Surge

MINNEAPOLIS — Grace Grocholski scored 25 points and Minnesota made just enough free throws in the fourth quarter to hold off No. 21 USC 63-62 on Sunday, the third straight loss for the Trojans and first win over a ranked team since 2019 for the Golden Gophers.

Minnesota made six of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter, four of eight in the last 73 seconds. But USC had seven turnovers in the final period, which the Golden Gophers turned into eight points as they built a seven-point lead with 41 seconds left.

Kara Dunn scored eight points in the final 31 seconds, including a three-pointer at the buzzer for the Trojans. Dunn finished with 27 points, including all 14 USC points in the fourth quarter.

Sophie Hart scored 15 points for Minnesota (12-4, 3-2 Big Ten Conference). Mara Braun had 10 rebounds as the Golden Gophers won the boards 40-32, including 18-6 on the offensive end for a 23-2 difference in second-chance points.

Jazzy Davidson had 21 points and eight rebounds for USC (10-7, 2-3).

Davidson, Dunn and Grocholski all hit five three-pointers.

Minnesota hit its first five shots and scored the first 10 points of the game.

Davidson hit a three-pointer to start a 19-0 run in the second quarter for a 32-23 USC lead. She had 15 points in the second quarter, but Braun had a three-point play to help Minnesota close to within 34-30 at the half.

USC led 45-32 on a Davidson three, but Grocholski had 10 points in a 14-0 run before Dunn’s three made it 48-46 heading into the fourth quarter.

Up next for USC: vs. No. 8 Maryland at Galen Center on Thursday.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — From an existential crisis to a gritty comeback, UCLA ran a gamut of emotions over the course of a few hours here.

The final sentiment was one of disappointment.

After whittling what had been a 24-point deficit to four with a little more than three minutes left Saturday, the Bruins could not find the miracle finish they were seeking.

Iowa won 74-61 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the No. 25 Hawkeyes holding off the Bruins by making the plays they needed over the final foul-filled minutes.

Iowa made all eight free throws down the stretch, the Bruins failing to get the stops they needed even with point guard Donovan Dent (25 points) putting on a dazzling offensive display.

After Iowa’s Tavion Banks went in for a dunk in transition to extend the lead back to double digits in the final minute, the Bruins’ comeback hopes were over. Iowa point guard Bennett Stirtz added a 30-foot three-pointer in the final seconds for good measure.

Even with a much better effort in the second half, UCLA (10-4 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) wasn’t nearly good enough on either end. The Bruins will need to decide if they want to continue to go with a small lineup after using one to spark their huge comeback.

After one of the worst first halves of the Mick Cronin era following a 10-day layoff, UCLA played as if it took a glance at the rally towels inside the arena featuring the slogan “Impose Your Will.”

The Bruins went on a 18-2 run early in the second half after going small, breaking out a full-court press in pockets and making seven of eight shots. Dent was in the middle of it all, snagging a steal that led to a Brandon Williams dunk, driving for a couple of layups and rising for a mid-range jumper.

UCLA guard Donovan Dent chases after the ball in front of Iowa’s Cam Manyawu, left, and Kael Combs during the first half Saturday.

(Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press)

When UCLA’s Trent Perry poked the ball away for a steal and went in for a layup in transition, the Bruins were within 47-42 with 10:44 left and Iowa’s only move was to call a timeout. But a big issue loomed for UCLA as guard Skyy Clark had gone to the bench with a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the rest of the game.

Stirtz finished with 27 points for the Hawkeyes (12-2, 2-1), who shot 46.8% to UCLA’s 44.6%.

The first half couldn’t have gone much worse for the Bruins.

It all started with an inability to finish at the rim. There were two Tyler Bilodeau misses at point-blank range — including a dunk — a Xavier Booker layup that was blocked and a Dent lob that was deflected and stolen. And that was just in the first five minutes.

Equally atrocious was the Bruins’ defense, players leaving the perimeter open on drive-and-dishes that led to a flurry of three-pointers.

Cronin was so disgusted with his team down by 23 points late in the half that he took off his suit jacket and lit into Perry during a timeout. UCLA went on to score the final five points of the half … and still trailed 40-22.

UCLA arrived here facing questions about its big men, its defense and its rebounding.

