Sports
Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 1 UCLA puts away No. 24 Michigan
Dec 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close during the first quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. The Bruins won 91-54 for Close’s 300 career win. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images Kiki Rice and Lauren Betts led five scorers in double digits as No. 1 UCLA stayed unbeaten by keeping No. 24 Michigan at arm’s length 86-70 in a Big Ten matchup on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Rice posted 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and added 10 assists and three steals. Betts followed with 13 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals as the Bruins (14-0, 3-0 Big Ten) used a 9-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to push their lead to 16. Another 9-0 run a few minutes later sealed the win.
Londynn Jones tallied 13 points and Gabriel Jaquez and Angela Dugalic 12 apiece for UCLA, which shot 55.6 percent from the field.
Freshman Syla Swords scored a career-high 30 points on 11-of-25 shooting for Michigan (10-4, 1-2), which has lost three of its last four games. Olivia Olson contributed 17 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks, and Jordan Hobbs chipped in 10 points.
No. 4 Southern California 75, Nebraska 55
JuJu Watkins poured in 26 points, 11 in the third quarter, as the Trojans pulled away to defeat the Cornhuskers in the Big Ten contest in Los Angeles.
Watkins, who began the day third in Division I by averaging 25.2 points per game, went 7 of 15 from the field and 11 of 12 from the free-throw line. She made 9 of 10 from the line in the third quarter, as USC (13-1, 3-0 Big Ten) outscored Nebraska 20-11 to extend its lead to double digits.
Kiki Iriafen added 14 points, and Rayah Marshall chipped in eight points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals for USC, which extended its winning streak to nine games.
Logan Nissley led the Cornhuskers (10-4, 1-2) with 14 points, and teammate Britt Prince followed with 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
No. 7 UConn 77, Marquette 45
Sarah Strong led four scorers in double digits with 15 points, and the Huskies used a strong second quarter to defeat the host Golden Eagles in a Big East game in Milwaukee.
KK Arnold added 13 points and seven assists off the bench for UConn (12-2, 3-0 Big East). Paige Bueckers entered averaging 20.9 points per game but managed just 12 against Marquette on 4-of-12 shooting. Jana EL Alfy chipped in 10 points, and Strong added seven rebounds and four assists.
Skylar Forbes netted 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting for the Golden Eagles (9-4, 1-1). None of her teammates managed more than six points, and they combined to shoot 26.2 percent from the field. UConn’s Kaitlyn Chen tallied all seven of her points in the second quarter, as the Huskies outscored the Golden Eagles 21-8 to take control of the game.
No. 12 Kansas State 74, Houston 55
The Wildcats saw a double-digit lead slip away in the third quarter but roared back in the fourth to put away the host Cougars for their ninth consecutive victory in the Big 12 clash.
Ayoka Lee, Temira Poindexter and Jaelyn Glenn all scored 15 points for Kansas State (14-1, 2-0 Big 12), with Lee adding nine rebounds and four blocks. Teammate Serena Sundell chipped in with 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Trailing by one point with one minute gone in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats ran off 21 points to blow the game open. Poindexter had eight points in that spurt.
Eylia Love led Houston (4-9, 0-2) with 16 points and Laila Blair added 12 points and three steals.
No. 18 West Virginia 80, UCF 58
Ja’Naiya Quinerly scored 17 of her season-high 31 points in the first quarter as the Mountaineers built a big lead and coasted past the Big 12 opponent Knights in Morgantown, W.Va.
Syndey Shaw added 19 points and Jordan Harrison contributed 12 points, six rebounds and six assists for West Virginia (11-2, 1-1 Big 12). The Mountaineers led by six midway through the first quarter, but finished on a 17-1 burst, with Quinerly scoring eight and Harrison four.
Khyala Ngodu paced UCF with 14 points and seven rebounds. Kaitlin Peterson was right behind with 13 points, Nevaeh Brown added 12 and Emely Rodriguez 11. The Knights (7-5, 0-2) lost their third straight game.
No. 21 Michigan State 77, Purdue 59
Jocelyn Tate posted a season-high 19 points and added 11 rebounds and three steals, and she led a big second quarter as the Spartans turned back the Boilermakers in East Lansing, Mich.
Grace VanSlooten finished with 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals for Michigan State (12-2, 2-1 Big 10), which ended a two-game losing streak. Ines Sotelo added 16 points and six boards, and Julia Ayrault supplied 11 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Tate netted 10 points in the second quarter as Michigan State (12-2, 2-1 Big 10) outscored Purdue 18-3.
Destini Lombard and Lana McCarthy scored 10 points apiece to pace Purdue (7-7, 0-3), which has lost two games in a row and four of six. Lombard also had four steals and two blocks.
