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Okani and the UIC Flames visit conference foe Murray State

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

UIC Flames (7-6, 0-2 MVC) at Murray State Racers (4-9, 1-1 MVC)Murray, Kentucky; Tuesday, 8 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: Toby Okani and the UIC Flames take on Jacobi Wood and the Murray State Racers in MVC play Tuesday.The Racers are 4-3 on their home court. Murray State has a 0-1 record in one-possession games.The Flames are 0-2 in conference games. UIC is 0-3 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.Murray State makes 42.8% of its shots from the field this season, which is 4.9 percentage points higher than UIC has allowed to its opponents (37.9%). UIC averages 8.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.3 more made shots on average than the 7.5 per game Murray State allows.The Racers and Flames meet Tuesday for the first time in MVC play this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Wood is averaging 12.4 points and 4.3 assists for the Racers. Rob Perry is averaging 14 points over the past 10 games for Murray State.Isaiah Rivera is averaging 15.1 points for the Flames. Okani is averaging 11.0 points over the ...

Hampton visits Drexel following Moore’s 34-point game

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

Hampton Pirates (4-8) at Drexel Dragons (7-6)Philadelphia; Monday, 12 p.m. ESTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Dragons -14.5; over/under is 140BOTTOM LINE: Drexel hosts the Hampton Pirates after Justin Moore scored 34 points in Drexel’s 104-86 loss to the Bryant Bulldogs.The Dragons are 4-1 on their home court. Drexel is third in the CAA with 11.5 offensive rebounds per game led by Amari Williams averaging 3.2.The Pirates are 0-4 on the road. Hampton is third in the CAA scoring 80.4 points per game and is shooting 46.1%.Drexel makes 44.6% of its shots from the field this season, which is 2.8 percentage points higher than Hampton has allowed to its opponents (41.8%). Hampton has shot at a 46.1% rate from the field this season, 6.3 percentage points higher than the 39.8% shooting opponents of Drexel have averaged.The Dragons and Pirates square off Monday for the first time in conference play this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Moore is averaging 12.8 points and 1.5 steals for the Dragons. Will...

Russia launches New Year’s Eve strikes against Ukraine

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

Russia fired off a fresh barrage of strikes at Ukraine on New Year’s Eve, launching nearly 100 Shahed loitering munitions against cities across the country. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said their air defense forces had shot down 87 of the Iranian-made drones.The latest holiday launch came on the heels of an air attack on Friday, during which the Ukrainian Air Force brought down 114 of 158 projectiles fired by Russia. Kyiv said Friday’s bombardment, the biggest of the war, had killed at least 45 people.National unity took center stage during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s New Year address to the nation, though the president only referenced the war obliquely. He praised Russian troops — but did not mention Ukraine by name, nor did he make direct reference to the so-called special military operation, Kremlin-speak for the war in Ukraine.“What united us and unites us is the fate of the Fatherland, a deep understanding of the highest sign...

Patriots keep battling for Belichick but come up short, drop to 4-12 after loss to Bills

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Out of playoff contention and faced with uncertainty about Bill Belichick’s future, the New England Patriots battled until the final whistle Sunday for their longtime coach.Quarterback Bailey Zappe and the Patriots were resilient despite dropping to 4-12 following a 27-21 loss to the division rival Buffalo Bills. New England, which defeated Buffalo once already, stayed competitive and made it a one-score game in the final quarter despite turning the ball over on four of their first six offensive series and falling behind by two touchdowns.“Obviously a terrible first 20 minutes,” Belichick said. “From there, we battled away. But obviously gave them too big of a lead and couldn’t get it back.”Amid speculation of major offseason changes looming in New England, the Patriots refused to give up on the season while also continuing a trend of being unable to put together four quarters of good football.Before hosting the New York Jets in a meaningless season fi...

Curley: Banning Trump from ballots a sure way to get him re-elected

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

The “Get Trump” crowd is probably going to get Trump reelected.If and when that day does come, the pink-hatted social justice warriors will have no one to blame but themselves.The latest chapter of the left’s never-ending quest to destroy He Who Shall Not Be Named came on Thursday night. Maine’s Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, ruled that former President Trump will not be included on the state’s 2024 primary ballot. She made this decision based in part on her conclusion that he engaged in an insurrection.Bellows knows this decision is going to be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. That’s why she, like the justices in Colorado, stayed her own ruling pending a Superior Court decision.In the meantime though, liberals can get a dopamine hit as they repost “Trump Banned from Maine Ballot” articles onto their Facebook feeds.Even all these years later, so many people are trying to destroy the former President. However, their strategy is shortsighted.After the dust settles and Trump ...

