Sports
No. 4 UCLA closes nonconference play with a dominant win over Long Beach State
UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close could not have imagined a better way for her team to wrap up nonconference play than Saturday afternoon’s 106-44 trouncing of Long Beach State at Pauley Pavilion.
Coming off Tuesday’s 115-28 triumph over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo — UCLA’s largest margin of victory during the NCAA era — the Bruins picked up where they left off, leading wire-to-wire for their fifth consecutive win since suffering their lone loss to Texas on Nov. 26.
“We’re growing … we had a couple of lapses today and we’re not there yet, but we’re heading in the right direction,” Close said. “I love the selflessness of this team.”
Senior guard Gabriela Jaquez led the way with 17 points and made five of six three-point shots. Angela Dugalic added 13 points while Gianna Kneepkens had 10 points and 10 rebounds. All 11 Bruins who played scored at least one basket.
UCLA forward Sienna Betts, top, and Long Beach State forward Kennan Ka dive for the ball during the Bruins’ win Saturday.
(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
Playing their last game in Westwood until Jan. 3, when they will host crosstown rival USC, the Bruins (11-1 overall, 1-0 in Big Ten) looked every bit like the No. 4 team in the country, improving to 6-0 at home. They are ranked fourth in both the Associated Press and coaches polls behind Connecticut, Texas and South Carolina.
“I’m really proud of our nonconference schedule. Not many local teams are willing to play us, so I want to compliment Long Beach State,” Close said. “Our starting guards [Charlisse Leger-Walker and Kiki Rice] combined for 17 assists and one turnover. We have depth and balance and that’s a great luxury to have.”
Jaquez scored nine of the Bruins’ first 12 points. She opened the scoring with a three-pointer from the top of the key and added triples on back-to-back possessions to increase the margin to eight points. Her fourth three-pointer, from the right corner, extended the lead to 21-5.
Sienna Betts’ jumper in the lane put UCLA up by 19 at the end of the first quarter. The sophomore finished with 14 points and senior Lauren Betts added 17. The sisters’ parents, Michelle and Andy, played volleyball and basketball, respectively, for Long Beach State. Sienna wears her mom’s No. 16 while Lauren dons her dad’s No. 51.
Rice’s steal and layup made it 46-18 with 3:28 left in the first half and Leger-Walker’s tip-in at the buzzer gave the Bruins a 34-point advantage at halftime. Rice had a complete game, contributing 15 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, four steals and one block.
The result continued the Bruins’ recent dominance against the Beach. UCLA has won six straight head-to-head meetings, including a 51-point blowout in the schools’ previous matchup last December, when Close became the all-time winningest coach in program history by earning her 297th victory to surpass Billie Moore (296-181). Long Beach State has not beaten the Bruins since 1987 under Joan Bonvicini, who posted a 16-1 record versus UCLA in her 12 seasons at the Beach from 1979 to 1991.
The Bruins’ primary focus on defense was slowing down sophomore guard JaQuoia Jones-Brown, who entered Saturday averaging 17.2 points per game. She scored 10 of the Beach’s 11 points in the first quarter but was held scoreless the rest of the way. She has scored in double figures in nine of 10 games. Guard Christy Reynoso added six points for Beach (0-10 overall, 0-2 in Big West).
The Bruins travel to Columbus on Dec. 28 to face No. 21 Ohio State (9-1).
Sports
TNA Wrestling hit with wave of departures
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Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) had a few more shakeups to its talent and personnel roster on Wednesday.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of TNA, announced that it had parted ways with pro wrestling legend Tommy Dreamer and former TNA world champion Tessa Blanchard in a press release. Fox News Digital confirmed Blanchard’s departure on Tuesday.
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Tommy Dreamer speaks during the SiriusXM Busted Open Wrestlemania party at Intrigue at Wynn Las Vegas on April 19, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nev. (Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
“TNA Wrestling today announced a workforce reduction, designed to streamline operations and sharpen strategic focus and profitability,” the organization said.
“TNA’s creative leadership team will see an immediate shift. Tommy Dreamer, who has worked in TNA’s Creative and Talent Relations Departments, is leaving the company as TNA and Dreamer mutually agreed to part ways.
“TNA Wrestling also has come to terms on the release of Tessa Blanchard.
“We wish Tessa, Tommy and others the best in their future endeavors.”
Tessa Blanchard participates in the U.S. vs. Canada Border Brawl in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on May 25, 2025. (Robert Okine/Getty Images for Zone-ify)
Dreamer announced his departure in an emotional interview on Busted Open Radio earlier Wednesday.
Additionally, pro wrestler Sami Callihan announced he had parted ways with the company.
“Thought I was getting called today to be offered a position in creative… nope. I’ve parted ways with TNA. Oh well… onward to the next adventure,” he wrote on X while encouraging fans to watch Pro Wrestling Revolver.
Dreamer, Blanchard and Callihan’s departures are the latest to hit the company.
KC Navarro and Tommy Dreamer pose for a photo before the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, Calif., on May 13, 2026. (Don Collier/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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TNA announced Steve Maclin and Myla Grace departed the promotion earlier this month.
Sports
Justin Herbert is starting fresh with new-look Chargers offense
Justin Herbert is starting from the ground up in Mike McDaniel’s new-look Chargers offense.
