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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Toumani Camara scored a career-high 30 points and shot 8 of 10 from 3-point range, Deni Avdija had 26 points and 10 rebounds and the Portland Trail Blazers used a huge third quarter to cruise to a 135-118 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, whoplayed without Joel Embiidon Monday night.

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Jerami Grant and Donovan Clingan each added 15 points for the Trail Blazers, who trailed 65-64 at halftime before outscoring the 76ers 49-22 in the third to take control.

Embiid, who scored 33 points in a win at Phoenix on Saturday night, sat out against Portland to rest his right knee after an off day. Tyrese Maxey had 30 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. 19 for the 76ers, who wrapped up a 3-2 Western road trip and lost for just the second time in eight games overall.

Philadelphia took a 67-64 lead coming out of halftime on Andre Drummond's layup, but the 76ers never led again.

Grant made a 3-pointer to tie it and Avdija — who sat out last Saturday in a win against Memphis with a back ailment — followed with a 3 of his own to put Portland ahead. That set off an 18-4 run that was capped by another 3 by Avdija to make it 82-69.

The Trail Blazers took their biggest lead of the game at 28 points on Robert Williams III's 3-pointer with 29 seconds left in the third to put Portland up 113-85.

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Scoot Henderson, who sat out last Saturday with a left hamstring ailment after making his season debut for the Trail Blazers the previous night, returned and had 12 points and seven assists.

Portland finished 22 of 54 from 3-point range.

76ers: Host the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.

Trail Blazers: Play at Minnesota on Wednesday night.

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Six former women's basketball players from the University of Pittsburgh are suing the school and its coach, Tory Verdi.

The six individual civil suits were filed in the U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania on Friday, Feb. 6. Each player is represented by the same attorney, Keenan Holmes. Each suit alleges Title IX violations and that Verdi inflicted "emotional, psychological, and physical abuse" against the players and that he created a "hostile, discriminatory, and retaliatory environment."

Much of the allegations in the six lawsuits — which USA TODAY Sports obtained copies of — read similarly and cite the same instances to back up their allegations that Verdi "weaponized his authority to manipulate, demean, and emotionally destabilize players through targeted mistreatment, verbal abuse, gaslighting, and retaliatory conduct."

"Verdi used his position of authority to engage in emotionally abusive conduct, retaliation, and psychological manipulation that transcended poor coaching and entered into constitutional violations," one lawsuits reads. "The program was defined by fear and emotional volatility as players were routinely demeaned, psychologically isolated, and pressured to perform under abusive conditions."

Spokespersons for Pitt's athletic department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.

The lawsuits were filed by Favor Ayodele, Raeven Boswell, Makayla Elmore, Brooklynn Miles, Isabella Perkins and Jasmine Timmerson. Their suits also claim that Pitt knew about the players' complaints about Verdi, but took no action.

Concerns, according to the lawsuits, were raised with Senior Woman Administrator Jennifer Tuscano, former athletic director Heather Lyke, and Laurel Gift — Pitt's Assistant Vice Chancellor for Compliance, Investigations, and Ethics. Lyke is now the Special Advisor to the Chancellor and Athletic Director at Syracuse.

Often the first specific incident cited in the lawsuits is one that allegedly occurred after a practice during the 2023-24 season when Verdi told the team, "Every night I lay in bed I want to kill myself because of you." The former players say this "caused fear, emotional distress, and confusion among players."

Four of the six lawsuits cite another incident where, before playing a game against Clemson, Verdi allegedly "directed xenophobic and culturally insensitive remarks" toward a foreign-born player, telling her to "go back home because ICE is coming." One lawsuit claims that Verdi told foreign-born players, "We speak English here," when they would use their native languages or accents.

In her lawsuit, Perkins alleges that Verdi once told her during the summer of 2024 in a private meeting, "I don't like you as a player, but I'd let my son date you."

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Perkins also says that she was "routinely denied adequate medical care" and forced to play while injured. Perkins said she confided in the team doctor about the "hostile and abusive environment perpetuated by Coach Verdi." That disclosure was reported to Verdi, Perkins alleges, and it was met with retaliation. Perkins adds that her request for a medical redshirt was denied because Pitt mishandled her submission to the ACC.

Two lawsuits make the allegation that Verdi berated the team after the death of one player's father, allegedly telling them, "I knew you guys were bad basketball players, but I didn't know you were bad people too."

Four of the six players also claim that Verdi mocked one player's appearance and weight, telling her "you look pregnant," while she was recovering from injury. The six players also claim that Verdi "intentionally created and exploited racial division" and that "players of color were subjected to harsher discipline, less patience, and fewer opportunities than similarly situated white teammates."

