The Sports Report: A look at Brittney Griner’s life in Russian penal colony

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From David Wharton: The inmates at IK-2 penal colony rise at 6 a.m. each day for a breakfast of milk porridge, bread and tea. Soon they leave their barracks at this aging facility about 300 miles southeast of Moscow, in the isolated republic of Mordovia.

Long days are spent in forced labor, working at sewing machines, with only a short break for lunch. By nightfall, prisoners are fed dinner and allowed an hour or less of free time before going to sleep in dormitories crowded with scores of bunk beds. The routine reportedly can stretch for weeks on end with no days off.

It is unclear if one of the newest arrivals — American basketball star Brittney Griner — will take part in this strict regimen or receive special treatment, but experts familiar with the criminal justice system in Russia paint a worrisome picture.

“Her life will be very difficult,” said Marina Alexandrova, a University of Texas associate professor who lectures on the history of Russian prisons. “It will be terrible.”

Among Russia’s hundreds of prisons, the 21 facilities clustered in Mordovia are especially notorious. Russia Behind Bars, a humanitarian group based in Moscow, alleges that labor conditions at the IK-2 violate national law, medical care is limited and substandard food provides little sustenance, especially during long, cold winters.

The world got its first look inside such colonies in 2013 when Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, of the punk band Pussy Riot, served time in another part of Mordovia for “hooliganism.”

Tolokonnikova went on a hunger strike and wrote an open letter that said sleep-deprived workers, pushed to their limits by unrealistic production quotas, endured intimidation and beatings. Toilets overflowed and inmates were left outside in the cold as punishment.

“As the prisoner saying goes,” Tolokonnikova stated, “‘Those who never did time in Mordovia never did time at all.’”

RAMS

From Gary Klein: In the days leading up to it, Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner said he would approach Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks like any other.

Sure.

The six-time All-Pro linebacker’s unceremonious release from a team he spent a decade with did not spark extra motivation.

OK.

Once the game started at SoFi Stadium, the noticeably emotional Wagner played like a future Hall of Famer. He intercepted a pass and sacked Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith twice.

But as has been the case so often in this lost season for the defending Super Bowl-champion Rams, it was part of a lost cause.

The Rams gave up a late touchdown pass in a 27-23 defeat that extended their losing streak to six games, dropped their record to 3-9 and moved them to the brink of official elimination from playoff consideration.

CHARGERS

From Jeff Miller: He just watched his team blow an early 10-point lead, give up 100 yards each to an opposing runner and receiver, and fall to .500 with only five games remaining.

Safety Derwin James Jr., one of the Chargers’ hardest hitters, delivered a stark and sobering shot Sunday when asked about the team’s next two foes — 8-4 Miami and 7-5 Tennessee.

“From here on out, the opponent don’t have a face” he said. “We gotta win ’em. The opponent … it don’t matter who we’re playing, we gotta win.”

The Chargers, 6-6 and ninth in the AFC, now will meet teams consecutively that currently hold playoff positions. Both games are at SoFi Stadium, where the Chargers are 2-3 this season.

They have the same overall record as New England and sit one game behind the New York Jets, who currently hold the AFC’s final postseason spot.

By losing 27-20 to a Las Vegas Raiders team that entered Sunday 4-7, the Chargers pushed themselves even closer to the brink.

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Maybe the Raiders aren’t a big joke: Team revives its playoff pulse vs. Chargers

LAKERS

From Dan Woike: Russell Westbrook swung his hips in a circle with his hands straight up in celebration.

He’d just hit Anthony Davis with a perfect pass, with the Lakers big man rolling to the basket for two more points while drawing a foul.

The hoop and free throw gave him 41 points. The crowd chanted “M-V-P.”

And the third quarter hadn’t ended yet.

By the time the game was done, Davis had finished his best game as a Laker, scoring 55 points, grabbing 17 rebounds and blocking three shots in the Lakers’ 130-119 win.

USC FOOTBALL

From Ryan Kartje: USC quarterback Caleb Williams is hopeful he can lead the Trojans’ offense against No. 16 Tulane in the Cotton Bowl, while coach Lincoln Riley offered a more cautious forecast Sunday.

