w Page 340 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Denny Hamlin's father dies after fire at NASCAR star's home
NASCAR driver/owner Denny Hamlin's father, Dennis, died from injuries suffered in a fire at his son's house, Gaston County Office of Emergency Management and Fire Services announced Monday.,The fire in Stanley, N.C., which was reported at 6:19 p.m. ET on Sunday, led to Dennis Hamlin, 75, and his wif...

Dylan Grant double-double helps Rutgers put away Delaware State
Dylan Grant scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds to help Rutgers pull away in the second half to defeat visiting Delaware State 65-50 Monday night.,The Scarlet Knights (7-6, 0-2 Big Ten) shot 30% percent from the floor (17 of 57), but made 24 of their 29 attempts from the free throw line. Rutgers,...

No. 11 Vanderbilt stays undefeated with easy win over New Haven
Tyler Tanner scored 23 points, and Jalen Washington added a career-high 21 for No. 11 Vanderbilt, which finished its nonconference slate undefeated by overpowering New Haven 96-53 on Monday.,The Commodores (13-0) were without their full arsenal on Monday. Reserve guard Frankie Collins was already ou...

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic (knee) questionable to return vs. Heat
Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic limped off the court in discomfort after injuring his left knee in the closing seconds of the first half of the Denver Nuggets' clash with the host Miami Heat on Monday.,The Nuggets announced at the start of the half that Jokic was questionable to return.,Teammate Spe...

Leaning on Ebuka Okorie, Stanford opens ACC play vs. Notre Dame
Ebuka Okorie and Stanford hope to kick off ACC play on a high note as they host Notre Dame on Tuesday.,The Cardinal (11-2) are 7-2 at home this season and currently riding a four-game winning streak. Okorie posted 32 points in a 77-68 win against Colorado on Dec. 20 and had 30 points in an 88-80 vic...

Josh Dix, Creighton eye 3-0 Big East start against Butler
While a challenging nonconference schedule did not go exactly to plan, Creighton will have a chance to extend a perfect start to Big East play when Butler visits Omaha, Neb., on Tuesday.,Creighton (8-5, 2-0 Big East) enters on a three-game winning streak, collecting the first two of those victories ...

Texas A&M F Mackenzie Mgbako (foot) out for season
Starting forward Mackenzie Mgbako will not return this season for Texas A&M after re-injuring his foot, the team confirmed Monday.,Mgbako, a former five-star prospect, transferred to Texas A&M after two productive years at Indiana. He missed the first five games of the season due to a Jones fracture...

Report: Denver Summit FC adding Ayo Oke for NWSL record fee
Ayo Oke, a defender for Mexico's Pachuca, is joining Denver Summit FC for what would be an NWSL record transfer fee for an American player, according to an ESPN report Monday.,Denver, a 2026 expansion squad, will pay Liga MX Femenil's Pachuca nearly $450,000 for Oke, per the report. By comparison, i...

No. 7 Gonzaga out to extend win streak vs. San Diego to 20
No. 7 Gonzaga looks to defeat San Diego for the 20th consecutive time when the teams square off Tuesday night in West Coast Conference play.,The Bulldogs (13-1, 1-0 WCC) enter with six straight victories as they play on the Toreros' home floor for the last time before leaving the WCC for the Pac-12....

Lincoln Riley shreds Notre Dame for end of series with USC
Southern California coach Lincoln Riley said Notre Dame is to blame for the longtime rivalry between the two schools coming to at least a temporary pause.,The schools, which first faced off in 1926, have met every season since 1947 with the exception of the 2020 season that was disrupted by COVID-19...

Now proving pesky for contenders, Jazz prepare to host Celtics
Utah is quickly becoming a problem NBA playoff contenders can't solve.,The Jazz notched two straight victories against some of the league's top teams heading into Tuesday night's game against the Boston Celtics in Salt Lake City. They earned wins over Detroit and San Antonio in back-to-back days ove...

Reports: Dodgers trade OF Esteury Ruiz to Marlins
The Miami Marlins are acquiring outfielder Esteury Ruiz from the Los Angeles Dodgers, multiple reports said Monday night.,The Dodgers will acquire 18-year-old pitching prospect Adriano Marrero from Miami in the deal, beisbolfr.com reported.,Ruiz, 26, led the American League in steals (67) when playi...

Ailing 76ers, Grizzlies seek all-around efforts
Memphis Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo has endured a first half of the season in which his team has battled injuries at every position, from star guard Ja Morant to second-year big man Zach Edey.,The Grizzlies have battled through the shortcomings to play close to .500 through 32 games. But minus Ede...

No. 25 Iowa wallops UMass Lowell to close nonconference slate
Bennett Stirtz scored a team-high 22 points Monday and added eight assists as No. 25 Iowa finished up its nonconference schedule with a 90-62 rout of UMass Lowell in Iowa City.,Cam Manyawu and Alvaro Folgueiras each added 14 points, while Tavion Banks made all five shots he attempted in finishing wi...

Cal has concerns to fix ahead of ACC opener vs. No. 16 Louisville
Cal is off to its best start in more than 65 years. However, coach Mark Madsen's team faces its biggest test of the season so far when No. 16 Louisville travels to Berkeley, Calif., for both schools' Atlantic Coast Conference opener on Tuesday.,Neither team has played in more than a week. The Golden...

Improving under new coach, Miami opens ACC slate vs. Pitt
Jai Lucas will have a second debut in his inaugural season as the Miami Hurricanes' head coach.,Nine weeks after guiding the Hurricanes in their season opener and the start of their nonconference schedule, Lucas will experience another first on Tuesday. Winners of six straight, the Hurricanes open A...

Marquette, moving on with Zaide Lowry, tangles with Seton Hall
After a long Christmas break -- and a roster shake-up -- Marquette hosts Seton Hall in a Big East Conference tilt Tuesday night in Milwaukee.,The Golden Eagles (5-8, 0-2 Big East) have lost four in a row and made news over the weekend with the announcement that guard Zaide Lowery was no longer on th...

Isles hope to brush off blown lead as Blackhawks sort through hard stretch
After surrendering three goals in the closing minutes to lose at Columbus on Sunday, the New York Islanders are eyeing a turnaround Tuesday as they visit the slumping Chicago Blackhawks to close a two-game road trip.,Bo Horvat, who had one of New York's goals, called the 4-2 defeat in Columbus "two ...

Marcus Mariota still ailing, Josh Johnson could start again for Commanders
Marcus Mariota could be unavailable in Week 18 due to his injuries, giving veteran quarterback Josh Johnson his second straight start when the Washington Commanders close the season against the host Philadelphia Eagles.,Mariota injured his throwing hand and quadriceps in Week 16 against the Eagles a...

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (hand) ‘progressing,’ Week 18 status TBD
The Minnesota Vikings are undecided on whether quarterback J.J. McCarthy will play the season finale Sunday against the Green Bay Packers as he returns from a hairline fracture in his throwing hand.,McCarthy injured his right hand in Week 16 against the New York Giants and was not ready for the quic...