VOUX MAG

Peter Suder tossed in a game-high 23 points and No. 22 Miami (Ohio) remained undefeated by beating Massachusetts 86-77 in a Mid-American Conference matchup Tuesday night in Amherst, Mass.

Luke Skaljac added 16 points for Miami (26-0, 13-0 MAC), which is the only undefeated team in Division I.

The RedHawks also received a 13-point performance from Almar Atlason and 11 points from Eian Elmer.

Miami made 26 of its 52 field goal attempts. The RedHawks have shot 50.0% or better from the field in 20 of their 26 games.

Isaiah Placide scored a career-high 19 points for UMass (15-12, 6-8 MAC). Placide made 5 of 7 3-point attempts.

Leonardo Bettiol added 18 points and nine rebounds for UMass, but he fouled out with 2:58 to play. Bettiol was called for four fouls in the second half. Danny Carbuccia had 15 points and six assists and Marcus Banks scored 11 for the Minutemen, who suffered their third straight loss.

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Miami entered the contest leading the MAC in scoring (92.6), field goal percentage (53.6%) and 3-point field goal percentage (40.1%). The RedHawks made 10 of their 23 3-point attempts.

UMass was within two following a Placide free throw with 2:14 left in the first half, but Miami had a 41-36 halftime lead. The RedHawks never trailed in the half, and led by as many as nine. Placide had 13 points in the half, including four 3-pointers.

UMass had its first lead after a Placide layup put the Minutemen up 62-60 with 9:24 to play, but a three-point play by Suder gave Miami a 76-70 lead with 4:59 remaining.

From there, the RedHawks salted it away from the foul line and led 85-75 with 1:20 left.

Tuesday's game was the second time the RedHawks and Minutemen have met this season. Miami pulled out an 86-84 home victory Jan. 27.

--Field Level Media

MADRID (AP) — Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni has denied racially insulting Real Madrid forwardVinícius Júniorduring a Champions League match when he covered his mouth with his jersey.

Portugal Champions League Soccer

"I have never been racist with anyone and I regret the threats that I received from Real Madrid players," the 20-year-old Argentina forward, who faces a potential 10-match ban if found guilty of racial abuse in UEFA's disciplinary code, said on X. The European soccer governing body said Wednesday it has appointed a special investigator to gather evidence.

Benfica said Prestianni was the victim of a "defamation campaign."

TheChampions Leagueplayoff game at Benfica's Stadium of Light was halted for nearly 10 minutes on Tuesday after the referee initiated the anti-racism protocol, which is the standard procedure when a player alleges being abused. Cameras picked up Vinícius telling French referee François Letexier that Prestianni called him a "monkey."

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he was "shocked and saddened to see the incident of alleged racism" and praised the referee for activating the anti-racism protocol.

"There is absolutely no room for racism in our sport and in society," Infantino said on X. "We need all the relevant stakeholders to take action and hold those responsible to account."

Benficashowed supportfor Prestianni on Wednesday, with the Portuguese club claiming that Madrid players who said they heard the insult were too far away.

Benfica later released a statement saying it welcomed UEFA's investigation and that it "fully supports and believes the version presented" by Prestianni, "whose conduct while with the club has always been guided by respect" toward everyone.

Benfica fans had reacted angrily to Vinícius celebrating his 50th-minute goal by dancing by the corner flag, throwing bottles and other objects toward the Madrid players. Prestianni then confronted Vinícius and said something while covering his mouth with his jersey.

Madrid, which won 1-0, hosts the second leg on Feb. 25 with the overall winner advancing to the round of 16 in European club soccer's top competition.

'Racists are cowards'

After the match, Vinícius posted a photo on Instagram of him celebrating by the Benfica corner flag. He wrote: "Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to cover their mouths with their shirts to show how they are weak. ... Nothing that happened today is new to me in my life and in my family's life. I was shown a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don't know why."

Madrid players said they considered leaving the field but eventually decided to continue playing.

Vinícius covered his mouth with his hands several times, as many players do, while talking to teammates and opponents.

Benfica posted a video on X.