One former player, Elmore, says she "made a good-faith report" to Pitt's compliance office regarding repeated NCAA practice-hour violations by Verdi. Elmore claims that the compliance office disclosed her identity to Verdi and nothing was done.

Another former player, Ayodele, says that when she was injured, Verdi didn't speak to her for nearly six months and ignored "her medical and emotional needs and isolating her from team support."

Some of the former players say they have had to seek mental health treatment and therapy after playing for Verdi. The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and a declaration that Pitt violated Title IX.

Verdi is in his third season coaching thePanthers, who currently have an overall record of 8-17, a mark that includes a loss to Division III Scranton. He has a record of 29-60 while leading Pitt. The Panthers have not posted a winning record in ACC play since the 2014-15 season, which is also the last time they made the NCAA tournament.

Previously, Verdi was the head coach at UMass and Eastern Michigan, where he won a combined 200 games. Verdi signed a six-year contract with Pitt when he was hired in 2023.

Riding an eight-game losing streak, Pitt is scheduled to play again on Thursday night at home against Syracuse.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Pitt women's basketball coach accused of abuse in lawsuits by players

Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. tied the Louisville single-game scoring mark with 45 points and matched another single-game record with 10 3-pointers to lead the No. 24 Cardinals to a 118-77 win over visiting North Carolina State on Monday night.

Louisville (18-6, 8-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed. Brown produced 21 points with five 3-pointers to stake the Cardinals to a 56-36 halftime lead before topping that total with five more 3-pointers in the second half.

He finished 14 of 23 from the field, 10 of 16 on 3-point attempts and 7 of 7 at the line while adding nine rebounds, three steals and two assists in 34 minutes. Ryan Conwell added 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Cardinals while going 5-for-6 from 3-point range.

When Brown hit his final 3-pointer with 2:09 to play -- a swish from nearly 30 feet away -- he tied Wes Unseld's single-game school record set against Georgetown (Ky.) College on Dec. 1, 1967. Brown's point total set the ACC freshman record, and his 10 3-pointers tied the school record established by Reyne Smith last season against SMU.

Louisville coach Pat Kelsey then called timeout to remove Brown from the game. The Cardinals wound up with their highest point total since beating Morehead State 119-61 on Dec. 6, 1995.

Louisville opened the game on a 7-0 run. NC State pulled within 25-20 on a Quadir Copeland dunk with 10:58 left in the first half.

Louisville answered with a 10-2 run, and NC State never got within single digits after that surge that included 3-pointers from Conwell and Brown.

The Cardinals racked up their sixth 100-plus scoring effort on the year. No Cardinal other than Brown and Conwell reached double figures, but Louisville shot 60% overall (39-for-65) and 60% from 3-point range (18-for-30).

NC State (18-7, 9-3) saw the end of a six-game winning streak as the Wolfpack allowed more than 85 points for just the second time this season. The Wolfpack were led by Ven-Allen Lubin's 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Tre Holloman added 19 points and Copeland tallied 10.

The Wolfpack shot just 4-for-22 (18.2%) from 3-point range and were outrebounded 42-28.

--Field Level Media

WORCESTER, MA — A supervisor and three instructors with the Massachusetts State Police Academy were indicted in connection with the death ofEnrique Delgado-Garcia, a recruit who died following a training exercise on defensive tactics in 2024, authorities announced Monday, Feb. 9.

Delgado-Garcia, 25, died on Sept. 13, 2024, a day after becoming unresponsive during a boxing match at the State Police Academy in New Braintree, a town about 68 miles west of Boston. At the time, theWorcester Telegram & Gazette, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that the boxing program was previously halted due to injury concerns.

Following his death, state police suspended full-contact boxing training activities for recruits, and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell appointed attorney David Meier toconduct an independent investigationinto the incident.

After anine-month grand jury investigation, Meier said evidence revealed that members of the State Police Academy committed a "series of wanton and reckless acts" in connection with various defensive tactics and physical confrontation training exercises.

The head of the academy's defensive tactics unit, Sgt. Jennifer Penton, and three troopers under her command – Edwin Rodriguez, David Montanez, and Casey LaMonte – were each charged with involuntary manslaughter and causing serious injury to a person participating in a physical training exercise, Meier said.

Penton has also been charged with perjury for allegedly giving false testimony to a special statewide grand jury, according to Meier.

"Each of these individuals owed a duty of care to Enrique Delgado-Garcia and to his fellow trainees," Meir said during anews conferenceon Monday, Feb. 9. "Each of them interacted with Mr. Delgado-Garcia and his fellow trainees on a daily basis, and each of them committed a series of wanton and reckless acts and omissions that resulted in Enrique Delgado-Garcia's death."

