Update on the latest sports - KVIA El Paso

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Buckeyes can’t stem Tide

MIAMI (AP) — Alabama appears to be poised to win another national championship in college football.

The top-ranked Crimson Tide carried a 35-17 lead into the second half following a 28-point second quarter against No. 3 Ohio State.

Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith are showing why they were Heisman Trophy finalists. Jones was 25 of 30 for 342 yards and four TDs by halftime. Smith had 12 receptions for 215 yards and three scores by intermission, six days after winning the Heisman.

Najee Harris had 45 yards rushing and five receptions for 66 yards and a TD.

Jaylen Waddle is back on the field for the Tide following a long injury absence. Waddle had a 15-yard reception in the opening half.

It was a quiet first half for Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields, one game after throwing for six touchdowns in the CFP semifinals against Clemson. Fields was just 6 of 15 for 90 yards and no TDs or interceptions through two quarters.

Ohio State running back Trey Sermon left the game with an injury and isn’t expected to return. Sermon was taken to the locker room after the Buckeyes’ first offensive series.

Master Teague carried 12 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns by halftime as Sermon’s replacement.

NFL-EAGLES-PEDERSON

Eagles fire coach Doug Pederson

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The only head coach to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl victory finds himself out of work.

Doug Pederson has been let go less than three years after he led the Eagles to a Super Bowl win over New England in his second season with the team. Pederson was 42-37-1 in five seasons, guiding the Eagles to two division titles and three playoff appearances before going 4-11-1 this season.

Elsewhere in the NFL:

— Browns coach Kevin Stefanski expects to be back with his team on Thursday after missing Sunday night’s 48-37 playoff win over Pittsburgh with COVID-19. Stefanski said he lost his sense of taste, but otherwise has only experienced mild symptoms. Cleveland plays the Super Bowl champion Chiefs on Sunday in Kansas City.

— Patriots coach Bill Belichick is passing on an invitation to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom this week. The six-time Super Bowl winning coach did not say explicitly that he had turned down the offer from President Donald Trump, instead explaining “the decision has been made not to move forward with the award” in the wake of last week’s deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol. Belichick added that “remaining true to the people, team and country I love outweigh the benefits of any individual award.”

NBA-SCHEDULE

Beal ends Wizards’ latest slide

UNDATED (AP) — There’s a faint rainbow arcing over the Washington Wizards’ season after they lost two starters on consecutive days.

The Wizards ended a three-game skid and improved to 3-8 as Bradley Beal pumped in 34 points in a 128-107 rout of the Suns. Beal also had eight rebounds and nine assists, two days after sitting out a game against Miami because he was in the NBA’s health and safety protocol.

It was Washington’s first game since center Thomas Bryant suffered a partially-torn ACL on Saturday. The Wizards also are without Russell Westbrook, who will be out at least a week with a left quadriceps injury.

Phoenix fell to 7-4 despite Devin Booker’s 33 points.

In Monday’s other NBA action:

— Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nis an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) returned from a one-game injury absence and scored 22 points for the Bucks in a 121-99 thumping of the Magic. Khris Middleton finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, while Bobby Portis chipped in 20 points. Nikola Vucevic (nih-KOH’-lah VOO’-cheh-vihch) had 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead the short-handed Magic, who have lost three straight since Markelle Fultz was lost to a season-ending knee injury.

— Trae Young scored 26 points and the Hawks stopped a four-game losing streak with a 112-94 victory over the 76ers. Young provided the first three baskets in a 15-2 run that started the second half, putting Atlanta ahead, 80-52. Joel Embiid (joh-EHL’ ehm-BEED’) had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Sixers, who used nine players after having just seven available for Saturday’s loss to the Nuggets.

— Gordon Hayward contributed 34 points and the Hornets picked up their fourth straight win by blasting the Knicks, 109-88. Devonte Graham had 19 points and seven assists for Charlotte, and P.J. Washington had 13 points as the Hornets handed the Knicks their third straight defeat. Kevin Knox had a team-high 19 points for New York, which committed 17 turnovers leading to 24 points.

— Dillon Brooks furnished 21 points and the Grizzlies recovered after blowing a 16-point lead to beat the Cavaliers, 101-91. Brandon Clarke scored 15 points and Tyus Jones had 13 points, seven assists and three steals to help Memphis earn its second straight win. Cavaliers center Andre Drummond had 19 points and 14 rebounds for his 11th straight double-double to start the season.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NBA

Two more NBA games affected

UNDATED (AP) — The NBA has called off two more games because of COVID-related and contact tracing issues.

