No. 2 Missouri surprised by Oklahoma State
STILLWATER, Okla., Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Le'Bryan Nash hit consecutive 3-pointers Wednesday that touched off a late rush and boosted Oklahoma State to a 79-72 upset of No. 2 Missouri.
The Tigers had climbed into the second spot in the national rankings by downing Baylor on the road last weekend, but they wilted down the stretch against an Oklahoma State team that shot 59 percent from the floor.
Missouri had a two-point advantage with 4 minutes to play, but was outscored the rest of the way 17-8.
Nash scored 27 points, hitting three 3-pointers overall, and Brian Williams added 22 points.
The Cowboys (10-10, 3-4 Big 12 Conference) had lost three in a row. One of those setbacks was a 41-point loss to Baylor.
The only other stumble of the season for Missouri (18-2, 5-2) came against Kansas State on Jan. 7. The Tigers had won their first 14 games of the season before falling to the Wildcats.
Ricardo Ratliffe led Missouri with 25 points.
Montreal rout takes NHL into All-Star break
MONTREAL, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- David Desharnais scored two of the six goals Montreal produced over the opening two periods Wednesday, leading the Canadiens past Detroit 7-2.
The Canadiens emphatically ended Detroit's seven-game winning streak, building a 6-0 advantage heading into the final period.
It was the final NHL contest before the league's All-Star Game this Sunday. Regular-season action will resume Tuesday.
Montreal knocked Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard out of the game, scoring four times on 12 shots in the first period.
Rene Bourque, Alexi Emelin, Desharnais and Tomas Plekanec all scored in the first period. Max Pacioretty and Desharnais added tallies in the second.
Both of Detroit's goals came from Jiri Hudler in the third period, giving him 15 for the season.
Carey Price gave up the two goals on 27 shots.
Despite the one-sided loss, Detroit goes into the break with the league's largest point total at 67. The Red Wings have won 33 games, two more than any other club, and have captured 17 in a row at home.
NASCAR says no more secret fines
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Jan. 25 (UPI) -- NASCAR officials announced Wednesday the circuit will now publicly disclose all disciplinary fines levied against race competitors.
A statement issued on its Web site indicated its past practice of keeping some sanctions secret is over.
"NASCAR will no longer issue fines that are undisclosed," the sanctioning body said. "We looked at this issue from every angle and gathered feedback from the industry.
"While there are always sensitivities related to sponsor relationships and other leagues may continue issuing disclosed and undisclosed fines, NASCAR has decided that all fines moving forward will be made public after the competitor or organization that has been penalized has been informed."
NASCAR in recent years has handed out unpublicized fines, issued primarily when the incidents involved public criticism of the sanctioning body, Speed.com reported.
That practice had generated criticism from drivers, it said.
Ravens coach: Scoreboard not a factor
BALTIMORE, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Baltimore Ravens Coach John Harbaugh says a scoreboard error didn't factor into his team's botched late field goal try in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.
The scoreboard at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., indicated it was third down rather than fourth when Baltimore lined up to kick what should have been a routine, 32-yard field goal to force an overtime against the New England Patriots.
Kicker Billy Cundiff appeared late onto to field to make the boot and shanked it, essentially handing the AFC crown to New England.
The displayed wrong down moved Ravens kicking consultant Randy Brown to suggest on WIP-FM, Philadelphia, the Patriots may have intentionally manipulated the scoreboard.
But Harbaugh's statement issued to the Ravens' Web site Wednesday strongly indicated he didn't believe the discrepancy was a Patriots plot.
"We knew what the down and distance were on our last series," he said. "The scoreboard was not a factor for us. Any suggestion that the wrong down information was a deliberate effort to affect the outcome of the game is nonsense."