After opening the season as the starting power forward, Bilodeau had increasingly shifted back to center in recent games as part of a three-guard lineup. The move provided a clear advantage on the offensive end, where Bilodeau could outmaneuver slower counterparts, while not giving up anything on defense given the struggles of Booker and ongoing foul trouble of Steven Jamerson.

More troublesome for the Bruins was a defense that ranked among the worst of Cronin’s seven seasons in Westwood. Most of the problems have come around the rim, UCLA providing little resistance on the easiest of shots. The Bruins also entered the game ranked third-to-last in the Big Ten in rebounding.

None of those problems were solved Saturday, leaving the Bruins to contemplate further changes.

MINNEAPOLIS — A surge of federal officers in Minnesota follows new allegations of fraud by day care centers run by Somali residents.

President Trump has previously linked his administration’s immigration crackdown against Minnesota’s large Somali community to a series of fraud cases involving government programs in which most of the defendants have roots in the east African country.

Surge in federal officers

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel both announced an increase in operations in Minnesota this week. The move comes after a right-wing influencer posted a video Friday claiming he had found that day care centers operated by Somali residents in Minneapolis had committed up to $100 million in fraud.

Tikki Brown, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, said at a Monday news conference that state regulators took the influencer’s allegations seriously.

Noem posted on social media that officers were “conducting a massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud.” Patel said the intent was to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.”

Past fraud in Minnesota

Minnesota has been under the spotlight for years for Medicaid fraud, including a massive $300-million pandemic fraud case involving the nonprofit Feeding Our Future. Prosecutors said it was the country’s largest COVID-19-related fraud scam and that defendants exploited a state-run, federally funded program intended to provide food for children.
In 2022, during President Biden’s administration, 47 people were charged. The number of defendants has grown to 78 throughout the ongoing investigation.

So far, 57 people have been convicted, either because they pleaded guilty or lost at trial.

Most of the defendants are of Somali descent.

Numerous other fraud cases are being investigated, including new allegations focused on child care centers.

In news interviews and releases over the summer, prosecutor Joe Thompson estimated the loss from all fraud cases could exceed $1 billion. Earlier this month, a federal prosecutor alleged that half or more of the roughly $18 billion in federal funds that supported 14 programs in Minnesota since 2018 may have been stolen.

Crackdown targeting Somalis

Trump’s immigration enforcement in Minnesota has focused on the Somali community in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, which is the largest in the country.

Trump labeled Minnesota Somalis as “garbage” and said he didn’t want them in the United States.

About 84,000 of the 260,000 Somalis in the U.S. live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The overwhelming majority are U.S. citizens. Almost 58% were born in the U.S and 87% of the foreign-born are naturalized citizens.

Among those running schemes to get funds for child nutrition, housing services and autism programs, 82 of the 92 defendants are Somali Americans, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for Minnesota.

Republicans have tried to blame Walz

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, has said fraud will not be tolerated and his administration “will continue to work with federal partners to ensure fraud is stopped and fraudsters are caught.”

The fraud could be a major issue in the 2026 gubernatorial race as Walz seeks a third term.

Walz has said an audit due by late January should give a better picture of the extent of the fraud but allowed that the $1-billion estimate could be accurate. He said his administration is taking aggressive action to prevent additional fraud. He has long defended how his administration responded.

Minnesota’s most prominent Somali American, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, has urged people not to blame an entire community for the actions of a relative few.

A leading staycation operator has highlighted a big rise in people opting to use Christmas Day to make their holiday booking

There was a time when Christmas Day was all about opening the presents, over doing it on the festive feast, then sleeping it off in the front of the telly.

But times changes, and it seems a growing number of people are using the time off to plan ahead. And one emerging trend identified by holiday park operator Haven has been a big rise in the number of advanced bookings it has taken on December 25.

Historically, Christmas Day was quiet for the firm and other holiday companies ahead of a normal rush just after the new year. But Haven says that in recent years bookings have increased steadily, with a 46% leap on Christmas Day last year. While it did not provide exact numbers, bosses said it equated to hundreds of bookings on the day. Given the success last year, Haven says it is now anticipating a record breaking Christmas Day again.

Others will leave it 24 hours, but Boxing Day has also become ever more popular for families thinking of their holidays to come. Haven says Boxing Day bookings last year were up 28%, and it expects to take thousands of bookings over the two peak festive days this year.

