Abbey Murphy netted a hat trick along with four assists as the Minnesota women’s hockey team obliterated Sacred Heart 14-2 on Saturday afternoon in Fairfield, Conn. Teammate Nelli Laitinen also recorded three goals to go with two assists in the contest.

The Gophers (16-4) became more powerful as the game went on, scoring twice in the opening period and five more in the middle frame before scorching the net for seven goals in the final stanza of the lopsided affair.

Sacred Heart (5-14-1) did manage a scant amount of offense in the form of a lone tally in each of the second and third periods. Goaltenders Hannah Clark and Sophia Johnson split time in the Minnesota nets.

Thirteen Gophers in all managed at least one point in the game. Anabella Fanale logged two goals, while Jamie Nelson logged four assists and Josefin Bouveng had three assists. Six separate Minnesota players had one goal apiece, while four Gophers had two assists each.

Next up for Minnesota is a home-and-home series with Minnesota State next weekend, beginning with a trip to Mankato for a 6 p.m. Friday game. The teams will follow up with a Saturday contest at Ridder Arena at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Both games will be televised on BTN+.

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MIAMI (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 33 points, Naz Reid had 20 of his 29 in the second half and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Miami 125-115 on Saturday night and snap the Heat’s four-game winning streak.

Julius Randle finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which outscored Miami 19-4 in the opening 4 1/2 minutes of the final quarter to turn a four-point lead into a 109-90 edge. Rudy Gobert added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

Norman Powell scored 21 for the Heat, who are 3-5 in their last eight home games. Davion Mitchell and Nikola Jovic added 14 for Miami, while Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins each had 12.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) looks for an opening past Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Edwards had 20 points in the first half, making this the fourth game this season — and second in a row — where he had that many by intermission. The last time he had 20 by halftime in two straight games was Feb. 13-16, 2023.

The Heat saw Powell leave with 6:11 left in the first quarter with right leg soreness; he returned midway through the second quarter around the time Jaime Jaquez Jr. left after stepping on Randle’s foot while playing defense and spraining his right ankle.

Jaquez did not return.

Minnesota had dropped three of its last four games coming into Saturday, including perhaps the Timberwolves’ most frustrating loss of the season — a 126-102 defeat on Wednesday in Atlanta.

The Wolves responded well to the adversity with a renewed commitment to details from the opening tip Saturday.

“That was exactly what we needed against a really good team that’s been playing very well with a style of play that’s really hard to guard,” Wolves coach Chris Finch told reporters. “I thought our gameplan discipline in the beginning of the game set the tone for us for the game. You could tell when that happens how mentally we’re ready to play and locked in and focused.”

Finch said Donte DiVincenzo set the tone on that front, citing his defensive work against Powell in the game’s opening minutes. Minnesota won DiVincenzo’s minutes by 24 points.

Naz Reid scored 29 points, burying four triples to go with two blocked shots off the bench.

“Naz was great. Kept finding space,” Finch said. “We did a good job of finding him, took advantage of mismatches, finished well in and around the paint. Played a really complete game out there, too. He was really good.”

The Wolves improved to 15-1 this season when holding opponents to 112 points or less. Minnesota shot 54%; the Heat fell to 2-8 when allowing opponents to shoot 50% or better.

Up next for the Wolves is a 5 p.m. tip-off Sunday evening at the Washington Wizards.

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The winner of the NFC South will have a losing record and be crowned at home watching on television.

Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to Cade Otton, Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers avoided elimination with a sloppy 16-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers on a rain-soaked Saturday.

The Buccaneers (8-9) need New Orleans (6-10) to beat or tie Atlanta (7-9) on Sunday to clinch a fifth straight NFC South title.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) reacts after a defensive stop during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

If the Falcons win, the Panthers (8-9) will secure their first division championship since coach Ron Rivera and quarterback Cam Newton led them to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance 10 years ago.

The Buccaneers hold a two-team tiebreaker over the Panthers. But Carolina holds the three-team tiebreaker over Tampa Bay if Atlanta also finishes 8-9.

Before the Buccaneers faced New Orleans in October, Mayfield accused the Saints of dirty play and said: “I do not like them.”

Now, Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes hinge on the Saints beating the Falcons on the road on Sunday.

The Buccaneers were 0-8 in games where Mayfield threw an interception before overcoming his ninth pick in the last eight games.

After McLaughlin’s 38-yard field-goal try was blocked with just over five minutes remaining, Carolina got within 16-14 on Bryce Young’s 8-yard TD pass to Jalen Coker with 2:27 left.

Mayfield tossed a short pass to Otton for a 20-yard gain on third-and-4 to extend Tampa Bay’s drive and run off more time. The Panthers got the ball back at their 3 with 18 seconds and no timeouts left. The game ended on a desperate series of laterals that resulted in a fumble.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) is tackled by Carolina Panthers safety Nick Scott (21) and safety Tre’von Moehrig (7) during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Mayfield connected with Otton on an 18-yard TD pass for a 7-0 lead as the Bucs scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the third straight game. It was Otton’s first TD of the season.

Down 10-0, the Panthers turned Christian Rozeboom’s interception into a quick score. Rozeboom returned the pick 20 yards to Tampa Bay’s 19. Young then connected with Tommy Tremble on an 8-yard TD pass to cut it to 10-7.

Jacob Parrish picked off Young late in the second half and the Buccaneers got a 36-yard field goal from McLaughlin to take a 13-7 halftime lead.

McLaughlin kicked a 48-yard field goal early in the fourth to extend Tampa Bay’s lead.
Carolina’s Ryan Fitzgerald missed a 54-yarder short on the opening drive of the third quarter.

Mayfield completed his first six passes before misfiring on a cross-field, 13-yard toss to Payne Durham, who was wide open in the end zone. The Bucs settled for McLaughlin’s 29-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead.

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The Gophers’ second-half surge and last-minute hang on at Northwestern on Saturday led to the U’s first win away from Minnesota this season.

Minnesota outscored the Wildcats 24-11 in the final 4 minutes and 39 seconds to produce a 84-78 road win at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.

Before the restart of Big Ten play, the Gophers (9-5, 2-1 Big Ten) were 0-5 away from Williams Arena this season, including a blowout loss at Purdue in December, and were a 5-point underdog at Northwestern (8-6, 0-3).

The U trailed Northwestern 67-60 with under five minutes to go, but staked a 78-72 lead before some nervous inbound plays that allowed the Wildcats to make it 78-76 with 30 seconds left. Bobby Durkin, Cade Tyson and Isaac Asuma each made two free throws down the stretch to seal it.

The top two leading scorers in the Big Ten — Tyson and Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli — squared off Saturday and both filled it up in the second half. Martinelli had a game-high 26, while Tyson had a team-high 24.

But it was Tyson’s deep 3-pointer with 1:19 remaining that proved clutch clutch.

Minnesota also got season scoring highs from Grayson Grove and Isaac Asuma; Ausma had 18 and Grove 12.

The Gophers used an 8-0 run to take a 68-67 lead with 3:25 remaining; it was their first lead since 43-42 early in the second half.

During the run, Grove was rewarded with cuts to the basket and spacing to have three straight dunks. Langston Reynolds distributed during that run and finished with a career-high 13 assists.

The Gophers and Wildcats were tied at 34-34 in a very even opening half that had seven ties and four lead changes.

In the fruit half, Asuma led the way with 11 points off three treys. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson got in foul trouble, but reserve  Grove started to step in.

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