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Bennett Stirtz, Iowa target seventh straight win at Maryland

Syndication: Iowa City Press-CitizenIowa guard Bennett Stirtz (14) drives toward the basket against Northwestern guard Jayden Reid (4) and Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli (2) Feb. 8, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

It’s not easy to find a signature win on Iowa’s resume. The Hawkeyes have yet to beat a ranked team in four tries.

But by virtue of being nearly flawless against the rest of its competition, Iowa (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten) has risen to No. 20 in the NET Rankings and, barring a late-season collapse, is on its way to gaining a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Hawkeyes face another unranked foe Wednesday in College Park, Md., when they put their six-game winning streak on the line against Maryland (9-14, 2-10).

Both teams are coming off wins Sunday in which they got clutch performances from their top threats.

In Maryland’s 67-62 victory at Minnesota, guard David Coit went on a personal 7-0 run in the final 26 seconds and finished with 29 points.

In Iowa’s 76-70 win over visiting Northwestern, guard Bennett Stirtz scored a career-high 36 points to rescue the Hawkeyes from an otherwise lethargic performance.

“We were kind of in a little lull, a little asleep,” Stirtz said. “And I knew that I needed to get going late in the first half.”

Iowa coach Ben McCollum said that it’s the Hawkeyes’ collective effort that allows Stirtz to thrive individually.

“The thing with really good players that people don’t realize is the players around him have to allow him to be great,” McCollum said. “A lot of teams have great players … but their teammates want some more shine out of it, so they won’t allow that player to be great.”

Maryland knows all about Stirtz. He scored 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting when the Hawkeyes rolled to an 83-64 victory on Dec. 6 in Iowa City.

Unlike Stirtz, Coit has been wildly inconsistent this season, often finding himself in the doghouse of first-year coach Buzz Williams.

Despite scoring binges of 43 and 41 points in wins over Penn State and Mount St. Mary’s, Coit has come off the bench in 10 of Maryland’s 23 games, including the win Sunday.

It was a much-need victory as the Terrapins had lost their previous four games by an average margin of 28 points.

“I thought the fight, the togetherness was as good as it’s been in a long, long time,” Williams said.

–Field Level Media

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Dodgers re-sign RHP Evan Phillips to one-year deal

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Texas RangersApr 20, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Evan Phillips (59) pitches during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers re-signed right-handed reliever Evan Phillips to a one-year, $6.5 million contract Tuesday.

To make room on the 40-man roster, catcher Ben Rortvedt was designated for assignment by the Dodgers for the second time this offseason in order to accommodate a roster addition.

Phillips, 31, was limited to seven appearances and one save last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery. In a Los Angeles bullpen that did not have a set closer in 2023 and 2024, Phillips took advantage of the situation to record 42 total saves in two seasons.

Over eight major league seasons, Phillips is 16-12 with a 3.36 ERA and 46 saves for the Atlanta Braves (2018), Baltimore Orioles (2018-20), Tampa Bay Rays (2021) and Dodgers.

–Field Level Media

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Italy's national mint to repair broken Olympic medals

Olympics: Alpine Skiing-Womens DownhillFeb 8, 2026; Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy; Breezy Johnson of the United States celebrates on the podium with her gold medal in the women’s downhill alpine skiing race during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

After multiple athletes reported issues with damaged medals, Milan Cortina Olympic organizers confirmed Italy’s national mint will repair any faulty medal fixings for athletes at the 2026 Games.

Olympic organizing committee spokesman Luca Casassa said a “targeted intervention” was agreed to with the producer of the medals, Rome’s Zecca dello Stato (state mint), to resolve the problems, which reportedly involve ribbons and clasps, not the medal designs themselves.

“Athletes who have medals with problems are invited to give them back through the appropriate channels so that they can be immediately repaired,” Casassa said.

