USA Hockey crushes the Olympic competition

The US is going for gold, routing Sweden 5-0 to secure a gold medal rematch with rival Canada, plus Dawn Staley gets her 500th win and more news to know

02/18/2026 View online  |  Sign up

USA Hockey crushes the Olympic competition

Abbey Murphy #37 of Team United States celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the second period during the Women's Playoffs Semifinal match between United States and Sweden

Abbey Murphy scored Team USA’s third goal in Monday’s 5-0 semifinal win over Sweden. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

USA Hockey is going for gold, routing Sweden 5-0 in Monday’s semifinal to secure a gold medal rematch with rival Canada — the pair’s seventh Olympic final.

  • Cayla Barnes opened scoring for the US in the first period, before Taylor Heise, Abbey Murphy, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Hayley Scamurra piled on with tallies of their own.

  • “Maybe we needed a plexiglass in front of our net to stay in the game,” Sweden head coach Ulf Lundberg said afterwards. (Watch full highlights)

Both sides now: Team USA shattered the Olympic record for total minutes without conceding a goal, keeping a clean sheet since February 5th’s opening group-stage win over Czechia — 331 minutes and 23 seconds and counting.

  • The US has also outscored opponents 31-1, pitching shutouts for 16 straight periods including Friday’s 6-0 quarterfinal drubbing of Italy.

  • “I’ve been on a lot of teams throughout my career, but there’s something special about this one,” Coyne Schofield said. “I think it’s ultimately how enjoyable it is to be in that locker room and how everyone is willing to do whatever it takes for this team, no matter what the role is.”

Up next: Team USA takes the ice against Canada on Thursday at 1:10 PM ET, live on Peacock.

Watch more: Get a JWS crash course in the USA-Canada rivalry with The DNA Of: The USA Vs. Canada Hockey Rivalry.

South Carolina’s Dawn Staley earns 500th win in Baton Rouge

Head Coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks high fives players before an NCAA women's basketball game against the Grand Canyon Antelopes at Colonial Life Arena on November 3, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina

South Carolina now has 18 straight wins over LSU. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Coach Dawn Staley celebrated a milestone on Saturday, earning her 500th career win as No. 3 South Carolina took down No. 7 LSU 79-72 in Baton Rouge.

  • Gamecocks guard Tessa Johnson held court with 21 points, while struggles at the line saw star Tigers guard Flau’jae Johnson miss two free throws in the final minute as South Carolina pulled away.

  • “At the end, we got lucky,” Staley said postgame. “Flau’jae doesn’t miss free throws — we actually got a bucket after that and it’s those kind of plays that are determining the game.” (Watch full highlights)

On a roll: The victory marked the Gamecocks’ 18th straight win over LSU — remaning the only SEC team Tigers coach Kim Mulkey has yet to beat.

  • “It was two of the best teams in our conference, in the country, just trying to get a win,” Staley summarized.

  • South Carolina has a multi-game lead on the SEC standings with four matchups left, as Staley’s squad closes in on a fifth regular-season title.

Up next: SEC action returns Thursday on ESPN, as South Carolina faces No. 25 Alabama at 8:30 PM ET before LSU takes on No. 17 Ole Miss at 9 PM ET.

Chelsea Gray wins Unrivaled’s 1v1 crown

 Chelsea Gray #12 of the Rose receives the prize from Unrivaled Basketball Commissioner Micky Lawler after winning the Unrivaled 2026 1-on-1 Tournament

Unrivaled’s Chelsea Gray received $200,000 for the win. (Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)

Unrivaled brought the heat this weekend, as Rose BC guard Chelsea Gray battled her way to the 1v1 crown — and its $200,00 prize — on Saturday.

  • The No. 2 seed earned a comeback win over No. 1 Allisha Gray in the midseason tournament’s best-of-three final, dropping No. 7 Natasha Cloud, No. 3 Jackie Young, No. 1 Paige Bueckers, and No. 2 Kelsey Plum along the way.

