SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Ta'Niya Latson scored 23 points, Makayla Timpson scored 22 and No. 24 Florida State handed No. 3 Notre Dame its second straight loss, 86-81 on Thursday night.

It was Florida State's second win over Notre Dame in 15 meetings between the teams and its first in South Bend.

O'Mariah Gordon scored 15 points for the Seminoles (23-6, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have won four in a row.

Sonia Citron scored 21 points to lead Notre Dame (24-4, 15-2) and Liatu King added 17 points. Hannah Hidalgo scored 16 points but was 4-of-17 shooting.

Notre Dame led by as many as 15 points and lost. That's tied for its largest blown lead since coach Niele Ivey took over in 2020-21, after having blown a 15-point advantage at Syracuse on Jan. 31, 2021, according to ESPN Research.

The Fighting Irish suffered a 104-95 double-overtime loss at NC State on Sunday and are tied with the Wolfpack for the ACC lead. If the Fighting Irish and the Wolfpack share the ACC title, N.C. State will be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament because of its victory over Notre Dame.

According to ESPN Research, Notre Dame is the only team currently ranked in the AP top 10 that has lost consecutive games -- and it has done it twice this season. This latest skid may cost the Fighting Irish a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

After Florida State pulled out to a 67-57 lead at the end of the third quarter, Notre Dame closed to 67-66 in the opening minutes of the fourth. Florida State then regained a double-digit lead and held off Notre Dame.

Florida State shook off a 4-of-20 shooting performance in the first quarter and surged ahead for a 44-40 halftime lead, outscoring the Fighting Irish 30-17 in the second quarter.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Sarah Strong had 22 points and nine rebounds and Paige Bueckers added 15 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists as No. 5 UConn defeated No. 22 Creighton 72-53 on Thursday night to claim its fifth straight Big East regular-season title.

Bueckers became the second UConn player in the past 25 seasons to have 70 points and 30 assists in a four-game span in a season, according to ESPN research.

Kaitlyn Chen had 11 points and three assists and Azzi Fudd scored nine points for UConn (27-3, 17-0 Big East), which notched its 37th consecutive regular-season conference victory.

"I don't want it to be all the sudden it's national championship or bust at UConn and winning regular-season championship doesn't matter anymore, because it does matter," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "We've always made it matter. It's always been important to us."

Morgan Maly scored 11 points for Creighton (23-5, 15-2).

Creighton scored the first eight points of the game. A jumper by Fudd with 47 seconds left in the first quarter gave UConn its first lead and the Huskies opened the second with a 9-1 run to extend their lead to nine points.

UConn won its 22nd outright Big East regular-season title and has shared the crown twice.

Redshirt junior Caroline Ducharme made her first appearance at home for UConn since Nov. 16, 2023. Her play has been limited the past two seasons because of a concussion and other injuries.

Takeaways

Creighton: The Bluejays are 0-11 against UConn. Creighton is the No. 2 seed in the Big East tournament and wouldn't meet the Huskies again until the title game, if both teams get that far.

UConn: The Huskies can go undefeated in conference play for the 18th time in program history with a win over Marquette on Sunday.

Key moment

Strong, a UConn freshman, was called for her second foul with 7:44 left in the second quarter. Before being taken out of the game, she had back-to-back baskets to give UConn a nine-point lead.

Key stat

After missing 14 of its 19 shots in the first quarter, UConn was 21 for 31 from the field in the second and third periods.

Up next

Creighton hosts Villanova on Sunday. UConn host Marquette on Sunday.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

LOS ANGELES -- In the days and weeks leading up to her team completing its deal to land superstar Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss knew the importance of keeping trade talks with the Dallas Mavericks limited to as tight of a circle as possible.

"It was really important to me that we didn't blow up the team," Buss said Thursday before the Lakers' 111-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. "If it had leaked out and the trade hadn't happened, that would be really unfair to the progress that the coaching staff had made with the team. Because it's a huge distraction."

