Sports
Portland beats No. 6 Gonzaga for first time in more than 10 years
Jan 25, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Pilots center Jermaine Ballisager Webb (1) battles for a rebound during the first half against Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Michael Ajayi (1) at Chiles Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Joel Foxwell tied his career-high with 27 points as host Portland upset No. 6 Gonzaga 87-80 on Wednesday night, handing the Bulldogs their first West Coast Conference loss of the season.
James O’Donnell added 16 points off the bench, Cameron Williams scored 14 points despite battling foul trouble, Jermaine Ballisager Webb added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Garrett Nuckolls scored 11 for the Pilots (11-14, 4-8 WCC), who snapped a string of 20 straight losses in the series. Portland last beat Gonzaga on Jan. 9, 2014.
Graham Ike led Gonzaga (22-2, 10-1) with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Mario Saint-Supery added 12 points and Davis Fogle scored 10.
Foxwell, a freshman guard from Australia, might have bested his career high if not for leg cramps that limited him over the final five minutes. Still, he shot 11 of 18 from the field — including 3 of 8 from 3-point range — dished out a game-high eight assists and grabbed four rebounds.
The Pilots shot 59.3% from the field (32 of 54), while limiting Gonzaga to 40.0% (26 of 65). Portland had a 32-27 rebounding edge and outscored the Bulldogs 40-26 in the paint.
Trailing by six, the Bulldogs came out strong after the intermission, with Adam Miller making a 3-pointer and Ike a jumper in the paint to make it 39-38 within the half’s first minute.
But the Pilots stemmed the momentum when Ballisager Webb made a 3-pointer just before a late-closing Ike ran into him. The four-point play pushed Portland’s lead back to five and Gonzaga never got closer than three the rest of the way.
The Pilots stretched the lead to 77-62 with 4:42 left before a late Gonzaga run.
The Pilots took a 39-33 halftime lead as Foxwell scored 13 in the opening 20 minutes.
Portland scored the game’s first four points and, after Gonzaga’s Braeden Smith made a 3-pointer, went on a 7-0 run — capped by Foxwell’s 3-pointer — to make it 11-3 before Ike had even touched the ball on the offensive end.
Back-to-back jumpers by Foxwell gave the Pilots their largest lead of the half at 15-5 just before the media timeout, at which point Gonzaga coach Mark Few brought in four substitutions to pair with Ike.
An 8-0 run capped by Saint-Supery’s 3-pointer from in front of the Portland bench gave the Bulldogs their first lead at 28-26 with 6:55 left in the half.
The Pilots regained the lead on a jumper by Foxwell and later held Gonzaga scoreless for the final 2:53 to take the lead into the intermission.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Anthony Roy, Oklahoma State outduel AJ Dybantsa, No. 16 BYU
Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Anthony Roy (9) celebrates a 3-point basket during a BIG 12 men’s college basketball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the BYU Cougars at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Anthony Roy scored a season-high 30 points and Jaylen Curry added 18 as Oklahoma State upset No. 16 BYU 99-92 on Wednesday in Stillwater, Okla.
The Cowboys (16-6, 4-5 Big 12) shot 54.7% from the field and forced 16 turnovers that resulted in 21 points. Oklahoma State’s Parsa Fallah added 13 points and seven rebounds.
Vyctorius Miller, who didn’t take a shot in the first half, scored 14 in the second half for the Cowboys on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
AJ Dybantsa led the Cougars (17-5, 5-4) with 36 points, but he couldn’t keep BYU from losing its third straight game. Richie Saunders contributed 20 points and eight rebounds, and Robert Wright III put up 15 points.
The Cowboys led 74-69 with six minutes left in the game before they went on a 7-0 run to take control.
Roy scored on a layup and also hit a 3-pointer in the decisive sequence.
The Cowboys jumped out to a 15-point lead with 5:21 to go in the first half.
The Cougars turned the ball over nine times in the first 11 minutes as the Cowboys built a double-digit lead.
When Fallah sank a layup, the Cowboys led 37-22. The Cougars were shooting only 28.9% compared to the Cowboys’ 63.6%.
Dybantsa then heated up, and the Cougars finished the half on a 19-4 run, including an 8-0 surge in the final 3:07 to tie the score entering the break.
Saunders started the run with a 3-pointer to make it 37-24.
Dybantsa nailed back-to-back 3-pointers, and suddenly the 15-point lead was down to 37-31.
Isaiah Coleman hit a jumper and soon added a layup for Oklahoma State, but Dybantsa wasn’t done.
He started the final run by dribbling through the defense to dunk.
Saunders scored on a layup to make it 41-37 with 2:22 left.
