The AFC owns Orlando after a third consecutive victory in the Pro Bowl

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The AFC owns Orlando.

Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Indianapolis’ Eric Ebron, and the AFC beat the NFC 26-7 in steady rain in the Pro Bowl on Sunday. It was the third consecutive victory for the AFC in the NFL all-star game, all of them coming at Camping World Stadium.

The last two were played in sloppy weather, with the latest one also coming amid temperatures in the mid-50s.

It was far from ideal conditions, fairly fitting considering the effort players provided. It was two-hand touch most of the day, with officials blowing plays dead at the slightest hint of contact.

The AFC rallied in the rain last year, outscoring the NFC 21-3 after halftime to win 24-23.

The AFC led 20-0 early in the fourth quarter Sunday, looking like it might notch the first shutout in Pro Bowl history. But Dallas’ Dak Prescott found Atlanta’s Austin Hooper for a 20-yard score on fourth down with 9:09 remaining.

Mahomes completed 7 of 14 passes for 156 yards and was named the offensive Most Valuable Player. New York Jets safety Jamal Adams, who had an interception and a sack, was the defensive MVP. Each got a luxury vehicle.

Each player on the AFC will get $67,000 for the victory, $8,000 more than the players who lose the Super Bowl next week in Atlanta. The Pro Bowl losers will get $39,000 each.

The game turned comical late, with several offensive guys playing defense and a few defenders taking offensive snaps.

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey caught a 6-yard slant pass from Houston’s Deshaun Watson for a touchdown with 19 seconds remaining. Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James failed to haul in the 2-point conversion.

The NFC had plenty of chances before that. The conference failed to score on a fourth-and-goal run early. Chicago’s Mitchell Trubisky, Minnesota receiver Adam Thielen and Prescott threw interceptions.

Trubisky also was sacked by Adams on a flea flicker, and Dallas’ Amari Cooper had a wide-open touchdown pass bounce off his face mask.

Seattle’s Russell Wilson also was sacked four times.

The AFC had several chances to put the game away, but Indy’s Andrew Luck and Watson threw interceptions.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans picked off Watson. The play ended after several laterals and even more half-hearted attempts at tackles.

New York Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley and New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara also played defense.

IN-GAME HIJINKS

Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron had his phone tucked into the pocket of his sweatshirt and used it between the third and fourth quarters. Except Ebron didn’t take pics with teammates. He got opposing players to pose with him, working his way around the entire NFC defense.

Several players used their phones on the sidelines, but Ebron was the first to pull his out on the field.

ANOTHER NO-CALL

New York Jets safety Jamal Adams hugged a line judge after he didn’t throw a flag on an obvious pass interference play against Green Bay receiver Davonte Adams. Davonte Adams dropped to the ground in disbelief, and several NFC teammates protested.

Jamal Adams, meanwhile, celebrated alone for a moment and then hugged the smiling official.

Players from both conferences spent the week lamenting a now-infamous no-call in the NFC title game.

INJURIES

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and Los Angeles Chargers receiver Keenan Allen left the game with bruised knees. Neither was considered serious. Allen caught four passes for 95 yards before sitting down.

UP NEXT

New England and the Los Angeles Rams play in the Super Bowl next Sunday.

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Christian Vital scored 21 points and Jalen Adams added 19 points and 12 rebounds as UConn beat Wichita State 80-60 on Saturday night in the American Athletic Conference.

Tyler Polley added 12 points and Josh Carlton 11 and four blocks for the Huskies (12-8, 3-4 American), who have won two straight games for the first time since mid-December.

Jamarius Burton had 16 points for Wichita State (8-11, 1-6), which has lost three in a row and seven of its last eight.

UConn never trailed.

Vital opened the game with a steal and layup and UConn ran out to a 10-0 lead.

It took the Shockers more than five minute to score their first points. Those came on a pair of free throws by Samajae Haynes-Jones. It was another two minutes before they scored their first basket on a driving layup from Dexter Dennis.

A long 3-pointer by Vital at the halftime buzzer gave the Huskies a 43-28 lead.

The Huskies led by as many as 26 in the second half.

BIG PICTURE

Wichita State: The Shockers, who have been to seven straight NCAA Tournaments, were coming off their worst offensive game under Greg Marshall, a 41-point effort in a 13-point loss to USF. They continued to struggle in this one, shooting just 34 percent, including 29 percent in the first half

UConn: UConn point guard Alterique Gilbert, who missed most of his first two seasons in Storrs because of injuries to his left shoulder, took a hard screen just over five minutes into the second half and went to the floor writhing in pain. He left the game under his own power, holding that shoulder. He went to the trainer’s room and later returned to the bench wearing his warm-ups and did not return. Forward Mamadou Diarra, who has been out all season with a knee injury, saw his first action late in the second half and scored two points.