Mavs general manager and president of basketball operations Nico Harrison first approached the Lakers' vice president of basketball operations and GM Rob Pelinka with the trade concept on Jan. 7 when the Lakers were in Dallas. The trade was agreed upon 3 weeks later, with Harrison, Pelinka, Buss and Mavs ownership the only people privy to discussions until Feb. 1, when the deal was finished.

"The trade deadline is part of the business, it increases the level of stress for everybody," Buss said. "And I'm really proud that it didn't leak out and that we were able to execute the trade in a way that still was surprising to all the parties involved. But that goes with this business."

Now that Doncic is a Laker, Buss is more than happy to shout about his acquisition from the rooftops. Buss spoke to reporters Thursday to promote the new Netflix comedy series "Running Point," inspired by her life running the team. Kate Hudson portrays the character Isla Gordon, based on Buss. And Buss is an executive producer for the project, which debuted Thursday.

"Everyone thinks, 'Was this trade done to promote the show?' I don't think so," Buss joked.

The Doncic acquisition caused Buss to reflect on two major moves from the franchise's past that went different directions: trading for Pau Gasol with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008, 17 years to the day before the Doncic deal; and the deal for Chris Paul with the New Orleans Hornets that was vetoed by late NBA commissioner David Stern.

"There's always this concern there's going to be some new ruling that, like, now what's going to happen?" Buss said, when asked about any backlash her franchise could receive from the trade that shocked the league. "But what I have complete confidence in Rob is that he knows how to walk a deal through step by step to make sure that everything is complete and buttoned up, and that's exactly what happened."

Beyond the vote of confidence in Pelinka for how he handled the trade negotiations, Buss also offered support for first-year coach JJ Redick -- despite admitting that she initially had reservations about bringing him aboard.

"I was worried about hiring a rookie coach," Buss said. "This team is so important to this community, and to bring in a rookie coach that had no experience before, that was a big leap. But I knew that [Redick and Rob Pelinka] would work well together, and I love watching the progress that they're making."

Though the Lakers have endured many ups and downs since Buss assumed team governor responsibilities after the death of her father, Dr. Jerry Buss, the purple and gold are currently in a good place. After Thursday, they have won 14 out of 17 games; they landed an international phenom in Doncic; and Buss tapped into her team's Hollywood appeal for "Running Point."

With the Lakers celebrating "Girl Dad Night" on Thursday, Buss was asked what her dad would think about Doncic becoming a Laker.

"He'd be very proud," she said. "When you get a player of that stature, you have to give up a lot. But it's like, my dad was such a great poker player and he said that he always wanted me to remember that poker was a game of patience. That you had to wait for the right cards, but once you got the cards, you had to go from zero to 100 and play the cards and not be afraid to play them. So, it was difficult because we were not looking to trade Anthony Davis or Max Christie. But it was a deal that he would've made, and we had to go for it."

PHOENIX -- The injuries have taken a toll on Zion Williamson during his six-year NBA career. So have the losses.

But on nights like Thursday, there are tantalizing reminders of how much talent the 2019 No. 1 pick still possesses.

Williamson had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for his first career triple-double in the New Orleans Pelicans' 124-116 win over the Phoenix Suns. The Pelicans have won three straight games, matching their longest streak of the season.

"It's a reminder to the NBA, to the fans, to everybody," Pelicans coach Willie Green said. "This is who he can be, night in and night out. That's what we're all striving to accomplish as a group. We're striving to get our best player on the floor."

Williamson grabbed his 10th rebound with 1:36 left, setting off a celebration by his teammates. The bruising 6-foot-6, 284-pound forward -- whose playing time is limited as the Pelicans try to keep him healthy -- needed only 31 minutes on the court to achieve the triple-double.

"It's dope," Williamson said. "It's funny, there have been so many times when I felt it could have happened, but I never forced the issue. Tonight, my teammates were like, 'No, you've got to get it tonight.'

"So I got to thank my coach and my teammates."

Williamson's big night was an encouraging moment in a tough season. Even after their three-game winning streak, the Pelicans have a 16-43 record and are far out of the playoff hunt.

One of the biggest reasons the Pelicans have struggled is because Williamson sat out about two months because of a hamstring injury, adding to a litany of medical issues since he was selected with the No. 1 pick out of Duke. But the potential is obvious -- he has been an All-Star in the two seasons in which he has played at least 60 games.

Key questions surrounding Williamson -- who is under contract for three more seasons -- have centered on his health, maturity and even his commitment. At times, he has struggled with his weight and conditioning.

This season, he was suspended one game after repeated violations of team policies, the tipping point was being late for a team flight.

Against the Suns, none of that mattered. He made two tough buckets in the paint down the stretch to help the Pelicans seal the victory and his 11 assists matched a career high. He made 13 of 17 shots and joined Steven Adams (2021) as the only Pelicans players with 75% shooting in a triple-double.

"He was fantastic and carried us down the stretch," Green said. "He's been amazing."

And here's the thing: Williamson is still only 24 years old. He's averaging 24.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists this season -- all around his career highs -- despite playing about 28 minutes per night.

"These nights are big for the confidence and a reminder of who I am," Williamson said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

LOS ANGELES -- Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards faces an automatic one-game suspension after picking up two technical fouls in Thursday night's 111-102 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, giving him 16 this season.

Edwards will have to sit out Friday's road game against the Utah Jazz unless one of his technicals against the Lakers gets rescinded upon review by the league office.

"Whatever they're gonna do, bruh," Edwards told ESPN as he exited Crypto.com Arena briefly after the final buzzer. "I don't even know. They should [rescind the second technical]."

Edwards was ejected after drawing his second technical foul of the night with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter.

As Edwards walked toward the tunnel, he tossed the ball into the crowd, drawing a delay-of-game warning.

Edwards and Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt were called for double technical fouls when they exchanged shoves at the end of the first quarter.

His second technical of the game occurred after Edwards complained about a no-call when he felt he got fouled on a drive. He fell after Lakers guard Gabe Vincent's left foot clipped the back of Edwards' right leg and griped at referee Brent Barnaky while sitting on the floor.

"[Edwards] was issued his second unsportsmanlike technical foul for directing profanity towards a game official," crew chief James Williams told a pool reporter.

Williams said that Barnaky took into consideration that a second technical foul would result in an ejection before making the call against Edwards.

According to ESPN Research, Edwards is the first player to receive 16 technical fouls before March since DeMarcus Cousins in 2016-17.

Edwards has been called for four technical fouls in four games since the All-Star break.

"He's gotta be better," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "He's had too many outbursts. I think a lot of them are deserved. They're going to miss some calls from time to time for sure, so he's gotta be better. We've been talking to him about it, so it's on him."

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Stephen Curry collected the inbounds pass thrown just ahead of him, took a couple of steps and then launched a 56-foot running heave, just before the Orlando Magic midcourt logo.

"Soon as it left his hand, I knew it was cash," Golden State forward Draymond Green said.

Curry buried the halftime buzzer-beater Thursday night, as Paolo Banchero could react only by raising his hands in frustration. Unfortunately for the Magic, the Curry show was just beginning.

From that shot beyond midcourt to the 3:38 mark in the third quarter, Curry scored 25 of his 56 points to help the Golden State Warriors overcome a 17-point deficit and beat Orlando 121-115 in front of an announced crowd of 18,846.

Curry made 16 of 25 shots, including 12 3-pointers, the most by a player this season. He also was 12-for-12 from the free throw line.

This was his 14th career 50-point game, tying LeBron James and Rick Barry for seventh most in NBA history. He has nine such games at age 30 or older, the most in NBA history, according to ESPN Research.

"We're spoiled around here," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "We're used to it, but it never gets old watching, I can tell you that. I think the fans here tonight, even the Magic fans, they know they're witnessing the greatest shooter ever and one of the greatest performers ever.

"It's not just the shots going in, it's just the fluidity, the beauty of his movement and motion and his audacity -- the shots that he's willing to take. He's an incredible performer and he put on quite a show tonight."

