AP Sports Summary for March 2nd, 2025:
Commanders acquire wide receiver Deebo Samuel in a trade with the 49ers, AP source says
WASHINGTON (AP) — A person with knowledge of the trade tells The Associated Press the Washington Commanders have acquired wide receiver Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers, pending a physical, for a fifth-round pick. The deal cannot be made official until the start of the new league year March 12. The 29-year-old gives the Commanders another playmaker for quarterback Jayden Daniels going into his second NFL season. Samuel had 51 catches for 670 yards and three touchdowns last season with the 49ers.
Manfred considering petition to have Rose posthumously removed from ineligible list, AP source says
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is considering a petition to have Pete Rose posthumously removed from Major League Baseball's ineligible list, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the conversations. ESPN was the first to report on the reinstatement petition filed by Jeffrey Lenkov, a Southern California lawyer who represented Rose prior to his death at age 83 in September. Lenkov attended a Dec. 17 meeting with Rose's daughter, Fawn, Manfred and MLB executive Pat Courtney in the commissioner's office. The petition was filed on Jan. 8.
Jahmai Mashack hits long 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift No. 5 Tennessee past No. 6 Alabama, 79-76
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jahmai Mashack raced up the court and hit a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc at the buzzer to give No. 5 Tennessee a 79-76 victory over No. 6 Alabama on Saturday. The Volunteers (24-5, 11-5 Southeastern Conference) got the final shot by forcing a five-second inbounds violation under Alabama's basket with 3.8 seconds left. Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey each scored 18 points for Tennessee. Zakai Zeigler had 15, and Mashack finished with 11. Mark Sears led Alabama (23-6, 12-4) with 24 points. Labaron Philan had 13 and Aden Holloway added 11.
No. 7 St. John's clinches first Big East regular-season title in 40 years and eyes more celebrations
NEW YORK (AP) — The final horn sounded and St. John's skipped cutting down the nets. Instead, players held the trophy after St. John's clinched its first outright Big East regular-season title since 1985, posed for pictures on the court while confetti fell from the ceiling at Madison Square Garden in front of a sellout crowd. The celebration was modest because the seventh-ranked Red Storm are eyeing other celebrations such as their first Big East Tournament title since 2000 and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Cooper Flagg returns for 2nd half after leaving No. 2 Duke's victory with eye injury
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke players see star freshman Cooper Flagg's toughness on a regular basis and that was on display for everyone else Saturday night. Flagg returned for the second half of the No. 2 Blue Devils' 100-65 victory overt Florida State after leaving in the first half following a hard foul when he was poked in the eye. Coach Jon Scheyer described the injury as a bruised eyelid. Flagg sat out more than 11 minutes to end the half, while the team's eye doctor checked on him. He was back on the court for the first 12 minutes of the second half, finishing the game with 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting. He wasn't made available to speak to reporters after the game.
USC's JuJu Watkins hangs 30 points on UCLA at historic Pauley Pavilion
LOS ANGELES (AP) — JuJu Watkins had 30 points, five assists, three blocks and two steals for No. 4 Southern California an 80-67 victory over No. 2 UCLA. The Trojans won their first Big Ten regular-season championship in the school's first year in the league. Watkins dominated at Pauley Pavilion, where the Bruins men's teams have hung 11 national championship banners. With Watkins' help, the Trojans have handed UCLA its only two losses this season. The crosstown rivals could meet again next week in the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis.
Alex Ovechkin scores 884th goal to move 10 back of tying Wayne Gretzky's NHL career record
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored the 884th goal of his NHL career to move 10 away from tying Wayne Gretzky's record. The Washington Capitals captain beat fellow Russian Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning with four minutes left in the third period. Ovechkin's 31st goal of the season is his 12th in 22 games against Vasilevskiy. Despite the 39-year-old scoring, the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals lost a third consecutive game for the first time this season.
Florida Panthers acquire D Seth Jones in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers have acquired defenseman Seth Jones in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. Florida got Jones and a 2026 fourth-round pick from Chicago for goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick in next year's draft. The Blackhawks also are retaining 26% of Jones' salary. It is another huge acquisition for Florida, which already has key players like Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell, Carter Verhaeghe and Gustav Forsling locked up for at least three more seasons after this — and now lands a top-line defenseman in Jones, who is under contract through 2030.
Going through the NFL combine, Jack Bech inspired by brother killed in New Orleans attack
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jack Bech came to this year's NFL annual scouting combine with two goals — impressing scouts as a tribute to his older brother. On Saturday, exactly two months after Tiger Bech was killed in the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans, Bech had a chance to fulfill both aspirations. The former TCU receiver walked onto the Lucas Oil Stadium turf for Saturday's workouts motivated to soothe his heavy heart with a performance that would make his brother proud.