UP NEXT:

Wichita State: The Shockers return home for two games, the first on Wednesday against SMU

UConn: The Huskies travel to Orlando for a game Thursday at UCF, which beat the Huskies by 12 points in Hartford earlier this month.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — PJ Washington scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half, and No. 8 Kentucky beat No. 9 Kansas 71-63 on Saturday in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

Washington also had 13 rebounds, helping the Wildcats to a 49-36 advantage on the glass. Reid Travis had 18 points and 12 boards, and Keldon Johnson also posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Neither team reached 40 percent shooting, but the Wildcats (16-3) were much better in the second half and held the Jayhawks in check down the stretch of the marquee matchup between college basketball’s two winningest programs.

Kentucky had dropped its last three games against Kansas.

Dedric Lawson had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Jayhawks, and Quentin Grimes added 13 points. It was Lawson’s 14th double-double this season.

Kansas shot 37 percent (23 for 63) from the field in its second loss in three games.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Kentucky could rise in the AP poll after beating its third ranked opponent in a week. Kansas could tumble out of the top 10 with its recent trouble.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: Lawson had a double-double by halftime, and the Jayhawks held their own on the glass for one half. They finished 9 of 23 from behind the arc but couldn’t match Kentucky’s athleticism in the second half.

Kentucky: The Wildcats still have their share of challenges ahead when Southeastern Conference play resumes next week, but they are coming along. Travis got off to a nice start, and his teammates picked up their play in the second half.

UP NEXT

Kansas returns to Big 12 play on Tuesday at Texas, seeking a season sweep of the Longhorns. The Jayhawks won the previous meeting 80-78 on Jan. 14.

Kentucky returns to SEC competition at Vanderbilt on Tuesday after beating the Commodores 56-47 two weeks ago.

HAYS, Kan. – Lanie Page scored a game-high 20 points, Tatyana Legette had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds and the No. 8 Fort Hays State women retained sole possession of first place in the MIAA with a 91-63 win over Northwest Missouri State in front of 3,413 Saturday afternoon at Gross Coliseum.

The Tigers (18-1, 9-1 MIAA) overcame an early three-point barrage from the Bearcats to lead by four after the first quarter and by nine at halftime. They then scored the first 20 points of the third quarter and led by as many as 31 in the second half.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Page hit four of the Tigers seven 3-pointers as they shot 52-percent from the floor and 7-of-17 from beyond the arc.

Kacey Kennett and Whitney Randall both scored 14 points for the Tigers who shot 52-percent from the floor.

The Bearcats (7-11, 3-6 MIAA) hit eight of their 11 threes in the first half including five in the first quarter.

They had four score in double-figures led by Kendey Eaton’s 14 points.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy figured the Aggies had nothing to lose in trying to snap a three-game losing streak, so he overhauled his defensive strategy entering Saturday’s game against Kansas State.

“We took a chance and played zone the whole game, and I thought it disrupted Kansas State and took them out of their offense,” Kennedy said. “I thought we’d have a hard time guarding them man to man.”

Turns out the Wildcats had a hard time guarding A&M’s Wendell Mitchell, but only after halftime. Mitchell scored a game-high 22 points, all in the second half, and A&M dashed past KSU 65-53 in the annual Big 12/SEC Challenge.

“On (Friday) night I talked about expecting the unexpected,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said of the Aggies going with a zone defense throughout. “In the first half we should have got the lead to 10 or 12 points, but we didn’t make the plays we needed to.”

The Wildcats (15-5) led 30-26 at halftime before the Aggies (8-10) outscored their former Big 12 brethren 39-23 over the final 20 minutes. A&M relied on an 18-3 run early in the second half to overcome a seven-point deficit just after the break.

Mitchell, who started his college career at Baylor of the Big 12, made 7 of 9 shots in the second half, and 7 of 12 overall, after sitting out all but six minutes in the first half in foul trouble. The Aggies had lost their four prior home games, including a nonconference contest against Texas Southern, before earning their first double-digit victory since prior to Christmas.

“Communication was at a high level today,” Mitchell said. “And I was just feeding off of my teammates.”

Dean Wade led the Wildcats with 17 points and the Aggies’ Savion Flagg led all rebounders with 12. The Wildcats held a 16-14 advantage in points in the paint in the first half, but the Aggies wound up with a 32-20 edge on that front.

“If we’re going to have a chance, we have to really be locked in defensively every time,” said Weber, whose squad is tied atop the Big 12 standings with Kansas at 5-2.

A&M exited the Big 12 and entered the SEC in the summer of 2012.

BIG PICTURE

KSU: Weber figured the Wildcats might step into a trap in College Station, and he was right. KSU stumbled into a desperate SEC team, although the Wildcats’ five-game win streak in Big 12 play still stands. KSU was on the cusp of re-entering the Top 25, but that likely won’t happen coming off a double-digit setback against a team with an overall losing record.

A&M: Even if it’s not SEC action, the Aggies needed this one in the worst way after dropping five of their first six league games. This was the first of three consecutive homes games for A&M, and a solid start to trying to get back on track in conference play before it’s too late.

UP NEXT

KSU: The Wildcats stay on the road at Oklahoma State on Feb. 2.

A&M: The Aggies stay home against LSU on Wednesday.

