ew Page 597 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

No. 11 Vanderbilt ready to close out perfect nonconference slate vs. New Haven
The Vanderbilt Commodores return to the court for the first time in eight days Monday when they host the New Haven Chargers in Nashville. However, the 11th-ranked Commodores will enter their final nonconference game of the regular season without a key playmaker.,Frankie Collins, a reserve guard, rec...

Alvaro Folgueiras learning role for No. 25 Iowa with UMass Lowell up next
If Iowa's final game before Christmas was any indication, junior transfer Alvaro Folgueiras might be about to play up to the form that earned the forward the Horizon League Player of the Year honors a season ago at Robert Morris.,During the Haweyes' 94-39 blowout of Bucknell on Dec. 20 in Des Moines...

Blackhawks may remain short-handed vs. slumping Pens
A season-high six-game losing streak may be in the rearview, but the Chicago Blackhawks still have the trouble of skating without injured forwards Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar for a bit longer.,Some subtle line shuffling helped the Blackhawks during Saturday's 4-3 shootout victory in Dallas, and th...

Minus key piece, Lakers out to shore up defense vs. Kings
One team eager to show off a new weapon and another beginning a stretch without one of its big guns go head-to-head Sunday night when the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers duel in Southern California.,The Kings and Lakers met once earlier this season, but a whole lot has changed since Los Ange...

Surging Canadiens return from break to face Lightning
With their return from holiday break not occurring until Sunday's game at the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves in one of their best standings positions.,The Habs entered the break solely in second place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, but they are now tied f...

Leafs looking way up at Wings in Atlantic Division race
The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs enter their matchup on Sunday at the opposite ends of the Atlantic Division spectrum.,Host Detroit holds a tenuous lead in the division, while Toronto resides in the cellar. Both teams will come into the contest on short rest.,The Red Wings lost 5-2 on t...

David Rittich, Isles eye 3rd straight win in visit to Jackets
One of the most popular cliches in football is that any team with two starting quarterbacks really has none.,The New York Islanders are learning the same is not true when it comes to a hockey team and goaltenders.,The Islanders will look to continue their strong play without injured No. 1 netminder ...

ECHL, players reach tentative deal to end strike; unclear when play will resume
One day after ECHL players initiated a midseason strike, the league and the Professional Hockey Players' Association agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement Saturday to halt the strike.,The tentative deal, which requires ratification from the league's board of governors and full player membe...

Knicks extend hot stretch, sneak past free-falling Hawks
OG Anunoby scored 15 points and hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to help the visiting New York Knicks hang on for a 128-125 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.,Atlanta erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and took the lead on a 3-pointer by Onyeka Okongwu with 2:01 remaining. Aft...

No. 25 North Texas edges San Diego State in wild New Mexico Bowl
Caleb Hawkins ran for 198 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries and caught a pass for another score as No. 25 North Texas outlasted short-handed San Diego State 49-47 on Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque.,The Mean Green (12-2) won a dozen games in a season for the first time while snap...

No. 25 North Texas outscores San Diego State in wild New Mexico Bowl
Caleb Hawkins ran for 198 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries and caught a pass for another score as No. 25 North Texas outlasted short-handed San Diego State 49-47 on Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque.,The Mean Green (12-2) won a dozen games in a season for the first time while snap...

No. 2 Michigan puts unbeaten record up vs. battle-tested McNeese
Dusty May insists that No. 2 Michigan has not yet reached its peak.,"We've played well, but this team still has another gear that we can shift into and take it to another level," the Wolverines coach said. "There's no doubt.",That could be scary news for upcoming opponents.,Michigan (11-0) will look...

Scuffling Oregon hosts Omaha in non-conference finales for both
Oregon will play Omaha on Sunday night at Eugene, Ore., in the final nonconference matchup of the season for both programs.,Oregon (6-6) enters as a 20.5-point favorite, but Omaha (7-7) is riding a four-game winning streak entering the game.,Oregon has lost six of its last eight games, including a 9...

No. 18 Arkansas continues tough schedule with contest vs. James Madison
With Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. dominating the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week Award, the No. 18 Razorbacks and their emerging star turn their attention to the next opponent in what has been a testing schedule.,The Razorbacks (9-3) will host James Madison (7-6) in Fayetteville, Ark...

Surprising Celtics look to add to Blazers' road woes
Not having Jayson Tatum was supposed to make things extremely difficult for the Boston Celtics.,But 30 games into the season, Boston has won 19 and stands in third place in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics take aim at victory No. 20 when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.,Boston has...

Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo returns to starting lineup vs. Bulls
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a right calf strain on Saturday night, starting against the host Chicago Bulls.,The two-time MVP forward needed to clear pregame testing before he would play for the first time in 24 days, and the team confirmed his availability shortly before...

Yale looms as imposing threat to No. 14 Alabama
No. 14 Alabama looks to shake off a seven-day layoff Monday when it takes on a dangerous Yale team in the final nonconference tuneup for both squads in Tuscaloosa, Ala., ,The Crimson Tide (9-3) took a 21-point loss to No. 1 Arizona on Dec. 13, but have rebounded with consecutive wins in which they'v...

No. 3 Iowa State returns from 8-day break to take on Houston Christian
No. 3 Iowa State, fresh off an eight-day break, returns to close out its nonconference slate with a home game against Houston Christian on Monday night at Hilton Coliseum in Ames.,The Cyclones (12-0) have been one of the top teams in the country, impressing both offensively and defensively. They are...

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (back) inactive for game vs. Packers
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson has been downgraded from doubtful and is inactive for the Ravens' game Saturday night at Green Bay because of a back contusion.,The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player missed practice all week after being kneed in the back in the first half of the 28-24 loss Sunday ...

No. 23 Georgia takes historic offense into clash with Long Island
The No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs will try to keep high-scoring attack on track as they host Long Island on Monday in Athens in their final nonconference game of the season.,Georgia (11-1) leads the nation at 99.8 points per game. It was the highest scoring average of a Division I team on Christmas since ...