Britain and Ireland dominated the two foursomes sessions and took an 11-4 lead over Continental Europe at the Team Cup on the second day Saturday.

The event at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort gives European players valuable matchplay action ahead of the Ryder Cup in New York this year.

Britain and Ireland led 3 ½-1 ½ overnight following Friday’s fourballs and won 7 ½ of 10 points during the foursomes sessions. Britain and Ireland needs just two points in Sunday’s singles to clinch the trophy.

The team’s overall performance delighted captain Justin Rose.

“The leaderboard got more and more and more in our favor as the rounds went on and on and on,” Rose said. “Every match that got tight we either got back to halve or turned them around to win matches. Today was the big day, 10 points up for grabs. They have done an unbelievable job.”

College basketball

No. 4 Duke beats Notre Dame >> Cooper Flagg scored an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman record 42 points to help No. 4 Duke hold off Notre Dame 86-78 and stay unbeaten in conference play.

The 6-foot-9 preseason Associated Press All-American made 11 of 14 shots, 4 of 6 3-pointers and 16 of 17 foul shots. He also had seven assists and six rebounds , turning in an all-around floor game that had him single-handedly wearing down the Notre Dame defense.

Khaman Maluach added a season-high 19 points for Duke (14-2, 6-0).

No. 2 Auburn rallies past South Carolina >> Tahaad Pettiford assisted on Dylan Cardwell’s go-ahead dunk and converted two free throws with 4.4 seconds remaining as No. 2 Auburn overcame an injury to leading scorer Johni Broom and rallied to beat South Carolina 66-63.

With Auburn trailing by a point with 90 seconds remaining, Pettiford fed Cardwell for a dunk to give the Tigers (15-1, 3-0 SEC) a 64-63 lead. Pettiford sealed the win with a pair of free throws in the final seconds and finished with 15 points.

No. 11 Kansas tops Cincinnati >> Hunter Dickinson scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season as No. 11 Kansas pulled away from Cincinnati for a 54-40 victory.

The matchup between two of the nation’s top defensive teams resulted in a low scoring affair. The Jayhawks held the Bearcats scoreless for more than six minutes in the second half to spark a 14-0 run.

The 40 points are the fewest for the Bearcats in head coach Wes Miller’s four seasons.

Zeke Mayo scored eight points for Kansas (12-3, 3-1 Big 12) which has won three straight.

Soccer

FA Cup roundup >> Manchester City routed fourth-division Salford City 8-0 in the FA Cup as Premier League teams flexed their muscles against lower league opposition.

Shocks were in short supply as Liverpool and Chelsea booked their place in the next round with heavy wins. Brighton, Bournemouth and Leicester also romped to victories. Those six clubs scored a combined 32 goals.

The third round is traditionally one of the most anticipated weekends in English soccer as top flight clubs enter the competition with the prospect of upsets. But it was a day when the might of the Premier League was underlined, with high-flying Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton also going through.

NBA

Rockets Hawks game postponed due to storm >> The game between the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks scheduled for Saturday has been postponed because of a winter storm.

The NBA said the decision was made “to prioritize the safety of the players, fans and staff due to the severe weather and hazardous icy conditions in the Atlanta area.”

The league said a date for a rescheduled game will be announced at a later time.

NFL

Falcons fire multiple assistants >> The Atlanta Falcons fired defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and defensive line coach Jay Rodgers on Saturday following first-year coach Raheem Morris’ sharp criticism of his defense’s disappointing finish.

The Falcons (8-9) missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season following a 44-38 overtime loss to Carolina.

“After a thorough evaluation of the season, and with careful consideration for our team’s future, we deemed these moves necessary,” Morris said in a two-paragraph statement released by the team. “These decisions are never easy from the human side of things and we wish Jimmy, Jay and their families the best.”

Bears interview Lions’ Johnson for coaching position >> The Chicago Bears have interviewed Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for their head coaching position.

The Lions earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs this season after leading the league in points per game and finishing second in yards passing and total yards per game.

Johnson was promoted in 2022 after spending three seasons with Detroit in various roles. He helped lead the Lions to the NFC championship game last season.

Skiing

Men’s world cup slalom >> Clément Noël skied through the fog to win a World Cup slalom race Saturday and deny Brazil a first-ever victory by just 0.02 seconds.

The 2022 Olympic champion rose from third place in the first run to get his third win this season and beat Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, the Norway-born racer who now represents his mother’s home nation Brazil.

Henrik Kristoffersen, Braathen’s former teammate, placed third, trailing Noël by 0.14, and leads the slalom standings from his French rival.

Womens world cup downhill >> Federica Brignone had zero World Cup downhill wins in her stellar career. Lindsey Vonn had a record 43. Malorie Blanc had never even started a World Cup downhill.

In an instant classic, Brignone started closing the gap with her debut downhill win at age 34 before ski great Vonn was hugely impressive racing into fifth place in her first downhill for six years — at age 40 and now with a titanium knee.

The drama was not over.

Blanc stunningly had the fastest time at the final checkpoint before finishing just 0.07 seconds behind Brignone. Vonn was pushed down into sixth.