Breanna Stewart scored 22 points, Jackie Young added 18 and the U.S. beat France 97-79 on Sunday to win its fifth consecutive women’s FIBA World Cup championship.

The victory extended the Americans’ streak to 36 straight World Cup wins, dating back to the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup, where they lost to Russia.

By coming in second, France had its best finish in this tournament. But it was a disappointment after France lost by only one point to the Americans in the 2024 Paris Olympic final and thought this would be a chance for a breakthrough win.

The U.S. improved to 9-0 in gold-medal games since finishing second in 1983 to the Soviet Union.

Dominique Malonga scored 21 points to lead the French offense.

milb

SAINTS top mets in HOME FINALE

The power was non-existent through the first five games of the series against Syracuse, but in the home finale, St. Paul showed what has made them so successful throughout the season.

The Saints blasted three home runs, accounting for all their runs, in a 6-5 win over the Mets in the home finale at CHS Field.

Outfielder Kala’i Rosario hit two of those homers, riving him 11 on the season, as part of a 2 for 4 day with three RBIs and two runs scored. He became the 13th Saints player with double-digit home runs on the season, most in baseball.

First baseman Aaron Sabato hit a three-run blast, giving him 25 on the season. Sabato overtook outfielder Matt Wallner for the most round-trippers in franchise Triple-A history.

Reliever Paulshawn Pasqualotto (1-0, 6.23) threw two perfect innings for the win as six Saints pitchers saw action in the win.

St. Paul improved to 79-64 with the victory.

college football

longhorns ascend to No. 1 in AP poll

There’s a new No. 1 team in the AP Top 25: Texas snagged the top spot after a wild win against Ohio State, xgiving the Longhorns their earliest No. 1 regular-season ranking since 1965.

The Buckeyes slid down five places to No. 6, leaving the top five for the first time in two seasons.

Oregon plummeted 15 spots to No. 21 after a 39-31 road loss to an Oklahoma State team that had lost 21 straight against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents.

No. 19 Michigan returned to the poll thanks to a 17-10 win over then-No. 11 Oklahoma. The Wolverines had gone unranked last week, after needing an extra second and a second-chance Hail Mary to beat Western Michigan.

MLB

DEVERS may need surgery on core

San Francisco’s Rafael Devers’ season is over and he may have surgery for a core muscle injury.

The Giants placed the first baseman/designated hitter and designated hitter on the 60-day injured list, ending his season.

Devers, who leads the team with 37 homers and 98 RBIs, is to meet Monday in Philadelphia with Dr. William Meyers. If a procedure is recommended, Devers would have the operation on Tuesday.

Devers had played in 309 consecutive games before sitting out a 7-6 win over St. Louis on Wednesday.

briefly

Formula 1: Kimi Antonelli took advantage of Lando Norris’ mishaps to win the Spanish Grand Prix in Formula 1‘s return to Madrid, increasing his lead in the drivers’ standings. Norris ended third, behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

MLB: Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander is making progress toward potentially pitching one more time in the last year of his playing career. Verlander, who announced his intention to retire in July, will be feted by the team during its final series of the season.

MLB: The Arizona Diamondbacks have designated Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for assignment, potentially ending the tenure of an outfielder who played a key role in their 2023 World Series run but struggled after tearing his ACL last season. Gurriel is in the final guaranteed season of a $42 million, three-year contract.

NWSL: The Houston Dash fired coach Fabrice Gautrat and technical director Twila Kilgore. Jaime Frias will be the Dash’s interim head coach for the rest of the season. Houston has a 7-12-5 record and is 12th out of 16 teams in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Track and field: Josh Kerr added the Ultimate Championship to his unforgettable season, grabbing the lead on the last lap and winning the 1,500 meters in 3 minutes, 29.35 seconds. Australia’s Cameron Myers finished second, .33 seconds behind.

— From news services