Florida Sports Wire

FLORENCE, Ala. -  Jacksonville University men's basketball was outscored by 19 points in the second half, falling 80-62 at North Alabama on Thursday night in CB&S Bank Arena. JU (11-9, 4-5) did not trail in the first half and led by one at the break, but could not sustain that performance in the last 20 minutes. The game began with JU scoring 13 of the first 15 points, prompting UNA to call a timeout after Mike Marsh hit a hook shoot to go up by double-figures just 3:22 into the game. From there, the Lions started to find some rhythm on offense, cutting the deficit to three halfway through the first. JU kept them at bay, with a 6-1 run pushing the lead to 29-21 when Osifo hit a second-chance layup. He made a pair of free throws a few minutes later to keep the lead at eight, but the Dolphins struggled offensively down the stretch in the half, not making a field goal for the last 5:10. Dylan O'Hearn drew a foul and split a pair of free throws with three seconds left to give J

( SportsDay) The New York Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack announced that the Rangers have reassigned goaltender Olof Lindbom to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack from the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen. Lindbom, 22, has appeared in 16 games with the Icemen during his rookie North American professional season. He’s posted a record of 11-5-0 and collected one shutout during his ECHL debut season. Selected in the second round, 39th overall, of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Lindbom spent the 2021-22 season in his native Sweden playing for Kristianstads IK of the HockeyAllsvenskan. He posted a record of 10-15-0 in 27 appearances. Lindbom helped lead Sweden to a Bronze medal at the U18 World Junior Championship during the 2017-18 season. He was named the tournament’s best goaltender and to the tournament’s All-Star Team. (File Photo/Nancy Beecher) #jaxicemen #sportsday #echl #hartfordwolfpack #NYRangers #AHL

ORLANDO (Florida Sports Wire) –  Orlando City has acquired 21-year-old forward Ramiro Enrique from Club Atlético Banfield of Argentina’s Primera División. Enrique will join the Lions on a three-year contract through 2025, with Club options in 2026 and 2027. He will be added to the Lions’ roster as a part of the U22 initiative, pending the receipt of his P-1 Visa, ITC and medical evaluation.  “We are excited to welcome Ramiro to our Club ahead of the 2023 season, as we look to complete our roster and contend for more championships,” said Orlando City EVP of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi. “Ramiro is a very mobile and fast attacker that can create many opportunities in the attacking third. His versatility at the top of the formation gives us a ton of options to be creative in the attack and we can’t wait to get him integrated into the group.” “Still early on in his professional career, he had a great season with Banfield and we are excited to be able to progress and ele

TALLAHASSEE (Florida Sports Wire) - - Florida State will retire the jersey of Buster Posey in a ceremony prior to the start of the Seminoles’ game against Pittsburgh on Saturday, March 11 with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.   Posey, who was a two-time first team All-America catcher for the Seminoles in 2007 and 2008, won virtually every award in baseball including the Golden Spikes Award, Dick Howser Trophy, Brooks Wallace, Johnny Bench and Player of the Year honors by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and Rivals.com in his junior season.   Posey also earned All-America honors as a freshman in 2006 at shortstop for the Seminoles before moving behind the plate.  Posey’s records from his consensus All-America junior season included leading the nation in six offensive categories including batting average (.463), hits (119), RBI (93), total bases (226), on-base percentage (.566) and slugging percentage (.879).  His batting average was the highest recorded in a single season in Semino

By Alex Schwartz MiamiHurricanes.com   TALLAHASSEE –   The University of Miami men’s basketball team posted a resounding 23-point victory Tuesday night at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, defeating Florida State, 86-63.   Third-year sophomore guard Nijel Pack and fourth-year junior guard Isaiah Wong co-led No. 20/19 Miami (16-4, 7-3 ACC) with a game-high 18 points in the largest road win by either side in the history of the storied in-state rivalry.   After Florida State (7-14, 5-5 ACC) scored four of the first five points, Miami went on an 18-0 run in just 2:41 to grab a 19-4 edge with 15:38 on the first-half clock. The burst included a trio of 3-pointers by Pack and one by sophomore guard Wooga Poplar.   The Hurricanes extended the lead up to 22 points, 39-17, with 8:46 on the clock after an 18-8 burst that included four more 3-pointers. Miami started 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from beyond the arc, including hitting seven of its first nine attempts, and 15-of-22 (68.2 percent) overall.

