AP Sports Summary for January 21st, 2024.
Christian McCaffrey's 2nd TD rallies the 49ers to 24-21 playoff win over Jordan Love and the Packers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Christian McCaffrey scored his second touchdown on a 6-yard run with 1:07 to play, and the San Francisco 49ers mounted their first second-half comeback of the season to beat the Green Bay Packers 24-21 in a divisional-round playoff game. After spending all regular season as front-runners, the Niners needed to come from behind for a change and Brock Purdy and McCaffrey did just enough on the last drive to send San Francisco to its third straight NFC championship game. Dre Greenlaw sealed the win with his second interception of Jordan Love.
Jordan Love's strong 1st season as Packers QB ends with disappointing playoff loss
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — For all that went well in Jordan Love's first season as the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, the end proved disappointing. The Packers are headed home after a crushing playoff loss. Love threw his second interception of the game with Green Bay trying to mount a late-game drive to prolong the season, and the Packers blew a fourth-quarter lead with a 24-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. Love helped the Packers overcome a 2-5 start and reach the playoffs. Then he was terrific in a wild-card round win over Dallas. He looks like a worthy successor to Aaron Rodgers.
Lamar Jackson and Ravens pull away in the second half to beat Texans 34-10 and reach AFC title game
BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores and the Baltimore Ravens pulled away in the second half for a 34-10 win over the Houston Texans to advance to the AFC championship game. Jackson helped the Ravens take control in the third quarter after the teams entered the half tied at 10. His 15-yard scoring run put Baltimore ahead to stay. C.J. Stroud had a solid, composed first half for Houston, but the Texans ultimately couldn't turn enough promising drives into points. Now Baltimore will host the AFC title game for the first time since January 1971. The Ravens will take on the winner of Sunday's matchup between Buffalo and Kansas City.
Ryans says loss to Ravens was 'not a moral victory.' But Stroud and Texans proud of their season
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Houston Texans ended their season the same way they started it: with a loss in Baltimore. When the sting of Saturday's 34-10 playoff defeat wears off, the Texans will appreciate how well they played between those setbacks against the Ravens. After going 3-13-1 a year ago, the Texans rode a terrific season by rookie C.J. Stroud to go 10-7 and win the AFC South. Houston then manhandled Cleveland in the wild-card round before being ousted by the top-seeded Ravens. First-year coach DeMeco Ryans says it's "not a moral victory" that his team made it to the divisional round, but he's excited about the future.
Nick Dunlap shoots 60, takes 3-shot lead in search of PGA Tour's first amateur victory since 1991
LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) — University of Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap has matched the lowest round by an amateur in PGA Tour history and surged into position for the first victory by a non-professional in 33 years. Dunlap fired a 12-under 60 to take a three-shot lead over Sam Burns at The American Express on Saturday. Justin Thomas was four shots back of the 20-year-old Dunlap after a 61 at the Stadium Course. Dunlap played La Quinta Country Club on Saturday, making 10 birdies and an eagle. Only seven amateurs have won on the PGA Tour since 1945. The last to do it was Phil Mickelson in 1991.
Shiffrin gets career win 95 in first World Cup slalom after season-ending injury for rival Vlhova
JASNA, Slovakia (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin has earned her record-extending career win 95 by triumphing in a women's World Cup slalom a day after the American ski star's main rival sustained a season-ending injury. Shiffrin edged out second-placed Croatian prodigy Zrinka Ljutic by 0.14 seconds. The American also set a record for most World Cup podiums in a single discipline with 82. It was Shiffrin's fifth slalom win of the season and her 58th in total. She can secure the slalom season title at the next race on Feb. 11. Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhova crashed and tore ligaments in her right knee in Saturday's giant slalom.
Blake Hinson's hot shooting leads Pittsburgh over No. 7 Duke 80-76
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Blake Hinson scored 24 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting from 3-point range as Pittsburgh won in Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time since 1979, beating No. 7 Duke 80-76 on Saturday night. Hinson shot 8-of-10 from the floor and also collected a team-high eight rebounds for the Panthers. Pitt also got 16 points and six assists from Jaland Lowe. In a loss that ended its eight-game win streak, Duke was powered by Jared McCain's 20 points. Pitt won the rebounding margin by seven and outscored Duke in the paint 32-18.
