Shaw nets decider as USWNT ends year with win

Jaedyn Shaw scored the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute to give the United States women a 2-1 victory over China on Tuesday night in the Americans’ final match of the year.

Dec 5, 2023, 10:21 pm – ESPN News Services

TJ Long hit a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game then completed a four-point play to give Vermont a stunning 66-65 win at home over Yale on Saturday night.

The Catamounts inbounded the ball from underneath their own basket with 0.6 seconds left. Long caught the pass, squared himself up and launched the game-tying shot while being bumped by Yale’s August Mahoney and drawing the foul call.

“It was a great pass through traffic across the court,” Long said. “[Aaron Deloney] put it on me, and I didn’t have time to take any dribbles. Once I caught it, I just threw it up there, got lucky with the foul and banked it in.”

Vermont got the final chance after Mahoney was called for an offensive foul as the Bulldogs tried to inbound the ball and run out the final second of the game.

“I’ve never experienced anything like that in my career,” Catamounts coach John Becker said. “Unbelievable crowd tonight. You could just feel the crowd wanted to get us over the top; we just couldn’t provide enough plays to get any kind of run and build any kind of lead.

“Credit to Yale; they’re one of the best mid-major programs in the country.”

Long was 8-of-16 shooting and 6-for-10 from 3 for a game-high 23 points for the Catamounts (7-2). Shamir Bogues scored 14 points and added six rebounds, and Deloney scored 10 points.

The Bulldogs (5-4) were led by Bez Mbeng with 18 points. Yale also got 15 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks from Danny Wolf.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Carolina Panthers have fired head coach Frank Reich, it was announced Monday.

The Panthers have an NFL-worst 1-10 record — including an 0-6 mark on the road — and are assured of a sixth straight losing season since owner David Tepper purchased the team in 2018 for $2.275 billion.

“I met with Coach Reich this morning and informed him that he will not continue as head coach of the Carolina Panthers,” Tepper said in a statement. “I want to thank Frank for his dedication and service, and we wish him well.”

With Reich calling the plays on offense, the Panthers on Sunday scored 15 or fewer points for the fifth straight week and for the seventh time in 11 games. Quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft whom Carolina traded two first-round picks and star wide receiver DJ Moore to get, ranks last in the NFL in Total QBR and has been sacked 40 times, tied for the fifth most by a player through his first 10 games since sacks were first tracked in 1963.

“What are you going to do?” Reich, who has a career record of 41-43-1, said after Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans. “You are 1-10. Are you going to feel sorry for yourself? Is there something that is going to magically fix everything? No.”

Special teams coach Chris Tabor has been appointed as the team’s interim head coach, while offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will assume playcalling duties with help from senior assistant Jim Caldwell.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, there have only been six NFL head coaches since the merger that didn’t finish their first season with the team, with three of those instances having come in the last three seasons — Urban Meyer, Nathaniel Hackett and Reich.

Reich, who was fired by the Indianapolis Colts as head coach in November 2022, was hired to a four-year deal by the Panthers in January to succeed Matt Rhule. Reich was 40-33-1 during four-plus seasons in Indianapolis, 1-2 in the postseason.

Reich went to four Super Bowls as a player with the Buffalo Bills, where he was primarily a backup. As a coach, he won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2017 season in which he was the offensive coordinator.

In 2017, Reich helped Carson Wentz go 11-2 with MVP-caliber numbers before a season-ending injury and Nick Foles become the Super Bowl MVP in a 41-33 victory against the New England Patriots.

He also worked with future Hall of Fame quarterback Philip Rivers with the then-San Diego Chargers and the Colts.

ESPN’s David Newton contributed to this report.

The 2023 PFL season will come to an end this fall, as all six weight classes will crown a new champion at the 2023 PFL World Championship on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.

The promotion’s championship bouts will feature a mix of former champions, household names and some new faces looking to capitalize on the opportunity to win a title and take home $1 million.

