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TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Marcus Johnson scored 23 points and Javontae Campbell secured the victory with a free throw with 12 seconds remaining as Bowling Green knocked off New Mexico State 61-60 on Saturday. Johnson had five rebounds and three steals for the Falcons (3-5). Derrick Butler scored 15 points while going 4 of 15 from the floor, including 2 for 7 from 3-point range, and 5 for 5 from the line and added five rebounds. Campbell had 12 points and shot 1 of 9 from the field and 10 of 12 from the free-throw line. The Aggies (3-4) were led by Jaden Harris, who posted 18 points and nine rebounds. New Mexico State also got 10 points and seven rebounds from Robert Carpenter. Christian Cook finished with nine points and four assists. Campbell scored a team-high 12 points for Bowling Green in the second half, including their game-winner. NEXT UP Up next for Bowling Green is a Saturday matchup with Morgan State at home, and New Mexico State hosts Abilene Christian on Wednesday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Marcus Johnson and Bowling Green take down New Mexico State 61-60
Over the past two days, President-elect Donald Trump has made clear that he has designs for American territorial expansion, declaring that the United States has both security concerns and commercial interests that can best be addressed by bringing the Panama Canal and Greenland under American control or outright ownership. Trump’s tone has had none of the trolling jocularity that surrounded his repeated suggestions in recent weeks that Canada should become America’s “51st state,” including his social media references to the country’s beleaguered prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau.” Instead, while naming a new ambassador to Denmark — which controls Greenland’s foreign and defense affairs — Trump made clear on Sunday that his first-term offer to buy the landmass could, in the coming term, become a deal the Danes cannot refuse. He appears to covet Greenland both for its strategic location at a time when the melting of Arctic ice is opening new commercial and naval competition and for its reserves of rare earth minerals needed for advanced technology. “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World,” Trump wrote on social media, “the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.” On Saturday evening, he had accused Panama of price-gouging American ships traversing the canal, and suggested that unless that changed, he would abandon the Jimmy Carter-era treaty that returned all control of the canal zone to Panama. “The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous,” he wrote, just before an increase in the charges scheduled for Jan. 1. “This complete ‘rip-off’ of our country will immediately stop.” He went on to express worry that the canal could fall into the “wrong hands,” an apparent reference to China, the second-largest user of the canal. A Hong Kong-based firm controls two ports near the canal, but China has no control over the canal itself. Not surprisingly, the government of Greenland immediately rejected Trump’s demands, as it did in 2019, when he first floated the idea. “Greenland is ours,” Prime Minister Mute B. Egede said in a statement. “We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.” The Danish prime minister’s office was more circumspect, writing in a statement that the government was “looking forward to working with the new administration” and offering no further comment on Trump’s remarks. After Trump brought up the Panama Canal again in a speech on Sunday, Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino, said in a video that “every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zones is part of Panama, and it will continue to be.” He added: “Our country’s sovereignty and independence are not negotiable.” But the president-elect’s statements — and the not-so-subtle threats behind them — were another reminder that his version of “America First” is not an isolationist creed. His aggressive interpretation of the phrase evokes the expansionism, or colonialism, of President Theodore Roosevelt, who cemented control of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. And it reflects the instincts of a real estate developer who suddenly has the power of the world’s largest military to back up his negotiating strategy. Trump has often suggested that he does not always see the sovereignty of other nations’ borders as sacrosanct. When Russia invaded Ukraine, his first response was not a condemnation of the blatant land grab, but rather the observation that President Vladimir Putin’s move was an act of “genius.” Even now, as Trump seeks a deal to end the war in Ukraine, he has never said that the country’s borders must be restored, a key demand of the United States and NATO — he has only promised a “deal” to end the fighting. In the cases of Greenland and Panama, both commercial and national security interests are at play. Trump’s