Sports
Colorado holds off Arizona State behind Barrington Hargress' 23 points
Feb 7, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Andrija Grbovic (14) tips the ball away from Colorado Buffaloes center Elijah Malone (50) in the first half at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Barrington Hargress scored 23 points and Sebastian Rancik had 17 as Colorado defeated Arizona State 78-70 in a Big 12 game Saturday in Boulder, Col.
The Buffaloes (14-10, 4-7 Big 12) shot 50.8% from the field (31 of 61) as they outscored the Sun Devils (12-12, 3-8) 42-26 in the paint.
Isaiah Johnson also had 16 for Colorado.
Arizona State was led by Maurice Odum with 23 points and Massamba Diop’s 19 and team-high seven rebounds.
After squandering its seven-point halftime lead and battling back and forth, the Buffaloes reclaimed control with a 7-0 run that gave them a 64-56 lead with 8:48 left.
The Sun Devils were able to cut the deficit to two with a 6-0 run over the ensuing two minutes with Diop finishing a pair of dunks.
Bangot Dak, however, hit a short jumper and Rancik nailed a 3-pointer to give Colorado a seven-point lead with 5:28 left which was never cut to less than three the rest of the way.
The Buffaloes built a 12-point first-half lead by shooting 46.9% from the floor (15 of 32), while the Sun Devils struggled from the floor hitting only 32.3% (10 of 31) of their shots in the first 20 minutes.
The Buffaloes led by 10 midway through the first half after the Sun Devils went over five minutes with a made basket.
Rancik had five points during the stretch with two free throws and a 3-pointer.
Dak finished the run with a rousing dunk down the lane with 7:27 left in the half to make it 26-16 Colorado.
Colorado took a 32-21 lead on back-to-back layups by Dak and Hargress with 5:23 left in the half.
Anthony Johnson scored two of the Sun Devils’ 18 second-chance points on a tip-in with 3:30 left to make it 34-27.
Hargress responded with a jumper and Rancik hit a 3-pointer to give Colorado a 39-27 lead with 1:57 to go.
The Sun Devils were able to get back within single digits in the final two minutes when Odum hit two free throws and Johnson scored on a layup with 33 seconds left to make it 39-31 at the break.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hornets perform in clutch vs. Hawks, win 9th in a row
Feb 7, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) shoots over Charlotte Hornets guard Sion James (4) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Moussa Diabate scored six straight fourth-quarter points, including a pair of thunderous dunks, to spark the visiting Charlotte Hornets to their ninth straight victory, a 126-119 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
WIth Charlotte trailing 110-109 with 6:31 remaining, Diabate made two free throws and threw down back-to-back slams to give the visitors a five-point lead. Atlanta could never catch up but had a chance to tie the game with 15 seconds left when Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed a 3-pointer.
The Hornets were led by Miles Bridges with 26 points and Kon Knueppel with 23 points, including six 3-pointers, and eight rebounds. LaMelo Ball added 19 points and nine assists. Diabate finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson finished with 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Zaccharie Risacher scored 18 and Onyeka Okongwu, who returned from missing four games with a facial fracture, had 16 points and six rebounds.
The Hornets matched their longest winning streak since the 1998-99 season.
Atlanta led by nine with 2:42 left in the first quarter, but the Hornets cut it to 35-32 by the end of the quarter. Charlotte tied the game on a three-point play by Ball at 11:21, setting off a back-and-forth period that ended with the game tied 60-60 at halftime. There were 13 lead changes and four ties in the first half.
The Hornets, behind nine points from Ball, scored the final 11 points of the third quarter and took a 98-90 lead into the final period. A 3-pointer by Ball gave Charlotte a 101-92 lead, but Atlanta went on a 16-4 run to take a 108-105 lead on a 3-pointer by Risacher with 7:55 left.
The Hornets lead the season series 2-1 and ended a three-game losing streak in Atlanta. The teams meet for the final time on Wednesday in Charlotte.
Atlanta’s newly acquired Buddy Hield and Gabe Vincent were available but did not play. The team said Jonathan Kuminga, the other player who came over in the trade, will be out until the All-Star break with a left knee bone bruise.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Falcons LB James Pearce Jr. arrested on battery charges
Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Falcons linebacker James Pearce Jr. (27) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker James Pearce Jr. was arrested on two counts of aggravated battery, among other charges, in Florida on Saturday, according to an online court posting.
Pearce, 22, was arrested in Miami-Dade County, Doral police chief Edwin Lopez confirmed to Local 10 News. Pearce also was charged with a count of aggravated stalking, and with fleeing and eluding police officers, aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer without violence to his person.
He’s being accused of intentionally crashing his Lamborghini into his ex-girlfriend’s car multiple times in an attempt to stop her from going to a police station, per a report from Fox Sports South Florida. He then attempted to flee law enforcement in his vehicle.
“We are aware of an incident involving James Pearce Jr., in Miami,” the Falcons said in a prepared statement. “We are in the process of gathering more information and will not have any further comment on an open legal matter at this time.”
Atlanta selected Pearce with the 26th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Tennessee. It was announced Thursday night at NFL Honors that he finished third in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
He finished the 2025 season with 10.5 sacks — the most by a rookie since Micah Parsons (13) for Dallas in 2021 — 10 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and five pass breakups.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 10 Michigan State outlasts No. 5 Illinois in OT
Feb 7, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Trey Fort (9) stops teammate Michigan State Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler (0) while the pair defend Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 26 points, including 11 in overtime, and dished out 15 assists as No. 10 Michigan State snapped No.5 Illinois’ 12-game winning streak with an 85-82 victory in East Lansing, Mich. on Saturday.
Jaxon Kohler had 11 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for Michigan State (20-4, 10-3 Big Ten), while Kur Teng and Jordan Scott added 10 points apiece.
David Mirkovic had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists for Illinois (20-4, 11-2), which fell out of the top spot in the conference behind Michigan. Andrej Stojakovic supplied 17 points and seven rebounds, Keaton Wagler tossed in 16 points and Tomislav Ivisic added 12.
Fears gave Michigan State a 79-76 lead with 1:47 remaining in the extra session on a three-point play. Cameron Ward’s putback of a Fears miss nudged the Spartans’ lead to five points. Fears knocked down four free throws in the closing seconds. Wagler made a 3-pointer to get it within three and then stole the ball, but Zvonimir Ivisic then missed a potential tying 3-pointer.
Mirkovic scored nine points and dished out three assists in the first half as the Illini grabbed a 39-35 halftime lead.
Illinois scored the first five points of the second half to take a nine-point lead. The Spartans then went on a 14-4 run to gain a one-point advantage with 13:19 left in regulation.
The Illini scored the next six points, including a four-point play by Jake Davis. After a Scott 3-pointer tied the score with 9:03 remaining, Illinois had a 5-0 spurt.
The visitors maintained a slim lead until Scott made two free throws with 1:49 remaining to give the Spartans a 68-67 edge. After a couple of empty possessions, Mirkovic made a layup with 32 seconds left.
Teng then missed a 3-pointer, but Kohler grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it back out to Teng, who made the second attempt from the right wing to give Michigan State a two-point advantage.
Wagler missed a 3-pointer but Davis snatched the offensive rebound and was fouled with one second left. Davis made both free throws to send the game to overtime.
–Field Level Media
Hornets perform in clutch vs. Hawks, win 9th in a row
Falcons LB James Pearce Jr. arrested on battery charges
