45+ min ago (162+ words) Led by Amani Lyles' 25 points, the Akron Zips defeated the Milwaukee Panthers 105-81 Evan Mahaffey finished with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, six rebounds and three steals for the Zips (6-2). Shammah Scott had 14 points and went 6 of 9 from the field (1 for 3 from 3-point range). Danilo Jovanovich finished with 21 points and two blocks for the Panthers (3-5). Stevie Elam added 17 points and seven rebounds for Milwaukee. Seth Hubbard had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists. Akron took the lead for good less than four minutes into the game and it was 52-39 at halftime, with Lyles racking up 16 points. Akron pulled away with an 8-0 run in the second half to extend a 19-point lead to 27 points. The Zips outscored Milwaukee by 11 points in the final half, as Eric Mahaffey led the way with a team-high nine second-half points....

1+ hour, 35+ min ago (120+ words) Deandre Jones scored 19 points off the bench to help lead the Kent State Golden Flashes over the Penn State-Shenango Nittany Lions 123-59 Jones also contributed seven rebounds for the Golden Flashes (7-1), who have won seven in a row. Delrecco Gillespie added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Rayvon Griffith totaled 14 points and six rebounds. The Nittany Lions were led by Devin Alston, who posted 22 points and six rebounds. Darius Williams added 13 points. Kent State took the lead with 19:40 remaining in the first half and did not trail again. Griffith led their team in scoring with nine points in the first half to help put them up 60-17 at the break....

1+ hour, 55+ min ago (218+ words) Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas announced Saturday that he will retire from Congress after his term ends in 2026 to focus on family. Nehls, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump who has sported his mug shot on a T-shirt, said he called Trump to inform him of his plans. "President Trump has always been a strong ally for our district and a true friend, and I wanted him to hear it from me first," Nehls said on the social platform X. Nehls added via social media that he was endorsing his twin brother to succeed him in Congress. Trever Nehls said on Facebook that he would run for the seat and "stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump." The White House did not immediately respond Saturday night to an email seeking comment. Troy Nehls entered Congress in 2021 after about three decades in…...

2+ hour, 25+ min ago (452+ words) The Bearcats (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) finished the regular season on a four-game losing streak that started when they were ranked 17th and poised for a run to the Big 12 championship game, and possibly a spot in the College Football Playoff. Hoover answered the first of Brendan Sorsby's three TD tosses with a 69-yard scoring pass to Jordan Dwyer that gave the Horned Frogs (8-4, 5-4) a 21-7 lead late in the first quarter. TCU led 7-0 on Hoover's 3-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Manjack IV and had just taken possession on a punt midway through the first quarter when a lightning strike prompted a weather delay that included heavy rain. When play resumed on a soggy field, Hoover connected with Payne on a 44-yard catch and run and capped the 81-yard drive with a 17-yard scoring toss to Eric McAlister. Payne finished with 218 total yards. Leading 21-14 in…...

2+ hour, 45+ min ago (484+ words) Tadeo Allande scored three goals " Alba and Busquets, a pair of longtime Messi teammates who will retire when this season ends, had the assists on his first two " and Inter Miami topped New York City FC 5-1 on Saturday night for the Eastern Conference title and a berth in the MLS Cup final. Mateo Silvetti scored in the 67th minute for Inter Miami, with Messi setting up that goal " the 405th assist of his career for club and country, which is generally believed to be the most in soccer history. Telasco Segovia scored off a heel pass from Alba in the 83rd minute to turn it into a runaway, and Allande finishing off the hat trick in the 89th minute was the final play. Inter Miami " the No. 3 seed in the East " will play host to either San Diego or Vancouver for the league title…...

3+ hour, 25+ min ago (273+ words) The Sooners (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference, No. 8 CFP) are in position to host a first-round game after winning four straight. Mateer was 23 of 38 for 318 yards and two touchdowns, and Sategna caught nine passes for 121 yards. Oklahoma held the Tigers (7-5, 3-5) to 198 total yards and came up with a late stop to hold on. LSU converted on just two of 14 third downs. LSU played through rumors about its coaching situation. Brian Kelly was fired earlier and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has been rumored to be his replacement. Kiffin was expected to make an announcement about where he would coach next season, but had not done so before LSU's game ended. Michael Van Buren Jr. started at quarterback for LSU with Garrett Nussmeier still recovering from an abdominal injury. Van Buren passed for 96 yards and ran for 33. Oklahoma was on the move early in…...

3+ hour, 35+ min ago (175+ words) Led by Shareef Jackson's 11 points, the Lafayette Leopards defeated the Ball State Cardinals 55-37 at the Lafayette Classic the Leopards (2-6). Caleb Williams shot 4 for 16, including 1 for 8 from beyond the arc to finish with 10 points. The Leopards ended a five-game slide with the win. The Cardinals (2-5) were led in scoring by Juwan Maxey, who finished with 11 points. Ball State also got 10 points and eight rebounds from Armoni Zeigler. Davion Hill also had nine points, seven rebounds and two steals. Lafayette took the lead with 2:10 left in the first half and did not trail again. Humphrey led the Leopards with 10 points in the first half to help put them up 23-15 at the break. Lafayette pulled away with a 12-2 run in the second half to extend a five-point lead to 15 points. They outscored Ball State by 10 points in the final half, as Jackson led…...

4+ hour, 25+ min ago (670+ words) Playing at less than 100 percent, Smith and Tate helped the Buckeyes to a 27-9 victory over No. 15 Michigan that stopped a four-game losing streak against their archrivals. Smith's 32-yard touchdown reception with 11:44 remaining in the second quarter gave Ohio State a 10-6 lead. Tate then put it out of reach with a 50-yard TD that made it 24-9 midway through the third quarter. "If you really knew how much work they put in to get on the field and how gutsy they are, I'm sure the fans and everybody would just appreciate what they did going out there and putting it on the line," coach Ryan Day said. Tate, who missed three games after getting injured in pregame warmups against Purdue on Nov. 8, had five receptions for 82 yards. Smith, who did not play during the second half against UCLA on Nov. 15 and last…...

4+ hour, 31+ min ago (1275+ words) OXFORD " Thomas Gotkowski didn't look much like a freshman making his first college start with a trip to Detroit on the line. The redshirt freshman quarterback threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns as Miami rolled past Ball State 45-24 in the regular-season finale Saturday at Yager Stadium, sending the RedHawks to their third consecutive appearance in the Mid-American Conference Championship Game. Miami (7-5, 6-2 MAC) will face Western Michigan next Saturday at noon at Ford Field in Detroit. "It was awesome how we came out," Miami coach Chuck Martin said. "It's a must-win " you win and you get to play Western in the MAC championship, so everybody knows that. We talked all week that we had to come out fast and get after them and not wait." The RedHawks, who have spent much of the season digging out of slow starts, flipped the…...

5+ hour, 5+ min ago (270+ words) The Baltimore Orioles added Ryan Helsley to their bullpen on Saturday, agreeing to a two-year contract with the free agent reliever. Baltimore has been active as it looks to bounce back from a last-place finish in the AL East this year. The Orioles won the division in 2023 and made the playoffs as a wild card in 2024. Outfielder Taylor Ward was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels on Nov. 18. Injured closer F'lix Bautista agreed to a $2.25 million, one-year contract with Baltimore on Nov. 21, avoiding arbitration. Helsley became one of baseball's best relievers while spending his first six-plus seasons with St. Louis. The right-hander went 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 21 saves this year before he was traded by the Cardinals to the New York Mets on July 30. Helsley struggled in New York, going 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA in 22 appearances. He allowed…...