The league postponed Monday’s game in Dallas between the Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans as well as Tuesday’s matchup in Chicago between the Bulls and the Boston Celtics. Those moves come one day after Miami’s game in Boston was called off because of contact-tracing issues within the Heat, who were bracing to be without multiple players for the next several days, AP was told.

NBA-NETS-IRVING

No word on Irving’s return to Nets after he misses 3 games

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets say there’s no update on Kyrie Irving’s return to the team.

Irving has missed the last three games for personal reasons. Head coach Steve Nash has said it’s a private matter and has refused to say much about Irving’s absence.

Nash did say that he believed Irving was tested for the coronavirus on Sunday, though he wasn’t sure about Monday.

Elsewhere in the NBA:

— Wizards point guard Russell Westbrook is expected to sit out a week with an injured left leg that has bothered him since the start of the NBA season. Washington is scheduled to play five games through next Monday as the team tries to recover from a 2-8 start. Westbrook is averaging 19.3 points, 11.3 assists and 9.7 rebounds through seven games with the Wizards but is shooting just 37.8%.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL POLL

Gonzaga still on top

UNDATED (AP) — Gonzaga and Baylor remain atop The Associated Press men’s basketball poll for the seventh consecutive week in the regular season. The Zags received 63 first-place votes from a national media panel and the Bears had one.

Villanova, Texas and Iowa rounded out a top 5 that remained the same from last week. Sixth-ranked Kansas is followed by Michigan, Creighton, Wisconsin and Tennessee.

No. 25 Connecticut moved into the poll for the first time since reaching No. 18 in 2016-17. Louisville is back in the rankings at No. 16 and Ohio State returned at No. 21. Rutgers, Michigan State and Florida State tumbled out.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Baylor-West Virginia postponed

UNDATED (AP) — The men’s basketball game Tuesday between No. 13 West Virginia and No. 2 Baylor in Waco, Texas, has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues with the Mountaineers.

West Virginia said in a statement that it will work with Baylor and the Big 12 to reschedule the game.

Both teams last played on Saturday.

Also, Nebraska has paused team activities because of a positive COVID-19 test in the program, causing Wednesday’s game against No. 14 Illinois to be postponed. A positive COVID-19 test left the Cornhuskers without starting a starting forward in a loss to Indiana on Sunday.

T25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE

Huskies win first game since making AP poll

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut picked up a victory just hours after cracking the AP men’s basketball poll.

The 25th-rated Huskies improved to 7-1 by scoring the last eight points in a 60-53 victory over DePaul. R.J. Cole finished with 12 points, including a 3-pointer that sparked the game-ending run.

Tyrese Martin provided a team-high 18 points for the Huskies, who played their second straight game without top scorer James Bouknight due to an elbow injury.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-HALL OF FAME

Carson Palmer, Bob Stoops lead college Hall of Fame class

UNDATED (AP) — Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer and former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops are among the 13 former players and coaches who make up the latest College Football Hall of Fame class to be inducted in December.

Joining Palmer and Stoops will be running backs Darren Sproles of Kansas State and C.J Spiller of Clemson; offensive tackles Harris Barton of North Carolina and Aaron Taylor of Notre Dame; defensive stars David Fulcher of Arizona State and Dan Morgan of Miami; Kenneth Sims of Texas; Andre Tippett of Iowa and Al Wilson of Tennessee. Former Eastern Illinois quarterback and current CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo was also selected for induction to the Atlanta-based hall along with former Florida A&M coach Rudy Hubbard.

NHL NEWS

NHL to host 2 outdoor games in Lake Tahoe this season

UNDATED (AP) — The NHL is taking its outdoor series to Lake Tahoe.

The league announced it will hold two games on an outdoor rink set up at Edgewood Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada. Vegas will play Colorado on Feb. 20 and Boston faces Philadelphia on Feb. 21. The temporary rink will be set up on the 18th hole at Edgewood, site of the annual American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament.

GOLF-BRITISH OPEN-TRUMP

R&A says no plans to award the Open to Trump’s Turnberry

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — The chief executive of the R&A says Donald Trump’s ownership of Turnberry will prevent the Scottish course from staging the British Open for “the foreseeable future.”

Turnberry hasn’t hosted the tournament since it was bought by Trump in 2014. R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers says his organization has no plans to award Turnberry the tournament “until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself.”

Slumbers’ comments came a day after the PGA of America voted to take the PGA Championship event away from Trump’s New Jersey golf course next year.

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