Sports briefs
Oklahoma-WVU ppd.
The Oklahoma football program has temporarily paused organized team activities because of recent positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing.
The team’s game at West Virginia game Saturday night has been postponed in accordance with Big 12 Conference football game interruption guidelines.
The game has been rescheduled for Dec. 12.
Former Cardinals coach Hanifan dies
Jim Hanifan, the former St. Louis Cardinals coach who returned to the city as offensive line coach to help the Rams win the Super Bowl, has died. He was 87.
Hanifan’s daughter, Kathy Hinder, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he died Tuesday at Missouri Baptist Hospital. She said the cause of death hasn’t been determined, but said it wasn’t related to COVID-19.
The Cardinals’ head coach from 1980-85, Hanifan is best known for his offensive lines as an assistant with St. Louis and Washington. He coached star tackle Dan Dierdorf and notorious guard Conrad Dobler with St. Louis, then directed the “Hogs” in Washington.
Hanifan went 39-49-1 with the Cardinals, reaching the playoffs in 1982. He won Super Bowls as an assistant with Washington after the 1991 season and the Rams after the 1999 season.
In college basketball
Drew Timme scored 25 points, Jalen Suggs had 24 and Corey Kispert added 23 as No. 1 Gonzaga pulled away from No. 6 Kansas for a 102-90 victory Thursday in the season opener for both teams.
The Bulldogs built a double-digit lead in the first half at the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off, then saw the Jayhawks tie it twice in the second half before putting them away. Gonzaga went on a 22-7 run to go up 96-78.
Suggs, who got in foul trouble in the first half, scored 17 of his 24 in the second half.
Marcus Garrett led Kansas with 22 points and Ochai Agbaji added 17 points. Agbai picked up his fourth foul midway through the second half, which hurt the Jayhawks. When he left, Kansas trailed 70-67.
The Jayhawks rallied from a 14-point deficit in the first half to tie the game at 57.