AP Sports Summary for December 2nd, 2023.
No. 3 Washington rallies to beat No. 5 Oregon 34-31 and secure playoff spot
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Michael Penix Jr. passed for 319 yards and a touchdown, Dillon Johnson ran for 152 yards and two TDs and No. 3 Washington wrapped up a spot in the College Football Playoff, beating No. 5 Oregon 34-31 on Friday night in the Pac-12 Championship. The game was likely the final Pac-12 Championship given 10 of the 12 teams will be playing in different conferences next season. Only Oregon State and Washington State will remain as they try to find a way to keep the tradition-rich conference together in some form. The Huskies (13-0) scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take a 34-24 lead. Oregon (11-2) scored a late touchdown for the final score, but failed to recover the onside kick.
Buie stars as Northwestern tops Edey and No. 1 Purdue for 2nd straight season
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Boo Buie scored seven of his 31 points in overtime to help Northwestern beat Zach Edey and No. 1 Purdue for the second straight season, winning 92-88 in the Big Ten opener for each school. Buie also had nine assists and four rebounds, rallying Northwestern from an eight-point halftime deficit. Ty Berry also scored seven points in OT and finished with 21, and Ryan Langborg added 20 points. The Wildcats became the seventh program since 2010-11 to beat a team ranked No. 1 in the AP poll in consecutive seasons. Edey had 35 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots for Purdue.
McCullar scores 21 as No. 5 Kansas beats No. 4 UConn 69-65 in showdown of past 2 NCAA champions
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kevin McCullar Jr. scored 21 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers that gave Kansas the lead down the stretch, and the fifth-ranked Jayhawks held on to beat No. 4 UConn 69-65. The game was a showdown of the past two national champions, and it lived up to the hype. The Jayhawks had a chance to wrap it up in the final minute, but KJ Adams Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. could only make one of their four free throws. Cam Spencer had a look at a potential go-ahead 3 in the final seconds, but it came up short and Adams put the game away with two free throws. Tristen Newton hit a career-high six 3s and scored 31 points for the defending champion Huskies.
The surfing venue for the Paris Olympics is on the other side of the world but could steal the show
PARIS (AP) — The surfing venue for next year's Paris Olympics is nearly 16,000 kilometers, or 10,000 miles, away on the other side of the world. Tahiti will host the competition because it has some of the largest waves on the planet. The venue also allows France to highlight its long historical ties to the South Pacific. Tahiti was chosen over other surf spots in France that could easily have been reached by train and bus from the French capital. Big-wave enthusiasts like Tahitian-born surfer Kauli Vaast say Tahiti makes sense for the Olympics because its surf is so spectacular.
Kaidon Salter leads unbeaten No. 20 Liberty past New Mexico State 49-35 for C-USA title
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — Kaidon Salter threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and undefeated No. 20 Liberty maintained its hopes of a New Year's Six bowl bid, beating New Mexico State 49-35 in the Conference USA championship game. Salter was 20 of 25 passing for 319 yards and rushed 12 times for 165 yards in a dominant performance for the Flames, who improved to 13-0. Liberty could end up playing on New Year's Day as the highest-ranked Group of Five team if No. 17 Tulane falls to SMU in Saturday's American Athletic Conference title game. The Flames finished with 712 yards of offense, including 393 on the ground. New Mexico State's eight-game winning streak ended.
Nikola Jokic has 21 points, 16 assists, Nuggets hold off Suns 119-111
PHOENIX (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 21 points and 16 assists, Reggie Jackson added 20 points and the Denver Nuggets held off the Phoenix Suns 119-111 for a hard-fought victory Friday night. Down 17 in the first half, the Suns — on a night Kevin Durant moved into 10th place on the NBA's career scoring list — cut Denver's lead to 94-91 entering the fourth. Phoenix tied it three times early in the fourth before Denver pulled away at the end. Jusuf Nurkic led the Suns — playing without Devin Booker — with a season-high 31 points. Durant added 30 points but shot just 8 of 25 from the field, including 0 for 5 in the fourth quarter.
Oregon State, Washington State, Mountain West agree to 6-game football scheduling arrangement in '24
Oregon State, Washington State and the Mountain West have announced a football scheduling agreement for the 2024 season. It gives the two schools six opponents each and keeps open the possibility that they will operate as a two-team conference for at least a year. All 12 Mountain West schools will be involved and Oregon State and Washington State will each play three homes games and three road games against members of the conference. The Mountain West will play a seven-game conference schedule and the games against Oregon State and Washington State will not count against the conference standings.
