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USC women’s basketball smothers Saint Mary’s ahead of Big Ten opener

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USC women’s basketball smothers Saint Mary’s ahead of Big Ten opener

On Tuesday night at Galen Center, a light crowd cheered hard for the defense. Any time the Trojans fought off a jump-ball, any time they chased down a loose ball, any time the team quickly transitioned to offense off one of the 18 defensive rebounds, the arena DJ asked the fans to cheer on the hustle.

“DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE!”

As Saint Mary’s (5-4) turned the ball over 29 times, USC (6-2) took advantage of each opportunity it made by cruising to a commanding 79-33 victory over the Gaels. The Trojans flexed on both sides of the court. They held the visiting team to single-digit points in the last three quarters of the game and led by as many as 46 points, never giving up the lead.

Senior Londynn Jones led the Trojans with 17 points while going 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.

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“We made them look rougher than they are,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “It’s a really good team who played some other Power Four teams really tough and challenged us to get better this week, which we did.”

The Gaels never stood a chance against the Trojans. After finishing the first quarter up by four points, the USC defense exploded with six steals while forcing nine turnovers and holding Saint Mary’s to four points in the second quarter. Saint Mary’s shot 27% from the field and went 2-of-13 from the three-point line.

Three USC players scored in double figures while contributing on defense as well. After earning her second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor of the season, Jazzy Davidson had 14 points, three blocks, six assists and four rebounds. Senior Kara Dunn had 15 points with five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Jones, who came off the bench to lead the team in scoring, added four steals.

The Trojans earned 13 fast break points, quickly moving the ball up the court after defensive stops. They shot 46% from the field and 76% from the free-throw line.

“We’re making sure that our execution is really good and that we’re giving all of our effort into every single play and making sure that we are getting better at boxing out,” Dunn said. “We’re making sure we’re getting better at moving the ball.”

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The Trojans did not take the game lightly, with the bench scoring 33 points and scoring 24 points in two separate quarters. USC aims to maintain its strong execution when it hosts No. 5 Washington on Sunday.

“I think we’ve really made a concerted effort to work and get better,” she said. “It’s not just getting better at jumpers or getting better at a play, it’s mentally saying, ‘Do we need to talk more?’”

USC’s communication was strong throughout Tuesday’s game. Saint Mary’s players felt pressure from two Trojans every time they touched the ball. If a shot was missed, USC took care of the rebound.

“It’s a huge energy boost,” Dunn said of the dominant performance. “I feel like it brings us together, it connects us.”

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House vote on NIL regulation act canceled despite Trump’s backing as some Republicans still not on board

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House vote on NIL regulation act canceled despite Trump’s backing as some Republicans still not on board

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A House vote on the SCORE Act (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements), which would regulate name, image, and likeness deals, was canceled shortly before it was set to be brought to the floor.

There was a vote on Tuesday to bring it to the floor, which won 210-209. The House vote was supposed to take place around 4 p.m. ET but was canceled in the 2 p.m. hour.

The White House endorsed the act on Tuesday, but three Republicans, Byron Donalds (Fla.), Scott Perry (Pa.), and Chip Roy (Texas) voted with Democrats not to bring the act to the floor. Democrats have largely opposed the bill, urging members of the House to vote “no.”

 

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The Ohio State Buckeyes line up for an extra point attempt during the second quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on Nov. 29, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  (Luke Hales/Getty Images)

“The unique American institution of collegiate athletics provides life-changing educational and leadership-development opportunities to more than 500,000 student-athletes through almost $4 billion in scholarships each year, fuels American Olympic success, and serves as an indelible part of many local economies and communities,” the White House said in a release Tuesday.

“Yet the future of college sports, and especially the future of Olympic and non-revenue sports, is threatened by significant legal and financial uncertainty. Urgent federal action is necessary to provide the stability, fairness, and balance that will protect student-athletes and preserve collegiate athletic opportunities.”

The White House added that the act “is a crucial step toward enacting legislation that will preserve and strengthen this institution that is central to American culture and success.” It did not respond to a request for comment regarding Wednesday’s cancellation.

The SCORE Act would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in hopes of protecting the NCAA from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules and would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools. It prohibits schools from using student fees to fund NIL payments. Republicans could attempt to vote on the act as early as Thursday.

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Roy posted on X Wednesday that he would “vote no” to the act.

