Update on the latest sports
APNHL-SCHEDULE
Lafrenière scores 2nd of season, Rangers beat Capitals 4-1
UNDATED (AP) — No. 1 pick Alexis Lafrenière (lah-FREHN’-yehr) scored his second NHL goal to help the New York Rangers beat the Washington Capitals 4-1.
Artemi Panarin (ahr-TEH’-mee pah-NAH’-rihn) had two assists in the Rangers’ second consecutive victory. Ryan Strome had a goal and an assist and made history as the first player to record 100 points apiece with the Rangers and Islanders. Kaapo Kakko was a surprise scratch after being added to the league’s COVID protocol list.
The Capitals struggled to match the Rangers’ energy early in a game moved up to an afternoon start and had their winning streak snapped at two.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
— Sam Reinhart scored two goals and the Buffalo Sabres snapped a four-game losing streak with a much-needed 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils. Defensemen Colin Miller also scored and Linus Ullmark made 25 saves for the Sabres, who had not won since beating the Devils in a shootout on Jan. 30. The Devils welcomed center Nico Hischier for his first game this season by naming him the captain.
NHL-NEWS-OUTDOOR GAME-ICE CONDITIONS
Bright sun, poor ice delay outdoor NHL game at Lake Tahoe
STATELINE, Nev. (AP) — The setting was spectacular but the ice conditions were far from it, leading to an extended delay between the first and second period of the outdoor game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche at Lake Tahoe. The NHL decided to halt the game for more than eight hours on Saturday after bright sun and temperatures hovering around freezing led to poor ice conditions. Players and officials were repeatedly falling because of holes on the ice.
The NHL also announced that Sunday’s game between Boston and Philadelphia will be moved back by more than five hours to avoid the bright sunshine that is causing issues for the first game this weekend.
T25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Alabama holds off Vanderbilt
UNDATED (AP) — Jaden Shackelford scored a season-high 27 points and No. 8 Alabama came from behind to beat Vanderbilt 82-78 and move a step closer to a Southeastern Conference championship. The Crimson Tide moved within a win of clinching at least a share of its first regular-season title in 19 years despite an off 3-point shooting performance.
Jahvon Quinerly made a late 3-pointer and a clinching free throw with 2 seconds left to help Alabama quell the upset bid by the Commodores, who went nearly five minutes without a basket but stayed in it at the free-throw line. Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 24 points and made 12 of 14 free throws for Vanderbilt.
In other men’s top 25 action:
— Ayo Dosunmu had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season, Kofi Cockburn scored 22 points in 24 minutes, and No. 5 Illinois cruised past Minnesota 94-63. This was the seventh consecutive victory for the Illini. Trent Frazier added 15 points and six steals for Illinois, which improved to 15-5 overall and 12-3 in the Big Ten.
— Collin Gillespie scored 20 points and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 10 Villanova to a 68-60 victory over UConn. Justin Moore added 11 points for the Wildcats, who clamped down defensively in the second half. James Bouknight, in his second game back after missing eight due to elbow surgery, scored 21 points for the Huskies.
— Sean McNeil and No. 13 West Virginia erased a 19-point deficit in the second half, then withstood a flurry of last-second misses to hold off No. 12 Texas 84-82 on Saturday. The Longhorns missed two shots and the front end of a one-and-one foul chance in the last eight seconds. Courtney Ramey scored a career-best 28 points for Texas and Matt Coleman III had 20.
— Isaiah Jackson scored 16 points and Kentucky matched a season high with its third straight win, using an early run to top No. 19 Tennessee 70-55. The Wildcats improved to 8-13 overall and 7-7 in the SEC. Davion Mintz hit all five of his 3-point shots in the first half and finished with 15 points for Kentucky. Victor Bailey scored 18 points for Tennessee, which is 15-6.
— Dru Smith and Mark Smith helped No. 20 Missouri build a large first-half lead and snap a three-game losing streak with a 93-78 victory over South Carolina. Dru Smith scored 17 points and Mark Smith 13. Missouri finished with five players in double figures. AJ Lawson had a game-high 22 points to lead South Carolina.
— Christian Braun hit a corner 3 with 24 seconds left, David McCormack scored 17 points and No. 23 Kansas beat No. 15 Texas Tech 67-61. Braun’s 3 made it a two-possession game and essentially locked up the win for the Jayhawks. Texas Tech played its first game in 10 days but has dropped two straight.
TENNIS-AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Osaka beats Brady to claim 4th Slam trophy
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Naomi Osaka has won her fourth Grand Slam trophy by pulling away to beat Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3 in the Australian Open final.
Tonight, Novak Djokovic (NOH’-vak JOH’-kuh-vich) will play Daniil Medvedev (DAN’-ihl MEHD’-veh-dehv) in the men’s final.. No. 1-ranked Djokovic is aiming to win his ninth Australian Open championship and 18th Grand Slam title overall. He is 8-0 in finals at Melbourne Park and is trying to close the gap with rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most Slam trophies won by a man. They each have 20. Medvedev is in his second major final. He lost to Nadal at the 2019 U.S. Open. Medvedev is on a 20-match winning streak that includes 12 wins against Top 10 opponents.
PGA-GENESIS INVITATIONAL
Wind wreaks havoc at Riviera, delays Genesis Invitational
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The third round of the Genesis Invitational has resumed after a four-hour delay from high wind.
The wind was strong enough to move golf balls around and off the green. And when it toppled a piece of communications equipment, that was enough for officials to get everyone off the golf course.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS
Indians ace Bieber reports to camp after COVID-19 bout
UNDATED (AP) — American League Cy Young winner Shane Bieber has reported to training camp in Arizona with the Cleveland Indians after recovering from COVID-19.
The right-hander took part in drills Saturday. The Indians will hold their first full-squad workout in Goodyear, Arizona, on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Bieber was baseball’s best pitcher during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Bieber led the majors in wins, ERA and strikeouts, a rare Triple Crown for pitchers.
In other developments related to the pandemic:
— The Columbus Blue Jackets have received permission from state authorities to allow a limited number of fans at games starting next week. Nearly 2,000 fans — 10% of Nationwide Arena’s capacity — may attend the last 16 home games, beginning March 2 against Detroit. Fans must complete an online check-in questionnaire and wear masks.
— Saturday night’s men’s basketball game between Texas A&M and Arkansas has been postponed because of an array of coronavirus issues. The Aggies will remain on pause until further notice.
— North Carolina has found another nonconference schedule addition. The school announced that the Tar Heels will host Marquette on Wednesday, which comes after they had a fourth game postponed in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Three of those postponements have been home games.
SKI-WORLD CHAMPIONSHPS
Shiffrin dethroned in slalom but takes home four medals
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin has been dethroned as the four-time defending champion in slalom but won bronze Saturday after also medaling in her previous three events at the world championships.
Austrian skier Katharina Liensberger won the women’s slalom, ending Shiffrin’s streak of four straight world titles in the discipline. Liensberger posted the fastest time in both runs to beat Petra Vlhova of Slovakia by one second. Shiffrin was 1.98 behind.
