Trio reach 20 points, No. 22 Iowa women rally by Badgers

No. 22 Iowa pulled out an 85-78 win over Wisconsin after trailing by 17 points in the third quarter. Makenzie Meyer led the Hawkeyes, who have won six straight, with 22 points and Kathleen Doyle added 21.

—-

UNI Women Defeat Indiana State

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Four players scored in double figures, including a double-double from Cynthia Wolf with a career-high 14 points and 13 rebounds to lead UNI to a 73-43 win Sunday afternoon over Indiana State at the McLeod Center.  Former Western Dubuque prep Rose Simon-Ressler has 13 points and 4 rebounds for the Panthers.

—-

Iowa State Rallies by OSU

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – Iowa State (10-6, 2-3 Big 12) rallied from a 14-point deficit to take down Oklahoma State 64-63 Sunday afternoon in Stillwater. Iowa State was led by a pair of 17-point performances from Ashley Joens and Kristin Scott.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers are in the Super Bowl for the first time in seven years after cruising to a 37-20 win over the Green Bay Packers. Raheem Mostert ran for 220 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries, including 160 yards and three TDs by halftime to help San Francisco take a 27-0 lead into the locker room. The Niners racked up 285 yards rushing while Jimmy Garoppolo  threw just eight times, completing six for 77 yards.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes scored on an acrobatic 27-yard run just before halftime and the Kansas City Chiefs held NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry to 69 yards rushing in a 35-24 win over the Tennessee Titans in the AFC championship game. Tennessee led 17-7 until Mahomes led two touchdown drives over the last 4:03 of the first half, beginning with his 20-yard scoring strike to Tyreek Hill. Mahoms threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns as the Chiefs reached the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years.

UNDATED (AP) — The Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs won Sunday’s only NBA games. Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double of 22 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the Pacers’ 115-108 victory at Denver. LaMarcus Aldridge provided 21 points and DeMar DeRozan added 20 as the Spurs downed the Southeast Division-leading Miami Heat, 107-102.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins erased a 3-0 deficit and beat the Boston Bruins, 4-3 on Bryan Rust’s goal with 7:25 remaining. Jack Johnson tied it with a short-handed goal early in the third before Rust notched his team-high 21st goal to send the Penguins to their sixth win in seven games. David Pastrnak (PAHS’-tur-nahk) notched his league-leading 37th goal of the season but couldn’t stop the Bruins from losing for the third time in four games.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rain has caused outdoor matches to be suspended or delayed on the first day of the Australian Open, but it didn’t stop Serena Williams, defending women’s champ Naomi Osaka and Roger Federer from winning their matches at Rod Laver Arena. Williams began her latest bid for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title with a 6-0, 6-3 victory after Osaka won in straight sets. Federer cruised to a straight-sets victory as he seeks his 21st Grand Slam singles crown.

NFL PLAYOFFS

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: San Francisco 37, Green Bay 20

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Kansas City 35, Tennessee 24

(San Francisco vs Kansas City Super Bowl 54 in Miami on Sunday, February 2)

—

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Final San Antonio        107   Miami         102

Final Indiana      115   Denver       107

___

 NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

Final Pittsburgh  4       Boston       3

Final SO    Carolina     2       N-Y Islanders     1

Final Chicago     5       Winnipeg   2

Final Columbus  2       N-Y Rangers      1

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Clarke University

Grandview                    PPD  until 1/20/20

Loras College  88

University of Dubuque  87

UW Platteville  69

UW La Crosse  67

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Clarke University

Grandview                    PPD  until 1/20/20

Loras College  79

University of Dubuque  73

UW Platteville   48

UW La Crosse   53

PEORIA, Illinois (KCRG) – Northern Iowa had 16 wins total last season. On Saturday, the Panthers matched last season’s total after beating Bradley 86-71 and moved into sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference. Northern Iowa was up 11 with 8:30 to go in the first half, but Bradley went on a 10-1 run and only trailed 38-36 at halftime. Northern Iowa faces Southern Illinois on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Kyler Edwards had 22 points coming off the highest-scoring game of his career and No. 23 Texas Tech pulled away from Iowa State in the second half of a 72-52 victory. The sophomore was 5 of 6 from 3-point range after scoring 24 points in a victory at Kansas State that stopped a two-game skid. Texas Tech went on an 18-2 run in the second half. The Cyclones missed their first 15 attempts from 3-point range and finished 3 of 22. Tyrese Haliburton led the Cyclones with 13 points.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill, (AP) — Trent Frazier scored 16 points, including hitting four 3-pointers, to lead No. 24 Illinois to a 75-71 win over Northwestern. Illinois (13-4, 5-2 Big Ten) had five players in double figures on Saturday. Ayo Dosunmu scored 14 points, Giorgi Bezhanishvili had 13, Kofi Cockburn 12 and Andres Feliz added 10.  Robbie Beran led Northwestern (6-11, 1-6) with 17 points. Kopp had 16 points, Pat Spencer 14 and Ryan Young added 12.

UNDATED (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks have added another game to their latest winning streak.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points and 12 rebounds as the Bucks stormed to their sixth consecutive win, 117-97 against the Nets. Khris Middleton scored 20 points in helping Milwaukee improve to an NBA-leading 38-6.

The Bucks shot 50% from the field, made 17 3-pointers and held the short-handed Nets to 33% shooting.

Kyrie Irving had 17 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Nets.

Checking out Saturday’s other NBA action:

— LeBron James dropped in 31 points and had 12 assists in the Lakers’ 124-115 win at Houston. Kyle Kuzma finished with 23 points, while Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope each added 20 to help Los Angeles win for the 10th win in 11 games.

— Fred VanVleet returned from a hamstring injury to score 29 points as the Raptors beat the Timberwolves, 122-112. Kyle Lowry added 28 points and seven assists while Norman Powell scored 20 points off the bench in Toronto’s third straight win.

— Devin Booker’s 39 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists were vital to the Suns’ 123-119 win over the Celtics. Deandre Ayton had 26 points and 15 rebounds to help Phoenix overcome Marcus Smart’s team record-tying 11 3-pointers and career-high 37 points.

— Rudy Gobert had a season-high 28 points and 15 rebounds as the Jazz won for the 16th time in 18 games, 123-101 over the Kings. Bojan Bogdanovic had six 3-pointers on his way to 30 points for Utah.

— The 76ers ended a six-game road losing streak as Tobias Harris hit a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter of a 90-87 downing of the Knicks. Ben Simmons had 21 points, Josh Richardson added 18 and reserve Furkan Korkmaz  scored 17 in Philadelphia’s third straight win overall.

— Lou Williams scored 14 of his 32 points while the Clippers were outscoring the Pelicans, 31-20 in a 133-130 victory for L.A. Kawhi (kah-WY’) Leonard scored 39 points and Montrezl Harrell added 24 for the Clippers, who trailed by 10 in the final seconds of the third quarter.

— The Thunder earned a 119-106 win over the Trail Blazers as Chris Paul matched a season high with 30 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points and Dennis Schroder and Nerlens Noel each added 15 for Oklahoma City.

— Zach LaVine  scored 21 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter of the Bulls’ 118-116 comeback over the Cavaliers. Chicago trailed by 15 in the fourth quarter before holding Cleveland to 14 points and forcing 10 turnovers in the period.

— D’Angelo Russell scored 26 points and dished out a season-high 12 assists as the Warriors stopped a 10-game losing streak, 109-95 over the Magic. Jordan Poole scored 21 points off the bench and Eric Paschall had 20 points and nine rebounds as Golden State halted its longest skid in nearly 18 years.

— Derrick Rose had 27 points and nine assists as the Pistons rolled to a 136-103 pounding of the Hawks. Svi Mykhailiuk added 25 points off the bench for Detroit, which shot 59% and won their second straight for the first time since Dec. 9.

UNDATED (AP) — Second-ranked Baylor was able to rally from a double-digit deficit in the second half on Saturday. Third-ranked Duke, fourth-ranked Auburn and No. 5 Butler weren’t as fortunate.

The Bears came back from 12 down to beat Oklahoma State, 75-68. Jared Butler scored 19 points and had six assists, while Freddie Gillespie added 17 points in Baylor’s 15th consecutive victory.

The Bears trailed 47-35 with 14 minutes remaining but used an 18-4 run over the next four-plus minutes to get back in the game.

Duke turned a 10-point, halftime deficit into a one-point game before 11th-ranked Louisville held off the Blue Devils, 79-73. David Johnson had team highs of 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench to help the Cardinals overcome a quiet game from Jordan Nwora, who finished with just six points.

Auburn was blown out at Florida as Omar Payne delivered 19 points and 11 rebounds in the Gators’ 69-47 win over the Tigers. Florida put the game out of reach with a 14-0 run that included 3-pointers by Noah Locke, Keyontae Johnson and Kerry Blackshear Jr.

Auburn has dropped two straight since a 15-0 start.

Butler suffered its second straight loss as Paul Reed scored 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting in DePaul’s 79-66 victory against the Bulldogs. Jalen Coleman-Lands added 20 in helping the Blue Demons knock off a top-5 team for the first time since beating No. 5 Kansas on Dec. 2, 2006.

The Bulldogs gave up a season-high 44 first-half points, the most since surrendering 34 in a loss to Baylor.

In other top-25 men’s basketball finals:

— Killian Tillie’s 22 points and 11 boards were among top-ranked Gonzaga’s highlights in a 92-69 thrashing of BYU. Corey Kispert finished with 19 points and the Bulldogs pulled away by outscoring the Cougars, 54-38 in the second half.

— Devon Dotson returned from a hip injury to score 21 points, including the final seven of the game for sixth-ranked Kansas in a 66-57 downing of Texas. Udoka Azubuike scored 17 points and the Jayhawks closed on a 12-3 run that started with consecutive baskets from Marcus Garrett.

— Seventh-ranked San Diego State remains the only unbeaten team in Division One after Yanni Wetzell had 17 points and 16 rebounds to carry the Aztecs to a 68-55 win over Nevada. Malachi Flynn had 14 points and seven assists for San Diego State, which trailed by two at halftime before improving to 19-0.

— Payton Pritchard’s sixth 3-pointer of the game broke a 61-all tie with 3.4 seconds left in overtime and sent No. 8 Oregon to a 64-61 victory against Washington. Pritchard was high man for the Ducks with 22 points and Chandler Lawson added 16 points and 12 rebounds.

—Ninth-ranked Florida State erased a nine-point deficit in the final 4:33 of regulation before gaining its ninth straight win, 83-79 against Miami in overtime. Devin Vassell set a career high for the second consecutive game by leading Florida State with 23 points while adding 11 rebounds and five assists.

— Nick Richards contributed 17 points and nine rebounds to lead 10th-ranked Kentucky’s balanced attack in a 73-66 win against Arkansas. Ashton Hagans had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Wildcats, who finished the game without coach John Calipari following his ejection in the second half.

— Kansas State picked up its first Big 12 win of the season as Cartier Diarra tied a career high with 25 points and Xavier Sneed chipped in 16 to lead an 84-68 upset of No. 12 West Virginia. Dujuan Gordon had a career high 15 for the Wildcats, who led by 23 before the Mountaineers scored 15 straight to make it interesting.

— Jermaine Samuels scored 19 points and made the decisive three-point play that put No. 14 Villanova ahead for good in a 61-55 victory over Connecticut. Collin Gillespie scored 12 points and the Wildcats were 11 of 23 from beyond the arc.

— Fabian White scored 14 points as Houston used a balanced offense to beat No. 16 Wichita State, 65-54. DeJon Jarreau had 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Cougars, who held the Shockers 22 points below their season scoring average.

— No. 17 Maryland remains perfect at home after Jalen Smith provided 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 57-50 victory against Purdue. Freshman Donta Scott scored 13 for the Terrapins, who opened with a 9-0 spurt and led by 16 at halftime.

— Myles Powell scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half of 18th-ranked Seton Hall’s eighth consecutive win, 82-79 over St. John’s. Quincy McKnight added 20 points and Romaro Gill had 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks for the Pirates.

— Dylan Smith and Josh Green scored 13 points apiece as Arizona coasted past No. 20 Colorado, 75-54. Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji each added 12 points for the Wildcats.

— Lamar Stevens furnished 14 of his 24 points in the second half of Penn State’s 90-76 win against No. 21 Ohio State. The Buckeyes have dropped five of six.

— Kyler Edwards had 22 points and No. 23 Texas Tech pulled away from Iowa State in the second half of a 72-52 victory. Edwards was 5 of 6 from 3-point range, making two during an 18-2 second-half run.

— Trent Frazier canned four 3-pointers while scoring 16 points to lead No. 24 Illinois to a 75-71 win over Northwestern. Ayo Dosunmu scored 14 points for the Illini, including a big jumper and two free throws in the final 26 seconds.

— Marcus Zegarowski hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left to send No. 25 Creighton past Providence, 78-74. Ty-Shon Alexander had 24 points to lead the Bluejays, who trailed by five with 90 seconds remaining.

HIGH SCHOOL

Wrestling

• Western Dubuque 59, Senior 6
• Hempstead 57 Wahlert 21
• Monticello 74, Bellevue 16

Boys Basketball

Iowa

• Western Dubuque 57, Wahlert 53
• Cascade 52, Anamosa 38
• Cedar Valley Christian 53, Clayton Ridge 52
• Bellevue Marquette Catholic 53, Prince of Peace 50

Wisconsin

• Benton 67, Highland 46
• #1 D-4 Cuba City 86, #3 D-4Darlington 61
• #8 D-4 Fennimore 76, Mineral Point 63
• Iowa Grant 71, Boscobel 66
• Platteville 56, Richland Center 34
• River Valley 65, Lancaster 57
• Scales Mound 63, Cassville 26

Illinois

• #8 1-A East Dubuque 46, West Carrol 28
• Galena 58, River Ridge 35

Girls Basketball

Iowa

• Wahlert 71, Western Dubuque 22
• #1 2A Cascade 59, Anamosa 16
• #3 1A Bellevue Marquette Catholic 60, Prince of Peace 41
• Cedar Valley Christian 44, Clayton Ridge 41

Wisconsin

• Belmont 68, Benton 49
• Potosi-Cassville 47, Highland 43
• Black Hawk 90, Monticello 19

College Wrestling

#3 Loras 41, #20 Central 9

The Fighting Saints welcome the Waterloo Black Hawks for home games tonight and tomorrow night. Dubuque will aim to right the ship against Waterloo Black Hawks for the third and fourth time this month. Dubuque and Waterloo have played four times this season, with each team taking two games and the road team winning all four thus far. The puck will drop at 7:05 both nights.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin took a stick to the face and put three pucks in the net for a hat trick to lead the Washington Capitals past the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Thursday night. Ovechkin reached 31 goals this season with his 25th career hat trick. He has scored five in his past two games to reach 689, one back of Mario Lemieux  for 10th on the NHL’s all-time list.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Alyssa Nakken has become the first female coach on a major league staff in baseball history after being named an assistant under new Giants manager Gabe Kapler. Nakken is a former softball standout at first base for Sacramento State and joined the Giants organization in 2014 as an intern in baseball operations. The NBA has several female assistant coaches. The NFL’s San Francisco 49ers have Katie Sowers as an offensive assistant.

