The University of Maine at Farmington announced Tuesday that upcoming men’s and women’s basketball doubleheaders on the road have been canceled, “due to COVID-19 concerns.”
Doubleheaders at Cazenovia College on Friday and SUNY Polytechnic on Saturday have been canceled. Also, a doubleheader scheduled for next Tuesday (Jan. 11) at Northern Vermont-Lyndon will not be played on that day, though it may be scheduled for later in the season.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
ST. JOSEPH’S (MAINE) 72, ST. JOSEPH (CONN.) 52: Cassandra Stapelfeld scored 19 points as St. Joseph’s College of Maine won its ninth straight game, beating St. Joseph of West Hartford, Connecticut, 72-52 Tuesday night.
The Monks (10-1, 4-0 GNAC) grabbed a 15-10 first-quarter lead and steadily pulled away from the Blue Jays (6-4, 2-1).
Jayne Howe had 15 points for St. Joseph’s, and Angelica Hurley added 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Jordan Ouellette had 20 points to lead the Blue Jays, and Cheyenne-Mone Smith added 10.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
(1) BAYLOR 84, OKLAHOMA 74: James Akinjo matched his career high with 27 points, Adam Flagler scored 22 and host Baylor (14-0, 2-0 Big 12) stretched its national-best winning streak to 20 games by beating Oklahoma (11-3, 1-1).
Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua added 12 points for the Bears, whose winning streak began with their six wins in last season’s NCAA Tournament on way to their first national championship.
(9) AUBURN 81, SOUTH CAROLINA 66: Wendell Green Jr. scored a season-high 22 points and visiting Auburn (13-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) beat South Carolina (9-4, 0-1) for its 10th straight win.
The Tigers were up by 21 points in the second half before the Gamecocks cut it to 63-55 with about seven minutes left. But Green stepped forward again with two foul shots and 7-foot-1 Walker Kessler jammed home a basket as Auburn opened 2-0 in the league for the first time in four years.
(14) TEXAS 70, KANSAS STATE 57: Marcus Carr scored 19 points, Timmy Allen had 17 and visiting Texas (12-2, 2-0 Big 12) rallied in the second half to beat Kansas State (8-5, 0-2).
Courtney Ramey added 14 points and Dylan Disu had 10 for Texas, which has won six in a row.
MEN’S HOCKEY
BOWDOIN 1, MIDDLEBURY 0: Albert Washco scored on assists from Joe Alexander and Chris Brown in overtime as the Polar Bears (2-4-1, 2-2-0 NESCAC) blanked the Panthers (1-4-0, 0-3-0) at Brunswick.
Alex Kozic turned aside 24 shots for his first shutout for Bowdoin and Jake Horoho had 39 saves for Middlebury.
COLBY 2, ENDICOTT 0: Drew Burke scored for the Mules (4-2) midway through the second period with assists from Clay Korpi and Justin Grillo in a nonconference win over the Gulls (8-3) at Waterville.
Carter Breitenfeldt added an empty-netter in the final seconds on a Michael Thomas feed.
Conor O’Brien stopped 27 shots for Endicott, and Andy Beran made 28 saves for the shutout.
FOOTBALL
CINCINNATI: Cincinnati has lost two stars from its College Football Playoff team to the NFL draft.
The school announced that junior cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner declared for the draft, one day after junior running back Jerome Ford said he would do the same.
The pair helped the Bearcats (13-1) become the first team from a conference outside the Power Five to crack the playoff. Cincinnati was seeded fourth and lost to No. 1 Alabama 27-6 in a semifinal game on Friday.
Gardner never allowed a touchdown reception in over more than 1,000 targets in three seasons. He is projected as a first-round pick.
Ford, an Alabama transfer, rushed for 1,319 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, helping lead Cincinnati to its second straight American Athletic Conference title. He had 15 carries for 77 yards in the semifinal loss.
Senior quarterback Desmond Ridder, who was 43-5 as a four-year starter for the Bearcats, also will be moving on and also is expected to be drafted in the early rounds.
MICHIGAN: Outside linebacker David Ojabo is entering the NFL draft.
Ojabo announced his decision to turn pro and skip his senior season with the Wolverines.
The second-team All-American and All-Big Ten player had 12 sacks as a redshirt sophomore. He helped Michigan win its first Big Ten title since 2004 and advance to the College Football Playoff for the first time.
SOUTH FLORIDA: Coach Jeff Scott received a two-year contract extension that keeps him signed with the school through the 2026 season.
Scott, 41, signed a five-year deal worth $12.5 million when he took over the program in 2019. The Bulls are 3-18 in his two seasons, including 2-10 in 2021.
But it’s his recruiting efforts that have helped USF land the top transfer class in the country, according to 247Sports, with the additions of receivers Khafre Brown (North Carolina) and Ajou Ajou (Clemson), edge rusher Jatorian Hansford (Missouri) and safety Ray Thornton (Clemson).
Scott’s also been an integral part of the program’s fundraising efforts to help upgrade facilities, including the new Indoor Performance Facility, which is scheduled to open this year.
MICHIGAN STATE: Receiver and kick returner Jayden Reed is returning to play for the Spartans in 2022.
The Spartans finished 11-2, 7-2 in the Big Ten and were ranked No. 11 in the final AP poll after a 31-21 victory over No. 13 Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl.
Reed finished the season with 59 catches for 1,026 yards and 10 TDs, returned 12 punts for 238 yards, and averaged 23.5 yards on 16 kickoff returns.
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