Williams limped his way through the Pac-12 title game after he “popped” his hamstring on a first-quarter run. Riley noted after the game that Williams was “not even close to 50%” during the second half and that he considered going to backup Miller Moss. But the Heisman Trophy favorite refused to check out, instead fighting his way through the rest of the Utah loss while largely confined to the pocket, unable to scramble as usual.

Williams, who still had a serious limp Sunday, was confident that he would play in the bowl game when asked by The Times after an event for his foundation, Caleb Cares.

“It would take a lot to keep me out,” Williams said.

USC BASKETBALL

Kobe Johnson scored 17 points shooting 7 for 10 and USC’s methodical second-half comeback led to a 63-62 win on Sunday night over Oregon State.

Dzmitry Ryuny’s three-pointer early in the second half gave the Beavers their last double-digit lead of the night at 37-27. The Trojans (6-3, 2-0 Pac-12) then started their persistent climb back when down 53-50 with less than three minutes to go, Johnson made a layup and a 3 in a 17-second stretch and USC held on.

Jordan Pope’s three with three seconds left brought Oregon State (4-5, 1-1) to 63-62. Dexter Akanno fouled the Trojans’ Joshua Morgan who missed both foul shots but Oregon State failed to get off a shot.

UCLA FOOTBALL

From Ben Bolch: The date, location and opponent for UCLA’s bowl game are set. The Bruins will play Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 30 in El Paso, Texas.

But plenty of unknowns remain. Which stars, if any, will play for the Bruins in their first bowl game since 2017? And who will be calling the defense?

UCLA coach Chip Kelly didn’t provide much clarity when he spoke with reporters after the bowl announcement Sunday, leaving a cloud of uncertainty hovering over his team. Kelly said he had not spoken with players about their status for the bowl game, though he did note that everyone had participated in the two practices held before the team’s postseason destination was known.

When he last spoke with reporters, the day after Thanksgiving, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson said he had not decided whether to play in the bowl game or prepare for the NFL draft. The fifth-year senior acknowledged it would be hard to opt out of the Las Vegas Bowl that would be played in his hometown, but that possibility was taken off the (blackjack) table when the Las Vegas Bowl picked Oregon State to face Florida.

Other players who could opt out of the bowl game include running back Zach Charbonnet and wide receiver Jake Bobo, both among the team’s NFL prospects. Kelly said kicker and punter Nicholas Barr-Mira, who has entered the transfer portal, would play for the Bruins in the bowl game.

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Rose Bowl: No. 8 Utah to face No. 11 Penn State for the first time in their history

Complete bowl game schedule

UCLA BASKETBALL

Jaylen Clark and freshman Amari Bailey each scored 14 points and No. 21 UCLA rallied in the final four minutes to hold off Oregon 65-56 on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion for its fourth consecutive win.

The Bruins (7-2, 2-0 Pac-12) hadn’t had a big scoring run all game until they pulled away late.

Clinging to a one-point lead, they scored eight in a row to make it 63-54. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Bailey had four points apiece, with Bailey capping the run on a two-handed dunk.

BASEBALL

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling were passed over by a Baseball Hall of Fame committee that elected former big league slugger Fred McGriff to Cooperstown on Sunday.

It was the first time that Bonds, Clemens and Schilling had faced a Hall committee since their 10th and final appearances on the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America ballot. Bonds and Clemens have been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, and support for Schilling dropped after he made hateful remarks toward Muslims, transgender people, reporters and others.

McGriff, nicknamed the “Crime Dog,” hit .284 with 493 homers and 1,550 RBIs over 19 seasons with six big league teams. The first baseman was a five-time All-Star and helped Atlanta win the 1995 World Series.

DUCKS

Morgan Barron and Mark Scheifele scored a pair of quick goals in the third period and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Ducks 5-2 on Sunday.

Barron scored at 13:23 for a 3-2 lead. Scheifele followed up with his team-leading 13th goal of the season at 15:12.

Jakob Silfverberg and Brett Leason scored for the Ducks, whose winless streak stretched to six games (0-4-2).

WORLD CUP

From Kevin Baxter in Qatar: On Sunday, the U.S. national team began checking out of the Kempinski hotel, the five-star beach resort that was its home during the World Cup. The reservation was good for another two weeks but after Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the round of 16, the team was leaving early.