desire for Greenland was made explicit in the first term, when a wealthy New York friend of his, Ronald S. Lauder, the New York cosmetics heir, put the idea in his head. In the Trump White House in 2019, the National Security Council was suddenly delving into the details of how the United States would pull off a land acquisition of that size. Trump kept pressing the point with Denmark, which consistently rebuffed him. Trump was not the first president to make the case: Harry S. Truman wanted to buy Greenland after World War II, as part of a Cold War strategy for boxing out Soviet forces. Trump can make a parallel argument, especially as Russia, China and the United States jockey for control of Arctic routes for commercial shipping and naval assets. Arctic experts did not dismiss Trump’s Greenland bid as a joke. “Not that many people are laughing about it now,” said Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defense College in Denmark who focuses on Arctic security. Jacobsen noted that the reaction in Denmark to Trump’s latest bid had been one of fury (one Danish politician called it “an unusually strange way to be an ally”). But, he said, Greenlanders — who have long sought independence — may seek to use Trump’s interest as an opportunity to further strengthen economic ties with the United States. Since 2009, Greenland has had the right to declare its independence, but the vast territory of about 56,000 people is still heavily dependent on Denmark and has never chosen to pursue that path. Trump’s interest could give Greenland an opening for more U.S. investments, including in tourism or rare earth mining, he said. “Was it crazy when the U.S. acquired Alaska? Was it crazy when the U.S. built the Panama Canal?” asked Sherri Goodman, a former Pentagon official and a senior fellow with the Wilson Center Polar Institute, a Washington-based think tank. Goodman, whose book “Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security” centers in part on the Arctic, said the United States did have a strong interest in ensuring that China in particular does not develop a strong presence in Greenland. China’s ambitions in the Arctic have grown, and in 2018 it laid out plans to build infrastructure and develop shipping lanes opened by climate change. Goodman said the United States should continue to prevent China from gaining a foothold in the doorstep to North America, but said Greenlanders must decide their own fate. “We want to have all those territories proximate to our own mainland territory to protect us and also to prevent an adversary from using it to our strategic disadvantage,” Goodman said. “On the other hand, there is international law and international order and sovereignty, and Greenland is still a part of Denmark.” When it comes to Panama, Trump may also hold a distant personal grudge. In 2018, Panamanian police officers ousted the Trump Organization from the Trump International Hotel in Panama City after a protracted legal battle between the president-elect’s family and the majority owner of the property. The Trump name subsequently came down. The company had held a contract to manage the property. David L. Goldwyn, who served at the State Department under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, noted that Greenland has tremendous undeveloped natural resources, including more than 43 of the 50 so-called critical rare earth elements used to make electric vehicles, wind turbines and other clean technology. “Certainly if Greenland chose to develop these resources, it would provide a significant alternative to China, although it is China’s capacity to process those minerals which gives it its current advantage,” he said. But Goldwyn said that in addition to Denmark’s sovereignty, Trump might find that Greenland’s Indigenous communities do not want mining and resource extraction as much as he does. “It is highly unlikely resource extraction could be forced on an unwilling population,” he said. “A more fruitful path might be to collaborate with the Danish government and Greenland’s population on ways to safely and sustainably develop those resources.” This article originally appeared in The New York Times . © 2024 The New York Times Company
World Cup selection drives US sevens star Maher's move to Bristol
