RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Martin Necas posted a natural hat trick in the first 17 minutes, the first three-goal game of his career, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 on Thursday night despite changing goalies twice. Carolina led 3-0 with 3:09 remaining in the first period thanks to Necas, whose hat trick was the fastest to begin …

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — The former prime minister of Pakistan expected his party would claim an easy victory in the country’s parliamentary elections, sending him to the top job for a fourth time. Instead, Nawaz Sharif faces a difficult path to power. Independent candidates backed by his imprisoned rival, Imran Khan, were leading in the vote count Friday, a surprisingly …

Charlotte Hornets (10-40, 13th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (33-19, third in the Eastern Conference) Milwaukee; Friday, 8 p.m. EST FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE: Bucks -14.5; over/under is 232.5 BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte plays the Milwaukee Bucks after Miles Bridges scored 45 points in the Hornets’ 123-117 loss to the Toronto Raptors. The Bucks are 24-12 against conference opponents. …

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Chang Yani topped teammate Chen Yiwen on the 3-meter springboard Friday, giving the powerhouse Chinese team its eighth diving gold medal of the World Aquatics Championships. Chen was the two-time reigning world champion and led the semifinals, giving her the prime last spot in the final. But Chang turned in five stellar dives and led all …

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Friday blasted the “radical individualism” that he said was infecting society today, as he greeted Argentine pilgrims who are in town for this weekend’s canonization of the first female saint from his home country. Instead, Francis held up as a model the 18th century Argentine laywoman lovingly known as Mama Antula, who ministered to …

LAS VEGAS (AP) — El expresidente Donald Trump ganó el jueves los caucus presidenciales republicanos de Nevada, en los que fue el único aspirante de peso que participó, y sumó su tercera victoria estatal consecutiva en su intento por asegurar la nominación a la Casa Blanca. La exembajadora estadounidense ante Naciones Unidas, Nikki Haley, su principal rival en la carrera, …

DENVER (AP) — A county coroner reported suspicions about bodies being poorly treated by a Colorado funeral home more than three years before nearly 200 decomposing bodies were discovered inside a decrepit building in October, according to newly unsealed court documents that raise questions about how the mistreatment of corpses was able to continue for so long. The concerns raised …

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. Baylor Bears (17-5, 6-3 Big 12) at Kansas Jayhawks (18-5, 6-4 Big 12) Lawrence, Kansas; Saturday, 6 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: No. 13 Baylor visits the No. 4 …

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. Idaho Vandals (9-14, 3-7 Big Sky) at Eastern Washington Eagles (15-8, 9-1 Big Sky) Cheney, Washington; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Washington faces the Idaho Vandals …

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. UCLA Bruins (12-11, 7-5 Pac-12) at California Golden Bears (10-13, 6-6 Pac-12) Berkeley, California; Saturday, 5:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Cal faces the UCLA Bruins after Jaylon Tyson …