The NCAA logo on an entrance sign outside the NCAA Headquarters on Feb. 28, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana.  (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

OLE MISS PLAYERS PUSH BACK ON LANE KIFFIN’S CLAIM THAT TEAM ASKED AD TO LET HIM FINISH SEASON WITH REBELS

“The SCORE Act (college sports) is well-intended but falls short and is not ready for prime time. I will vote no. Putting aside the process problems (we should have been able to amend)… there are lots of legitimate concerns and questions,” Roy wrote. 

The Congressional Black Caucus also opposed the act in a statement Wednesday.

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“We can all agree that college athletes need stronger protections. Unfortunately, the SCORE Act doesn’t provide them,” it said. “It would permanently strip college athletes of labor and employment rights, including the right to unionize; prevent them from challenging harmful or anticompetitive conduct; and grant the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and conferences sweeping immunity when their actions jeopardize athletes’ education, health, safety, or financial well-being..

“We cannot lose sight of the human impact here. At the center of this issue are the college athletes, many of whom are Black students and who may not come from sizable financial means. College athletes too often report struggling with injuries, food insecurity, poverty, and homelessness. It is wholly unfair that universities and coaches are lining their pockets while leaving so little, if anything, for the college athletes who make those profits possible.”

The NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis is shown on Thursday, March 12, 2020. (Michael Conroy, File/AP Photo)

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to “save college sports” in July.

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Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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‘A lot of slices of pizza left’: Where the Lakers stand after 20 games

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With the highest scoring duo in the NBA, it’s no surprise the Lakers are one of the best offenses in the league.

Doncic, who will miss Thursday’s game for personal reasons, leads the league with 35.3 points per game. Reaves, who is setting himself up for a hefty pay day this offseason, is averaging a career-best 28.1 points and 6.6 assists per game. The Lakers are first in field goal percentage (51.3%) and rank eighth in offensive rating, averaging 118.3 points per 100 possessions.

The most glaring deficiency is turnovers, where the Lakers rank last in turnover percentage (16.2%).

They had 22 turnovers against the Phoenix Suns on Monday, the first game of what should be a revealing stretch of games.

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The Lakers weren’t punished for their lackadaisical play during their seven-game winning streak against teams with losing records. But the Suns, who lead the league in steals, had no problem turning Doncic’s full-court prayer passes into transition buckets.

The Toronto Raptors will be an even bigger challenge. The Raptors are fifth in the NBA in defensive rating and third in deflections, ahead of the fourth-ranked Suns.

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Former ESPN star blasts Ole Miss after Pete Golding revealed as Lane Kiffin’s chosen successor

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Former ESPN star blasts Ole Miss after Pete Golding revealed as Lane Kiffin’s chosen successor

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The closely watched drama in the college football world finally reached its conclusion. Lane Kiffin, the head coach at Ole Miss for the past six years, boarded a flight for Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Sunday.

Kiffin was formally introduced as LSU’s next head coach Monday. Ole Miss quickly responded to Kiffin’s exit by elevating Pete Golding from defensive coordinator to head coach. 

While Kiffin’s exit sparked considerable backlash, former ESPN host and current sports commentator and podcaster Bomani Jones turned his focus to the coach’s handpicked successor.

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Pete Golding before a game between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Georgia Bulldogs Oct. 18, 2025, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.   (Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Jones lambasted Golding’s performance during his stint as Ole Miss’ defensive coordinator. He also floated a theory about Golding’s appearance.

COACH WHO LEFT OLE MISS TO JOIN LANE KIFFIN AT LSU WILL FINISH SEASON WITH REBELS

“I had known him by name. I saw a picture of him and was like ‘There’s no way that man is a head coach,’” Jones said.

Bomani Jones Nov. 4, 2021, in Atlanta.  (Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Netflix)

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Golding has coached for nearly two decades, but this will be his first opportunity to lead a football program that competes in a Power Four conference.

Kiffin coached the Rebels to victory over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl rivalry game Friday to secure an 11-1 record for Ole Miss. While Ole Miss did not qualify for this week’s SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, the seventh-ranked Rebels are in position to advance to the College Football Playoff.

Whatever game Ole Miss ends up playing later this month will be Golding’s first opportunity as the Rebels’ head coach. After reportedly meeting with Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and school chancellor Glenn Boyce, Kiffin learned his time coaching the Rebels had come to an end.

LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin speaks at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium Dec. 1, 2025, in Baton Rouge, La.   (Matthew Hinton/Imagn Images)

“I was hoping to complete a historic six-season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern,” Kiffin said in a statement. 

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LSU parted ways with Brian Kelly in late October, shortly after the Tigers dropped a home game to Texas A&M.

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