BOSTON (AP) — Connor McDavid scored at 8:18 of overtime in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game to give Canada a 3-2 victory over the United States on Thursday night as the North American rivals turned what had been a tune-up for the 2026 Olympics into an geopolitical brawl over anthems and annexation as much as international hockey supremacy. Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Bennett also scored for Canada. Jordan Binnington made 25 saves in the first three periods and six more in the extra period on the same ice where he helped the St. Louis Blues win the Stanley Cup five years ago. Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson scored for the Americans, and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 shots in regulation and three more in OT.
BOSTON (AP) — American fans lightly booed the Canadian national anthem and roared out their own Thursday night before the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off, a matchup between the United States and Canada that has taken on collateral importance in the wake of cross-border political animosity. A smattering of jeers for “O Canada” were eventually drowned out by the singing fans; “The Star-Spangled Banner” followed, with the sellout TD Garden crowd at full volume in an anthem battle that became the undercard for one of the most anticipated hockey games in decades.
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Xavier Bell scored 24 points as Wichita State beat Florida Atlantic 75-68 on Thursday night. Bell shot 8 of 19 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line for the Shockers (16-10, 6-7 American Athletic Conference). Bijan Cortes scored 16 points and added seven assists. Harlond Beverly finished 5 of 7 from the floor to finish with 10 points.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — College football’s annual rite of spring seems to be withering. Texas on Thursday became the latest major program to ditch or change its annual spring scrimmage that has long been a staple for fans eager to see rising stars and get a peek into the upcoming season. Coach Steve Sarkisian announced there would be no Orange & White scrimmage this year, citing the wear and tear of playing 30 games over the last two seasons when Texas twice advanced to the College Football Playoff. Texas is among many schools rethinking and changing spring football traditions.
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — The Republican attorney general in Texas wants the NCAA to take its transgender policy a step further and require gender testing for athletes who compete in women’s sports. Ken Paxton wants an injunction to keep the NCAA from “falsely and deceptively claiming that only biological women may participate in female-specific competitions.” Earlier this month, the NCAA aligned its participation policy for transgender athletes with President Trump's new executive order by limiting competition in women’s sports to athletes who were assigned female at birth. Paxton doesn’t think the NCAA move goes far enough.
San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama's season is over. The Spurs say Wembanyama has been diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder. It is a massive blow to the Spurs, who are contending for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The condition was diagnosed this week after Wembanyama returned from the All-Star Game. Wembanyama’s situation comes about 3 1/2 months after Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke and was forced to take a leave from the sideline. A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that the Spurs expect Wembanyama to recover fully.
ESPN’s coverage of Major League Baseball games — at least in its current form — will conclude at the end of the 2025 season. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro informed baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Thursday morning that the network was opting out of the final three years of its contract, two people told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss financial matters. ESPN and MLB both made statements Thursday night confirming the end of the current rights deal. There was a March 1 deadline for MLB and ESPN to opt out of the final three years of their contract. The sides agreed to a seven-year deal in 2021 that averaged $550 million per season.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Chicago Cubs pitcher Cody Poteet believed the 95 mph fastball he threw to Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Max Muncy was in the strike zone. Plate umpire Tony Randazzo disagreed and called it a ball. Instead of arguing, Poteet simply patted the top of his cap, signifying he wanted to challenge the call. After a few seconds, the verdict was ready on the video board in right-center field. Poteet was correct — it was a strike, just catching the bottom of the zone. The first test of the Automated Ball-Strike System went off without a hitch Thursday, with Randazzo quickly reversing the call.
UNDATED (AP) — Tiger Woods and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan have taken part of a White House meeting with President Donald Trump that signals more progress in getting a deal done with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and the financial muscle behind the rival league, also was part of the meeting. The PGA Tour said in a statement that the parties discussed “the reunification of golf.” It was the second meeting in two weeks at the White House on the future of the sport.
THURSDAY SCORES
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Chicago Cubs 12 L.A. Dodgers 4
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Boston 124 Philadelphia 104
Final Indiana 127 Memphis 113
Final Cleveland 110 Brooklyn 97
Final OT New York 113 Chicago 111
Final Orlando 114 Atlanta 108
Final Milwaukee 116 L.A. Clippers 110
Final Denver 129 Charlotte 115
Final San Antonio 120 Phoenix 109
Final L.A. Lakers 110 Portland 102
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Canada 3 USA 2
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL