Tuesday Sports in Brief
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
A crumbling college football season took a massive hit Tuesday when the Big Ten and Pac-12, two historic and powerful conferences, succumbed to the pandemic and canceled their fall football seasons.
Five months almost to the day after the first spikes in coronavirus cases in the U.S. led to the cancellation of the NCAA basketball tournaments, the still raging pandemic is tearing down another American sports institution: fall Saturdays filled with college football.
Despite pleas from players, coaches and President Donald Trump in recent days to play on, 40% of major college football teams have now decided to punt on a fall season, a decision that will cost schools tens of millions of dollars and upends traditions dating back a century.
Outside the Power Five conferences, the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA and Sun Belt made no immediate moves.
NHL
TORONTO (AP) — Brayden Point scored 10:27 into the fifth overtime, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on Tuesday in the fourth-longest game in Stanley Cup playoff history.
Point scored from just above the left circle, beating Joonas Korpisalo after the goaltender made an NHL-record 85 saves. Point also scored way back in the first period of Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.
Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy was outstanding for Tampa Bay, making 61 stops. The teams combined for 151 shots — most in a NHL game since the league began officially tracking the statistic in 1955-56.
Game 2 is Thursday.
NBA
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo was ejected from Milwaukee’s game against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night after the NBA MVP headbutted Moritz Wagner.
Wagner took a charge from Antetokounmpo, who didn’t like the call in what had become a physical game.
During a break in the action with Milwaukee challenging the call, Antetokounmpo approached Wagner and started jabbering at him before headbutting him and drawing the ejection in the second quarter.
He had 12 points and nine rebounds in 10 minutes before exiting the floor.
BASEBALL
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Houston Astros hitting coach Álex Cintrón received a 20-game suspension and a fine Tuesday for his role in a benches-clearing brawl at Oakland, while Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano was given a six-game suspension and a fine.
Cintrón’s suspension is the longest for an on-field transgression in 15 years, since Texas pitcher Kenny Rogers received 20 games for his altercation with two cameramen in 2005.
Laureano appealed, so his discipline won’t begin Tuesday night against the Angels, Major League Baseball said.
SOCCER
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Dario Zuparic’s first goal of the season gave Portland a 2-1 victory against Orlando in the MLS is Back finale Tuesday night.
Orlando was slow to react to Diego Valeri’s corner kick in the 66th minute, allowing Eryk Williamson to collect the ball, change direction and take a shot that Jeremy Ebobisse deflected to Zuparic’s feet. Zuparic didn’t have to do much to get it by Pedro “The Octopus” Gallese, who had made two fantastic saves in the lead-up to the corner kick.
The goal set off a raucous celebration on the sideline and sent Orlando into panic mode. The Lions had a chance in the closing minutes, but failed to get the equalizer.
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