Sports
Cincinnati, West Virginia have work to do to for postseason berths
Feb 5, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Javon Small (7) speaks with West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Darian DeVries during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Two teams on opposite sides of the bubble meet in a Big 12 clash Wednesday night when West Virginia hosts Cincinnati in Morgantown, W. Va.
The Mountaineers (15-10, 6-8 Big 12) have lost two straight and three of four, with the most recent defeat on Saturday, a 74-71 overtime loss at Baylor. Free throws contributed to West Virginia’s setback. The Bears went 27 for 32 from the line, while West Virginia converted 11 of its 17 attempts.
“We’ve got to figure out how to do a better job of keeping people off the free-throw line,” coach Darian DeVries said. “When you give a team 27 points and they shoot 32 free throws, it’s hard to win.”
The Mountaineers also could do a better job getting to the charity stripe. In conference play, they rank last among the 16 teams in both free-throw attempts (184) and makes (124).
Senior guard Javon Small leads West Virginia and the conference in scoring for all games, averaging 18.6 points per contest. He scored 22 in Saturday’s loss to Baylor.
Despite the Mountaineers’ sub-.500 record in Big 12 games, bracketologists from ESPN, CBS Sports and The Athletic still expect DeVries’ team to make the NCAA Tournament. Those analysts, though, do not expect the same for the Bearcats (15-10, 5-9).
Cincinnati saw its three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday when it lost 81-70 to then-No. 10 Iowa State on the road. The Bearcats led 48-45 with 15:06 minutes remaining, but the Cyclones responded with a 10-0 run to pull away.
Since a 63-50 home loss on Feb. 2 to West Virginia — which was Cincinnati’s fourth straight loss and eighth in 10 games — the Bearcats have seen their offense improve. In their last four games, coach Wes Miller’s team has averaged 83 points per game and shot 53.4 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from the 3-point line. In the previous 10, Cincinnati averaged just 59.6 points and made only 39 percent of its shots and 26.6 percent of its 3-pointers.
Jizzle James leads the Bearcats in scoring, averaging 12.2 a game. However, the sophomore guard has stepped it up of late, matching his career-high of 25 points in each of his last two games. In the game before that, against BYU, he finished with 24.
James, though, fouled out in the Iowa State loss, as the Bearcats committed a season-high 23 fouls.
“Jizzle and Dillon (Mitchell)’s foul trouble really affected our ability to navigate the game the way we want it from a lineup and substitution standpoint,” Miller said after the loss.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets rack up 19 hits, 14 runs in demolition of Braves
Jul 27, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images Francisco Lindor hit two homers and drove in six runs as the New York Mets battered the visiting Atlanta Braves 14-3 on Monday.
Tyrone Taylor went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer and Marcus Semien also had three hits and a homer for the Mets, who have won consecutive games for the first time since July 8-9.
Lindor, A.J. Ewing and Bo Bichette each added three of New York’s season-high-tying 19 hits.
Mets starter Zac Thornton (2-1) tossed 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out five and walking one.
Braves starter Martin Perez gave up three runs on eight hits in five innings. He fanned four and walked one.
Connor Thomas (0-1) was blasted for 11 runs on 10 hits across 2 2/3 innings, walking five and striking out two. Ozzie Albies homered, singled and drove in three for Atlanta, which had won four of its previous five games.
Albies drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single in the top of the first.
New York answered in the bottom of the first, as Ewing led off with a single and Lindor tripled to even the score.
In the third, Ewing and Lindor paced the New York offensive attack again. Ewing singled and stole second before Lindor launched a homer to left-center, giving the Mets a 3-1 lead.
After Matt Olson’s walk opening the fourth, Albies connected on a 407-foot home run — his 18th of the season — to tie the game 3-3.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Perez allowed singles by Bichette and Luis Robert Jr. before walking Francisco Alvarez to load the bases. Through heavy rain, Perez struck out Jared Young to escape the jam.