Officials with the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour, a non-profit organization with the mission to prepare African Americans and other minority golfers to compete and win at the highest level of professional golf, today announced that the top player at the end of each season will receive the Jeff Dailey APGA Tour Player of the Year award .  This honor will be given to   the APGA Tour Member  who earns the most combined points   in APGA Tour competition throughout the Lexus Cup season, the Farmers Insurance ®  Fall Series and two Cisco Invitational events. The award, named after former Farmers Insurance ®  CEO Jeff Dailey as recognition of his long-time support of the APGA Tour, will include a $25,000 bonus for the winner. “We launched the APGA Tour in 2010 thanks to a $10,000 contribution that came from Farmers Insurance and through the support of Jeff Dailey,” said APGA Tour CEO Ken Bentley. “The APGA Tour has made incredible progress over the years and Jeff has bee

TAMPA BAY (Florida Sports Wire) – The Tampa Bay Lightning honored Eric Bledsoe as the Lightning Community Hero this evening during the first period of tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild. Bledsoe, who received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Heroes program, presented by Jabil, will donate the money to The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.       Currently, Bledsoe serves as the Director of the Gateway Contact Center, which fields calls from throughout the community struggling mentally. He initially started with the Crisis Center two years ago as a Veteran Care Coordinator, assisting veteran peers on the Florida Veterans Support Line. Bledsoe has repeatedly put others over himself in his roles, even camping out at the Gateway Contact Center through Hurricane Ian to ensure that the team felt supported as they were inundated with calls from anxious community members. He continues to work diligently to ensure his team has the support and resourc

JACKSONVILLE (Florida Sports Wire)   —   Gator Bowl Sports Board of Trustees and TaxSlayer, as the title sponsor of the Gator Bowl game since 2012, announced today a sponsorship extension which will last through 2027.   The new term makes TaxSlayer the longest tenured entitlement sponsor in Gator Bowl Sports history. “We express our gratitude to the TaxSlayer family for extending their sponsorship of our historical post-season bowl game,” said Greg McGarity, Gator Bowl Sports President & CEO.  “As we enter our second decade of this sponsorship, we are blessed to work alongside such an incredible partner as TaxSlayer.” In 2023, the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl will enter into the second half of its current agreement with the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference to host a team from each conference in the annual game and will be broadcast on ESPN. The 78 th  TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, held on Dec. 30, 2022, showcased a dynamic match-up between Notre Dame and South Carolina and boa

ORLANDO (Florida Sports Wire) —  The Orlando Pride has acquired Adriana Leal da Silva, more commonly known as Adriana, via transfer from Brazilian side Corinthians, it was announced today. Adriana joins the Pride on a three-year contract, pending receipt of a P-1 visa and ITC, with Allocation Money used in both the signing and transfer. “Adriana is an exciting, dynamic and entertaining player with an eye for the goal. She possesses great technical ability and an incredible work rate, and we’re extremely happy to have her as part of the Pride,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said. “She’s a player that thrives in one-on-one situations and one that will bring new attacking power to our front line. Adriana is already a winner for club and country but still has an ambition to take her career to the next level, and we’re happy to have her do so here in Orlando.” "I am very happy to have signed with Orlando Pride, a special club. I am happy and excited to arrive there quickly and be

By Mike Bonts After an exit from the first round of the NFL playoffs, the Bucs and Dolphins today announced coaching changes. Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced that the team has parted ways with Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich, Specialists Coach Chris Boniol, Wide Receivers Coach Kevin Garver, Offensive Quality Control Coach Jeff Kastl, Assistant Defensive Line Coach Lori Locust and Running Backs Coach Todd McNair. In addition, Quarterbacks Coach Clyde Christensen, Senior Offensive Assistant Rick Christophel and Outside Linebackers Coach Bob Sanders have decided to retire. “We appreciate the hard work and contributions that all of these coaches made to our successes over the past four seasons,” said Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles. “As a collective group, we did not meet the high standards that had been set for this past year and my focus now is on doing what is needed to ensure a successful 2023 season. These were very difficult decisions but something that I felt was necessary fo

SUNRISE, Fla.  - The Florida Panthers in partnership with Visit Lauderdale announced today additional events that will take place in South Florida surrounding the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend.   On Sunday, Jan. 29, the Florida Panthers will host the ‘Florida Panthers FTL Beach Sweep’ to clean up the Ft. Lauderdale shores ahead of the Honda NHL All-Star Weekend and promote environmental awareness for the coastal community. Fans and community members are welcome to join this volunteer effort that will begin at 9 a.m.  Click  here  to sign up and receive more information.   The City of Sunrise will be the home of the City of Sunrise & Florida Panthers Hockey Festival on Tuesday, Jan. 31 from 5:30-8 p.m. at Flamingo Park. This free community festival will feature live music, food trucks, street hockey clinics, appearances, photo opportunities including one with the Stanley Cup®, interactive games, enter-to-win chances and more.  Fans who are interested in partaking in an on-site st