Sports
Nate Kingz's game-winner lifts Syracuse over SMU
Feb 14, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Kiyan Anthony (7) looks to get the ball past Southern Methodist University Mustangs guard Jaron Pierre Jr. (5) in the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images Nate Kingz drove the lane and hit the winning layup with 2.3 seconds to play to lift host Syracuse to a wild 79-78 win over SMU on Saturday afternoon in an Atlantic Coast Conference dustup.
The Mustangs led 61-49 with 12:15 to play before Syracuse (15-11, 6-7 ACC) rallied. Naithan George grabbed a rebound and went the length of the floor for a layup to put the Orange up by a point with 3:21 left.
Jaden Toombs’s follow-up tip in with 2:41 left put the Mustangs back on top, but Toombs then missed a pair of free throws with 1:28 to play that would have expanded the lead. Syracuse’s Tyler Betsey missed out a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left before SMU came up empty on the next possession, setting the table for Kingz’s game-winning drive to the basket.
Donnie Freeman led the Orange with 18 points, while George scored 16. Kingz and Kiyan Anthony had 13 points each.
Toombs paced SMU (17-8, 6-6 ACC) with 19 points. Corey Washington added 13 points and nine rebounds, Jaron Pierre Jr. scored 12 points, and Boopie Miller and Samet Yigitoglu tallied 11 each. SMU went scoreless over the final 2:41 and missed six of its final seven shots.
The game went back and forth over its first five and a half minutes and was tied at 12-12 after Freeman hit a free throw at the 14:35 mark of the first half. SMU took the lead and pushed its advantage to 24-17 on Jermaine O’Neal Jr.’s dunk off a fast break pass from Miller with 9:19 left in the half.
Syracuse was within 24-21 after a pair of free throws by Freeman with 8:37 to play before halftime. The Mustangs then got pair of baskets from Toombs along with two free throws and a 3-pointer from Pierre to stroke their lead to 33-21 with 6:22 remaining.
But the Orange swung back, using an 8-0 run to draw to within 37-35 after William Kyle III hit a pair from the charity stripe with 1:50 left in the half. Washington’s jumper 48 seconds later allowed SMU to carry a 39-35 lead into the break.
Freeman led all scorers with 11 first half points, while Toombs amassed 10 off the bench for SMU.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Northern Iowa tight end Parker Sutherland dies at 18
Northern Iowa Panthers tight end Parker Sutherland (89) goes for the catch during a game against South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota. Northern Iowa football player Parker Sutherland died Saturday morning at age 18, the university announced.
The school’s statement did not reveal a cause of death. However, on Thursday afternoon, Cedar Falls Fire and Rescue responded to a call from the university’s football complex, with the call log recording the reason as “unconscious/fainting (non trauma).”
“I’m heartbroken,” head coach Todd Stepsis said in a school news release.
“Parker embodied everything we look for in a UNI Football Panther. His talent and potential excited us on a daily basis, but it failed to compare to the type of person and teammate he was. His character, humility, toughness and genuine love of others are what champions are made of.”
A 6-foot-6 tight end, Sutherland played in four games as a freshman for the Panthers in 2025. He played three sports at Iowa City High School and was a second-team All-State football selection in 2024.
“We are devastated — just devastated,” Northern Iowa athletic director Megan Franklin said. “The blessing is that we have a Panther family who will hold the Sutherland family, our football team, and our athletics staff close as we grieve.”
Sutherland is survived by his parents, Adam and Jill Sutherland, and his sister, Georgia.
–Field Level Media
Sports
David Kelly named executive director of NBPA
Jan 21, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A basketball goes through the hoop before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images David Kelly was elected the next executive director of the National Basketball Players Association.
Kelly, who has been the NBPA’s managing director and general counsel since February 2025, will succeed Andre Iguodala, who will step down from the position at the end of his term in July, the union announced Friday.
“David Kelly is a transformational leader and one of the most respected legal minds in the game,” Iguodala said. “I am pleased the players recognize he is the right person to unapologetically fight for them.”
Kelly, who came to the NBPA after working on the business and legal side for the Golden State Warriors, served as a close adviser to Iguodala and NBPA president Fred VanVleet while overseeing all legal matters and the strategic direction of the organization
“I am honored that the players have trusted me to lead this next chapter alongside our dedicated executive committee,” Kelly said. “The energy and momentum Andre has built has created an incredible opportunity for our players.”
Kelly’s tenure as executive director could include overseeing the addition of expansion franchises and leading the union through the collective bargaining agreement with team owners, which is set to expire in 2030 but could come up earlier as either side can opt out in 2029. During part of his time with the Warriors, Kelly managed the team’s salary cap and oversaw all matters related to the CBA.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cal's sweet shooting earns ACC win at Boston College
Jan 28, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; California Golden Bears forward Chris Bell (22) during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images Chris Bell scored a game-high 22 points to help visiting Cal end a two-game losing streak by beating Boston College 86-75 Saturday.
Bell made 6 of 10 3-point attempts. Cal (18-8, 6-7 ACC) shot 30 of 54 from the field in the win, which included 14 of 29 (48.3%) from 3-point range.
Dai Dai Ames and John Camden each finished with 15 points for the Bears, who never trailed in the game. Camden also had a game-high nine rebounds.
Fred Payne led Boston College (9-16, 2-10 ACC) with 16 points and five rebounds, but the Eagles’ losing streak reached six games. Boston College hasn’t won since it beat Pittsburgh 65-62 on Jan. 21.
Chase Forte scored 14 points while Jayden Hastings added 12 points and eight rebounds and Luka Toews notched 12 points and five assists for Boston College.
The Eagles played without No. 2 scorer Donald Hand Jr., who sustained a knee injury during the first half of Wednesday night’s 70-64 loss to Stanford. Hand, in his fourth season with Boston College, started each of his team’s first 24 games and averaged 13.8 points and 5.0 rebounds.
Cal used a 9-0 run to take a 15-4 lead 6:11 into the contest. Boston College has trailed by double digits during the first half in 12 of its 25 games.
Cal had a 43-23 advantage with 1:49 left in the first half, but Boston College scored the final five points in the half to trail 43-28 at the break. Cal made 7 of its 16 3-point attempts in the first 20 minutes while turning eight Boston College turnovers into 10 points.
The Eagles trimmed their deficit to 11 points when a Forte free throw made it 66-55 with 8:09 to play, but they failed to get closer than nine the rest of the way. After a Toews jumper cut Cal’s lead to 80-71, Camden answered with a 3-pointer that put the Bears up 83-71 with 1:55 left.
–Field Level Media
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Northern Iowa tight end Parker Sutherland dies at 18
