Team USA:
More than two dozen girls and women who say they were sexually abused by a former Michigan sports doctor under the guise of medical treatment have spoken about the abuse on the first day of his sentencing hearing. Nearly 100 of them are expected to testify during the four-day sentencing hearing for 54-year-old Larry Nassar. The hearing began Tuesday, with victims saying they experienced "searing pain" during the assaults and feelings of shame and embarrassment. They said the abuse changed their life trajectories — affecting relationships, causing them to be distrustful and leading to depression, suicidal thoughts and other psychological trauma. The Michigan Attorney General's Office is seeking at least 40 years in prison in the case. Nassar has already been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for child pornography crimes. The hearing continues Wednesday.
NBA:
Basketball Hall of Famer Jo Jo White, a two-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and an Olympic gold medalist, has died. He was 71. White played 10 seasons for Boston, which drafted him ninth overall from Kansas in 1969. He averaged 17.2 points per game over 13 years, also playing for Golden State and the Kansas City Kings before retiring in 1981. The Celtics described White as a champion and a gentleman.
Anthony Davis had 45 points and 16 rebounds to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 116-113 overtime victory over Boston Tuesday night, ending the Celtics' seven-game winning streak. Davis had four points and two blocked shots in OT. In other NBA action, The Magic ended the Timberwolves's five-game win streak 108-102.
NHL:
Rick Nash scored twice while New York notched five straight goals, and the Rangers rolled over the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1. Jordan Weal put Philadelphia up 1-0 before Nash, J.T. Miller, Paul Carey and Michael Grabner combined to make it 5-1 by the end of the second period. Nash had the first and last goal for the Rangers. New York snapped a three-game skid and improve to 23-17-5. Henrik Lundqvist made 25 saves.
Damon Severson scored twice 1:26 apart in New Jersey's three-goal second period, and the Devils ended a six-game skid with a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders. Kyle Palmieri and Taylor Hall also scored for New Jersey, which was 0-3-3 since beating Detroit at home on Dec. 27. Keith Kinkaid, getting the start after Cory Schneider was a late scratch due to illness, stopped 25 shots.
NCAA:
Syracuse has hired Mike Cavanaugh as the team's offensive line coach. Cavanaugh comes to the Orange from Nebraska, where he served in the same role for three seasons under Mike Riley before the staff there was fired in November. Cavanaugh has spent nearly his entire career working with offensive linemen and also spent two seasons in the NFL as an assistant offensive line and quality control coach with the San Diego Chargers.
Frank Howard had 18 points, seven rebounds and five steals and Syracuse snapped a four-game losing streak, defeating Pittsburgh 59-45. The Orange averted the first five-game losing streak in coach Jim Boeheim's 42-year tenure.
Mike Parks Jr. and Jeremiah Martin had 21 points and 11 rebounds each as Memphis built an early lead and ran away from UConn 73-49. Kareem Brewton Jr. added 10 points for the Tigers, who never trailed in the game en route to their fourth straight victory.
Barbara Stevens couldn't imagine being mentioned in the same conversation with Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt. Yet Bentley's longtime women's basketball coach has a chance to join those two icons in the 1,000-victory club on Wednesday. Stevens tells the AP she's wary of the attention and doesn't see herself in a class with Auriemma and Summit. Says Stevens: "I don't see the connection with me and them. I found my niche and I don't need any limelight."
No. 3 Purdue keeps rolling, with a 14th consecutive win. The Boilermakers had 14 3-pointers in a 78-50 rout over Wisconsin. Number 15 North Carolina is now 59-0 all-time at home against No. 20 Clemson. The final score, 87-79. Gary Clark scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to help No. 12 Cincinnati to a 49-38 win over the University of Central Florida. Jacob Evans added 10 points for the Bearcats, who won their ninth straight game.
Nick Perkins matched his season-high with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting and added six rebounds to lead Buffalo past Northern Illinois 95-67 for its sixth straight victory. CJ Massinburg scored 16, Jayvon Graves added 12 points and six boards and Jeremy Harris pitched in with 11 points and four assists for the Bulls (13-5, 5-0 Mid-American Conference).
