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Bucs rout Panthers, keep pace in race for first in NFC South49ers coach Kyle Shanahan expresses confidence in struggling kicker Jake Moody

Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen returns to a tournament after a dispute over jeans is resolvedHappy New Year 2025: Best wishes, quotes, status and greetings to share with family and friends

Australia beats the United States at the Davis Cup MALAGA, Spain | Australia reached the Davis Cup semifinals for the third consecutive year, eliminating the United States 2-1 when Matt Ebden and Jordan Thompson beat the surprise, last-minute pairing of Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-4 in the deciding doubles match on Thursday. The victory on an indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martina Carpena in southern Spain means 28-time Davis Cup champion Australia will face defending champion Italy or Argentina on Saturday for a spot in the final of the annual team competition. Italy, led by No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner, and Argentina were headed to a doubles match Thursday night after splitting the two singles contests. Francisco Cerúndolo put Argentina ahead 1-0 by defeating Wimbledon semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-1, before two-time Grand Slam champion Sinner overwhelmed Sebastián Báez 6-2, 6-1. Sinner was teaming up with Matteo Berrettini for doubles against Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez. The other semifinal, to be contested Friday, is the Netherlands against Germany. The Dutch got past Rafael Nadal and Spain in the quarterfinals earlier in the week, sending the 22-time Grand Slam champion into retirement. The Australians were the runners-up the past two years. The Americans own a record 32 Davis Cup titles but haven’t been to the semifinals since 2018 and haven’t claimed the title since 2007, their longest drought in the event. The Shelton-Paul substitution for Paris Olympics silver medalists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram was announced about 15 minutes before the doubles match began. Ebden and John Peers beat Krajicek and Ram in the Summer Games final in August. The Australians broke once in each set of the doubles. In the second, they stole one of Shelton’s service games on the fourth break opportunity when Ebden’s overhead smash made it 5-4. Thompson then served out the victory, closing it with a service winner before chest-bumping Ebden. The 21st-ranked Shelton made his Davis Cup debut earlier Thursday in singles against 77th-ranked Thanasi Kokkinakis, who emerged from a tight-as-can-be tiebreaker by saving four match points and eventually converting his seventh to win 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (14). No. 4 Taylor Fritz, the U.S. Open runner-up, then pulled the Americans even with a far more straightforward victory over No. 9 Alex de Minaur, 6-3, 6-4. Kokkinakis withstood 21 aces from Shelton, a big-serving left-hander who reached the U.S. Open semifinals in 2023. When their match finally ended, on a backhand by Shelton that landed long, Kokkinakis dropped onto his back and pounded his chest. After he rose, he threw a ball into the stands, then walked over to Australia’s sideline, spiked his racket and yelled, before hugging captain Lleyton Hewitt. “I don’t know if I’ve been that pumped up in my life. I wanted that for my team,” said Kokkinakis, who won the 2022 Australian Open men’s doubles title with Nick Kyrgios. “It could have gone either way, but I kept my nerve.” One key stat: Shelton finished with 29 unforced errors in his Davis Cup debut, nearly twice as many as the 15 by Kokkinakis. After a strong hold at love in an opening game that included a 139 mph (224 kph) ace and a trio of service winners, Shelton lost his way completely, losing 12 of his next 16 service points and six games in a row overall. That set ended with Shelton double-faulting when he was cited for a foot fault. But he broke to open the second set and soon the match was far more competitive. “Once I got going, I thought I found a really good groove,” Shelton said. “I didn’t exactly like how I finished the match at the end. I thought I left a little bit on the table.” Highly touted high school QB commits to Colorado DENVER | Highly touted high school quarterback Julian Lewis has committed to the University of Colorado, possibly an indicator that coach Deion Sanders does indeed plan to stick around in Boulder. The five-star recruit recently decommitted from Southern California to explore his options. He announced Colorado would be his destination Thursday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” as he donned a Buffaloes stocking cap. Lewis figures to be the heir apparent to Shedeur Sanders, who’s expected to be a top pick in the next NFL draft. There’s an image of Sanders handing the keys over to the young QB in a video posted on Lewis’ Instagram account. It gives Deion Sanders another elite quarterback to build around at Colorado. On Tuesday, Sanders tamped down speculation over his future. “I’m enthusiastic about where I am,” he said. “I love it here. Truly do.” His roster this season has several young players making significant contributions, including freshman left tackle Jordan Seaton. “We ain’t going nowhere,” Sanders said. “We’re about to get comfortable.” Lewis, whose nickname is “Ju Ju,” became the starting quarterback at Carrollton High School in Georgia as a freshman. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound player was the 2023-24 Gatorade Georgia football player of the year. This season, he’s thrown for 2,842 yards and 40 touchdowns with only four interceptions, according to MaxPreps. He’s completing 77.8% of his passes. “It’s big for me, just coming in after Shedeur, seeing what he’s done at Colorado, and what he’s turned it into,” Lewis said on McAfee’s show. “It’s definitely a blessing to get to this position, coming in after him with his dad. “Coach Prime has always said the best man is going to play. That’s really what I wanted, was to be able to compete ... I don’t have much fun sitting on the bench, so I want to come to where I have a chance to play.” Lewis delivered the news to Deion Sanders over a phone call. He’s set join the Buffaloes (8-2, 6-1 Big 12, No. 16 CFP ) this spring. “Julian loves to compete; he’s extremely excited for the challenge that lies ahead in college football,” said TC Lewis, Julian’s father. “What ‘Coach Prime’ and Colorado provide for him in regards to development and a path to play are exceptional.” Penn State wins case over retailer’s use of vintage logos, images PHILADELPHIA | Penn State has won a closely watched trademark fight over an online retailer’s use of its vintage sports logos and images. A Pennsylvania jury awarded Penn State $28,000 in damages on Wednesday over products made and sold by Vintage Brand and Sportswear Inc., two firms co-founded by former minor league baseball player Chad Hartvigson. Penn State accused them of selling “counterfeit” clothing and accessories, while the defendants said their website makes clear they are not affiliated with the university. At least a dozen other schools have sued the defendants on similar grounds, including Purdue, Stanford and UCLA, Penn State said in its 2021 lawsuit. However, the Penn State case was the first to go to trial and seen by some as a test case in the sports merchandising industry. “It addresses an important issue with trademark law — whether or not the mark owner is able to prevent third parties from using its marks on T-shirts and paraphernalia without permission,” said Tiffany Gehrke, a trademark lawyer in Chicago who was not involved in the case. The verdict, she said, maintains the status quo, while a victory for Vintage Brand “could have shaken things up.” It followed a six-day trial in federal court in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, overseen by Chief U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann. It was not immediately clear if the defendants planned to appeal. Phone and email messages left with their lawyers on Thursday were not immediately returned. Penn State, in a statement, called its trademarks “critical” to the school’s brand, and said it was grateful for the verdict. “The university appreciates this result as it relates to the many hundreds of licensees with whom the university works and who go through the appropriate processes to use Penn State’s trademarks,” the statement said. Penn State, founded in 1855, adopted the Nittany Lion as its mascot in 1904 and has been using various images of the animal, along with the school’s seal and other logos, for decades, the lawsuit said. The school now has more than 100,000 students at 24 campuses. NFL issues security alert to teams following recent burglaries The NFL issued a security alert to teams and the players’ union on Thursday following recent burglaries involving the homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, the league says homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become “increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups.” Law enforcement officials noted these groups target the homes on days the athletes have games. Players were told to take precautions and implement home security measures to reduce the risk of being targeted. Some of the burglary groups have conducted extensive surveillance on targets, including attempted home deliveries and posing as grounds maintenance or joggers in the neighborhood. Burglars have entered through side doors, via balconies, or second-floor windows. They’ve targeted homes in secluded areas and focus on master bedrooms and closet areas. Players were warned to avoid updating any social media with check-ins or daily activities until the end of the day. Posting expensive items on social media is discouraged. The homes of Mahomes and Kelce were broken into within days of each other last month, law enforcement reports show. The break-ins happened just before and the day of Kansas City’s 26-13 home victory over the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 7, where Kelce’s superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift watched from the stands. No injuries were reported in either case. —From AP reportsFrese pleased after No. 8 Maryland stays unbeaten in 'phenomenal game' against No. 19 Michigan State

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Jets' Aaron Rodgers Addresses Injury Scan RumorsThe purpose of has mystified Britons for thousands of years, but researchers think they may now know the theory behind its creation. Experts believe the stone circle was created with rocks and boulders from all corners of ancient Britain as a symbol of unity against foreign invaders. Its construction came amid an from mainland Europe – countries now known as Germany and the Netherlands in particular – and may have been a political monument to unite indigenous Britons. The theory has come about as a result of the recent revelation that the prominent altar stone was actually from , rather than Wales, as had long been believed. The stone travelled some 430 miles from Scotland’s Orcadian Basin arriving about 2,500BC. Prof Mike Parker Pearson, the study’s lead author from the University College London’s y, said its design to include stones from different places in the country makes it “unique among over 900 stone circles in Britain”. He said it suggested “the stone circle may have had a political as well as a religious purpose – as a monument of unification for the peoples of Britain, celebrating