Rajasthan United FC staged a stunning second-half comeback to beat hosts Namdhari FC 3-1 in the I-League here on Saturday (November 30, 2024). Namdhari took a fortunate lead in the 18th minute when Rajasthan defender Wayne Vaz, under pressure from Akashdeep Singh, scored an own goal. The hosts dominated early, with Akashdeep coming close to doubling the lead in the 34th minute, only for Rajasthan goalkeeper James Kithan to deny him with a superb save. Rajasthan grew into the game and equalised in the 51st minute after William Neihsial was fouled in the box and Alain Oyarzun converted the resultant penalty with ease. Namdhari nearly regained the lead in the 70th minute, but Cledson Dasilva’s header drifted narrowly wide. Three minutes later, Seiminmang Manchong dribbled past multiple defenders and fired in a low shot that eluded goalkeeper Jaspreet Singh, putting Rajasthan ahead. Namdhari’s hopes faded after a red card in the 80th minute, and Wayne Vaz redeemed himself in the 85th minute, tapping in from close range to seal Rajasthan’s victory. Later in the evening, Dempo SC clinched their maiden victory of the season, defeating hosts Shillong Lajong FC 2-0. Goals from Pruthvesh Pednekar (53’) and Matija Babović (90’) sealed a crucial away win for Samir Naik’s men, building on their opening draw against Aizawl FC. The match began evenly, with Lajong’s Damaitphang Lyngdoh testing Dempo goalkeeper Ashish Sibi early on. Despite creating chances, Lajong failed to convert, with Daniel Gonçalves missing a key opportunity. Dempo’s disciplined defense soaked up the pressure, keeping the first half goalless. The Goan side shifted gears after the break when Pednekar broke the deadlock, heading home a corner from Cristián Pérez. Lajong’s attempts to equalise were thwarted by Sibi’s stellar saves, including a vital stop against Phrangki Buam. Babovic sealed the win in stoppage time with a sensational long-range strike that left Lajong goalkeeper Neithovilie Chalieu rooted. Published - December 01, 2024 05:12 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Football / sport
Trenton Politicians Deliver Good News For New Jersey Restaurant Owners
S&P/TSX composite up on shorter Christmas Eve session, U.S. markets also rise
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels rushed for 127 yards, throwing for another 227 and for three touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown pass to Zach Ertz. The Commanders staged a dramatic comeback from a 10-point deficit at half-time, sending them to the play-offs for the first time in four years. PLAYOFF BOUND!!!!!!!!!!!! — Washington Commanders (@Commanders) The win was enough to give the Los Angeles Rams the NFC West title as it ended the Seattle Seahawks hopes ahead of their meeting in the final week of the season. The Falcons need other results to go their way along with a win over the Carolina Panthers in their final game. Saquon Barkley became the ninth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season as the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East title with a victory over the Dallas Cowboys. The 27-year-old achieved the feat with a 23-yard run during the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ crushing 41-7 success at Lincoln Financial Field. Barkley is 100 yards short of Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards, set in 1984 for the Los Angeles Rams, ahead of next week’s regular season finale against the New York Giants. Single-season rushing record in reach. — NFL (@NFL) However, he could be rested for that game in order to protect him from injury ahead of the play-offs. The Minnesota Vikings scored their ninth consecutive win after hanging on to beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25. Sam Darnold threw touchdowns to Cam Akers, Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailer, pushing his total for the season to 35. The victory set up a final-week showdown with the Detroit Lions for both the division title and top seed in the NFC. The Miami Dolphins kept themselves in the play-off race with a 20-3 victory over the Cleveland Browns. With Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa out with a hip injury, replacement Tyler Huntly threw for 225 yards and a touchdown. he BAKED today 👨🍳 — NFL (@NFL) Miami will need to beat the New York Jets and hope the Denver Broncos lose to the Kansas City Chiefs to clinch the final AFC wildcard berth. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept alive their dreams of reaching the play-offs by overcoming the Carolina Panthers 48-14. Veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield produced a dominant performance at Raymond James Stadium, registering five passing touchdowns to equal a Buccaneers franchise record. The Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC conference number two seed for the post season with a 40-14 success over the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium. Josh Allen passed for 182 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another. Buffalo finish the 2024 regular season undefeated at home, with eight wins from as many games. The Indianapolis Colts’ hopes of reaching the play-offs were ended by a 45-33 defeat to the Giants. FINAL: Drew Lock accounts for 5 TDs in the victory! — NFL (@NFL) Malik Nabers exploded for 171 yards and two touchdowns and Ihmir Smith-Marsette broke a 100-yard kick-off return to give the Giants their highest-scoring output under head coach Brian Daboll. Quarterback Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and accounted for a fifth on the ground to seal the win. Elsewhere, Mac Jones threw two touchdowns to help the Jacksonville Jaguars defeat the Tennessee Titans 20-13, while the Las Vegas Raiders beat the New Orleans Saints 25-10.