"As the images show, given the distance, the Real Madrid players couldn't have heard what they have been saying that they heard," Benfica said.

Benfica had already postedPrestianni's statementalong with the words: "Together, by your side."

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Prestianni defends himself

Prestianni insisted that Vinícius misunderstood what was said, while Benfica players after the match reportedly said the Argentine provoked the Brazil forward but never racially insulted him.

"I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults at the player Vinícius Júnior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he thought he had heard," Prestianni said.

He did not say why he covered his mouth.

The referee appeared to show that he did not hear anything and gestured that Prestianni had the shirt over his mouth. Vinícius, who is Black and has been repeatedly subjected to racist abuse in Spain, went to the sideline and sat in the dugout while play was stopped.

Prestianni was not shown a yellow card and continued playing. He was substituted in the 81st and was applauded by Benfica fans.

Kylian Mbappé was among the Madrid players who strongly defended Vinícius andposted on X: "Dance, Vini, and please never stop. They will never tell us what we have to do or not."

The France great also said Prestianni should never play in the Champions League again.

Some online videos on Wednesday appeared to show a few Benfica fans doing monkey gestures from the stands.

Kick It Out criticizes Mourinho's remarks

Benfica coach José Mourinho criticized Vinícius for celebrating by the Benfica flag. He spoke with both players and said he did not want to say he believed one over the other.

Mourinho said he told Vinícius that the greatest player in Benfica's history — Eusébio — was also Black, but seemed to question why the Madrid player was so frequently targeted by racist abuse.

Anti-discrimination groupKick It Outcriticized Mourinho's remarks.

"When anyone reports discrimination in football, or anywhere, the first priority is that they are listened to and feel supported," it said.

"Focusing on Vinicius Jr.'s goal celebration or the history of the club, instead of acknowledging the report, is a form of gaslighting.

"This approach not only harms the individual affected but also sends the wrong message to others around the world who may have experienced similar situations."

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Things got so bad during UCLA's blowout road loss to Michigan State on Tuesday night thatBruinscoach Mick Cronin apparently felt the need to eject one of his own players.

The incident occurred late in the second half of an eventual82-59 losson Feb. 17 when UCLA center Steven Jamerson II picked up a flagrant foul for hacking a Spartans player from behind on a dunk attempt.

Cronin explained afterward he didn't appreciate Jamerson's actions, especially coming with just 4:26 to go and the Bruins trailing 77-50.

"I was thoroughly disappointed,"Cronin told reporters after the game. "The guy was defenseless in the air. I know Steve was trying to block the shot, but the game's a 25-point game. You don't do that."

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Frustrations continue to mount for the Bruins, who lost to top-ranked Michigan by 30 points on Saturday after entering the weekend winning five of their last six.

Cronin also had a testy exchange with a reporter after the game. When asked about the Michigan State student section chanting the name of former Spartans player Xavier Booker − who transferred to UCLA last year after two underwhelming seasons in East Lansing − Cronin fired back angrily.

"I would like to give you kudos for the worst question I've ever been asked," he said. "You really think I care about the other team's student section?"

The loss dropped UCLA to 17-9 overall and 9-6 in the Big Ten. Michigan State improved to 21-5 and 11-4 in Big Ten play.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:UCLA coach Mick Cronin kicks out Steven Jamerson after hard foul

James Van Der Beek/Instagram

NEED TO KNOW

• James Van Der Beek previously shared how his cancer treatment affected his role as a dad

• The actor wrote that he was sorry that "there have been spells" where he wasn't able to be the "father I would want to be for you"

• The actor, who was a dad of six, died on Wednesday, Feb. 11, following a journey with stage 3 colorectal cancer

James Van Der Beekpreviously shared how his cancer treatment affected his role as a dad.

TheDawson's Creekstar, who died at 48 on Wednesday, Feb. 11, following a journey with stage 3 colorectal cancer, touched on the impact when sharing a carousel of photos of son Jeremiahon Instagramas he celebrated his 4th birthday.

In his caption, Van Der Beek took a minute to celebrate Jeremiah, adding that he was sorry he couldn't be the "father I would want to be" amid his cancer treatment.

