SPORTS digest

Akron stays hot, tops Central Michigan

AKRON

Freshman Josh Williams hit six 3-pointers and scored 22, both season highs, and Antino Jackson added 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting to help Akron beat Central Michigan 92-87 Friday night.

Reggie McAdams scored 14, Noah Robotham had 13 with a career-best eight assists and Isaiah Johnson added 12 points for the Zips (19-4, 8-2 Mid-American Conference), who have won six in a row.

Akron hit five of its season-high 16 3-pointers during a 22-1 run that gave the Zips a 20-point lead with 8:24 to play.

Central Michigan (13-10, 6-4) used an 11-2 run to pull within nine about four minutes later and a 15-6 spurt — capped by back-to-back 3s by John Simons and Josh Kozinski — to make it 89-85 with 24 seconds left.

Akron hit 3 of 4 free throws from there to seal it.

Simons had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Central Michigan, which had six players score in double figures.

Louisville announces postseason ban

LOUISVILLE, KY.

Louisville has announced a postseason ban for its men’s basketball team amid ongoing investigations into a sex scandal in which an escort alleged that a former staffer paid her and other dancers to strip and have sex with recruits and players.

University President James Ramsey said Friday at a press conference that an athletic department investigation has revealed that some violations did occur. Ramsey said the ban is for the NCAA Tournament and the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament

Athletic director Tom Jurich and men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino also attended the press conference.

The Cardinals (18-4, 7-2 ACC) are currently are ranked No. 19 and scheduled to play Boston College on Saturday. They would have been a lock for a tournament berth if they had not won the league title.

The 63-year-old Pitino has denied knowledge of allegations in a book by Katina Powell that former director of men’s basketball operations Andre McGee paid $10,000 for 22 shows performed by her and other strippers, including three of her daughters.

NFL confirms 2016 game in Mexico

SAN FRANCISCO

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed Friday the Raiders would play the Texans in Mexico City on Nov. 21, the first regular-season game in Mexico since 2005.

Houston is very interested in the Mexican market, as are the Raiders, who are dealing with stadium issues in Oakland.

The last regular-season NFL game in Mexico was in 2005, when 103,000 fans watched Arizona and San Francisco at Azteca Stadium. The NFL also has played seven preseason games there, none since 2001.

Plaxico Burress gets probation in tax probe

TRENTON, N.J.

Former NFL star Plaxico Burress has five years to repay New Jersey $56,000 in back taxes and restitution or face going to jail, a judge said Friday.

Burress, who received five years’ probation, would face a 364-day jail sentence if he fails to make the payments in time.

Burress, of Totowa, declined to comment after he was sentenced in Superior Court. The former wide receiver with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and New York Jets had admitted that he didn’t pay $46,000 in state taxes on his $1 million income in 2013.

In return for his plea, prosecutors dropped a charge of issuing a bad check or electronic funds transfer.

Prosecutors said Burress filed his 2013 state income taxes but the electronic transfer to cover his payment didn’t go through. Tax officials said they repeatedly contacted Burress about the matter but didn’t get a response.

His lawyer, Thomas DiLullo, told The Trentonian newspaper he doesn’t believe the state Division of Taxation targeted his client.

Staff/wire reports