Celtics’ 2023 year in review includes historic games, franchise-altering trades

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

The calendar year of 2023 was … eventful … for the Celtics, to say the very least.From another deep postseason run to a few franchise-altering moves this summer, there was no shortage of headlines for the Celtics this year. As the calendar turns to an exciting 2024, let’s take a look back at the year that was.Jan. 1 – Ringing in a dudThe Celtics did not exactly have a happy new year to begin 2023, which started with a double-digit loss to the eventual champion in Nuggets that included a bizarre scene. In the fourth quarter, a powerful Robert Williams dunk bent the rim, which caused a 35-minute delay to repair it. Two nights later, the C’s suffered one of their worst losses of the season, a 33-point defeat at Oklahoma City.Jan. 28 – Game of the yearA nationally-televised Saturday night matchup between the Celtics and Lakers produced another epic in the sport’s most storied rivalry. Jaylen Brown scored 37 as the C’s won in overtime, but it was what happened at the end of regulat...

Russia launches record number of drones across Ukraine as Moscow and Kyiv continue aerial attacks

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a record 90 Shahed-type drones over Ukraine during the early hours of the new year, the Ukrainian air force said Monday, while Russia also reported Ukrainian attacks. A 15-year-old boy was killed and seven people wounded after falling debris from one of 87 downed drones hit a residential building in the city of Odesa, the head of the region’s military administration, Oleh Kiper, said. Debris also sparked a number of small fires, including at the city’s port.In the western city of Lviv, Russian attacks severely damaged a museum dedicated to Roman Shukhevych, a controversial Ukrainian nationalist and military commander who fought for Ukrainian independence during World War II. University buildings in the town of Dubliany were also damaged, although no casualties were reported.Writing on social media, Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi described the strike as “symbolic and cynical,” adding, “this is a war for our history.”Meanwhile, four pe...

Israel is pulling thousands of troops from Gaza as combat focuses on enclave’s main southern city

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Thousands of Israeli soldiers are being shifted out of the Gaza Strip, the military said Monday, in the first significant drawdown of troops since the war began as forces continued to bear down on the main city in the southern half of the enclave.The troop movement could signal that fighting is being scaled back in some areas of Gaza, particularly in the northern half where the military has said it is close to assuming operational control. Israel has been under pressure from its chief ally, the United States, to begin to switch to lower-intensity fighting. Word of the drawdown came ahead of a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region and after the Biden administration bypassed Congress for the second time this month to approve an emergency weapons sale to Israel.But fierce fighting continued in other areas of Gaza, especially the southern city Khan Younis and central areas of the territory. Israel has pledged to charge ahead until its war aims ...

Early morning shooting kills woman and wounds 4 others in Los Angeles County

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

HAWTHORNE, Calif. (AP) — A woman was killed and four people were wounded in a Los Angeles County shooting shortly after the arrival of the new year, police said.Officers from the Hawthorne Police Department responded to a shooting report around 12:30 a.m. Monday, KABC-TV reported.The Hawthorne police said a male victim who suffered gunshot wounds was transported to a hospital from the scene near a shopping mall on Crenshaw Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue, KABC reported.The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said four other victims arrived at area hospitals by other means. An adult female victim was later pronounced dead. One of the others was listed in critical condition and three were listed as stable, KABC reported.There were no immediate arrests in the shooting, which was being investigated by the sheriff’s department.Hawthorne is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area in southwestern Los Angeles County.The Associated Press

Olympic host country France sees less New Year’s Eve disorder as it celebrates 2024’s arrival

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

PARIS (AP) — France saw fewer of the car burnings that usually blight the arrival of a new year as the Olympic host country celebrated the start of 2024, the interior minister said Monday.The 380 arrests made nationwide overnight was a 10% drop compared with a year ago, said Gerald Darmanin, citing preliminary early morning figures.Authorities counted 745 vehicle fires, also 10% fewer than last year, Darmanin said. About 40 police officers suffered slight injuries, a 40% drop on last year, he added.Law enforcement authorities had been eager to prove that 2024’s arrival could be celebrated without a major security crisis as they gear up for the Summer Games that open in Paris on July 26.Authorities had vowed that New Year’s Eve security would be tight across France, with 90,000 law enforcement officers deployed.In Paris, celebrations centered on the Champs-Elysees boulevard, where the Arc de Triomphe was crowned with fireworks and bathed in lights and video projections, i...