In addition to the championship fights, former two-time PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison makes her much-anticipated return to the cage when she takes on Aspen Ladd. And Muhammad Ali’s grandson Biaggio Ali Walsh returns for an amateur bout.

Jeff Wagenheim, Brett Okamoto and Andres Waters cover all the PFL action live:

Shakur Stevenson returns to the ring on Thursday night to take on Edwin De Los Santos for the vacant WBC lightweight title. The fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN/ESPN+, 10:30 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN+ at 5:35 p.m. ET), will be the main event. In the co-main, Emanuel Navarrete defends his WBO junior lightweight title against Robson Conceicao.

Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) is a former featherweight and junior lightweight champion. He also won silver at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic games representing the U.S. After winning the WBO junior lightweight title with a 10th-round TKO victory over Jamel Herring in October 2021, Stevenson added the WBC belt with a unanimous-decision win over Oscar Valdez in April 2022. But Stevenson lost the belts on the scales when he couldn’t make weight for a title defense against Conceicao in September 2022. He then moved to the 135-pound division and scored a sixth-round TKO victory over Shuichiro Yoshino back in April.

De Los Santos (16-1, 14 KOs) is a heavy-handed southpaw from the Dominican Republic. He has won three consecutive fights, two by KO, since suffering the only defeat of his career, a split decision loss to William Foster III in January 2022.

Navarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) is a three-division champion who has won 33 consecutive fights (25 by stoppage) and hasn’t lost a fight in more than 11 years. He won the WBO title with a ninth-round TKO victory over Liam Wilson in February and defended the belt against Valdez in August.

Conceicao (17-2, 8 KOs) is getting his third title opportunity. He lost to Valdez challenging for the WBC junior lightweight belt in September 2021 and to Stevenson one year later. Conceicao’s most recent bout against Nicolas Polanco ended in a no-contest after Polanco couldn’t continue following an accidental clash of heads in Round 2.

“You’ve got the tough Edwin De Los Santos, but I’m here to whoop his ass,” Stevenson said during a public workout in Las Vegas on Monday. “I think that Edwin is a good fighter. I think he’s more of a boxer than what he’s trying to act like. So, he’s going to try to move around. And I’m going to figure him out by the fourth round.”

De Los Santos, who in mid-September accepted the bout after original opponent Frank Martin withdrew, said he’s not here to bow to Stevenson.

“We are not here to hesitate. We are here to fight,” De Los Santos said. “We accepted the fight, and we are going for it. I think at one point I was being underestimated. But now he has accepted the reality that he is going to have a very tough fight.”

Let’s take a look at both title fights by the numbers, starting with the main event. Information from ESPN Stats and Information and CompuBox were used in this report.

Stevenson vs. De Los Santos

2. This is Stevenson’s second fight at lightweight. He made his debut in the division against Yoshino back in April.

24. At 24 years of age, De Los Santos can become the youngest world champion from Dominican Republic since Rafael Torres in 1989 (he was 23). De Los Santos could also become just the third Dominican fighter to win a lightweight title, joining Carlos Teo Cruz and Joan Guzman.

7. Stevenson can become the youngest fighter to win a title in a third division since Naoya Inoue accomplished that feat in 2019. If Stevenson wins, he will become the seventh fighter to do so all-time.

6. Stevenson is seeking to become the sixth fighter to be a three-division champion while also winning an Olympic medal. The other five fighters on that list (Sugar Ray Leonard, Pernell Whitaker, Roy Jones Jr., Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather) have been all inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. With a win, Stevenson would also become the sixth fighter to win titles at 126, 130, and 135 pounds and he would be the youngest in that group to achieve the feat.

4. De Los Santos is looking for his fourth consecutive victory following his only career loss. If he wins, it will be his first career world title.

155. Of 171 rounds fought in five career world title bouts, Stevenson has won 155, according to the three judges scoring those fights (one of those fights ended via 10-round stoppage, against Herring, and one was for an interim title, against Jeremia Nakathila).

13.4. Stevenson allows the lowest power-punch connect percentage. He also ranks second among all fighters in opponents connect percentage at just 13.4%, and opponent total punches per round (5.5).

