Sports
Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 10 Maryland avoids upset by George Mason
Nov 13, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Kaylene Smikle (2) shoots the ball against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images Kaylene Smikle’s 16 points and Shyanne Sellers’ 15 points helped No. 10 Maryland defeat George Mason 66-56 on Saturday in a tight game in the Navy Classic at Annapolis, Md.
Saylor Poffenbarger added 10 points off the bench for Maryland (7-0).
George Mason (6-1), on the strength of an 18-7 scoring edge in the third quarter, pulled ahead 45-44 going to the fourth. Sellers scored with five minutes left to break a 51-51 tie and the Terrapins led the rest of the way.
Kennedy Harris led the Patriots, who shot 31.5 percent from the field and had 25 offensive rebounds, with 26 points. Louis Volker had 14 points off the bench.
No. 4 South Carolina 99, Purdue 51
MiLaysia Fulwiley’s 14 points led five Gamecocks reserves in double figures in an easy win over the Boilermakers at the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Fort Myers, Fla.
Ashlyn Watkins and Tessa Johnson each had 13 points off the bench for South Carolina, while starters Chloe Kitts and Bree Hall both posted 12 points. Joyce Edwards (11) and Maddy McDaniel (10) also reached double figures.
South Carolina (7-1), which led 53-18 at halftime, had a 56-26 rebounding advantage. Destini Lombard racked up 24 points, aided by four 3-pointers, for Purdue (4-3), which shot 39.6 percent from the field.
No. 15 Iowa State 75, Middle Tennessee 59
Audi Crooks posted 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting as the Cyclones routed the Blue Raiders and left the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Fort Myers, Fla., on a high.
Addy Brown had 12 points for Iowa State (6-2), which shot 54.7 percent from the floor following a 40-point loss to No. 4 South Carolina. The Cyclones held a fifth opponent under the 60-point mark.
Ta’Mia Scott scored 24 points, including 8-for-8 on free throws, for Middle Tennessee (6-2). Anastasiia Boldyreva and Jalynn Gregory each added 14 points for the Blue Raiders, who were 19-of-20 at the foul line.
No. 18 Mississippi 89, Alabama State 24
Reserve Sira Thienou’s 16 points contributed to the romp for the host Rebels over the Lady Hornets at Oxford, Miss.
Christeen Iwuala and Starr Jacobs each had 12 points and Kennedy Todd-Williams had 11 points for Ole Miss, which benefited from 33 turnovers by Alabama State. The Rebels (5-2) led 57-10 at halftime.
Kaitlyn Bryant’s seven points off the bench were tops for Alabama State (2-5), which shot 19 percent from the field.
No. 24 Louisville 79, Colorado 71
Tajianna Roberts’ go-ahead 3-point basket with less than 7 1/2 minutes remaining ignited a 16-0 run as the Cardinals picked up a road victory over the Buffaloes at Boulder, Colo.
Jayda Curry and Nyla Harris each tallied 14 points, Roberts finished with 13 and Izela Arenas had 11 for Louisville (5-2).
Frida Formann led Colorado (6-2) with 25 points. Jade Masogayo had 12 points and Nyamer Diew added 10 points. Kindyll Wetta had 10 assists.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lakers sign developing forward Ziaire Willaims
Mar 31, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (1) controls the ball against Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Lakers announced the signing of five-year veteran forward Ziaire Williams on Sunday.
Terms were not released, but multiple outlets reported on Monday that the deal was for one year at a $3 million salary.
The 6-foot-9 Williams is reuniting with Bronny James, who he played alongside at California high school Sierra Canyon. The Lancaster, Calif. native earned McDonald’s All-America honors and was a consensus five-star recruit in the 2020 class.
The No. 10 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Stanford by the Memphis Grizzlies, Williams is a career 8.7 points-per-game scorer, though he averaged a career high 10.2 points last season for the Nets, his second season in Brooklyn after three seasons in Memphis.
He reached career highs in games played and starts (63/45), points (632), field goals made (214), 3-point field goals made (103), rebounds (287), assists (84) and blocked shots (28) during his first season in Brooklyn.
Williams, 24, converted 85% (119 of 140) of his free throw attempts in 2025-26 and is an 82.4% career shooter from the stripe.
–Field Level Media
Sports
DeWanna Bonner helps Mercury halt losing streak, avenge loss to Sun
Jul 19, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward-guard DeWanna Bonner (24) drives against Connecticut Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa (10) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images DeWanna Bonner scored a game-high 21 points and the host Phoenix Mercury ended a five-game losing streak with a 72-63 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.
The win avenged a 96-83 loss to the visiting Sun on Friday. But on Sunday, Phoenix led for nearly the entire game and used a fourth quarter run to pull away.