OMAHA — Creighton did it again. In an in-state women’s college basketball series with Nebraska largely dictated by what happens beyond the 3-point arc, the Jays rallied with six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to beat No. 21 Nebraska 80-74 on Friday at Sokol Arena. At one point in the fourth quarter, the Jays made four straight 3-pointers. The Jays were 6 for 9 on threes in the fourth quarter and 13 for 29 for the game to give Nebraska its first loss to the season. The Jays outscored Nebraska by 24 points on 3-pointers. Creighton has won three straight in the series. Lauren Jensen had a game-high 31 points for the Jays with four 3s. Morgan Maly, a senior from Crete, scored 18. Alexis Markowski worked really hard for Nebraska, finishing with 26 points and 12 rebounds and calling for the ball inside where she often had an advantage. Britt Prince added 20 points in the first game against her hometown school. Nebraska led 55-52 to start the fourth quarter. For the final 10 minutes, one of the questions was how much did Markowski have left? And also, could the Huskers defend the 3-point line just a little longer? The Jays made two of their first three 3-point attempts to start the quarter to regain a 60-57 lead. Molly Mogensen had the first one, and Jensen the second for her fourth of the game. When Mogensen made another three the Jays led 72-66. The Jays sealed the deal when Prince missed a 3-pointer with seven seconds left and the Jays made their free throws. Nebraska led 22-19 after the first quarter. It was an entertaining start. The game started with Markowski going at Maly inside the paint, the Nebraska natives who played in the same club in Lincoln. There were five combined 3-pointers, with three for the Jays and two for Nebraska (each from Prince). Creighton used a 13-2 run that included three 3-pointers to take a 15-8 lead. But Nebraska got back in it with a steal and layup from Allison Weidner and a take to the basket from Callin Hake. Creighton added two more 3-pointers in the second quarter, but Nebraska was able to keep a lead at halftime 37-35. Reach the writer at 402-473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.com . On Twitter @LJSSportsWagner. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
CU Boulder ranks fourth in study abroad participation nationwideIt had been a wasteful night for Leeds United before Brenden Aaronson scored a goal-of-the-season contender. Derby County did their best to frustrate and deny the Championship leaders. They did it well until the 79th minute. But, as they have done all season, Leeds will pass and pass and pass again until they find a minuscule opening capable of hurting their opponents, and so they did with Aaronson’s winner eleven minutes from time. Leeds had other chances and it threatened to become a costly game in the title race, but the beauty of Aaronson’s goal — which takes his tally to seven for the season and earned him a man-of-the-match award — was worth enduring the frustration up to that point. It started with Ao Tanaka in the middle (shown below) as he spread the ball wide to Ethan Ampadu . The captain’s pass into the middle sparked the next string of passes, first to the feet of striker Joel Piroe and then on to Sam Byram wide on the left, completing a swing of possession from one flank to the other. The moment of incision, in a call back to some of the goals scored under Marcelo Bielsa, came with five clinical passes. Aaronson started the move from a deep position with five of his team-mates ahead of him in the box (shown as he receives a pass from Byram below). After drawing out two Derby players, Kenzo Goudmijn and Corey Blackett-Taylor , the U.S. international offloaded the ball to Ampadu ten yards behind him. Paired with Tanaka in central midfield for the game, Ampadu played the ball wide again to left-back Byram. Leeds have not been afraid to go back and recycle possession when needed this season, which is helped by creative defensive midfielders like Ampadu and Tanaka and two competent ball-playing centre-backs in Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon . When opponents regularly sit in and try to deny Leeds’ attacking threat, Struijk and Rodon step forward to form a crucial part of attacking moves. United had 61 per cent of the ball against Derby and have only had less than 50 per cent twice this season — in the 0-0 draw with West Bromwich Albion in August and the 4-3 away win at Swansea City in November. Advertisement They have become so used to having the ball, more than 70 per cent of it in seven of their 24 league games this season, that unlocking opponents in new ways demands the best of Farke’s attacking players. At times it looks like it will never happen, as was the case against a stubborn Derby, but quality counts and Leeds have it running through their squad. Substitutes Piroe and Manor Solomon were both involved in the goal. Though he has faced criticism for his subs in the