PENN STATE STAR WILL ENTER 2018 NFL DRAFT
PA.» Penn State running STATE COLLEGE, back Saquon Barkley announced Sunday his decision to skip his senior year and enter the 2018 NFL draft, a day after helping Penn State beat Washington in the Fiesta Bowl.
In a letter posted to his Instagram account, Barkley thanked Penn State fans, teammates and coaches and said he promised his parents and coach James Franklin that he would return to the Big Ten school to complete his journalism degree.
Barkley ran for 1,271 yards and 18 touchdowns this season and had 54 catches for 632 yards and three TDs. He also completed two passes — one for a score — and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.
Saturday in Glendale, Ariz., he ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns and caught seven passes for 38 yards in the No. 9 Nittany Lions’ 35-28 victory over No. 12 Washington.
Barkley finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting and won the Paul Hornung Award as college football’s most versatile player. He leaves Penn State 89 yards shy of the program rushing record with 3,843 yards.
The 5-foot-11, 233-pound back was an immediate contributor as a true freshman and rose to national prominence as one of the country’s most dynamic players. He used a frenetic running style to compile a lengthy highlight reel full of hurdles, spin moves and jukes en route to a program-best 43 rushing touchdowns.
Sevastova eliminates Stosur.
Samantha Stosur’s year ended on a sour note when the Australian was knocked out of her home state tournament by Brisbane International seventh seed Anastasija Sevastova.
The former U.S. Open champion and French Open finalist had opportunities against her 27-year-old Latvian opponent in the first set, but was completely outplayed by Sevastova in the second set and eliminated 6-1, 6-3 in the first round.
Meanwhile, former world No. 1 Andy Murray continued his return from a hip injury with a practice session in Brisbane as he prepares for his first competitive match since July.
World No. 1 Rafael Nadal will return from an injury in the Tie Break Tens event in Melbourne on Jan. 10.
Nadal withdrew from the Brisbane International and Fast4 event in Sydney while recovering from a knee injury.
Leonard lifts CU over Arizona.
BOULDER» Kennedy Leonard had 16 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as the Colorado women’s basketball team routed Arizona 79-60.
Alexis Robinson scored 18 points and hit four 3-pointers. Freshman Annika Jank scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting and had eight rebounds.
• Sabrina Ionescu set an NCAA record with her eighth career tripledouble, helping No. 10 Oregon post a 94-83 victory over Washington.
• The CU men’s team fell to 8-6 overall and 0-2 in the Pac-12 with a 77-62 loss at Oregon. Junior guard Namon Wright led the Buffaloes with 20 points. Freshman guard McKinley Wright IV scored 13 points for CU.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored five of his 21 points down the stretch, and the No. 16 Kentucky men added several clutch late baskets to rally past Georgia for a 66-61 win.
“Cyborg” defends belt by decision.
VEGAS» Holly Holm gave Cris
LAS
“Cyborg” Justino the longest fight of her career late Saturday night. She just didn’t have enough to knock off yet another MMA star.
Justino used power strikes and kicks to beat Holm by unanimous decision and defend her featherweight belt at UFC 219.
Judges scored it 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47, extending Justino’s unbeaten streak to 19 with a victory over a former bantamweight champion with a knack for big upsets. It was the first time that Justino was taken five rounds in her career.
This was Justino’s first defense of the featherweight belt since earning it by beating Tonya Evinger at UFC 214. — The Associated Press