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros star outfielder George Springer and the tainted team have settled on a $21 million contract for next season. Springer led the Astros to their first title in 2017 and was the Most Valuable Player of the World Series that year. This week, Major League Baseball released a report that detailed a cheating scheme the Astros used during their championship season to steal signals from opposing catchers and relay them to hitters.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo  had 32 points and 17 rebounds, Khris Middleton scored 23 points and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Boston Celtics 128-123 Thursday night. With the victory, the NBA-leading Bucks extended their winning streak to five games. Kemba Walker scored a game-high 40 points to lead the Celtics.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Brooks Koepka  shot a 6-under 66 in his return to competition after a knee injury and was tied for third place after the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Championship. Koepka, ranked No. 1 in the world, missed three months after re-injuring his knee while competing at the CJ Cup in South Korea. Koepka is two shots behind co-leaders Shaun Norris, of South Africa, and Renato Paratore, of Italy.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Final Phoenix     121   New York  98

Final Milwaukee 128   Boston       123

Final OT    New Orleans      138   Utah 132

Final OT    Denver       134   Golden State      131

Final L.A. Clippers       122   Orlando     95

___

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

Final Boston       4       Pittsburgh  1

Final Columbus  3       Carolina     2

Final Florida       4       Los Angeles       3

Final N-Y Rangers      3       N-Y Islanders     2

Final Montreal    4       Philadelphia        1

Final SO    Calgary      2       Toronto      1

Final Washington        5       New Jersey        2

Final Vegas        4       Ottawa       2

Final Minnesota 3       Tampa Bay         2

Final Anaheim    4       Nashville   2

Final Buffalo       4       Dallas        1

Final Colorado   4       San Jose   0

Final Vancouver 3       Arizona      1

___

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Final (1)Gonzaga        104   Santa Clara        54

Final Washington St.   72     (8)Oregon  61

Final (20)Colorado      68     Arizona St. 61

Final (22)Memphis      60     Cincinnati  49

HIGH SCHOOL

Girls Basketball

• Galena 54, River Ridge/Scales Mound 25
• East Dubuque 54, Warren 28

COLLEGE

MENS BASKETBALL

• Dubuque 97, Central 82
• UW Stevens Point 66, #7 UW Platteville 64

WOMENS BASKETBALL

• Central 59, Dubuque 46
• UW Platteville 65, Stevens Point 62 (OT)

No. 2 Baylor wins 13th in a row 68-55 over Iowa State

Second-ranked Baylor has won its 13th game in a row. The 14-1 Bears beat Iowa State 68-55 and are the only Big 12 team to make it through the first four conference games without a loss. Prentiss Nixon and Rasir Bolton both had nine points for Iowa State, which is 8-8 overall.

 —-

Green scores 29 to lift N Iowa past Valparaiso 88-78

AJ Green scored 22 of his 29 points in the second half  and former Western Dubuque prep Spencer Haldeman returned to score 11 points and the Panthers beat Valparaiso 88-78. The Panthers had 10 turnovers in the first half that Valparaiso, which shot 53%, turned into 16 points, to trail 42-36. Northern Iowa, which closed the first half with a 3-pointer, scored the first 17 points of the second half, hitting every shot – six field goals, including three 3-pointers, and two free throws.  Valparaiso clawed back, getting within one point on two occasions but in the last minute the Panthers made 7 of 8 free throws for their fourth-straight win.

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals have re-signed 36-year-old Larry Fitzgerald to a one-year contract after he led the team with 75 receptions, 804 receiving yards and four touchdown grabs this season. Fitzgerald is the Cardinals’ all-time leader with 250 games played, 1.378 receptions, 17,083 receiving yards, 120 receiving touchdowns, 120 total touchdowns and 49 100-yard games. He ranks second on the NFL all-time list in receptions and receiving yards, while his touchdown receptions are sixth.

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins is forgoing his final college season to enter the NFL draft. Higgins grabbed 59 passes for 1,167 yards and 13 yards as the Tigers won the ACC championship and the CFP semifinal before losing to LSU in the championship game. He had a team-record 27 touchdown catches in three seasons with the Tigers.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Receiver Justin Jefferson and safety Grant Delpit are among a half dozen players from LSU’s national championship team who’ve stated their intention to enter this spring’s NFL draft. Offensive linemen Saahdiq Charles and Lloyd Cushnberry also announced they are turning pro, as did linebackers Patrick Queen and Jacob Phillips.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans have announced that Zion Williamson will make his long-anticipated NBA debut next Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs. The first player taken on last year’s draft has missed New Orleans’ first 41 games this season and will sit out three more while rehabilitating from arthroscopic surgery to repair the lateral meniscus in his right knee. His arrival comes at a good time for the Pelicans, who have won nine of their last 13 to pull within four games of a playoff spot.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Peter DeBoer will begin his stint as the Vegas Golden Knights’ interim head coach tonight in Ottawa, one month after he was fired as head coach of the San Jose Sharks. Gerard Gallant was dismissed by the Knights yesterday, less than two years after coaching the team to the Stanley Cup finals in its first NHL season. The Knights have dropped four-straight to fall into a virtual third-place tie with Vancouver in the Pacific Division, but they are just three points behind the first-place Arizona Coyotes.

___
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Philadelphia 117 Brooklyn 106
Final Detroit 116 Boston 103
Final Miami 106 San Antonio 100
Final Indiana 104 Minnesota 99
Final Toronto 130 Oklahoma City 121
Final Chicago 115 Washington 106
Final Denver 100 Charlotte 86
Final Portland 117 Houston 107
Final Dallas 127 Sacramento 123
Final Orlando 119 L.A. Lakers 118
___
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Chicago 4 Montreal 1
Final OT Philadelphia 4 St. Louis 3
___
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (2)Baylor 68 Iowa St. 55
Final Alabama 83 (4)Auburn 64
Final (18)Seton Hall 78 (5)Butler 70
Final (9)Florida St. 54 Virginia 50
Final South Carolina 81 (10)Kentucky 78
Final Temple 65 (16)Wichita St. 53
Final Georgetown 83 (25)Creighton 80

BOYS BASKETBALL

• #6 4A Hempstead 77, Cedar Rapids Washington 57
• #10 4A Senior 68, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy 47
• Wahlert 66, Cedar Rapids Prairie 51
• Cedar Rapids Jefferson 60, Western Dubuque 56
• Cascade 52, Northeast, Goose Lake 33
• Marion 62, #5 2A Beckman, Dyersville 60
• Bellevue Marquette Catholic 57, Cedar Valley Christian 47
• North Cedar 65, Bellevue 58

Wisconsin

• Benton 57, Cassville 41
• Shullsburg 56, Potosi 45
• Monticello 64, Black Hawk 50
• Edgewood 63, Platteville 57
• Highland 47, Belmont 44

Illinois

• East Dubuque 50, Scales Mound 44
• Galena 47, Warren 45

GIRLS BASKETBALL

• Hempstead 53, Cedar Rapids, Washington 45
• Cedar Rapids, Kennedy 61, Senior 46
• Cedar Rapids Prairie 56, Wahlert, Dubuque 42
• Western Dubuque 50, Cedar Rapids, Jefferson 42
• #1 2A Cascade 72, Northeast Goose Lake 32
• Bellevue 69, North Cedar 49
• #3 1-A Bellevue Marquette Catholic 69, Cedar Valley Christian School 18
• Central Elkader 60, Clayton Ridge 20
• Maquoketa 64, Central DeWitt 29
• Marion 83, Beckman, Dyersville 36

Wisconsin

• Cuba City 62, Southwestern 31
• Fennimore 62, Boscobel 43
• River Ridge 53, Lancaster 34

WRESTLING

• Bellevue lost to Wapsie Valley 48-24 and North Fayette Valley 51-24

Garza with 27,  leads Iowa past Northwestern 75-62.

Luka Garza scored 27 points — all but one of them in two spurts — and Iowa beat Northwestern 75-62. C.J. Fredrick and Joe Wieskamp each added 11 as the Hawkeyes (12-5, 3-3 Big Ten) won their second straight.

Miller Kopp scored 15 for the cold-shootings Wildcat (6-10, 1-5), who connected at just 36% from the floor and have lost six of seven.

———-

Davison’s 3 sends Wisconsin past No. 17 Maryland, 56-54

Brad Davison hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left after getting a steal and Wisconsin beat No. 17 Maryland 56-54. It was Wisconsin’s third straight victory against a ranked opponent. Davison finished with 14 points. Nate Reuvers scored 17 points and Micah Potter had 14 for the Badgers. Jalen Smith scored 18 points and Anthony Cowan Jr. had 16 for the Terrapins, who have lost two straight after winning three and a row. Maryland suffered an 18-point defeat Friday at Iowa.

Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa and offensive lineman Tristen Wirfs announced yesterday they will be entering the NFL draft.

Wirfs and Epenesa make it four Iowa underclassman to declare for the 2020 NFL Draft. They join safety Geno Stone and running back Toren Young.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have fired manager Alex Cora a day after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred implicated him in the sport’s sign-stealing scandal. Cora was the Astros’ bench coach when they won the 2017 World Series and led Boston to the title the following year in his first season as manager. MLB also had been investigating allegations the Red Sox had stolen signs en route to their 2018 World Series championship.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says the Minnesota Twins have worked out a four-year, $92 million contract with third baseman and 2015 American League MVP Josh Donaldson. The 34-year-old Donaldson returned after an injury-spoiled 2018 to bat .259 with 37 homers, 94 RBIs and a .900 OPS for the Atlanta Braves last season. The deal likely means a position change for third baseman Miguel Sano , who just finalized his three-year, $30 million contract with Minnesota on Tuesday.

UNDATED (AP) — Tight end Antonio Gates has formally announced his retirement after a 16-year NFL career spent entirely with the Chargers. He holds the league record for tight ends with 116 touchdown catches, doing it without playing a down of college football. Gates didn’t play last season and is the Chargers’ all-time leader for TDs, receptions and receiving yards, grabbing 955 passes for 11,841 yards.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly is retiring after eight seasons, announcing in a video posted on the team’s website that he feels now is the right chance to move on. Kuechly was selected to seven Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro five times. However, he suffered three concussions during his career, which may have led to his decision.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Atlanta 123 Phoenix 110
Final Utah 118 Brooklyn 107
Final Memphis 121 Houston 110
Final Milwaukee 128 New York 102
Final L.A. Clippers 128 Cleveland 103
Final Dallas 124 Golden State 97
___

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Buffalo 4 Vegas 2
Final Columbus 3 Boston 0
Final N-Y Islanders 8 Detroit 2
Final Pittsburgh 7 Minnesota 3
Final SO Tampa Bay 4 Los Angeles 3
Final Toronto 7 New Jersey 4
Final OT Chicago 3 Ottawa 2
Final Winnipeg 4 Vancouver 0
Final Arizona 6 San Jose 3
Final OT Dallas 3 Colorado 2
Final Edmonton 4 Nashville 2
___

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final Clemson 79 (3)Duke 72
Final (6)Kansas 66 Oklahoma 52
Final (7)San Diego St. 64 Fresno St. 55
Final OT (11)Louisville 73 Pittsburgh 68
Final (12)West Virginia 81 TCU 49
Final (13)Dayton 79 VCU 65
Final OT (14)Villanova 79 DePaul 75
Final Wisconsin 56 (17)Maryland 54
Final (21)Ohio St. 80 Nebraska 68
Final (23)Texas Tech 77 Kansas St. 63

High School Boys Basketball

• #5 Hempstead 63, Cedar Rapids Prairie 48
• Cedar Rapids Kennedy 64, Western Dubuque 50
• #5 2A Dyersville Beckman 71, #2 3A Vernon 59

Wisconsin

• Cuba City 98, Dodgeville 59
• Fennimore 76, Pecatonica 43
• Iowa-Grant 53, Southwestern 43
• Boscobel 67, Weston 43
• Mineral Point 67, New Glarus 44
• River Ridge 51, Wauzeka-Steuben 45

High School Girls Basketball

Iowa

• Wahlert 63, Clinton Prince of Peace 36

Wisconsin

• Belmont 60, Monticello 39
• Shullsburg 60, Deerfield 35
• Albany 86, Benton 31

The latest AP Iowa High School boys basketball rankings this week show Hempstead dropped four spots in the 4-A poll to 6^th, Senior is ranked this week with the Rams at number 10.

After suffering their first loss of the season, Dyersville Beckman dropped from first to 5^th in Class 2-A.

Iowa Boys Basketball Prep Poll

By The Associated Press

The Top Ten teams in the Associated Press Iowa high school basketball poll with first-place votes in parentheses and won-loss record, total points and position last week at right:
Class 4A
Record Pts Prv
1. Waukee (9) 7-0 106 1
2. Waterloo, West 7-1 73 4
3. Iowa City, West 6-1 69 8
4. Cedar Falls (1) 6-1 68 6
5. Ankeny Centennial 8-1 56 5
6. Dubuque, Hempstead 7-1 53 2
7. Sioux City, East 7-1 47 3
8. Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines (1) 8-1 42 7
9. North Scott, Eldridge 9-1 37 NR
10. Dubuque, Senior 5-1 22 NR

Others receiving votes: Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln 20. Ankeny 9. Prairie, Cedar Rapids 2. Indianola 1.
Class 3A
Record Pts Prv
1. Carroll (10) 6-0 109 2
2. Mount Vernon (1) 8-0 94 4
3. Algona 8-0 82 5
4. Winterset 6-1 63 6
5. Dallas Center-Grimes 7-1 52 3
6. Assumption, Davenport 7-2 46 1
7. MOC-Floyd Valley 10-1 44 9
8. Norwalk 5-2 41 7
9. Harlan 7-1 33 8
10. Marion 7-1 17 NR

Others receiving votes: Pella 6. Knoxville 5. Central Clinton, De Witt 5. Glenwood 5. Keokuk 2. Clear Lake 1.
Class 2A
Record Pts Prv
1. West Sioux, Hawarden (4) 11-0 100 1
2. Camanche (4) 7-0 90 4
3. Treynor (1) 9-1 82 2
4. North Linn, Troy Mills (1) 8-0 81 3
5. Beckman Catholic, Dyersville 8-1 54 5
6. Dike-New Hartford (1) 9-0 53 6
7. Regina, Iowa City 7-1 37 7
8. Boyden-Hull 8-1 30 10
9. Van Meter 7-0 27 8
10. Mount Ayr 7-1 19 NR

Others receiving votes: Monticello 14. Osage 7. Aplington-Parkersburg 4. Woodward-Granger 3. West Burlington 2. Pella Christian 1. Albia 1.
Class 1A
Record Pts Prv
1. Montezuma (6) 7-0 103 2
2. St. Mary’s, Remsen 9-1 85 1
3. Easton Valley (1) 9-0 84 3
4. Bishop Garrigan, Algona (2) 10-1 71 5
5. WACO, Wayland (2) 10-0 70 6
6. West Fork, Sheffield 10-1 56 4
7. Lake Mills 9-1 36 8
8. Siouxland Community Christian 10-0 29 7
9. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 8-0 20 10
10. South O’Brien, Paullina 8-2 14 NR

Others receiving votes: West Bend-Mallard 7. Martensdale-St. Marys 6. Don Bosco, Gilbertville 6. Keota 6. New London 5. Moulton-Udell 3. Glidden-Ralston 2. CAM, Anita 2.
¤
———

Loras College  senior women’s basketball player Kari Fitzpatrick has been named the American Rivers Conference Female Athlete of the Week. Fitzpatrick helped the No. 19-ranked Duhawks to a pair of A-R-C victories last week over Buena Vista and on the road at No. 5-Wartburg. In the two games combined, Fitzpatrick scored 37 points and picked up 16 rebounds, while shooting 62% (13-21) from the field and 60% from 3-pt range (6-10).

MORE INFO: https://rollrivers.com/news/2020/1/13/american-rivers-conference-loras-fitzpatrick-wartburgs-fritz-named-a-r-c-athletes-of-the-week.aspx

DUBUQUE, Iowa — The Dubuque Fighting Saints saw five players named to the NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings on Monday. The rankings are a solid indication as to where draft-eligible players will be taken come the end of July. Carter Savoie, Wyatt Kaiser, Michael Benning, Alex Jefferies and Stephen Halliday were named to the Midterm list for Dubuque.

The NHL Central Scouting will come out with more lists throughout the remainder of the season before the NHL Draft in July.

For more details: https://www.dubuquefightingsaints.com/news_article/show/1077512

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow threw for 463 yards and five touchdowns as LSU took the CFP championship game, whipping the defending-champion Clemson Tigers, 42-25. Burrow also ran for 58 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while guiding LSU to its third national championship since the 2003 season. Ja’Marr Chase was Burrow’s favorite target with nine receptions for 221 yards and two scores. Thaddeus Moss also had two touchdown grabs as LSU completed a 15-0 season while ending Clemson’s 29-game winning streak.

