BASKETBALL
Spain beats Australia
Spain is back into the final of the basketball World Cup with a chance to match the title it won 13 years ago. Marc Gasol scored 33 points to lead Spain over Australia 95-88 in double overtime Friday at Beijing. Ricky Rubio scored 19 and Sergio Llull added 17. It was two three-point shots by Llull in the second overtime that pushed Spain to one of its largest leads of the game after trailing much of the time. Patty Mills scored 32 to lead Australia. Spain trailed for much of the game but surged in the fourth quarter and took the lead 71-70 when Gasol hit two free throws with 8.7 seconds to play in regulation. Mills had two free throws to win the game with 4.8 seconds to play, but he missed the second after making the first to send the game into overtime at 71-71. Both teams had chances to win in regulation and in the first overtime, which ended 80-80.
Argentina tops France
Luis Scola scored 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Argentina is heading to its first gold-medal game in 15 years after beating France 80-66 on Friday in a World Cup semifinal at Beijing. Scola finished it in style, hitting a pair of consecutive three-pointers late in the fourth to push Argentina's lead to 15. Facundo Campazzo scored 12 for Argentina, which will play Spain for the World Cup title on Sunday night. Frank Ntilikina and Evan Fournier each scored 16 for France, which will play Australia for the bronze on Sunday.
Livingston retires
Shaun Livingston, 34, announced his retirement on social media Friday following 15 NBA seasons, an anticipated move for the veteran guard. He reached the NBA Finals in each of his five seasons with Golden State, his ninth NBA team. Livingston, who signed a $24 million, three-year contract in 2017 but was waived by the Warriors in July to cut salary costs, has discussed working in the front office with the team. The No. 4 overall draft pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2004 out of Peoria Central High in Illinois, Livingston averaged 6.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists over 833 career games.
GOLF
Chappell shoots 59
Kevin Chappell shot an 11-under 59 on Friday in the second round of A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier at White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., for the 11th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history. Chappell missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-4 ninth to fall a stroke short of Jim Furyk's tour record. Furyk set the 18-hole record in 2016 with a 58 in the final round of the Travelers Championship. Chappell was in fifth place at 10 under for the tournament. He opened with a 71. Scottie Scheffler (62), Joaquin Niemann (62) and Robby Shelton (65) were tied for first place at 13 under going into the weekend. Adam Long (62) was in fourth place at 12 under. Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 68 and is tied for 25th at 6 under. Sebastian Cappelen (Razorbacks) had a 67 and is tied for 48th at 4 under. John Daly (Dardanelle, Razorbacks), Andrew Landry (Razorbacks) and David Lingmerth (Razorbacks) did not make the cut.
3 lead Champions
Scott McCarron, Retief Goosen and Tom Gillis each shot 6-under 66 on Friday to share the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions' Ally Challenge at Grand Blanc, Mich. McCarron, the Charles Schwab Cup points leader and a three-time winner this year, birdied the par-5 16th and par-3 17th in a bogey-free round at rain-softened Warwick Hills. Jay Haas was a stroke back with Darren Clarke, Jerry Smith and Jerry Kelly. Defending champion Paul Broadhurst shot 71. Glen Day (Little Rock) shot a 70 and is tied for 20th at 2 under.
FOOTBALL
Ravens' Smith retires
Former Ravens and Maryland football standout Torrey Smith, one of the top wide receivers in the history of both teams, announced his retirement from football in a social media post Friday morning. Smith, 30, played eight NFL seasons with the Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers, winning two Super Bowls. He spent his first four years in Baltimore after the Ravens selected the speedy Terps star in the second round of the 2011 draft. Smith finished with at least 49 catches and 767 receiving yards in each of his four seasons with the Ravens, including a career-high 65 for 1,128 yards in 2013. He ranks sixth in franchise history in receptions (213), third in receiving yards (3,591), first in yards per catch (16.9) and second in touchdown catches (30). He entered this season third in the NFL among active receivers in yards per catch (16.1), behind only Josh Gordon and DeSean Jackson.
Daughters dispute trust
Pat Bowlen's two oldest daughters have put themselves at risk of being disinherited by challenging their father's trust, which is in charge of selecting the next controlling owner of the Denver Broncos, a franchise valued at more than $2.5 billion. Beth Wallace and Amie Klemmer filed a lawsuit Friday challenging the validity of the trust, which includes a no-contest clause, on the grounds that their father lacked the mental capacity and was under undue influence when he signed his estate planning documents a decade ago. Dan Reilly, a lawyer for the Pat Bowlen Trust, called the lawsuit frivolous, saying it was the "latest effort in their public campaign to circumvent Pat Bowlen's wishes." Pat Bowlen died in June at age 75.
Texas' A/C working
The visitor's locker room at the University of Texas in Austin appears almost perfect for serving a nice glass of wine, although it may be a tad stuffy for a nap. Texas officials this week produced a chart of temperatures for the room during last Saturday's game when LSU beat the Longhorns 45-38. According to Texas, the temperature hovered from 68 degrees, at the top of the perfect range for a glass of red wine, to 75 degrees, just above the optimal spectrum for a good night's sleep. Texas compiled the list after LSU Coach Ed Orgeron said the Tigers had been warned the air conditioning might not be working and brought their own to keep things cool on a night when the kickoff temperature was nearly 100.
Texas officials said the air conditioning in the locker room works fine. The teams play again in September 2020 in Baton Rouge.
GOLF
U.S. limits damage at Solheim Cup
GLENEAGLES, Scotland — The United States limited the damage on the opening day of the Solheim Cup by making 18th-hole birdies in the final two matches of afternoon fourballs to secure half-points and trail Europe 41/2-31/2 at Gleneagles.
Jessica and Nelly Korda played central roles in both sessions Friday, firstly teaming up as the first siblings to play together in the competition and winning 6-and-4 in the morning foursomes.
They were split up by U.S. captain Juli Inkster and placed in the final two matches in the fourballs, a decision that looked like they would backfire as the Americans went to the 18th hole losing in both.
However, Lexi Thompson — playing alongside Jessica Korda — rolled in a 15-foot birdie from left to right to grab a half from a match against Bronte Law and Carlota Ciganda in which neither side led by more than 2 up.
Then, with the shadows lengthening on an 18th green, Brittany Altomare — Nelly Korda’s partner — holed a birdie from 25 feet up the slope to complete a U.S. comeback from 4 down with six holes to play against Charley Hull and Azahara Munoz.
It potentially marked a big momentum shift for the Americans, who are looking for a third consecutive victory in the biggest team event in women’s golf.
Sports on 09/14/2019