BASKETBALL
The NBA has seen a rise in vaccination rates in recent days when factoring in those players who have received at least one of the necessary shots, a person with direct knowledge of the situation said Thursday.
The leaguewide rate is now around 95% when counting those who are at least in the vaccination process, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the NBA nor the National Basketball Players Association released the figure publicly.
Based on a rough count of nearly 600 players in the league right now for training camps – that figure will be closer to 500 when the regular season begins Oct. 19 and rosters get trimmed – the 95% figure would suggest that, on average, one player per team is unvaccinated.
ESPN first reported the 95% figure. Earlier in the week, AP reported that the leaguewide rate entering the week was 90% and climbing.
The NBA gave teams tentative health and safety protocols for the season Tuesday, detailing how players who haven’t gotten the COVID-19 vaccination will be tested far more often than their vaccinated colleagues and face a slew of other restrictions.
WNBA: Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner each scored 15 points and the Connecticut Sun beat the visiting Chicago Sky 79-68 to even the best-of-five semifinals at a win apiece.
The Sun won despite WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones scoring just four points.
COLLEGES
FIELD HOCKEY: Hannah Wurdack scored three goals, and Faith Jennings and Beth Koeller added two apiece as Bowdoin (6-2) cruised to a 10-0 win over Southern Maine (5-5) in Brunswick.
Jill Cloonan, Sophia Rosati and Caroline Higgins also scored.
WOMEN’S SOCCER: Cricket Basa’s unassisted goal 10:32 into the contest started Vermont (4-5-1, 1-1 America East) on its way to a 2-0 win over Maine (2-4-2, 0-3) in Orono.
Alyssa Oviedo made it 2-0 in the second half.
GOLF
PGA: Rookie Sahith Theegala carved his tee shots into play and made it look easy from there for an 8-under 64 and an early one-shot lead over Nick Watney and Harold Varner III in the Sanderson Farms Championship at Jackson, Mississippi.
Defending champion Sergio Garcia, the only player from the Ryder Cup last week in the field, had two birdies in a bogey-free round of 70 that left him six shots behind.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Tyrrell Hatton quickly shook off the disappointment of Europe’s heavy loss at the Ryder Cup last week, grabbing a share of the first-round lead in St. Andrews, Scotland, at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, an event he has won twice.
Playing traditionally the toughest of the three courses that stage the tournament, Hatton shot an 8-under 64 at Carnoustie to tie for the lead with Nicolas Colsaerts, Adri Arnaus (both St. Andrews) and Li Haotong (Kingsbarns).
Each player in the 168-man field plays a round at all three venues, before the final round takes place at St. Andrews.
TENNIS
SAN DIEGO OPEN: Denis Shapovalov erased a big deficit and six set points in the opener en route to a 7-6 (7), 6-2 victory over Taylor Fritz to reach his first quarterfinal since Wimbledon.
CHICAGO CLASSIC: Ons Jabeur overcame a slow start to beat Jessica Pegula 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 and advance to face No. 1 seed Elina Svitolina, who defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse, 6-3, 6-3.
Other seeded women who reached the quarterfinals included No. 2 Garbine Muguruza, No. 3 Belinda Bencic, No. 5 Elena Rybakina and No. 10 Danielle Collins.
BOXING
OLYMPICS: Boxing bouts at the 2016 Olympics were fixed by “complicit and compliant” referees and judges, an investigation reported.
Investigator Richard McLaren was appointed by the International Boxing Association, known as AIBA, and found AIBA officials selected referees and judges to ensure that bouts could be manipulated in Olympic qualifying and at the Rio de Janeiro Games. He also found signs the 2012 Olympics in London were affected.
“Key personnel decided that the rules did not apply to them,” said McLaren, who added there was a “culture of fear, intimidation and obedience in the ranks of the referees and judges.”
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