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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Denijay Harris' 24 points helped Southern Miss defeat Milwaukee 66-65 on Saturday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Denijay Harris' 24 points helped Southern Miss defeat Milwaukee 66-65 on Saturday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Denijay Harris’ 24 points helped Southern Miss defeat Milwaukee 66-65 on Saturday. Harris hit a 3-pointer and Neftali Alvarez made a layup with 2 seconds left as the Golden Eagles (3-4) rallied from a 65-61 deficit in the final minute. Jett Montgomery scored 13 points while shooting 5 for 8, including 3 for 6 from beyond the arc. Cobie Montgomery finished 3 of 6 from 3-point range to finish with 10 points. Themus Fulks led the way for the Panthers (5-4) with 17 points. Milwaukee also got 13 points and seven rebounds from Kentrell Pullian. AJ McKee also had 10 points and eight rebounds. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. AdvertisementItuka scores 18 off the bench, Jacksonville State downs East Carolina 86-78���k�k���=。

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Cavan Reilly's 18 points helped Delaware defeat Rider 72-66 on Saturday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Cavan Reilly's 18 points helped Delaware defeat Rider 72-66 on Saturday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Cavan Reilly’s 18 points helped Delaware defeat Rider 72-66 on Saturday. Reilly went 6 of 12 from the field (4 for 10 from 3-point range) for the Fightin’ Blue Hens (4-3). Izaiah Pasha added 15 points while finishing 7 of 10 from the floor and also had six rebounds. Erik Timko shot 5 for 9, including 3 for 7 from beyond the arc to finish with 15 points. Jay Alvarez led the Broncs (4-4) in scoring, finishing with 17 points and six rebounds. TJ Weeks Jr. added 15 points, eight rebounds and two steals for Rider. Tariq Ingraham also put up 12 points and 11 rebounds. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. AdvertisementAs the first full year of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, 2024 has come with its unique share of challenges and triumphs. As we look back at the ongoing year, this is the perfect time to reflect on the President’s vision for a transformed Nigeria and how 2024 has provided numerous opportunities to manifest that vision. On so many fronts, the outgoing year has brought significant policy and legislative milestones that are helping to cement the very foundations of the President’s grand vision for Nigeria. Take the examples of the Students Loan Fund and the Consumer Credit Corporation, two institutions targeted at putting more resources in the pockets of the Nigerian people, empowering them to turn their dreams into opportunities. With the Students Loan Fund, we are seeing, for the first time in decades, Nigerian students at tertiary level, getting targeted federal assistance to pursue their academic ambitions, through long-term loans (and stipends) that are designed to not be burdensome in any way. In less than one year, more than 300,000 Nigerian students have already benefited. With the Consumer Credit scheme, we are seeing affordable financing being made available to workers, to enable them to afford life’s necessities. Every developed country is built around a functioning credit system that fuels consumer spending and translates into economic growth. Nigeria is now finally on that path. Also in 2024, we also saw the first steps in the implementation of a new electricity framework in the country, conferring the state governments with greater agency and responsibility. Building on a recent constitutional amendment, the President signed into law the 2024 Electricity Act that is now guiding a pioneering set of states into rolling out their own regulated electricity markets. Indeed, for Nigeria to be truly able to achieve economic development, we must allow the subnational governments more room for real economic impact. With the new Electricity Act, states can now play a much bigger role in attracting investments into on-grid and off-grid solutions, ensuring that more electricity gets to more Nigerians. This concept of giving more power and opportunities to the states is one of the defining governing philosophies of President Tinubu – as Governor of Lagos two decades ago he was one of the leading advocates of true federalism in Nigeria. Now, as President, he has not abandoned those ideals. In July 2024 we saw the landmark ruling by the Supreme Court, empowering local governments to an extent we have not seen in our recent history. The President has since empaneled an Inter-Ministerial Committee that will ensure the full enforcement of that judgement. For the state governments, President Tinubu’s economic reforms have triggered a dramatic surge in revenues, which is allowing the states to do more for their people. The last FAAC meeting saw the sharing of a record N1.727 trillion amongst the three tiers of government. These resources are meant to deliver bigger dividends of development to Nigerians. For those who have taken the effort to be familiar with the ongoing tax reforms, the bills currently before the National Assembly also represent another fiscal boon for the subnational governments, with the Federal Government choosing for example to take an even smaller portion of VAT than it currently gets. The Presidential Initiative on CNG marked its first year of implementation recently, with the number of vehicle conversion centres in the country rising from fewer than 10 to more than 120. The goal is to make CNG a fuel of choice for private and commercial transportation in Nigeria, bringing down costs by as much as 50 to 60 per cent. We are already seeing enthusiastic uptake of the initiative, and the government is supporting this by way of fiscal incentives and subsidised conversions. The year is closing with the massive news of the final investment decision (FID) by Shell and its partners on the Bonga North deep offshore oil project, which is Nigeria’s first deep offshore FID in over a decade. This FID was preceded by the one by Total and NNPC Limited on the 300 million cubic feet per day Ubeta gas project. Together these two projects represent over $5 billion in investment value. These long-awaited investment decisions have now finally happened because the investors behind them can see, from the President’s policies and actions, that Nigeria is truly serious and ready for oil and gas investment. A series of presidential directives issued at the beginning of 2024 have unleashed the biggest wave of investor interest in our country’s energy sector in a while. In 2024, our