past, Farke has said that “fortune favours the brave” when it comes to calling on his benched players to make an impact. It paid off at Derby. When Byram received the ball from Ampadu, a quick adjustment of his feet allowed him to play inside to Solomon. The winger’s deft roll to turn inside and ensure he was facing goal as Aaronson began his run into the penalty area was a key trigger in turning the move into a precise attacking moment. Timing is key here and Aaronson’s movement was proof of his development in the No 10 role in being able to make entries into the area at the right moment. As Aaronson made his run, Solomon’s square pass to Piroe drew three Derby players out of shape to allow the Dutchman to poke the ball through for the assist. There was still work to be done when Aaronson picked up the ball on the edge of the six-yard box but his calm finish past Jacob Widell Zetterstrom capped off a “perfect team move” in the eyes of his manager. “In the second half, my feeling was we missed too many chances to win such an away game,” Farke said after the game. “Even before the goal we had situations with Mateo, Largie, Brenden, Joe Rodon with a free header. But then we scored for me the goal of the season, unbelievable. I put it straight away into my poetry album and on such a difficult pitch. A perfect team move, Brenden with a perfect calm finish.” Patience, quick thinking and a clinical finish made Aaronson’s goal perfect as an isolated move and as a way of wrapping up 2024. Leeds end the year top of the Championship on a high of back-to-back away wins. Poetry indeed. (Top photo: Barrington Coombs/PA Images via Getty Images)
The USS Zumwalt is at a Mississippi shipyard where workers have installed missile tubes that replace twin turrets from a gun system that was never activated because it was too expensive. Once the system is complete, the Zumwalt will provide a platform for conducting fast, precision strikes from greater distances, adding to the usefulness of the warship. “It was a costly blunder. But the Navy could take victory from the jaws of defeat here, and get some utility out of (the ships) by making them into a hypersonic platform,” said Bryan Clark, a defence analyst at the Hudson Institute. The US has had several types of hypersonic weapons in development for the past two decades, but recent tests by both Russia and China have added pressure to the US military to hasten their production. Hypersonic weapons travel beyond Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, with added manoeuvrability making them harder to shoot down. Last year, The Washington Post newspaper reported that among the documents leaked by former Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira was a defence department briefing that confirmed China had recently tested an intermediate-range hypersonic weapon called the DF-27. While the Pentagon had previously acknowledged the weapon’s development, it had not recognised its testing. One of the US programmes in development and planned for the Zumwalt is the Conventional Prompt Strike. It would launch like a ballistic missile and then release a hypersonic glide vehicle that would travel at speeds seven to eight times faster than the speed of sound before hitting the target. The weapon system is being developed jointly by the Navy and Army. Each of the three Zumwalt-class destroyers would be equipped with four missile tubes, each with three of the missiles for a total of 12 hypersonic weapons per ship. In choosing the Zumwalt, the Navy is attempting to add to the usefulness of a 7.5 billion US dollars (£5.9 billion) warship that is considered by critics to be an expensive mistake despite serving as a test platform for multiple innovations. The Zumwalt was envisioned as providing land-attack capability with an advanced gun system with rocket-assisted projectiles to open the way for Marines to charge ashore. But the system featuring 155mm guns hidden in stealthy turrets was cancelled because each of the rocket-assisted projectiles cost up to one million dollars (£790,000). Despite the stain on their reputation, the three Zumwalt-class destroyers: Zumwalt, Michael Monsoor and Lyndon B Johnson; remain the Navy’s most advanced surface warships in terms of new technologies. Those innovations include electric propulsion, an angular shape to minimise radar signature, an unconventional wave-piercing hull, automated fire and damage control and a composite deckhouse that hides radar and other sensors. The US is accelerating development because hypersonics have been identified as vital to US national security with “survivable and lethal capabilities”, said James Weber, principal director for hypersonics in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies. “Fielding new capabilities that are based on hypersonic technologies is a priority for the defence department to sustain and strengthen our integrated deterrence, and to build enduring advantages,” he said.