The 28-year-old quarterback has dedicated much of the offseason to tweaking his footwork — putting his left foot in front of his right from the shotgun, against traditional NFL form — to fit Los Angeles’ new offensive coordinator’s scheme.
McDaniel prioritizes getting the ball to playmakers in space as efficiently as possible, as he did for four seasons as the Miami Dolphins head coach with speedy wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and envisions Herbert’s flip in footing accelerating and syncing the timing of passes with receivers’ route breaks.
“If guys train it so that they don’t have to think about it and they can be comfortable, you can do a couple things that put the defense in a bind with how you do your footwork,” McDaniel said at Chargers minicamp in El Segundo. “I don’t mandate it. With Justin, I really just showed him where I thought it would be advantageous, and he didn’t blink for a second and was excited to attack it.”
“The patternization in Mike McDaniel’s system has required some footwork changes,” added head coach Jim Harbaugh. “[Herbert’s] been working very hard, very hard at those. And as you would expect, Justin has picked it up.”
McDaniel said he got the idea as an up-and-comer on staffs in Houston and Washington alongside current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and pointed to Matt Ryan and Tua Tagovailoa as recent quarterbacks with whom he has implemented the stance change and reaped positive results.
Herbert, who has been one of those traditional right-handed quarterbacks to have their right foot forward from the shotgun, has embraced his new coordinator’s methodology.
“It’s about playing the way that [McDaniel] sees the quarterback position being played,” Herbert said, “and talking about how we can get the ball to the receivers in a position where they can run with it and allow them to do the things that they’re so good at: making plays.”
To accelerate his adaptation, Herbert has thrown less in practice sessions and done plenty of drills without a football — two markers that are simply unlike the seven-season veteran, who is known to sling the rock plenty at practice and in games.
McDaniel and Harbaugh added that, besides helping Herbert adjust his feet, keeping the ball out of their quarterback’s hands during the offseason will help him stay fresh later in the regular season.
Herbert is on board, but made it clear he does not require any maintenance.
“I’ve thrown a lot of footballs, and it’s May and June and I didn’t think it was as necessary to throw as much now,” Herbert said. “And do everything I can to get the footwork ready and get the offense down. The throws, they’ll be there. We’ve got plenty of time in camp and throughout [organized team activities] to get timing. I think it’s been smart by everyone, taking it easy.”
Herbert added that it’s better to focus on where his feet are now rather than in a live, meaningful game. However, Harbaugh and McDaniel said Herbert is ramping up his throwing in practice with training camp looming.
The Chargers expect big things out of McDaniel’s offense after they averaged a subpar 21.6 points per game in 2025.
Harbaugh and McDaniel are hopeful for career years from Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey and Tre’ Harris — exactly what the wideouts want to hear.
“As you all know … the timing, that’s a different aspect for us than we’re used to, but I think it’s great,” McConkey said. “It just gets the ball in the playmakers’ hands and lets us go to work.”
Before any dreams of the Chargers winning a Super Bowl on their home SoFi Stadium turf can come true next season, Herbert must simply get his footing, with his feet and new playbook.
“I’m sure you guys are eager to see him execute in a high regard in the stuff that we’re doing,” McDaniel said. “You got to be patient … that’s been part of the very calculated, very deliberate, intentional process that we take into the offseason.”
Sports
Knicks star OG Anunoby zones out during live TV interview, teammates burst out laughing in hilarious moment
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New York Knicks star OG Anunoby certainly played hard, and it looks like he partied hard, too.
The Knicks’ Game 4 hero appeared with some of his teammates on “Good Morning America” on Monday morning, and while he was physically present, mentally he might have been somewhere else.
Anunoby was asked about the difference first-year head coach Mike Brown made and how he brought the team together. The 28-year-old remained mute and stared off into the void, as if he didn’t hear the question.
Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Michael Strahan, Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos appear on Good Morning America on June 15, 2026. (Paula Lobo/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.)
After a couple of seconds of silence, the “Good Morning America” crew and Anunoby’s Knicks teammates burst out laughing. Jalen Brunson, being the good captain that he is, offered to step up and answer the question through laughter.
Karl-Anthony Towns then took the reins and answered the question, while Anunoby sat there oblivious. For Anunoby, the Knicks’ title celebration was the first time he had consumed alcohol, according to The Athletic’s report.
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New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby makes a game-winning tip shot vs. the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. (Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)
His first sip — or rather, chug — of alcohol was a strong pull of tequila in the Knicks’ locker room. By the looks of how things went on Monday morning, Anunoby didn’t stop drinking after the locker room.
The team threw a party Sunday night in Manhattan at a private club after immediately flying back from Texas, according to the New York Post.
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OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks celebrates after winning the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Five at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 13, 2026. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE)
At one point during the interview, Michael Strahan asked Anunoby to smile, which he did, much to the delight of his teammates. Anunoby looked like he was struggling to keep his eyes open after Strahan’s request, sending his teammates into further hysteria.
Anunoby, who was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team, was integral in the team’s playoff run. He played shutdown defense while also serving as a meaningful offensive contributor. He averaged just more than 20 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks across 17 playoff games.
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