"I'm sorry there have been spells where I couldn't be the father I would want to be for you… where I was too weak to pick you up, throw you around, or even put you to bed," Van Der Beek wrote at one point in his lengthy caption. "But know that watching you reveal yourself to us has been one of the greatest joys of my life."

"I love you, bubba. And I always will. And all you ever have to do is be you. Happy birthday, my 'big little boy.' ❤️," the dad of six ended his post.

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Van Der Beek shares his six kids — Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4 — with wife Kimberly Van Der Beek.

The actor'swife announced his deathon Wednesday, sharing a statement on Instagram.

"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace," the post read. "There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."

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Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer back in 2023. In December, the actor sat down with Craig Melvin to talk about how he was feeling at the time. The actor told Melvin that he "would not be aliveif it weren't for my wife."

"She just has stepped up as a caretaker, as a nurse, as head of the household," he said.

"And then my kids, as much as I want to shield them from seeing me in any kind of pain or stress, I wanted to be Superman, Super Dad. You realize that resilience is not only something that they have and can build, but it's the best thing for them."

Back in January, Van Der Beekshared his last Instagram post, which celebrated his daughter Annabel and his dad James' joint birthday.

"My father and my daughter share a birthday today. At first, I thought that was all they shared — they seemed so different to me," his caption, which accompanied a picture of himself hugging Annabel and one of Annabel cuddling her Grandfather, began.

"But as the two of you have evolved, and let more of who you are shine through, I can recognize the same open, warm, loving, gentle heart. I see the care and dedication you shower upon those you love most," he continued.

"In this crazy world, it's a wonder to me that you've managed to stay so open, so tender, and so genuinely good," he went on, "You are marvels… and I'm so insanely grateful to have you in my life."

Van Der Beek's post ended, "The world is a better place because the two of you are in it. Happy birthday, guys. I love you with all my heart ❤️."

Read the original article onPeople

On February 18, Prince William made a surprise appearance on BBC Radio 1's "Life Hacks."

The Gist

• As part of a panel discussion, the Prince of Wales discussed mental health and suicide, sharing rare insight into his own journey.

• The future king encouraged people to "learn to love yourself and understand yourself."

Even amid his kids' half-term break from school,Prince Williamtook the time to take part in a surprise interview—one that was vulnerable and focused on mental health.

On February 18, the Prince of Wales was an unexpected guest on BBC Radio 1's "Life Hacks," talking about his own mental health challenges and "tools" he uses to deal with them, perPeople. The future king encouraged people to "learn to love yourself and understand yourself" as he joined a panel discussion on male suicide.

"I take a long time trying to understand my emotions and why I feel like I do, and I feel like that's a really important process to do every now and again," William said on the show. "To check in with yourself and work out why you're feeling like you do." He added that "Sometimes there is an obvious explanation, sometimes there isn't. I think that idea that a mental health crisis is temporary—you can have a strong mental health crisis moment, but it will pass."

"Part of feeling comfortable talking about mental health is understanding it," he continued. "And if you've got guys who have really gone about trying to really learn about what feelings are, why we feel like we do, what can we do about it? That's part of the conversation, too."

The Prince of Wales said, "We need more male role models out there, kind of talking about it and normalizing it so that it becomes something that is second nature to all of us." He also spoke of having a mental health toolkit, telling the panel, "When we're born, and when we grow up, and through life, you're sort of, depending on circumstance, family, upbringing, whatever it might be, you have a certain toolbox next to you, but no one has all the tools in it."

"Not one person in this world has all the tools for every eventuality your mental state's going to come across," he said. "And I like to go around looking for new tools to put in my toolbox when I might need it. And if we look at it like that, it does normalize the idea that the brain just needs sometimes a little bit of help, but we can't expect to have all the answers ourselves, and it's okay to ask for support, ask a mate, reach out, and that becomes just the normalization process of what's going on inside your head."

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The Prince of Wales has long campaigned to end the stigma surrounding mental health, saying on "Life Hacks" that, historically, "We're not very good at talking about it," perThe Telegraph, and that it was a "national catastrophe" that mental health and suicide was not spoken about more.

