Sports
Back on track, No. 8 Iowa State rolls into visit with Kansas State
Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) shoots the ball over over UCF Knights guard Themus Fulks (1) during the second half in the Big-12 conference men’s basketball on Jan. 20, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State is reaching lofty heights this season, and a brief stumble has not detoured the eighth-ranked Cyclones from continuing to set program records.
Iowa State (19-2, 6-2 Big 12) has its best record through 21 games in school history and will put it on the line against Kansas State on Sunday in Manhattan, Kan.
After reaching 16-0, for the best start in program history, Iowa State ran into a rough patch with back-to-back road losses in mid-January against Kansas and Cincinnati.
A few lumps are to be expected in a conference like the Big 12. What wasn’t known was how the Cyclones would respond.
The answer was three straight wins, including two by 30-point margins. The most recent of those, Thursday against Colorado, featured a 30-1 run and ended with a 97-67 final score. Freshman Jamarion Batemon poured in 17 points, the second most of his young career.
“His pride and how much he wants to play well and play for our program and team is great,” head coach T.J. Otzelberger said, crediting the entire bench for a strong performance. “In some respects (when the bench was playing), we got better.”
Batemon’s emergence is a tremendous bonus for the Cyclones, who generally rely on Milan Momcilovic (18.6 points per game), Joshua Jefferson (17.2) and Tamin Lipsey (13.2) for their scoring. The team’s scoring defense (65.0 points), its true calling card, is ranked 15th in the nation.
“We’ve gone back to being a hunter instead of being something other than that,” Otzelberger said. “I think that’s when we’re at our best. Our practice habits have been carrying over into the games.”
Complacency might be the Cyclones’ biggest enemy against the Wildcats (10-11, 1-7), who do not bear the look of a team capable of springing the upset.
Jerome Tang’s bunch has been installed as a double-digit underdog and with good reason, after the Wildcats lost seven of their last eight contests. The team’s most recent loss, 59-54 at West Virginia, dropped Kansas State below .500 for the first time this season.
“They out-toughed us down the stretch,” Tang acknowledged.
That loss came on the heels of an embarrassing 86-62 home blowout at the hands of rival Kansas.
A depleted roster isn’t helping matters. Three starters — Abdi Bashir Jr., Khamari McGriff and Elias Rapieque — have missed the last three games. Key reserve Mobi Ikegwuruka (personal) has been missing in action the past six, and though P.J. Haggerty continues to rank fifth in the nation in scoring (23.0), his performance late in games has been a source of frustration.
“I have trust in all my players down the stretch. You just want to make the right play and play the right way,” Tang said. “Sometimes it’s the shot for (Haggerty), and sometimes it’s making the play and getting the ball to somebody else, and you just want him to make the right play.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Warriors star Steph Curry out at least 5 more games with knee injury
Feb 22, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) cheers from the bench during a game against the Denver Nuggets in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images The Golden State Warriors on Sunday said Stephen Curry will miss the next five games before his right knee injury is re-evaluated.
Curry, who hasn’t played since Jan. 30, is officially out for Monday’s home game against the Los Angeles Clippers with “right patellofemoral pain syndrome,” also called “runner’s knee.” It’s an overuse condition that is marked by pain around the kneecap.
In addition to the Clippers game, Curry will miss the Warriors’ three-game road trip to Houston, Oklahoma City and Utah and a home game against Chicago on March 10. The soonest he could be back is March 13 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Warriors have said Curry is making progress but is not doing work on the court yet.
Golden State (31-29) is in eighth place in the Western Conference and just 4-6 in the games Curry has missed before and after the All-Star break. The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Warriors 129-101 on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Anders Lee's game-winner downs Panthers, caps another Islanders comeback
Mar 1, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27) controls the puck against the Florida Panthers during the first period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images Anders Lee scored the game-winning goal with 30.9 seconds left Sunday night for the surging New York Islanders, who overcame another two-goal deficit to beat the Florida Panthers, 5-4, in Elmont. N.Y.
Lee got a step on Aaron Ekblad, extended his stick to draw out goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and buried a forehand into the wide open left corner of the net.
Rookie Mathew Schafer scored twice while Carson Soucy and Bo Horvat also scored for the Islanders, who have won five straight games. New York has trailed 2-0 in each of its last three victories.
