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From Ben Bolch: They’re back to full strength. They’re getting excellent guard play. They’re optimizing lineups that now include a certain Spanish 7-footer.
On the night that Tyler Bilodeau returned from an ankle injury and Aday Mara continued to play big minutes, the UCLA Bruins showed just how formidable they can be.
What was supposed to be a showdown turned into a rout, the Bruins outclassing a nationally ranked team on their home court.
UCLA was better across the board Thursday night during a 78-52 victory over No. 16 Oregon before the most raucous and appreciative crowd of the season at Pauley Pavilion.
The fans were on their feet and roaring after UCLA center Mara threw an outlet pass reminiscent of legendary predecessor Bill Walton to Eric Dailey Jr. for a vicious one-handed dunk. The Bruins were up by 27 points and everyone wearing blue and gold could dream about the possibilities for a team that seemed lifeless as recently as 2½ weeks ago.
Now look at them.
The Bruins (16-6 overall, 7-4 Big Ten) have won five games in a row and have gone 6-0 against their old Pac-12 rivals, including a nonconference triumph over Arizona.
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USC BASKETBALL
From Ryan Kartje: In the waning moments of her worst half at USC, JuJu Watkins put her head down and drove to her left with all she had, leaning into contact, then leaping back and letting a daring jumper fly. Nine times she’d missed — from the lane, from midrange, from the corner — without a single bucket.
This was the same Trojans star who’d scored fewer than 20 points just twice this season. But as silky smooth as the sequence looked — and as strange as a slump from Watkins seemed — the step-back clanked away. The buzzer rang on an uncharacteristic 0-for-10 half for one of college basketball’s brightest stars.
Watkins looked up to the scoreboard, frustrated, as if to demand an answer.
Fortunately for USC, it found the answers it needed Thursday, even with Watkins at her worst. A star turn from Trojans forward Kiki Iriafen, along with timely contributions from its fleet of freshmen, was plenty to put away Minnesota 82-69, giving USC a 15th straight victory.
LAKERS
From Dan Woike: A Lakers player walked through the hallway outside the team locker room Thursday night and wondered how he was going to be able to mentally engage in the 48 minutes ahead of him.
He and the team were tired, the team playing for the third time in four nights across the country and facing the NBA’s worst team. It wasn’t going to be easy to be focused, not against the six-win Washington Wizards.
It’s the reality of the NBA, the grind of the schedule and bad opponents able to force teams into their worst habits.
With Anthony Davis back in Los Angeles beginning treatment on a strained abdominal muscle, LeBron James ensured the Lakers wouldn’t take the night off.
James had 24 points and 11 assists in just 27 minutes, the Lakers easily beating the Wizards 134-96 to hand Washington its 16th consecutive loss.
Anthony Davis and James Harden selected as NBA All-Star reserves
FIGURE SKATING
Two teenage figure skaters, their mothers, and two former world champions who were coaching at a historic Boston club were among the 14 members of the skating community killed when an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.
Skating Club of Boston chief executive Doug Zeghibe said Thursday that skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were among those killed, along with 1994 pairs world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov of Russia. Fourteen of the victims were coming back from a national development camp for promising young skaters following the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kan., Zeghibe said.
“We came here because we needed to be together,” 1956 Olympic champion Tenley Albright said while standing in a rink outside Boston that is named for her. “We’re family, and it’s a community and the skaters — the people who were on that plane — they’re our family too.
————
Dick Button was more than the most accomplished men’s figure skater in history. He was one of his sport’s greatest innovators and promoters.
Button, winner of two Olympic gold medals and five consecutive world championships, died Thursday, said his son, Edward, who did not provide a cause. He was 95.
As an entrepreneur and broadcaster, Button promoted skating and its athletes, transforming a niche sport into the showpiece of every Winter Olympics.
“Dick was one of the most important figures in our sport,” Scott Hamilton said. “There wasn’t a skater after Dick who wasn’t helped by him in some way.”
Button’s impact began after World War II. He was the first U.S. men’s champion — and his country’s youngest at age 16 — when that competition returned in 1946. Two years later, he took the title at the St. Moritz Olympics, competing outdoors. He performed the first double axel in any competition and became the first American to win the men’s event.
“By the way, that jump had a cheat on it,” Button told the U.S. Olympic Committee website. “But listen, I did it and that was what counted.”
BASEBALL
From Bill Shaikin: Baseball comes back to life every year on the back fields, during those peaceful mornings between the time pitchers and catchers report and the time exhibition games begin.
