SPORTS digest

Florida State drops out of Top 25

No. 7 Georgia and No. 9 TCU jumped into the top 10 of The Associated Press college football poll for the first time this season and Florida State dropped all the way out of the rankings for the first time since 2011 after starting 0-2.

Alabama remained No. 1 and won back some of the support it lost last week to No. 2 Clemson. The Crimson Tide received 52 first-place votes Sunday, up seven from last week, after beating Vanderbilt 59-0 on Saturday.

Clemson received eight first-place votes, down seven from last week, after taking more than three quarters to pull away from Boston College. No. 3 Oklahoma got the remaining first-place vote.

Penn State held at No. 4. Southern California was No. 5, followed by Pac-12 rival Washington.

Georgia followed Michigan, TCU and Wisconsin rounded out the top 10.

Gray’s jumper helps Sparks avoid collapse

MINNEAPOLIS

Chelsea Gray’s pull-up jumper with 2 seconds to play helped the Los Angeles Sparks avoid what would have been a stunning collapse and take Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, 85-84, over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday.

Gray scored a career-high 27 points and Candace Parker added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Sparks, who joined their NFL brethren by sitting out the national anthem. The Sparks led 28-2 in the first quarter and 78-66 with five minutes to play, but gave it all back after a charge from the Lynx.

Maya Moore scored 27 points and Sylvia Fowles had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Lynx, who roared back from that 26-point hole to take an 84-83 lead with 6.5 seconds to play.

But Gray got free to knock down a pull-up 14-footer, touching off a wild celebration by the defending champions, who are trying to become the first repeat winners since 2002.

FIFA to relax rules on jersey symbols

FIFA is set to relax the rules that ban teams from commemorating non-sporting events at soccer matches in response to high-profile disputes with British associations over honoring war dead.

England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were fined by FIFA last year for displaying poppies at World Cup qualifying matches. World soccer’s governing body ruled that poppies flouted regulations banning political, religious or personal symbols on kit and in stadiums, leading to the British nations to push for a change.

Months of talks led to FIFA distributing a circular to member associations on Friday presenting draft proposals that tighten the definition of political symbols and allow commemorations by teams to be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Olympic champ wins Berlin Marathon

BERLIN

Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge held off the challenge of debutant Guye Adola to win the Berlin Marathon on Sunday.

The Kenyan won in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 32 seconds, missing out on the world record by 35 seconds in wet conditions.

Compatriot Dennis Kimetto ran 2:02:57 on the same course in 2014.

Adola of Ethiopia finished 14 seconds behind Kipchoge, and surprised by pushing him hardest. Defending champion Kenenisa Bekele fell behind and then former world- record holder Wilson Kipsang dropped out.

Oakland’s Maxwell keeps on kneeling

OAKLAND, Calif.

Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell pressed a hand against his chest and took to a knee for the national anthem for the second straight day, part of the protest movement that has been criticized by President Donald Trump.

On Saturday, the 26-year-old rookie became the first major league baseball player to kneel during “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the A’s played Texas. For the second straight day, teammate Mark Canha put a hand on Maxwell’s shoulder in a show of support Sunday.

Maxwell said he plans to continue the protest.

Staff/wire report