Dybantsa then finished the half with two free throws and another dunk in which he dribbled past three defenders. The slam with three seconds left tied the game at 41.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Otega Oweh torments former team as Kentucky blasts Oklahoma
Feb 4, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Collin Chandler (5) looks to pass during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Otega Oweh matched his season high with 24 points as Kentucky blew out Oklahoma 94-78 Wednesday night at home in Rupp Arena.
Kentucky (16-7, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) had one of its best offensive performances of the season, shooting 50.0% from the floor overall and 12-26 from beyond the arc in posting their sixth-best point total this year and highest in SEC play.
The Wildcats had 21 assists on 30 made field goals, with six players dishing out three or more assists. Denzel Aberdeen led the Wildcats with five assists.
It was a back-and-forth game for most of the first half, with Kentucky making its living from beyond the arc, going 9 of 16 from 3-point range.
Collin Chandler, who finished with 18 points, made three of Kentucky’s nine first-half 3-pointers, leading the Wildcats with nine points in the first half as Kentucky built a 43-32 advantage. Five Wildcats had at least six points in the first 20 minutes, and Kentucky had 11 assists on 14 made field goals in the first half.
After nearly 15 minutes, Kentucky’s defense settled in and held the Sooners without a field goal for the final 5:07 of the first half. Despite only two turnovers, Oklahoma (11-12, 1-9) only had five assists on 11 made field goals. Oklahoma shot just 11-30 from the field in the first half.
In the second half, Oklahoma never got closer than eight points as the Sooners suffered their ninth straight loss.
A former Sooner, Oweh revved up the engines in the second half with 18 points. Oweh finished with 20-plus points for the eighth time in 10 SEC games.
Oweh’s former rival turned teammate, Brandon Garrison, had his best game of the season. Garrison made a huge impact with a double-double, scoring 20 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. He was 7 of 8 from the field and 6 for 6 from the free-throw line, while also dishing out three assists.
The Wildcats have now won seven of eight since an 0-2 start in SEC play and have won 11 of 14 overall.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hawks could gain reinforcements as they prepare for Jazz
Dec 31, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis (8) shown before the start of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images The Atlanta Hawks may get a lineup boost Thursday, but it isn’t likely to come from a last-minute trade.
The Hawks, who host the Utah Jazz on Thursday, could get veteran Kristaps Porzingis back in the lineup. The veteran center, the team’s big offseason acquisition, has missed the last 13 games with left Achilles tendinitis but had his status upgraded to questionable Tuesday and could return for limited minutes.
Porzingis hasn’t played since Jan. 7. He has participated in only 17 of the team’s 52 games because of injuries and management of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, an incurable condition that causes increased heart rate, dizziness and fatigue.
Porzingis has played well when in the lineup, averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists. His return would be especially welcome since Onyeka Okongwu is day-to-day after dental surgery following a nasty elbow in the mouth against Boston. The Hawks have been living with Mouhamed Gueye and Christian Koloko at center.
Atlanta ended a two-game losing streak Tuesday with an impressive 127-115 road win against Miami.
Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson is coming off his ninth triple-double of the season. Johnson, who was named to the NBA All-Star team, had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against the Heat.
“Jalen just continues to find, within the rhythm of the game, opportunities to get off the ball to be the open guy, and when he needs to be more aggressive and go to the basket. I just love that he’s not hesitating with the catch-and-shoot threes. I think that gives him space to play. Some of our other guys are getting more connected with him, too.”
Utah ended a six-game skid Tuesday by defeating the Indiana Pacers 131-122. The Jazz had only seven available players, and each scored in double figures. Utah played Tuesday without Keyonte George (ankle), Kevin Love (illness), Walker Kessler (shoulder) and Jusuf Nurkic (illness).
“Games like this are odd, playing with seven people and the lineups we had out there,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “But I thought the team had great energy, great camaraderie.”
Isaiah Collier played all 48 minutes and had a career-high 22 assists in the win, the most in the NBA this season and the most by a Jazz player since John Stockton on Dec. 18, 1992. The last player in the league with 22 assists was Denver’s Nilola Jokic last March 7.
“Isaiah, with 22 assists and only two turnovers, is a testament to him, it’s a testament to his teammates,” Hardy said. “Overall, he showed a lot of poise and maturity as a point guard.”
The game marks a homecoming for Utah rookie Ace Bailey, who grew up in the Atlanta suburbs and was Mr. Georgia Basketball in 2024. He is averaging 11.3 points and 3.6 rebounds and scored 19 on Tuesday.
This is the final meeting between the teams this season. The Hawks, who have won three straight against the Jazz, took the first game 132-122 on Nov. 13 in Salt Lake City. Johnson had a triple-double (31 points, 18 rebounds, 14 assists) and Okongwu had a career-high 32 points with eight 3-pointers.
–Field Level Media
Anthony Roy, Oklahoma State outduel AJ Dybantsa, No. 16 BYU
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