5. This is the fifth consecutive fight for De Los Santos outside the Dominican Republic. His first 13 fights were in his home country.

Navarrete vs. Conceicao

9. Nine of Navarrete’s last 11 wins have been by stoppage. He hasn’t won consecutive bouts by decision since 2016.

3. Navarrete is making the third defense of his WBO junior lightweight title. The Mexican is one of the more active fighters in all of boxing at the moment, this will be his third world title fight in 2023 (most in boxing). The co-main event will also be the third world title fight for Conceicao. His only career losses came in his previous two world title challenges (vs. Stevenson and Valdez).

46.5 Number of power punches thrown per round by Navarrete, 10th most according to CompuBox.

2. Conceicao is seeking to become the second oldest Brazilian to win a world title (Eder Jofre won a featherweight title at 37 years old in 1973). Conceicao won the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics at lightweight. He is first Brazilian-born boxer to win an Olympic gold medal.

12. Navarrete’s 12 fights and 12 wins in world title fights are both the most in boxing since December 2018.

16. Conceicao won his first 16 professional fights, but he has just one win in his last three bouts.

Giancarlo Stanton‘s agent clapped back at New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman while offering a word of warning to any free agents who are considering joining the Bronx Bombers.

Cashman told New York Daily News last week that the injury-plagued Stanton is “going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game.”

One day after the Daily News published Cashman’s comments, agent Joel Wolfe responded Tuesday in a statement to The Athletic.

“I read the context of the entire interview,” Wolfe said. “I think it’s a good reminder for all free agents considering signing in New York both foreign and domestic that to play for that team you’ve got to be made of Teflon, both mentally and physically because you can never let your guard down even in the offseason.”

Stanton, who turned 34 last week, is coming off the worst season of his career and has been widely speculated as a possible offseason trade candidate for the Yankees, who owe the former National League MVP about $98 million over the last four years.

Wolfe, who did not specifically mention Stanton or Cashman in his statement, also represents Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is among the best available free agent pitchers this offseason.

Cashman has come under increased scrutiny from both media and fans since his fiery defense of the Yankees organization at the GM meetings in Arizona last week.

In an hourlong media session last Tuesday highlighted by his explanation of multiple failed trades and his assertion that the Yankees’ front office is “pretty f—ing good,” Cashman also specifically mentioned several Yankees players who were sidelined by injuries in 2023, including Stanton, who missed 61 games because of a hamstring injury.

“We try to limit the time he’s down,” Cashman said, according to the Daily News. “But I’m not gonna tell you he’s gonna play every game next year because he’s not. He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game.”

Stanton has missed significant time due to injury over his past five seasons with the Yankees, playing in just 391 out of a possible 708 regular-season games over that stretch.

The five-time All-Star batted a career-low .191 with 24 home runs in his sixth year with the Yankees, who went 82-80 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Cashman also offered some praise for Stanton during his lengthy exchange with reporters last week, saying the Yankees “know he’s certainly better than what we saw last year.”

“I know that when he’s right and healthy — other than this past year — the guy’s a great hitter and has been for a long time,” Cashman told reporters.

AUSTIN, Texas — Quarterback Quinn Ewers will start for No. 7 Texas against TCU after missing two games with a sprained shoulder, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.

Ewers has passed for 1,915 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Longhorns (8-1, 5-1 Big 12), who are tied for first in their conference. Ewers also has five rushing touchdowns. He left the field in the third quarter of Texas’ 31-24 win at Houston on Oct. 21.

“He’s had a great week of practice,” Sarkisian said. “I thought he got stronger as the week went on. I really didn’t feel like there was a throw he couldn’t make.”

Second-year freshman Maalik Murphy had started the last two games at quarterback and led the Longhorns to wins in both. He threw four touchdowns but also had four turnovers in those games, and struggled in the second half of Texas’ 33-30 overtime win over Kansas State last week.

“If we eliminate those turnovers, he played some pretty good football for us. He should be proud of that,” Sarkisian said.