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow  have been fired. The dismissals follow their suspension by Major League Baseball for the team’s use of electronics for sign-stealing during Houston’s run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season. Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the discipline and strongly hinted that former Houston bench coach and current Boston manager Alex Cora will face equal or more severe punishment, saying Cora developed the sign-stealing system used by the Astros and used one with the Red Sox.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have finalized a three-year, $22 million contract with outfielder David Peralta (peh-RAHL’-tah) that runs through 2022. The 2019 Gold Glove Award winner in left field avoided his final year of salary arbitration by agreeing to the deal. Peralta played in 99 games last year, batting .275 with 12 homers despite battling a shoulder injury.

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost defenseman Morgan Rielly for at least eight weeks with a fractured foot, leaving a huge hole on the team’s blueline. Rielly blocked a shot in the first period of Sunday’s 8-4 loss in Florida but managed to finish the game. Teenage defenseman Rasmus Sandin was called up from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies in a corresponding move.

UNDATED (AP) — Baylor climbed to No. 2 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll after resounding road wins over Texas Tech and Kansas last week. Gonzaga maintained the top spot after breezing to a pair of victories while Duke dropped to third and unbeaten Auburn rose to fourth. Butler rounded out the first five, followed by the Jayhawks and another unbeaten in San Diego State. Illinois is ranked for the first time this season with the Illini 24th.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final OT New Orleans 117 Detroit 110
Final Indiana 101 Philadelphia 95
Final Boston 113 Chicago 101
Final Oklahoma City 117 Minnesota 104
Final Portland 115 Charlotte 112
Final Orlando 114 Sacramento 112
Final L.A. Lakers 128 Cleveland 99
___

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Montreal 2 Calgary 0
Final N-Y Rangers 6 N-Y Islanders 2
Final SO Philadelphia 6 Boston 5
Final Washington 2 Carolina 0
Final St. Louis 4 Anaheim 1

Regional College Women’s Basketball

• Iowa upsets No. 12 Indiana, 91-85 (2OT)
• UNI fell on the road to No. 18 Missouri State 80-66 (Rose Simon Ressler has 2 point, 5 rebound for UNI.
• Michigan State 69, Wisconsin 52
• Illinois over Minnesota 74-71

College Wrestling

• #1 Iowa 41, Purdue 0 (at184 — Abe Assad (IA) dec. for Western Dubuque prep Max Lyon (P), 5-2.
• #9 Wisconsin beat No. 5 Nebraska 25-18.
• #18 Illinois 32-3 Win Over Indiana
• #16 UNI 20-13 win over No. 19 Missouri

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Clemson had to knock off a dynasty to win two of the last three national titles. Now coach Dabo Swinney’s Tigers are on the cusp of joining exclusive company in college football history. No. 3 Clemson will try to become the fourth team since The Associated Press began crowning college football national champions in 1936 to win three titles in four seasons when it faces No. 1 LSU tonight at the Superdome. Clemson is also trying to become just the seventh major college football program since 1950 to win at least 30 straight games.  LSU is aiming for their four championship, and first since 2007.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have earned the right to host the AFC championship game against Tennessee by turning a 24-0 deficit into a 51-31 win over Houston. Patrick Mahomes  threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns for the Chiefs, who are the first team in NFL playoff history to win by at least 20 after trailing by at least 20. Travis Kelce  had three second-quarter touchdown receptions and Damien Williams had three TDs, including two on the ground.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers connected with Davante Adams for two touchdowns while completing 16 of his 27 passes for 243 yards and no interceptions as the Green Bay Packers downed Seattle, 28-23 to reach the NFC championship game against San Francisco. Adams racked up 160 yards on eight receptions, while Aaron Jones carried 21 times for 62 yards and two scores. Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith each had two of Green Bay’s five sacks of Russell Wilson, who threw for 277 yards and a TD but couldn’t pull the Seahawks out of a 21-3 halftime hole.

CLEVELAND (AP) — A person familiar with the decision says the Browns have chosen the Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski  to replace Freddie Kitchens, who was dismissed after one season and a 6-10 record. round. The 37-year-old Stefanski has been with the Vikings since 2006 and oversaw an offensive attack that flourished this season, headed by quarterback Kirk Cousins, running back Dalvin Cook and receiver Adam Thielen . Stefanski is the sixth coach hired by Browns owner Jimmy Haslam since he bought the team in 2012.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says the Texas Rangers have agreed on a one-year, $5 million contract with third baseman Todd Frazier, pending a successful physical. The 33-year-old Frazier batted .251 with 21 home runs and 67 RBIs in 133 games for the Mets last season. Third base is one of the primary needs for the Rangers, who lost out on their pursuit of free agent Anthony Rendon  when he signed with the division rival Angels.

HONOLULU (AP) — Australian Cameron Smith won his first PGA Tour title by taking the Sony Open in a playoff with Brendan Steele. Two shots behind with two holes to play, Smith made an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole of regulation before winning it with a two-putt par from 10 feet on the first extra hole. Smith closed with a 68 for an 11-under total, one shot ahead of Webb Simpson.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

Final Kansas City        51     Houston     31

(Kansas City hosts Tennessee for the AFC Title on Sunday)

Final Green Bay 28     Seattle       23

(Green Bay at San Francisco for the NFC Title on Sunday)

(7) NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Final New York  124   Miami         121

Final Utah 127   Washington        116

Final Brooklyn    108   Atlanta       86

Final Memphis   122   Golden State      102

Final San Antonio        105   Toronto      104

Final Phoenix     100   Charlotte    92

Final Denver       114   L.A. Clippers       104

___

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

Final Nashville   1       Winnipeg   0

Final Vancouver 4       Minnesota 1

Final Buffalo       5       Detroit        1

Final SO    Pittsburgh  4       Arizona      3

Final Florida       8       Toronto      4

Final New Jersey        3       Tampa Bay         1

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Final Purdue       71     (8)Michigan St.   42

Final Minnesota 75     (19)Michigan      67

Final (21)Memphis      68     South Florida      64

Final 2OT  (23)Wichita St.    89     UConn       86

Final Oregon St. 82     (24)Arizona         65

Final (25)Colorado      91     Utah 52

Local Sports:

Hockey

Chicago Steel 4, Dubuque Fighting Saints 3

Men’s College Basketball

Buena Vista Univ. 93, Univ. of Dubuque 77

Wartburg 83, Loras 65

Clarke University 95, Evangel University 71

UW-Platteville 60, UW-Eau Claire  53

Women’s College Basketball

Univ. of Dubuque 76, Buena Vista Univ.  63

Loras 82, Wartburg 78

Clarke Univ.71, Evangel University 59

College Wrestling

Univ. Dubuque 36, Cornell 12

Univ. Dubuque 32, Concordia (WI) 15

Big Ten Men’s Basketball

Illinois 54, Rutgers 51

Northwestern 62, Nebraska  57

Wisconsin 58,   Penn State  49

Indiana  66,   Ohio State  54

Other Men’s College Basketball

Iowa State 81, Oklahoma  68

UNI 80,  Missouri State 57

Local Sports Updates

High School Boys Basketball

Galena 65, Scales Mound 70

High School Girls Basketball

Darlington 51, Southwestern 37

Hockey

Chicago Steel 2, Dubuque Fighting Saints 0

Regional and National Sports Updates from the AP

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Joe Wieskamp scored 26 points and Big Ten scoring leader Luka Garza had 21 as Iowa beat No. 12 Maryland 67-49. Garza added 13 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Wieskamp and Garza had 32 of Iowa’s 38 first-half points. The Hawkeyes improved to 11-5 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten. Maryland dropped to 13-3 and 3-2). The Terrapins were held to their second-lowest point total of the season. Jalen Smith scored 13 for the Terrapins. Iowa ended its two-game losing streak while Maryland had its thee-game winning streak snapped.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana has promoted Nick Sheridan to offensive coordinator and running backs coach Mike Hart to associate head coach. Coach Tom Allen also says receivers coach Grant Heard will serve as co-offensive coordinator. Indiana is replacing offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer, who took the head coaching job at Fresno State. Indiana ranked second in the Big Ten this season, averaging 443.6 yards per game on offense.

Rafael Nadal rallied to beat Alex de Minaur 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 to clinch Spain’s semifinal win over Australia and secure a spot in the inaugural ATP Cup decider against Serbia. Novak Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 to secure Serbia’s win over Russia in Saturday’s earlier semifinal. Nadal led Spain to the Davis Cup title at Madrid last November and is aiming to make it back-to-back triumphs in international team events in Sunday’s final. The 24-team ATP Cup is being staged for the first time.

Corinne Suter won a World Cup downhill race on Saturday to cap a consistent year in skiing’s fastest discipline. Suter got her first career World Cup win 0.29 seconds ahead of Nicol Delago in a race which was twice delayed for poor visibility. Suter’s Swiss teammate Michelle Gisin was 0.98 back in third. Mikaela Shiffrin skipped Saturday’s race which did not threaten her big lead in the overall World Cup standings. Shiffrin could start in an Alpine combined event Sunday. The 25-year-old Suter has consistently challenged for downhill race wins in the past year. She took silver at the world championships with three podium finishes in the World Cup.

A Maine swimming coach has endured a quadruple bypass after a heart attack, removal of cancerous tumors from his colon and wrists, and the amputation of part of his leg. But Husson University’s Butch Babin is still on the pool deck. The 57-year-old Babin tells the Bangor Daily News that using a wheelchair while his leg heals doesn’t affect his coaching. Sophomore Kayla Redman, of Waterville, called him “amazing” and “awesome.” Senior Kelsey Poland of Levant called him an “inspiration.” Babin says that “all the support has helped me stay positive.”

CHICAGO (AP) — Myles Turner set season highs with 27 points and 14 rebounds, and the short-handed Indiana Pacers withstood a huge effort by Zach LaVine to beat the Chicago Bulls 116-105. The Pacers overcame 43 points by LaVine and escaped with the victory after Chicago rallied from 16 down to four in the closing minutes. T.J. Warren scored 17 for Indiana after being fined $25,000 by the NBA for an altercation with Miami’s Jimmy Butler on Wednesday night. The Bulls lost their sixth straight. It is their worst skid since a 10-game slide in December and January last season.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs and star third baseman Kris Bryant have avoided arbitration, agreeing to an $18.6 million, one-year contract. The 2016 NL MVP, Bryant rebounded from an injury-filled season to bat .282 with 31 homers and 77 RBIs. The Cubs also agreed to a $1,575,000, one-year contract with outfielder Albert Almora Jr. The Cubs hope Almora can rebound after his batting average dropped 50 points to .236. Chicago missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

CHICAGO (AP) — Closer Alex Colomé agreed to a one-year contract for $10,532,500 with the Chicago White Sox, who reached deals with all five of their arbitration-eligible players. Chicago acquired the 31-year-old right-hander from Seattle in November 2018, and the former Tampa Bay closer had one of his best years. Colomé converted 30 of 33 save opportunities and went 4-5 with a 2.80 ERA, earning $7,325,000.Also reaching deals were recently acquired outfielder Nomar Mazara at $5.56 million, right-hander Evan Marshall at $1.1 million, utility player Leury Garcia at $3.25 million and lefty Carlos Rodón at $4.45 million.

          HIGH SCHOOL

WRESTLING

• Hempstead 52, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 18
• Wahlert 39, Waterloo West 37
• Western Dubuque 53, Cedar Rapids Xavier 21
• Bellevue 41 beat Northeast 24, lost to Camanche 65-18 and Mid-Prairie 48-24
• Cascade beat Durant 45-15 and lost to Tipton 48-17

BOYS BASKETBALL

Wisconsin

• Highland 68, Shullsburg 58
• River Ridge 56, Potosi 53

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Illinois

• Galena 35, East Dubuque 24

Wisconsin

• Platteville 44, Prairie du Chien 36
• Darlington 51, Southwestern 37
• Cuba City 58, Fennimore 17
• Dodgeville 67, Lancaster 59
• Iowa-Grant 47, Boscobel 42

It will be a matchup of two top-four teams in the league as the Dubuque Fighting Saints and the Chicago Steel clash for the first two times this season in a home and home. Chicago is first in the league and currently six points up on the Saints in the Eastern Conference standings. Dubuque, meanwhile, has sputtered a bit since the holiday break, going just 2-3 during their first five games back.  The first of the two games is tonight at Chicago with the second scheduled for tomorrow night at Mystique Community Ice Center.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid  will have surgery today for a torn ligament in his left ring finger and will be evaluated in one to two weeks. Embiid injured the radial collateral ligament in the first half Monday night against Oklahoma City. He is averaging 23.4 points and 12.3 rebounds in 31 games this season.

UNDATED (AP) — Mississippi State has hired Washington State’s Mike Leach as its new head football coach, replacing Joe Moorhead. Leach took over a program that had been mired in the Pac-12 basement and went to five straight bowl games, including a school-record 11 victories in 2018. He finished 55-47 in eight seasons with the Cougars and is 139-90 as a college coach for both Washington State and Texas Tech.

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Washington guard Quade Green has been ruled academically ineligible by the school and will miss the rest of the regular season. Green will still be eligible to practice with the team and could return in late March should he regain his academic standing. The loss of Green is a huge blow to Washington’s NCAA Tournament hopes. He was averaging 11.6 points and led the team in assists while starting 14 of 15 games.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — San Jose Sharks captain and leading scorer Logan Couture will miss about six weeks after breaking his left ankle when he crashed into the boards during Tuesday’s 3-2 loss at St. Louis. He collided with Blues defenseman Vince Dunn, causing Couture to slam into the boards. The 30-year-old forward has scored 14 goals and 36 points in 45 games this season.

HONOLULU (AP) — Collin Morikawa was the clubhouse leader when the first round of the PGA’s Sony Open was suspended by darkness. Morikawa got through the relentless 30 mph wind without a bogey for a 5-under 65 and a two-shot lead over Matt Jones, Ted Potter Jr., Ryan Palmer and Sam Ryder. Justin Thomas struggled early in the wind and had to keep it together for a 72.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Philadelphia 109 Boston 98
Final OT Cleveland 115 Detroit 112
Final Minnesota 116 Portland 102
Final Oklahoma City 113 Houston 92
___

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Boston 5 Winnipeg 4
Final Florida 5 Vancouver 2
Final Edmonton 4 Montreal 2
Final N-Y Rangers 6 New Jersey 3
Final Tampa Bay 4 Arizona 0
Final St. Louis 5 Buffalo 1
Final Nashville 5 Chicago 2
Final Calgary 2 Minnesota 1
Final Dallas 3 Anaheim 0
Final Los Angeles 5 Vegas 2
Final San Jose 3 Columbus 1
___

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)Gonzaga 94 San Diego 50
Final (8)Michigan St. 74 Minnesota 58
Final OT (9)Oregon 74 (24)Arizona 73
Final 2OT (19)Michigan 84 Purdue 78
Final (23)Wichita St. 76 (21)Memphis 67

HIGH SCHOOL

BOYS BASKETBALL

• East Dubuque 63, River Ridge 52
• Stockton 41, Galena 34

COLLEGE

MENS BASKETBALL

• Buena Vista 92, Loras 88 (OT)
• Dubuque 90, Coe 85
• Graceland 77, Clarke 76
• #9 UW Platteville 74, UW Oshkosh 70

WOMENS BASKETBALL

• Loras 102, Buena Vista 60
• Clarke 87, Graceland 54
• Coe 71, Dubuque 55
• UW Oshkosh 63, UW Platteville 45

Illini snaps 15-game losing streak to Badgers

Sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu scored 18 points _ including a 3-pointer with 46 seconds left _ to rally Illinois to a 71-70 Big Ten Conference victory over Wisconsin. The win snapped a 15-game losing streak for the Illini, who hadn’t won a game against the Badgers since 2011. Freshman 7-footer Kofi Cockburn scored 15 points. Kobe King scored a game-high 21 points for Wisconsin, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. D’Mitrik Trice missed a go-ahead bucket with three seconds left.

