Sports
No. 6 Houston holds off West Virginia to win again
Jan 29, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Houston Cougars guard Mylik Wilson (8) shoots in the lane over West Virginia Mountaineers guard Toby Okani (5) during the second half at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images L.J. Cryer scored a game-high 17 points and helped the sixth-ranked Houston Cougars stave off a second-half rally by the host West Virginia Mountaineers for a 63-49 victory in Morgantown, W. Va., on Wednesday.
The Cougars (17-3, 9-0 Big 12) extended their winning streak to 13 games despite blowing most of their 20-point halftime cushion. Joseph Tugler paired 12 points with seven rebounds while Milos Uzan added 10 points as Houston overcame nine second-half turnovers that fueled the West Virginia (13-7, 4-5) comeback.
The Mountaineers opened the second half with an 11-0 blitz to get back into contention, keyed by a Jonathan Powell 3-pointer and a Toby Okani jumper that cut the deficit to 39-30. Sencire Harris added a steal and a layup at the 13:39 mark, and his free throw with 8:46 left narrowed the margin to 47-42, the smallest of the second half.
The Mountaineers closed to within five points with less than eight minutes to play, but Cryer assisted on a Tugler dunk before completing a three-point play aided by a goaltending call to stunt momentum. Uzan helped the Cougars reclaim their double-digit lead at 57-46 with a second-chance 3-pointer at the 4:32 mark. Houston turned 13 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points in the game.
Joseph Yesufu paced West Virginia with nine points off the bench while Amani Hansberry, Javon Small and Okani scored eight points each. The Mountaineers shot 57.1 percent in the second half but missed 5 of 9 free throws to thwart their comeback attempt.
Houston needed fewer than four minutes to establish a double-digit margin when Emanuel Sharp hit a 3-pointer that provided the Cougars a 13-3 lead. Small ended a four-plus minute scoring drought for the Mountaineers with a 3 that cut the deficit to 22-10 with 10:30 left, only for West Virginia to log another three-plus minutes without a point as the Cougars extended their lead.
J’Wan Roberts completed a three-point play that lifted the Cougars to a 27-13 lead and when Terrance Arceneaux drilled a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch of the first half, Houston claimed a 39-19 lead at the intermission.
While the Mountaineers produced as many turnovers (eight) as field goals in the first half, the Cougars shot 50 percent, hit six 3s and recorded a plus-8 margin in shot attempts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros place OF Joey Loperfido (quad) on injured list
Apr 11, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Joey Loperfido (10) is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring a run during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images The Houston Astros placed outfielder Joey Loperfido on the injured list with a right quad strain on Sunday and recalled right-hander Jayden Murray from Triple-A Sugar Land.
Loperfido, 26, was batting .259 with six RBIs in 20 games this season. He started at least one game in all three outfield positions.
Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2024 and then re-acquired via trade in February, Loperfido is a career .249 major league hitter with eight home runs and 45 RBIs in 142 games over three seasons.
Murray, 29, had one appearance earlier this season and has a 2.63 ERA in 10 games over the past two seasons for the Astros. His addition increases Houston’s staff to 13 pitchers.
Also on Sunday, the Astros traded minor league right-hander Wilmy Sanchez to the New York Yankees for infielder Braden Shewmake, a former first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2019.
In 31 major league games for the Braves and Chicago White Sox, Shewmake, 28, is batting .118 with a home run and four RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bryson DeChambeau (wrist) WDs from LIV Golf Mexico City
Apr 10, 2026; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Bryson DeChambeau reacts after his ball rolled down the slope on the 18th green during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith-Imagn Images Bryson DeChambeau cited a wrist injury on Sunday for the reason he withdrew prior to the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City on Sunday in Naucalpan, Mexico.
“I experienced some discomfort in my wrist during (Saturday’s round) and have decided to withdraw from the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City to prevent further injury,” DeChambeau wrote on X. “Not how I wanted this week to go, but wishing the Crushers a strong finish. I’m going to take a few days to get evaluated and hope to be ready for LIV Golf Virginia.”
DeChambeau entered the final round at 2-over-par 215 at Club De Golf Chapultepec, 16 strokes behind leader Jon Rahm of Spain. DeChambeau hasn’t been too shy about complaining about the course conditions of the event, doing so on Friday for the second straight year.
DeChambeau, 32, prevailed in a playoff in consecutive weeks in March by winning at both LIV Golf Singapore and LIV Golf South Africa. The two-time U.S. Open champion has won five LIV Golf titles.
–Field Level Media
Sports
ATP roundup: Ben Shelton shows love of clay, wins BMW title
Ben Shelton connects with the ball during his second-round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Friday, March 6, 2026. Ben Shelton rolled to his second title of the year, winning the BMW Open with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli at Munich, Germany.
Shelton won 85% of his first-serve points on the clay surface and saved all six break points he faced to win his fifth career title and first since Dallas earlier this year. Shelton showed his form early when he broke Cobolli’s serve twice in the first three games of the match.
With the second set tied 5-5, Shelton broke Cobolli again and won on serve on his first match point. Shelton became the first American man since 2009 to win three ATP 500 titles.
“I have big ambitions for the clay courts,” Shelton said in his post-match interview. “It is a surface I want to get better on each year. It is slowly becoming one of my favorite surfaces to play on.”
Barcelona Open
Arthur Fils of France held off a late charge from Russia’s Andrey Rublev to record a 6-2, 7-6 (2) victory in the final of the tournament.
Fils won his first title since returning in February after missing eight months because of a back injury.
Fils was well on his way to victory after cruising in the first set and leading 5-2 in the second before Rublev dug in his heels. Rublev broke Fils’ serve to pull within 5-4 in the second set, then staved off one match point to make it 5-5.
Rublev broke serve again to lead 6-5 in the second set before Fils finally regained control and finished off the match in a tiebreak.
“The end of the second set was just about the mental (pressure),” Fils said. “The whole match was a bit tough because I was a bit tight. I played well for a set and a half, but when I had to close, I started to think a little. But I’m very happy with the way I played the tiebreak.”
–Field Level Media
Astros place OF Joey Loperfido (quad) on injured list
Bryson DeChambeau (wrist) WDs from LIV Golf Mexico City