Goalie David Rittich made 29 saves.
Sam Bennett scored twice while Sandis Vilmanis and Sam Reinhart scored one apiece for the Panthers, who have lost seven of nine (2-7-0). Bobrovsky recorded 21 saves.
Vilmanis opened the scoring 3:44 after the opening faceoff, when he gloved a pass from A.J. Greer and backhanded a shot that trickled under Rittich’s legs.
Bennett doubled the lead by scoring six seconds into a power play with 5:06 left, when his shot from the left faceoff circle sailed past Rittich’s glove.
The Islanders began their latest comeback in unusual fashion with 1:59 remaining, when Schaefer’s shot from the right faceoff circle bounced before the crease, caromed over Bobrovsky’s head and glanced off the top post before bouncing off his back and into the net.
Soucy tied the score with a 4-on-4 goal 7:28 into the second. The defenseman took a drop pass from Simon Holmstrom, who was draped by the Panthers’ Gustav Forsling, and sent a shot under Bobrovsky’s glove.
Bennett gave the Panthers the lead again with 7:56 remaining, when his backhander from the middle of the right faceoff circle went under Rittich’s stick arm.
Horvat tied the score with 2:46 left with an angled shot from near the goal line that landed beneath Bobrovsky’s stick.
Schaefer gave the Islanders their first lead by scoring from the slot with 9:31 left in the third. This gave Schaefer 20 on the year at just 18 years old, making him the youngest defenseman to ever record 20 goals in a season and the youngest since Dion Phaneuf (20 years old) did it for the Calgary Flames in 2005-06.
With Bobrovsky pulled for an extra attacker, Reinhart tied it back up with 1:58 remaining.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lionel Messi, Miami score four in second half to upend Orlando
Mar 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) controls the ball from Orlando City SC defender Tahir Reid-Brown (29) in the first half at Inter&Co Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Lionel Messi recorded a brace, Telasco Sevogia scored the tiebreaking goal in the 85th minute and assisted on two others and Inter Miami dominated the second half to record a 4-2 comeback victory over host Orlando City on Sunday night.
Mateo Silvetti added a goal and an assist in Inter Miami’s four-goal second half that erased a 2-0 deficit. The Herons (1-1-0, 3 points) bounced back from a 3-0 season-opening loss to Los Angeles FC.
Messi, who scored in the 57th and 90th minutes, has eight goals in five meetings against the Lions across all competitions.
Marco Pasalic and Martin Ojeda scored goals for Orlando City (0-2-0, 0 points).
Orlando was unable to clear the ball out of its zone on the tiebreaking sequence.
Miami’s German Berterame came up with the ball to begin the sequence. Sevogia eventually received it and booted a right-footed shot into the net.
Three minutes later, Orlando City’s Colin Guske pulled Messi down and was given his second yellow card. The automatic upgrade to red led to Guske’s ejection, leaving the Lions with just 10 men for the rest of the match that included 10 minutes of stoppage time.
Messi then took a free kick from close range in the 90th minute and sent a left-footed shot past the wall and inside the left post to give the Herons a two-goal lead.
Dayne St. Clair made three saves for Miami, which outshot Orlando City 16-12 and placed eight shots on target to the Lions’ five.
Maxime Crepeau had four stops for Orlando City.
Orlando City won both regular-season meetings last season, prevailing by scores of 4-0 and 3-1.
Miami woke up fast after the halftime break.
Silvetti was beyond the box when he ripped a right-footed shot into the left corner of the net in the 49th minute.
Messi scored the equalizer eight minutes later by lining a left-footed shot inside the right post.
Ojeda had a big opportunity to put Orlando City back ahead in the 70th minute but St. Clair made a leg save on Ojeda’s close-ranged left-footed shot.
Orlando struck in the 18th minute when Ivan Angulo fed Pasalic, who sent a left-footed grounder that caromed off the arms of St. Clair and into the net.
Six minutes later, the Lions made it 2-0 when Ojeda performed a give-and-go with Griffin Dorsey. Upon receiving the ball back, Ojeda sent a right-footed shot into the right corner.
Crepeau made three first-half saves, including one of Messi in the 28th minute. Messi also sent a free kick wide left of the net late in the half.
–Field Level Media