With value of running backs increasing, Ashton Jeanty and deep position group hope to cash in
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty saw the value of running backs tank as his college career started taking off. Then Jeanty watched Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs revive the position last season, just as he was becoming a household name. The timing couldn't be better for Jeanty, the former Boise State star, and a stacked crop of backs at this year's NFL annual scouting combine. From Jeanty and Cam Skattebo, who helped their college teams make the CFP playoffs, to TreVeyon Henerson and Quinshon Judkins, who led Ohio State to the national championship, there seems to be someone for every team.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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INTERLEAGUE
Final Detroit 1 Philadelphia 0
Final Pittsburgh 5 Baltimore 2
Final N.Y. Mets 10 Tampa Bay 1
Final Milwaukee 9 Texas 4
Final Chicago Cubs 7 Cleveland 4
Final Chicago Cubs 11 Kansas City 1
Final Toronto 1 Atlanta 1
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Boston 8 Minnesota 4
Final N.Y. Yankees 9 Houston 3
Final L.A. Angels 5 Athletics 0
Final Chicago White Sox 18 Seattle 9
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final St. Louis 3 Washington 2
Final L.A. Dodgers 6 San Francisco 5
Final Arizona 8 Colorado 4
Final Cincinnati 7 San Diego 3
Final Washington 7 Miami 0
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Washington 113 Charlotte 100
Final Detroit 115 Brooklyn 94
Final Sacramento 113 Houston 103
Final San Antonio 130 Memphis 128
Final Milwaukee 132 Dallas 117
Final Philadelphia 126 Golden State 119
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 3 Washington 1
Final N-Y Islanders 7 Nashville 4
Final Florida 3 Calgary 0
Final Boston 3 Pittsburgh 2
Final Columbus 5 Detroit 3
Final Edmonton 3 Carolina 1
Final SO Philadelphia 2 Winnipeg 1
Final Ottawa 5 San Jose 3
Final Montreal 4 Buffalo 2
Final St. Louis 4 Los Angeles 1
Final New Jersey 3 Utah 1
Final Seattle 6 Vancouver 3
Final Chicago 6 Anaheim 3
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)Auburn 94 (17)Kentucky 78
Final (2)Duke 100 Florida St. 65
Final (3)Florida 89 (12)Texas A&M 70
Final (4)Houston 73 Cincinnati 64
Final (5)Tennessee 79 (6)Alabama 76
Final (7)St. John's 71 Seton Hall 61
Final (9)Iowa St. 84 (22)Arizona 67
Final (10)Texas Tech 78 Kansas 73
Final (13)Clemson 71 Virginia 58
Final Vanderbilt 97 (14)Missouri 93
Final (16)Maryland 68 Penn St. 64
Final (19)Louisville 79 Pittsburgh 68
Final (21)Marquette 76 Georgetown 61
Final (23)Saint Mary's (Cal.) 74 Oregon St. 64
Final (24)Mississippi St. 81 LSU 69
Final (25)BYU 77 West Virginia 56
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Final Charlotte FC 2 Atlanta 0
Final Real Salt Lake 2 Seattle 0
Final Columbus 1 New England 0
Final New York 2 Nashville 0
Final Orlando City 4 Toronto FC 2
Final Philadelphia 4 Cincinnati 1
Final tie D.C. United 2 Chicago 2
Final San Jose 2 Sporting Kansas City 1
Final Minnesota 1 CF Montréal 0
Final tie FC Dallas 3 Colorado 3
Final Los Angeles FC 1 New York City FC 0
Final Portland 1 Austin FC 0
Final tie St Louis City 0 San Diego FC 0
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
N-Y Yankees at Atlanta 1:05 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Boston 1:05 p.m.
Washington at Houston 1:05 p.m.
Baltimore at Philadelphia 1:05 p.m.
Detroit at Pittsburgh 1:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at Toronto 1:07 p.m.
L-A Dodgers at Athletics 3:05 p.m.
Milwaukee at Cleveland 3:05 p.m.
Chi White Sox at L-A Dodgers 3:05 p.m.
L-A Angels at San Francisco 3:05 p.m.
Arizona at Texas 3:05 p.m.
Seattle at Colorado 3:10 p.m.
Kansas City at San Diego 3:10 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay at Minnesota 1:05 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis at Miami 1:10 p.m.
Cincinnati at Chi Cubs 3:05 p.m.
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Denver at Boston 1 p.m.
Portland at Cleveland 3:30 p.m.
Chicago at Indiana 5 p.m.
New York at Miami 6 p.m.
Toronto at Orlando 6 p.m.
Oklahoma City at San Antonio 7 p.m.
New Orleans at Utah 8 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at L.A. Lakers 9:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Phoenix 9:30 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Toronto at Pittsburgh 1 p.m.
Boston at Minnesota 3:30 p.m.
Calgary at Carolina 5 p.m.
St. Louis at Dallas 6 p.m.
Nashville at N-Y Rangers 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Vegas 8 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(11)Wisconsin at (8)Michigan St. 1:30 p.m.
Illinois at (15)Michigan 3:45 p.m.
(18)Memphis at UAB 4 p.m.
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
LA Galaxy at Vancouver 5 p.m.
Miami at Houston 7 p.m.
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