College Basketball
Kentucky loses star, Poythress out with injury
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Alex Poythress sustained a knee injury that will keep the starting forward for top-ranked Kentucky out for the season, according to reports.
The 6-8 Wildcats junior sustained the injury during practice and confirmed that it is a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Kentucky head coach John Calipari will held a news conference Friday ahead of Saturday’s game against No. 21 North Carolina.
Poythress’ injury will cause a major shakeup to Calipari’s two-platoon system, where Poythress was averaging 5.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
NFL
Peterson’s appeal tackled, suspension to be upheld
MINNEAPOLIS – An arbiter appointed by the NFL to hear Adrian Peterson’s appeal ruled that the Minnesota Vikings running back will remain suspended until at least next spring.
The decision by Harold Henderson, a former league official, was announced on Friday. His ruling upheld the NFL’s decision last month to suspend Peterson without pay for the remainder of the season and not consider him for reinstatement until April 15.
The NFL Players Association balked at the punishment. Peterson was charged with felony child abuse in September for using a wooden switch to discipline his son, but he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault in November. He had been on paid leave while his case moved through the court system.
Skiing
Hirscher holds off Ligety to win giant slalom
ARE, Sweden – Marcel Hirscher of Austria was fastest in both runs Friday to easily win a World Cup giant slalom raced under floodlights, finishing more than one second ahead of his archrival Ted Ligety.
Hirscher posted a combined time of 2 minutes, 30.18 seconds, with Ligety 1.22 seconds behind.
The American racer recorded only the fifth quickest time in the second run but still managed to climb a spot after finishing third following the first leg.
Hirscher, who won the season-opening giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, becomes the fifth Austrian to reach 25 World Cup wins and stands one behind Franz Klammer.
German skier Stefan Luitz leapfrogged countryman Fritz Dopfer to take third place.
Maze masters women’s World Cup giant slalom
ARE, Sweden – World Cup leader Tina Maze posted a superb second run to win a World Cup giant slalom race Friday for her third victory of the season and 26th of her career.
The Olympic giant slalom champion from Slovenia was in seventh place after the first run but gained time on the bottom section of the Olympia course to win in a combined time of 2 minutes, 23.84 seconds. She finished .20 seconds ahead of Sara Hector of Sweden and .28 clear of first-run leader Eva-Maria Brem of Austria.
The 31-year-old Maze is now in 12th place on the women’s all-time list for World Cup wins.
Swimming
Spain’s Belmonte Garcia sets 1,500 freestyle record
MADRID – Spain’s swimming federation says Mireia Belmonte Garcia broke the world short-course record in the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle at the Spanish short-course championships Friday.
The federation said in a statement that Belmonte earned a winning time of 15 minutes 19.71 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 15:26.95 set in August by Lauren Boyle of New Zealand.
Belmonte picked up four world records and gold medals at the short-course world championships in Doha, Qatar, last week.
Associated Press