In that third-quarter outburst, Curry outscored the Magic 22-21, making 6 of 8 shots, including four 3-pointers. It helped turn a 17-point lead for Orlando near the end of the first half into a 12-point deficit.

"Great player. He had a heck of a night," Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. "In that third quarter, [I'll] have to go back, look at it and see exactly where we let go of the rope."

Unfortunately for the Magic, Curry looks forward to playing in Orlando. He recently told Green that the Kia Center was one of his top five places to play, in part due to the large contingent of Warriors and Curry fans who often come to watch him play.

During the second half, the crowd in the Kia Center sounded like a Golden State home crowd.

"There's certain arenas," Curry said. "Obviously, I've had a couple of good games here, but it just looks different. You feel different energy. Our fan base has grown a little bit. I know the home team never likes that, but it's just good energy in here and the fans seem to be into it and they love when a show starts to happen. So I look forward to playing here. Obviously only get one time a year and it's delivered pretty much every time."

There's also something about Feb. 27 that brings out the best in Curry. Besides his 56-point effort Friday, Curry had his first 50-point game on the same date when he had 54 points and 11 3-pointers against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 27, 2013.

And this was the nine-year anniversary of when Curry scored 46 points and buried 12 3-pointers in a 121-118 win at Oklahoma City. That night, he pulled up from the edge of the Oklahoma City logo for the winning 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left in overtime, the shot that famously drew a double "bang" from ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Breen.

"I guess I do like this calendar day," Curry said. "I had my first 50-point game in the Garden. So I have to channel February 27th energy all the time. I don't know what it is, but tonight was different just because we needed all of them to kind of stay afloat and give ourselves a chance and then a lot of guys contributed down the stretch to help us win.

"But it's nice to have a flurry like that and have fun with it."

The Warriors are surging, going 7-1 since trading for Jimmy Butler earlier this month. They have won five straight and are just a half-game behind the LA Clippers for sixth in the Western Conference standings. Sixth is their goal to avoid the play-in round.

For Butler, this was his first taste of a Curry explosion as his teammate. At one point, Curry scored 18 points in just under four minutes in the third quarter.

"You just see the defeat and the look of damn near disgust on the defender's face," Butler said. "But there ain't nothing too much you could do about it, you know what I mean? So good luck to whoever it is that is guarding him."

Curry has said that the arrival of Butler has revitalized him, giving him a chance to play in meaningful games the rest of the season and an opportunity to potentially make some noise in the playoffs.

"Since the trade, he's been so dialed in," Green said. "He told you guys all you want to do is play with expectations, have some expectations, and meant that. I think you look at the body of work over the course of the years, obviously we know that's true.

"But you start looking at these performances that's been coming since the trade and it makes complete sense. So I think there's definitely more of a sense of urgency for sure."

Stephen Curry went off for a season-high 56 points in a 121-115 win against the Orlando Magic Thursday night, but it shouldn't have come as a surprise if you checked the date.

Feb. 27 is a significant day for the Golden State Warriors star. Curry has scored at least 45 points on this date three times, making him the third player in NBA history to do so on a single calendar day, according to ESPN Research.

The other two players are Elgin Baylor (Feb. 25) and Wilt Chamberlain, who had at least three 45-point games on 16 different calendar days.

The first of the three special games for Curry on this date came in 2013, when he recorded 54 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. It marked the first 50-point game of Curry's career.

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"I felt good all night. Obviously played the whole game, so was just trying to keep my legs underneath me on the offensive end, and you know, just stick to the game on the defensive end," Curry said at the time. "Once I started seeing that 3-ball go down in transition, all sorts of spots on the floor, I knew it was going to be a good night."

The second game featured arguably the most famous shot of Curry's career: a go-ahead 37-foot 3-pointer against the Oklahoma City Thunder with 0.6 seconds left in overtime. The Warriors celebrated that anniversary with a post earlier on Thursday.

The deep 3 capped off a 46-point outing with 12 3-pointers in the midst of Golden State's 73-9 season in 2015-16.