UConn beats Villanova 66-65, wins second straight game since hitting No. 1 in AP Top 25
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alex Karaban hit the decisive 3-pointer for No. 1 UConn with 2:43 left in the game that settled a fantastic Big East matchup, Tristen Newton scored 25 points, Cam Spencer had 14 and the Huskies held off persistent Villanova 66-65 at a packed Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night. Justin Moore and TJ Bamba each scored 15 points for the Wildcats. Make it 2-0 for the Huskies since they were voted No. 1 the AP Top 25 in the regular season for the first time in 15 years. UConn hit No. 1 in the Top 25 for the first time since it spent four weeks there in the second half of the 2008-09 season, which ended with the Huskies reaching the Final Four.
Djokovic reaches the Australian Open quarterfinals, matching Federer's Grand Slam record
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has beaten Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 to advance to the Australian Open quarterfinals and matched another of Roger Federer's Grand Slam records. In a rare daytime appearance on Rod Laver Arena, the 10-time Australian Open champion raced to victory in 1 hour and 44 minutes to progress to the last eight at a major for the 58th time. Djokovic says "the first two sets were some of the best sets I've played in a while. I played great from the first to the last point." Women's champion Aryna Sabalenka beat Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-2 and U.S. Open winner Coco Gauff had a 6-1, 6-2 win over Magdalena Frech.
Milan goalkeeper Maignan calls for stronger action after suffering racist abuse in Italy
MILAN (AP) — AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan says too many people are "complicit" in allowing racism to continue blighting soccer and urges authorities to take stronger action after he suffered racist abuse on Saturday night. Maignan, who is Black, walked off after being abused by Udinese fans during a top-tier Italian league game, prompting the match to be suspended briefly during the first half. Maignan later told DAZN that he had been subjected to monkey noises. He delivered a strongly-worded response saying "it's a whole system that must take its responsibilities." Maignan asked soccer authorities and the government to do more, saying "with everything that's happening, if you don't act then you will also be complicit."
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Milwaukee 141 Detroit 135
Final Philadelphia 97 Charlotte 89
Final San Antonio 131 Washington 127
Final Cleveland 116 Atlanta 95
Final New York 126 Toronto 100
Final Chicago 125 Memphis 96
Final Oklahoma City 102 Minnesota 97
Final OT Houston 127 Utah 126
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 3 Buffalo 1
Final Colorado 7 Philadelphia 4
Final OT Winnipeg 2 Ottawa 1
Final Arizona 3 Nashville 2
Final Vancouver 6 Toronto 4
Final Boston 9 Montreal 4
Final Dallas 6 New Jersey 2
Final St. Louis 3 Washington 0
Final Edmonton 3 Calgary 1
Final Vegas 3 Pittsburgh 2
Final San Jose 5 Anaheim 3
Final Los Angeles 2 N-Y Rangers 1
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Baltimore 34 Houston 10
Final San Francisco 24 Green Bay 21
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)UConn 66 Villanova 65
Final (2)Purdue 84 Iowa 70
Final West Virginia 91 (3)Kansas 85
Final (4)North Carolina 76 Boston College 66
Final (5)Houston 57 UCF 42
Final (6)Tennessee 91 Alabama 71
Final Pittsburgh 80 (7)Duke 76
Final (8)Kentucky 105 Georgia 96
Final Texas 75 (9)Baylor 73
Final (12)Arizona 77 UCLA 71
Final (13)Auburn 82 (22)Mississippi 59
Final (15)Oklahoma 69 Cincinnati 65
Final (16)Utah St. 83 Fresno St. 62
Final (17)Marquette 73 St. John's 72
Final (18)Creighton 97 Seton Hall 94
Final (24)Iowa St. 73 (19)TCU 72
Final (25)Texas Tech 85 (20)BYU 78
Final (21)Dayton 96 Rhode Island 62
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Brooklyn at L.A. Clippers 3:30 p.m.
Denver at Washington 6 p.m.
Miami at Orlando 6 p.m.
Boston at Houston 7 p.m.
Indiana at Phoenix 8 p.m.
Portland at L.A. Lakers 10 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Ottawa at Philadelphia 1 p.m.
Minnesota at Carolina 5 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Detroit 7 p.m.
Dallas at N-Y Islanders 7:30 p.m.
N-Y Rangers at Anaheim 8:30 p.m.
Toronto at Seattle 9 p.m.
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Tampa Bay at Detroit 3 p.m.
Kansas City at Buffalo 6:30 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(10)Memphis at Tulane 1 p.m.
Rutgers at (14)Illinois 1 p.m.
(23)FAU at UTSA 3 p.m.
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