Phoenix (9-18) had a balanced performance, led by Bonner’s 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting. Kahleah Copper added 18 points and made all eight of her free throws. Monique Akoa Makani tallied 11 points and grabbed six rebounds. Alyssa Thomas added seven points and dished out 11 assists.
Connecticut pulled to within 63-62 on a Charlisse Walker-Leger 3-point play with 4:42 to play, but Phoenix responded with a 9-1 run to finish the game, with Bonner and Copper scoring eight of the pivotal points. Copper’s backdoor layup and pair of free throws most on the next two possessions immediately stemmed the tide.
Phoenix led, 18-12, after the first quarter as Bonner and Akoa Makani each scored six points.
They took control after trailing 27-26 as Leger-Walker scored a lay-up for the Sun with 4:24 left in the first half. The Mercury went on a 17-6 run to end the first half, with Bonner contributing a 3-point shot and an old-fashioned 3-point play to the run.
Phoenix led, 43-33, at the half and 54-49 after three quarters.
The Mercury won despite shooting just 2-for-15 (13.3%) from 3-point range and being outrebounded, 43-39.
Connecticut (7-19) saw a two-game winning streak end. Veteran center Brittney Griner scored 19 points for the Sun, shooting 7-for-12 from the field while pulling five rebounds. Olivia Nelson-Ododa’s double-double helped Connecticut stay close, as she tallied 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting while grabbing 12 rebounds.
Leila Lacan scored a career-best 26 points on Friday but scored just seven points on 2-for-9 shooting on Sunday while committing nine turnovers.
Connecticut shot 37.9% (22-for-58) overall and committed 21 turnovers in the loss. The 21 turnovers led to 22 Mercury points.
Bonner Leads Mercury to Revenge Win over Sun to Halt Losing Streak
–Field Level Media
Sports
FaZe Vegas won't be denied at CDL Championship grand final
Jul 19, 2019; Miami Beach, FL, USA; A general view of custom PlayStation controllers sold by a vender during the Call of Duty League Finals e-sports event at Miami Beach Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images FaZe Vegas completed an undefeated tournament run with a 5-2 victory over OpTic Texas on Sunday in the grand final of the 2026 Call of Duty League Championship in Las Vegas.
The victory was worth $800,000 in the $2 million prize pool, with OpTic Texas collecting $480,000.
American Chris “Simp” Lehr of FaZe Vegas was named tournament Most Valuable Player.
This was the final event and the world championship of the Black Ops 7 competitive season. Eight of 12 teams qualified for the CDL Championship in the regular season from Dec. 5, 2025 to June 29, led by first-place OpTic Texas (40-12, +69).
The playoff format was a double-elimination bracket, with all matches best-of-five except for Sunday’s grand final, which was best-of-nine.
OpTic Texas took the opening map, Colossus Hardpoint, 250-216. FaZe Vegas responded by capturing the next four maps to be on the brink of the championship.
Vegas won 6-5 on Raid Search and Destroy, 4-3 on Scar Overload, 250-194 on Scar Hardpoint and 6-5 on Den Search and Destroy.
Texas stayed alive with a 4-3 victory on Den Overload, before FaZe Vegas closed out with another close outcome, 6-5 on Hacienda Search and Destroy.
Zack “Drazah” Jordan paced FaZe Vegas with a match-high 153 kills for a plus-23 kill-death differential. Teammate Jordan “Abuzah” Francois of Belgium posted 151 kills and a match-best plus-40 K-D differential. All four Vegas players had positive differentials.
All four OpTic players were in the negative, with Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro recording a team-best 129 kills but also a team-worst 156 deaths for a minus-27 K-D differential.
FaZe Vegas went unscathed in the tournament, downing G2 Minnesota 3-1, the Riyadh Falcons 3-0 and OpTic Texas 3-2 in the upper bracket to advance to the grand final.
OpTic Texas opened with a sweep of the Miami Heretics 3-0, then topped the Paris Gentle Mates 3-1. After losing to Vegas and dropping to the elimination side of the bracket, Texas beat the Falcons 3-1 on Saturday to get another shot at FaZe.
Call of Duty League Championship prize pool
1. $800,000, FaZe Vegas
2. $480,000, OpTic Texas
3. $320,000, Riyadh Falcons
4. $160,000, Paris Gentle Mates
5-6. $80,000, Miami Heretics, G2 Minnesota
7-8. $40,000, Los Angeles Thieves, Toronto KOI
–Field Level Media
Lakers sign developing forward Ziaire Willaims
DeWanna Bonner helps Mercury halt losing streak, avenge loss to Sun
