No. 20 NC State women close on an 11-0 run to beat Syracuse 74-66

Zoe Brooks had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Madison Hayes added 18 points and nine boards, and No. 20 NC State closed on an 11-0 run to beat Syracuse 74-66 on Thursday night. Brooks made a jumper from the free-throw line with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter to give NC State its first lead, 63-62, since it was 4-2. Aziaha James added a runner in the lane with 59.2 seconds left for a 69-66 lead.

Pope has 25 as Texas State downs Louisiana 89-74

Tylan Pope scored 25 points as Texas State beat Louisiana 89-74 on Thursday night. Pope added five rebounds and three blocks for the Bobcats (12-8, 5-3 Sun Belt Conference). Josh O'Garro added 17 points while shooting 4 for 7 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line while he also had nine rebounds.

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Harvey Elliott deserves a Liverpool start, Chelsea should go for the jugular at City and Mikey Moore would help Spurs

In a surprise to pre-season predictors, this match is as important as a fixture in January can be in the battle for Champions League football. Nottingham Forest head into the weekend level with second-placed Arsenal, while Bournemouth are three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and seven back from Forest. The scrutiny on both teams is growing but they keep answering the questions thrown at them. Despite having no out-and-out striker last weekend, Bournemouth put four past Newcastle, giving Nuno Espírito Santo a warning. Justin Kluivert scored a hat-trick, his second of the season, at St James’ Park as Andoni Iraola’s flexible front four excelled. Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo might feel more confident against a natural No 9 but Forest’s centre-back pairing will relish the challenge. Will Unwin

Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest, Saturday 3pm (all times GMT)

Brighton v Everton, Saturday 3pm

Liverpool v Ipswich, Saturday 3pm

Southampton v Newcastle, Saturday 3pm

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