COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Ohio State can celebrate another title after holding off a Notre Dame comeback bid to walk away with a nailbiter of a 34-23 victory over the Fighting Irish. Will Howard hit big-play receiver Jeremiah Smith for 56 yards on a late third-and-11 to lock down a game that had been a laugher, then turned into something else. Trailing 31-7, Notre Dame scored two touchdowns and two 2-point conversions to make it a one-score game late in the fourth quarter. But Howard's big throw to Smith set up a field goal that started the celebration in earnest. Ohio State won its sixth title and first since the 2014 season.
Will Howard transferred to Ohio State to win a national championship, and he reached that goal by playing the best football of his career throughout the Buckeyes’ four games in the College Football Playoff. He was never better than in the first half and at the end of Ohio State's 34-23 victory over Notre Dame. Howard connected on his first 13 passes to set the record for consecutive completions in a CFP title game, and late in the fourth quarter he lofted a pass to Jeremiah Smith for a 56-yard gain that all but sealed the win.
Riley Leonard opened the national championship game with a do-it-all drive that made it appear the Notre Dame quarterback could win the title by himself. As it turned out, Leonard needed more help. Leonard’s two second-half touchdown passes to Jaden Greathouse proved the Fighting Irish were resilient, but the comeback attempt was too late. Greathouse’s first scoring catch came late in the third quarter of Ohio State’s 34-23 win. Leonard was the workhorse on a monstrous 18-play touchdown drive to open the game. Riley had nine carries in the drive which lasted almost 10 minutes.
It was hard to ignore the connections between Marcus Freeman's fate as he tried to make history on Monday night and all that was happening in America on the day of the big game. Freeman's quest to become the first Black head football coach to capture a college title at the highest level came to an end with a 34-23 loss to Notre Dame. Monday was also the day the United States celebrated Martin Luther King Jr., and inaugurated Donald Trump to his second term as president. Freeman arrived at this moment on a day when America celebrated the man whose life was devoted to inclusion and equality, while diversity initiatives are increasingly under scrutiny on college campuses.
Jayden Fielding’s 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining did more than secure Ohio State’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff title game on Monday night. It also handed Ohio State bettors the victory. Ohio State was favored by 8 1/2 points at BetMGM Sportsbook. It's a line the Buckeyes appeared to cover with ease when taking a 31-7 lead midway through the third quarter. But the Fighting Irish rallied with two touchdowns and two 2-point conversions to make it an eight-point game in the closing minutes.
NBA
Jalen Brunson scored 34 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 119-110 win over the Atlanta Hawks. It was the 68th 30-plus point game in Brunson’s career as a Knick, and it helped New York improve to 28-16. Mikal Bridges added 26 points, while New York swingman Josh Hart chipped in with 14 points. Hart had suffered a cervical compression in the neck in the Knicks’ 116-99 loss to the Timberwolves on Friday night. Despite Trae Young leading seven Hawks in double-figure scoring with 27, Atlanta fell to 22-20 and had its three-game winning streak snapped. De’Andre Hunter added 22 points off the bench on Monday.
Zach LaVine scored 35 points and the Chicago Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 112-99 to snap a five-game skid. Talen Horton-Tucker added 18 points and Josh Giddey had 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Bulls improved to 2-6 in back-to-backs this season. The Clippers' four-game winning streak ended without starters Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac. Norman Powell led LA with 27 points and James Harden added 17 points and 10 assists. The Bulls took control with a dominant third quarter in which they outscored the Clippers 36-16 to lead by 18 going into the fourth.
LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges each scored 23 points and the Charlotte Hornets held on to beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-105. The win Monday extended Charlotte's winning streak to a season-high three games. Nick Smith Jr. added 19 points and Mark Williams overcame foul trouble to finish with 13 points and 13 rebounds for Charlotte. Kyrie Irving had 33 points and Daniel Gafford added a career-high 31 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks, who’ve lost four of their last five games.
