Washington
Wells, Jakimovski lead Washington State past Oregon State 64-58
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Jaylen Wells hit six straight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 24 points, Andrej Jakimovski hit two of his five 3-pointers down the stretch and Washington State beat Oregon State 64-58 on Thursday night.
Wells made 9 of 15 shots, missed just twice from beyond the arc and added seven rebounds for the Cougars (17-6, 8-4 Pac-12 Conference), who have won four in a row and seven of eight. Jakimovski made 5 of 9 from distance with two coming over a 47-second span late in the game.
Isaac Jones had 12 points and seven rebounds for Washington State. Freshman Myles Rice scored eight points with six assists.
Jordan Pope led the Beavers (11-12, 3-9) with 12 points, but he was held scoreless in the second half until a late 3-pointer. Tyler Bilodeau had 11 points and Michael Rataj scored 10 off the bench.
Wells had 11 points in the first nine minutes and Washington State jumped out to a 17-12 lead. Wells sank all four of his 3-point attempts and had 18 points at halftime, one off his career high, and the Cougars led 27-26. Wells made 7 of 9 shots while his teammates sank just 4 of 20.
Jakimovski, who had three points in the first half, hit a 3-pointer to begin the second, Wells sank his first two shots from beyond the arc and Washington State led 36-31 with 16:20 left to play.
Oregon State pulled even four times but could not take the lead. KC Ibekwe’s layup tied it at 51, but Isaac Jones grabbed an offensive rebound and turned it into a three-point play and the Cougars stayed in front. Rice scored in the paint and WSU led 56-51 with 3:40 to go.
Dexter Akanno scored for the Beavers, but Jakimovski buried a 3-pointer coming out of a media timeout and the Cougars took a two-possession lead with 2:51 remaining. Jakimovski buried another 3-pointer the next time down the court to push the lead to 62-53.
WSU coach Kyle Smith notched the 250th victory of his career, the last 86 with the Cougars. Smith spent six seasons as coach at Columbia and three at San Francisco before taking the job in Pullman, Wash.
Washington State travels to play Oregon on Saturday. Oregon State will host Washington on Saturday.
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Washington
HIGHLIGHT | Lawrence Dots a Pass to Washington for a 6-Yard TD
DE Dawuane Smoot, LB Foyesade Oluokun, TE Brenton Strange, S Eric Murray, and S Antonio Johnson speak with the media after practice on Thursday ahead of the Wild Card Matchup vs. Bills.
0:00 – 2:28 – DE Dawuane Smoot
2:29 – 6:24 – LB Foyesade Oluokun
6:25 – 9:25 – TE Brenton Strange
9:26 – 11:32 – S Eric Murray
11:33 – 13:46 – S Antonio Johnson
Washington
Iran warns Washington it will retaliate against any attack
DUBAI, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Iran warned President Donald Trump on Sunday that any U.S. attack would lead to Tehran striking back against Israel and regional U.S. military bases as “legitimate targets”, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told parliament.
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Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by William Mallard
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Washington
Washington National Opera cuts ties with the Kennedy Center after longstanding partnership | CNN Politics
The Washington National Opera on Friday announced it is parting ways with the Kennedy Center after more than a decade with the arts institution.
“Today, the Washington National Opera announced its decision to seek an amicable early termination of its affiliation agreement with the Kennedy Center and resume operations as a fully independent nonprofit entity,” the opera said in a statement.
The decoupling marks another high-profile withdrawal since President Donald Trump and his newly installed board of trustees instituted broad thematic and cosmetic changes to the building, including renaming the facility “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
The opera said it plans to “reduce its spring season and relocate performances to new venues.”
A source familiar with the dynamic told CNN the decision to part ways was made by the opera’s board and its leadership, and that the decision was not mutual.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center said in a statement, “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the WNO due to a financially challenging relationship. We believe this represents the best path forward for both organizations and enables us to make responsible choices that support the financial stability and long-term future of the Trump Kennedy Center.”
Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell, who was appointed by Trump’s hand-picked board, said on X, “Having an exclusive relationship has been extremely expensive and limiting in choice and variety.”
Grenell added, “Having an exclusive Opera was just not financially smart. And our patrons clearly wanted a refresh.”
Since taking the reins at the center, Grenell has cut existing staff, hired political allies and mandated a “break-even policy” for every performance.
The opera said the new policy was a factor in its decision to leave the center.
“The Center’s new business model requires productions to be fully funded in advance—a requirement incompatible with opera operations,” the opera said.
Francesca Zambello, the opera’s artistic director, said she is “deeply saddened to leave The Kennedy Center.”
“In the coming years, as we explore new venues and new ways of performing, WNO remains committed to its mission and artistic vision,” she said.
The New York Times first reported the opera’s departure.
Founded in 1956 as the “Opera Society of Washington,” the group has performed across the district, taking permanent residency in the Kennedy Center in 2011.
The performing arts center has been hit with a string of abrupt cancellations from artists in recent weeks including the jazz group The Cookers and New York City-based dance company Doug Varone and Dancers who canceled their performances after Trump’s name was added to the center – a living memorial for assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
The American College Theater Festival voted to suspend its relationship with the Kennedy Center, calling the affiliation “no longer viable” and citing concerns over a misalignment of the group’s values.
American banjo player Béla Fleck withdrew his upcoming performance with the National Symphony Orchestra, saying that performing at the center has become “charged and political.”
The Brentano String Quartet, who canceled their February 1 performance at the Kennedy Center, said they will “regretfully forego performing there.”
CNN has reached out to the Kennedy Center on the additional cancellations.
The opera said, “The Board and management of the company wish the Center well in its own future endeavors.”
CNN’s Betsy Klein and Nicky Robertson contributed to this report.
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