—-

Dotson scores 20 points, No. 3 Kansas routs Iowa State 79-53

Devon Dotson had 20 points and six assists, David McCormack added 16 points and seven rebounds and No. 3 Kansas routed Iowa State 79-53. The Jayhawks closed the first half with a 21-3 run to take a 20-point lead. They improved to 12-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12, handing Iowa State its most-lopsided loss in the series since an 89-66 setback Feb. 12, 2011, in Lawrence. Kansas held star Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton to five points.

Wisconsin All-America center Tyler Biadasz says he will skip his senior season to go to the NFL. He was a unanimous All-America this season and won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center. Bisdasz is the third Badger underclassman to say he is leaving school early along with running back Jonathan Taylor and wide receiver Quintez Cephus.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell has been been given a three-year contract extension through 2023. Counsell was hired to replace Ron Roenicke a month into the 2015 season and has led the Brewers to consecutive postseason appearances for the first time in team history. Milwaukee went 96-67 in 2018, beating the Chicago Cubs in a tiebreaker game for the NL Central title and tying the franchise record for wins. The Brewers reached Game 7 of the NL Championship Series, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers, then lost to Washington in last year’s NL wild card game.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Joe Judge is the new head coach of the New York Giants and has the task of turning around a franchise that has made the playoffs once since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012. Judge spent this season as special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach under New England coach Bill Belichick and was on the Patriots’ staff for eight years after a three-year run working for Alabama coach Nick Saban. He replaces Pat Shurmur, who was fired a week ago Monday after only winning nine games in two seasons.

BOSTON (AP) — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says in an Instagram post to fans that he still has more to prove following a season that ended with his team failing to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2015 season. Brady’s current contract ends in March. If he’s not re-signed he could become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his 20-year career. The 42-year-old Brady threw for 4,057 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions during the 2019 regular season.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm is giving up his senior season of eligibility to enter the NFL draft. Fromm threw for a career-high 2,860 yards this season with 24 touchdowns and just five interceptions, but he posted the lowest completion percentage and quarterback rating of his college career. He was a 35-7 record as the Bulldogs’ starter, including three straight appearances in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo  says he hopes to return to game action Jan. 29 against the Chicago Bulls. It’s the first time since Oladipo sustained a season-ending knee injury last January that the team or the two-time All-Star has established a specific date. Oladipo was averaging 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals when he was injured.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh basketball coach Jeff Capel has agreed to a two-year contract extension that would keep him with the Panthers through the 2026-27 season. Pitt is 11-4 overall and 2-2 in the ACC following last night’s victory at North Carolina. Capel was 14-19 in his first year at the helm last season, a six-win improvement from former coach Kevin Stallings’ final year at Pitt.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Miami 122 Indiana 108
Final San Antonio 129 Boston 114
Final OT Toronto 112 Charlotte 110
Final Orlando 123 Washington 89
Final Denver 107 Dallas 106
Final Houston 122 Atlanta 115
Final New Orleans 123 Chicago 108
Final Utah 128 New York 104
Final Milwaukee 107 Golden State 98
___

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 3 Washington 2
Final SO Winnipeg 4 Toronto 3
Final Dallas 2 Los Angeles 1
___

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (2)Duke 73 Georgia Tech 64
Final (3)Kansas 79 Iowa St. 53
Final (5)Auburn 83 Vanderbilt 79
Final (7)San Diego St. 72 Wyoming 52
Final (10)Florida St. 78 Wake Forest 68

       HIGH SCHOOL

BOYS BASKETBALL

Iowa

• #8 Iowa City West 54, #2 Hempstead 53
• Senior 55, Cedar Rapids Xavier 44
• Iowa City Liberty 65, Wahlert 59
• Iowa City High 51, Western Dubuque 48
• #4 2A Camanche 72, Bellevue 34
• Regina, Iowa City 49, Cascade 43

Wisconsin

• Cuba City 85, Boscobel 53
• Darlington 71, Fennimore 57
• Iowa-Grant 92, Riverdale 58
• Mineral Point 75, Southwestern 22

Illinois

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Iowa

• Cedar Rapids Xavier 65, Senior 40
• Iowa City West 61, Dubuque, Hempstead 51
• Wahlert 62, Iowa City Liberty 47
• Iowa City High 81, Western Dubuque 34
• #1 2A Cascade 49, Iowa City Regina 19
• Bellevue 65, Camanche 44
• Maquoketa 65, Beckman, Dyersville 51

Wisconsin

• Black Hawk 90, Albany 41
• Potosi/Cassville 50, Belmont 45
• Shullsburg 46, Iowa-Grant 40

Illinois

• Stockton 37, East Dubuque 36
• Galena 60, Warren 21

Cold Hawkeyes Fall at Nebraska

Iowa men’s basketball couldn’t overcome a cold shooting night  last night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

The Hawkeyes shot just 12.1 percent from 3-point range (making 4-of-33 attempts) in a 76-70 road loss to Nebraska.  Iowa is 1-5 in its last six trips to Lincoln.

Sophomore Joe Wieskamp paced the Hawkeyes with 21 points, making 10-of-23 field goals, but he went just 1-of-10 from 3-point range.  Former Wahlert prep Cordell Pemsl had 4 points.

Iowa returns home to face #12 Maryland on Friday night.

UNI Tops Indiana State

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The UNI men’s basketball team moved to 13-2 on the season and 2-1 in the MVC after defeating Indiana State 68-60 on Tuesday night in the McLeod Center. Austin Phyfe finished with a double-double, scoring 13 points and hauling in 12 total rebounds. Former Senior prep Noah Carter added 2 points and 3 rebounds.

Illini Top Purdue

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Alan Griffin scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds and Illinois defeated Purdue 63-37. Purdue’s 37 points were the fewest allowed by Illinois this season. The Boilermakers’ shooting percentage was the lowest allowed by Illinois in program history. The Illini scored the first 11 points and took a 32-19 lead at halftime. Sasha Stefanovic led Purdue with eight points.

Women’s College Basketball:

• Iowa 77, Northwestern 51

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have advanced to the NFC divisional round at San Francisco by defeating the New Orleans Saints, 26-20 on Kirk Cousins’ four-yard scoring pass to Kyle Rudolph on the first series of overtime. Dalvin Cook gained 130 yards from scrimmage and scored a pair of touchdowns that put the Vikings ahead, 20-10 before the Saints scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. Cousins finished with 242 yards, highlighted by his 43-yard completion to Adam Thielen  that put the ball on the Saints 2-yard line and set up Rudolph’s game-winning catch.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — DK Metcalf had seven receptions for 160 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown grab to help the Seattle Seahawks down the Philadelphia Eagles, 17-9. Wilson threw for 325 yards and led the team with 45 yards rushing as the Seahawks earned the right to play the Green Bay Packers in the NFC divisional round. The Eagles played most of the game without Carson Wentz due to a head injury caused by a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jadeveon Clowney.

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys have announced that Jason Garrett is out as head coach after missing the playoffs with an underachieving team. The Cowboys finished 8-8 in the final year of Garrett’s contract, missing the playoffs by one game. It’s the fourth time Dallas finished 8-8 and missed the postseason under the 53-year-old coach, who was 85-67 at the helm. Garrett had the second-longest tenure with the franchise at 9½ seasons behind Tom Landry’s 29 years.

UNDATED (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers had three players score 30 points in a game for the first time in their 50-year franchise history, which includes their time as the Buffalo Braves. Montrezl  Harrell dropped in 34 points, while Lou Williams and Paul George each had 32 in the Clippers’ 135-132 victory over New York. Miami also won yesterday as Goran Dragic  tied a career high with seven 3-pointers while delivering 29 points and 13 assists in the Heat’s 122-111 win against Portland.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan wide receiver Nico Collins has announced on social media that he’s staying in school for his senior season. Collins has 78 receptions for 1,388 yards and 13 touchdowns over his three-year career. He had 37 catches for 729 yards and seven scores last season for the 17th-ranked Wolverines.

NFL PLAYOFFS

Minnesota 26, New Orleans 20 (OT) (Minnesota at San Francisco on Saturday)

Seattle 17, Philadelphia 9 (Seattle at Green Bay on Sunday)

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final L.A. Clippers 135 New York 132
Final Miami 122 Portland 111
Final Minnesota 118 Cleveland 103
Final Memphis 121 Phoenix 114
Final L.A. Lakers 106 Detroit 99
___

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Washington 5 San Jose 4
Final Tampa Bay 3 Carolina 1
Final Florida 4 Pittsburgh 1
Final SO Calgary 5 Minnesota 4
Final Chicago 4 Detroit 2
Final SO Anaheim 5 Nashville 4
___

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (14)Michigan St. 87 (12)Michigan 69
Final (20)Dayton 80 Saint Joseph’s 67

MENS BASKETBALL

Loras-85

Nebraska Wesleyan-99

Clarke-82

Mid-American Nazerene-73

UW Platteville-89

UW Stout-67

WOMENS BASKETBALL

Loras-102

Nebraska Wesleyan-74

Clarke-61

Mid-American Nazerene-58

UW Platteville-41

UW Stout-65

UNDATED (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers paid the price for playing without defensive whiz Paul George on Saturday.

Jae Crowder was among four Grizzlies to score at least 22 points in a 140-114 thrashing of the Clippers. Crowder was high man for Memphis with 27 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. furnished 24 as Memphis earned its seventh road win. Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks chipped in 22 points apiece in the Grizzlies’ highest-scoring game of the season.

Montrezl Harrell had a team-high 28 points for the Clippers, who had to sit George because of a tight hamstring.

Checking out Saturday’s other NBA action:

— Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 19 of his 32 points in the third quarter to carry the Bucks past the Spurs, 127-118. Eric Bledsoe had 21 points as Milwaukee improved to a league-best 32-5 with its fifth straight win.

— Jayson Tatum scored 28 points and Gordon Hayward added 24 as the Celtics topped the Bulls, 111-104. Boston hung on for its eighth win in nine games after a 16-point lead dwindled to three in the fourth quarter.

— Ish Smith poured in a career-high 32 points and Troy Brown added 25 with a career-high 14 rebounds in the Wizards’ 128-114 comeback over the Nuggets. Denver led 101-99 with 9:33 left before Smith scored 11 points during Washington’s 19-2 run.

— The Raptors bounced back from their worst offensive performance of the season as Fred VanVleet had 29 points and 11 assists in Toronto’s 121-102 dumping of the Nets. Kyle Lowry finished with 26 points for the Raptors, who made 13 3-pointers after setting season lows for points and shooting in an 84-76 loss to Miami on Thursday.

— The Hornets surprised the Mavericks, 123-120 in overtime behind Terry Rozier’s 29 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime after his tying basket in regulation. Devonte Graham had 27 points and 13 assists to help Charlotte overcome Luka Doncic’s team-record 10th triple-double of the season: 39 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

— Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points and Georges Niang added 15 off the bench to help the Jazz beat the Magic, 109-96. Bojan Bogdanovic had 14 points and Emmanuel Mudiay scored 12 in Utah’s fifth consecutive win.

— Trae Young scored 30 of his 41 points in the first half or the Hawks’ 116-111 victory against the Pacers. Kevin Huerter added a season-high 26 points and Atlanta recovered after blowing a 22-point lead to win for just the fourth time in 16 home games.

— Oklahoma City also has a five-game winning streak after Dennis Schroder dropped in 22 points and Shai Gilgeous -Alexander had 20 in the Thunder’s 121-106 win at Cleveland. Danilo Gallinari drained five 3-pointers in scoring 19 points, while Steven Adams grabbed 16 rebounds for the Thunder.

— JJ Redick’s driving layup with 1.1 seconds remaining lifted the Pelicans to a 117-115 victory over the Kings. Lonzo Ball had 24 points with 10 assists, and Redick scored 18 as the Pelicans won for the fifth time in six games.

— Andre Drummond had 14 points and 18 rebounds before fouling out late in the Pistons’ 111-104 win against the Warriors. Derrick Rose scored 22 points off the bench to help Detroit snap a three-game losing streak.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Izaiah Brockington scored 23 points to lead No. 21 Penn State to its fifth straight win, 89-86 over No. 23 Iowa at the Palestra. Luka Garza scored 34 points for the Hawkeyes.  Penn State turned the Philly trip into a home game and chants of “We Are!” echoed throughout Philly’s most famous basketball haven. Penn State is trying to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in coach Pat Chambers’ nine seasons.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — R.J. Nembhard scored the first four points of overtime after forcing the extra period with a 3-pointer from near the center court logo, lifting TCU to an 81-79 win over Iowa State in a Big 12 opener. Nembhard scored a career-high 31 points. The tying shot in regulation came with 1.7 seconds left after he missed a free throw that would have tied the score with 10 seconds to go. Tyrese Haliburton had a triple-double for Iowa State with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

AJ Green had a career-high 35 points as Northern Iowa stretched its home winning streak to eight games, narrowly beating Bradley 69-64. Nate Kennell led the Braves on Saturday night with 18 points and nine rebounds.

NFL PLAYOFFS-SCHEDULE

Titans, Texans advance

UNDATED (AP) — The AFC South will have two representatives in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The Tennessee Titans advanced by knocking off the defensive Super Bowl champs after the Houston Texans stormed back from a 16-point deficit.

Derrick Henry rushed for 182 yards and the go-ahead touchdown as the Titans eliminated the Patriots, 20-13 in Foxborough. Tennessee trailed 13-7 until Henry scored on a one-yard plunge with 35 seconds left in the first half. The score remained 14-13 until former Patriot Logan Ryan intercepted Tom Brady and returned it for a 9-yard TD in the closing seconds.

Brady threw for 209 yards, no touchdowns and one interception while engineering just one TD drive. New England’s lone touchdown came on wide receiver Julian Edelman’s five-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.

The 42-year-old Brady indicated after the game that he wants to play another season, saying that it’s unlikely he will retire. That leaves it up to the Patriots to determine whether he stays with the team or plays elsewhere next fall.

In Houston, Ka’imi (ka-EE’-mee) Fairbairn nailed a 28-yard field goal with 3:20 showing on the clock in overtime to complete the Texans’ rally in a 22-19 victory over the Bills. DeShaun Watson threw four passes for more than 10 yards during the winning drive, including a 34-yard completion to Taiwan Jones that put the Texans at first-and-goal.

The Bills led 16-0 late in the third quarter until Watson ran for a 20-yard TD and cracked the end zone on the two-point conversion. He added a five-yard scoring strike to Carlos Hyde that put Houston ahead 19-16, but Buffalo extended the game on Steven Hauschka’s 47-yard field goal with five seconds remaining in regulation.

Watson was 20 of 25 passing for 247 yards and no interceptions.

Josh Allen sparked the Bills’ offense, rushing nine times for 92 yards and completing 24 of 46 passes for 264 yards. Allen also grabbed a 16-yard TD pass from receiver John Brown on the game’s opening drive.

The win gives the Texans their first playoff victory since the 2016 season and extends Buffalo’s postseason losing streak to six games.

The Titans will travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens. The Texans will take on the Chiefs in Kansas City.

NFL-NEWS

AP sources: Cowboys interview McCarthy, Lewis

UNDATED (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are talking to former head coaches Mike McCarthy and Marvin Lewis in the surest sign so far that they are moving on from Jason Garrett.

People with direct knowledge of the situation say McCarthy was set to interview Saturday. One of the people says Lewis visited Friday and Saturday.

The Cowboys haven’t addressed the status of Garrett, who led an underachieving team to an 8-8 mark in the final year of his contract.

HIGH SCHOOL

BOYS BASKETBALL

• Iowa-Grant 78, Potosi 66

GIRLS BASKETBALL

• Highland 69, Belmont 45
• River Ridge 53, Potosi/Cassville 27
• Shullsburg 54, Benton 10

COLLEGE

MENS BASKETBALL

• Clarke 82, St. Ambrose 69

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, Iowa State wrestler Gannon Gremmel rang in the New Year with a championship performance at the Southern Scuffle. Gremmel, a former Hempstead High School state champ captured the title at 285 pounds, becoming ISU’s first champion at the Scuffle since 2014.

Over the two day tournament, Gremmel posted a 5-0 record and outscored his opponents by a margin of 36-13.

