OLYMPICS-DAY 7
American Mikaela Shiffrin was unable to become the first skier to successfully defend an Olympic gold in the slalom.
Shiffrin finished fourth as Sweden's Frida Hansdotter overtook first-run leader Wendy Holdener of Switzerland to win the gold. The 22-year-old Shiffrin was fourth after the opening run and couldn't make up enough time to earn a second straight medal at the Pyeongchang Games.
Shiffrin was coming off a victory in the giant slalom the previous day.
Also at Pyeongchang:
Defending champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan has won the men's short program with a games-record 111.68 points. Adam Rippon was the top American as he finished seventh, 10 places ahead of two-time U.S. champion Nathan Chen.
Ryan Donato scored two power-play goals as the U.S. men's hockey team earned a 2-1 victory over Slovakia.
Italy's Michela Moioli has won the gold medal in Olympic women's snowboard cross, overtaking American Lindsey Jacobellis about halfway down the course. Jacobellis finished fourth.
Austrian Matthias Mayer won the men's super-G to break Norway's 16-year grip on the title.
South Korea's Yun Sungbin dominated the skeleton as the 23-year-old finished 1.63 seconds ahead of Nikita Tregubov of Russia.
NCAA
UAlbany's men’s basketball team beat UMass Lowell 91-81, Rider topped Siena 97-71, Binghamton edged Stony Brook 69-57, Hartford got by Maine 67-63, Fairfield topped Marist 83-79 and Vermont defeated New Hampshire 71-58 for a 15th straight victory.
In women’s college basketball Siena beat Manhattan 56-54 in overtime on the road.
TOP 25 MEN'S BASKETBALL
Fifth-ranked Cincinnati has seen its 16-game winning streak come to an end. Sixth-ranked Purdue has followed a 19-game winning streak by dropping three in a row, and No. 8 Ohio State lost for just the second time in 15 Big Ten games.
Corey Davis Jr. and Devin Davis each scored 16 points to lead Houston past the Bearcats, 67-62. Rob Gray chipped in 13 points for the Cougars, who are 10-3 in the American Athletic Conference following their second win this season over a top-10 team.
Gray nailed a 3-pointer with 3:32 remaining to put the Cougars ahead to stay.
Jacob Evans had a team-high 16 points for Cincinnati, which shot just 39 percent in falling to 23-3 overall, 12-1 in the conference.
Purdue's latest loss came in Madison, Wisconsin, as Ethan Happ scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Badgers' 57-53 win over the Boilermakers. Brad Davison added 16 points as the Badgers won for just the fifth time in 15 Big Ten games.
Carsen Edwards finished with 22 points, but he missed a 3-point with 12 seconds left to end Purdue's comeback hopes.
Tony Carr scored 30 points and Mike Watkins had a double-double as Penn State ripped the Buckeyes, 79-56. Watkins had 11 points and 10 rebounds to help the Nittany Lions win for the sixth time in seven tries since beating Ohio State last month.
In other top-25 finals:
Ninth-ranked Gonzaga was the lone top-10 team to win Thursday as Corey Kispert provided a team-high 14 points in a 76-46 rout of Loyola Marymount. Johnathan Williams had 12 points and 13 rebounds in the Bulldogs' 18th straight win over the Lions since 2010.
No. 15 Saint Mary's was stunned in San Francisco as Frankie Ferrari hit a big 3-pointer and added a clinching layup in the final minute of the Dons' 70-63 win over the Gaels. Ferrari finished with 20 points and seven assists for the Dons, who dealt Saint Mary's its second straight loss since a 19-game winning streak.
Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 16 rebounds in No. 17 Arizona's 77-70 win against No. 25 Arizona State 77-70. The Wildcats went on a 31-6 run bridging the two halves and swept the season series from their arch-rivals.
Shaquille Morris contributed 23 points and 13 boards to Wichita State's 93-86 victory against Temple. Darrall Williams had 24 points and helped the 19th-ranked Shockers climb back from a 14-point halftime deficit.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NEWS
An attorney for Minnesota basketball standout Reggie Lynch says the senior center is dropping his appeal of sexual assault allegations but still maintains his innocence. His attorney says Lynch is not participating in the appeal because the university's system is unfair. He says Lynch will pursue basketball career opportunities instead.
The university's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action office recommended Lynch's suspension and expulsion in January after finding him responsible for the alleged sexual assaults of two women in April 2016.