Autopsy: Enrique Delgado-Garcia died from blunt trauma

Delgado-Garcia was rushed to a hospital in Worcester, a city about 20 miles east of New Braintree, on Sept. 12, 2024, after being injured during a training exercise.

In a statement, Meier said "wanton and reckless conduct resulted in Enrique Delgado Garcia suffering concussion-like symptoms as the result of unauthorized, unapproved, and unsupervised boxing-related sparring exercises that occurred during Academy training activities on Wednesday, September 11, 2024."

He added that Delgado-Garcia sustained multiple blunt force injuries to the head and "massive brain bleeding" after instructors at the State Police Academy failed to stop a training boxing match on Sept. 12, 2024. Delgado-Garcia died the next day as a result of the "head injuries sustained during the recruit-on-recruit boxing match," according to Meier.

Last year, Michael Wilcox, a lawyer representing Delgado-Garcia's family, confirmed that Delgado-Garcia died from blunt trauma to the head. Citing an autopsy report from the medical examiner, Wilcox said Delgado-Garcia suffered a myriad of injuries to his head, including contusions in both his eyes, thyroid, and neck.

The autopsy report also found that Delgado-Garcia had contusions on his chest and back, as well as on one of his arms and knees, according to Wilcox. Delgado-Garcia's family has previously said they were told the 25-year-old suffered injuries during a few minutes of boxing, which was part of the training program at the academy.

Hostile gunfire:How many police officers have been killed in the line of duty in 2025?

Law enforcement, lawyers react to indictments

During the news conference, Campbell said it was necessary to conduct an independent investigation into Delgado-Garcia's death due to the "extraordinary nature of these events and the complexity of this case."

Delgado-Garcia's death rocked the Worcester District Attorney's Office, where he had once served as a victim witness advocate, and left members of his family calling for answers. The Worcester District Attorney's Office recused itself from the investigation due to its close connection to Delgado-Garcia.

In response to the indictments announced on Monday, Feb. 9, Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble said in a statement that it was a "difficult and somber day" for the department, which he said has "cooperated fully" with Meier's probe.

Noble said the department has taken several steps to strengthen the academy, including "expanding support" for recruits and commissioning a forthcoming "independent review" by the International Association of Police Chiefs.

Brian Williams, president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, said "veteran training staff indicted today are entitled to the same presumption of innocence and due process guaranteed to every citizen."

Williams added that the association "stands firmly behind its members and intends to vigorously defend them against these charges as we continue to work collaboratively with the Department to strengthen and enhance training standards, ensuring Troopers are fully prepared to meet the complex and demanding realities of the job."

Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit based in Boston, praised the charges, saying that while state police "failed" Delgado-Garcia, it was "heartened" to see troopers would be held accountable.

"The grieving Delgado-Garcia family deserves justice, and this tragedy must lead to meaningful reforms," the nonprofit said in a statement.

Most charges to be tried in Worcester

As of 5 p.m. local time on Monday, Feb. 9, it did not appear that arraignment dates for the troopers had been set.

Online court records indicated the manslaughter and training injury-related charges against the troopers will be prosecuted in Worcester Superior Court, while the perjury charge against Penton would be prosecuted in Middlesex Superior Court.

Campbell's office did not immediately respond to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette's query about the reason for the different sites. Meier noted during the news conference that the indictments had been brought by a statewide grand jury.

Lawyers for Penton and LaMonte declined to comment. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette has reached out to lawyers listed for other troopers.

State police also did not immediately respond to queries about the job status of the charged troopers. Online records listed Penton as a lieutenant. Campbell's office, which identified her as a sergeant, didn't immediately return a request for clarification.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette:Enrique Delgado-Garcia case: 4 charged with manslaughter

VERNON, France (AP) — In a tightly controlled manufacturing hangar west of Paris, workers put the finishing touches on an enormous silver-colored engine. In just a few days, a similar machine will help propel the most powerful version of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket yet, flying for the first time with four boosters.

Europe Space New Rocket

On Thursday, the Ariane 64 rocket — named after its four boosters — is scheduled to make its maiden launch from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, aiming to deploy 32 satellites for Amazon Leo's broadband constellation.

The flagship of Europe's rocket industry is racing in a highly competitive environment against heavy weight players across the world, including the global market leader, Elon Musk's SpaceX.

At ArianeGroup's plant in Vernon, engineers design, integrate and test engines for the European heavy-lift launcher. At another site west of Paris, in Les Mureaux, the rocket's main stage components are being carefully built and assembled.