William shared that, even as a royal, he was "not immune to bad days," but added, "I find that some of the places I go to, the people I meet are having a really tricky time. That helps me put my own life into perspective. But also, I carry with me their burden sometimes, and that's the bit I find very difficult sometimes. I feel other people's pain and that overwhelms me sometimes, and I have to deal with that."

Of his own kidsPrince George,Princess Charlotte, andPrince Louis,William jokedwhen asked if they talk openly about their feelings, "Yes, sometimes too much," adding, "I get all the details, which I love. It's amazing. Being able to understand it, have time with it, decipher it."

"You feel a sense you need to fix it for everyone, and that I find quite difficult," William continued. "I have to remind myself—you don't need to fix everything, but you do need to listen, and it's important to be okay with those feelings and those comments."

"So it's important we understand where we are now," he added. "We've got a long way to go in this journey, but it's really crucial to understand where we've come from."

Read the original article onInStyle

Kit Karzen/Netflix

NEED TO KNOW

• Chrissy Teigen is revealing which of her children is the singer of the family and has "great stage presence"

• While chatting with PEOPLE at the finale taping for Netflix's Star Search, the Lip Sync Battle co-host exclusively tells PEOPLE that her daughter Luna, 9, is the family's singer

• However, the mom of four says her daughter "steps back" whenever she and husband John Legend attempt to get her to take the craft more seriously

Chrissy Teigenis revealing which of her children is the singer of the family.

TheLip Sync Battleco-host, 40, recently chatted with PEOPLE at the finale tapping for Netflix'sStar Searchon Tuesday, Feb. 17, where she reveals that her daughter Luna, 9, whom she shares with husband John Legend, is the singer out of their four kids. Teigen shares that the tween even has a "great stage presence," but "steps back" when things get a "little too serious."

"I think Luna's our singer. She has such a great stage presence. She really loves her school plays," she says. "But when it gets a little too serious, like when we were like, 'Should we enroll her in a real theater school?' She's like, 'No.' She steps back. She wants to do it for fun and really truly enjoys it."

Chrissy Teigen/Instagram

Teigen also shares three other children,Wren, 2,Esti, 3, andMiles, 7, with the "All of Me" singer, 47. During the conversation, the doting mom also discussed each of her kids' individual talents.

"Miles wants to do break dancing. By the way, he's never done it. Not in any capacity, but he thinks he could do it," she says. "Wren is definitely a comedian. He is bananas."

As for Esti, Teigen admits she has no idea what she's going to be.

"Esti is such an old soul. I don't know what Este would be," Teigen tells PEOPLE. "She keeps me on my toes."

Elsewhere in the conversation, Teigen shared how her four children have taken her role as celebrity judge on the show and flipped it on her at home.

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Revealing how her kids are now judging things around the house — including her cooking — since she landed a role on the show, Teigen tells PEOPLE, "Esti, my 3-year-old, her favorite thing in the world, is just running around saying five stars to nothing. My older ones are more judgmental with it. They'll make jokes about my meals or something."

Her eldest children appear to be harsh critics, with the cookbook author admitting that she's "definitely [had] some four or fives. Mexican lasagna. I got a four."

"I haven't gotten any threes yet, which is good," she adds.

Chrissy Teigen/Instagram

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Though their children have become critics, Teigen says that she and Legend, who has been a talent show judge onThe Voicefor several seasons, has seen their brood show her more "respect."

"I think the best part about it is that we're a competition show household now, John and I," the TV personality and model tells PEOPLE. "I think it's given us just this look of power in the household. We know what we're talking about all the time. So our kids, I think they respect me more now."

Teigen's latest comments on her kids come after she shared anInstagram clipof her youngest children tuning in to watch her on the series — and having thecutest reaction.

After initially appearing slightly confused at seeing their mom on TV, Esti then clocked who it was and excitedly shouted, "That's momma! That's mommy!"