Cade Cunningham had 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 107-96 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday. Jalen Duren had 16 points and 14 rebounds, Malik Beasley added 17 points off the bench, and Ausar Thompson had 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons. Fred VanVleet scored 20 points, and Jalen Green scored 19 points. Amen Thompson, who missed the game at Portland on Saturday with left calf soreness, added 17 points for Houston, which shot 39% and struggled from 3, connecting on 11 of 39.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 24 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and Desmond Bane added 22 points as the Memphis Grizzlies used a late rally to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-106. Jackson, who was 6 of 8 in the final quarter, added 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks for Memphis, which won its third straight. Ja Morant finished Monday with 19 points, despite going 5 of 16 from the field. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 32 points, while Naz Reid finished with 29 points, including 15 in the fourth as Minnesota tried to thwart the Memphis rally.
Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points — 23 in the second half — and Darius Garland added 16 as the Cleveland Cavaliers began the season’s unofficial second half by beating the Phoenix Suns 118-92 in a holiday matinee. The Cavs improved the NBA’s best record to 36-6. Cleveland is 21-2 at home and 13-1 against the Western Conference. Cleveland had little trouble handling the Suns despite missing three rotational players as forwards Evan Mobley, Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert sat out with injuries. Kevin Durant scored 23 to lead Phoenix. Devin Booker had just 15 and had six turnovers after scoring at least 30 in the last five games.
The New Orleans Pelicans are gratified by a franchise-record comeback victory that shows they're not giving in to the misfortune that defined the first two months of their season. CJ McCollum highlighted a 45-point performance with 3-pointers and reverse layups in the clutch. Dejounte Murray was one rebound short of a triple-double. And the New Orleans Pelicans erased a 25-point deficit en route to a 121-117 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Pelicans coach Willie Green says he credits players for pulling together and being resilient. The Pelicans have won four straight and seven of 10 after a 5-29 start.
Zach LaVine scored 35 points and the Chicago Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 112-99 to snap a five-game skid. Talen Horton-Tucker added 18 points and Josh Giddey had 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Bulls improved to 2-6 in back-to-backs this season. The Clippers' four-game winning streak ended without starters Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac. Norman Powell led LA with 27 points and James Harden added 17 points and 10 assists. The Bulls took control with a dominant third quarter in which they outscored the Clippers 36-16 to lead by 18 going into the fourth.
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Bo Horvat scored twice in New York’s three-goal second period, and the Islanders beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1. Simon Holmstrom also scored and Mathew Barzal had two assists as the Islanders won their second straight and fifth in seven games. Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves. Kent Johnson scored for Columbus and Elvis Merzlikins had 22 saves, but the Blue Jackets ended a seven-game point streak (6-0-1). The Islanders scored three goals in a span of 5:04 in the second period to take the 3-1 lead and held on to win consecutive games at home for the first time this season.
Jamie Oleksiak scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, and Adam Larsson and Jared McCann added scores in the third as the Seattle Kraken beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-4. John Hayden, Chandler Stephenson and Matty Beniers also scored for the Kraken. Tage Thompson, Jack Quinn, Jason Zucker and Alex Tuch scored for the Sabres. Seattle’s Joey Daccord finished with 25 saves. Buffalo’s Devon Levi stopped 28 shots.
Charlie Coyle scored a pair of third-period goals to lead the Bruins to a 6-3 victory over San Jose. Coyle stole the spotlight from fellow Boston University product Macklin Celebrini in his first game back at the TD Garden as an NHLer. It was Boston’s 14th straight victory over the Sharks. Coyle converted a backhanded pass from Matt Poitras to make it 3-3 with about 12 minutes left in the game for his first goal since Dec. 27. He made it 4-3 four minutes later on a shot that bounced off goalie Yaroslav Askarov’s pads and into the net.
Yakov Trenin scored against his former team early in the third period, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Monday. Jake Middleton had a goal and an assist, Brock Faber also scored and Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves for Minnesota. The game was tied entering the third period but Trenin gave the Wild a 2-1 lead with a wrister in the slot that beat Mackenzie Blackwood at 2:08. Faber scored 1:35 later to make it a two-goal game. Nathan MacKinnon, the NHL leader in points, had tied the game with 1:08 left in the second with his 18th goal of the season.
Jake Neighbours and Brayden Schenn scored during a shootout after St. Louis gave up two goals in the final minutes of regulation, and the Blues held on to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 on Monday. Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev scored for Vegas inside the final four minutes to tie the game and force overtime. Schenn, Neighbours, Nathan Walker and Cam Fowler scored for the Blues in regulation, while Jordan Binnington made 28 saves. TTomas Hertl and Brett Howden each added a goal for the Golden Knights and Shea Theodore had four assists. Adin Hill stopped 24 shots.
