COLLEGE BASKETBALL
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Olivier Hanlan and Patrick Heckmann hit 3-pointers in overtime, Lonnie Jackson made four straight free throws in the final 26.2 seconds, and lowly Boston College stunned top-ranked Syracuse 62-59, ending the Orange’s unbeaten season.
The Eagles came to town with heavy hearts and a good dose of determination. Longtime basketball media contact and sports information assistant Dick Kelley died last week after a two-year battle with ALS. His funeral was Tuesday and the Eagles, who often visited his apartment, were wearing “DK” patches on their uniforms.
Boston College (7-19, 3-10 Atlantic Coast Conference), which had lost five straight, rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to pull off the improbable upset.
Syracuse (25-1, 12-1) travels to No. 5 Duke on Saturday night for a rematch of their overtime instant classic on Feb. 1.
The loss left No. 3 Wichita State (28-0), which beat Loyola of Chicago 88-74, as the lone unbeaten in Division I.
GOLF
MARANA, Ariz. (AP) - Graeme McDowell pulled off the biggest surprise in an opening round of comebacks in the Match Play Championship.
McDowell was 4 down through seven holes and still three holes behind with three to play when he staged an improbable rally against Gary Woodland. McDowell seized on Woodland’s mistakes to win the next three holes, and then put him away with a 6-foot birdie putt on the 19th hole.
The match-play format was brutal for 32 players that were headed home, a list that included Zach Johnson (3), Dustin Johnson (6) and Steve Stricker (9) among the top 10 seeds. Eleven of the 32 matches went at least 18 holes, with five of them decided in overtime.
PGA champion Jason Dufner also rallied with some help. He was three down with five holes to play when Scott Stallings chopped up two holes, Dufner made a key birdie, and Dufner won on the first extra hole with a par.
Eight players trailed with six holes remaining and went on to win. That included Henrik Stenson, who avoided becoming the third straight No. 1 seed to lose in the opening round of golf’s most unpredictable tournament.
BASEBALL
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) - Starter Homer Bailey agreed to a $105 million, six-year contract that avoids arbitration and will help the Cincinnati Reds with their cash flow by deferring some of the salary for short periods.
The deal includes a $25 million mutual option for 2020 with a $5 million buyout.
Bailey was the final major league player left in arbitration this year and reached the agreement a day before his scheduled hearing in Florida. He made $5.35 million last season and had asked for $11.6 million in arbitration. The Reds had offered $8.7 million, their biggest gap among their players in arbitration.
The 27-year-old Texan was coming off a season that included his second no-hitter.
PRO FOOTBALL
MIAMI (AP) - The Miami Dolphins fired offensive line coach Jim Turner and longtime head athletic trainer Kevin O’Neill for their roles in the team’s bullying scandal. The moves were the first punitive steps taken by the Dolphins since a report on the NFL’s investigation of the case was released last week.
Investigators found that guard Richie Incognito and two teammates engaged in persistent harassment directed at tackle Jonathan Martin, another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer. Martin left the team at midseason, and Incognito was suspended for the final eight games.
Turner didn’t attempt to stop the harassment and even took part in some of the taunting of offensive lineman Andrew McDonald, the NFL report said. O’Neill expressed hostility toward the investigation and cut short an interview with those conducting it, according to the report.
O’Neill was fired shortly after he and other team officials arrived in Indianapolis for the league’s annual scouting combine. Turner didn’t make the trip.
PRO BASKETBALL
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The Golden State Warriors made another move in hopes of finding a reliable backup to point guard Stephen Curry.
The Warriors acquired Steve Blake from the Los Angeles Lakers for reserve guards Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks, adding a veteran ball-handler to their beleaguered bench.
NEW YORK (AP) - The Brooklyn Nets acquired guard Marcus Thornton from the Sacramento Kings for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans, removing two little-used veterans from their aging roster and hoping a younger one can rediscover his scoring touch.
Terry came from Boston along with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce but has appeared in just 35 games after a knee injury, averaging 4.5 points on 36 percent shooting. Evans was a favorite of fans but not coach Jason Kidd, who used him in just 30 of their 51 games.
Evans made 56 starts last season and led the Nets with 11.1 rebounds per game, but lost his starting spot when the Nets acquired Garnett, and then fell behind rookie Mason Plumlee in Kidd’s rotation.
Thornton, 26, is averaging just 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes per game this season. He has started 26 of 46 games and is shooting 38 percent from the floor, including 31 percent from 3-point range.
TENNIS
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Former collegiate standout Steve Johnson upset No. 1 seed Tommy Haas 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (2) in the first round of the Delray Beach Open.
It marked the earliest exit of a top seed in this tournament since Haas lost in the first round to Teymuraz Gabashvili in 2010. The No. 1 seed has claimed the Delray Beach title only once in the tournament’s 22-year history.
Johnson, ranked No. 142 in the world, needed to win two qualifying matches to gain entry into the main draw of the 32-player field. Johnson, who turned pro in 2012, will next face No. 6 seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain. Lopez beat Adrian Mannarino 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Kevin Anderson and Marin Cilic also advanced.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Second-seeded David Ferrer overcame a tough first set to advance to the Rio Open quarterfinals with a 7-6 (2), 6-1 win over Argentina’s Federico Delbonis.
Ferrer joins fellow-Spaniard Tommy Robredo in the final eight after the No. 4 seed downed Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-2, 6-1 in the outdoor clay tournament.
Ferrer next faces Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci, who came back to claim an upset 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over No. 7 seed Juan Monaco (7), Argentina. Robredo will play another Spaniard, Pablo Andujar who advanced when Martin Klizan of Slovakia withdrew with an injury.
In women’s matches at the joint WTA-ATP event, top-seeded Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic beat Spain’s Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-4, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals.
Third-seeded Paula Ormaechea of Argentina defeated Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens 7-5, 7-5 to also land in the quarterfinals.
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