SATURDAY

Tipoff: Noon, Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh

Records: North Carolina State (13-6, 4-2 ACC); Pitt (8-11, 1-5 ACC)

TV: ESPNU (Robert Lee and Dan Bonner)

Notable: NC State is coming off an 80-76 overtime win at No. 18 Clemson on Tuesday and has won three of its last four games … Pitt has lost two straight … The Wolfpack hold the all-time series lead, 22-6, winning last year, 71-63 … NC State’s losses are to Seton Hall, Texas, Auburn, Kansas, Virginia and Georgia Tech … Texas Tech transfer senior forward Darrion Williams (14.3 ppg.), senior guard Quadir Copeland (13.8 ppg.), sophomore guard Paul McNeil Jr. (13.7 ppg.) and 6-foot-9 North Carolina transfer senior Ven-Allen Lubin (13.2 ppg.) lead NC State, guided by first-year coach Will Wade … Pitt will be wearing its gold uniforms for the first time this season.

Mirror prediction: NC State 81, Pitt 74

Mirror prediction record: 12-7

— Buck Frank

Women: Penn St. at Oregon

SATURDAY

Tipoff: 5 p.m., Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, Oregon

Records: Penn State (7-13, 0-9 in Big Ten); Oregon (14-7, 2-6 in Big Ten)

TV: Big Ten+

Notable: Katie Fiso leads Oregon in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game. … Mia Jacobs and Elisa Mevius are also averaging double figures. … Penn State has lost nine games in a row. … Oregon has lost four games in a row. … The Ducks beat USC on Jan. 6 when the Trojans were ranked No. 21 in the country. … Three of their four losses in a row were by single digits and one was in double overtime. … Gracie Merkle (19.3 points per game) and Kiyomi McMiller (19 points per game) continue to lead Penn State in scoring.

Mirror prediction: Oregon 85, Penn State 71

Mirror prediction record: 18-2

— Michael Boytim

Women: New Haven at SFU

SATURDAY

Tipoff: 1:05 p.m., DeGol Arena, Loretto

Records: New Haven (5-13 overall, 3-4 Northeast Conference); Saint Francis (2-16, 2-5 Northeast Conference)

TV: NEC Front Row

Notable: This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools. … New Haven is tied with Le Moyne and Chicago State for fifth in the conference, while Saint Francis sits with Stonehill in the eighth spot. … Today’s game is a special one as it’s Dynasty Day marking the 30th anniversary of SFU’s first NEC championship. The dynasty period being focused on during the events is from 1995-2005 where SFU won nine NEC tournament titles in the 10-years. The program went 200-102 overall and 144-36 in conference play over that span. In addition, three players will join previously honored Jess Zinobile by having their jersey’s retired. Portage graduate Stacy Alexander (Class of 1996) will have her No. 12; Southern Huntingdon graduate Mary Marley (Class of 1998) will have her No. 42; and Beth Swink (Class of 2005) will have her No. 52. Alexander and Markey were both on the first Red Flash title team. The ceremony will begin at 12:40 p.m. before the start of the game. … The Chargers’ Aniya McDonald-Perry leads the team with 8.9 rebounds and is second at 11.4 points per game. …

Mirror prediction: Saint Francis 63, New Haven 59

Mirror prediction record: 16-2

­– Nate Ritchey

Red Flash put up big win at home

LORETTO — Skylar Wicks and Chris Moncrief combined for 38 points to lift Saint Francis past Chicago State, 81-60, in Northeast Conference men’s basketball action on Friday night.

Wicks finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds to register third double-double of the season, while Moncrief added a season-high 18 points.

Zion Russell registered his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Victor Payne chipped in 10 points.

The Red Flash shot 70 percent in the first half to register that percentage for the first time since Dec. 31, 2017, at Bryant in the second half.

With the game tied at 13, Payne sparked a 19-6 run with six points to give the Red Flash the lead for good at 36-22 with 6:46 left in the first half. Wicks also had five points in the surge. The Cougars did not get closer than nine points the rest of the way.

“Our best defensive performance of the year. Twenty-three assists on 28 baskets, that is Saint Francis basketball and the kind of basketball we want to play,” Red Flash coach Luke McConnell said.

After Chicago State cut the margin to 39-30, the Red Flash used a 12-2 run to take its largest lead at 57-34 with 16:03 on the clock. Wicks had six, and Moncrief added five points.

Saint Francis closed the game with a 12-3 spurt in the final three minutes thanks to five points from Ahmad Harrison, who had a career-high eight assists on the night.

Notable note

Wicks registered his third 20-point game in NEC play and eighth overall this season. He has scored double figures in four straight games. He is currently averaging 16.5 points-per game and 7.0 rebounds per-game.

Sunday game postponed

Due to the approaching weather this weekend, Saint Francis and New Haven have postponed their scheduled contest for Sunday. A makeup date will be announced at a later time.

With this announcement, the Red Flash will return to action when it tangles with Chicago State in Chicago on Thursday, Jan. 29. Game time is 7 p.m.

CHICAGO STATE (2-18): Ray 8-19 4-4 21, Cockrill 5-11 0-0 13, Robinson 0-2 0-0 0, Sands 1-5 1-2 3, Tankersley 2-5 0-2 4, Gibson 4-10 0-2 10, Bush 1-6 0-0 3, Zatsepin 0-1 0-1 0, Larvadain 0-3 0-0 0, Cox 3-5 0-0 6, Thomas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-67 5-11 60.

SAINT FRANCIS (6-14): Liberis 2-4 5-6 9, Harrison 3-7 0-0 8, Moncrief 7-9 3-4 18, Payne 4-5 0-0 10, Wicks 7-14 2-2 20, Z.Russell 4-7 4-4 14, Papadatos 1-3 0-0 2, B.Russell 0-1 0-0 0, Tweedy 0-0 0-0 0, Weiand 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-51 14-16 81.

Halftime–Saint Francis 47-32. 3-Point Goals–Chicago State 7-20 (Cockrill 3-6, Gibson 2-5, Ray 1-2, Bush 1-5, Sands 0-2), Saint Francis 11-25 (Wicks 4-8, Payne 2-2, Harrison 2-4, Z. Russell 2-5, Moncrief 1-2, B.Russell 0-1, Weiand 0-1, Papadatos 0-2). Rebounds–Chicago State 29 (Sands 7), St. Francis 32 (Wicks 11). Assists–Chicago State 7 (Gibson 3), Saint Francis 23 (Harrison 8). Total Fouls–Chicago State 14, Saint Francis 13. A–703

Former Heat employee going to prison

MIAMI — A former Miami Heat security officer has been sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.9 million in restitution for stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other valuable sports memorabilia while working for the team.

Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, was sentenced earlier this month, according to court records. He pleaded guilty last August to transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.

The 25-year retired veteran of the Miami Police Department worked for the Heat from 2016 to 2021 and as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025.

According to federal prosecutors and the FBI, Perez stole more than 400 jerseys and other items from a secured equipment room and sold items through various online marketplaces. He had access because he worked on the game-day security detail at the Kaseya Center. He was one of a few employees with access to a secured equipment room that stored memorabilia the Heat organization planned to display in a future team museum.

Over a three-year period, authorities say Perez sold more than 100 stolen items for approximately $1.9 million and shipped them across state lines, often at bargain prices.