Matthew Knies had two goals and an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs held on late to down the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Monday night. Auston Matthews and William Nylander also scored for Toronto. Joseph Woll made 27 saves. Mitch Marner added an empty-net goal and two assists. Nick Paul scored twice for Tampa and Darren Raddysh had a goal and an assist. Jonas Johansson stopped 23 shots. Victor Hedman chipped in two assists.
Sebastian Aho scored 59 seconds into overtime, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3. Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal and Jesperi Kotkaniemi also scored for Carolina in its second straight win. Staal picked up his 700th career point in game No. 1,300. Freddie Andersen made 22 saves for the Hurricanes in his first game since Oct. 26 and No. 500 for his career. He had been sidelined by a knee injury. The Hurricanes tied it at 3 on Staal’s 10th goal with 6:23 left in regulation.
Connor Ingram made 23 saves and Olli Maatta scored his first goal for the Utah Hockey Club in a 5-2 victory over Winnipeg Jets. Logan Cooley, Barrett Hayton, Matias Maccelli and Clayton Keller also scored to help Utah win its second consecutive home game. Hayton, Josh Doan and Nick Schmaltz each had two assists. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 23 shots for Winnipeg. Nino Niederreiter and Dylan DeMelo scored in the third period as the Jets avoided their second shutout loss of the season.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin scored milestone goals and the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated Los Angeles 5-1, snapping the Kings' nine-game home win streak. Crosby, Anthony Beauvillier and Kevin Hayes each had a goal and an assist. Cody Glass also scored for the Penguins, and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 25 shots. Adrian Kempe had the Los Angeles goal and David Rittich made 27 saves. Crosby became the 11th player to reach 50 points in at least 18 seasons when he scored late in the first period. Malkin tied Jean Beliveau for 44th place on the NHL list with his 507th career goal in the second period.
Former Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils coach Tom McVie has died. He was 89. McVie also coached the Jets to the 1979 World Hockey Association championship over Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers in the final year before the franchises were absorbed into the NHL. The Trail, British Columbia, native joined the Bruins as an assistant coach in 1992 and got his name on the Stanley Cup as a team ambassador when it won the 2011 championship.
NFL
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game in their fourth playoff matchup in five years. Allen ran for two touchdowns and the Bills beat Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens 27-25 in a divisional game Sunday. Mark Andrews dropped a pass from Jackson on a 2-point conversion that would’ve tied it with 1:33 remaining and Buffalo held on for the victory. The Chiefs have defeated the Bills three straight times in the playoffs, including the conference title game four years ago in Kansas City. It’ll be Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles hosting Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has agreed to become the Chicago Bears head coach, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the contract was being finalized. Johnson spent three years as Detroit’s offensive coordinator under Dan Campbell and was considered the top head coaching candidate on the market. The Lions earned the top seed in the NFC at 15-2 before getting stunned by Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in a divisional playoff game on Saturday. The Bears fired Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29. Chicago finished last in the NFC North at 5-12.
TENNIS
Coco Gauff has lost in the Australian Open quarterfinals to Paula Badosa 7-5, 6-4. Tuesday’s result ended a 13-match unbeaten run that dated to last season for Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion. Gauff was seeded No. 3 and trying to get back to the semifinals at Melbourne Park for the second year in a row. Badosa is a 27-year-old from Spain who is seeded No. 11. She will now head to her first Grand Slam semifinal. Her opponent will be two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. They were scheduled to play Tuesday night, before Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz met in the men's quarterfinals. Alexander Zverev beat Tommy Paul to reach the semifinals.
Aryna Sabalenka’s bid for a third consecutive Australian Open championship will continue after she got past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in a surprisingly difficult quarterfinal. Sabalenka has now won 19 matches in a row at Melbourne Park after Tuesday night's struggle. She had run her set streak to 25 at the place — dating all the way to the 2023 final — when she grabbed the opener against 2021 French Open runner-up Pavlyuchenkova. But Sabalenka had a hard time harnessing her intimidating strokes on a windy evening in Rod Laver Arena.
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