TORONTO >> Fans at a Toronto Raptors game continued an emerging trend Sunday of booing the American national anthem at pro sporting events in Canada.
Fans of the NBA’s lone Canadian franchise booed the anthem after similar reactions broke out Saturday night at NHL games in Ottawa, Ontario, and Calgary, Alberta, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump made his threat of import tariffs on America’s northern neighbor a reality.
After initially cheering for the 15-year-old female singer, fans booed throughout “The Star-Spangled Banner” performance. At the end, mixed boos and cheers could be heard before the crowd erupted in applause for the Canadian anthem, “O Canada.”
Joseph Chua, a Toronto resident who was at the game, said he’s going to be feeling the tariffs “pretty directly” in his work as an importer.
Still, he said he doesn’t think booing is “the right thing to do in this situation.” He chose to stay seated instead.
College basketball
Iowa tops USC >> Lucy Olsen scored 28 points and Addison O’Grady had 13 as Iowa topped No. 4 USC 76-69, snapping the Trojans’ 15-game winning streak.
Iowa (15-7, 5-6 Big Ten) opened the game with an 18-1 run, fought off a 17-1 response by the Trojans in the second quarter, then matched USC the rest of the way.
Clark gets jersey retired by Iowa >> Caitlin Clark wasn’t back in her home arena to play a game.
Still, the “butterflies,” the former Iowa guard said, were quite similar.
Clark returned to Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena to have her number 22 retired in a ceremony after the Hawkeyes’ win over No. 4 USC, one season after she completed her historic college career.
South Carolina retires Wilson’s number >> Three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson’s South Carolina No. 22 jersey was hung in the rafters at Colonial Life Arena, her college home court that already features a statue of the program’s all-time leading scorer outside the main entrance.
Wilson spent the weekend around coach Dawn Staley and the current group of Gamecocks players, who beat Auburn 83-66. Wilson spoke to the players at practice Saturday and had a question-and-answer session alongside Staley before both sat courtside that night as South Carolina’s men played No. 13 Texas A&M.
Golf
Kim wins first LPGA tournament of the year >> A Lim Kim responded to a late charge by Nelly Korda with three birdies on her final four holes for a 5-under 67 and a two-shot victory in the LPGA season opener at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Korda, coming off her seven-win season, holed a 3-foot birdie putt on the par-5 15th to tie for the lead. Kim was in the final group behind her and matched the birdie to regain the lead.
Kim seized control with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 16th for a two-shot lead, and she capped off her wire-to-wire win with a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th.
“So fun, so good. And then I’m hungry,” Kim said when asked to describe how she was feeling.
Korda closed with a 65 at Lake Nona to start her season with a runner-up finish.
WNBA
Sun signs Charles decade after trading her away >> Tina Charles is going back to Connecticut. The free agent center signed a one-year deal with the Sun.
“Today marks an incredible moment in our team’s history as we welcome back one of the greatest players to every grace the WNBA,” remarked Sun general manager Morgan Tuck.
Charles was drafted by the Sun with the No. 1 pick in 2010 before getting traded to New York in 2014. She was the league’s MVP in 2012 and Rookie of the Year.