No. 1 Stanford women keep rolling, beat Oregon
SANTA CRUZ » Haley Jones had 18 points and six rebounds, and No. 1 Stanford used an explosive third quarter to beat No. 11 Oregon 70-63 on Friday. The Cardinal were playing in Northern California for the first time in nearly a month.
Francesca Belibi’s three-point play with 17 seconds remaining in the third capped a second decisive 9-0 run that period by the short-handed Cardinal (10-0, 7-0 Pac-12).
Oregon (8-2, 6-2) lost again after it fell out of the top-10 with a home defeat to UCLA that ended the Ducks’ nation’s best 27-game winning streak.
Stanford played in Northern California for the first time since a win at rival California in Berkeley on Dec. 13.
NFL
DONALD, KELCE UNANIMOUS ALL
PRO CHOICES; THIRD SELECTION FOR RODGERS » Dynamic defensive star Aaron Donald and unstoppable tight end Travis Kelce are unanimous choices for The Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team.
Donald and Kelce swept the votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. It is the sixth All-Pro selection for Donald, who has helped the Los Angeles Rams to the top-ranked defense in the
NFL, and the third for Kansas City’s record-setting Kelce.
Joining Donald and Kelce are 15 players returning to the squad, and 14 newcomers.
Chico native Aaron Rodgers, who guided Green Bay (13-3) to the top seed in the NFC, made his third team.
49ers linebacker Fred Warner made the team for the first time, receiving the most votes (39) among NFL linebackers.
Women’s soccer
STANFORD’S MACARIO DECIDES TO GO PRO » Stanford’s Catarina Macario, a promising prospect for the U.S. women’s national team, has announced she will forgo her senior season for a professional career.
The Brazilian-born midfielder is currently on the roster for the national team’s January camp, which starts Saturday in Florida.
The two-time winner of the MAC Hermann Trophy as the nation’s best college player, Macario had a Stanford single-season record of 32 goals and 23 assists last season. She was called up to her first national team camp the same day she became a U.S. citizen.
Golf
ENGLISH LEADS BY 1 AT KAPALUA » A new year, and Harris English keeps right on rolling.
English finished with a 10-foot birdie to cap off an ideal day at the Sentry Tournament of Champions with a 6-under 67, giving him a two-shot lead over a quartet of players that includes defending champion Justin Thomas.
Even with a lead, it feels as though the first PGA Tour event of the year is wide open. With virtually no wind, rare for the Plantation Course at Kapalua, scores remained low and several players were stacked up behind him. That includes Masters champion Dustin Johnson, who hit it close enough all round to make a few putts in his round of 65.
College football
MICHIGAN DECIDES TO STICK WITH JIM HARBAUGH » Michigan has decided to stick with coach Jim Harbaugh, finalizing a new, five-year deal.
The school will pay him $4 million per year and as much as $8 million annually if he meets certain benchmarks, according to a person familiar with the contract who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms were not immediately released.
The deal ends months of speculation about Harbaugh’s future. He could have potentially returned to the NFL or the school could have cut loose a coach with one year left on the sevenyear contract paying him about $7 million per season that he signed after leaving the NFL.
Track and field
USA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS CANCELED » The USA Track & Field indoor championships have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event was scheduled to take place on Feb. 20-21 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The indoor combined events were also canceled. They were scheduled to be held in conjunction with the championships.
USATF assembled a working group of medical and scientific experts to work on protocols to safely hold the championships. But the group couldn’t overcome the statewide restrictions in New Mexico and other logistical issues.