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Hilary Knight becomes all-time points leaders at hockey worlds

(Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Hilary Knight has written her name in the history books once again, becoming the all-time leading scorer at the IIHF Women’s World Championship on Thursday.

The 33-year-old notched a goal and an assist during the United States’ 12-1 blowout win over Hungary to catapult her to the top of the all-time points list with 87. She surpassed former Canada great Hayley Wickenheiser, who had 86 career points at worlds.

Knight already owned the record for career goals at the IIHF tournament, and her third-period tally extended her record to 51. It also assured her of the points record, after a scoring change took away a second-period assist that seemed to be the record-breaker.

Thursday’s emphatic win advances the United States to Saturday’s semifinals.

Knight has been on a tear in Denmark, scoring in the United States’ 5-2 victory over Canada on Tuesday to help clinch the top spot in Group A and the top seed in the knockout round.

She has four goals and three assists in five games so far.

Knight’s record-setting game Thursday earned her praise across the sports world, including from tennis icon Billie Jean King, who congratulated the hockey star on her groundbreaking feat.

Team USA will continue its quest for glory in Saturday’s semifinals. The two semifinal matchups will air at 8 a.m. ET and 12 p.m. ET on NHL Network, and the gold medal game will air at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on NHL Network.

Unbeaten NCAA Teams Fall as Women’s College Basketball Heats Up

Tennessee's Sara Puckett and Oklahoma's Neveah Tot try to grab a rebound during a game.
Tennessee suffered their first loss of the NCAA basketball season against conference rival Oklahoma. (Saul Young/News Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK/Imagn Images)

Just five teams remain undefeated in NCAA Division I basketball, after an eventful weekend showcased how thin the margins can be in conference play.

In their first season in the SEC, No. 10 Oklahoma followed up last week's loss to No. 5 Texas with a narrow victory over their previously undefeated new conference rival, No. 16 Tennessee, on Sunday. The Sooners led by as many as 19 points before the Vols mounted a furious comeback, but Oklahoma managed to overcome 31 turnovers to eke out the 87-86 road win.

With Tennessee conceding their season's first loss, only No. 1 UCLA, No. 6 LSU, No. 8 Maryland, No. 9 Ohio State, and No. 13 Georgia Tech stand unbeaten entering the 10th week of the 2024/25 NCAA campaign.

The top-ranked Bruins took down unranked Indiana 73-62 on Saturday, silencing the Hoosiers behind UCLA center Lauren Betts's game-leading 25 points and 12 rebounds.

On another Big Ten court, Maryland snapped No. 23 Iowa's 21-game home win streak 74-66 on Sunday, handing the Hawkeyes their first loss at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since February 2022.

Injuries rattle NCAA teams

While undefeated teams continues to impress this weekend, college basketball fans held their collective breath for a very different reason on Sunday, as two of the NCAA's biggest names exited their respective games with apparent injuries.

UConn superstar Paige Bueckers left the court after suffering a knock to the leg during the No. 7 Huskies' 83-52 win against Villanova, later returning to the bench without assistance.

"It's not the worst that we can imagine," UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said of Bueckers's tumble after the game. "So, that's great news considering how awkward it was."

Elsewhere, No. 2 South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins suffered a non-contact knee injury in the first half of the Gamecocks' 95-68 win over Mississippi State. Unlike Bueckers, Watkins failed to return to the bench after exiting.

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley didn't provide a postgame update on Watkins's status, but did confirm that the junior was not taken to a local hospital.

"Obviously, we feel for Ashlyn and her injury, and her not being able to finish the game," said Staley. "But her teammates had her back. And they did take it to another level on both ends of the floor."

How to watch this week's top-ranked college basketball games

While UConn and South Carolina face unranked Xavier and Texas A&M this week, the college court's top-ranked action returns to full force on Wednesday.

First, No. 9 Ohio State's unbeaten season will be tested by NCAA conference rival No. 25 Michigan at 7 PM ET, live on BTN+.

Then at 8:30 PM ET, undefeated No. 8 Maryland will host one-loss No. 4 USC for the first time as conference foes, with live coverage on FS1

Coco Gauff Beats Iga Świątek, Leads US to United Cup Win

Coco Gauff waves to the crowd with her US teammates at the 2025 United Cup.
Gauff's final victory over world No. 2 Iga Świątek helped seal Team USA's United Cup victory. (Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

World No. 3 Coco Gauff took down No. 2 Iga Świątek in straight sets at Sunday's United Cup final, helping to secure a big US team win at the Australian Open tune-up tournament.

"It's great to win a team event, the only team event I've ever won, so I'm super excited," Gauff said after the match.

With Sunday's victory, Team USA owns two of the three titles in the annual 18-country contest, adding the 2025 trophy to their inaugural 2023 hardware. Świątek's Poland, on the other hand, fell short for the second year in a row after also earning runner-up status behind 2024 champion Germany.

Tennis star Coco Gauff leaps in celebration over a point against Iga Świątek in the United Cup final.
Gauff has won her last two matches against Iga Świątek. (Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

Gauff doesn't skip a beat in 2025 kickoff

After winning every set in the new year, Gauff remains undefeated in 2025 play, maintaining the momentum she built by closing out her 2024 campaign with victories at both October's China Open and November's WTA Finals.

