Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Roughnecks stay unbeaten by routing Renegades
Brandon Silvers threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns as the host Houston Roughnecks improved to 2-0 this season by knocking off the Arlington Renegades 23-14 on Sunday. Silvers hit wide receiver Cedric Byrd with a 15-yard touchdown about midway through the third quarter to extend Houston’s lead to 21-14, and running back Max Borghi added a 4-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.
Tennis-Djokovic ‘pain free’ as he prepares for return in Dubai
Novak Djokovic said he was now playing without pain after recovering from a hamstring injury as he prepares to return to the ATP Tour in Dubai this week following his record-extending 10th Australian Open title last month. Djokovic suffered a three-centimetre hamstring tear en route to winning the Adelaide warm-up event before claiming his 22nd Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park to go level with Rafa Nadal.
Soccer-Besiktas fans throw toys on field for children affected by earthquake
Besiktas fans threw thousands of stuffed toys onto the pitch during Sunday’s match against Antalyaspor to donate to children impacted by the earthquake in Turkey and neighbouring Syria. The Turkish Super Lig game, which ended 0-0, was paused after 4 minutes and 17 seconds to allow fans to throw the gifts onto the pitch. The earthquake first struck Turkey at 0417 local time on Feb. 6.
Soccer-Clinical Man Utd win League Cup in heartbreak for Newcastle
Manchester United crushed Newcastle United’s hopes of a claiming a first domestic trophy for nearly 70 years with a clinical 2-0 victory in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday. A header by Casemiro followed by an own goal by Sven Botman late in the first half silenced the hordes of Newcastle fans who flocked to the capital full of optimism as Manchester United went on to lift the trophy for a sixth time with relative ease.
Tennis-Britain’s Norrie flips the script to beat Alcaraz in Rio final
Britain’s Cameron Norrie fought back from a set down to beat world number two Carlos Alcaraz 5-7 6-4 7-5 in the Rio Open final on Sunday, turning the tables on the 19-year-old Spaniard after losing to him in the Buenos Aires decider a week ago. Norrie, who collected his first ATP title of 2023 and fifth overall, looked to be heading for a second straight defeat to the clay court tournament’s defending champion when he was broken in the second set.
NBA roundup: Damian Lillard erupts for 71 in Blazers’ win
Damian Lillard put on a memorable show and established career highs of 71 points and 13 3-pointers to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 131-114 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Sunday night. The 71 points tie for eighth most in NBA history. Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers also scored 71 earlier this season. Only Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain (five times, high of 100), Kobe Bryant (81) and David Thompson (73) have scored more points in an NBA game. Lillard scored 41 of his points before the break, the most first-half points by a player in franchise history.
NHL roundup: Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov caps hat trick in OT
Kirill Kaprizov capped his hat trick with a goal with 19.9 seconds remaining in overtime, and the Minnesota Wild rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday in Saint Paul, Minn. On a two-on-one in the waning moments of overtime, Calen Addison set the puck in front of the net for a wide open Kaprizov to record his 37th goal of the season and second career regular-season hat trick. The tally allowed the Wild to improve to 5-0-1 in their last six games.
Top 25 roundup: No. 4 UCLA edges Colorado to claim Pac-12 title
No. 4 UCLA overcame a dismal shooting performance to outlast Colorado, claiming the Pac-12 Conference regular-season championship with its 60-56 win on Sunday in Boulder, Colo. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the Bruins with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting as UCLA ran its winning streak to eight games. The Bruins (25-4, 16-2 Pac-12) came into Sunday’s matchup needing a win to claim an outright league title, thanks to Arizona’s loss on Saturday to Arizona State. However, Colorado jumped to an early lead of 10 points then exchanged the advantage with the visitors throughout the second half.
Cactus League roundup: Padres hang 18 runs on Diamondbacks
The host San Diego Padres exploded for nine runs in the second inning en route to an 18-6 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday in Peoria, Ariz. Juan Soto went 3-for-4 and drove in five runs to headline San Diego’s 20-hit effort, while Pavin Smith went 2-for-3 with a homer and a pair of RBIs for the Diamondbacks.
Boxing-Tommy Fury defeats Jake Paul in Saudi showdown
Jake Paul suffered the first loss of his fledgling boxing career as he was edged out by Tommy Fury at the Diriyah Arena on Sunday, with the British reality TV star scoring a split decision win against the American social media star. Watched by luminaries such as Fury’s half-brother and current WBC heavyweight champ Tyson, former champion Mike Tyson and soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently joined Saudi club Al Nassr, Paul’s considerable shortcomings were highlighted as Fury picked him off over eight rounds.
(With inputs from agencies.)
