w Page 678 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Multiple questions remain in plane crash that killed NASCAR legend Greg Biffle, 6 others
The identity of the pilot and other questions remained Saturday as investigators searched through wreckage of the private plane crash that killed seven people, including 55-year-old NASCAR legend Greg Biffle, two days earlier in Statesville, N.C. ,Biffle, his wife Cristina, and their children Emma a...

Braden Huff seeks suitable encore as No. 7 Gonzaga faces Oregon
Braden Huff attempts to follow up a near-perfect outing when No. 7 Gonzaga faces off with Oregon on Sunday on a neutral floor in Portland.,Huff scored a career-high 37 points on 16-of-18 shooting during Wednesday's 98-70 home rout of Campbell. He made all 12 of his first-half attempts.,Huff's output...

Lakers' Marcus Smart fined $35,000 for obscene gesture
Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart has been fined $35,000 for making an obscene gesture toward a game official at halftime of his team's 143-135 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday in Salt Lake City, the NBA announced Saturday.,With the Lakers losing 78-73 at the end of the second period, Smar...

Skidding Hawks look to get right vs. suddenly trending Bulls
The Atlanta Hawks will try to regain their footing on Sunday when they host the resurgent Chicago Bulls for the first leg of a two-game series.,Atlanta has lost six of its last eight games and was blown out 126-98 in its last game vs. San Antonio on Friday.,The Bulls have won two straight and three ...

Balanced effort boosts Syracuse past Northeastern
Junior guard Naithan George had 22 points, six rebounds and six assists to lead Syracuse to a 91-83 nonconference victory over visiting Northeastern on Saturday.,Kiyan Anthony added 18 points off the bench for Syracuse (8-4), which received 14-point performances from William Kyle III, Nate Kingz and...

Michael Ajayi's strong outing lifts Butler over Northwestern
Michael Ajayi piled up 19 points and a career-high 20 rebounds as Butler held on for a 61-58 victory over Northwestern in the opener of the Indy Classic doubleheader on Saturday in Indianapolis., ,Ajayi's ninth double-double of the season, tied for second-most in the nation, enabled the Bulldogs (9-...

Senators score 3 3rd-period goals to extend Blackhawks' skid
David Perron scored two goals early in the third period to lift the host Ottawa Senators to a 6-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.,Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk scored his fourth goal in three games, and Tim Stutzle collected a goal and two assists to record his fifth multi-point perf...

Wild extend winning streak to 7 with victory over Oilers
Matt Boldy scored a pair of goals, and the Minnesota Wild pulled away for a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minn.,Vladimir Tarasenko added a goal and an assist for Minnesota, which won its seventh game in a row. Ryan Hartman and Nico Storm scored one goal apiece...

Penguins aim to put a stop to 7-game rut at Canadiens
The Pittsburgh Penguins are reeling going into their road game against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.,The Penguins lost their seventh straight (0-3-4), 4-0 to the host Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.,"We're going to have to grind it out," Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang said. "Try to...

Rejuvenated Iowa State has 'tremendous focus' with Long Beach in town
After a week off, a refreshed No. 4 Iowa State hosts Long Beach State on Sunday in Ames, Iowa., ,Last Sunday, the Cyclones (11-0) rolled to a 78-53 home win over Eastern Illinois then took a break for finals., ,Milan Momcilovic scored 18 points to lead a balanced scoring effort that saw four players...

Aston Villa aim to continue unbeaten streak in clash vs. Manchester United
Third-place Aston Villa will look to extend its six-match Premier League unbeaten streak when it hosts a seventh-place Manchester United side whose manager says is still combating club culture issues despite on-field improvement.,The Villains (10-3-3, 33 points) have won nine consecutive matches acr...

No. 5 UConn seeks to defeat DePaul for 21st straight time
After playing just one true road game during nonconference play, No. 5 UConn concludes the first week of Big East play with a Sunday afternoon trip to Chicago to face DePaul.,The Huskies (11-1, 1-0 Big East) rode Solo Ball's career-high 26 points to a 79-60 Tuesday win over Butler in Hartford. It wa...

Michigan still eager for tree topper with La Salle on tap
What does one gift the team that needs as little in its stocking as No. 2 Michigan appears to have just before Christmas?, ,Ahead of Sunday's game against visiting La Salle in Ann Arbor, Wolverines coach Dusty May has an idea., ,"This is a big week for us not to let off the gas," he said. "Treat it ...

No. 20 Tennessee, Ja’Kobi Gillespie ready for lowly Gardner-Webb
No. 20 Tennessee is eyeing another nonconference victory Sunday when it hosts Gardner-Webb in Knoxville, Tenn.,The Volunteers (8-3) are coming off an impressive victory over No. 11 Louisville, winning comfortably by double figures, 83-62, on Tuesday. It marked the second time this season Tennessee h...

Cowboys activate CB Trevon Diggs from IR
The Cowboys activated cornerback Trevon Diggs from injured reserve Saturday, making him available to play for the first time in more than two months when Dallas hosts the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.,In a corresponding move, cornerback DaRon Bland, who is expected to have surgery on his left foot...

Kings star C Domantas Sabonis (knee) to miss 4 to 5 more weeks
Sacramento Kings standout center Domantas Sabonis will miss an additional four to five weeks as he recovers from a partially torn meniscus in his left knee.,Sabonis, who has already been out a month, will miss his 14th straight game Saturday night when the Kings host the Portland Trail Blazers. Sacr...

No. 16 Alabama looks to protect the glass against Kennesaw State
No. 16 Alabama is searching for a better rebounding effort Sunday when it faces high-octane Kennesaw State in Huntsville, Ala.,Led by Labaron Philon's 22.4 points per game, Alabama (8-3) has no trouble scoring the ball, ranking seventh in the nation with a 94.1 ppg clip. The Crimson Tide's commitmen...

Iowa State QB to transfer, could follow former coach to Penn State
Quarterback Rocco Becht will leave Iowa State and enter the transfer portal to "pursue new opportunities for my senior season," he posted on social media Saturday.,"I've had meaningful conversations with Coach Jimmy Rogers, and I'm confident he will elevate this program to new heights," Becht posted...

Sabres fire associate general manager Jason Karmanos
The Buffalo Sabres fired associate general manager Jason Karmanos on Saturday, just five days after Jarmo Kekalainen assumed the top GM role on the team.,Karmanos also served as general manager of the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.,"We thank Jason for his contributions to the Buf...

Ducks F Frank Vatrano fined $5K for unsportsmanlike conduct
Anaheim Ducks forward Frank Vatrano was fined $5,000 by the NHL for unsportsmanlike conduct for his actions against Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars in a game Friday night.,The fine, which was handed down Saturday, is the maximum allowable under the league's collective bargaining agreement.,Vatra...