The 20-year-old faltered in her attempt to defend her 2023 US Open title, falling in the fourth round of the Grand Slam's 2024 edition last September. In the wake of that disappointing result, Gauff parted ways with coach Brad Gilbert, and began tweaking her game to solidify her style — with a particular focus on grip strength.

Behind new coach Matt Daly, the changes to Gauff's grip improved both her serve and her forehand — the latter something Świątek had exploited to consistent success over Gauff, with the Polish star logging 11 wins in the pair's first 12 meetings.

The era of Świątek's dominance over Gauff seems to have ended, however, with the US phenom now adding two straight wins over Świątek to the pair's all-time tally, tacking Sunday's victory on top of their 2024 WTA Finals tilt — a tournament in which Gauff also defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Her trend of downing top-ranked international tennis stars continued at the United Cup, where Gauff also defeated No. 31 Leylah Fernandez, No. 19 Donna Vekic, and 2024 US Open semifinalist No. 21 Karolina Muchová en route to the US team title.

"I have the belief that I'm one of the best players in the world. When I play good tennis, I'm hard to beat," Gauff added on Sunday.

Tennis stars Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff pose by the net before their 2024 WTA Finals match.
Gauff will try to spoil Sabalenka's three-peat attempt at the 2025 Australian Open. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

First 2025 Slam to test Gauff's momentum

Gauff's hot streak will face its first major 2025 challenge when tennis' first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, kicks off on January 12th to run through January 25th.

The Melbourne tournament will see Sabalenka, who opened her 2025 account with an 18th career title at the Brisbane International on Sunday, try to become the first three-peat Australian Open women's champion this century.

However, Gauff is primed to interrupt that feat, with the US star poised to give the back-to-back defending champ a run for her money.

Denver Lands Bid for 2026 NWSL Expansion Team

The sun sets over the stadium as Australia prepares to face the USA in a women's soccer game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park near NWSL expansion city Denver Colorado.
Denver will join Boston in the NWSL in 2026. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Denver has officially won the bid to host the 16th NWSL team, Sportico reported Thursday.

The Colorado city put up a record $110 million expansion fee to join the surging league, with the team set to kick off in 2026.

Denver beat out bids by Cincinnati and Cleveland to secure the final spot in the NWSL's most recent expansion round. The league has not yet released a timeline for future growth.

Denver NWSL campaign led by local investment group

More than double the $53 million paid by fellow NWSL entrant Boston, the steep price tag represents the largest expansion fee in US professional women's sports history.

IMA Financial Group CEO Robert Cohen serves as the Denver group's lead investor, with Sportico noting that the initial payment arrived on Tuesday. A longtime supporter of Denver-area athletics, Cohen currently sits on the board of the Denver Sports Advisory Committee as well as the Colorado Springs-based US Olympic and Paralympic Foundation.

The broader investment group subsequently includes For Denver FC, a campaign formed to support bringing the NWSL to Denver. Members span multiple backgrounds, with ex-USL executive Tom Dunmore and former NWSL player, soccer broadcaster, and host of JWS show The 91st Jordan Angeli representing the sports professionals.

According to The Athletic, the new team has discussed building its own stadium. However, they plan to launch in a temporary stadium until they're able to construct the new venue.

‘Sports Illustrated’ Crowns Simone Biles 2024 Sportsperson of the Year

Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Simone Biles of Team USA completes on the women´s balance beam finale on day 10 of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Simone Biles earned four overall medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Stefan Matzke - sampics/Getty Images)

Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles is Sports Illustrated's newest Sportsperson of the Year, the magazine announced Thursday. The win follows Biles's historic career comeback and gold medal-winning performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"I don't think the reality has set in of what I've exactly done in the sport," Biles told the magazine. "I can see it, and I hear it from people, and I see a glimpse of it, but the full magnitude I don't think I've realized just yet."

Biles is the first Olympian to earn the honor since LeBron James in 2012.

Biles subsequently returned to the top of the world stage in 2024, bouncing back after a bout of "the twisties" derailed her 2021 Tokyo Olympics run.

In Paris, Biles became the first gymnast to win two All-Around titles in non-consecutive Olympic Games (2016, 2024). She also took gold in the team and vault events as well as silver in the floor event.

With 11 Olympic and 30 World Championship medals, Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history.

Silver medal winner Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, Gold medalist and Sports Illustrated 2024 Sportsperson of the Year Simone Biles of USA and Bronze medal winner Sunisa Lee of USA (L-R) celebrate with the medals after the women's Artistic Gymnastics All-Around Final on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
After the Paris Olympics, Simone Biles became the most decorated gymnast of all time. (Stefan Matzke - sampics/Getty Images)

Sportsperson of the Year builds an Olympic legacy

While Biles hasn't fully ruled out another trip to the mat, the 27-year-old isn't interested in discussing a potential LA 2028 campaign just yet.

"Because I've accomplished so much, there's almost nothing left to do. Rather than to just be snobby and to try again, and for what?" she said. "I'm at a point in my career where I'm humble enough to know when to be done."

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