Sports
LSU, Ole Miss badly need a win to end respective skids
Jan 31, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Louisiana State Tigers forward Marquel Sutton (10) dunks against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images It has been a difficult season in Southeastern Conference play for both LSU and Ole Miss as they prepare to meet Wednesday night at Oxford, Miss.
The Tigers (14-13, 2-12 SEC) have lost their last five games and are in last place in the conference. The Rebels (11-16, 3-11) have lost their last nine and were tied for second-to-last with South Carolina and Oklahoma going into those teams’ respective games Tuesday night.
“We’ve just got to keep playing hard, keep playing for each other,” LSU freshman guard Jalen Reece said. “At the end of the day, we’re a family, so if we just keep staying together, everything will work out.”
Reece has been a bright spot of late. He moved into the starting lineup three games ago and has had his three highest-scoring games of the season — 15, 14 and 14 points.
He attributed his recent productivity to “playing more freely.”
“The coaches have great trust in me to do what I have to do to help the team win,” Reece said, “so I’ve just got to keep playing hard for everybody to just keep showing why I’m here. This is what I’m supposed to do and what I’m able to do.”
Senior guard Marquel Sutton has been another bright spot, scoring in double figures in six consecutive games, including back-to-back 21-point outings in the last two games.
The bright spot for Ole Miss recently has been senior center Malik Dia, who has averaged 25.3 points and 6.0 rebounds over the last three games.
“He’s playing some really good basketball right now,” Rebels head coach Chris Beard said.
Beard added that he would like to see Dia’s production rewarded as part of a victory, which Ole Miss has not experienced since Jan. 17.
“We’re in the middle of hard times right now, but you can’t hang your heads,” Dia said. “You’ve got to continue to look at film, look at what you did wrong and how to improve and move on to the next game.”
LSU and Ole Miss will both have three more games to build momentum for the SEC tournament.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nikita Kucherov posts 700th career assist as Lightning top Maple Leafs
Feb 25, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh (27) handles the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images Nikita Kucherov scored and recorded his 700th career assist, and the Tampa Bay Lightning resumed the regular season with a 4-2 victory over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.
The right wing fed Gage Goncalves, who later assisted on Kucherov’s tally, for a second-period goal to become the 64th player to reach the milestone and the third Russian-born one to do it, joining Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin.
Kucherov, whose point streak moved to an NHL-best 11 games, reached 30 goals for the ninth time in his career.
Brayden Point netted two goals and had a helper, and Charle-Edouard D’Astous returned with two assists.
Improving to 17-0-1 in his past 18 outings, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots as Tampa Bay won its sixth straight game and is 20-1-1 in the past 22 matches.
Coach Jon Cooper was not with the team following the death of his father, Robert, earlier this week and will also miss Thursday’s match at the Carolina Hurricanes.
John Tavares and Matthew Knies tallied for the Leafs, and William Nylander had two helpers.
After missing over two months with an upper-body injury and finally making three starts before the Olympic break, goaltender Anthony Stolarz stopped 32 shots.
In their second meeting this season and first game of a back-to-back set for both, Kucherov and Point both appeared to score in the first period, but Toronto successfully challenged for offside to take both markers down.
Vasilevskiy’s denial of Nylander’s deke and backhand-forehand effort with under three minutes left kept the opening period scoreless and the visitors holding an 8-4 edge in shots.
In a faster paced second, Point took a pass from D’Astous then waited out Stolarz, who was hindered by his defenseman Simon Benoit, and buried a sharp-angle shot at 7:07.
Goncalves then doubled the lead by securing a pass from Kucherov and netting a goal 51 seconds later.
Vasilevskiy made another fine stop on Nylander with about eight minutes left, stuffing his backhanded breakaway attempt.
Kucherov hit the net at 2:59 of the third, and Tavares broke the shutout bid at 16:19 on the power play.
