Tyson Walker scored a career-high 36 points as Northeastern men’s basketball team topped host Towson, 76-67, on Saturday, giving coach Bill Coen his 250th win. Coen’s coaching win tied him with Northeastern legend Jim Calhoun for most wins in the program. Walker was 13-of-20 shooting with a career-high seven 3-pointers, and also had 5 assists. Greg Eboigbodin had 13 points for Northeastern (9-6, 8-1 Colonial Athletic Association), which earned its fourth consecutive road victory. Jason Strong added 12 points and seven rebounds. Shaquille Walters scored 4 points on 1-of-6 shooting. Jason Gibson and Zane Martin each scored 14 points for the Tigers (3-13, 2-9), whose losing streak reached eight games … Austin Butler had 20 points and 11 rebounds as host Holy Cross beat Boston University, 82-65. Ryan Wade had 13 points for Holy Cross (3-8, 3-8 Patriot League), which broke its six-game losing streak. Gerrale Gates added 13 points and 8 rebounds. Matt Faw had 10 points. Holy Cross scored 48 points in the second half, a season best for the team. Javante McCoy had 16 points for the Terriers (3-6, 3-6). Walter Whyte added 16 points and seven rebounds. Sukhmail Mathon had 12 points … Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan and Ohio State are the top seeds in the initial rankings for the committee that will ultimately select the field of 68 for the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs were the top overall seed, followed by the Bears in rankings released by the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. It’s a snapshot of the top 16 seeds with a month to go before Selection Sunday. Gonzaga and Baylor have been 1-2 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll all season and remain unbeaten. The third-ranked Wolverines were the third No. 1 seed, followed by the fourth-ranked Buckeyes. Another Big Ten team, sixth-ranked Illinois, was the top No. 2 seed and fifth overall.
College hockey
O’Brien’s hat trick lifts BU
Jay O’Brien registered a hat trick to help the Boston University men (8-2-0) earn a weekend sweep with a 5-1 win against host Vermont (1-7-2) . . . Aidan McDonough scored his second goal of the game with 3:57 remaining in the third period to lift the host Northeastern men (8-5-2) to a 5-4 win against New Hampshire (5-12-1) . . . Drew Helleson and Jack McBain each had a goal and two assists to lead the top-ranked Boston College men (13-3-1) to a 4-3 win against host UMass Lowell (4-7-0) . . . On the women’s side, Megan Carter and Chloe Aurard scored two goals each and Aerin Frankel made 23 saves to lead third-ranked Northeastern (14-1-1) past host New Hampshire (6-12-1), 6-1. The Huskies are on a nation-best 14-game unbeaten streak . . . Senior forward Jesse Compher had two goals and an assist to lead the Boston University women (5-4-0) to a 4-1 win against visiting Vermont (6-2-0).
NHL
Coyotes’ Larsson banned for two games
Arizona Coyotes forward Johan Larsson was suspended for two games without pay for illegally checking St. Louis Blues forward Zach Sanford in the head. Larsson received a minor penalty for hitting Sanford during St. Louis’ 4-1 victory on Friday night. Sanford had just skated the puck over the blue line into Arizona’s zone when Larsson stepped up to hit him. Larsson turned his body as he delivered the hit, and the back of his left shoulder appeared to make direct contact with Sanford’s face. The league ruled that Larsson should have been able to avoid contact with Sanford’s head. It’s the second suspension in Larsson’s seven-year NHL career. He will forfeit over $24,000 … The Ottawa Senators acquired forward Ryan Dzingel from the Carolina Hurricanes for forwards Alex Galchenyuk and Cedric Paquette. Dzingel, drafted by the Senators in the seventh round in 2011, had two goals and two assists in 11 games with the Hurricanes this season. He has 171 points (76 goals, 95 assists) in 343 career NHL games with Ottawa, Columbus and Carolina. Galchenyuk, 27, scored one goal in eight games for the Senators, while Paquette, also 27, had one goal in nine games.
Football
Ex-Patriots WR Hogan pursuing lacrosse
Former Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan has declared for the Premier Lacrosse League Entry Draft in March. Hogan, who won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, will be eligible to be chosen by one of the league’s eight teams. Hogan, who was a first team all-conference selection and captain of the lacrosse team at Penn State, is looking to return to his roots … After a self-destructing pro career that never came close to fulfilling his enormous potential, Johnny Manziel said he’s done with the game that gave him his catchy moniker — even as he’s dabbling in a fledgling, fan-controlled arena league that was set to begin play Saturday night in suburban Atlanta. That is simply a fun little sidelight, Manziel insisted, giving him a chance to take a few snaps in an intriguing new venture and perhaps help some up-and-comers get a look from the NFL. These days, he’s more interested in working on his golf game than prepping for another football comeback.
Skiing
Suter wins women’s downhill at worlds
Corinne Suter ended Switzerland’s 32-year wait for a women’s downhill world title, winning her fourth straight medal at a major championship but the first gold at the skiing world championships in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy. Suter’s teammate Lara Gut-Behrami led for most of her run, but two costly mistakes dropped her to third, earning bronze after she had beaten Suter to gold in Thursday’s super-G. Kira Weidle finished a career-best second for silver, winning the second medal for Germany this week. American Breezy Johnson, who had four World Cup podiums this season, was among the fastest racers but she failed to make up enough time after nearly skiing out early in her run and finished ninth. Mikaela Shiffrin sat out the race to train for upcoming events … Two-time Olympic champion Ted Ligety moved up his retirement by six days because of a bad back. Ligety announced this week that the giant slalom at the skiing world championships would be the final race of his career. But he wrote on Instagram that on Friday he “woke up to the worst sciatic pain of my life.” He adds that a scan revealed his back is ’'herniated to the point it’s not safe to ski right now.” Ligety’s final race was slated for Friday. He says “now it’s time to get my back healthy to support a lifetime of playing and skiing with my kids.”
Soccer
Liverpool loses third straight
Slumping champion Liverpool lost a third straight match in the English Premier League after a dramatic late collapse against host Leicester, conceding three goals in seven minutes in a 3-1 defeat. Fourth-place Liverpool dropped six points behind Leicester, which climbed above Manchester United into second place, in the race for Champions League qualification. The champions are in danger of losing their place in the top four, with Chelsea and West Ham only one point further back, and any hopes of retaining the title seemingly are over now … Ilkay Gundogan scored two goals for the second straight week as Premier League leader Manchester City powered to a record-extending 16th successive win in all competitions, 3-0 over visiting Tottenham. Manchester City’s overall unbeaten run in all competitions stretched to 23 games and their 16-match winning run is a record for an English top-flight side … Burnley ended a four-match winless by beating Crystal Palace, 3-0, in the Premier League. Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Jay Rodriguez netted inside 10 minutes and Matt Lowton added a brilliant third two minutes after the break … Former AC Milan star Pato signed a one-year contract with Orlando City of the MLS. The team said that the 31-year-old Brazilian forward will join the team after receiving a US visa and an international transfer certificate. He follows Kaká, a former AC Milan star and Brazilian midfielder who played for Orlando City from 2014-17. Kaká was the 2007 FIFA Player of the Year.
Sailing
Italian team leads in challenger series
Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli beat Britain’s INEOS Team UK in both races Saturday on the first day of the America’s Cup challenger series final in New Zealand, taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-13 series.