Los Angeles Chargers tight ends coach John McNulty is returning to the college ranks for a second stint as the offensive coordinator at Rutgers. Coach Chris Ash announced the hiring on Tuesday. McNulty replaces Jerry Kill, who resigned after one year because of health concerns.
Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski has died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The 21-year-old Hilinski was discovered in his apartment after he didn't show up for practice Tuesday. The Pullman Police Department says a rifle "was recovered next to Hilinski and a suicide note was found."
MLB:
Left-hander Wade LeBlanc has agreed to a minor league contract with the New York Yankees and will report to major league spring training. The 33-year-old would get a $1 million, one-year contract if added to the 40-man roster. He was 5-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 50 relief appearances for Pittsburgh last year in his second season with the Pirates, who declined his $1.25 million for 2018. He pitched one game for the Yankees in 2014.
Jay Bruce and the New York Mets have finalized a $39 million, three-year deal to bring his big bat back to Queens. The 30-year-old Bruce had a career-high 36 home runs along with a .254 average and 101 RBIs last season. He hit 29 of those homers with the Mets before an August trade sent him to Cleveland. In another personnel move, right-handed reliever Addison Reed and Minnesota have finalized a $16.75 million, two-year contract.
NFL:
The Jacksonville Jaguars "threw a tantrum" when coach Doug Marrone started making changes. He threw out the ping pong table and overhauled the locker room by moving certain players next to veteran leaders. The most significant overhaul came on the practice fields. His success is one reason the Jaguars are in the AFC championship game against New England. Defensive tackle Malik Jackson says "it's pretty funny just to see us now. I guess he does know what he's doing."
Arguments could begin Thursday in suburban New Orleans in the trial of a man who shot former NFL player Joe McKnight in a road rage incident. A jury was seated Tuesday. Lawyers for Ronald Gasser, who is charged with second-degree murder, have laid the groundwork for a self-defense case, casting McKnight as the aggressor.
The Seattle Seahawks have hired Brian Schottenheimer as their offensive coordinator and are bringing back Ken Norton Jr. to oversee the defense. Schottenheimer takes over for Darrell Bevell, who was fired after seven seasons in charge of Seattle's offense.
Retired NASCAR driver Dale Earnhard Jr. says he is interested in becoming a minority owner with the NFL's Carolina Panthers. Earnhardt told The Associated Press he was not asked by local businessmen Felix Sabates to join a potential ownership group, but said he did contact Marcus Smith, the CEO of Speedway Motorsports, to say he'd be interested. Current Panthers owner Jerry Richardson announced in December he's selling the team.
Boxing:
Authorities say 26-year-old professional boxer Luis Rosa Jr. has been killed in a car crash in Connecticut. Police in West Haven say Rosa was driving south in a Honda that crossed the center line and collided with an Acura traveling in the opposite direction around 2 a.m. Sunday. Two other people were seriously injured. Rosa was a featherweight with a 23-1 record and 11 knockouts.
Pawtucket Red Sox:
The Rhode Island Senate has approved a proposal to provide public subsidies to help fund a new stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox, but the legislation faces an uncertain future in the House. Two companion bills passed the chamber, both with 26-9 votes on Tuesday. The legislation would help the Boston Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate build a new stadium in Pawtucket.
Tennis:
Two days after beating Venus Williams in the first round, Belinda Bencic is out of the Australian Open. Bencic, who defeated Williams 6-3, 7-5, started out flatly and never recovered in losing to qualifier Luksika Kumkhum 6-1, 6-3 in a match on Melbourne Park's third show court. Bencic, who has reached a career high No. 7 ranking but entered the Australian Open at No. 78, had beat the 124th-ranked Kumkhum in straight sets in both previous matches they'd played.
Olympics:
The two Koreas are meeting Wednesday for the third time in about 10 days to continue their discussions on Olympics cooperation, days ahead of talks with the IOC on North Korean participation in the upcoming Winter Games in the South. A flurry of Olympics-related meetings has provided a tentative thaw in long-strained ties between the Koreas. But the North's reluctance to discuss its nuclear weapons program is raising skepticism over how long this mood of reconciliation will last. The Koreas have been discussing fielding a joint women's hockey team and having their athletes march under a "unification flag" depicting the Korean Peninsula, instead of their respective national flags, during the opening ceremony for the Feb. 9-25 Games in Pyeongchang.
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