Dundee boss Tony Docherty has floated the prospect that Vaclav Cerny was "maybe offside" before netting Rangers winner. But the Sportscene panel have backed up the VAR team over their call at Ibrox - noting that the only error in the build-up was a mistimed moment from Dee defender Antonio Portales. It was a narrow win for Philippe Clement's men after a week that had been dominated by conversations about the use of video technology following the penalty howler in the Premier Sports Cup defeat to Celtic. Cerny - who was hauled down by Liam Scales during the Hampden incident - was at the centre of the talking points again. He looked to have beaten the offside trap at Ibrox before rounding Trevor Carson to net the decisive goal on Saturday and move Rangers second in the Scottish Premiership . Nick Walsh in the VAR room checked the goal against last man Portales before awarding the strike. Looking back on the call, Docherty told Sky Sports: “Second half I’d asked the boys to be a wee bit braver in possession and I think we did that and I think we really gave Rangers a game. I’m really disappointed with the goal that we lose. ”I’ve not seen it back. I thought it was maybe offside. I don’t know. They’ve obviously checked it and it is obviously is onside going with the VAR decision." But the Sportscene panel were not having the case made by the boss. James McFadden said when looking back on the VAR check and Cerny strike: "When you commit so many bodies forward you leave yourself exposed at the back. Cerny is starting to really hit top form.” Neil McCann interjected: “Should Portales drop off here?” McFadden responded: ‘When you look at how deep they were in the first half then you are asking to get more bodies forward.” Stephen Thompson chimed in on the move from the defender: ‘You can see what he is trying to do, he just mistimes it horribly.” McFadden rounded off: ‘He does. That is the split second decisions that you make.” Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football.
Fox News contributor Karl Rove discusses the outrage over President Biden's pardons of death row inmates. President-elect Trump on Monday pledged to seek the death penalty for certain federal criminal defendants, days after President Biden controversially commuted the death sentences for 37 inmates. Biden's move to reclassify the death sentences to life without the possibility of parole was heavily criticized by Republicans and many Democrats. 'SQUAD' DEM APPLAUDS BIDEN FOR SPARING MURDERERS FROM 'RACIST' DEATH PENALTY IN 11TH-HOUR CLEMENCY MOVE President-elect Donald Trump points at AmericaFest, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Phoenix. On Monday, Trump pledged to have the Justice Department pursue the death penalty following President Biden's move to commute death sentences for 37 inmates. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri) "As soon as I am inaugurated, I will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from violent rapists, murderers, and monsters," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. We will be a Nation of Law and Order again!" In his message announcing the move, the White House said Biden's actions would prevent the incoming Trump administration from "carrying out the execution sentences that would not be handed down under current policy and practice." BIDEN SETS RECORD WITH FIRST-TERM CLEMENCY GRANTS, HERE'S HOW OTHER PRESIDENTS RANK Only three men on federal death row failed to meet Biden's requirements for having their sentences commuted. They are: Robert Bowers, the Tree of Life Synagogue shooter who killed 11 people in 2018; Dylann Roof, a White supremacist who killed nine Black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who worked with his now-dead brother to carry out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured hundreds. Trump spokesman Steven Chueng on Monday said Biden's action was a "a slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP During Trump's first term, 13 federal prisoners were put to death, the most under any president in a century. Upon taking office in 2021, Biden declared a moratorium on federal executions. Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com .UConn head coach Dan Hurley insists he's not overvaluing Wednesday night's game between his 25th-ranked Huskies and No. 15 Baylor in Storrs, Conn. Sure, it comes on the heels of the two-time reigning national champion Huskies (5-3) responding to losing all three games during the Maui Invitational with a blowout victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday. UConn, which had won 17 consecutive games entering the Maui tournament, fell 23 spots from No. 2 to nearly out of the Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday. "I think it's such a long season and we're eight games in," Hurley said when asked about facing the Bears. "Our performance in Maui shocked the college basketball world and the sports world, and obviously a lot went on there." "I don't think it's a must-win game in Game Nine of the season, but it's an opportunity to play in Gampel (Pavilion), where we play great and are very comfortable, and we know we're gonna have a great crowd." "We also know we're playing a top-level team, so it's a big game for us and