Curry matched that effort in terms of 3-point field goals made as he netted 12 against the Magic, the most by any player in a game this season. It also marked his third career game with 12 3-pointers, tied with former teammate Klay Thompson for the most of all time.

The Warriors play the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET on ABC).

MESA, Ariz. -- Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto will not be ready to play by Opening Day while recovering from right shoulder surgery.

Manager Ron Washington told reporters before the team's spring training game Thursday against the Chicago Cubs that Neto, 24, likely will start the season on the injured list, an anticipated move after Neto had the procedure in November.

Washington said he expects Neto to be available sometime in April.

The 2022 first-round draft pick was among the few bright spots in 2024 for an Angels team that finished with the worst record in franchise history at 63-99. Neto established himself as an every-day player, batting .249 with 23 homers, 30 stolen bases and 77 RBIs in 155 games while playing solid defense.

Neto injured his shoulder Sept. 26 while sliding in a game, and it didn't respond to rest and treatment.

Derek Bender, the former Minnesota Twins minor league catcher who is under MLB investigation for telling opposing hitters what pitches were coming, denied the allegations in an interview with The Athletic as he remains out of professional baseball.

"No," Bender told The Athletic, in an interview published Thursday, when asked if he gave away pitches to opposing batters. "And I'll live with this until the day I die. I never gave pitches away. I never tried to give the opposing team an advantage against my own team."

Bender, a sixth-round draft pick out of Coastal Carolina in July, was playing for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, the Twins' Single-A affiliate. In the second game of a Sept. 6 doubleheader, Bender told multiple hitters for the Lakeland Flying Tigers, a Detroit farm team, the specific pitches being thrown by starter Ross Dunn, sources told ESPN at the time.

Lakeland scored four runs in the second inning and won the game 6-0 to clinch the Florida State League West division and eliminate the Mighty Mussels from playoff contention. Fort Myers coaches were notified by Lakeland coaches about Bender's pitch tipping after the game, sources told ESPN at the time.

Sources told ESPN that Bender had told teammates he wanted the season to be over. In his interview with The Athletic, Bender said he joked to teammates about letting a ground ball go under their glove, but said he wasn't serious.

Major League Baseball's investigation of the incident continues, according to The Athletic, and Bender could face a permanent ban from the league.

"I had to go dark for at least three days," Bender told The Athletic of the reaction to the initial story. "I had to private all my social media accounts. I was getting death threats and awful, obscene things said to me."

Bender, 22, said he is trying to get back into professional baseball. He said he'll play for the Brockton Rox of the independent Frontier League this summer.

Meanwhile, Bender said he hasn't heard from any of his former teammates, including Ross.

"There are a lot of times where you're talking with people that you thought you were friends with, they just don't look at you the same," Bender told The Athletic. "I've heard my friends get questioned about me, why they're still friends with me. That's hard to hear.

"It's not like I'm getting accused of committing a crime."

Bender told The Athletic that the Twins were willing to keep him in the organization if he admitted to the accusations and apologize. He said he apologized, but he wouldn't say what he was apologizing for.

"The only thing I had left was my character at that point," Bender told The Athletic. "Literally, the way they put it was, 'If you want to die by the sword, we'll release you.' I knew there was no bluffing involved."

His agents at Octagon told The Athletic that they had dropped Bender as a client because they had told him not to do any interviews until the MLB investigation was closed.

"It's about gaining control over my life," Bender told The Athletic of why he did the interview. "And this whole situation. I'm not doing this as a last-ditch effort to get back into affiliate ball. It's more of this is the start of me taking control of my life again. Because I've let this completely control me for months now."

A catcher and first baseman selected with the 188th pick in 2024, Bender signed for $297,500, slightly below the $320,800 slot for that selection. He will keep the entirety of his bonus after playing 19 games for Fort Myers, hitting .200/.273/.333 with two home runs and eight RBIs.

In three seasons at Coastal Carolina, he hit .326/.408/.571 with 32 home runs and 153 RBIs in 144 games.