Other college basketball news:
— Clemson point guard Shelton Mitchell has returned to campus and is in the concussion protocol. He spent a night in a Florida hospital after he got hit in the head late in the 11th-ranked Tigers 81-79 overtime loss to Florida State.
NBA-SCHEDULE
The Denver Nuggets matched a team record for 3-pointers while Nikola Joke recorded a triple-double in a shootout win over the Bucks’
The Nuggets shot 24-for-40 from beyond the arc to earn a 134-123 victory at Milwaukee. Joke finished with 30 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high 17 assists, reaching a triple-double with 1:54 remaining in the second quarter. Gary Harris added 28 points and Jamal Murray had 26 for the Nuggets, who led by double digits for most of the fourth quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo also recorded a triple-double with 36 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for the Bucks.
The Timberwolves won the last game before the All-Star break as Taj Gibson scored a season-high 28 points and Jimmy Butler added 24 in a 119-111 comeback over the Lakers. Jeff Teague pitched in 20 points for Minnesota, which trailed by 12 late in the third quarter before improving to 24-7 at home.
NBA NEWS
The Indiana Pacers will play the Pelicans in New Orleans on March 21, a rescheduled game stemming from a Feb. 7 postponement because of a leaky roof.
The leak happened near the foul line, causing a two-hour delay at the Smoothie King Center. The teams were concerned about the risk of injury on the damp floor.
In other NBA news:
Original Dallas Mavericks co-owner Don Carter has died at 84. Carter co-founded the franchise with Norm Sonju, the club's first president. Carter sold majority interest to Ross Perot Jr. in 1996 but kept a minority stake.
NHL-SCHEDULE
The Pittsburgh Penguins remain three points behind the first-place Washington Capitals in the NHL's Metropolitan Division race following the Pens 13th win in their last 17 games.
Zach Aston-Reese scored a power-play goal to break a 1-1 deadlock 5 ½ minutes into the Penguins' 3-1 victory over the Kings. Ryan Reaves and Evgeni Malkin also scored to back Matt Murray, who finished with 34 saves.
The Kings lost their third in a row since winning the opener of a seven-game road trip.
The Caps retained their three-point lead as Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 34th goal and had three assists in a 5-2 win at Minnesota. Tom Wilson scored twice and Philipp Grubauer stopped 32 shots in Washington's third victory in seven games.
It was the Wild's first regulation loss in 14 home games.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
William Karlsson scored his 30th goal of the season and the first-place Golden Knights kept their 10-point lead over San Jose in the Pacific Division by beating the Oilers, 4-1. Vegas improved to 14-1-1 against division rivals in its inaugural season.
The Sharks also completed a 4-1 victory against the Canucks as Mikkel Boedker and Chris Tierney each had a goal and an assist. Martin Jones stopped 43 shots and blanked Vancouver until Daniel Sedin scored 6:43 into the third period.
Matthew Tkachuk and Dougie Hamilton each had a goal and an assist as the Flames topped the Predators, 4-3 to finish 4-2 on their six-game road trip. Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne lost in regulation for the first time in 12 games as the Predators stayed two points ahead of second-place Winnipeg in the Central Division.
Steven Stamkos scored twice and Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three assists in the Lightning's 11th straight win over the Red Wings, 4-1. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 38 saves and Victor Hedman picked up three assists as Tampa Bay moved three points ahead of second-place Boston in the Atlantic Division.
Ondrej Kase had a goal and two assists to help the Ducks send the Blackhawks to their eighth consecutive loss, 3-2. Adam Henrique broke a 2-2 tie 8 ½ minutes into the third period.
Stefan Noesen scored twice and Nico Hischier added a goal and two assists as the Devils whipped the Hurricanes, 5-2. Keith Kincaid turned back 27 shots in New Jersey's second straight win since a four-game losing streak.
Jaroslav Halak earned the Islanders' first shutout of the season by handling 50 shots in a 3-0 victory over the Rangers. Rookie Mathew Barzal assisted on goals by Josh Bailey, Jordan Eberle and Thomas Hickey as the Isles beat the Blueshirts for the 10th time in their last 11 meetings.
Brendan Perlini scored twice in a 19-second span in the second period before the Coyotes finished up their third straight win, 5-2 over the Canadiens. Clayton Keller had a goal and three assists, and Antti Raanta made 34 saves for Arizona.