their eternal links with their ancestors and the cosmos”. “ stands out in being a material and monumental microcosm of the entirety of the British Isles,” he added. ’s 43 “bluestones” were brought from the Preseli Hills in west Wales, about 140 miles away. Its larger “sarsen” stones were hauled from their sources at least 15 miles away to the north and east of the stone circle and are thought to originate in the West Woods. Prof Parker Pearson said: “We’ve known for a while that people came from many different parts of Britain with their pigs and cattle to feast at Durrington Walls, and nearly half the people buried at had lived somewhere other than Salisbury Plain. “The similarities in architecture and material culture between the area and northern Scotland now make more sense.” Prof Richard Bevins, co-author from Aberystwyth University, looked into the geology of the stones. He said: “Our research is like forensic science. We are a small team of earth scientists, each bringing their own area of expertise; it is this combination of skills that has allowed us to identify the sources of the bluestones, and now the altar stone.” It was uncovered earlier this year that the six-ton altar stone originated in Scotland and arrived at the time was remodelled from its original form. It is similar in size and placement to the large, horizontal stones in the stone circles of north-east Scotland. The altar stone has often been overlooked because it lies flat and is partly obscured by a huge fallen sarsen. It had been assumed it had also fallen, but the researchers explained that in Scotland multiple circles have stones that are purposely laid flat. “Given what we now know about where it’s from, it seems all the more likely that it was deliberately set as a recumbent stone,” Prof Parker Pearson said. He added that it was “highly likely” that the altar stone had been part of an earlier Scottish monument and that “these stones are not just plucked out of anywhere”. The Welsh bluestones are believed to have arrived for the first construction of Stonehenge, but for the second iteration there was more contact between Britain and Europe. Over the years there have been numerous theories about Stonehenge, ranging from a temple to an observatory and , but the new insight adds weight to it being a monument to unify Britons against foreign invaders. Prof Parker Pearson said. “It’s not a temple – that has been a major stumbling block for hundreds of years. It’s not a calendar, and it’s not an observatory. “I think we’ve just not been looking at Stonehenge in the right way. You really have to look at all of it to work out what they’re doing. They’re constructing a monument that is expressing the permanence of particular aspects in their world.” Ultimately, the new European arrivals brought to Britain advancements in metal working and the wheel, and would gradually replace indigenous Britons over the following four centuries to become the dominant population on the island, the researchers said. The research will be published in Archaeology International.Former President Jimmy Carter dies at age 100

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Arteta wanted his team to prove their European credentials following some underwhelming displays away from home, and the Gunners manager got exactly what he asked for. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard got their continental campaign back on track in style following the 1-0 defeat at Inter Milan last time out. A memorable victory also ended Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season, a streak of 17 wins and one draw, the vast majority of which prompted Manchester United to prise away head coach Ruben Amorim. The Gunners had failed to win or score in their two away games in the competition so far this season, but they made a blistering start in the Portuguese capital and took the lead after only seven minutes. Declan Rice fed overlapping full-back Jurrien Timber, who curled a low cross in behind the home defence for Martinelli to finish at the far post. Arsenal doubled their lead in the 20th minute thanks to a glorious ball over the top from Thomas Partey. Saka escaped the clutches of his marker Maximiliano Araujo to beat the offside trap and poke the ball past advancing goalkeeper Franco Israel for Havertz to tap home. It was a scintillating first-half display which completely overshadowed the presence of Viktor Gyokeres in Sporting’s attack. The prolific Sweden striker, formerly of Coventry, has been turning the heads of Europe’s top clubs with his 24 goals in 17 games this season – including a hat-trick against Manchester City earlier this month. But the only time he got a sniff of a run at goal after an optimistic long ball, he was marshalled out of harm’s way by Gabriel. David Raya was forced into one save, tipping a fierce Geovany Quenda drive over the crossbar. But Arsenal added a third on the stroke of half-time, Gabriel charging in to head Rice’s corner into the back of the net. To rub salt in the wound, the Brazilian defender mimicked Gyokeres’ hands-over-his-face goal celebration. That may have wound Sporting up as they came out after the interval meaning business, and they pulled one back after Raya tipped Hidemasa Morita’s shot behind, with Goncalo Inacio netting at the near post from the corner. Former Tottenham winger Marcus Edwards fired over, as did Gyokeres, with Arsenal temporarily on the back foot. But when Martin Odegaard’s darting run into the area was halted by Ousmane Diomande’s foul, Saka tucked away the penalty. Substitute Trossard added the fifth with eight minutes remaining, heading in the rebound after Mikel Merino’s shot was saved, and Gyokeres’ miserable night was summed up when his late shot crashed back off the post.