Sports briefs: Amy Olson takes 1-shot lead in US Women’s Open

Published 12:00 am Friday, December 11, 2020

Associated Press

HOUSTON — Winning once felt easy to Amy Olson. She got that feeling again Thursday in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Olson got back to under par with one swing, an 8-iron for a hole-in-one on her seventh hole, the 16th at Cypress Creek, and kept right on going until she had a 4-under 67 and a one-shot lead at Champions Golf Club. She also had the 18-hole lead at Royal Troon in the Women’s British Open before following that with an 81.

Olson was among only 11 players who broke 70. For the first time, two courses are being used for the opening rounds because of the limited daylight by postponing the premier event in women’s golf to December.

Moriya Jutanugarn shot  68 and is tied with former Women’s British Open champion Hinako Shibuno  and A Lim Kim. Sophia Popov was among the group at 69.

State games

East Carolina 73, North Florida 67: In Greenville, Jayden Gardner had 20 points and 12 rebounds as East Carolina topped North Florida. J.J. Miles added 16 points for East Carolina (5-0) and Brandon Suggs had 10. Ryan Burkhardt had 15 points for the Ospreys (0-7).

Coppin State 85,  UNC-Greensboro 80: In Baltimore, Anthony Tarke had a career-high 33 points plus 10 rebounds as Coppin State edged UNC Greensboro. Tarke shot 11 for 13 from the field.

Nendah Tarke had 20 points for Coppin State (1-4). Isaiah Miller had 24 points and nine rebounds for the Spartans (1-3). Khyre Thompson added 18 points and eight rebounds.

Campbell 122, Florida National 92:

In Jacksonville, Fla.,  Austin McCullough had a career-high 26 points and Jordan Whitfield added 20 as Campbell easily defeated Florida National.

Cedric Henderson Jr. had 19 points for Campbell (4-0). Jesus Carralero added 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Jeffery Hernandez had 20 points for the Conquistadors.

Western Kentucky 86,  Gardner-Webb 84: In Bowling Green, Ky.,  Charles Bassey had a career-high 29 points plus 14 rebounds as Western Kentucky beat Gardner-Webb. Josh Anderson had 16 points for WKU (4-2). Luke Frampton added 15 points and Kenny Cooper had six assists.

Jacob Falko had 19 points for the Runnin’ Bulldogs (0-1). Lance Terry and Jaheam Cornwall each had 15 points.

Irving, Nets each fined $25,000 for silence

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA is making Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets pay for the point guard’s silence.

The league fined Irving and the team $25,000 apiece Thursday because he has refused to speak to the media so far during the preseason.

In announcing the fines, the NBA said Irving has refused on several occasions this week to participate in team media availability.

Irving has had a complicated relationship with the media. He released a statement through his publicist last Friday, saying he wanted to ensure that his message was conveyed properly. “I am committed to show up to work everyday, ready to have fun, compete, perform, and win championships alongside my teammates and colleagues in the Nets organization. My goal this season is to let my work on and off the court speak for itself,” Irving said.

The Nets play their preseason opener on Sunday against Washington.

Pitt runs past Georgia Tech 34-20

ATLANTA (AP) — Vincent Davis rushed for a career-best 247 yards, including a 74-yard scamper on the first play of the game and a late touchdown that clinched Pittsburgh’s 34-20 victory over Georgia Tech on Thursday night.

In the makeup of a game that was postponed last month because of COVID-19 issues, the Panthers (6-5, 5-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) finished off a winning regular season  as Davis, whose previous high was 69 yards in last year’s Quick Lane Bowl, eclipsed that on the first snap against Georgia Tech (3-7, 3-6).

The sophomore burst through a huge hole up the middle and took off with no one around, finally getting dragged down at the Georgia Tech 9 to set up the first of four short field goals by Alex Kessman.

Davis finished off his dynamic performance with a 38-yard touchdown run with 2 minutes remaining.

The Panthers finished with 317 yards on the ground after coming into the night ranked 13th in the ACC at 104.5 per game.