The Dubuque Fighting Saints kick off the New Year with a familiar opponent in the Waterloo Black Hawks. The two teams will meet twice this weekend with the first taking place tonight at Mystique Community Ice Center. Dubuque and Waterloo have split the first two games of their season series, with Waterloo winning in Dubuque 3-2 and the Saints dominating in Waterloo, 7-1. The puck will drop tonight at 7:05.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Cassius Winston had 21 points and Xavier Tillman scored 19, leading No. 14 Michigan State to a 76-56 win over Illinois. The Spartans have won six straight and have won their first three conference games to stay alone in first place. Michigan State led the entire game but had just a six-point edge at halftime Thursday night. The Spartans pulled away early in the second half with a 15-3 run. The Fighting Illini lost a lopsided game in Big Ten play for the first time this season. They had a one-point loss at Maryland and beat Michigan.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo Germán  will miss the first 63 games of the upcoming season as part of an 81-game ban for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. Germán was put on administrative leave on Sept. 19 while MLB investigated an alleged domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend, with whom he has at least one child. He missed the final nine games of the 2019 regular season and all nine of New York’s postseason games.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson returned to practice with the New Orleans Pelicans yesterday for the first time since he had arthroscopic knee surgery shortly before the season. The first player taken in last year’s NBA draft said he “felt really good out there,” but cannot say when he’ll make his regular-season debut. Williamson said he first must pass “assessments” by team medical staff before the decision can rest solely with him.

CANTON, OHIO — The 15 modern-era player finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 have been announced, and it includes first-year eligible players Troy Polamalu (poh-lah-MAH’-loo) and Reggie Wayne. LeRoy Butler, Torry Holt, Sam Mills, Zach Thomas and Bryant Young are first-time finalists who previously have been eligible for the Hall. The other player finalists are Steve Atwater, Tony Boselli, Isaac Bruce and Alan Faneca , along with Steve Hutchinson, Edgerrin James, John Lynch and Richard Seymour.

UNDATED (AP) — Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, offensive coordinator and head coach Sam Wyche has died of melanoma at age 74, according to the team. One of the Bengals’ original quarterbacks, Wyche coached the Bengals to their second Super Bowl during the 1988 season by using a no-huddle offense that forced the league to change its substitution rules. He played three seasons with Cincinnati, throwing for 12 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Cole Kmet is the latest Notre Dame player to give up his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft. Kmet initially said in November that he intended to return before announcing on Twitter that he was turning pro. He joins running back Tony Jones Jr. and safety Alohi Gilman in making themselves available for the April draft. Quarterback Ian Book will return to Notre Dame next season.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Final Charlotte    109   Cleveland  106

Final Denver       124   Indiana      116

Final Miami         84     Toronto      76

Final Minnesota 99     Golden State      84

Final Utah 102   Chicago     98

Final Dallas        123   Brooklyn    111

Final Oklahoma City   109   San Antonio        103

Final Sacramento        128   Memphis   123

Final L.A. Clippers       126   Detroit        112

___

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

Final OT    Columbus  2       Boston       1

Final OT    Buffalo       3       Edmonton 2

Final Tampa Bay         2       Montreal    1

Final New Jersey        2       N-Y Islanders     1

Final OT    San Jose   3       Pittsburgh  2

Final Florida       6       Ottawa       3

Final Toronto      6       Winnipeg   3

Final Arizona      4       Anaheim    2

Final Calgary      4       N-Y Rangers      3

Final Colorado   7       St. Louis    3

Final Vancouver 7       Chicago     5

Final Vegas        5       Philadelphia        4

___

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Final (1)Gonzaga        85     Portland     72

Final Colorado   74     (4)Oregon  65

Final (14)Michigan St. 76     Illinois         56

Final (20)Dayton          84     La Salle     58

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Justin Herbert scored his third rushing touchdown of the day on a thrilling 30-yard run with 7:41 to play, pushing seventh-ranked Oregon to a 28-27 victory over No. 11 Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. Brady Breeze returned the first of his two fumble recoveries 31 yards for an early touchdown and used the second to set up Herbert’s go-ahead TD and help the Ducks finish 12-2. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 94 yards for the Badgers, who lost despite controlling the ball for over 38 minutes and outgaining the Ducks, 322-204.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Mac Jones threw for three touchdowns and ninth-ranked Alabama capped an 11-2 season by blasting No. 17 Michigan, 35-16 in the Citrus Bowl. Jerry Jeudy (JOO’-dee) became the first Alabama player to top 200 receiving yards in a bowl game as he accounted for six receptions for 204 yards and a TD. DeVonta Smith and Miller Forristall added touchdown grabs while the Crimson Tide outscored the Wolverines, 21-0 in the second half.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The aerial duo of Jake Fromm and George Pickens led fifth-ranked Georgia’s offense in a Sugar Bowl victory over No. 7 Baylor, 26-14. Fromm completed 20 of his 30 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Pickens was busy while catching 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown as the Bulldogs finished the season 12-2. Matt Landers also had a scoring grab and Zamir White ran for 92 yards and a score.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — No. 16 Minnesota earned a 31-24 victory over ninth-ranked Auburn in the Outback Bowl as Tyler Johnson had 12 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson became the Golden Gophers’ career leader in receiving yards while Tanner Morgan completed 19 of 29 passes for 278 yards, two scores and one interception. Receiver Seth Green tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Witham on fourth-and-inches midway through the second quarter.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former major league pitcher Don Larsen has died at age 90 of esophageal cancer while in hospice care in Idaho, according to his agent. Larsen is the only author of a perfect game in World Series history, doing it against the Brooklyn Dodgers while throwing just 97 pitches in Game 5 of the 1956 Fall Classic. He was 81-91 with a 3.78 ERA for seven major league teams from 1993-67, winning a career-high 11 games for the ’56 Yankees.

UNDATED (AP)–David Stern, who spent 30 years as the NBA’s commissioner and oversaw its growth into a global power, has died. He was 77. The league says Stern died Wednesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage Dec. 12. Stern had been involved with the NBA for nearly two decades before becoming commissioner in 1984. By the time he left in 2014, a league that had struggled for a foothold had grown into a more than $5 billion a year industry and become perhaps the world’s most popular sport after soccer.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Orlando 122 Washington 101
Final New York 117 Portland 93
Final Milwaukee 106 Minnesota 104
Final L.A. Lakers 117 Phoenix 107
___

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Dallas 4 Nashville 2
___

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (13)San Diego St. 61 Fresno St. 52
Final (24)Wichita St. 75 East Carolina 69

Football Bowl Results:

Texas 38,  (12) Utah 10 – Alamo Bowl

Kentucky 37, Virginia Tech 30 –  Belk Bowl

Arizona State  20, – Florida State 14 – Sun Bowl

(21) Navy 20,  Kansas State  17 –  Liberty Bowl

Wyoming 38,   Georgia State  17 – Arizona Bowl

College Men’s Basketball:

Florida A&M 70, Iowa State 68

Illinois State 76, Northern Iowa  70

Wisconsin 65, Rider  37

        HIGH SCHOOL

BOYS BASKETBALL

• Schurz 63, East Dubuque 57 (92nd Annual Chuck Dayton Holiday Classic).

GIRLS BASKETBALL

• New Glarus 48, Cuba City 43

COLLEGE

MENS BASKETBALL

• Loras 91, MacMurray 79
• Hanover 65, Dubuque 57 (Wheaton College Tournament)

WOMENS BASKETBALL

• Loras 68, UW Platteville 61 (Championship game of Loras Holiday Tourney)
• UC Santa Cruz 80, Dubuque 54
• Clarke 65, Saint Ambrose 60

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Illinois — The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team scored a tournament record 196.5 points to win the 2019 Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Monday. The team title is Iowa’s 29th in the 57-year history of the event, and its seventh championship in a row.

The Hawkeyes crowned five individual champions, matching a school-record set in 2014, and placed 12 wrestlers on the podium.

Northern Iowa finished 2nd and Illinois 3rd in the team race.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Chase Garbers threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading California to a 35-20 win over Illinois in the Redbox Bowl. Christopher Brown Jr. ran for 120 yards on 20 carries, and Makai Polk caught five passes for season-high 105 yards as Cal (8-5) won its first bowl game since 2015.

UNDATED (AP) — Florida’s passing game was overshadowed by Lamical Perine as the sixth-ranked Gators won the Orange Bowl. Perine scored on a 61-yard run in the opening minute and carried 13 times for a career-high 138 yards as the Gators topped Virginia, 36-28. He finished with three touchdowns and 181 total yards of offense after entering the game with just 538 yards on the ground this season.

— Louisville rallied from a 14-point deficit by scoring 31 straight to beat Mississippi State, 38-28 in the Music City Bowl.

— Freshman Cory Munson kicked a career-long 52-yard field goal with no time left after a rules review to give Western Kentucky a 23-20 victory over Western Michigan in the First Responder Bowl.

Today:

Dec.  31

Belk Bowl — Kentucky vs. Virginia Tech

Bank of America StadiumCharlotte, NC

11:00

—

Sun Bowl — Arizona State vs. Florida State

Sun Bowl El Paso, TX

1 p.m.

—-

​Liberty Bowl — Kansas State vs. Navy

Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN

2:45 p.m.

—-

Arizona Bowl — Georgia State vs. Wyoming

Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ

3:30 p.m.

—-

Alamo Bowl —  No. 11 Utah vs. Texas

Alamodome San Antonio, TX

6:30 p.m.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants have fired coach Pat Shurmur and elected to keep general manager Dave Gettleman despite the two combining for nine wins over the past two seasons. Shurmur’s departure comes one day after the Giants completed a 4-12 season with a 34-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Co-owner John Mara says the decision to keep the 68-year-old Gettleman was based on giving him the chance to finish a major overall of the roster and the scouting system.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Washington Redskins team president Bruce Allen has been fired after 10 seasons. The Redskins went 62-97-1 with Allen serving as Snyder’s right-hand man, a stretch that featured only two playoff appearances and zero postseason victories. Washington never won more than 10 games under Allen and just concluded a 3-13 campaign. News of Allen dismissal came as Ron Rivera visited the Redskins about their head coaching vacancy.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox and 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel have finalized a three-year, $55.5 million contract. Keuchel will earn $18 million in salary each of the next three seasons. The White Sox hold a $20 million option for 2023 with a $1.5 million buyout. The 31-year-old left-hander won the Cy Young Award with the Houston Astros in 2015. He went 8-8 with a 3.75 ERA for the Atlanta Braves this year.

UNDATED (AP) — Gonzaga has stayed atop The Associated Press men’s basketball poll after picking up 63 of 65 first-place votes. Second-ranked Duke and No. 3 Kansas each had one first-place vote, with Oregon and Ohio State rounding out the top five. Sixth-ranked Baylor is followed by Louisville, Auburn, Memphis and Villanova. Iowa is ranked 23rd this week.

NEW YORK (AP) — Captain Alex Pietrangelo , goaltender Jordan Binnington and playoff MVP Ryan O’Reilly will represent the defending Stanley Cup champion Blues for All-Star festivities in St. Louis next month. St. Louis native Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames was also chosen as an All-Star. Washington’s Alex Ovechkin  was voted in by fans but opted to skip All-Star to rest his body for the stretch drive and playoffs. Capitals teammates John Carlson and Braden Holtby will go instead.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Final Atlanta       101   Orlando     93

Final Washington        123   Miami         105

Final OT    Minnesota 122   Brooklyn    115

Final Milwaukee 123   Chicago     102

Final Utah 104   Detroit        81

Final Phoenix     122   Portland     116

___

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

Final Pittsburgh  5       Ottawa       2

___

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Final (1)Gonzaga        93     Detroit        72

Final (6)Baylor    83     Jackson St.         57

Final (9)Memphis        84     Tulane       73

Final (10)Villanova      68     Xavier        62

Final (20)Dayton          77     North Florida       59

COLLEGE

WOMENS BASKETBALL

• Loras 97, North Park University 67 (at Loras Holiday Tournament)
• UW Platteville 74, Lawrence 56 (at Loras Holiday Tourney)

(Loras and Platteville play for the title at 4 o’clock today)

• Pacific 75, Dubuque 61 (in Santa Cruz, CA)

Team USA’s U-17 squad scored the final five goals of the game to defeat the Dubuque Fighting Saints 7-5 on Sunday evening. Dubuque got off to a 4-2 lead in the first period, but the young U-17’s methodically pushed back to even the game early in the third and then push ahead in the final eight minutes.

Dubuque ends the 2019 portion of the season with a 19-5-1 record. That mark is fourth best in the USHL, behind only Waterloo, Team USA and Chicago. Dubuque will face Chicago twice and Waterloo four times in the first three weeks of January.

Iowa Routes KSU

Luka Garza scored 23 points and Ryan Kriener added a career-high 20 as No. 25 Iowa closed its non-conference schedule with a 93-51 win over Kennesaw State. Joe Wieskamp had 18 points for the Hawkeyes (10-3), who also had a season-high 14 steals. Former Wahlert prep Cordell Pemsl had 8 points and 1 rebound.

The Hawkeyes get back into the Big Ten schedule with a game against Penn State at the Palestra in Philadelphia on Saturday.

——————-

Illini Win Over NC A &T

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Kofi Cockburn scored a career-high 26 points and Illinois beat North Carolina A&T 95-64. The 7-foot freshman also grabbed nine rebounds, narrowly missing his seventh double-double in 13 games. Cockburn has more double-doubles this season than any other freshman in the country. He scored 23 points on two occasions earlier this season against Grand Canyon and Miami.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Oklahoma City 98 Toronto 97
Final Memphis 117 Charlotte 104
Final New Orleans 127 Houston 112
Final Denver 120 Sacramento 115
Final L.A. Lakers 108 Dallas 95
___

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final St. Louis 4 Winnipeg 1
Final SO Chicago 3 Columbus 2
Final OT New Jersey 4 Ottawa 3
Final N-Y Islanders 3 Minnesota 1
Final Boston 3 Buffalo 2
Final Florida 6 Montreal 5
Final Tampa Bay 2 Detroit 1
Final Dallas 4 Arizona 2
Final OT Philadelphia 2 Anaheim 1
Final Vancouver 5 Calgary 2
___

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (22)West Virginia 67 (2)Ohio St. 59
Final (5)Kansas 72 Stanford 56
Final (6)Oregon 98 Alabama St. 59
Final (8)Auburn 86 Lipscomb 59
Final (11)Michigan 86 Mass.-Lowell 60
Final (13)Maryland 84 Bryant 70
Final (14)Michigan St. 95 W. Michigan 62
Final (16)Virginia 65 Navy 56
Final (20)Penn St. 90 Cornell 59
Final (23)Texas Tech 73 CS Bakersfield 58
Final (25)Iowa 93 Kennesaw St. 51

• DETROIT (AP) — Mason Crosby made a 33-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Green Bay Packers to a 23-20 win over the Detroit Lions to earn a first-round bye. The Packers fell behind by two touchdowns in the second quarter. They did not lead until Crosby made his second game-winning kick against Detroit this season. The Lions closed the season with nine straight losses for their longest losing streak in a season since going 0-16 in 2008. Green Bay won despite Aaron Rodgers going 27 of 55 for 323 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
• MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Eddy Piñeiro’s fourth field goal of the game for Chicago came from 22 yards with 10 seconds left, giving the Bears a 21-19 victory over Minnesota. The Vikings rested their regulars for the playoffs. Piñeiro finished the season with 11 straight made field goals, and the Bears went 8-8 to dodge what would have been a fifth losing record in six years. David Montgomery had 23 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown to cap a strong rookie season for the Bears. Mike Boone rushed 17 times for 148 yards and a score for the Vikings.
• The 49ers won the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs with a 26-21 win over the Seahawks.
• The Eagles are NFC East champions after Boston Scott ran for three touchdowns in the second half of their 34-17 win over the Giants.
• The Chiefs closed out a 12-4 regular season with their sixth straight win, a highlight-laden 31-24 decision over the Chargers.
• The Titans have grabbed the second AFC wild card and earned a meeting with the Patriots next weekend by thumping the Texans, 35-14.
• The Saints finished a 13-3 campaign by thrashing the Panthers, 42-10. Drew Brees (breez) threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns, and Alvin Kamara ran for two scores as New Orleans handed Carolina its eighth straight loss.
• Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes to help the Cowboys crush the Redskins, 47-16
• The Ravens will carry a 12-game winning streak into the AFC divisional round after a 28-10 drubbing of the Steelers.
• Sam Darnold hit Jamison Crowder for a tiebreaking, 1-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to send the Jets past the playoff-bound Bills, 13-6.
• Tyler Higbee and Robert Woods caught touchdown passes from Jared Goff in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ 31-24 win over the Cardinals.
• The Raiders were losers in their final game as an Oakland franchise, 16-15 at Denver.
• Deion Jones returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in overtime to give the Falcons a 28-22 win over the Buccaneers.
• Andy Dalton threw for a touchdown and ran for another in his farewell as a franchise quarterback, leading the Bengals past the Browns, 33-23.
• Gardner Minshew turned in his best performance in two months by throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns and leading the Jaguars to a 38-20 victory over the Colts.