it's a big game for them." Wednesday's game signifies the start of a tough stretch in UConn's schedule. The Huskies will visit Texas on Sunday and challenge No. 7 Gonzaga in New York on Dec. 14 before beginning Big East play on Dec. 18 against Xavier, which fell from No. 22 to out of the poll on Monday. But let's go back to Saturday's 99-45 dismantling of the Hawks. Jaylin Stewart started in place of the injured Alex Karaban (head) and joined Liam McNeeley by scoring 16 points to put UConn back in the win column. Solo Ball contributed 12 points, Aidan Mahaney had 11 and Tarris Reed Jr. (10 points, 12 rebounds) and Jayden Ross (10 points, 10 rebounds) each recorded a double-double. "This experience they're getting, (Stewart), Jayden Ross, Solo Ball, these guys are going to keep getting better and better," Hurley said. "Jaylin Stewart has flashed. That Memphis game (in which he scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting), he flashed a lot in that one. "... These sophomores are just going to keep getting better and better. That's why I do think we do need the grace and support of our people here at UConn. Because they're going to be such different players in January and February." Coming off a split in the Bahamas, Baylor (5-2) bounced back from a 77-62 setback to then-No. 11 Tennessee on Nov. 22 with a decisive 91-60 victory over New Orleans last Wednesday. "I know we're all a little tired," Bears coach Scott Drew said. "Whenever you come back from the Bahamas and a trip like that, the first game, you can be playing in mud. And I think the guys did a pretty good job, for the most part." Jayden Nunn drained six of his seven 3-pointers in the first half and finished with a season-high 23 points to power Baylor past the Privateers. Robert Wright III scored 18 points, Jeremy Roach had 17 and Miami transfer Norchad Omier recorded his third consecutive double-double after finishing with 12 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. --Field Level Media
By MICHAEL R. SISAK NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs tried for a third time Friday to persuade a judge to let him leave jail while he awaits his sex trafficking trial, but a decision won’t come until next week. Judge Arun Subramanian said at a hearing that he will release his decision on Combs’ latest request for bail after Combs’ lawyers and federal prosecutors file letters addressing outstanding issues. Those letters are due at noon on Monday, Subramanian said. Combs’ lawyers pitched having him await trial under around-the-clock surveillance either his mansion on an island near Miami Beach or — after the judge scoffed at that location — an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Their plan essentially amounts to putting Combs on house arrest, with strict limits on who he has contact with. But prosecutors argue that Combs has routinely flouted jail rules and can’t be trusted not to interfere with witnesses or the judicial process. “The argument that he’s a lawless person who doesn’t follow instructions isn’t factually accurate,” Combs lawyer Anthony Ricco argued. “The idea that he’s an out-of-control individual who has to be detained isn’t factually accurate.” Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years with help from a network of associates and employees while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings. His trial is slated to begin May 5. The Bad Boy Records founder remains locked up at a Brooklyn federal jail, where he spent his Nov. 4 birthday. Two other judges previously concluded that Combs would be a danger to the community if he is released and an appeals court judge last month denied Combs’ immediate release while a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals weighs his bail request. Friday’s hearing was the second time Combs was in court this week. On Tuesday, a judge blocked prosecutors from using as evidence papers that were seized from his cell during jail-wide sweep for contraband and weapons at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. As he entered through a side door, Combs waved to relatives including his mother and several of his children in the courtroom gallery, tapping his hand to his heart and blowing kisses at them. He then hugged his lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, before taking a seat at the defense table. He was not handcuffed or shackled and wore a beige jail uniform, occasionally pulling a pair of reading glasses from his pocket as he peered at papers in front of him. Prosecutors maintain that no bail conditions will mitigate the “risk of obstruction and dangerousness to others” of releasing Combs from jail. Prosecutors contend that while locked up the “I’ll Be Missing You” artist has orchestrated social media campaigns aimed at tainting the jury pool. They allege that he has also attempted to publicly leak materials he thinks would be helpful to his case and is contacting potential witnesses via third parties. “Simply put, the defendant cannot be trusted,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik argued. Combs’ lawyer Teny Geragos countered that, given the strict release conditions proposed, “it would be impossible for him not to follow rules.”QWP not to back undemocratic steps: Sherpao