security forces neutralised more than 8,000 terrorists and bandits, and arrested 11,600 others, with more than 10,000 weapons recovered. Additionally, about 8,000 kidnap victims were successfully rescued. The goal is to keep driving down the numbers of victims, while scaling up efforts to make crime and criminality unattractive in Nigeria. On the foreign affairs front, 2024 has been a most encouraging year, despite several challenging geopolitical developments around the world, including in our corner of West Africa. This year Nigeria was awarded the hosting rights for the new African Energy Bank, which will prove to be game-changing for energy financing in Africa. As we reposition ourselves to be a global energy hub, this is a most fitting complement. Nigeria is asserting itself as a country that cannot be ignored on the global stage. In 2024, President Tinubu hosted heads of state and/or government from India, the world’s largest democracy, and from Germany, Europe’s largest economy. He was welcomed on a State Visit to France, at a very exciting time in the history of mutuallybeneficial relations between Nigeria and France. Nigeria was specially invited to the G20 Summit for the second consecutive year running, and we forged deeper relations with South Africa through our Joint Presidential Bi-national Commission. As we step into a new year, during which we will mark the second anniversary of the Tinubu Administration, we will surely see even more of the positive outcomes of the President’s reforms, in infrastructure, agriculture, security, healthcare, education, creative and digital economy and many other areas. The tax reforms, when passed into law and assented to, will cut personal and corporate income taxes for tens of millions of Nigerians, while also expanding VAT exemptions. Consumer credit and student loans will reach many more people. Important indices such as foreign reserves position, trade surplus, oil production, and GDP growth are set to continue rising, even as greater work goes into permanently taming inflation. The 2025 budget – the very fittingly-themed: ‘Budget of Restoration: Securing Peace, Rebuilding Prosperity’– is a convincing pointer of the Federal Government’s commitment to maintaining the positive course in which we are headed as a nation. We will continue to seek the understanding of Nigerians on this journey of, in the President’s words in the 2025 budget speech: “Economic renewal and institutional development.” The sacrifices will all surely be rewarded, and we shall surely and steadily advance towards our desired destination – a country where a progressively better life will be guaranteed for everyone, regardless of where in the country they happen to reside. Under President Tinubu’s watch, 2025 will represent a leap forward, towards that deserved destination.

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . WASHINGTON (AP) — Micah Peavy’s 24 points helped Georgetown defeat Albany (NY) 100-68 on Saturday night. Peavy added eight assists, four steals, and three blocks for the Hoyas (6-1). Malik Mack scored 16 points while shooting 6 for 8, including 3 for 4 from beyond the arc. Thomas Sorber had 14 points and finished 6 of 9 from the field. Amar’e Marshall led the Great Danes (5-3) in scoring, finishing with 17 points and four steals. Kheni Briggs added 17 points. Justin Neely finished with 12 points. Georgetown took the lead with 9:05 left in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 49-35 at halftime, with Peavy racking up 17 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Leading Colorado Democrats criticized President Joe Biden's pardon of his son for federal crimes, calling the move a "mistake" that weakens Americans' faith in the justice system. Contradicting his own earlier pledges that he wouldn't pardon his son, the Democratic president issued a sweeping pardon for Hunter Biden late Sunday, characterizing the latter's federal prosecution on charges of tax evasion and falsifying a firearms purchase form as politically motivated. "While as a father I certainly understand President @JoeBiden’s natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country," Gov. Jared Polis tweeted Sunday night. "This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation. When you become President, your role is Pater familias of the nation." Added Polis: "Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law, not a President and not a President’s son." Polis was the first prominent Democrat to express disapproval of the pardon, but he was joined by a chorus of other elected Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado. "President Biden’s decision put personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all," Bennet posted Monday morning on X , the platform formerly known as Twitter. "The Hunter Biden pardon was a mistake," tweeted U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, an Aurora Democrat, who added that he sympathizes "with a father's love, especially in a family that has experienced so much personal tragedy" and that he understands the legal arguments the president made. "But Presidential pardons are never judged solely on the merits of the case, particularly when it involves a family member," Crow continued. "Presidents hold enormous power and responsibility and must be held to a higher standard. They must instill trust and promote the American people's faith in their democracy. And right now, upholding the fabric of our democracy is one of our most important tasks." Biden's 54-year-old son was convicted in June on felony charges in a Delaware federal court for lying on a form in 2018, when he purchased a gun and claimed he wasn't illegally using or addicted to drugs. The younger Biden also pleaded guilty in September to a misdemeanor and felony charges in a California case that alleged he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes. In his statement announcing the pardon, Biden said the charges don't typically merit as aggressive a prosecution, adding that his son was "singled out only because he is my son." Other Democrats pushed back on the criticism, including Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison, who lamented that Biden and fellow Democrats face "the highest standard" while there was "no standard for Donald Trump." Harrison noted that the pardon came after Trump's Saturday night announcement that he intended to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray with Kash Patel, who has boasted that he plans to pursue further prosecution aimed at the younger Biden. “Most people will see that Joe Biden did what was right,” Harrison said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.