Gabby Williams leads Valkyries to WNBA championship in second season, beating Dream 68-63 in Game 7
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gabby Williams scored her team’s final 11 points of the third quarter and dazzled through the fourth on the way to 30 points, and the Golden State Valkyries captured a championship in just their second season by beating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in a sensational first WNBA Finals Game 7. Jordin Canada scored 18 points, Allisha Gray 16 and Angel Reese eight points and 12 rebounds for the Dream, denied another championship in the franchise’s fourth try.
Fletcher's go-ahead score, Lightfoot's defensive play help No. 1 Miami rally past UNC 38-35
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Mark Fletcher Jr. punched in the go-ahead 2-yard touchdown on fourth down with 7:49 left and No. 1 Miami’s defense followed with a critical takeaway on a struggle-filled Saturday night to hold off North Carolina 38-35 and avoid a seismic upset. Marquise Lightfoot stripped UNC's Billy Edwards Jr. from behind for a critical takeaway after Fletcher's score. Miami added Darian Mensah's TD throw to Malachi Toney to make it a two-possession game. Edwards threw for a season-high 341 yards to go with four touchdowns for UNC, which had a shot at a huge win under NFL coaching icon Bill Belichick.
USC stuns No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 with big plays from Jayden Maiava, freshman Trent Mosley
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California has stunned No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 for the biggest win of head coach Lincoln Riley’s tenure. Jayden Maiava passed for 222 yards and a touchdown, and King Miller and Waymond Jordan rushed for scores while USC rebounded from a bad loss to unranked Wisconsin last week to beat a top-12 team for the first time in Riley’s half-decade in charge. Freshman sensation Trent Mosley made a 69-yard TD catch on the second play from scrimmage. Buckeyes freshman quarterback Luke Fahey passed for 260 yards in his first career start.
No. 4 Indiana forces overtime with a 60-yard FG then beats Minnesota 23-16
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Backup quarterback Grant Wilson threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker on the first play of overtime, and No. 4 Indiana came up with a stop on Minnesota’s possession to close out a 23-16 victory Saturday. Indiana (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) needed overtime for the second straight week to avoid a potentially damaging second loss as it tries to defend the national championship. Last week, the Hoosiers beat won 13-6 at Michigan. And this one looked was over when the Golden Gophers (5-3, 3-2) took a 16-13 lead with 19 seconds to go on Luke Drzewiecki’s career long 60-yard field goal. But Charlie Becker’s 33-yard catch set up Paddy McAteer for a career-long 60-yarder to tie it as time expired.
No. 2 Ohio State continues season of chaos with 38-10 loss to Southern California
Call it the college football season of chaos. A year of top-10 teams falling like leaves in October continued with No. 2 Ohio State’s 38-10 loss to Southern California. Playing without injured quarterback Julian Sayin, the Buckeyes struggled to keep up with the once-ranked Trojans to become the fourth team ranked No. 2 or higher in the AP Top 25 to lose in the past four weeks. That’s 11 top-10 teams to lose in the same span. Top-ranked Miami nearly made it losses by Nos. 1-2 for the second time this season before scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns to hold off North Carolina 38-35. No. 17 SMU, No. 20 Northwestern, No. 24 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Wisconsin also lost.
Other women contacted police about previous incidents with Packers' Josh Jacobs after his arrest
The Hobart/Lawrence Police Department in Wisconsin has released records related to Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs' battery case that noted multiple other women had contacted them to detail allegations against him from years beforehand. Jacobs pleaded no contest Sept. 10 to misdemeanor counts of battery and criminal damage to property. He has played two games for the Packers since the NFL removed him from the commissioner's exempt list.
No. 3 Georgia takes advantage of 4 turnovers by No. 17 Florida to beat Gators 27-8
ATLANTA (AP) — Chris Cole returned a fumble recovery 66 yards for a touchdown and No. 3 Georgia took advantage of four turnovers by No. 17 Florida to beat the Gators 27-8. Tramell Jones Jr., Florida’s second quarterback, fumbled when sacked by Quintavius Johnson late in the first half. Cole picked up the loose ball and scored on his second long fumble return of the season. Georgia enjoyed a strong recovery from its last-second 27-24 loss to Auburn on October 17. Aaron Philo was benched after throwing two interceptions in his return as Florida's starting quarterback.
LeBron James is 41 and feeling young in Philly. He had his best game yet with the 76ers
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — LeBron James has delivered a standout performance for the 76ers in his 24th NBA season. He played a crucial role in a 98-93 win over the Knicks, showcasing his enduring skills. James scored the go-ahead bucket and nearly achieved a triple-double. Coach Nick Nurse praised it as his best game of the season. James tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the fifth-oldest player to score 20 points in a game. The Sixers are off to a strong start, with James enjoying his time with the team. His leadership and experience are proving invaluable.
AL champion Rays pick up $20 million option on ace pitcher Drew Rasmussen for 2027
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The AL champion Tampa Bay Rays have exercised their $20 million option on ace pitcher Drew Rasmussen. Tampa Bay picked up its 2027 club option rather than pay Rasmussen a $500,000 buyout. The two-time All-Star can become a free agent after next season. Rasmussen earned a $5.5 million salary this year. The option price for 2027 increased from $8 million to $20 million because he remained healthy throughout the 2026 season and made at least 28 starts. The 31-year-old Rasmussen went 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA in 30 starts during the regular season, helping the Rays to an AL East title. He was 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA in five postseason starts as Tampa Bay won its third pennant before losing to Milwaukee in the World Series.
With NASCAR championship in sight, Kyle Larson isn’t expecting an early clinch at Martinsville
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — With NASCAR history waiting to be made at Martinsville Speedway, Kyle Larson acknowledges he is tempted by the tantalizing possibility of wrapping up the Cup Series title Sunday. But he isn’t counting on becoming the first driver in 23 years to clinch the championship before the season finale. Larson has a 73-point lead over Denny Hamlin after a last-lap rally for his first victory at Talladega Superspeedway, his third win through eight of 10 races in the Chase. If Larson leaves Martinsville with a 77-point margin, he will be assured of a second consecutive Cup title and his third overall.