Thomas relieved Perez in the sixth and immediately allowed Taylor’s single and Semien’s two-run homer to give the Mets a 5-3 lead. The long ball was Semien’s 12th.
Thomas remained in for the seventh, walking Alvarez before Young’s single and Taylor’s ninth home run of the year broke the game open, giving the Mets an 8-3 advantage.
Thomas then walked Semien, allowed Luis Torrens’ double and issued a one-out walk to Lindor, loading the bases. Bichette’s sacrifice fly made it 9-3 and stamped a four-run New York frame.
Torrens drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth to give the Mets a 10-3 advantage. Ewing followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the margin. The beating continued for Thomas as Lindor launched his eighth homer of the year before Atlanta shortstop Jorge Mateo entered in relief. Bichette singled before Mateo struck out Robert to end the inning.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Brandon Lowe’s heroics help Pirates down Diamondback in 10
Jul 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe (5) receives a water bath after hitting an RBI single to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in ten innings at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Brandon Lowe’s RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Billy Cook and propelled the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.
The Pirates’ victory drew them even with the Diamondbacks for the final National League Wild Card spot, and dealt Arizona its third loss in a row.
Lowe’s game-winner off Diamondbacks reliever Taylor Clarke (2-2) was his third hit of the game and he finished with two RBIs after lining a ball off Diamondbacks’ first baseman Ildemaro Vargas.
Endy Rodriguez, who was activated from the 10-day injured list with a left glute strain, singled to right to open the 10th and put runners on the corners with no outs.
Jake Mangum grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Billy Cook was caught in a rundown between third and home. But Cook bought enough time and made it back to third just as Rodriguez did, resulting in one out, but ensuring the Pirates still had a runner at third.
Max Kepler had three hits, drove in the Diamondbacks’ two runs, and had a chance to give Arizona the lead in the top of the 10th. But with runners on second and third with two outs, Kepler lined out to center against reliever Mason Montgomery (4-3), who also struck out Gabriel Moreno two batters prior after Arizona had put runners on second and third with one out.
Bryan Reynolds knotted the game at 2 in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out RBI double to score Lowe, who doubled on the prior at-bat. The clutch hit came moments after Pirates manager Don Kelly was ejected by third base umpire Ben May after arguing a check swing call during Reynolds’ at-bat.
The teams were locked in a scoreless stalemate until Kepler’s two-run double with the bases loaded gave the Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead in the top of the sixth.
Mangum scored Pittsburgh’s first run on a single by Lowe to cut Arizona’s lead to 2-1.
Pittsburgh’s hot-hitting rookie Esmerlyn Valdez was hit by a 91.4 mph fastball from Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly on his left hand and left the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Valdez has 14 home runs in his first 38 career at-bats.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Vikings agree to deal with veteran LB/S Jamal Adams
Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Jamal Adams against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Three-time Pro Bowl linebacker/safety Jamal Adams is headed to his sixth NFL team after agreeing to terms with the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.
The 30-year-old veteran confirmed his decision with a post on X that said “Year 10 #skol”.
Adams spent last season with the Las Vegas Raiders, amassing 45 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in 17 games (four starts) as a linebacker.
Adams also previously played for the New York Jets (2017-19), Seattle Seahawks (2020-23), Tennessee Titans (2024) and Detroit Lions (2024). Adams earned his Pro Bowl appearances as a safety from 2018-20.
It remains to be seen which position the versatile Adams will play for the Vikings. However, his addition comes as safety Harrison Smith mulls retirement.
Overall during his pro career, Adams has tallied 546 tackles, 22.5 sacks, four interceptions, 36 passes defended, eight forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Adams is joining a stingy Vikings defense that ranked third in the NFL in yards allowed per game last season (282.6).
–Field Level Media
Mets rack up 19 hits, 14 runs in demolition of Braves
Brandon Lowe’s heroics help Pirates down Diamondback in 10
