BASKETBALL

Breanna Stewart and the United States used a dominant defensive effort to beat Canada and reach the gold-medal game of the World Cup for the fourth consecutive tournament.

Stewart scored 17 points and the Americans raced out to an early lead to put away Canada 83-43 on Friday in Sydney. The 43 points was the fewest scored in a semifinal game in World Cup history.

The Americans will face either China or Australia, who played later in the day, for the gold.

The U.S. (7-0), which is on a record pace for points and margin of victory in the tournament, took control of the game early by scoring the first 15 points. The Americans contested every shot on the defensive end as the Canadians missed their first nine attempts from the field. On the offensive end, Stewart, A’ja Wilson and Alyssa Thomas basically got any shot they wanted.

PREP SCHOOLS

GIRLS’ SOCCER: Sevilla Coffin put home a cross from Grace Libby in the 50th minute as Berwick Academy (9-0) beat Beaver County Day 1-0 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

GOLF

LAWSUIT: The PGA Tour has filed a counterclaim against Saudi-funded LIV Golf accusing the rival league of inducing top players to breach PGA Tour contracts by claiming the tour could not enforce them.

The counterclaim was included in the PGA Tour’s response to the amended antitrust lawsuit filed in federal court in northern California, which included LIV Golf as a plaintiff.

Since then, eight of the 11 players who sued the PGA Tour, including Phil Mickelson, have asked to be removed from the lawsuit. Mickelson said his involvement was no longer necessary with LIV Golf now suing the tour.

In the response to the lawsuit filed late Wednesday, the PGA Tour claims LIV Golf is asking the court to invalidate its regulations “with the stroke of a pen” after inducing players with hundreds of millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

PGA: Mackenzie Hughes shot 9-under 63 to grab a share of the lead in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi.

Hughes birded his last two holes to catch Thomas Detry, who played in the morning and had a second straight 67.

They were at 10-under 134, one shot ahead of Sepp Straka (66).

LPGA: Charley Hull made eight birdies and shot 7-under 64 to take the 36-hole lead in the Ascendant LPGA in The Colony, Texas.

Hull is at 11-under 131, two shots ahead of Xiyu “Janet” Lin and Atthaya Thitikul.

EUROPEAN TOUR: English golfer Richard Mansell stood up to bad weather to shoot a stunning 4-under 68 on the Old Course and open a two-shot lead halfway through the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Swede Alex Noren was alone in second place on 8 under following his 69 at Kingsbarns, and Dane Niklas Norgaard Moller and Frenchman Antoine Rozner were tied for third after 74s at St Andrews and Carnoustie respectively.

COLLEGES 

FOOTBALL: This weekend’s Southern Methodist University at University of Central Florida game has been rescheduled due to Hurricane Ian, this time shifting from Sunday to Wednesday.

The game at UCF’s on-campus stadium initially was scheduled to be played Saturday. Ian made landfall on Florida’s west coast before moving across the state, impacting Orlando and other communities in the storm’s path.

The game will be played at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

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