Louisville fires Petrino
Louisville fired coach Bobby Petrino with two games left in a spiraling season that includes five blowout losses in which the Cardinals allowed at least 50 points.
The school announced Petrino’s dismissal Sunday morning with statement from athletic director Vince Tyra, who said he “did not have the confidence” the coach could turn things around next season. The change “needs to start happening now.” Tyra said a new head coach would be chosen soon to “restore our football program to national prominence.”
Louisville (2-8) lost, 54-23, at No. 13 Syracuse on Friday night, dropping to 0-7 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Petrino departs with a 77-35 mark in two stints with Louisville.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Allazia Blockton led five Marquette starters in double figures with 22 points and the Golden Eagles beat Northern Iowa, 102-61, in the quarterfinals of the preseason WNIT on Sunday at the Al McGuire Center.
Marquette will play at No. 25 Miami on Thursday. Blockton scored 12 points in the opening quarter as Marquette had a 30-12 lead. She added three more points in the second quarter and the Golden Eagles led by 20 at the break.
SOCCER
Brendan McDonough and Achara scored as the 19th-ranked Georgetown men’s team downed Marquette, 2-0, in the Big East championship match at at Shaw Field in Washington.
The Golden Eagles (7-9-3) had their fair share of chances, outshooting the Hoyas, 10-9.
Marquette senior goalkeeper Luis Barraza made two saves in his final collegiate game.
VOLLEYBALL
Allie Barber had 16 kills and four blocks to lead 18th-ranked Marquette to a 25-15, 25-17, 25-13 victory over Xavier at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati.
Anna Haak added 14 kills for the Golden Eagles (24-5, 14-2 Big East).
HOCKEY
Anthony Richard and Eeli Tolvanen had two goals apiece as the visiting Milwaukee Admirals rolled past the Chicago Wolves, 7-2.
Goaltender Troy Grosenick finished with 25 saves for the Admirals.
TENNIS
Katerina Siniakova won the first reverse singles to lead the Czech Republic to its sixth Fed Cup title in eight years.
Siniakova saved two match points before defeating Sofia Kenin, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5, to give the Czechs an insurmountable 3-0 lead over defending champion United States in the best-of-five final at the O2 Arena in Prague.
It was the first victory for the Czechs over the United States – since the country was created after the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993 – after four defeats in the Fed Cup.
AUTO RACING
Five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton won the Brazilian Grand Prix, helping his Mercedes team to take the Formula One constructors’ title for the fifth straight year. Off the track, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen confronted Force India’s Esteban Ocon after a race collision.
British driver Hamilton secured his 10th victory in the season, finishing 1.4 seconds ahead of Verstappen. The turning point of the lively race came on lap 44 when then leader Verstappen tried to get past Ocon, a former Formula 3 rival.
Ocon refused to let Verstappen pass and their collision caused both cars to spin. Later Verstappen confronted the Force India driver in an incident that is being investigated by stewards.
FIGURE SKATING
Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker of the United States overtook leaders Tiffani Zagorski and Jonathan Guerreiro of Russia to win the ice dance gold at NHK Trophy in Hiroshima, Japan.
The 2018 Four Continents champions won the free dance with 113.92 points for a total of 184.63 to move up to first place and take the first Grand Prix medal of their career after a handful of near misses.
The bronze went to Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons of the United States.