In brief: Paterno’s condition serious
College Football: Joe Paterno’s doctors say the former Penn State coach’s condition has become “serious” after he experienced complications from lung cancer in recent days.
The winningest major college football coach of all time, Paterno was diagnosed shortly after Penn State’s Board of Trustees ousted him Nov. 9 in the aftermath of the child sex abuse charges against former assistant Jerry Sandusky. Paterno’s been getting treatment since, and his health problems were worsened when he broke his pelvis last year.
Paterno’s sons both took to Twitter Saturday night to refute reports that their father had died.
The 85-year-old Paterno has been in the hospital since Jan. 13 for observation for what his family had called minor complications from his cancer treatments.
• National team wins NFLPA Collegiate Bowl; Mitchell tosses TD: Syracuse running back Antwon Bailey and Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne rushed for touchdowns, helping the National beat the American 20-14 in the inaugural NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at Carson, Calif.
Eastern Washington’s Bo Levi Mitchell threw a touchdown pass to Oregon’s Lavasier Tuinei to help the American squad rally. Mitchell finished 8 of 17 with 110 yards and the score.
• Creer’s late TD gives West victory over East: In St. Petersburg, Fla., Louisiana Tech’s Lennon Creer scored on a 9-yard run with 47 seconds remaining, giving the West a 24-17 victory in the 87th East-West Shrine all-star game.
Nuggets top Knicks in double overtime
NBA: Danilo Gallinari outplayed Carmelo Anthony in the first meeting since they were swapped in a blockbuster trade, scoring a career-high 37 points as the visiting Denver Nuggets outlasted the New York Knicks 119-114 in double-overtime.
Anthony finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, missing 20 of 30 shots in the Knicks’ sixth straight loss.
• Wade-less Heat top 76ers: Chris Bosh scored 30 points, LeBron James added 28 points and nine rebounds and the Miami Heat remained unbeaten without Dwyane Wade in the lineup this season, defeating the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 113-92.
• Stuckey, Pistons hold on to beat Blazers: In Auburn Hills, Mich., former Eastern Washington star Rodney Stuckey scored 28 points and the host Detroit Pistons won for only the second time in 12 games, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 94-91.
• Nowitzki will miss games to improve conditioning: Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle says Dirk Nowitzki will sit out for at least the next four games so the star forward can get in better game shape.
Nowitzki has been playing with a protective sleeve on his right knee.
Predators trio tops Blackhawks
NHL: Sergei Kostitsyn, Kevin Klein and Patric Hornqvist each had a goal and an assist to help the Nashville Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 at Nashville, Tenn.
• Versteeg scores two goals as Panthers top Jets in SO: Kris Versteeg scored two goals and added an assist for the visiting Florida Panthers, who snapped an eight-game, road-losing streak with a 4-3 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets.
• Third-period goal lifts Canucks past Sharks: Cody Hodgson scored his second goal of the game with 4:17 left, and the Vancouver Canucks beat the San Jose Sharks 4-3 at Vancouver, B.C.
No. 12 Murray St. remains undefeated
College Basketball: In Edwardsville, Ill., Isaiah Canaan scored 21 points and Jewuan Long added a season-high 17 to keep No. 12 Murray State the only unbeaten team in Division I with an 82-65 win over host Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
• No. 2 Kentucky holds on to beat Alabama: In Lexington, Ky., Darius Miller hit four free throws in the final minute and freshmen Marquis Teague and Anthony Davis each added two more as No. 2 Kentucky held on to beat Alabama 77-71 for its 47th straight home victory.
• Withey’s three-point play lifts Kansas over Texas: In Austin, Texas, Jeff Withey made a layup and free throw with 37 seconds left to give No. 7 Kansas the lead and the Jayhawks survived another tough fight with the Texas Longhorns for a 69-66 win.
• No. 1 Baylor tops No. 23 Kansas State: In Waco, Texas, Brittney Griner had 22 points and 12 rebounds as No. 1 Baylor stretched its school-record home winning streak to 34 with a 76-41 women’s victory over No. 23 Kansas State.
Forsman takes Champions Tour lead
Golf: In Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii, Dan Forsman had six back-nine birdies for a 7-under 65 and a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Champions Tour’s season- opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship.
• High winds stop third round of Humana: In La Quinta, Calif., the Humana Challenge suspended play midway through the third round after high winds caused damage on all three courses, toppling trees, blowing balls off the greens and knocking a scoreboard into a lake.
American Davis grabs World Cup gold
World Cup: In Kearns, Utah, skater Shani Davis won his first World Cup gold medal of the season while Canada’s Christine Nesbitt stayed perfect in the 1,000 meters.
• Worley wins giant slalom: In Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, Tessa Worley of France won a World Cup giant slalom after first-run leader Elisabeth Goergl of Austria crashed at the bottom of the second run.
World Cup leader Lindsey Vonn finished fourth.
• Cuche wins record fifth downhill: In Kitzbuehel, Austria, Didier Cuche of Switzerland used his last visit to the Streif to earn a record fifth victory on one of the World Cup’s most challenging downhill courses.
Bode Miller nearly crashed and finished 29th.
U.S. tops Venezuela in friendly match
Soccer: Ricardo Clark headed Jermaine Jones’ corner kick into the net in the seventh minute of stoppage time and the United States beat Venezuela 1-0 in a friendly in Glendale, Ariz.
• U.S. women lose crucial defender Krieger: The U.S. women’s soccer team lost a valuable piece when defender Ali Krieger was diagnosed with torn knee ligaments, likely ruling her out for the London Olympics.