Sports News Roundup: Mewis named US Soccer's female player; No 1 Gonzaga tops No. 3 Iowa and more

Top 25 roundup: No. 1 Alabama outlasts No. 7 Florida Najee Harris caught three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores Saturday night as No. 1 Alabama secured its place in the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 52-46 win over No. 7 Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game in Atlanta.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Mewis named U.S. Soccer's female player of the year

Manchester City midfielder Sam Mewis was named U.S. Soccer's female player of the year on Saturday. The 28-year-old, who helped the United States capture the World Cup in France last year, played in eight of the nine games for the national team this year and scored four goals at the Concacaf Women's Olympic Qualifiers.

Top 25 roundup: No. 1 Gonzaga tops No. 3 Iowa

Jalen Suggs made 7 of 10 3-point attempts while scoring a career-best 27 points to lead top-ranked Gonzaga to an impressive 99-88 victory over No. 3 Iowa on Saturday in a neutral-court nonconference showdown at Sioux Falls, S.D. Joel Ayayi registered a career-high 18 rebounds in addition to contributing 11 points and six assists as the Bulldogs (4-0) didn't appear the least bit rusty in their first game since Dec. 2 due to COVID-19 issues.

Tiger and son Charlie four shots back in Orlando team event

Tiger Woods and his 11-year-old son Charlie were four shots back of the lead after the first round of a two-day exhibition event in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday. Team Woods opened the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club with a 10-under-par 62 that left them in a share of sixth place in a 20-team field consisting of major champions and winners of The Players alongside a family member.

NBA notebook: Thunder waive Leaf, Schofield

The Oklahoma City Thunder waived forwards T.J. Leaf and Admiral Schofield, the team announced. The Thunder acquired Leaf, 23, on Nov. 25 and a 2027 second-round pick from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Jalen Lecque. In three seasons with the Pacers, Leaf averaged 3.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 139 games.

Bengals QB Finley to start vs. Steelers

The Cincinnati Bengals will turn to quarterback Ryan Finley to start the team's upcoming game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, coach Zac Taylor announced on Saturday. Finley has taken the first-team reps with the Bengals' offense in practice this week. Fellow quarterback Brandon Allen, who is nursing a knee injury, has started the last three games for the Bengals (2-10-1).

Kim leads Ko by one at LPGA Tour season finale

Defending champion Kim Sei-young of South Korea held a one-shot lead over compatriot and world number one Ko Jin-young after the third round of the LPGA's season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, on Saturday. Kim, who carded six birdies through her first 13 holes and was blemish-free on the day until a bogey at last, shot a five-under-par 67 that brought her to 13 under on the week at Tiburon Golf Club.

Federer, other top players expected for Australian Open: Tiley

Australian Open organisers are confident they will see a full slate of the world's top players, including six-times champion Roger Federer, at next year's delayed opening Grand Slam. Tennis Australia and the Victorian state government said on Saturday the tournament had been pushed back three weeks to start on Feb. 8 after drawn-out negotiations over COVID-19 health security measures.

Sailing: Light winds play havoc with America's Cup racing

Light winds played havoc with the final day of competitive sailing before the America's Cup challenger series starts on Jan. 15, with only one of Sunday's four scheduled races able to be started but abandoned after it exceeded the 45-minute limit. Races cannot start unless the wind is a minimum of 6.5 knots (12 kph), and while the superfast AC75 monohulls have shown they can achieve more than three times the wind speed, they need to generate at least 15 knots of speed to get up on their foils.

Top 25 roundup: No. 1 Alabama outlasts No. 7 Florida

Najee Harris caught three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores Saturday night as No. 1 Alabama secured its place in the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 52-46 win over No. 7 Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game in Atlanta. Harris ran for 178 yards on 31 carries while catching five passes for 67 yards. Mac Jones completed 33 of 43 passes for 418 yards and five touchdowns with one interception, and DeVonta Smith added 15 catches for 184 yards with two scores.

Colts punter Sanchez to return after surgery on cancerous tumour

Indianapolis Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez is set to feature in Sunday's game against the Houston Texans, less than three weeks after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. The 26-year-old, who signed with the Colts after going undrafted in 2017, disclosed his diagnosis on Nov. 30 and went under the knife a day later.