l Page 558 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Venus Williams receives Australian Open wild-card entry
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams received a wild-card entry into the main draw of this month's Australian Open, event organizers announced Friday in Australia (Thursday night U.S.).,Williams, 45, last competed in Melbourne in 2021 when she lost in the second round to Italy's Sara Errani...

Seattle in pursuit of Washington sweep against No. 7 Gonzaga
Seattle University has a chance at a rare superfecta when it travels to Spokane, Wash., to meet No. 7 Gonzaga on Friday night,The Redhawks could claim the unofficial state championship.,Seattle (12-3 overall, 1-1 West Coast Conference) has already defeated Eastern Washington, Washington and Washingt...

Zion Williamson peaking in lineup as Pelicans host Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers begin their 2026 schedule on Friday when they continue a three-game road trip against the slumping New Orleans Pelicans. ,New Orleans put together a season-best five-game winning streak from Dec. 11-22 - a run that began with the Pelicans' 143-120 rout of Portland - but th...

No. 1 Indiana rolls at Rose Bowl, hands No. 9 Alabama worst bowl loss
Fernando Mendoza threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns to lead top-seeded Indiana to a 38-3 blowout of ninth-seeded Alabama in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Thursday in Pasadena, Calif.,The Hoosiers advance to the semifinals and will take on fifth-seeded Oregon on Ja...

Cold-shooting Rutgers resumes Big Ten action vs. Ohio State
Rutgers will need to find some better shot-making when it resumes Big Ten play by battling Ohio State on Friday in Piscataway, N.J.,Despite shooting 29.8% from the field, Rutgers (7-6, 0-2 Big Ten) beat Delaware State 65-50 Monday. The Scarlet Knights collected a season-high 52 rebounds in the victo...

No. 16 Louisville's defense could cause trouble for stagnant Stanford
Louisville will wrap up its California road trip on Friday, looking to start 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play as the No. 16 Cardinals square off against the Stanford Cardinal.,The Cardinals (11-2, 1-0 ACC) are coming off one of their better victories of the season, a 90-70 win over Cal that sna...

Depleted Bulls look to build win streak vs. Magic
Aiming to secure a winning record in a three-game road trip that concludes with Friday's visit to the Chicago Bulls, the Orlando Magic will look to build upon a clutch performance that boosted them Wednesday.,Paolo Banchero swished the go-ahead layup with 7.5 seconds left to lift the Magic to a 112-...

Unbeaten outdoors, Rangers hit Miami for Winter Classic vs. Panthers
The New York Rangers' perfect record in outdoor games will be on the line Friday when they face the Florida Panthers in the 2026 Winter Classic at Miami's loanDepot Park.,The franchise is 5-0 outdoors, the most wins without a loss of any NHL team. Previously, the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers...

Jrue Holiday nearing a return for Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday is making progress from his right calf strain and is nearing a return to play, the team said Thursday.,Holiday has missed 22 consecutive games. The Trail Blazers said he has been cleared for on-court basketball activities and his availability will be based o...

Dylan Guenther's hat trick leads Mammoth to demolition of Islanders
Dylan Guenther collected his first career hat trick and Nick Schmaltz scored twice Thursday for the Utah Mammoth, who rolled to a 7-2 win over the New York Islanders Thursday in Elmont, N.Y.,Mikhail Sergachev and Clayton Keller also scored for the Mammoth, who finished with just 20 shots.,The seven ...

Dominant No. 2 Michigan resumes Big Ten play vs. No. 24 USC
A Top 25 showdown ushers in 2026 and the meat of this season's Big Ten schedule when second-ranked Michigan hosts No. 24 Southern California on Friday in Ann Arbor, Mich.,The Wolverines (12-0, 2-0 Big Ten) aim to extend their best start for the program since the 2018-19 team won 17 straight to open ...

Rare late-game stumble motivates Knicks against Hawks
The New York Knicks spent much of December offering evidence they are serious contenders to win their first NBA title in more than 50 years.,The last day of the month (and the year) served as a reminder the Knicks are still a work in progress.,The Knicks will look to bounce back from a rare fourth-q...

Injury-riddled Nuggets visit suddenly healthy Cavaliers
Much of the luster was taken away from the Denver Nuggets' only regular-season visit to Cleveland when superstar center Nikola Jokic hyperextended his left knee on Monday and was ruled out until at least late January.,The games must go on, though, and the Cavaliers will host the injury-plagued Nugge...

Golden Knights eye improved defense, return to winning vs. Blues
To pull out of their recent downturn, the Vegas Golden Knights must clean up their play in their own zone.,They are 1-4-2 in their last seven games coming into their contest against the host St. Louis Blues Friday afternoon. The Golden Knights allowed four or more goals in five of those games.,"When...

Rams sign S Quentin Lake to 3-year extension as he nears IR return
On the same day they designated his return to practice from injured reserve, the Los Angeles Rams announced a three-year extension for safety Quentin Lake on Thursday.,The team didn't disclose terms, but ESPN reported it's a $42 million deal with $25.7 million guaranteed.,Lake has missed the Rams' l...

Senators edge Capitals 4-3 to halt losing spell
Fabian Zetterlund scored with 2:22 remaining to lift the host Ottawa Senators to a 4-3 win against the Washington Capitals on Thursday.,Zetterlund scored on a one-timer from just below the left hash marks after receiving a backhand pass from Thomas Chabot on the rush, shortly after Aliaksei Protas h...

No. 5 Oregon defense stifles No. 4 Texas Tech in Orange Bowl shutout
Brandon Finney Jr. intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble and No. 5 Oregon advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 23-0 victory over No. 4 Texas Tech on Thursday afternoon in the Orange Bowl at Miami Gardens, Fla.,Matayo Uiagalelei had a key strip-sack for the Ducks (13-1),...

AFC North title on the line when Steelers host Ravens
Sunday marks the fourth time in seven seasons that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens close the regular season against one another.,The stakes haven't been higher than they are for this Week 18 clash.,Pittsburgh (9-7) can clinch the AFC North title with a win or tie, while Baltimore (8-8) ...

Contending for the NFC's No. 2 seed, Eagles seek familiar sweep of Commanders
The NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles will attempt to sweep the visiting Washington Commanders for the sixth time in nine seasons on Sunday afternoon.,The Eagles (11-5) won both meetings with Washington (4-12) in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023 and registered a 29-18 victory two weeks ago in Lan...

Philip Rivers says he's done with NFL, heading 'back to the sideline'
Philip Rivers confirmed that his NFL career will be over once the Indianapolis Colts' season ends this weekend.,The 44-year-old came out of retirement a month ago after the Colts lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a season-ending injury. He made three starts -- all losses -- and said he is re...