The players were taking home more than just memories and a few souvenirs though. They were departing convinced they could play with the best teams in the world. The U.S. is no longer happy to just be invited to FIFA’s big party. It now expects to go home with some of the prizes.

“I think that this team is different than previous generations by design,” said Alexi Lalas, a two-time World Cup player and now a Fox analyst. “I think this team has been nurtured from a very young age to believe that they deserve to be at the elite level and they deserve to play at the best clubs in the world; that they deserve to compete at the highest level when it comes to the World Cup and that they deserve to win in a way that we haven’t done in the past.

“That evolution has happened — not just the physical evolution, but the mental evolution of believing that as a soccer-playing nation, that we deserve to be there. Now nobody’s apologizing for anything. That inferiority complex is being shed. And any insecurities that we may have harbored in the past are long gone.”

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Round of 16
Sunday’s results
France 3, Poland 1
England 3, Senegal 0

Schedule
All times Pacific
Today
Japan vs. Croatia, 7 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock
Brazil vs. South Korea, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Tuesday
Morocco vs. Spain, 7 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock
Portugal vs. Switzerland, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Quarterfinals

Friday
Matchup TBD, 7 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock
Netherlands vs. Argentina, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Saturday
Matchup TBD, 7 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock
England vs. France, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Semifinals
Tuesday, Dec. 13
Matchup TBD, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Wed., Dec. 14
Matchup TBD, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Third-place match
Saturday, Dec. 17
Matchup TBD, 7 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Championship match
Sunday, Dec. 18
Matchup TBD, 7 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

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Complete World Cup coverage

Qatar World Cup: Start times for every match and how to watch

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1924 — Red Green of the Hamilton Tigers scores five goals in a 10-5 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

1971 — Willie Ellison of the Rams sets an NFL record with 247 yards rushing in a 45-28 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Teammate Travis Williams also returns a kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown.

1972 — Johnny Rodgers of Nebraska wins the Heisman Trophy beating out Oklahoma’s Gregg Pruitt and teammate Rich Glover. The all-purpose back gains 5,586 yards and scored 45 touchdowns in his collegiate career.

1974 — David Thompson scores an ACC-record 57 points to lead North Carolina State to a 144-88 rout of Buffalo State. Thompson surpasses the 56 points scored by South Carolina’s John Roche against Furman on Feb. 5, 1971.

1976 — O.J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills rushes for 203 yards and a touchdown in a 45-27 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

1981 — USC’s Marcus Allen, who set an NCAA record for yards rushing in a season with 2,342, wins the Heisman Trophy.

1987 — Tim Brown, wide receiver and kick returner from Notre Dame, is awarded the Heisman Trophy.

1992 — Second-ranked Alabama beats No. 15 Florida 28-21 in the first SEC championship game. Alabama’s Antonio Langham intercepts a Shane Matthews pass, returning it 27 yards for a touchdown with 3:16 left in the game.

1995 — Dan Marino completes 35 of 50 passes for 343 yards with two touchdowns and in leading Miami to a 21-20 comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons. It was his 52nd 300-yard game of his career, breaking the league record he had shared with Dan Fouts.

2004 — Peyton Manning of Indianapolis is 25-of-33 for 425 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in a 51-24 win over Tennessee. Manning notches his 13th straight multi-TD game, breaking the NFL record held by Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, Don Meredith and Brett Favre.

2012 — Kobe Bryant scores 29 points, making him the fifth player in NBA history to score 30,000, and the Los Angeles Lakers snap a two-game skid with a 103-87 victory over the New Orleans Hornets. The other players to score more than 30,000 are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.

2016 — Klay Thompson has 60 points, an NBA season high and the most by a Golden State player in more than 42 years, as the Warriors whip the Indiana Pacers 142-106. Thompson scores 40 by halftime in just 18-plus minutes. He had a career-best 60 points through three quarters and called it a night, sitting down with 1:22 left in the period.

2017 — Russia is banned from the next Winter Olympics in South Korea over state-sponsored doping

Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally

A look at Marcus Allen’s NFL career. Watch and listen here.