Local Hockey

Fighting Saints 3   Cedar Rapids Rough Riders 2

Boys Basketball

East Dubuque 54, Geneseo 52

Big Ten College Basketball

Wisconsin 68,  Tennessee  48

Purdue  97,  Central Michigan  62

Minnesota 89, Florida International 62

NBA

Milwaukee Bucks 111, Magic 110 (OT)

Chicago Bulls 116, Hawks 81

College Football Bowl

(3)Clemson beat 29,  (2) Ohio State 23 – Fiesta Bowl

Clemson to advance to the College Football Playoff championship game.

(13) Penn State 53, (15) Memphis 39 – Cotton Bowl

(14) Notre Dame  33, Iowa State 9 – Camping World Bowl

(1) LSU romped to a breathtaking 63, (4) Oklahoma 28 – Peach Bowl

AP Sports

NBA-SCHEDULE
Five straight wins for Celtics; Bucks rebound
UNDATED (AP) — The Boston Celtics picked up their fifth straight win on Friday as they try to pad their lead in the NBA’s Atlantic Division.
Jaylen Brown tied a career high with 34 points in the Celtics’ 129-117 win over Cleveland. Jayson Tatum provided 24 of his 30 points while the Celts were building a 62-47 halftime lead.
Enes Kanter added 14 points and Kemba Walker had 13 as Boston improved to 13-1 at home.
Meanwhile, the Bucks are a leading-best 28-5 by bouncing back from their Christmas Day loss at Philadelphia to crush the Hawks, 112-86. Khris Middleton scored 23 points and Ersan Ilyasova had season highs of 18 points and 17 rebounds as Milwaukee dealt Atlanta its ninth consecutive loss.
The Bucks played without reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) due to back soreness yet still managed to win for the 22nd time in their last 24 games.

— The Heat own the league’s best home record at 14-1 after Goran Dragic (DRAH’-gihch) scored in the lane with 6.8 seconds remaining to cap a wild finish in Miami’s 113-112 triumph over the Pacers. Jimmy Butler dropped in 20 points and Bam Adebayo (ad-ah-BAY’-oo) added 18 with 15 rebounds, including the offensive board that set up Dragic’s shot after the Heat wasted a nine-point, fourth-quarter lead.

— Evan Fournier scored 20 points and Aaron Gordon had 19 with 11 rebounds to help the Magic squeeze out a 98-97 victory against the 76ers. Nikola Vucevic (VOO’-seh-vihch) had 16 points and 12 rebounds as Orlando ended Philadelphia’s three-game winning streak.

— The Thunder earned a 104-102 overtime win against the Hornets as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points and Dennis Schroder (SHROO’-dur) added 24 off the bench. Chris Paul furnished 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and OT to push Oklahoma City to its fifth win in six games.

— The Warriors earned their fourth straight win as D’Angelo Russell had 31 points and six assists in a 106-95 victory against the Suns. Alec Burks scored nine of his 13 in the fourth quarter to help Golden State erase a 10-point deficit in the period.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-BOWL GAMES

Iowa, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Michigan State get bowl wins

Ihmir Smith-Marsette scored on a 6-yard run, a 98-yard kickoff return and a 12-yard reception, all in the second quarter of the 19th-ranked Hawkeyes’ 49-24 rout of No. 22 Southern California in the Holiday Bowl. Senior Nate Stanley threw two touchdown passes and Iowa won its fourth straight game to conclude its sixth 10-win seasons in 21 years under coach Kirk Ferentz.USC freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis (SLOH’-vihs) threw two touchdown passes but was knocked out of the game with an apparent arm injury early in the third quarter.

In the Cheez-it Bowl, Kadin Remsberg ran for 178 yards and stretched to the pylon for a 3-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to lift 24th-ranked Air Force to a 31-21 victory over Washington State. Donald Hammond III scored two touchdowns and Remsberg had his fourth-down TD confirmed by review to help the Falcons close the season on an eight-game winning streak. FBS passing leader Anthony Gordon kept the Cougars within reach by throwing for 351 yards and three touchdowns.

Kellen Mond ran for a career-high 117 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown burst that put the Aggies ahead 21-14 in the fourth quarter of a 24-21 victory over No. 25 Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl. Mond relied on his feet while throwing for just 95 yards and losing two early fumbles that allowed the Cowboys to take a 14-0 lead.
Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard ran for 158 yards after finishing the regular season as the nation’s leading rusher. Braydon Johnson had 124 yards receiving and two touchdowns for the Cowboys.

In other bowl action:
— Freshman Sam Howell completed 25 of 34 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns to lead North Carolina to its first bowl victory since 2013, a 55-13 rout of Temple in the Military Bowl. Howell also grabbed a scoring pass and ran for 53 yards to help the 7-6 Tar Heels end the season on a three-game winning streak. The Owls have made five straight bowl appearances but have won just once.

— Brian Lewerke (leh-WUR’-kee) threw for 320 yards and a touchdown in Michigan State’s 27-21 victory over Wake Forest in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Lewerke threw a 10-yard pass to wide receiver Cody White in the third quarter to put the 7-6 Spartans ahead, 27-21. Lewerke also ran for a TD, White had 97 yards receiving and Elijah Collins had 96 yards rushing.

NHL-SCHEDULE

TJ Oshie (OH’-shee) snapped the Capitals’ 0-for-19 skid on the power play by scoring in overtime to give them a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jackets. Columbus led 1-0 until Carl Hagelin (HAG’-lihn) tallied early in the third period. Rookie goaltender Ilya Samsonov (sam-SOH’-nahv) made 27 saves to win his first career start against Columbus. He was solid all night and couldn’t do much on the lone Blue Jackets goal by rookie Jakob Lilja (LEEL’-yah). Columbus had won their first two meetings of the season with Washington by a combined 8-2 margin. The Jackets have pinned the Capitals with two of their sixth regulation losses.

Elsewhere on NHL ice:

— The Blues picked up their seventh consecutive win by downing the Jets, 5-4 on David Perron’s (peh-RAHNZ’) goal 3:14 into overtime. Tyler Bozak scored twice and Alex Pietrangelo (peh-TRAN’-jeh-loh) had a goal and assist as the Western Conference leaders improved to 25-8-6.

— Patrice Bergeron (pah-TREES’ BEHR’-zhuh-rahn) scored twice for the third consecutive game and Jaroslav Halak (YAH’-roh-slahv hah-LAHK’) stopped 26 shots as the Bruins blanked the Sabres, 3-0. Brandon Carlo also tallied to back Halak, who notched his third shutout of the season and 50th of his career.

— The Islanders lost for the fourth time in five games as Dennis Gilbert, Dominik Kubalik (koo-BAH’-lihk) and Alex DeBrincat (deh-BRIHN’-kat) scored in a 4:22 span of the first period to chase Thomas Greiss (grys) in Chicago’s 5-2 victory against New York. Duncan Keith and Dylan Strome (strohm) each had two assists as the Blackhawks won for the third time in four games.

— Mats Zuccarello (zoo’-kah-REH’-loh) and Victor Rask scored 77 seconds apart in the third period to send the Wild past the Avalanche 6-4. Devan Dubnyk (DOOB’-nihk) made 14 of his 40 saves in the third period to help Minnesota deal Colorado its third straight home loss.

— Tristan Jarry stopped 30 shots and Juuso Riikola had a goal and an assist in the Penguins’ fifth victory in six games, 5-2 at Nashville. Alex Galchenyuk (gal-CHEHN’-yuk) netted his third goal of the season while Pittsburgh was scoring three times in its first six shots to chase Pekka Rinne (PEH’-kuh REE’-nay).

— Mika Zibanejad (MEE’-kuh zih-BAN’-eh-jad) had two goals and an assist to support Henrik Lundqvist’s 39-save performance in the Rangers’ 5-3 win over the Hurricanes. Artemi Panarin (ahr-TEH’-mee pah-NAH’-rihn) had a goal and two assists, while Chris Kreider added a goal and an assist as the Blueshirts won for the second time in six games.

— The Maple Leafs were able to celebrate a 5-4 win over the Devils after New Jersey defenseman Damon Severson backhanded the puck into his own net in overtime. William Nylander (NEE’-lan-dur) and John Tavares each had a goal and two assists, with Nylander getting credit for the game-winner.

— Andrew Mangiapane (man-jah-PAN’-ee) had a goal and two assists in the Flames’ 5-1 thumping of the Oilers. Elias Lindholm scored just 11 seconds into the first period as Calgary won for just the second time in its last six games.

— Cam Fowler had a goal and an assist while the Ducks scored three times in a 97-stretch of the second period to beat the Golden Knights, 4-3. Adam Henrique (hehn-REEK’) and Max Comtois (KAHM’-twah) also scored during the decisive barrage that allowed Anaheim to knock off Vegas for just the second time in their 10 meetings.

— Jeff Carter’s goal 91 seconds into overtime completed the Kings’ comeback in a 3-2 triumph over the Sharks. San Jose carried a 2-0 lead into the third period before Martin Frk (furk) scored twice in his season debut, both on assists from Carter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (oh-VEHCH’-kihn) says he’ll skip NHL All-Star Weekend for the second consecutive year to get rested and ready for the second half of the regular season and playoffs. The 34-year-old Ovechkin was named captain of the Metropolitan Division and has scored 23 goals in 39 games.
He’ll be suspended one game for skipping All-Star festivities, either Jan. 18 at the Islanders or Jan. 27 in Montreal.

NFL-NEWS

UNDATED (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons are keeping coach Dan Quinn for another season despite a second straight losing record. The Falcons are 6-9 this season after finishing 7-9 in 2018. They lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl 50, their second season under Quinn The team also announced that general manager Thomas Dimitroff will remain in his current role, and that former Tampa Bay head coach Raheem Morris will be Atlanta’s defensive coordinator. The Falcons will go through an organizational restructuring, giving team president and CEO Rich McKay a bigger role in the football operations. Quinn and Dimitroff will now report directly to McKay, with Blank retaining oversight of football operations.

In other NFL news:

— Saints coach Sean Payton says the club has no immediate plans to sign Antonio Brown after including him in a workout with six free-agent receivers Friday morning. Payton says the Saints are looking at how available players can help the team as it prepares to enter the playoffs. Brown has not played since the New England Patriots cut him Sept. 20 amid multiple sexual assault accusations which have spawned an ongoing league investigation of the receiver.

— Former star Bills receiver Elbert Dubenion has died at 86. He played key roles in the Bills winning consecutive American Football League championships in the mid-1960s. The team says he died Thursday, 55 years to the day after Buffalo won its first AFL title with a 20-7 victory over the San Diego Chargers.

MLB

Royals sign 3B Franco
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have finalized their one-year, $2.95 million contract with third baseman Maikel (MY’-kehl) Franco, a deal that includes up to $1.05 million in incentives. The 27-year-old Franco hit .234 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs in 123 games for the Phillies last season, but he lost his starting job over the summer and played 12 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Franco belted 71 home runs and drove in 232 from 2016-18.

RUSSIAN DOPING

Russia will appeal Olympic ban
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has confirmed that it will appeal its four-year Olympic ban for manipulating doping data. The Russian anti-doping agency known as RUSADA has sent a formal letter disagreeing with the sanctions imposed earlier this month by the World Anti-Doping Agency. RUSADA says it disputes the WADA notice “in its entirety” including the evidence of tampering with the data archive. The WADA sanctions ban the use of the Russian team name, flag or anthem at a range of major sports competitions over the next four years including the 2020 Olympics.

MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

UNDATED (AP) — Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi (kah-WY’) Leonard is The Associated Press’ male athlete of the year for 2019. Leonard was an easy winner in the voting conducted by AP member sports editors and AP beat writers, finishing ahead of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes (mah-HOHMZ’). Leonard was the NBA Finals MVP for the second time, leading Toronto to its first championship. He is the fifth NBA player to win the award.

Tonight  the 19^th ranked (9-3) Iowa Hawkeye football team will try to end the year on a winning note at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego as they square off against the 22^nd ranked (8-4) USC Trojans.

The Hawkeyes are making their 33rd bowl game appearance and fourth Holiday Bowl appearance. This will be the 10^th meeting between the two teams and the first since the 2003 Orange Bowl. Kickoff from inside San Diego County Credit Union Stadium will be at 7 o’clock.

After a 13 day break in the schedule, the Dubuque Fighting Saints play three games in three days starting tonight. The Fighting Saints will play on back to back nights in Cedar Rapids against the Roughriders and then have a Sunday evening home skate against the USA U-17 team at Mystique Community Ice Center.  Going into the trio of games, Dubuque is on a five game winning streak and has the best winning percentage in the USHL with a record of 18-3-and-1.  The Saints Sunday opponent USA U-17 has a ten game winning streak going into this weekend. Sunday evening the puck will drop at 5:05 pm.

High School Boys Basketball

• Yorkville 61, East Dubuque 56 (At Chuck Dayton Holiday Classic in Dekalb

Wisconsin

• Marion, Kan. 73, Darlington 69
• Brookfield Academy 68 ,Mineral Point 55 Concordia University (WBY Shootout)

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Detroit 132 Washington 102
Final New York 94 Brooklyn 82
Final Memphis 110 Oklahoma City 97
Final Dallas 102 San Antonio 98
Final 2OT Minnesota 105 Sacramento 104
Final Utah 121 Portland 115

ATLANTA (AP) — LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire may be a long shot to play for the top-ranked Tigers in the Peach Bowl playoff semifinal against No. 4 Oklahoma. Edwards-Helaire has missed practice this week with a hamstring injury, but head coach Ed Orgeron hasn’t given up hope that Edwards-Helaire could be cleared to play. The junior has been a double-threat for the Tigers this season, rushing for 1,290 yards and 16 touchdowns while grabbing 50 passes for 399 yards and a score.

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington quarterback Jacob Eason is skipping his final year of college to enter the NFL draft. The transfer from Georgia started 13 games for the Huskies this season, throwing for 3,132 yards and 23 touchdowns in performances that lacked consistency. He chose to play in Washington’s bowl game victory over Boise State rather than follow the path of NFL-bound teammates Hunter Bryant and Trey Adams, who skipped the game.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry says he’ll play when the Tennessee Titans try to wrap up an AFC playoff berth Sunday against the Houston Texans. The NFL’s No. 3 ground-gainer says his left hamstring is feeling much better after sitting out last Sunday’s loss to New Orleans. Henry practiced fully yesterday, and coach Mike Vrabel said the running back looked great in Tuesday’s session before taking Christmas Day off.

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Browns receiver Jarvis Landry says he was diagnosed with a fractured bone at the base of his spine early in the summer, limiting his practice time and potentially requiring surgery to correct the problem. The injury has caused him pain in his hip but hasn’t stopped Landry from leading the team with 81 receptions, 1,092 yards receiving and five touchdown catches. Landry hasn’t missed a game on his way to a fifth Pro Bowl selection in six NFL seasons.

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks defensemen Brent Seabrook and Calvin de Haan are scheduled for season-ending right shoulder surgeries today. The 34-year-old Seabrook also will have surgery on his right hip in January and left hip in February. The last-place Blackhawks placed both players on long-term injured reserve, freeing up significant space under the salary cap.

