Sports briefs
Wake Forest suspends 2 for Pitt game
Wake Forest says sophomores Sharone Wright Jr. and Michael Wynn are suspended for today’s men’s basketball game at Pitt.
The team announced the one-game suspensions Friday, saying they were for “failing to uphold the standards of Wake Forest Basketball.” The school didn’t elaborate on specifics in its statement.
Wright is averaging 3.4 points while Wynn is averaging 1.3 points for the Demon Deacons (7-5, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Ohio wins bowl game
Nathan Rourke accounted for 241 yards of offense and ran for a touchdown to help Ohio beat Nevada 30-21 on Friday in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Ohio (7-6) rebounded from a 1-3 start for its fifth straight winning season under coach Frank Solich. The 75-year-old former Nebraska coach received a two-year contract extension this week.
Nevada (7-6), which dismissed defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and two other defensive position coaches at the end of the regular season, didn’t find much of an answer for Ohio’s high-powered offense until the fourth quarter.
In the NHL
Former Dallas Stars coach Jim Montgomery said Friday his abrupt dismissal by the NHL club was “appropriate” and he has entered alcohol rehab.
Montgomery’s statement was his first public comment since he was fired Dec. 10 for unspecified unprofessional conduct. He said the firing was “a wake-up call.”
“It was also the appropriate call,” Montgomery said. “I let the team’s front office, staff and players down.
“More importantly, I let my wife and my family down. The team’s decision to end my role forced me to look into the mirror and decide whether I wanted to continue living a damaging lifestyle or get help. I decided to get help.”
- Dallas Stars forward Corey Perry was suspended for five games without pay by the NHL on Friday for elbowing Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis in the Winter Classic.
Perry received a major penalty and game misconduct for elbowing early in the outdoor game Wednesday at the Cotton Bowl. The suspension will cost Perry $40,323.
Buffalo Sabres forward and the NHL’s rookie scoring leader Victor Olofsson will miss between five and six weeks with a lower body injury.
In the NBA
Jaylen Brown had 24 points and 10 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics overcome an 18-point, first-quarter deficit against the NBA’s worst team and beat the Atlanta Hawks 109-106 on Friday night.
- Damian Lillard scored 35 points and CJ McCollum added 24 in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 122-103 victory over the Washington Wizards, who were short-handed even before losing Isaiah Thomas to a first-quarter ejection.
- Terrence Ross scored 25 points, Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Orlando Magic shut down the Miami Heat in the fourth quarter in a 105-85 victory.
Browns interview Bieniemy
The Cleveland Browns are interviewing Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy in Kansas City to possibly be their next head coach.
Bieniemy is the third candidate to interview with the Browns, who met Thursday with former Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy at their facility and traveled to Baltimore to speak with Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
The 50-year-old Bieniemy has been on Cleveland’s radar for some time, mostly because he worked with Dorsey in Kansas City. However, he was not one of the candidates the Browns interviewed during their coaching search early in 2019 before the team hired Freddie Kitchens.