Wright State Beats Robert Morris 66-64

FAIRBORN, Ohio (AP) — Led by Brandon Noel’s 17 points, the Wright State Raiders defeated the Robert Morris Colonials 66-64. The Raiders trailed for the last 14 1/2 minutes of the game until Andrew Welage hit the go-ahead jumper for a 65-64 lead with 11 seconds remaining. The Raiders are now 12-12 on the season, while the Colonials moved to 16-8.

Diggins scores 32 as UMass downs Duquesne 62-53

(File Photo)
By The Associated Press undefined
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rahsool Diggins’ 32 points led UMass over Duquesne 62-53 on Saturday.
Diggins shot 11 of 18 from the field, including 5 for 9 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 6 from the line for the Minutemen (10-12, 5-4 Atlantic 10 Conference). Daniel Hankins-Sanford added 12 points while going 6 of 12 from the field and also had 12 rebounds and three steals.
The Dukes (9-13, 4-5) were led by Tre Dinkins, who posted 11 points, five assists and two steals. Duquesne also got 10 points from Cam Crawford
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UMass’ next game is Tuesday against Saint Louis at home. Duquesne visits Richmond on Wednesday.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Sidney Crosby scores in 4th straight game in the Penguins’ 3-0 victory over the Predators

Pittsburgh Penguins center Cody Glass (19) and Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Jesse Puljujarvi (18) hug Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, middle, after he scored the tying goal, during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Utah Hockey Club Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby scored in his fourth straight game, Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves for his first shutout of the season and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Saturday night. Crosby, the captain of Canada in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, added an assist for his 484th multi-point game. Only six players in NHL history have more multi-point games. Nedeljkovic had his ninth NHL shutout. Bryan Rust scored an empty-net goal for his sixth 20-goal season, and Philip Tomasino scored against his former team. Pittsburgh acquired Tomasino in a trade with Nashville on Nov. 25. Erik Karlsson, an alternate captain for Sweden, had two assists. He reached 30 assists for the 12th time in his career, most among active defensemen.

Struggling Penguins place 2-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry on waivers

A shot by Seattle Kraken’s Chandler Stephenson gets past Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry for a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins ran out of patience waiting for two-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry to emerge from a slump, placing him on waivers Wednesday ahead of a pivotal seven-game road trip that could determine the course of the rest of their season.
The 29-year-old Jarry is 8-7-4 with a 3.32 goals against average and a .886 save percentage this season for Pittsburgh, which is on the fringe of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference due in large part to subpar play in net.
The Penguins have allowed an NHL-high 173 goals, with neither Jarry nor Alex Nedeljkovic establishing themselves behind a defense prone to lapses.
The Penguins will call up promising rookie Joel Blomqvist to join Nedeljkovic on the road trip, which starts on Friday in Buffalo. Blomqvist went 3-5 with a 3.60 goals against average and a .904 save percentage during a stint in Pittsburgh earlier in the season.
It seems unlikely a team would be willing to claim Jarry and pick up his salary, meaning Jarry will be reassigned to the Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton once he clears waivers.
“At this point, (I) just feel it’s best in the long run for the team and for Tristan to allow Joel to come up here,” Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas said Wednesday. “We think over the past year-and-a-half, with his play in Wilkes-Barre and when he’s been up here with us, he’s earned the right to have a go at it.”
The decision comes 18 months after Dubas signed Jarry to a five-year deal with an average annual value of $5.375 million. Jarry was an All-Star in 2020 and 2022 but has struggled most of the last two seasons.
“He’s continued to come in here, put the work in and that’s not been a question at all,” Dubas said. “That just hasn’t materialized the way we would like it to on the ice. At this level, you get to the point where you have to do what’s right … for him and for us.”
Jarry ceded the starting job to Nedeljkovic last spring. While he reclaimed his spot atop the depth chart coming out of training camp, he stumbled out of the gate and was sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a lengthy conditioning stint.
While there was a brief uptick in his play after he returned, Jarry has lost five straight starts and continues to struggle early in games. He’s allowed a goal on an opponent’s first shot six times this season and allowed a shorthanded goal on Seattle’s second shot in a 4-2 defeat to the Kraken on Tuesday.
“When you lose, this is the kind of stuff that can happen,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said Wednesday. “A goaltender already has a ton of pressure, and it’s difficult for us because we feel like as a team we’re responsible if we don’t give our goalies enough help sometimes. I think that’s the tough part.”
Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan, who took his team to task for defensive letdowns in the third period against the Kraken that opened up the door for Seattle’s comeback, believes there’s a chance Jarry will make his way back at some point.
“I don’t think you make the All-Star team twice if you don’t have a certain level of talent and you’re not capable of making timely saves,” Sullivan said. “So, I know that Tristan has it. I believe to my core that he’s an NHL goaltender.”
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Sebastian Aho’s overtime goal lifts Hurricanes to 4-3 win over the Penguins

Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho (20) celebrates after a goal by teammate Jalen Chatfield (not shown) with Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) nearby during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sebastian Aho’s goal at 1:30 in overtime led the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday night. Aho added two assists. Seth Jarvis had two goals and Jalen Chatfield also scored for the Hurricanes, who improved to 3-0 against Pittsburgh this season. Dustin Tokarski had 16 saves for the Hurricanes. Kevin Hayes, Michael Bunting and Erik Karlsson scored for the Penguins. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 26 shots for Pittsburgh.

Skidding Steelers are playoff-bound, but not for long if they can’t emerge from a late funk

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. The Bengals won 19-17. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers are reeling heading into the playoffs. The Steelers will head on the road for the first round riding a four-game losing streak after falling to Cincinnati 19-17 in the regular-season finale. Pittsburgh hasn’t led at any point during the skid, all of which came against teams that finished the season with a winning record. Coach Mike Tomlin says his team has the mental toughness to bounce back. The Steelers will enter the postseason looking for their first playoff victory since 2016.

Crosby ties Lemieux’s franchise assists record, leads Penguins past Flyers 7-3

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Bryan Rust (17) celebrates with Sidney Crosby (87) after scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby scored a goal and added three assists to tie Mario Lemieux’s franchise record for most assists in team history and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 7-3 on Monday night. Crosby and Lemieux both have 1,033 assists, which ranks 12th all-time in NHL history. Michael Bunting scored twice, and Bryan Rust, Philip Tomasino, Rickard Rakell and Blake Lizotte also scored for Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry made 23 saves. Noah Cates, Sean Couturier and Egor Zamula scored for the Flyers. Samuel Ersson stopped nine shots in the first two periods. He was replaced by Aleksei Kolosov, who made six saves.

Steelers WR George Pickens returns to practice, hopeful to play against Chiefs

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens walks on the field as teammates work out prior to an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was a full participant in practice, opening the door for him to return from a three-game absence as the Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day. Pickens hasn’t played since tweaking his hamstring earlier this month. The Steelers (10-5) have struggled to generate much in their passing game with their leading receiver watching from the sideline in sweatpants. Pickens says he feels good and hopes he’ll be able to face the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.

Andrew McCutchen, confident he can be difference maker, returns to Pirates on $5M, 1-year deal

FILE – Pittsburgh Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen watches his three-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew McCutchen is sticking around to see if the Pittsburgh Pirates can finish the climb back to contention. The five-time All-Star outfielder-turned-designated hitter has agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal with the club. The 38-year-old McCutchen hit .232 with 20 home runs and 53 RBIs in 120 games this season with Pittsburgh, which finished 76-86 for a second consecutive year. The 2013 National League Most Valuable Player is starting to build a resume that could merit Hall of Fame consideration whenever he retires.

Penn State preparing for hard-charging Jeanty and Boise State in CFP quarterfinals

Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter (11) celebrates after sacking SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings during the second half in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State players have watched Ashton Jeanty make opponents look silly all season. They don’t want to be the next defenders Boise State’s star posterizes with jukes, spin moves, stiff arms and heavy shoulders. But they also know that slowing down Jeanty, who finished second in Heisman Trophy voting, will be their toughest task yet when the two teams meet in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31.