BASEBALL
Taiwan’s Tsao pitches in US
Taiwanese pitcher Tsao Chin-hui put up a good performance on Saturday on his first spring appearance in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 5-5 tie with the Cleveland Indians at Goodyear Ballpark in Phoenix, Arizona. The right-hander threw 2-2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. The game was called at the completion of the ninth. The Dodgers signed Tsao for a minor-league contract about two months ago. He last pitched in major league baseball in 2007. Tsao was linked to game-fixing allegations in Taiwan more than five years ago, although he was never charged with any offense.
BASKETBALL
Manager bid hearty farewell
Tyler Adams came to Georgetown University hoping to follow the path to NBA stardom taken by fellow big men Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning, but a heart ailment ended his career after only four games as a freshman in 2011, or so he thought until Saturday. Adams had the chance to live his dream a final time, if only for a moment, after having spent four seasons as a team manager who practiced, worked out with the Hoyas and sat on the team bench during games. Georgetown coach John Thompson III received a waiver from the National Collegiate Athletic Association allowing Adams to briefly play in the team’s final home game against Seton Hall. Adams, a senior, was given the surprising start for his final home game, a tear rolling down his right cheek when he was announced in the opening lineup. Georgetown won the opening tip, guard Jabril Trawick passed the ball to Adams near the Seton Hall basket and Adams made an uncontested slam dunk that even had opposing Pirates players applauding in appreciation. Seton Hall players backed off defensively in their own tribute to Adams, a move not pre-arranged. The Hoyas fouled immediately to stop the game and Adams was removed to a standing ovation from the crowd in the home arena of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and congratulations from both teams, the moment of sportsmanship by far the outstanding play for both sides in Georgetown’s eventual 73-67 triumph.
SNOWBOARDING
Reiter has World Cup win
US snowboarder Justin Reiter took his first career World Cup win on Saturday with victory in a parallel slalom event in Moscow. California native Reiter defeated Austria’s Benjamin Karl by 10.66 seconds in the final. Italy’s Roland Fischnaller took third by 0.25 seconds from Andrey Sobolev of Russia. Vic Wild, who was born in the US, won double slalom gold for Russia at last year’s Olympics, but could not replicate that form on Saturday as he went out in qualifying, joining World Cup standings leader Zan Kosir of Slovenia.
TRIATHLON
Jorgensen extends streak
Gwen Jorgensen of the US won her sixth consecutive world series triathlon, while Mario Mola of Spain took the men’s event in equally convincing fashion on Saturday in the opening race of the year. World champion Jorgensen won the final five series events of last year, but even she was impressed with her effort in Abu Dhabi. She finished the swim leg 35 seconds behind the leaders and began the run more than a minute down. However, she cut 45 seconds off that deficit on the first of two 2.5km laps and passed leader Flora Duffy of Bermuda with 1.5km to go. She eventually won by 16 seconds from compatriot Katie Zaferes. Duffy was third, 24 seconds back.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
Brandon Miller scored 18 points, LaMelo Ball had 17 and the Charlotte Hornets built a 47-point lead in the first half of a 150-95 rout against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. It was the second-biggest win in franchise history for the Hornets and their largest on the road. The Hornets bounced back from a pair of frustrating losses in a big way, having fallen to Toronto by one point and Indiana by two in their last two games. Charlotte pounded the NBA champion Thunder by 27 in Oklahoma City before those defeats, previously the Hornets’ most lopsided victory of the season. Tre
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