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5 Things to Know About the Sochi Olympics

Posted on February 21, 2014

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Fast five, Friday edition: five things to know about the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

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MEN’S HOCKEY SHOWDOWN: One day after the Canadians beat the Americans in a thrilling gold medal game in women’s hockey, the men from both hockey powers square off in a semifinal. It’s a rematch of the gold medal game in Vancouver in which the hometown Canadians beat the Americans on an overtime goal from Sidney Crosby. Team USA captain Zach Parise says they aren’t looking for revenge, just a victory that would give them another crack at the gold.

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GERMAN DOPING: An unidentified German athlete has failed a drug test in the first announced doping case of the Sochi Olympics. The German Olympic Committee said Friday it was notified by the IOC late Thursday that one of its athletes had tested positive on an “A” sample. The backup “B” sample will be analyzed Friday, the German committee said. The Germans did not name the athlete, the sport or the substance involved. Any athlete found guilty of a doping violation faces disqualification and removal of results and medals.

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KIM FANS REACT: South Koreans still love Yuna Kim, known as the “Queen” in her home country. The judges, however? Not so much. Most South Korean newspaper front pages Friday focused on Kim’s silver medal performance over other news items, like tearful reunions of war-divided families from the Koreas. The result left many South Koreans furious over what they saw as questionable judging

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IOC LAUGHS WOLF: Olympic organizers laughed off the prank by a U.S. luger involving a wolf supposedly prowling the athletes’ village, and they said Friday that no disciplinary action is being taken. American talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel said Thursday he cooperated with luger Kate Hansen to post a fake video of a wolf wandering the hall outside the athlete’s room in Sochi.

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MEDAL MOVERS: A French sweep in men’s freestyle ski cross plus a silver in the women’s halfpipe in the same sport made France the biggest medal mover of the day for Thursday, moving to ninth in the medal standings after 81 events. Norway kept its position atop the medal standings with 10 golds and 21 total medals as Friday’s competition began.

Winter Olympic Medals Table

Posted on February 21, 2014

Nation	G	S	B	Tot
United States	8	6	11	25
Russia	7	9	7	23
Canada	8	10	4	22
Netherlands	6	7	9	22
Norway	10	4	7	21
Germany	8	4	4	16
France	4	4	7	15
Sweden	2	6	5	13
Switzerland	6	3	2	11
Austria	2	6	2	10
Czech Republic	2	4	2	8
Japan	1	4	3	8
Italy	0	2	6	8
Slovenia	2	1	4	7
Belarus	5	0	1	6
China	3	2	1	6
South Korea	2	2	1	5
Poland	4	0	0	4
Finland	1	3	0	4
Britain	1	0	2	3
Australia	0	2	1	3
Latvia	0	1	2	3
Slovakia	1	0	0	1
Croatia	0	1	0	1
Kazakhstan	0	0	1	1
Ukraine	0	0	1	1

Faried Stays Hot, Nuggets Beat Bucks 101-90

Posted on February 20, 2014February 20, 2014

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kenneth Faried continued his recent hot streak, scoring 26 points to carry the Denver Nuggets past the Milwaukee Bucks 101-90 Thursday night.

Wilson Chandler scored 15 while J.J. Hickson added 14 points and 10 rebounds in a matchup of two teams left short-handed by deals they made before Thursday afternoon’s trade deadline.

Faried, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2011 draft, has been impressive this February. Coming off a 21-point, 10-rebound performance against Phoenix, the forward also scored a career-high 28 against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this month.

Caron Butler scored 17 for the Bucks, who have not won two straight games all season. Ersan Ilyasova had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

No. 17 Nebraska Surges Past Ohio State 67-59

Posted on February 20, 2014

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Rachel Theriot scored 26 points and Jordan Hooper had 24 to spark a late rally that pushed No. 17 Nebraska’s winning streak to seven with a 67-59 win over Ohio State on Thursday.

Ohio State went up 52-44 with 8:02 left but the Cornhuskers (20-5, 10-3 Big Ten) put together a 17-0 run, holding the Buckeyes scoreless (14-15, 4-9) until just 43 seconds remained. Then Theriot hit six free throws to ice the game.

Emily Cady and Hailie Sample pulled down 11 rebounds apiece for Nebraska, which also made 13 of 16 free throws. Ohio State was just 2 of 4 from the line.

Ameryst Alston tied her career-high with 31 points for Ohio State, which lost its fifth-straight game.

Coach Connie Yori, who fainted during the Wisconsin game on Sunday, was back on the bench.

Hooper, celebrating her 22nd birthday, had two 3-pointers during the winning surge.

Cornhuskers Win 4th in a Row, 80-67 Over Penn St.

Posted on February 20, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Terran Petteway scored 26 points to lead five Nebraska players in double figures, and the upstart Cornhuskers defeated Penn State 80-67 on Thursday night for their fourth straight win and seventh in nine games.

