Sports
No. 3 Houston rides defense to sidestep Kansas State
Feb 14, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) and Kansas State Wildcats guard Nate Johnson (34) reach for a loose ball in the first half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images Emanuel Sharp scored 23 points and the No. 3 Houston’s defense did the rest to the help the host Cougars produce a 78-64 win over reeling Kansas State on Saturday afternoon in a Big 12 Conference clash.
The Cougars (23-2, 11-1 Big 12) relied on their defense to limit Kansas State to just five field goals in the first half and scored the final 13 points on the way to a 33-19 lead at halftime. Houston was up by 14 points despite missing 23 of their 33 shots over the first 20 minutes.
Houston increased the margin to as many as 24 points in the second half when Chris Cenac Jr. hit a 3-pointer with 16:41 to play. But the Wildcats refused to go away, pulling to within 59-49 on Nate Johnson’s basket from beyond the arc with 7:06 left.
That’s a close as Kansas State would get as the Cougars extended their overall winning streak to six games and have captured 18 straight and 51 of their last 52 contests at home.
Milos Uzan and Kingston Flemings added 12 points each for Houston, whose next three games are against teams ranked in the top 10 beginning with No. 5 Iowa State on the road on Monday. The Cougars shot 53.8% in the second half.
P.J. Haggerty led the Wildcats with 23 points while Johnson had 12 and Taj Manning scored 10. Kansas State (10-15, 1-11 Big 12) dropped its sixth game in a row.
The Cougars survived a ragged offensive beginning, missing 11 straight shots from the floor after scoring the game’s opening basket and falling behind 9-3. Houston snapped that swoon when Sharp canned a 3-pointer with 12:47 left but still trailed 15-6 after Haggerty poured in a 3-pointer with 11:35 to play in the half.
Houston finally found its collective stride, running off 13 of the ensuing 14 points to take the lead at 19-16 on Kalifa Sakho’s dunk with 6:48 left until halftime. Uzan’s third chance, 3-pointer 4:06 before halftime stoked the Cougars’ lead to six points, and Houston extended its run through the rest of the half, getting two free throws by Flemings with 5.1 seconds left to carry a 33-19 lead to the break.
Sharp led all scorers with 14 points before halftime while Houston shot just 30.3% from the floor for the half. Haggerty’s eight points paced the Wildcats, who made only 20.8 percent of their field goals – missing their final 10 shots of the half – and going scoreless over the final 5:24 before the break.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Villanova wins fifth straight, avenges loss to Creighton
Feb 14, 2026; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Duke Brennan (24) drives against Creighton Bluejays forward Isaac Traudt (41) during the first half at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images Duke Brennan had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Tyler Perkins had 17 points and 11 rebounds as Villanova extended its win streak to five with an 80-69 victory over Creighton on Saturday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.
Deven Askew had 13 points off the bench for the Wildcats (20-5, 11-3 Big East Conference), who ended a four-game losing streak to the Bluejays (13-13, 7-8). Villanova is 6-1 on the road in conference play and avenged a 76-72 home loss to Creighton last month.
Back-to-back Askew 3-pointers gave the Wildcats a 25-10 lead with 7:17 to play in the first half as Villanova used a 16-3 run to take control. The Wildcats never led by less than seven points the rest of the game.
Both teams struggled offensively early. Villanova started 5 for 17 from the field.
Creighton, whose team attended the funeral of guard Josh Dix’s mother Friday, struggled for nearly all of the first half. Isaac Traudt, one of the Bluejays’ key long-range shooters, was 0 of 4 from beyond the arc early.
Nik Graves led Creighton with 15 points, scoring 13 after the break. Dix chipped in with 14 points.
Austin Swartz made two 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half for the Bluejays, who have lost seven of 10 and are in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
Villanova secured the game late, finishing 14 for 19 (74%) from the foul line, markedly better than recent performances.
Malachi Palmer came off the bench to score all 10 of his points in the second half for the Wildcats. Acaden Lewis, one of just five freshmen in the country to average 12.5 points and at least five assists, had eight points, four assists and two steals.
Brennan posted his 11th double-double to lead Villanova.
Jasen Green had a team-high 11 rebounds for Creighton. Hudson Greer added eight points and five rebounds and Fedor Zugic scored all seven of his points in the second half.
Villanova is holding opponents to a Big East-leading 29.9% shooting percentage from beyond the arc, and Creighton finished 8 for 27 (29.6%).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Padres agree to deal with RHP German Marquez
Jul 5, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher German Marquez (48) delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images The San Diego Padres agreed to a one-year deal with right-hander German Marquez, according to ESPN.
Marquez has played all 10 of his MLB seasons for the Colorado Rockies. He owns a career record of 68-72 with a 4.67 ERA and 1.334 WHIP.
He earned his sole All-Star selection in 2021, in which he posted a 4.40 ERA, 1.272 WHIP, 176 strikeouts and a league-leading three complete games across 32 starts.
The 30-year-old is looking to bounce back from an underwhelming 2025 campaign. Across 26 games, he went 3-16 with a 6.70 ERA, 1.710 WHIP and 83 strikeouts in 126 1/3 innings pitched.
The metrics were concerning, as well. He ranked in the bottom five percentile in pitching run value (-42), fastball run value (-29), breaking run value (-11), xERA (5.81), xBA (.287) and strikeout percentage (14.0).
Pitching at Coors Field is a well-known challenge, and Marquez’s away splits are slightly better. For his career, he has a 5.17 ERA at home and a 4.22 ERA on the road.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Oregon downs Penn State to snap 10-game skid
Jan 20, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Takai Simpkins (5) is introduced before the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images Oregon overcame a slow start and held on for an 83-72 win over Penn State in Big Ten play on Saturday afternoon in Eugene, Ore.
The Ducks (9-16, 2-12 Big Ten) put an end to a 10-game losing streak with the win, and were led by Takai Simpkins and Nate Bittle with 22 points each.
Oregon made 7 of 10 3-point attempts in the second half to pull away for its first win since January 2 at Maryland.
Penn State (11-15, 2-13) got a game-high 24 points from guard Kayden Mingo in the loss. Josh Reed added 13 for the Nittany Lions in a matchup of two Big Ten cellar dwellers.
Penn State tied the game at 46 on a 3-pointer from Dominick Stewart with 15:42 to play. Then Oregon took control, building its lead to 58-49 on a 3-pointer from Wei Lin and 62-51 after a dunk by Kwame Evans Jr. following a Nittany Lions turnover.
Simpkins scored 20 of his points in the second half, including three early 3-pointers in the first few minutes. When Bittle found forward Sean Stewart all alone jogging down the lane for a dunk with 7:04 remaining, Oregon took a 69-58 lead and was able to finish the game with ease.
Simpkins knocked down a deep 3 from the top of the arc with 4:00 to play, with Bittle passing out of the low post for the assist. Oregon led 80-65, and the fans at Matthew Knight Arena could, for the first time in well over a month, fully enjoy the traditional playing of “Shout,” an Oregon sports tradition, during a late timeout.
Oregon trailed by as many as seven early in the game but turned things around with a Bittle dunk in transition for a 27-23 lead and a couple Evans free throws for a 38-28 lead. Penn State trailed 38-32 at halftime.
–Field Level Media
Villanova wins fifth straight, avenges loss to Creighton
Report: Padres agree to deal with RHP German Marquez