The Senators topped the Sabres 3-2 on Mike Hoffman's goal 73 seconds into overtime. Marian Gaborik scored in his Ottawa debut and set up Derrick Brassard's tying goal with 31 seconds left in regulation.
NASCAR-TWIN 125s
Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott were the winners of NASCAR's two qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway.
Blaney edged out Penske teammate Joey Logano to take the first race and land a spot in the second row for Sunday's Daytona 500. Elliott won the second race in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to put a temporary halt on the Team Penske dominance.
Kevin Harvick was second to Elliott.
The three Penske drivers dominated the all-star race and were at the front of the field for the entire Thursday night race. Blaney won it in overtime after Brad Keselowski's accident brought out the caution.
NFL-NEWS
Sebastian Janikowski's career with the Oakland Raiders has ended after 18 seasons. Owner Mark Davis has released a statement thanking the kicker for his contributions to the franchise. Janikowski is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next month and the Raiders told him this week they don't plan to retain him.
Janikowski is the Raiders' all-time leader with 268 games played and 1,799 points. His 55 field goals from at least 50 yards are the most in NFL history.
Janikowski spent all of last season on injured reserve with a back injury. He turns 40 on March 2.
In other NFL news:
New Arizona coach Steve Wilks says Cardinals standout wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has told him he'll return for a 15th NFL season. Wilks told the "Doug &Wolf" sports talk radio show that Fitzgerald informed him of his decision Wednesday night. There had been speculation the 34-year-old might follow the lead of Coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Carson Palmer, who both retired after last season.
AJ McCarron has won his arbitration case against the Bengals and will become an unrestricted free agent next month, making him one of the more attractive quarterbacks on the market. McCarron challenged the Bengals' decision to put him on a non-football injury list his rookie year of 2014, when the fifth-round pick had a sore passing shoulder.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Mississippi has filed its appeal of the NCAA committee on infractions' decision to ban the football program from the postseason in 2018, limit unofficial recruiting visits and cite the school for lack institutional control in a case involving 21 violations.
The NCAA committee handed down its decision in December after a lengthy investigation.
Ole Miss had already self-imposed a bowl ban for 2017, let go of two assistants and disassociated with nine boosters before the NCAA added its penalties.
MLB-NEWS
Left-hander Jaime Garcia and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract that includes a 2019 team option.
Garcia gets $8 million this year as part of the deal and Toronto has a $10 million option with a $2 million buyout. He can earn an additional $2 million annually in performance bonuses based on innings and would get the full amount at 180.
The 31-year-old is 67-55 with a 3.69 ERA in 185 major league games, including a 5-10 mark with a 4.41 ERA in 27 starts for the Braves, Twins and Yankees.
In other baseball news:
A person familiar with the negotiations says pitcher Andrew Cashner and the Orioles have agreed to a $16 million, two-year contract. The 31-year-old Cashner is 42-64 with a 3.80 ERA in eight major league seasons with the Cubs, Padres, Marlins and Rangers.
Cleveland's Trevor Bauer, Houston's Collin McHugh and Tampa Bay's Jake Odorizzi have won their salary arbitration cases. Toronto's Marcus Stroman and Minnesota's Kyle Gibson have lost. The decisions for the five pitchers leave players with an 11-8 advantage with three more hearings scheduled.
The Brewers have agreed to a minor league contract with left-hander Wade Miley, subject to a successful physical. The 31-year old Miley went 8-15 with a 5.61 ERA and a league-high 93 walks in 32 starts for the Orioles last season.
Mariners’ first baseman Ryon Healy has had surgery to remove a bone spur in his right hand and is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks. The 26-year-old hit .271 with 25 homers and 78 RBIs last season.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says proposed rules changes to speed pace of play with be in place by the start of big league exhibition games on Feb. 23. MLB made a proposal to the union last month to abandon a pitch clock for 2018 as part of a three-year phase-in of new rules.
PGA- GENESIS OPEN
Tiger Woods had his struggles in shooting a 1-over 72 that puts him six shots behind the leaders through one round of the PGA's Genesis Open at Riviera.
Woods lost a ball in a tree that led to a double bogey early in his round and played his second shot to the ninth green from a bunker on the 10th hole just before closing out his round.
Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau share the lead at 5 under, one stroke ahead of Tom Hoge, Sam Saunders and Dominic Bozzelli.
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