Sports
Bennett Stirtz drops 32 points, Iowa hands Oregon 8th straight loss
Jan 28, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum reacts during the second half against the Southern California Trojans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Bennett Stirtz set a career high with 32 points, leading Iowa to an 84-66 win over Oregon on Sunday night in Eugene, Ore.
The Hawkeyes (16-5, 6-4 Big Ten) won their fourth straight game, making 58.9% of their shots for the game, including 18 for 26 (69.2%) in the second to turn a somewhat close game at halftime into an easy double-digit road win.
Stirtz was nearly unstoppable, making 12 of his 15 shots and 4 of 6 from 3-point range. He scored 21 of his points in the second half. Alvaro Folgueiras put up 15 points and eight rebounds, Brendan Hausen scored 11 and Cooper Koch had 10.
Stirtz, a transfer from Drake with previous experience at Division II, started his 117th career game and scored 20 or more points in a game for the 11th time this season. He surpassed 2,000 points for his college career with an early-second-half layup that gave Iowa a 41-34 lead.
The Ducks were led by Kwame Evans Jr.’s 18 points and 16 from Takai Simpkins.
Oregon (8-14, 1-10) lost its eighth straight game. Barring a season-ending winning streak and a good run through the Big Ten tournament, the Ducks are all but assured of their worst record in 16 seasons under head coach Dana Altman. Altman’s teams have won at least 20 games in the first 15 seasons of his tenure with the Ducks.
Altman is in the final season of his latest contract.
An 17-4 Iowa run in the first half turned a two-point deficit into a 32-21 lead for the Hawkeyes, and they were never seriously threatened after that. The Hawkeyes led 35-26 at halftime.
Oregon could only get the deficit down to five points in the second half, as Stirtz scored 15 points in the first nine minutes of the half.
Iowa took its largest lead at 79-59 with a 7-0 run late in the game, comprised of a Hausen 3-pointer and layups from Isaia Howard and Stirtz.
The Hawkeyes improved to 16-1 against unranked opponents this season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Spurs guard Stephon Castle exits game with pelvis injury
Feb 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) controls the ball against San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle was ruled out of Tuesday’s road game against the Los Angeles Lakers following a second-quarter pelvis injury.
Castle fell on his tailbone after blocking the Lakers’ Rui Hachimura on a fast-break dunk attempt with just over four minutes remaining in the first half. He went to the locker room after the play and was ruled out after halftime.
According to the Spurs, X-rays were negative and Castle was diagnosed with a pelvis contusion.
Castle, 21, had two points with seven assists in 12 minutes as the Spurs roared out to an 84-55 halftime lead against the short-handed Lakers.
Last season’s NBA Rookie of the Year has averaged 17.1 points with 7.0 assists in 42 games (41 starts) this season. In his two NBA seasons, he has averaged 15.5 points with 5.1 assists in 123 games (88 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
NCAA approves Montana LB Solomon Tuliaupupu for 9th season
Nov 22, 2025; Missoula, MT, USA; Montana State Bobcats running back Julius Davis (32) is tackled by Montana Grizzlies linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu (58) and linebacker Peyton Wing (32) during the first half at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Thomas Shroyer-Imagn Images College football is set to have its second nine-year player after the NCAA granted Montana linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu another season of eligibility.
Tuliaupupu is set to join tight end Cam McCormick in the nine-year club. McCormick spent 2016-22 at Oregon before playing for Miami in 2023 and ’24. He is mow a scouting assistant for the New England Patriots.
Tuliaupupu first arrived in college at Southern California out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., in 2018 but missed that season and the following one due to a foot injury. A knee injury sustained in the summer of 2020 kept him out that year, and he didn’t play for the Trojans the following year after missing spring practice.
He finally saw action in 2022, making 10 tackles, including 2.5 sacks, in 14 games.
Another training camp injury cost Tuliaupupu the entire 2023 season, but he returned to play nine games for USC in 2024, registering 13 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery.
Tuliaupupu transferred to Montana for the 2025 season, and he played in 14 games, producing 43 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles. The Grizzlies finished 13-2, reaching the FCS semifinals.
Montana also announced that offensive lineman Dylan Jemtegaard was cleared by the NCAA to play a sixth season of college ball in 2026.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Inter Miami worth $1.45B, but some MLS clubs see value drop
Dec 6, 2025; Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA; Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) looks on with the Philip F. Anschutz trophy after winning the 2025 MLS Cup against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Inter Miami’s investment in Lionel Messi continues to pay dividends.
In December, the Argentine superstar helped deliver the club its first MLS Cup. With the 2026 season less than two weeks away, Messi has helped deliver the Herons another title.
Most valuable franchise in MLS.
According to a report in Sportico on Tuesday, Miami is valued at $1.45 billion, an increase of 22% from last year and $50 million ahead of the Los Angeles FC — marking the first time in Sportico’s five years of doing MLS valuations that LAFC are not No. 1.
Though second, LAFC still jumped 9% in year-over-year valuation to $1.4 billion. The Black and Gold employ arguably the league’s second-most popular international superstar, South Korea’s Son Heung-Min. Messi and Son are by far the two highest-paid players in MLS.
While that sounds good news for Miami and Los Angeles, the league-wide economics could be a bit of a red flag. The bottom 12 teams in valuation saw their value go up just 2% on average from 2025. Three clubs — the San Jose Earthquakes, Vancouver Whitecaps and CF Montreal — fell in value, per the report.
The Whitecaps reached the MLS Cup final last year behind German legend Thomas Muller.
Sportico valued all clubs — including real estate and business related to soccer owned by club owners, such as an NWSL franchise — at a total of $23 billion.
San Diego FC, the league’s newest club entering their second season of existence, are valued at $765 million, 10th in MLS.
The MLS season kicks off Feb. 21 with the marquee game being the strategic choice of Miami at LAFC. The game was moved to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to accommodate more fans for the highly in-demand event.
–Field Level Media
Spurs guard Stephon Castle exits game with pelvis injury
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