American skier Breezy Johnson displayed a cracked and chipped gold medal after her win in the women’s downhill Sunday. “I was jumping up and down in excitement, then it just fell off,” Johnson told reporters Sunday. “Don’t jump in them. … I’m sure somebody will fix it. It’s not crazy broken, but a little broken.”

German biathlete Justus Strelow also had his medal fall off his neck as he was celebrating a mixed relay bronze win with his teammates. Swedish cross-country skier Ebba Andersson also reportedly saw damage on her silver medal from the women’s skiathlon.

Andrea Francisi, the chief games operations officer for the Milan Cortina organizing committee, had responded to the damaged medal reports Monday promising a swift resolution.

“… Obviously we are paying maximum attention to this matter, as the medal is the dream of the athletes, so we want that obviously in the moment they are given it that everything is absolutely perfect, because we really consider it to be the most important moment,” Francisi said Monday.

–Field Level Media

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Elizabeth Lemley wins gold, Jaelin Kauf nets silver in women's moguls

Syndication: USA TODAYFeb 11, 2026; Livigno, Italy; Gold medalist Elizabeth Lemley of the United States celebrates during the freestyle skiing women’s moguls final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY

LIVIGNO, Italy — American freestyle skier Elizabeth Lemley won a surprise gold medal in moguls with two neat and quick runs at the Winter Games on Wednesday.

Her victory put an end to 2022 champion Jakara Anthony’s bid to become the first Australian to successfully defend a title at a Winter Games.

Anthony, who has dominated the discipline for the last four years, led from silver medalist American Jaelin Kauf after the first run but wobbled out of line on her second to finish eighth and last.

Kauf, who also finished second in Beijing four years ago, won her second silver with a score of 80.77, and Pyeongchang 2018 champion France’s Perrine Laffont clinched bronze with 78 points.

In her first run of the finals, under a bright and sunny afternoon sky in the narrow valley of Livigno, Lemley was in firm control of her skis, always pinned one to the other, and landed well after two big jumps.

In the second run — also known as the superfinal — the skier pushed on the speed, keeping her skis tight together and showing off great technique around the moguls and with a big grab on the bottom jump.

“I was trying to focus on trusting myself. I’ve been working on that this whole season … and right when I pushed out of the gate, I said to myself, ‘Let’s go!'” Lemley told a press conference after the medal ceremony.

Like other athletes at the Winter Games, Lemley’s medal fell apart as she was celebrating on the top of the podium just after she received it from Australian Olympic Committee President Ian Chesterman, who would have been hoping for a different outcome.

Anthony had a first fast, clean run for the finals, with smooth turns and a big grab on the bottom jump, but in the second she lost control in the middle section of the moguls, leaving her fall line, the straightest path down the hill.

Her 83.96 score on the first run would have been enough for gold had she reproduced it in the second, but only the final score counts and Lemley’s 82.30 secured the American her first global title.

Kauf, who got through to the final only hours before in the second qualifying round, delivered a fast first run down the hill, with tidy skiing through the moguls and strong jumps.

In the superfinal she was strong and quick, with a big top jump, crushing through the moguls and performing a grab in the bottom air.

“I definitely didn’t take the easy route into the finals… but I think everything happens for a reason,” Kauf said.

Despite scraping through to the second final round with a stylish technique but not so clean jumps, Laffont set a very high bar in the second run, showing off great precision and performing two big jumps with grabs.

Japan’s Hinako Tomitaka also scored 78 but Laffont took the bronze as she was awarded a better score — 42.6 to 42 — for her turns in the final run.

Asked what went through her mind when she saw her score was the same as Tomitaka’s, Laffont said: “Today was a real roller coaster. It is pretty hard to remember what I was thinking.”

Anthony was disappointed but was already looking ahead.

“I’m pretty bummed, to be honest,” Anthony said. “I definitely had what it took, but it is just not my day today sadly. Maybe in another four years’ time.”

–Reuters, special to Field Level Media

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