Tiger Woods putts into a bunker and loses ground. Spieth and Scheffler share lead in Bahamas
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Tiger Woods looked better in the Hero World Challenge. It's just the finishing stretch that keeps holding him back. Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth share the lead. Woods is 10 shots behind in his first competition since the Masters. Woods had four birdies in seven holes at the start. But he dropped careless shots on the back nine of Albany. None was more surprising than sending a birdie putt off the green and into a bunker on the par-5 15th. Woods says he's rusty. But he hopes each day he gets a little better. Brian Harman is one shot behind.
Rodgers' potential return just an 'external motivator' as Jets try to get back to winning
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets' playoff hopes could get a big boost with a victory Sunday. Same for the chances of an improbable comeback attempt by Aaron Rodgers. The Jets are mired in a four-game skid but believe they can turn things around to make a late-season run. Rodgers is working his way back from a torn Achilles tendon and still intends to return this season as long as doctors OK it and the Jets remain in the playoff hunt. Coach Robert Saleh said that possibility is an external motivator for the Jets but they should be looking to win regardless of the quarterback's chances of coming back.
Female athletes sue the University of Oregon alleging Title IX violations by the school
A group of female athletes has filed a federal lawsuit against the University of Oregon alleging Title IX violations by the school. Thirty-two women, all varsity beach volleyball and club rowing athletes, are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which accuses the school of depriving women of equal treatment and benefits, equal athletic aid, and equal opportunities to participate in varsity intercollegiate athletics. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene seeks correction of the violations and unspecified damages.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Orlando 130 Washington 125
Final Memphis 108 Dallas 94
Final New York 119 Toronto 106
Final Boston 125 Philadelphia 119
Final New Orleans 121 San Antonio 106
Final Denver 119 Phoenix 111
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Columbus 4 Ottawa 2
Final San Jose 6 New Jersey 3
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (3)Washington 34 (5)Oregon 31
Final (20)Liberty 49 New Mexico St. 35
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final Northwestern 92 (1)Purdue 88 OT
Final (5)Kansas 69 (4)UConn 65
Final (6)Houston 66 Xavier 60
Final (19)BYU 85 Fresno St. 56
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Golden State at L.A. Clippers 4 p.m.
Minnesota at Charlotte 5 p.m.
Cleveland at Detroit 7 p.m.
Orlando at Brooklyn 7 p.m.
Atlanta at Milwaukee 8 p.m.
Indiana at Miami 8 p.m.
New Orleans at Chicago 8 p.m.
Memphis at Phoenix 9 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Dallas 9 p.m.
Portland at Utah 9:30 p.m.
Denver at Sacramento 10 p.m.
Houston at L.A. Lakers 10:30 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Tampa Bay at Dallas 2 p.m.
Chicago at Winnipeg 3 p.m.
N-Y Rangers at Nashville 4:30 p.m.
N-Y Islanders at Florida 6 p.m.
Boston at Toronto 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Carolina 7 p.m.
Detroit at Montreal 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh 7 p.m.
Seattle at Ottawa 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Arizona 9 p.m.
Colorado at Anaheim 10 p.m.
Vancouver at Calgary 10 p.m.
Washington at Vegas 10 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
(1)Georgia at (8)Alabama 4 p.m.
(15)Louisville at (4)Florida St. 8 p.m.
(2)Michigan at (18)Iowa 8 p.m.
(19)Oklahoma St. at (7)Texas 12 p.m.
(25)SMU at (17)Tulane 4 p.m.
Miami (Ohio) at (23)Toledo 12 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Colgate at (2)Arizona 3 p.m.
(3)Marquette at Wisconsin 12:30 p.m.
(7)Duke at Georgia Tech 2:15 p.m.
Notre Dame at (8)Miami 12 p.m.
Northwestern St. at (9)Baylor 6 p.m.
(11)Gonzaga at Southern Cal 10 p.m.
UNC-Wilmington at (12)Kentucky 4 p.m.
Coll. of Charleston at (13)FAU 6 p.m.
Florida St. at (17)North Carolina 2 p.m.
Drexel at (18)Villanova 2 p.m.
(20)Colorado St. at Washington 7 p.m.
(24)Illinois at Rutgers 4 p.m.
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Columbus at Cincinnati 6 p.m.
Houston at Los Angeles FC 9:30 p.m.
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