Day: November 26, 2021

By MARK DIDTLER, Associated Press LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Ochai Agbaji had 18 points and Christian Braun added 16 as No. 4 Kansas beat North Texas 71-59 in the first round of the ESPN Events Invitational on Thursday. Agbaji became the 63rd player to reach 1,000 points in Sneakers2090 Kansas history when he hit a 3 to open the scoring 2½ minutes into the game. The guard entered the game just one point away from the milestone. Kansas is looking to win its seventh in-season tournament in a row. “These events are important,” Kansas guard Remy Martin said. “We want to go home with the championship, ultimately. That actually motivates you, wanting to win, wanting to win the championship.” North Texas (2-2) got 23 points from Tylor Perry. All other s...

By LARRY LAGE, AP Sports Writer DETROIT (AP) — Matt Nagy still has a job and perhaps his team has a shot to salvage its season. Cairo Santos made a 28-yard game-ending field goal to give the slumping Chicago Bears a 16-14 victory over the winless Detroit Lions on Thursday. The Bears (4-7) ended a five-game losing streak under Nagy, Latest Jordan 2020 who was answering questions about his job status less than 48 hours before kickoff. Nagy said team chairman George McCaskey told the team on Wednesday the Patch.com report that the fourth-year coach was told he will no longer coach after the game in Detroit was not accurate. “We’ve been through some stuff, some distractions, the last couple days," Nagy acknowledged. “But it just proves who they are, wha...

By TALES AZZONI, AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Before any matches were played, Elias Ymer didn’t hesitate to say Sweden could succeed at the Davis Cup Finals despite being one of the lowest-ranked nations in the competition. He backed up his words with a great opening win on Thursday, Nike Air Force 1 Shadowthen cheered on his brother Mikael in the other singles match that clinched Sweden's victory over 2019 runner-up Canada in Group B. Top-ranked France and second-ranked Croatia also won on the opening day, while defending champion Spain was left without one of its biggest attractions after 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz tested positive for the coronavirus and had to be dropped from the squad. Spain was set to open play against Ecuador on Friday in Group A. ...

By AARON BEARD, AP Basketball Writer PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Michigan State followed a thrilling last-second win by blowing a big lead against a worn-down opponent and finding itself trailing late in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Tom Izzo's Spartans advanced anyway with toughness and tenacity in the game's critical moments for the second straight day. A.J. Hoggard hit the go-ahead free throws with 30.3 seconds Hoka Shoes left and Michigan State scored the final nine points to push past No. 22 Connecticut 64-60 in Thursday’s semifinals, earning a trip to Friday's championship game. “It’s something Coach has harped on us from the very beginning: just make the winning plays,” said Malik Hall, who had a big late steal and two free throws. "It's something he...

By SCHUYLER DIXON, AP Pro Football Writer ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders got the third-down help they needed from Dallas cornerback Anthony Brown. Daniel Carlson kicked a 29-yard field goal in overtime after Brown's fourth pass-interference penalty kept the drive alive, and the Raiders ended a three-game Hey Dude Shoes losing streak by beating the Cowboys 36-33 on Thursday. Carlson's career-best fifth field goal came after Brown was called for interference on Zay Jones on third-and-18. All four of Brown's interference penalties came on third-down incompletions. “The penalties obviously helped,” said Carr, whose 373 yards passing included a 56-yard touchdown to DeSean Jackson for the first points. “If they weren’t holding, we...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Retired Saints quarterback Drew Brees finally got a send-off from a packed and loud Superdome. With Brees calling Thursday night's game between New Orleans and Buffalo as part of the NBC broadcast team, the franchise chose to honor Brees on the field at halftime. With the Southern University band spelling out “Brees #9” Hey Dudes on the field, a montage of memorable moments from Brees career played on Superdome video boards before Saints owner Gayle Benson introduced Brees. Cheers erupted, quickly followed by elongated howls of, “Dreeew!” “We've experienced so many unbelievable moments on this field and in this city.," Brees said. "Thank you so much for loving us, thank you for embracing me and my family. We will always love you and we will alw...