. Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills stand in their way. The Bills-Dolphins will face off Sunday night in the NFL’s final regular-season game in a showdown for the AFC East title. The Dolphins had a chance at earning a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs but were pounded by Baltimore 56-19. If they beat Buffalo, they’ll secure the No. 2 seed. The Bills would get the two seed with a win. If they lose, they’d drop to sixth, seventh or completely out of the playoffs.
KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Rory McIlroy is softening his stance against Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He says on the “Stick to Football” podcast that he has accepted that LIV is part of golf now. McIlroy also says he has been to judgmental about players leaving. McIlroy has been the harshest critic of LIV Golf since it began in June 2022. Jon Rahm is the latest to defect. McIlroy says it was a smart business decision by the Masters champion. He says he suspects Rahm thinks the two sides will get together. McIlroy also suggested he helped instigate the PGA Tour meeting with the Saudis.
KAPALUA, Hawaii. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is the PGA Tour player of the year in a close vote over Masters champion Jon Rahm. Scheffler is the first back-to-back winner of the award since Tiger Woods in 2006 and 2007. But this one will raise questions about whether players who voted penalized Rahm for joining LIV Golf. Scheffler had a staggering statistical year. He played so well that he didn't finish out of the top 12 until July. His two wins were The Players Championship and the Phoenix Open. But Rahm won four times, including the Masters. He defected in the middle of the two-week voting period.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill and his family are safe after fire rescue crews responded to a large fire at his South Florida home Wednesday afternoon. The house, which is located in Southwest Ranches about 30 miles northwest of Miami, was shown Wednesday afternoon on local station WSVN 7 News with a large amount of black smoke coming out of the roof as firefighters doused it with water. No injuries have been reported. Hill had been at Dolphins practice as Miami prepares for its regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, but he left after being told about the fire.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Dominican prosecutors have accused Wander Franco of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering following allegations that the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop had a relationship with a minor whose mother also faces the same charges. Prosecutors on Wednesday requested that a judge hold Franco on an $86,000 bond, bar him from leaving the Dominican Republic and place him under house arrest. They noted that the money laundering charges stems from allegations that Franco made payments to the minor’s mother. The judge is scheduled to analyze the evidence that was collected during a monthslong investigation and issue a ruling on Friday. Franco remains in jail for now.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final Miami 95 (16)Clemson 82
Final Seton Hall 61 (23)Providence 57
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Cleveland 140 Washington 101
Final Indiana 142 Milwaukee 130
Final Atlanta 141 Oklahoma City 138
Final New Orleans 117 Minnesota 106
Final Toronto 116 Memphis 111
Final Houston 112 Brooklyn 101
Final New York 116 Chicago 100
Final Dallas 126 Portland 97
Final L.A. Clippers 131 Phoenix 122
Final OT Utah 154 Detroit 148
Final Miami 110 L.A. Lakers 96
Final 2OT Sacramento 138 Orlando 135
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final New Jersey 6 Washington 3