Off the wire

BASKETBALL Cousey receives medal

President Donald Trump presented basketball legend Bob Cousy, 91, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Thursday, praising the Boston Celtics star as “one of the all-time greats in the history of sports.” Cousy played for the Celtics from 1950 to 1963, winning six league championships and the 1957 MVP title. The Bob Cousy Award, given to the coun- try’s best point guard in men’s college basketball, is named for him. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and played a pivotal role in founding the NBA Player’s Association. After hanging up his No. 14 jersey, the 13-time NBA All-Star went on to coach basketball at Boston College. The president recognized Cousy’s achievements on and off the court, lauding his support for underprivileged young athletes and speaking out against racism. Cousy, who is white, ardently supported his black teammates who faced discrimination during the civil rights movement. Cousy is the second Medal of Freedom recipient this year. Trump presented the award to golfer Tiger Woods in May.

USA beats Australia

Kemba Walker scored 23 points and Myles Turner added 15 to give Team USA a 102-86 victory over Australia on Thursday in a World Cup warm-up game at Melbourne, Australia. The attendance at Marvel Stadium, which normally hosts soccer, cricket and Australian rules football, was 51,218, billed as the largest crowd ever to watch a basketball game in Australia. The stadium was transformed into a make-shift basketball arena for two games against the Americans before the World Cup starts this month in China. After Australia briefly took the lead at 45-44 early in the second half, the Americans scored 13 unanswered points, including three consecutive three-pointers by Turner, Harrison Barnes and Donovan Mitchell, to go up 57-45. Patty Mills and

Chris Goulding scored 19 points each for Australia.

GOLF Park leads by one

Annie Park shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead in the opening round of the LPGA Tour’s CP Women’s Open at Aurora, Ontario. Canadians Brooke Henderson, the defending champion, and Anne-Catherine Tanguay were one shot back along with top-ranked Jin Young Ko, Pajaree Anannarukarn and Nicole Broch Larsen. Tiffany Chan, Marissa Steen, Megan Khang and Louise Ridderstrom shot 67 on Thursday at Magna Golf Club. Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) and Maria Fassi (Razorbacks) each shot a 2-under 70 and are tied for 30th place. Gaby Lopez (Razorbacks) had a 5-over 77 and is tied for 128th.

Two share lead

Grayson Murray and Charlie Saxon each shot a 7-under 64 to share the lead Thursday after the first round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s Boise Open at Boise, Idaho. Tyler Duncan, Hank Lebioda, Mark Anderson and Tom Hoge were tied for third at 6 under. Sebastian Cappelen (Arkansas Razorbacks) and Nicolas Echavarria (Razorbacks) each shot a 3-under 68 and were tied for 21st.

FOOTBALL

Patriots safety indicted

New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung has been indicted in New Hampshire on a charge of cocaine possession, according to court paperwork released Thursday. A Belknap County grand jury indicted Chung, 32, on Aug. 8. Chung knowingly possessed cocaine on June 25 while in Meredith, N.H., authorities said. Chung’s arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday. Town records show that Chung owns a lakeside home in Meredith, the Laconia Sun reported. It is not clear whether Chung has an attorney who can speak for him. The court file doesn’t list one. “We are aware of the reports regarding Patrick Chung,” the Patriots said in a statement. “We will not be commenting while his judicial proceedings take place.” Chung has been an integral part of the Patriots defense during his two stints with the team. New England drafted him in the second round in 2009. He left in free agency in 2012 and signed with the Eagles. He spent one year in Philadelphia and returned to New England in 2014. He won Super Bowl rings with the Patriots to conclude the 2014, 2016 and 2018 seasons.

BASEBALL Pirates waive Cervelli

The Pittsburgh Pirates are parting ways with veteran catcher Francisco Cervelli, who has been hampered by multiple concussions this season. The club announced Thursday it requested unconditional release waivers for Cervelli, 33. He’s played just 34 games this season. Pittsburgh General Manager Neal Huntington said the club wants to give Cervelli — who recently completed a rehabilitation assignment — an opportunity to sign with another team rather than ride the bench. The last-place Pirates have split the catching duties between Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings. Cervelli is in the final season of a three-year, $31 million contract extension he signed in 2016. He spent four-plus seasons with Pittsburgh after being acquired in 2014 in a trade with the New York Yankees. He hit .295 in 130 games in 2015 for a team that won 98 games and reached the National League playoffs for the third consecutive year.

OLYMPICS Rower dies in accident

The governing body of rowing said para-rower Dzmitry Ryshkevich died after his boat capsized during training at the world championships in Austria. World Rowing cited a police statement that the flotation device on the 33-year-old Belarus athlete’s boat had broken. Although Ryshkevich freed himself from the safety belts in the boat, he sank into the water near the Danube in Linz-Ottensheim on Wednesday as rescuers approached. Police said Ryshkevich’s body was recovered from the murky, 8-foot deep water more than two hours later. Police said reasons for the broken equipment “are yet unknown and are currently under investigation.” Ryshkevich was competing at his third world championships. The races are qualifying events for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.