No. 23 Iowa 80, Penn State 68
Taylor McCabe scored 17 points, Addison O’Grady netted 16 and Hannah Stuelke posted a double-double as the Hawkeyes used a late 9-0 run to defeat the Lady Lions in the Big Ten matchup in University Park, Pa.
Stuelke finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists as Iowa (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) won its third straight game. The Hawkeyes shot 52.5 percent from the floor and dominated in bench points (33-10) and paint points (46-26).
Gabby Elliott led Penn State with career highs of 32 points and seven 3-pointers, including two treys early in the fourth quarter as the Lady Lions (9-5, 0-3) were within 63-61 with 7:04 left. A layup by O’Grady and Teagan Mallegni’s three-point play began Iowa’s burst, which pushed the lead to 11 with 4:12 to play.
Lucy Olsen added 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and Gracie Merkle notched 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Lady Lions. Elliott was 12 of 22 from the field, including 7 of 11 from deep.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hannah Green wins her 2nd HSBC Women's World Championship
Aug 21, 2025; Mississauga, Ontario, CAN; Hannah Green plays her tee shot at the third hole during first round play at the CPKC Women’s Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images Australia’s Hannah Green held off Auston Kim on Sunday to win the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore for the second time.
Green, the 2024 champion, balanced three birdies and three bogeys on an eventful back nine to finish with a 3-under 69 and a final score of 14-under at Sentosa Golf Club. The 2019 Women’s PGA Championship winner tapped in for bogey at the 18th for her seventh LPGA Tour title.
“When I did win Singapore two years ago, I went on to win two other tournaments that season and pretty much had my best season on tour,” said Green, 29. “So having a win so early in the season gives me a bit more flexibility with the tournaments that I can play. So I’m hoping that this puts me in good stead for the rest of the year.”
Green was at 16-under after birdies at the first, 11th and 13th holes and an eagle at the par-5 eighth hole. Her birdie at the par-3 15th helped her survive a bogey-bogey finish.
“I knew that I had enough of a lead to be able to get away with making mistakes coming down the stretch. But I think 15 was the real turning point,” she said.
First- and second-round leader Kim nearly chased down her first title, matching the low round of the day with a 67 to finish one shot behind Green in the 72-hole, no-cut tournament.
Kim carded six birdies and an eagle at No. 8, but a bogey at the par-3 15th proved costly for the 25-year-old American.
“Overall, I think it was a really solid week,” Kim said. “A great way to start the year. I hit a lot of bad shots but I also hit a lot of good ones, and it was really confidence boosting. I hit all these bad shots, and I didn’t feel like I had anything chose to my A game, but I was still able it pull off a result like this and play some really solid golf.”
Australia’s Minjee Lee (72 on Sunday), Angel Yin (71) and France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (68) tied for third place at 11-under with South Korea’s Haeran Ryu (72) another shot back in solo sixth.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand finished with a 73 and tied for 31st at 2-under, one shot behind defending champion Lydia Ko (72) of New Zealand.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cards extend manager Oliver Marmol through '28 season
Feb 22, 2026; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) looks on from inside the dugout against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol received a two-year contract extension through the 2028 season, the team announced Sunday.
Financial terms were not disclosed by the team, which holds an option for the 2029 season.
“As I’ve gotten to know Oli, I’ve seen someone who cares about this organization and knows what has made the Cardinals special over time — and who understands that for us to get where we need to go, we must compete relentlessly to set new standards in everything that we do,” president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said.
“He is invested in the progress of our young core and is unafraid to challenge himself and to help those around him grow. I am energized to continue working with him towards the on-field success that we expect and that our fans deserve.”
Marmol, 39, has guided the Cardinals to a 325-323 record during his four seasons as the skipper. He led St. Louis to the National League Central title in 2022 before the team fell in the wild-card series to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Last season, the Cardinals posted a 78-84 record to finish in fourth place in the NL Central.
Marmol was a coach with St. Louis from 2017-21 under previous managers Mike Shildt and Mike Matheny.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tyler Reif treated for heat exhaustion after Trucks race
Oct 31, 2025; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Truck Series driver Tyler Reif (41) during the NASCAR Truck Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie Tyler Reif was treated for heat exhaustion after Saturday night’s street race in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Reif, 18, was transported to an area medical facility after finishing 16th in the race in the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet. He was later released.
“Tyler and his family would like to express their gratitude to the NASCAR officials, track medical workers and the local medical facility staff for their care,” Niece Motorsports said in a release.
Reif made his debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series in 2025. Saturday’s race was just his third on the circuit, including a 17th-place finish at Atlanta on Feb. 21.
–Field Level Media
Hannah Green wins her 2nd HSBC Women's World Championship
Cards extend manager Oliver Marmol through '28 season