Nebraska (15-10, 7-6 Big Ten) has won four straight conference games for the first time since 1998-99 and has matched its victory total of last season. The Huskers are over .500 in the Big Ten for the first time since joining the league in 2011.

D.J. Newbill and Tim Frazier scored 17 points each for Penn State (13-14, 4-10) has lost four of its last five after winning three straight.

Shavon Shields had 13 points before fouling out with 3 minutes to play, Walter Pitchford and Ray Gallegos added 11 apiece and Tai Webster had 10 in the win.

Nebraska has held its last four opponents to 35.6-percent shooting and an average of 56.3 points.

Locker Room Culture in Spotlight as Combine Begins

Posted on February 20, 2014

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — This could be as good a time as there has ever been for an openly gay player in the NFL.

The league will be watching.

The annual scouting combine opened Thursday in Indianapolis and decision-makers from teams around the league spoke of being on guard for the kind of bad behavior detailed last week in an NFL-ordered report on the bullying scandal in Miami.

Most said a culture of respect was already in place with their teams before Richie Incognito became an infamous name and there aren’t major signs of response to the scandal. Still, some tangible steps have emerged — in Miami and elsewhere.

NCAA: Players Who Go Into Stands to be Ejected

Posted on February 20, 2014

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA has clarified a rule that allows for an automatic ejection for basketball players who go into the stands and commit an “unsporting act.”

In a memo sent to conference officiating coordinators Monday, the men’s basketball rules committee said a player will be charged with a flagrant, noncontact foul 2 and will be ejected. The opposing team is given two free throws and the ball.

The change comes after Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart went into the stands at Texas Tech on Feb. 8 and shoved a fan who called him a “piece of crap.” He was given a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct but was not ejected.

The Big 12 said there was no rule for officials to eject Smart, but the conference suspended Smart for three games.

AP Source: Nuggets Trade Miller, Hamilton

Posted on February 20, 2014

DENVER (AP) — A person with knowledge of the details says the Denver Nuggets have traded Andre Miller and Jordan Hamilton in separate deals.

The person, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the moves had not been announced, said Miller was traded to Washington on Thursday in a three-team deal. Denver gets forward Jan Vesely and Philadelphia acquired Eric Maynor and draft picks.

Also, the Nuggets traded Hamilton to Houston for Aaron Brooks, filling Denver’s dire need for a point guard.

Ty Lawson (ribs) has been out and Miller had not played for Denver since yelling at coach Brian Shaw during a Jan. 1 game.

The Nuggets got future flexibility in the deals, first reported by the Denver Post, because Vesely and Brooks have expiring contracts.

2 Admit Guilt in Dodger Stadium Giants Fan Attack

Posted on February 20, 2014

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two men who pleaded guilty to the 2011 beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium have been sentenced in Los Angeles.

Judge George Lomeli excoriated smirking convict Louie Sanchez and handed him an eight-year state prison term Thursday, with some credit for time served.

Co-defendant Marvin Norwood received a four-year sentence. He also received credit for time already spent in custody and it was unclear if he would be immediately released.

Stow was left permanently disabled by the beating.

5 Things to Know About the Sochi Olympics

Posted on February 20, 2014

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Fast five, Thursday edition: Five things you’ll want to know about the 2014 Winter Olympics.

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PUSSY RIOT LEAVES: Russian punk band Pussy Riot on Thursday ended their stay in Sochi by posting a video criticizing the Winter Games and President Vladimir Putin. The band had violent run-ins with authorities since arriving on Sunday. Band members say they are returning to Moscow to attend the verdicts in a trial of 20 people arrested after clashes on the eve of Putin’s inauguration to a third term in 2012.

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UKRAINIAN WITHDRAWS: Ukrainian skier Bogdana Matsotska has withdrawn from the Sochi Games in response to the violence in her country. Her father and coach says he and his daughter are “extremely angry at President Viktor Yanukovych” after a clash between anti-government protesters and police ended with 25 people dead and hundreds injured.

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WOMEN’S HOCKEY SHOWDOWN: The game everyone knew was coming is finally here. The Canadians and the Americans play for the gold medal in women’s hockey on Thursday in a matchup of the two dominant powers in the sport. It’s the fourth time in five Winter Games they’ve met for the Olympic championship.

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AMERICAN NIGHTMARE: Maria Lamb is ripping U.S. Speedskating after a disappointing run for the Americans in Sochi. Lamb, who finished last in the women’s 5,000 meters, says “Over the last few years, a few of us have raced better in spite of the organization rather than because of it.” The U.S. has yet to medal in Sochi.

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MEDAL MOVERS: Norway is back atop the medal standings after winning two golds for the second day in a row — the fourth time it has won two golds in a day during the Sochi Games. Norway’s two golds in cross-country skiing and the mixed relay biathlon on Wednesday moved it ahead of Germany in the overall medal standings, with 20 medals total.