  • “Exhausted,” Gray said after the win. “Grateful, humbled, excited, everything, man. I said it out there — a lot of people didn’t pick me to be sitting here talking to y’all.” (See full bracket)

Getting paid: Runner-up Allisha took home $50,000, while semifinalists Plum and No. 4 Aliyah Boston notched $25,000 each.

  • “You just gotta take care of the moment and the rest will happen,” the champion said after overcoming back-to-back deficits. “You dig deep when there’s $200K on the line… We’ll spend that money wisely.”

  • “If I had to lose at least I lost to the point gawd,” Allisha told reporters. “You can’t say I lost to a scrub, man, she’s a great player.” (See full clip)

Up next: Unrivaled is back to 3×3 play tonight, as Laces BC tips off against the Hive at 7:30 PM ET, before Breeze BC faces the Lunar Owls at 8:45 PM ET, live on TNT.

Breanna Stewart joins EuroLeague as CBA talks linger

Schio's Spanish center Astou Ndour (L) tries to block Fenerbahce's US power forward Breanna Stewart (R) during the Euroleague basketball women semi-final match between Fenerbahce and Schio in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 14, 2023.

WNBA and Unrivaled star Breanna Stewart will join Türkiye’s Fenerbahçe in April. (Michal Cizek/AFP via Getty Images)

Breanna Stewart is headed overseas, as the WNBA star announced she’ll join Turkish titan Fenerbahçe Opet ahead of April’s EuroLeague Women Final Six.

  • The Final Six runs April 15th to 19th — days before WNBA players are expected to report to training camp for the 2026 season.

  • The Unrivaled co-founder will first finish out her 3×3 run with the third-place Mist, with the offseason league’s final set for March 4th.

Big picture: The news arrives at an interesting time, as ongoing CBA negotiations threaten to delay the WNBA’s planned season start.

  • The Liberty forward’s move also raises questions about prioritization rules, with the old CBA requiring contracted players to join their WNBA teams by the beginning of training camp or May 1st — whichever comes later — or face a year-long suspension.

  • Stewart previously played for Fenerbahçe during the 2022/23 season, leading the team to a championship title while taking home Final Four MVP.

US skier Mikaela Shiffrin goes for gold after Olympic stumbles

Mikaela Shiffrin of Team United States competes in her first run of the Women's Giant Slalom on day nine of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games

Team USA skier Mikaela Shiffrin has not medaled in eight straight Olympic races. (Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT/GettyImages)

The winningest skier in World Cup history has one more shot, as Team USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin hunts her first Olympic medal in nine attempts at tomorrow’s slalom final.

  • Shiffrin won the event seven times in eight World Cup starts, but has struggled in Cortina, following up last week’s fourth-place team combined finish by missing the podium at Sunday’s giant slalom.

  • “When I think about it, I’m three-tenths off of the podium in 10th or something,” said the 30-year-old, staying positive while facing an Olympic medal drought dating to 2018. “It’s such a high level of competition.”

Tune in: The women’s slalom kicks off tomorrow at 4 AM ET, live on NBC.

US star Elana Meyers Taylor wins bobsled gold

 Gold medalist Elana Meyers Taylor of Team United States celebrates after winning the Women's Monobob Bobsleigh Heat 4

At 41, Meyers Taylor is the oldest individual champion in Winter Olympics history. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Team USA’s Elana Meyers Taylor got her gold, as the 41-year-old bobsledder won Monday’s monobob to top the podium for the first time.

  • Meyers Taylor became the oldest individual champion in Winter Olympics history with the win, claiming her sixth career medal to tie Bonnie Blair’s US women’s record.

  • “I didn’t need it, but I wanted it,” Meyers Taylor said, after winning three silver and two bronze medals over five Olympic appearances. (Watch full run)

Big picture: Meyers Taylor edged out Germany’s Laura Nolte by just 0.04 seconds, followed by US teammate and 2022 gold medalist Kaillie Armbruster Humphries.

Number of the day 

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No. 22 North Carolina shot 0 free throws in Sunday’s 72-68 loss to No. 9 Duke — in contrast to the Blue Devels’ 21 shots from the stripe.