The rhythms of these practice fields are comforting and familiar: pitchers cover first base, infielders take ground balls, hitters take swings off an actual pitcher after a winter of working out in the batting cage. No stadiums. No crowds.
Baseball has come back to life in Irvine, where the reigning champions are training for the new season. Not the Dodgers, of course. They’ll report to spring training in Arizona on Feb. 11.
These are the Kia Tigers, the champions of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). They opened training camp last week at the Great Park in Irvine — not at the stadium there, where USC plays its home games, but on Field 8 and Field 9 of a baseball and softball complex primarily used by youth teams.
The bright red banner adjacent to the first base dugout on Field 8 displays the team slogan in white letters: “One Heart, One Team.”
None of the 10 KBO teams trains in South Korea this year: three opened training camp in Arizona, one in Florida, three in Australia, one in Japan, one in Taiwan, and the Tigers in Irvine. In three weeks, the Tigers will join five other KBO teams in Okinawa, Japan, to complete spring training and play exhibition games.
KINGS
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots, Brandon Hagel scored two goals and had an assist and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Kings 3-0 on Thursday night.
Anthony Cirelli scored his fourth short-handed goal of the season for the Kings. The shutout was Vasilevskiy’s second this season and 37th of his career.
David Rittich finished with 30 saves for the Kings, who have lost four straight. The Kings were shut out for the second consecutive game and fell to 2-7-1 in the past 10 games.
DUCKS
Matt Coronato scored a natural hat trick, Dustin Wolf made 30 saves and the Calgary Flames beat the Ducks 4-1 on Thursday night.
Coronato gave Calgary a 2-1 lead with 44 seconds left in the second period on a wrist shot from the high slot. He doubled the lead with 3:50 left, scoring off goalie John Gibson’s turnover, and completed the hat trick with an empty-netter with 2:23 to go.
Frank Vatrano opened the scoring for the Ducks midway through the first period. Adam Klapka tied it 15 second into the second.
SUPER BOWL 59
NFL says it will look into allegations against Justin Tucker made by massage therapists
Greg Olsen isn’t calling Super Bowl for Fox. Tom Brady is — and Olsen says ‘it sucks’
Super Bowl LIX: Start time, teams, how to watch and halftime show
Super Bowl 59
Sunday, Feb. 9
at New Orleans
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs
3:30 p.m., Fox
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1920 — Joe Malone of the Quebec Bulldogs scores an NHL-record seven goals in a 10-6 victory over the Toronto St. Patricks.
1941 — Joe Louis knocks out Red Burman in the fifth round at Madison Square Garden to retain the world heavyweight title.
1950 — High school pitcher Paul Pettit signs with the Pirates for a record $100,000. To do so, Pittsburgh has to purchase his contract from a film producer who had signed Pettit to an exclusive contract as an athlete/actor.
1988 — The Washington Redskins score 35 points in the second quarter to overcome a 10-0 deficit and beat the Denver Broncos 42-10 in the Super Bowl. MVP Doug Williams passes for four touchdowns and a record 340 yards. Timmy Smith rushes for a record 204 yards.
1991 — Michael Adams of the Denver Nuggets scores a career-high 45 points, hands out 12 assists and grabs 11 rebounds in a 123-119 win over New Jersey. The 5-foot-11 guard becomes the shortest player in the NBA to get a triple-double.
1993 — The Dallas Cowboys win the Super Bowl, beating Buffalo 52-17 and giving the Bills their third straight loss in the title game, a league record.
1998 — Martina Hingis, 17, becomes the youngest player in the Open era to defend a Grand Slam title, capturing her second Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Conchita Martinez.
1999 — John Elway gets his second straight Super Bowl ring, weaving his magic for the final time during the Denver Broncos’ 34-19 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
2004 — Justine Henin-Hardenne wins her third Grand Slam title and extends her dominance in major finals against countrywoman Kim Clijsters with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win in the Australian Open women’s title match.
2009 — Serena Williams routs Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-3 to win the Australian Open — her 10th Grand Slam title — and return to the No. 1 ranking.
2010 — Roger Federer beats Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (11) for a fourth Australian Open championship and his 16th Grand Slam title overall.
2011 — For the first time since the WTA rankings began in 1975, the top 10 players are from 10 countries. Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki remains No. 1.
2015 — Serena Williams wins her 19th Grand Slam title and extends her decade-long domination of Maria Sharapova with a commanding 6-3, 7-6 (5) win.
2015 — Lydia Ko, 17, becomes the youngest golfer, male or female, to be ranked No. 1. She shares second place at the LPGA Tour’s season opener, where she finishes a shot behind Na Yeon Choi.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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