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South Carolina’s star quintet ready for one last NCAA run

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:14:25 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s “Freshies” are ready for one last dance.The Gamecocks’ incomparable quintet of players — led by All-American Aliyah Boston and leading scorer Zia Cooke — arrived to enormous promise in 2019-20 and have more than lived up to those expectations with three regular-season Southeastern Conference titles, three league tournament crowns, two Final Fours and last year’s national championship.“I think we’ve build such a great bond, ‘The Freshies’ group,” Boston said Thursday. “To be on the last go-round with them, it’s just, like, super fun.”Undefeated South Carolina (32-0) will start defending its NCAA crown Friday against No. 16 seed Norfolk State (26-6). Eighth-seeded South Florida (26-6) plays No. 9 seed Marquette (21-10) to open the day in Columbia. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley lured four of the country’s top 11 players in 2019, even coming off a down year — for her, anyway — finishing second in the SEC and getting knocked out in the Swee...

Mets’ Díaz expected to miss season with torn patellar tendon

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:14:25 GMT

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz has a torn patellar tendon and is expected to miss the entire season after hurting his right knee while celebrating a victory in the World Baseball Classic.Mets general manager Billy Eppler said Díaz would undergo surgery Thursday. Without going into specifics, Eppler said a general timeline for recovery from this type of injury is about eight months.“There are instances where athletes have come back earlier, more around the six-month mark,” Eppler told reporters. “But those are a little bit more of the exception than the rule.”Díaz, who turns 29 next week, retired the side in order in the ninth inning of a 5-2 victory over the Dominican Republic on Wednesday night that sent Puerto Rico to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals. As Díaz and his teammates jumped together in the infield, the right-hander collapsed and reached for his right leg. He was taken off the field in a wheelchair.“Edwin Díaz is a great human being an...

Pegues’ 3 gives No. 13 seed Furman 68-67 win over Virginia

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:14:25 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — JP Pegues made a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining, and No. 13 seed Furman completed a rally from a 12-point second-half deficit to hand fourth-seeded Virginia another first-round NCAA Tournament loss, 68-67 on Thursday.Making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 43 years, the Paladins (28-7) advanced to the second round in the South Region, where they will play either fifth-seeded San Diego State or 12th-seeded Charleston on Saturday.Furman earned its first tournament berth since 1980 by beating Chattanooga for the Southern Conference title, capping a season-long quest to redeem itself after losing the league’s automatic berth to the Mocs on a 35-foot buzzer-beater in last year’s Southern final.In the aftermath of that loss, Jalen Slawson and his best friend, Mike Bothwell, both decided to return for their fifth seasons with the Paladins. Slawson took over the game when Bothwell fouled out, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.Kihei C...

UMBC’s legacy: No. 1 can mean one-and-done in March Madness

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:14:25 GMT

They are the five letters no No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed ever wants to see: upset.Thursday marks the five-year anniversary of University of Maryland-Baltimore County — the tiny school few fans had ever heard of, let alone picked in their bracket — pulling off the biggest upset in college basketball history by beating the tournament’s top seed in Virginia.That’s the same Virginia team that got upset in the first round on Thursday, falling to No. 13 seed Furman on a last-second 3-pointer — which drew a quick, knowing reaction from UMBC Athletics’ Twitter account.UMBC’s lasting legacy became this: If you don’t watch out, No. 1 can mean one-and-done.While there were some close calls before 2018, No. 1 seeds had gone 135-0 before UMBC routed Virginia 75-54 at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center. Now they are 1-147. Like the men, the women’s side of March Madness has seen only one 16 knock off a 1: Harvard over Stanford in 1998.On Thursday, three more No. ...

March Madness: Maryland wins; Virginia falls; Howard competes in NCAA men’s basketball tournament

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:14:25 GMT

As March Madness gets underway, the University of Maryland Tarrapins came up victorious while the University of Virginia suffered a heartbreaking upset.Meanwhile, D.C.’s Howard University, making its first appearance in the tournament since 1992, was struggling to hang on against the defending national champions.More Sports NewsMore College Basketball NewsUniversity of MarylandSouth Bracket: No. 8 Maryland defeats No. 9 West Virginia 67-65 in Birmingham, AlabamaAfter a rocky start in their first appearance in the dance after missing it last year, the Maryland Terrapins found a way to pull away from the West Virginia in a thriller 67-65. It was the team’s largest comeback win of the season as they trailed by as many as 13 points.Julian Reese led the team with 17 points and nine rebounds. Hakim Hart had 15 points, including a steal and dunk that put the Terps ahead to stay with 3:44 left.It was the seventh meeting between the two schools since 1987 and they did not disappo...

