■ FOOTBALL
Cincinnati beat Louisville
The University of Cincinnati remained in the hunt for college football’s Big East title with a 28-20 win over reeling Louisville on Friday. Quarterback Tony Pike threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns for the No. 22-ranked Bearcats moved half a game ahead of idle West Virginia and No. 21 Pittsburgh in the conference title race. Cincinnati beat West Virginia last week and host Pittsburgh next weekend. Dominick Goodman caught nine passes for 134 yards and a touchdown and John Goebel ran for 77 yards and a score for the Bearcats. Pike, who took over the quarterback job when Dustin Grutza suffered a broken leg, completed 19-of-33 passes in soggy conditions before getting knocked out in the fourth quarter.
■ ICE HOCKEY
Islanders’ Pock suspended
New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Pock was suspended for five games without pay on Friday for elbowing Ottawa Senators forward Ryan Shannon the previous night. Pock was given a major penalty and a game misconduct for elbowing Shannon on Thursday. Shannon, who was making his Senators debut, had to be helped off the ice to the dressing room. “I understand why there is a need for the league to enforce a strict policy to hits to the head,” Pock said in a statement released by the Islanders. “I have reached out to Ryan to apologize and I hope he makes a quick recovery.”
■ CYCLING
Tour canceled over funds
The Tour of Georgia has been canceled next season for economic reasons, organizers said on Friday. “The planning process for the Tour of Georgia requires a tremendous amount of time and effort and we wanted to give all of our partners enough time to plan and allocate their resources to take full advantage of the event,” a statement read. “Therefore, we will skip 2009,” organizers said, adding they were planning to stage the race again in 2010. The Tour of Georgia, created in 2003, failed to secure regular sponsors after American Lance Arsmtrong retired at the end of the 2005 season. The Texan, who announced his return to professional cycling in September, did not include the Tour of Georgia in his plans for next year. “I am obviously disappointed to learn that the Tour of Georgia has been canceled for next year. However, I am very pleased that the race will return in 2010,” said USA Cycling CEO Steve Johnson.
■ BASKETBALL
Barbosa flies home to family
Brazil’s Leandro Barbosa has left the Phoenix Suns to fly home following the death of his mother, American media reported on Friday. Barbosa left for Brazil on Thursday following the death of 66-year-old Dona Ivete Barbosa, who had been fighting pneumonia in a Brazilian hospital for more than a month. The 1.92m Barbosa, considered one of the fastest players in the National Basketball Association, missed two weeks of training camp under new coach Terry Porter out of concern for his mother’s health.
■ ATHLETICS
Another NY marathoner dies
New York City Marathon officials say a 41-year-old man who collapsed during the race has died. Race organizer New York Road Runners says the man died on Thursday in a New York City hospital. The group did not identify him. It was the third death connected to the Nov. 2 marathon. A 58-year-old Brazilian man died of a heart attack shortly after crossing the finish line. Another man died several hours later.
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
TWO-NIL LOSS: Taiwan’s best chance to score came at the top of the fifth with the bases loaded and one out, but Venezuela’s Liarvis Breto got out of the jam Taiwan yesterday suffered a shutout 2-0 loss to Venezuela in the opening game of the WBSC Premier12 Super Round at the Tokyo Dome. Taiwan had seven hits, one more than Venezuela’s six, but catcher Carlos Perez’s two-run homer to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning delivered the only runs scored by both teams and secured victory for Venezuela. Taiwan’s best chance came at the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and only one out. However, Venezuela reliever Liarvis Breto struck out Chen Chen-wei before reliever Pedro Garcia finished the inning by allowing an infield flyball by Lin
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11
As sporting celebrations go, it does not quite have the charm of Roger Milla’s hip-wiggling shimmy with a corner flag at the 1990 World Cup or the imperious swagger of Usain Bolt’s iconic lightning pose. However, a dance move inspired by US president-elect Donald Trump’s stilted on-stage boogieing has rapidly become the celebration of choice across the US sporting world. From the blood-soaked UFC to the hard-hitting NFL and the reliably decorous world of the LPGA Tour, athletes across North America have succumbed to the viral Trump dance craze in the past week. On Monday, US soccer star Christian Pulisic became the latest
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