Sports briefs
Cal men win road game
Cam Polak and Jermine Hall each scored 23 points, Keith Palek had a double-double and the California University men’s basketball team evened its record with a 90-64 win over Chestnut Hill on Wednesday in Philadelphia.
Polak made five of his team’s nine three-point field goals, helping the Vulcans (3-3) pull away in the second half and climb to the .500 mark. Cal led 45-35 at halftime.
Palek had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, and D.J. Slaughter tossed in 15 points.
M.J. Iraldi paced Chestnut Hills (2-4) with 21 points.
Cal begins PSAC play Dec. 2 at Shippensburg.
Duquesne improves record to 5-1
Dae Dae Grant’s 23 points helped Duquesne defeat Alabama State 75-57 Wednesday night.
Grant added seven rebounds for the Dukes (5-1). Austin Rotroff added 12 points while shooting 4 of 5 from the field and 4 for 6 from the line, and he also had 10 rebounds and four blocks. Quincy McGriff was 4-of-7 shooting (3 for 5 from distance) to finish with 11 points.
The Hornets (0-6) were led in scoring by Jordan O’Neal, who finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Isaiah Range added 10 points for Alabama State. In addition, Antonio Madlock finished with nine points, six rebounds and four assists. The loss was the Hornets’ sixth straight.
Duquesne led Alabama State 37-28 at the half, with Grant (13 points) their high scorer before the break. Duquesne outscored Alabama State by nine points over the final half, while Grant led the way with a team-high 10 second-half points.
Pirates trade Park to Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox acquired infielder/outfielder Hoy Park in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.
The Red Sox sent minor league left-hander Inmer Lobo to Pittsburgh for Park, who was designated for assignment Tuesday when the Pirates claimed first baseman Lewin Díaz off waivers from Miami.
The 26-year-old Park made his big league debut with the New York Yankees in July 2021. Park and infielder Diego Castillo were traded to Pittsburgh that same month for reliever Clay Holmes.
Park hit .216 (11 for 51) with two homers and six RBI for Pittsburgh this season. He has appeared in 68 career big league games, batting .201 with five homers and 20 RBI.
In college basketball
Oumar Ballo dominated inside with 30 points and 13 rebounds for No. 14 Arizona, which held off No. 10 Creighton 81-79 on Wednesday to win the Maui Invitational for the third time.
The combination of the unstoppable 7-foot, 260-pound Ballo and his speedy, talented supporting cast was just enough for the Wildcats (6-0) to remain undefeated. Kerr Kriisa added 13 points and nine assists, Azuolas Tubelis had 12 points and Courtney Ramey scored 10. Arizona scored its final points with 2:21 to play but managed to hold on.
In the NHL
Hall of Fame defenseman Borje Salming, who starred for the Toronto Maple Leafs over 16 NHL seasons and was a trailblazer for Europeans who later made their mark in the world’s top pro hockey league, died at 71. He had Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Maple Leafs team president Brendan Shanahan said Salming opened the door for Europeans in the NHL.
“Borje was a pioneer of the game and an icon with an unbreakable spirit and unquestioned toughness,” Shanahan said. “(Salming) defined himself through his play on the ice and through his contributions to the community.”
Toronto signed Salming as a free agent before the 1973-74 season.
The native of Kiruna, Sweden, went on to play 1,099 regular-season games with the Leafs.