New Hampshire Senate passes GOP-backed parents’ rights bill

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:14:25 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A “parents’ bill of rights” that critics say is designed to target transgender youth passed New Hampshire’s Republican-led Senate on Thursday.Much of the debate among lawmakers focused on provisions to require school officials, when asked by parents, to disclose that a child is using a different name or being referred to as being a different gender. Supporters said the bill would strengthen family relationships, while opponents argued it violates the constitutional right to privacy and the state’s anti-discrimination laws. Many states with Republican-controlled legislatures have enacted similar measures, fueled by some parents’ frustration with schools that boiled over during the coronavirus pandemic. And in the U.S. House, a parents’ rights bill was the first legislation that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy formally announced — fulfilling a major part of last year’s GOP campaign platform. New Hampshire Sen. Donovan Fenton, a Democrat from Keene, ...

Sabres preach patience to a young squad in playoff race

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:14:25 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Sabres captain Kyle Okposo is one of the oldest players on one of the NHL’s youngest teams, and takes care to present a patient front in the midst of a late-season playoff push. Though Okposo would like nothing more than to end a league-worst 11-year playoff drought, the soon-to-be 35-year-old understands there are lessons to be learned and steps that can’t be skipped. Before the Sabres embarked on their current three-game trip, Okposo said the team was close.“And if you were to say before the year we would be in this spot, most people would have laughed,” he added. “So we’re getting there. We just have to keep pushing and we have to continue to know that what we’re doing works, and we cannot become impatient with the results.”It’s a challenge for a team on which the majority of players are experiencing an NHL playoff race for the first time. “It’s a different pressure than last year,” Okposo said, referring to how a team that was already out of contention...

State earns more than $15M in seized assets proceeds in last 4 years

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:14:25 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A new bill would touch tens of millions in civil asset forfeiture revenue for police, attorneys and cities.Under Colorado law, law enforcement, district attorneys, cities and other agencies are allowed to seize property suspected of being linked to a crime. This is a civil action separate from the criminal prosecution - the agencies can take the assets whether or not the owner is found guilty of the crime. Photos: 2 arrested after front-door ‘booby trap’ injures visitor Recently, legal movements in some U.S. cities and states have attempted to put more oversight on civil asset forfeiture or abolish it entirely. Colorado is one of those states. HB23-1086, titled the Due Process Asset Forfeiture Act, would allow agencies to seize assets only if defendants are found guilty of a crime. Sponsored by Colorado Representative Ken DeGraaf, an El Paso County Republican, it would also link the seizure to the criminal case rather than creating a separate civil case. Colorado...

Denver weather: Sunshine returns with a slow warming trend

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:14:25 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The light snow has moved out of Denver's weather for the rest of tonight. Snow totals were on the light side as predicted by Pinpoint Weather, Colorado’s Most Accurate Forecast.Snow reports across northern ColoradoWeather tonight: Slow clearing and coldSnow showers will still be possible across the southern areas of Colorado. For Denver and the Front Range skies will slowly clear and the wind will become light. This will lead to a cold night with overnight lows in the teens and 20s.Forecast overnight low temperatures by Friday morning from Pinpoint WeatherWeather tomorrow: Sunshine returns but still a chilly dayWe will have mainly sunny skies across metro Denver and the Front Range. There will be passing clouds at times. The wind will still be out of the north/northeast. That will keep temperatures on the chilly side with highs forecast in the 40s. At this time of year Denver's average high should be closer to the upper 50s.High temperatures for Friday across Colorad...

Man pleads guilty in 2015 murder case

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:14:25 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A man arrested two years ago in connection to a 2015 murder pleaded guilty to a second-degree murder charge last week, the Denver District Attorney's Office said in a release Thursday. Nicholas Lujan, 29, was arrested in 2021 by the Denver cold case team after years of investigation into the murder of 61-year-old Jose Frias-Olivas. $20K reward for information on East Colfax homicide “This was a horrific murder and I am very proud of our Cold Case Unit and that of the Denver Police Department for working long and hard to get justice for Mr. Frias-Olivas,” Denver DA Beth McCann said.Frias-Olivas was shot and killed in Harvard Gulch Park West on Aug. 15, 2015. He was visiting his daughter in southwest Denver when he left her home mid-morning to take a walk and was shot in broad daylight. DA's Office: Police match DNA to LujanThe DA's release said Lujan's DNA matched what was found on the murder weapon's magazine. Other DNA was found but Lujan was considered a poss...