BASKETBALL
Kings suspend top scorer
The Sacramento Kings have suspended leading scorer and rebounder DeMarcus Cousins indefinitely for “unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team,” the Kings said on Saturday. The suspension, his third this season, came after Cousins exchanged words with Kings coach Keith Smart during halftime of Friday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Cousins, who is averaging 16.6 points and 9.5 rebounds, lashed out at Smart after the coach said something to him, the Sacramento Bee reported. Cousins later apologized for his actions. “I shouldn’t have responded back,” he told reporters. “Should have accepted what was said and stayed quiet.” Cousins has been sanctioned twice by the NBA this year. He was suspended for two games last month for confronting a San Antonio Spurs announcer and was benched for one game by the league earlier this month after striking the Dallas Mavericks’ O.J. Mayo in the groin.
SOCCER
Lyon go level with PSG
Olympique Lyonnais beat OGC Nice 3-0 on Saturday to go level with leaders Paris Saint-Germain on 38 points as Ligue 1 prepared to head into its winter break. Lisandro Lopez, Anthony Reveillere and a Bafetimbi Gomis penalty gave Lyon the three points. It was a disappointing return to Lyon for former boss Claude Puel whose side ended the match with 10 men after David Ospina was sent off. The home side also finished a man short when Dejan Lovren was red-carded in the last minute. Meanwhile, Rennes are fourth after a 4-2 win at Ajaccio.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Broncos, Ragin’ Cajuns win
Boise State clinched a third straight Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday, but the Broncos were pushed harder than they were the first two times, edging Washington State 28-26. In Saturday’s other college football bowl game, Louisiana-Lafayette began their own streak with a second-straight New Orleans Bowl victory, defeating East Carolina 43-34. Boise State’s big moment was provided by a little guy, with 1.63m Michael Frisina kicking a 27-yard field goal with 1.16 left to put the Broncos ahead. The Broncos sealed the win when Jeremy Ioane intercepted Keith Price’s pass. Boise State overcame a 205-yard rushing game by Bishop Sankey, who also had 74 yards receiving, giving him 279 of Washington’s 447 yards from scrimmage. Sankey rushed 30 times and caught six passes to be named MVP. Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Terrance Broadway also put in an MVP performance to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns to victory over East Carolina. Broadway excelled by passing for 316 yards and running for 108. He also ran for a 12-yard score.
CRICKET
Lehmann lands in hot water
Former Australia batsman Darren Lehmann has been charged under Cricket Australia’s code of behavior for questioning the legitimacy of the bowling action of West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels. Lehmann, who coaches Brisbane Heat in the Twenty20 Big Bash League (BBL), called for an examination of Samuels’ action after a match against the Melbourne Renegades on Saturday. Samuels’ bowling played a part in the Renegades’ win and Lehmann later asked how the off-spinner could bowl at 120kph off a run-up of just a few paces. Lehmann said he spoke to the umpires because “I just want something done. He couldn’t bowl in the [Indian Premier League] last year, yet he can bowl in the BBL.” Lehmann was charged under a clause in the code that prohibits detrimental public comment.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set