Associated Press journalists were provided rare access to facilities placed under strict security and confidentiality rules where teams of highly-specialized workers make from space conquest a daily reality.

"It's a special launch — something new for us on Ariane 6," ArianeGroup Chief Technical Officer Hervé Gilibert said. This flight marks the debut of the four-booster configuration, making the rocket roughly twice as powerful as the version flown since 2024, he said.

"Don't be surprised if you see it accelerate much more than Ariane 62, the version we have already launched five times," Gilibert said. "It delivers significantly more power, allowing much heavier payloads to be sent into space."

Components make trans-Atlantic journey

The launcher, its engines and avionics are built across Europe as 13 nations, members of the European Space Agency, agreed to cooperate and finance the Ariane 6 program.

"We are working with more than 600 subcontractors," Gilibert said. "Everything comes together at two main sites — Bremen in Germany for the upper stage, and Les Mureaux in France for the lower, or main stage of the launcher."

Ahead of Thursday's launch, all components have crossed the Atlantic to French Guiana for final assembly. The rocket stands about 62 meters (203 feet) tall, roughly the height of a 20-story building.

"We check everything until the very last minute, and then we fly," Gilibert said.

Once airborne, the mission will last about one hour and 50 minutes — nearly a full orbit around Earth — before the satellites are deployed in pairs from the top of the rocket. Amazon Leo's constellation is intended to compete with SpaceX's thousands of Starlink satellites.

The Vulcain 2.1 engine built at Vernon ignites first at liftoff.

"For a few seconds, we verify that it is functioning properly," said Emmanuel Viallon, director of the Vernon site. "Once we are fully confident it will operate correctly for the eight minutes that follow, we ignite the solid boosters and the rocket lifts off."

The four boosters help propel the rocket at launch, consuming 142,000 kilograms (313,056 pounds) of solid propellant in just over two minutes until they burn out.

Ariane 6, through both its launcher and engines, was designed to halve operating costs compared with its predecessor, Viallon said. Ariane 5 was last launched in 2023, concluding a program that began in the late 1970s to give Europe independent access to space.

Engines tested under near-real conditions

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Engines produced in Vernon are tested on site under near-real launch conditions. Deep in the surrounding forest, reinforced structures hold the engines in place as they fire at full power, while test teams operate from underground control rooms.

Laurence, the engine firing test director at Vernon, said the full testing cycle takes two to three weeks, before the engines return to the assembly facility for final adjustments. Laurence's last name was not disclosed for security reasons.

For the team, each launch "is always a joy, it's always very intense," she said. "When an engine arrives here, those are really important moments for the team. And then, seeing that the launch goes well ... that brings a great deal of gratitude."

At Les Mureaux facility, engineers have started preparing rocket components for upcoming missions. Huge white cylinders lie horizontally to form the rocket's main stage that is 5.4 meters (17.7 feet) wide including tanks for supercooled hydrogen and oxygen that will feed the Vulcain engine.

Caroline Arnoux, business unit director at ArianeGroup, said seven to eight launches are planned this year.

"We have a very strong order book, equivalent to about 30 launches," Arnoux said. "Roughly one-third are institutional missions and two-thirds commercial. And our commercial customers are all waiting for the Ariane 64 version, which will be extremely important in the coming years."

Europe's independence at stake

Ariane 64 "is an additional level of performance," Hermann Ludwig Moeller, director of the European Space Policy Institute, said. "In itself, this is an important step in the whole program, hoping to demonstrate that this configuration works as reliably as Ariane 6 has been working so far."

The rocket's institutional missions last year included launches of a French military reconnaissance satellite, a weather satellite, and EU-sponsored Earth-observation radar and navigation satellites.

Moeller argued there can hardly be any comparison with SpaceX, which dominates the sector with its reusable rocket model.

SpaceX "builds the rockets, builds the satellites and also sells the service" while Europe operates under a different industrial setup with separate companies responsible for launchers, satellite manufacturing and satellite operations, he said.

For Ariane 6, a key challenge will be diversifying its European customer base, which could involve a system of European preference for government missions and further development of commercial markets across the continent, Moeller argued.

Independent access to space remains the core objective of the program to "allow Europe to meet its own needs," stressed Arnaud Demay, the Ariane 6 project manager.

ArianeGroup is also preparing for the future, working "on key technology bricks ... to enable the reuse of certain launcher components. Ideally, we would like to be able to reuse an entire stage, including the engines that powered its liftoff," Demay said.

Demay confided he almost always cries with emotion at seeing the rocket lifting off.

"We do it so rarely, and it's so majestic when it takes off: that little touch of magic inevitably overwhelms me with emotion every time," he said.

Nicolas Garriga contributed to this report.