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Nendah Tarke's 24 points helped Towson defeat Morgan State 64-60 on Sunday night. Tarke added seven rebounds for the Tigers (4-2). Tomiwa Sulaiman scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds. Christian May scored nine. The Bears (3-5) were led in scoring by Wynston Tabbs with 19 points. Kameron Hobbs had 13 points and Ahmarie Simpkins finished with nine points, three steals and two blocks. Towson went into halftime leading Morgan State 35-26. Tarke scored 14 points in the half. Towson used a 7-0 run in the second half to build an 11-point lead at 58-47 with 5:51 left in the half before finishing off the win. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants snapped a franchise-record 10-game losing streak and ended the Indianapolis Colts' slim playoff hopes Sunday as Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and ran for another in a 45-33 victory. New York earned its first home win of the season and it no longer has control of the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Lock sandwiched touchdown passes of 31 and 59 yards to Malik Nabers around TD passes of 32 yards to Darius Slayton and 5 yards to Wan'Dale Robinson in leading the Giants (3-13) to their first win since beating Seattle on Oct. 6. Ihmir Smith-Marsette had a 100-yard return on the second-half kickoff on a day the league's worst offense set a season high for points. Jonathan Taylor scored on runs of 3 and 26 yards for Indianapolis (7-9), while Joe Flacco, subbing for the injured Anthony Richardson, threw touchdown passes of 13 yards to Alec Pierce and 7 yards to Michael Pittman, the last bringing the Colts within 35-33 with 6:38 left in the fourth quarter. Lock, who finished 17 of 23 for 309 yards, iced the game by leading a nine-play, 70-yard drive that he capped with a 5-yard run. The 45 points were the most for New York since putting up 49 in a 52-49 loss to the Saints in 2015. It’s the Giants most in a win since a 45-14 rout against Washington in 2014 and most at home since a 52-27 win against the Saints in 2012. Nabers finished with seven catches for a career-high 171 yards. Flacco was 26 of 38 for 330 yards with two interceptions, the second by rookie Dru Phillips shortly after Lock's TD run. Taylor, who rushed for 218 yards in a win over Tennessee last weekend, finished with 125 yards on 32 carries. Pierce had six catches for 122 yards. Rookies Nabers and running back Tyrone Tracy become the third pair of rookies to have more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage in the same season. The previous duo was running back Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston of the Saints in 2006. Injuries Colts: Richardson was inactive with foot and back injuries sustained against Tennessee. Giants: DL Armon Watts (knee) was ruled out in the first half. Up next Colts: Finish the regular season by hosting Jacksonville. Giants: At Philadelphia to face Saquon Barkley and the Eagles. ___ AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Tom Canavan, The Associated Press

Biden Administration Predicts Record Obamacare Enrollment, But Trump Takeover LoomsArteta wanted his team to prove their European credentials following some underwhelming displays away from home, and the Gunners manager got exactly what he asked for. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard got their continental campaign back on track in style following the 1-0 defeat at Inter Milan last time out. A memorable victory also ended Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season, a streak of 17 wins and one draw, the vast majority of which prompted Manchester United to prise away head coach Ruben Amorim. The Gunners had failed to win or score in their two away games in the competition so far this season, but they made a blistering start in the Portuguese capital and took the lead after only seven minutes. Declan Rice fed overlapping full-back Jurrien Timber, who curled a low cross in behind the home defence for Martinelli to finish at the far post. Arsenal doubled their lead in the 20th minute thanks to a glorious ball over the top from Thomas Partey. Saka escaped the clutches of his marker Maximiliano Araujo to beat the offside trap and poke the ball past advancing goalkeeper Franco Israel for Havertz to tap home. It was a scintillating first-half display which completely overshadowed the presence of Viktor Gyokeres in Sporting’s attack. The prolific Sweden striker, formerly of Coventry, has been turning the heads of Europe’s top clubs with his 24 goals in 17 games this season – including a hat-trick against Manchester City earlier this month. But the only time he got a sniff of a run at goal after an optimistic long ball, he was marshalled out of harm’s way by Gabriel. David Raya was forced into one save, tipping a fierce Geovany Quenda drive over the crossbar. But Arsenal added a third on the stroke of half-time, Gabriel charging in to head Rice’s corner into the back of the net. To rub salt in the wound, the Brazilian defender mimicked Gyokeres’ hands-over-his-face goal celebration. That may have wound Sporting up as they came out after the interval meaning business, and they pulled one back after Raya tipped Hidemasa Morita’s shot behind, with Goncalo Inacio netting at the near post from the corner. Former Tottenham winger Marcus Edwards fired over, as did Gyokeres, with Arsenal temporarily on the back foot. But when Martin Odegaard’s darting run into the area was halted by Ousmane Diomande’s foul, Saka tucked away the penalty. Substitute Trossard added the fifth with eight minutes remaining, heading in the rebound after Mikel Merino’s shot was saved, and Gyokeres’ miserable night was summed up when his late shot crashed back off the post.

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