CHICAGO (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that veteran slugger Edwin Encarnación has accepted a one-year, $12 million contract with the Chicago White Sox. Encarnación is due $11 million in salary next season and a $1 million signing bonus, with the White Sox holding an option for the 2021 season. Encarnación hit 34 home runs in 109 games for Seattle and the Yankees last season.

UNDATED (AP) — The NBA’s conference leaders were losers on Christmas Day. Joel Embiid shot 3-for-6 from 3-point range and finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds. Kawhi Leonard scored 11 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and had 12 rebounds in the Clippers’ second win in two meetings with the Lakers this season, 111-106.

UNDATED (AP) — Damion Lee had 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Golden State Warriors rallied to beat the Houston Rockets, 116-104. Brandon Ingram scored 31 points and Derrick Favors grabbed 13 rebounds to help the New Orleans Pelicans’ end the Denver Nuggets’ seven-game winning streak, 112-100. Jaylen Brown scored 30 points and Kemba Walker had 22 as the Boston Celtics earned a 118-102 win over the Raptors in Toronto.

HONOLULU (AP) — The unranked Houston Cougars are 10-3 after rallying from a 14-point, first-half deficit to beat No. 21 Washington, 75-71 and win the Diamond Heat Classic. Fabian White Jr. shot 7 of 13 from the field and hit all five of his free throws to finish with a career-high 19 points and earn the tournament’s most outstanding player honors. Caleb Mills also had 19 points and hit three of Houston’s eight 3-pointers.

UNDATED (AP) — The Tiger Woods Masters victory has been named The Associated Press sports story of the year in balloting by a mix of AP member sports editors and AP beat writers. The rousing victory at Augusta National by Woods topped the U.S. women’s soccer team’s World Cup championship. Of the top 12 stories in the balloting, only the titles won by the Toronto Raptors, Washington Nationals and University of Virginia basketball team stuck mainly to what happened between the lines.

NBA

Final Boston 118 Toronto 102
Final Philadelphia 121 Milwaukee 109
Final Golden State 116 Houston 104
Final L.A. Clippers 111 L.A. Lakers 106
Final New Orleans 112 Denver 100
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Final Houston 75 (21)Washington 71

For the second time in the last three seasons a University of Dubuque football player is a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award. Senior defensive back Blaze Barista was named finalist for the award which is presented to the top defensive player in NCAA Division 2, Division 3, and NAIA.

Barista was named an American Rivers Conference First Team All-Conference award winner, AFCA All-American (Second Team), and AP All-America (Second Team) honoree for the Spartans.

An overall winner will be announced on December 27th and honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s annual awards banquet on January 9

UD’s Michael Joseph, now a member of the Chicago Bears won the award in 2017, he was the first Division III student-athlete to be honored with the award and remains the only Division III nominee to have claimed the trophy.

The 6-0 Hempstead Mustang boys basketball team is still ranked 3^rd this week in the latest Associated Press 4-A high school basketball rankings. The Mustangs did receive two of the 11 first place votes. Four other Mississippi Valley Conference teams are in the top 10 : Waterloo West is 5^th followed by Cedar Rapids Prairie 6^th, Cedar Falls 7^th, and Iowa City West 8^th. Senior did receive consideration votes.

Dyersville Beckman once again is the top ranked team in Class 2-A.

Iowa Boys Basketball Prep Poll

By The Associated Press

The Top Ten teams in the Associated Press Iowa high school basketball poll with first-place votes in parentheses and won-loss record, total points and position last week at right:
Class 4A
Record Pts Prv
1. Waukee (5) 5-0 98 1
2. Ankeny Centennial (2) 6-0 91 2
3. Dubuque, Hempstead (2) 6-0 79 4
4. Sioux City, East (1) 7-0 61 5
5. Waterloo, West 5-1 51 6
6. Prairie, Cedar Rapids 6-0 43 9
7. Cedar Falls (1) 5-1 42 8
8. Iowa City, West 4-1 37 3
9. Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines 5-1 35 7
10. Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln 7-0 20 10
Others receiving votes: North Scott, Eldridge 18. Ankeny 11. Cedar Rapids, Kennedy 7. Dubuque, Senior 6. Linn-Mar, Marion 5. Iowa City Liberty 1.
Class 3A
Record Pts Prv
1. Assumption, Davenport (10) 6-0 108 2
2. Carroll (1) 5-0 89 5
3. Dallas Center-Grimes 6-0 77 6
4. Mount Vernon 6-0 65 7
5. Winterset 5-1 52 1
6. Harlan 6-0 51 8
7. Algona 6-0 47 9
8. Norwalk 4-2 32 4
9. Sergeant Bluff-Luton 3-2 20 3
10. Pella 4-2 14 NR
Others receiving votes: Glenwood 11. Central Clinton, De Witt 11. Clear Lake 9. MOC-Floyd Valley 9. Marion 8. Gilbert 1. Webster City 1.
Class 2A
Record Pts Prv
1. Beckman Catholic, Dyersville (5) 7-0 101 1
2. Treynor (2) 7-0 85 2
3. North Linn, Troy Mills 6-0 75 3
4. West Sioux, Hawarden (1) 8-0 71 5
(tie) Camanche (3) 5-0 71 4
6. Regina, Iowa City 5-1 39 8
7. Osage 7-0 36 9
8. Boyden-Hull 5-1 23 NR
9. Dike-New Hartford 6-0 22 NR
10. Van Meter 5-0 17 NR
Others receiving votes: Aplington-Parkersburg 15. Unity Christian, Orange City 13. Des Moines Christian 9. Monticello 8. West Burlington 5. Woodward-Granger 5. East Sac County 4. Pella Christian 4. Rock Valley 1. Tri-Center, Neola 1.
Class 1A
Record Pts Prv
1. St. Mary’s, Remsen (6) 6-0 103 1
2. Montezuma (1) 6-0 88 3
3. Bishop Garrigan, Algona (1) 7-1 78 2
4. Easton Valley 7-0 70 5
5. West Fork, Sheffield (1) 7-0 62 4
6. WACO, Wayland (1) 8-0 54 6
7. A-H-S-T, Avoca (1) 8-0 41 7
8. Janesville 6-0 26 9
9. Lake Mills 5-1 24 8
10. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 6-0 15 NR
Others receiving votes: CAM, Anita 8. Martensdale-St. Marys 6. Madrid 6. Don Bosco, Gilbertville 5. South O’Brien, Paullina 5. East Mills 4. Notre Dame, Burlington 3. Edgewood-Colesburg 2. Mount Ayr 2. Keota 1. Grand View Christian 1. Siouxland Community Christian 1.
———

The Dubuque 11U Gold Triple-A Major All American Baseball team from Eric Munson Baseball will be spending some of their Christmas break in Orlando, Florida playing against elite national competition.  The 11-player Dubuque squad is the only team from Iowa in all age groups to qualify for the New Year’s Baseball Classic to be played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Team pool play in the elite tournament begins on Saturday with qualifiers advancing to bracket play beginning New Year’s Eve.

The team is coached by Fred Reimer, Curt Schultz, Jim Hirsch, and Jerry Elbert.

The Iowa men’s basketball team is making their debut in the latest Associated Press top 25 poll released this morning. The 9-and-3 Hawkeyes are ranked 25^th.  Iowa is one of six Big 10 teams in the poll this week led by Ohio State who moved up three spots to number two.

Gonzaga is the new top ranked team this week, following the Buckeyes at number two, it’s Louisville, Duke, and Kansas.  Oregon, Baylor, Auburn, Memphis, and Villanova round out the top 10.

SAN DIEGO — The University of Iowa announced Monday that it will remove the Tigerhawk from its helmet in honor of Hayden Fry when the Hawkeyes play USC on Friday at the Holiday Bowl.

It is the third time both Tigerhawks have been removed from the helmet for a football game. The first was Nov. 2, 1991, the day after six lives were lost in a shooting on the UI campus. The second was the 1996 Alamo Bowl, when Diane Mitchell, the mother of Iowa linebacker Mark Mitchell, was killed in a car crash on the way to San Antonio, Texas.
Fry was Iowa’s head football coach from 1979-98. He won three Big Ten Conference championships, took the Hawkeyes to 14 bowl games, and introduced the Tigerhawk logo to the athletics department, a logo that has become one of the most recognizable symbols in sports.

Fry passed away Dec. 17, 2019 at the age of 90.

The Hawkeye helmet will be without the Tigerhawk, but it will include a decal honoring former UI Athletics Director Bump Elliott. Elliott was Iowa’s director of athletics from 1970-91. He passed away Dec. 7, 2019 at the age of 94.

Elliott and Fry are both members of the College Football Hall of Fame. Fry is a member of the Holiday Bowl Hall of Fame.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Green Bay Packers are NFC North champions after Aaron Jones bulled his way to 154 yards rushing and two second-half touchdowns in a 23-10 win at Minnesota. Za’Darius Smith was the Packers’ defensive standout with five tackles for loss, including 3 ½ sacks of Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Packers fought through three first-half turnovers that left them trailing 10-9 at the break.

KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks could be reuniting with former star running back Marshawn Lynch. Coach Pete Carroll said during his radio show yesterday that Lynch was on his way to Seattle to undergo a physical after not playing in more than a year. Seattle is 11-and-4 and in desperate need of running backs after Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise both suffered season-ending injuries in Sunday’s 27-13 loss to Arizona.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Utah Jazz have upgraded their backcourt through a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Jazz have picked up Jordan Clarkson from the Cavs for fellow guard Dante Exum and second-round draft picks in 2022 and 2023. Clarkson is averaging 14.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 29 games this season. Exum had fallen out of Utah’s rotation and is averaging 7 ½ minutes.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Central Florida won the Gasparilla Bowl as Richie Grant and Tre’mon Morris-Brash had first-quarter defensive touchdowns in the Knights’ 48-25 rout of Marshall. Grant had a 39-yard interception return on Marshall’s third play and Morris-Brash brought back a fumble 55 yards for a score that put UCF ahead, 21-0. Dillon Gabriel was 14 of 24 passes for 260 yards, tossing two scoring passes in the third period and running for a TD later in the period.

NEW YORK (AP) — Gonzaga has just become the sixth to reach No. 1 in this season’s Associated Press men’s basketball poll, supplanting Kansas after improving to 13-1. The Bulldogs picked up 54 of 65 first-place votes, while No. 2 Ohio State claimed nine. Third-ranked Louisville and No. 4 Duke received one apiece. Kansas is fifth, followed by Oregon, Baylor, Auburn, Memphis and Villanova.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Cleveland 121 Atlanta 118
Final Orlando 103 Chicago 95
Final Philadelphia 125 Detroit 109
Final OT Indiana 120 Toronto 115
Final Washington 121 New York 115
Final Miami 107 Utah 104
Final San Antonio 145 Memphis 115
Final Denver 113 Phoenix 111
Final Houston 113 Sacramento 104
Final New Orleans 102 Portland 94
Final Golden State 113 Minnesota 104
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Toronto 8 Carolina 6
Final Minnesota 3 Calgary 0
Final Boston 7 Washington 3
Final Columbus 3 N-Y Islanders 2
Final Philadelphia 5 N-Y Rangers 1
Final Tampa Bay 6 Florida 1
Final Ottawa 3 Buffalo 1
Final Nashville 3 Arizona 2
Final Montreal 6 Winnipeg 2
Final New Jersey 7 Chicago 1
Final St. Louis 4 Los Angeles 1
Final Vancouver 4 Edmonton 2
Final Colorado 7 Vegas 3
___
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Green Bay 23 Minnesota 10
___
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (18)Dayton 81 Grambling St. 53
Final (21)Washington 72 Hawaii 61

Dubuque native and volleyball Olympian Kayla Banwarth has landed her first head coaching job. Over the weekend Banwarth was named the head coach at Mississippi.

Banwarth has been an assistant coach at her alma mater Nebraska for the past three seasons after she helped lead the United States to bronze medal performance at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Banwarth takes over an Ole Miss program that went 14-15 this season.

Haliburton, hot Cyclones drop Purdue Fort Wayne 89-59

Tyrese Haliburton drained a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 22 points and Iowa State used a hot-shooting first half to defeat Purdue Fort Wayne 89-59. Solomon Young added 15 points and reserve Terrence Lewis had a season-high 11 for the Cyclones, who led by as many as 26 in the first half thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers. Jarred Godfrey led the Mastodons with 17 points and Brian Patrick added 13. With Haliburton making 6 of 8 shots, including 5 of 7 behind the arc, Iowa State shot a season best 61% in the first half, with 10 3s.

—-

Northern Iowa continues winning ways with 88-80 win over Marshall

AJ Green scored 24 points and Trae Berhow scored 23 with 11 rebounds and Northern Iowa won its fifth straight beating Marshall 88-80. Former Western Dubuque prep Spencer Haldeman added 13 points for the Panthers who now stand 11-1.

—-

UNI Women Win at ISU

AMES, Iowa – UNI women’s basketball went on a 16-0 fourth-quarter run and the Panthers outscored Iowa State 24-14 in the final frame to earn a 71-63 win over the Cyclones to close out non-conference play.

The win gave the Panthers a sweep of Iowa and Iowa State for the first time since the 1974-75 season and gives UNI consecutive wins over Iowa State for the first time since 1975-76. The Panthers also capture three wins over Power-Five teams for the first time in program history.

• Former Western Dubuque preps Megan Maahs 4 points, 4 rebounds, Rose Simon Ressler 2 points forUNI.

UNDATED (AP) — Lamar Jackson ran for 103 yards and threw for another 238 with three touchdowns as the Baltimore Ravens downed the Cleveland Browns, 31-15. The Oakland Raiders stayed in the AFC wild-card hunt with a 24-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers following losses by Tennessee and Pittsburgh. And Kansas City remains a game behind New England for the second seed in the AFC after Patrick Mahomes  threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the Chiefs’ 26-3 rout of the Bears in Chicago.

UNDATED (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks relinquished control of the NFC West lead while the New Orleans Saints stayed alive in their bid to gain home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs. Kenyan Drake rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns as the Arizona Cardinals downed the Seahawks, 27-13. Drew Brees threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns and Alvin Kamara ran for two TDs to help the Saints rally from a 14-0 deficit to beat Tennessee, 38-28.

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Raptors trailed 83-53 with 2:55 remaining in the third before rallying for a 110-107 triumph over the Dallas Mavericks. It was the first 30-point comeback in the NBA since Sacramento beat Chicago on Dec. 21, 2009. Kyle Lowry scored 20 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 10 assists. Lowry also had as many points as Dallas while the Raptors outscored the Mavericks, 47-21.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Unranked South Carolina is 8-4 after shooting over 55% in a 70-59 win over No. 9 Virginia. The Gamecocks blew a 12-point lead and were tied at 45 with about 11 minutes left before going on a 12-5 run to take control. Jair Bolden scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half and A.J. Lawson had 10 of his 14 in the second as South Carolina improved to 8-4.

NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Kreider scored twice and the New York Rangers ended a three-game losing streak by silencing the Anaheim Ducks, 5-1. Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist, while Filip Chytil  and Brett Howden also scored for the Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist made 19 saves against the Ducks, who were missing Rickard Rakell, Ryan Getzlaf  and Jakob Silfverberg because of injury or the flu.

___
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Toronto 110 Dallas 107
Final Boston 119 Charlotte 93
Final Milwaukee 117 Indiana 89
Final Oklahoma City 118 L.A. Clippers 112
Final Denver 128 L.A. Lakers 104
___
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final N-Y Rangers 5 Anaheim 1
Final Calgary 5 Dallas 1
Final Arizona 5 Detroit 2
Final Vegas 3 San Jose 1
___
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final OT N-Y Giants 41 Washington 35
Final OT Miami 38 Cincinnati 35
Final New Orleans 38 Tennessee 28
Final N-Y Jets 16 Pittsburgh 10
Final Baltimore 31 Cleveland 15
Final Indianapolis 38 Carolina 6
Final Atlanta 24 Jacksonville 12
Final Oakland 24 L.A. Chargers 17
Final Denver 27 Detroit 17
Final Arizona 27 Seattle 13
Final Philadelphia 17 Dallas 9
Final Kansas City 26 Chicago 3
___
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final South Carolina 70 (9)Virginia 59
Final (22)Washington 85 Ball St. 64
___

Former Hawkeye quarterback C.J. Beathard’s younger brother was killed in Nashville, Tennessee early Saturday morning, according to police there. Authorities say it happened during a fight among several people at 2:30 a.m. outside of Dogwood Bar & Grill on Division Street. Clayton Beathard, 22, and Paul Trapeni III, 21, were stabbed. They were taken to a Nashville hospital where they died. A third man who was also stabbed was treated and released from a hospital. Detectives are looking for the person, or people, responsible for the stabbings. C.J. Beathard is a current quarterback for San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers issued the following statement, “The 49ers family was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the tragedy involving C. J. Beathard’s younger brother, Clayton. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to C. J. and the entire Beathard family as they cope with the unthinkable loss of a loved one. C. J. has traveled home to join his family knowing he has the support of our entire organization as they grieve the passing of Clayton.

The New England Patriots and Houston Texans have wrapped up AFC division titles by winning on Saturday. Meanwhile, the defending NFC champions were eliminated from postseason contention.

The Pats locked down their 11th consecutive AFC East title by rallying for a 24-17 win over Buffalo. The Bills led 17-16 until Rex Burkhead ran in from the Buffalo 1 with 5:11 remaining. Tom Brady found Julian Edelman for the 2-point conversion to make it a seven-point game.

Brady passed for 271 yards and a touchdown as the 12-3 Patriots dropped the Bills to 10-5. The 42-year-old Brady also sneaked for a third-down conversion to set up another score and threw a downfield block on another scoring drive.

Ka’imi Fairburn snapped a fourth-quarter tie with his third field goal to help the Texans earn a 23-20 victory at Tampa for their fourth AFC South crown in five years.

The 49ers killed the Rams’ playoff chances as Jimmy Garoppolo converted a pair of conversions on third-and-16 to set up Robbie Gould’s game-winning, 33-yard field goal with no time left, giving San Francisco a 34-31 win over Los Angeles.

Garoppolo finished 16 for 27 for 248 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions as the Niners kept control of the NFC West lead and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs. Garoppolo hit Emmanuel Sanders behind a blown coverage for 46 yards to set up the winning kick.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE SUNDAY

The Associated Press men’s basketball poll already has had five different No. 1 teams, a record before New Year’s Day. There could be a sixth when the new poll is released on Monday.

Jermaine Samuels capped his 15-point performance by nailing a go-ahead, 3-pointer with 20.5 seconds left to give 18th-ranked Villanova a 56-55 victory over No. 1 Kansas in Philadelphia. The Jayhawks still had to chances to tie or win the game, but Devon Dotson missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and couldn’t hit a contested layup as time expired.

Dotson had a team-high 15 points for the 9-2 Jayhawks, who were elevated to the top spot last Monday.

In a top-10 matchup, D.J. Carton had 13 points and Kaleb Wesson added 12 before fouling out in fifth-ranked Ohio State’s 71-65 victory against No. 6. Kentucky. Kyle Young finished with 10 points and six assists to help the Buckeyes overcome Nate Sestina’s five 3-pointers and 17 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to make a bid for a second straight MVP award.

The Milwaukee Bucks forward recorded his third triple-double of the season by delivering 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 123-102 rout of the Knicks in New York. Antetokounmpo took just 10 shots and had secured his triple-double midway through the third quarter after playing just 23 minutes.

The Bucks made their first six 3-point attempts and grabbed a 29-point lead before improving to an NBA-best 26-4.

Khris Middleton scored 23 points and Kyle Korver had 17 as Milwaukee won for the 20th time in its last 21 games.

Checking out Saturday’s other NBA action:

— Kawhi Leonard captured his first victory in San Antonio since his exodus from the franchise, collecting 26 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in three quarters of the Clippers’ 134-109 romp over the Spurs. Leonard was 11 for 16 from the field with four steals and only two turnovers.

— James Harden torched the Suns for 47 points and Russell Westbrook added 30 in the Rockets, 10th win in 13 games, 139-125. Phoenix got within 115-107 with 9:37 left before Harden nailed four 3-pointers during Houston’s 21-9 run.

— The 76ers ended their three-game skid by getting 21 points and 13 rebounds from Joel Embiid in a 125-108 win against the Wizards. Josh Richardson also had 21 points while Ben Simmons added 14, 11 assists and eight rebounds in the victory.

— Spencer Dinwiddie poured in 39 points and the Nets overcame an 18-point deficit and a 47-point performance by Trae Young in defeating the Hawks, 122-112. Garrett Temple added 25 points and DeAndre Jordan added 12 with a season-high 20 rebounds for Brooklyn.

— Bojan Bogdanovic scored 26 points and Rudy Gobert added 17 with 19 rebounds as the Jazz downed the Hornets, 114-107 for their fifth consecutive win. Donovan Mitchell chipped in 20 points and Joe Ingles had 14, including two pivotal 3s in the fourth quarter.

— Damian Lillard scored 19 of his 29 points while the Trail Blazers built a 61-52 halftime lead in a 113-106 downing of the Timberwolves. Hassan Whiteside had 16 points, 22 rebounds and seven blocks as Portland dealt Minnesota its 10th consecutive loss.

— Zach LaVine scored 33 points and Coby White added 19 to help the Bulls outlast the Pistons, 119-107. LaVine nailed a 3-pointer to break a 96-all tie and added another trey to put Chicago ahead, 106-99.

— Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 18 points and Jae Crowder added 17 with 10 rebounds as the Grizzlies tripped the Kings, 119-115. Seven Grizzlies reached double figures in points, including 16 from Dillon Brooks.

UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago White Sox have bolstered their starting rotation by landing a recent Cy Young winner. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press the White Sox have worked out a three-year, $55 million contract with lefty Dallas Keuchel. The 31-year-old Keuchel won the AL Cy Young Award with the Astros in 2015 but struggled to find work last offseason as a free agent. He signed a roughly $13 million, one-year deal with the Braves in June and went 8-8 with a 3.75 ERA for the NL East champions.

CHICAGO (AP) — CJ Fredrick had 21 points, Joe Wieskamp had 16 and Luka Garza had 12 points and 13 rebounds as Iowa pulled away late for a 77-70 victory over Cincinnati after losing a 15-point second-half lead. Bakari Evelyn had 15 points off the bench as Iowa (9-3) won its third straight and eighth in 10 games. The Hawkeyes closed with a 15-6 run over the final 4 1/2 minutes. Jarron Cumberland had 18 points for Cincinnati (7-5), which has dropped three of four. Cumberland has 1,496 career points to move past Yancy Gates (1,485) for 15th place on Cincinnati’s all-time scoring list.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dru Smith scored 19 points, Javon Pickett added 17, and the Missouri Tigers beat the Illinois Fighting Illini 63-56 in the 39th Annual Braggin’ Rights game. Xavier Pinson also scored a career-high 14 points for the Tigers, who won their third straight game. Ayo Dosunmu scored 21 and Kofi Cockburn added 13 for Illinois, which had its two-game winning streak snapped.

MADISON, Wis.— D’Mitrick Trice scored a career-high 31 points and Nate Reuvers had 22 points to help Wisconsin overpower Milwaukee in a 83-64 victory Saturday. The win gave the Badgers (6-5) a sweep against intrastate opponents this season, with victories over Milwaukee, Green Bay and Marquette.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes added another memorable performance to an impressive start to his career last weekend against Denver. He completed 27 of 34 passes through a driving snowstorm to lead Kansas City to a 23-3 victory. It was the kind of weather that should have made it difficult for a kid from Texas to throw the ball. Instead it allowed Mahomes to show off his arm strength and accuracy in new ways. Now, the reigning league MVP hopes to carry that hot hand into Sunday night’s game in Chicago.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — No. 1 Kansas is set to renew its rivaly with No. 18 Villanova in Philadelphia. The Wildcats and Jayhawks have played many memorable games since the start of the century. Kansas beat Villanova on the way to the 2008 national championship and the Wildcats repaid the favor in the 2016 and 2018 NCAA Tournaments with wins on their way to national titles. Villanova’s 2005 win over No. 1 KU was a program-changer for coach Jay Wright. No. 1 Kansas (9-1) heads to Philadelphia on Saturday to play No. 18 Villanova (8-2). They’ll compete at the Wells Fargo Center, the home of the 76ers and their All-Star big man and former Jayhawk Joel Embiid.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The next edition of the Iowa-Minnesota college football rivalry will be staged on a Friday night. The Big Ten has moved the Hawkeyes-Gophers game in 2020 from Sept. 20 to Sept. 19. This will be the earliest-ever meeting between the two schools that play annually for the Floyd of Rosedale bronze pig trophy. In 113 all-time matchups, the Hawkeyes and Gophers have only met in September twice. That was in 2012 and 2013. Iowa leads the series 63-48-2. The Big Ten began scheduling Friday night games in 2017. Minnesota hosted one in 2018, a victory over Indiana.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona has hired former Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads as its defensive coordinator. He replaces Marcel Yates, who was fired with linebackers coach John Rushing on Oct. 30. Former NFL coach Chuck Cecil served as the Wildcats’ interim defensive coordinator after Yates was fired. Rhoads spent the past two seasons as UCLA’s defensive backs coach after a two-year stint at Arkansas, where he was defensive coordinator in 2017. He also served as interim head coach after Bret Bielema was fired in November 2017.

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Jenn Wirth had 14 points and seven rebounds, Katie Campbell added 11 points and No. 17 Gonzaga beat No. 20 Missouri State 64-52. The Bulldogs (11-1) used a 19-4 run capped by Jessie Loera’s layup with 32 seconds left in the third quarter to pull away to the largest lead of the game at 49-32. The Bears (9-2) answered with nine straight points to cut the deficit to eight but go no closer down the stretch. Brice Calip had 15 points and Alexa Willard scored 11 for Missouri State.

UNDATED (AP) — Player of the year Charles Salary from Marian and fellow running back Arnijae Ponder of Morningside lead The Associated Press NAIA All-America team. Marian and Morningside will play Saturday in the NAIA championship game in Grambling, Louisiana. Salary has run for 1,586 yards and 18 touchdowns in 12 games this season. Ponder has run for 1,754 yards and 23 touchdowns. He was joined on the first team by offensive lineman Garrett Temme. Marian also placed defensive lineman Mac Dutra on the first team.

HIGH SCHOOL

Boys Basketball

Senior at Hempstead

Wahlert at Western Dubuque

Girls Basketball

Senior at Hempstead

Wahlert at Western Dubuque

COLLEGE

Mens Basketball

Dubuque at U-W Stout

Womens Basketball

U-W Plateville hosts Lakeland

Loras in Puerto Rico facing Colby-Sawyer College

Dubuque at U-W Stout

Regional Womens Basketball

Illinois at Missouri

Wisconsin hosts Prairie View A & M

UNDATED (AP) — The Toronto Raptors will be without Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Norman Powell indefinitely after all three were injured at Detroit Wednesday night. Siakam hurt his groin during an awkward landing late in the fourth quarter of Toronto’s win. Gasol strained his left hamstring in the first quarter, and Powell left in the fourth after a collision with another player. The team said testing in Toronto revealed a subluxation of his left shoulder.

UNDATED (AP) — Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott says he will play Sunday against Philadelphia despite a shoulder injury sustained in the previous game against the Los Angeles Rams. Prescott says he would play even if the Cowboys weren’t trying to secure a playoff spot with a win over the Eagles. Prescott says it’s the first time he’s had a shoulder issue as a pro, but he dealt with it multiple times at Mississippi State. He’s also had issues with his right index finger and left wrist.

UNDATED (AP) — Five Super Bowl-winning coaches and such NFL champion players as Roger Craig, Drew Pearson and Donnie Shell are among the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s special centennial class. Career receiving leader Jerry Rice is among nine Pro Football Hall of Famers selected to the NFL’s All-Time Team. Rice holds nearly every major receiving record. Also, on the team are Raymond Berry, Don Hutson, Paul Warfield, Lance Alworth, Randy Moss, Steve Largent, Marvin Harrison and Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a $9 million, one-year contract with right-hander Julio Teheran according to a person familiar with the negotiations. Teheran spent the past seven seasons with Atlanta. The Braves declined his $12 million option. The 28-year old Teheran is 77-73 with a 3.67 ERA in 229 games.

UNDATED (AP) — A person familiar with the process says that the Baseball’s players’ union has filed a grievance against the New York Yankees in an attempt to regain the remaining $26 million due released outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. New York converted Ellsbury’s $153 million, seven-year contract to a non-guaranteed deal. The team contends he violated the agreement by getting unauthorized medical treatment. The Yankees released the 36-year-old outfielder last month.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Patrick Kane scored his 19th goal of the season and had three assists in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 4-1 victory over the  Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.Robin Lehner made 36 saves, Alex Nylander had a goal and assist and Dominik Kubalik and Erik Gustafsson also scored to help the Blackhawks rebound from a 4-1 home loss to Colorado on Wednesday night.Tucker Poolman scored for Winnipeg and Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have the AFC West championship locked in and more big goals in sight. They hope to make a run in the playoffs. A top-two seed and first-round bye still are possibilities. And they can’t afford to stumble against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night. The Bears are out of the postseason after winning the NFC North last year. Kansas City has won four games in a row.

CHICAGO (AP) — All-Star weekend will be a homecoming for Common and Chance The Rapper. The NBA said Thursday night that the Grammy winners will be headline performers at the All-Star Game in Chicago on Feb. 16. Chance The Rapper and Common were both born in Chicago. Common will deliver remarks about what basketball means to the city before he introduces the All-Star rosters before the game. Chance The Rapper and some guests will perform at halftime.

UNDATED (AP) — North Central placed five players on The Associated Press Division III All-America team, including quarterback Broc Rutter, ahead of its first appearance in the NCAA championship game. The Illinois college beat perennial powerhouse Mount Union in the second round of the playoffs. It will face Wisconsin-Whitewater on Friday for the national title. Rutter, a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy given to Division III’s best player, is joined on the first team by four teammates: running back Ethan Greenfield, offensive lineman Sharmore Clarke, receiver Andrew Kamienski and defensive back Jake Beesley.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 11 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 111-104 in a showdown of the NBA’s top teams. Antetokounmpo had seven assists and a career-best five 3-pointers, and George Hill added 21 points off the bench for the Bucks. Milwaukee improved to 25-4 after ending an 18-game winning streak against Dallas on Monday night.  James had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season, and Anthony Davis had 36 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles. The Lakers dropped to 24-5.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Green Bay Packers can clinch the NFC North by beating the Vikings in Minnesota this week. They’ve already won 11 games in Matt LaFleur’s first year. One more victory would make him just the 10th coach in NFL history with a dozen or more in his debut season. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers credits the simplicity of LaFleur’s approach for the success of the team, after missing the playoffs in each of the past two years. The Vikings need help to win the division even if they defeat the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium, where Green Bay has never won.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer have a lengthy history facing each other. As well as a strong respect for each other’s abilities. Zimmer’s defense, as usual, will present a big challenge for Rodgers and Co. Minnesota enters this week’s games ranked sixth with 18.5 points allowed per game. At home, where the Vikings are 6-0 this season and 3-0 against Green Bay since U.S. Bank Stadium opened in 2016, they’re allowing just 14.2 points per game.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dana Rettke had 19 kills, Molly Haggerty added 15 and Wisconsin beat Baylor 25-27, 25-21, 25-17, 25-19 to advance to the NCAA women’s volleyball championship match. Seeking their first title, the Badgers will face defending champion Stanford in the final Saturday night. The Cardinal swept Minnesota in the second semifinal.  Rettke also had eight blocks, and Tiffany Clark added 18 digs for Wisconsin. The Badgers are 3-0 in national semifinals, also winning in 2000 and 2013 before falling in the finals both times. Yossiana Pressley led Baylor with 25 kills and 16 digs.