Point scored 11 seconds later as Kucherov and Goncalves registered a second assist apiece, but Knies cut it to a two-goal deficit at 17:13.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hilary Knight calls President Trump's comment 'distasteful joke'
Feb 19, 2026; Milan, Italy; Hilary Knight (21) of the United States high fives the bench after scoring a goal against Canada in the women’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Hilary Knight, captain of the gold-medal-winning U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team, took exception to a comment President Donald Trump made in the wake of the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team winning its championship game.
Trump invited the men’s Olympic team to attend the State of the Union speech, adding, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that.”
He then said if he didn’t welcome the women’s team, too, “I do believe I probably would be impeached.”
Knight reacted while appearing Wednesday on ESPN: “I thought it was sort of a distasteful joke, and, unfortunately, that is overshadowing a lot of the success, the success of just women at the Olympics carrying for Team USA and having amazing gold-medal feats.
“We’re just focusing on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts, and continue to celebrate three gold medals in program history, as well as the double gold for both men’s and women’s at the same time. And really not detract from that with a distasteful joke.”
While some members of the men’s team laughed at Trump’s comment, Knight wasn’t overly upset with them.
“I think there’s a genuine level of support there and respect,” she said regarding the men’s and women’s Olympic teams. “I think that’s being overshadowed by a quick lapse. I think the guys were in a tough spot, so I think it’s a shame this storyline and narrative has kind of blown up and overshadowing that connection and genuine interest in one another and cheering each other on.”
The majority of the men’s Olympic team players visited the White House on Tuesday and then went to the Capitol for the State of the Union. The players received bipartisan cheers when they entered the House of Representatives chamber after being introduced by Trump.
The U.S. women’s hockey team declined Trump’s invitation Monday, issuing a statement that read in part, “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate. They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”
Knight, 36, collected her U.S. Olympic-record 15th goal at 17:56 of the third period in the gold-medal game against Canada, leveling the score at 1-1. Megan Keller’s goal 4:07 into overtime was the winner.
Knight emerged with her second gold medal in her fifth Olympics. The Seattle Torrent forward owns a record 10 golds from the IIHF World Women’s Championship.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Wyatt Johnston tallies twice, Stars beat Kraken to run streak to 7
Feb 25, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston (53) skates against the Seattle Kraken during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Wyatt Johnston scored twice and Thomas Harley added two assists as the Dallas Stars topped the visiting Seattle Kraken 4-1 on Wednesday night.
Matt Duchene and Sam Steel also scored, with Duchene adding an assist, as the Stars extended their winning streak to seven and won for the eighth time in nine games.
Casey DeSmith made 18 saves to improve to 3-0-0 against Seattle this season.
With the win, Dallas swept the three-game season series against the Kraken and improved to 13-1-1 all-time against Seattle.
Ryker Evans responded for the Kraken, who lost for just the third time in nine games. Joey Daccord stopped 28 shots.
The Stars outshot the Kraken 10-3 and led 1-0 after 20 minutes.
Dallas opened the scoring with 1:19 remaining in the first as Johnston tipped an Esa Lindell point shot past Daccord for his 30th goal of the season.
Duchene made it 2-0 at 1:43 of the middle period, redirecting a Harley shot from the blue line past Daccord for his 11th. With the goal, Duchene extended his point streak to seven games (seven goals, three assists).
Dallas scored twice in a 39-second span to double its lead.
The Stars took a 3-0 lead as Steel poked home the rebound off Mavrik Bourque’s shot at 5:35. Seattle unsuccessfully tried to challenge for goaltender interference on the play.
Johnston added his second of the game on a power play as Miro Heiskanen’s shot deflected off the Stars forward and in at 6:14.
Evans got Seattle on the board at 6:46 of the third, putting a slapshot past DeSmith for his sixth of the season.
Kraken defenseman Ryan Lindgren left the game in the first period with an undisclosed injury, following a collision with Stars forward Colin Blackwell, and did not return.
–Field Level Media
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