Simon Palethorpe, the company’s chief executive, said: “Once the presents are unwrapped, carols sung and turkey stripped, more families are using their time together to book their Easter and summer holidays. Not only is selecting your family holiday on Christmas Day less likely to lead to a row than a board game – booking early with Haven can result in a great deal and big savings compared to those who book later.”

The coming weeks are when many people turn their attention to next summer’s getaway, with the dark months of winter encouraging many to dream of sunshine breaks to come. Experts certainly say that booking early can mean big savings, with operators traditionally launching early bird deals amid a marketing blitz around this time of year.

A peak of bookings is expected on January 3, or what is dubbed ‘Sunshine Saturday’ given the spike in business. Research released by trade body ABTA ahead of 2025’s big day revealed that 68% of people were planning to go abroad this year, and 45% were looking to explore a new country for their holiday.

Trade experts at consumer group Which? has this advice: “Don’t feel pressured into booking in a hurry. Time-limited deals aren’t always everything they promise so take the time to consider your options, and shop around to make sure you’re getting the right holiday for you, at the right price.

“Holiday booking scams are common at this time of year so if something looks too good to be true, always think twice. There are lots of dodgy ‘deals’ on social media, and fake listings can even make their way onto booking sites. Always avoid listings requesting payments by bank transfer, and consider doing a reverse image search on villas or rentals to check the images haven’t been lifted from elsewhere.”

Denzel Perryman quickly listed name after name as he dove deep into his mental roster of the 2015 Chargers.

Manti Teʻo, Melvin Ingram, Kavell Conner and Donald Butler took Perryman under their wing, the Chargers linebacker said. The 11-year veteran said he relied on older teammates when he entered the NFL as they helped him adjust to the schedule and regimen of professional football.

“When I was a young guy,” Perryman said, “my head was all over the place — just trying to get the gist of the NFL. They taught me how to be where my mind is.”

With the Chargers (10-4) entering the final stretch of the season and on the cusp of clinching a playoff berth heading into Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1), veterans have played an important role in the team winning six of its last seven games.

A win over the Cowboys coupled with either a loss or tie by the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon or an Indianapolis Colts loss or tie on Monday night would secure a playoff berth for the Chargers.

Perryman, who recorded a season-best nine tackles in the Chargers’ win over the Kansas City Chiefs last week, credits Philip Rivers and the rest of the Chargers’ veterans for showing him “how to be a pro” a decade ago. Now he’s passing along those lessons to younger players in a transfer of generational knowledge across the Chargers’ locker room.

“When I came in as a young guy, I thought this happens every year,” safety Derwin James Jr. said of winning, starting his career on a 12-4 Chargers team in 2018. “Remember the standard. Remember, whatever we’re doing now, to uphold the standard, so that way, when guys change, coaches change, anything changes, the standard remains.”

Running off the field at Arrowhead Stadium, third-year safety Daiyan Henley charged at a celebrating Tony Jefferson, a veteran mentor at his position who was waiting for teammates after being ejected for an illegal hit on Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton.

After the game Jefferson and Henley hopped around like schoolchildren on the playground. That’s the atmosphere the veterans want to create, Jefferson said, one in which younger players in the secondary can turn to him.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Jefferson said. “For them to watch us and follow, follow our lead, and see how we do our thing.”

It’s not just the veteran stars that are making a difference. Marcus Williams, a 29-year-old safety with 109 games of NFL experience, replaced Jefferson against the Chiefs after being elevated from the practice squad. The 2017 second-round pick played almost every snap in Jefferson’s place, collecting four tackles.

“That just starts with the culture coach [Jim] Harbaugh creates,” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “It’s really a 70-man roster.”

Harbaugh highlighted defensive lineman/fullback Scott Matlock’s blocking technique — a ba-boop, ba-boop, as Harbaugh put it and mimed with his arms — on designed runs as an example of a veteran bolstering an offensive line trying to overcome the absence of Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater.

Harbaugh said his father, Jack, taught Matlock the ba-boop, ba-boop blocking technique during an August practice.

“He’s severely underrated as an athlete,” quarterback Justin Herbert said of the 6-foot-4, 296-pound Matlock, who also catches passes in the flat as a fullback.

With three games left in the regular season, Jefferson said the focus is on replicating the postseason-like efforts they gave in consecutive wins over the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

“It was good that they were able to get a taste of that,” Jefferson said of his younger teammates playing against last season’s Super Bowl teams, “because these games down the stretch are really what’s to come in the playoffs.”