INJURY REPORT

A&M starting guard Jay Jay Chandler sat out with a sprained shoulder, and Kennedy said he hopes the sophomore returns to practice on Monday.

HIGHLIGHT REEL

The Aggies likely knew things were going to go their way when, on their first shot of the second half, a short jumper by Christian Mekowulu rolled across the top of the backboard and smoothly dropped through the hoop, in cutting the Wildcats’ lead to 33-28.

STAT OF THE DAY

A&M shot 51 percent from the floor (25 of 49), only the third time this season the Aggies have shot better than 50 percent in a game.

HE SAID IT

“We’re still in first place. We need to learn from this, grow from it and move forward.”

Bruce Weber

Listen as the ‘Voice of the Chiefs’ Mitch Holthus recaps last week’s loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game and puts a wrap on the 2018 season.

The Holthus Hotline airs Saturday mornings on your home for Chiefs football, KFIX (96.9-FM), at 8 a.m. during the Chiefs season.

Hays – The TMP-Marina Monarchs basketball teams split a non-conference doubleheader with Abilene Friday at Al Billinger Fieldhouse.

Girls: TMP 44, Abilene 35

The TMP Lady Monarchs held Abilene scoreless for just over six minutes and twenty second in the third quarter while they built a double-digit lead on their way to a 44-35 win.

Rose McFarland postgame interview

Emily Schippers scored seven of the first nine points for the game as the Monarchs jumped out to a 9-2 lead to open the game. But the Cowgirls answered with a 9-0 run to end the first-quarter. They extended the run to 13-4 run to end the first-half to take a 15-13 lead into the break.

An Abilene free throw just 15 second into the second half gave the Cowgirls a 16-13 lead. The Monarchs scored 15 points over the next six minutes and twenty-one second to lead 28-16. Adell Riedel connected on a pair of three-pointers during the run and Jillian Lowe added a third three to put the Monarchs up 12.

After a brief Abilene run to cut the deficit to six but the Monarchs finished the quarter with four straight to lead by 10 at 32-22.

In the forth quarter the Monarchs built an 18-point lead before Abilene closed the gap to nine at 44-35.

Emily Schippers led the way for the Monarchs and tied for a game-high with Hannah Willey with 16 points each.

Game highlights

TMP improved to 9-4 on the season while Abilene dropped to 10-2.

Boys: Abilene 62, TMP 45

Abilene outscored the TMP 17-5 in the second quarter as they won their 10th straight game over the Monarchs in a 62-45 victory Friday.

Bill Meagher postgame interview

The Monarchs opened the game on a 4-0 run but the Cowboys stormed back with a 9-0 lead and lead 17-13 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter TMP cut the deficit to two on a pair of Jared Mayers free throws but the Cowboys answered with a 17-5 run and led 34-20 midway through the second quarter.

Abilene never trailed the rest of the way as they earned a 62-45 win.

Ryan Karlin led the Monarchs with 14 points and Jackson Schulte also finished in double-figures with 12.

Game highlights

TMP falls to 8-5 with the loss while Abilene improved to 9-4.

Girls

Western Athletic Conference
Salina Central 65 Hays 73

Mid-Continent League
Abilene 35 TMP 44
Hill City 25 Trego 57
Stockton 35 Smith Center 59
Oakley 41 Phillipsburg 44

Central Prairie League
LaCrosse 33 Victoria 43

Hilltop Hoops Classic in Great Bend
5th Place – Macksville 42 Ness City 32
3rd Place – Larned 46 Little River 29
Champ – Central Plains 60 St. John 19

Northern Plains League
Otis-Bison 53 Sylvan-Lucas 36
Osborne 38 Lakeside 42
Southern Cloud 29 Thunder Ridge 64
Wilson 52 Rock Hills 27

Northwest Kansas League
Quinter 31 Hoxie 45

Central Kansas League
Ellinwood 39 Lyons 52

Western Kansas Liberty League
Triplains/Brewster 16 Golden Plains 59
Logan 47 Northern Valley 42

Great Western Activities Conference
Norton 44 Goodland 23
Liberal 52 Hugoton 31
Colby 63 Holcomb 41
Scott City 54 Lakin 27

Mid America Classic in McPherson
Ulysses 43 McPherson 46
Dodge City 39 Wichita Southeast 69

Newton Invitational
Newton 35 Garden City 33

Boys

Western Athletic Conference
Salina Central 52 Hays 39
Great Bend 83 Dodge City 71

Mid-Continent League
Abilene 62 TMP 45
Ellis 58 Plainville 39
Stockton 56 Smith Center 51
Oakley 37 Phillipsburg 58

Central Prairie League
LaCrosse 60 Victoria 48

Northern Plains League
Otis-Bison 55 Sylvan-Lucas 29

Northwest Kansas League
Quinter 38 Hoxie 53

Western Kansas Liberty League
Logan 33 Northern Valley 69

Great Western Activities Conference
Norton 39 Goodland 33
Liberal 52 Hugoton 31
Scott City 69 Lakin 60