Read the original article onPeople

PARIS (AP) — For the Louvre, theworld's most visited museum, it is "statistically inevitable" that fraud would come up at some point, the museum's No. 2 said in the wake of a decade-long, 10 million euro ($11.8 million) suspectedticket-fraud schemerevealed last week.

France Louvre Ticket Fraud

Kim Pham, the Louvre's general administrator, told The Associated Press that the museum's unique scale makes it particularly vulnerable. However, pressed to name other institutions with similar problems, he declined to single out peers.

"Which museum in the world, with this level of attendance, would not at certain moments have some issues of fraud," wondered Pham, who oversees day-to-day operations, including administration and internal management.

And that's no easy task, with 86,000 square meters of space presenting 35,000 works of art to 9 million visitors a year.

A complex web of problems

Last week, Paris prosecutors said that nine people were being detained in connection to the ticket scheme. The nine have been formally charged and brought before investigating judges.

Among the suspects are two Chinese tour guides accused of bringing groups of tourists into the museum by fraudulently reusing the same tickets multiple times for different visitors, allegedly with the help of Louvre employees.

The Louvre had filed a complaint back in December 2024, prosecutors said. Investigators estimate losses of more than 10 million euros ($11.8 million) over a decade, with the alleged criminal network suspected of bringing in up to 20 guided groups a day.

With the judicial investigation ongoing, Pham declined to confirm those figures.

Prosecutors said that along with repeatedly reusing tickets, the tour guides sometimes split groups to avoid paying a required "speaking fee" — a sort of commission paid to the museum to allow them to operate.

In the last year alone, the Louvre has faced the October 2025high-profile theft of the French Crown Jewelsfrom the Apollo Gallery, water leaks that damaged priceless books, multiple staff walkouts and a wildcat strike last summer over poor conditions, mass tourism and understaffing.

Pressed on whether the latest case feeds a narrative of a Louvre out of control, Pham pushed back.

"Quite simply, the Louvre is the biggest museum in the world," he said.

'Many historical layers'

Pham described the Louvre as "a historic building that began to emerge at the start of the 13th century and has had many historical layers up to the 20th century."

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"It is normal that in this complexity we have difficulties," he added, though he acknowledged shortcomings in the museum's defenses.

"I won't tell you that we do everything very well and that we did everything well," he said. "What I'm telling you is that the fight against fraud is an action of every moment."

But Pham stressed that it was the museum who alerted police about the case — not the other way around.

He rejected the idea that understaffing — which has been one of the reasons for multiple staff strikes in the last year — contributed to the alleged ticket reuse. "Staffing is at the right level for those functions," he said.

He framed the broader problem as increasingly digital. "Ninety percent of tickets today are bought online, on the web," he said. "So that is where major fraud takes place."

He cited "fraudulent purchases with stolen cards" — "massively, we had that in 2023," he said — as well as the "siphoning of free tickets" for resale and the use of fake tickets.

Pham argued that visitor caps introduced after the pandemic can create scarcity that draws scammers.

"When you limit the number of people who can enter a museum each day, you increase the scarcity of the ticket and that brings fraudsters," he said, "It was like for a concert with a star — it's when places are limited that it creates even more fraud."

The fraud case has landed as the Louvre is still dealing with the fallout from the crisis that drew worldwide attention — then October crown jewels theft in which a team of four people broke in through a window during visiting hours and fled with an estimated 88 million euros ($104 million) worth of treasures.

Authorities have arrested several suspects in that case, but the stolen items remain missing.

Pham said the Louvre tightened how many times a ticket can be validated at its multiple checkpoints.

Individual tickets are now limited to two scans and group tickets to one, he said, a change meant to prevent guides from reusing the same ticket to bring in additional visitors. The museum has multiple access points into its wings, and prosecutors allege guides exploited ticket validation to reuse the same tickets to bring in additional groups.

"For several months — and we did not wait for this moment of the investigation and the recent arrests — we carry out checks before the checkpoint," he said, adding that checks also take place "once inside the museum galleries."

Pham said two Louvre employees questioned in the case have been told not to return to their jobs during the investigation, while also underscoring their presumption of innocence until the investigation and proceedings are completed.