Jaylon Tyson scored 16 points, Jalen Celestine 13 and Fardaws Aimaq scored 12 and grabbed 12 rebounds for Cal before fouling out.

Sebastian Mack made 1 of 2 foul shots for the Bruins with four seconds left for a 61-57 advantage. Celestine made a 3-pointer with .1 seconds left that made it a one-point game but the Bruins’ inbounded the ball to end it.

Both teams struggled to shoot as they each missed eight foul shots.

Aimaq’s put back off a Tyson miss gave Cal its last lead at 57-56 with 36 seconds remaining. Andrews’ jumper 12 seconds later gave UCLA the lead for good.

UCLA led 35-24 at halftime and it maintained the double-digit lead for the first six minutes of the second half before Cal got back into contention.

The Golden Bears outscored UCLA 12-6 and got within 47-41 on a layup from Tyson with 10:08 left. Berke Buyuktuncel made a 3 for UCLA for a nine-point lead before Cal scored eight straight reducing its deficit to 50-49 following a 3 from Celestine with 5:55 left. The score stayed that way until Tyson’s basket with 3:05 left gave Cal its first lead since four minutes into the game.

With the win, the Bruins (13-11, 8-5 Pac-12) moved into a third-place tie with Oregon. UCLA hosts Colorado on Thursday.

Cal (10-14, 6-7) travels to Pullman, Washington, to take on Washington State on Thursday.

The numbers Mahomes has put up in those games would be staggering even if they were produced in the regular season.

Mahomes has 5,260 yards combined passing and rushing in those games, has accounted for 44 touchdowns through the air and on the ground and helped the Chiefs win 14 of the 17 games.

The only players besides Mahomes to reach those numbers in an entire regular season are Tom Brady (2021), Peyton Manning (2013) and Drew Brees (2011).

Mahomes’ 309.4 yards rushing and passing per game in the postseason are less than 7 yards behind his regular-season rate and more than 15 yards better than anyone else’s career mark in the regular season with Andrew Luck next at 293.7.

Mahomes’ 14 wins in the postseason before even turning 29 are already tied for the third most of any quarterback, trailing only Joe Montana with 16 and Tom Brady with 35.

He can join Brady (six), Montana (four), Terry Bradshaw (four) and Troy Aikman (three) as the only QBs to win at least three Super Bowl starts.

With a big performance Sunday, Mahomes has a chance to catch everyone but Brady in total touchdowns running and passing in his playoff career. He currently ranks fifth with 44 and needs one to tie Brett Favre, three to match Montana and five to equal Aaron Rodgers’ mark. Catching Brady’s 95 in his career will take a lot more time.

Mahomes’ 39 career TD passes in the postseason are the sixth most ever and more than 11 franchises have in their entire histories.

QB SHUFFLE

While Mahomes is making his fourth Super Bowl start in the past five seasons, the NFC will once again have a new quarterback.

Brock Purdy will be the 10th quarterback to start a Super Bowl for the NFC team in the past 10 seasons, following Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan, Nick Foles, Jared Goff, Jimmy Garoppolo, Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford and Jalen Hurts.

There has been much less change over the past two decades in the AFC with QBs such as Mahomes, Brady and Manning garnering the majority of the starts.

Led by Brady’s nine starts for New England, there have been only 10 QBs to start the Super Bowl for the AFC in the past 27 seasons.

Purdy also will make the 49ers the first franchise ever with five starting quarterbacks in the Super Bowl with Joe Montana having four, and Steve Young, Colin Kaepernick and Garoppolo one each.

Purdy also will be the third-youngest starting quarterback in the Super Bowl at 24 years, 46 days. Dan Marino was the youngest at 23 years, 127 days in Super Bowl 19 for Miami and Ben Roethlisberger was 23 years, 340 days for Pittsburgh in Super Bowl 40.

GETTING DEFENSIVE

The Chiefs have relied heavily on their offense in their past two title runs, but it’s been the defense carrying a big load this season.

Kansas City has held the opponent to fewer than 28 points in all 20 games in the regular season or playoffs, with Green Bay scoring the most in a 27-19 win in Week 13.

Only five teams have ever won a Super Bowl allowing fewer than 28 points in each game but none of those teams played as many games as the Chiefs.

Tampa Bay did it in all 19 games in 2002. The other four doing it when the regular season was only 14 games and there were only three playoff games needed: the Dolphins in 1972 and ’73, the 1969 Chiefs and the 1967 Packers.

TALE OF TWO HALVES

Kansas City’s offense looked close to its usual self in the first half of games this season, but has fallen off dramatically after halftime.

The Chiefs were the sixth-highest scoring team in the first half of games with 243 points, but scored only 128 in the second half, tied for the third fewest.

That was tied for the seventh-biggest drop-off since 1991 with the most recent time a team fell off by more coming in 2014 when the Packers scored 134 fewer points and the 49ers scored 123 fewer points in the second half of games.

The Chiefs were held scoreless in the second half four times this season, doing it three straight games in the middle of the season and again in the AFC title game.

The Niners were far more consistent, leading the league in the regular season with 267 first-half points and ranking third with 224 in the second half.

That changed in the postseason with San Francisco scoring only 14 points before halftime and 44 in the second of back-to-back comebacks.

The Chiefs propensity to start fast has been evident in the playoffs. They have scored on the opening drive of all three games to extend their postseason streak to eight in a row with six touchdowns and two field goals.

No other team since at least the 2000 season has scored on the first in more than four consecutive games.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

The Chiefs will probably feel right at home at Allegiant Stadium having played — and won — here every season since the Raiders arrived in Las Vegas in 2020.

Kansas City is 4-0 at the venue and with a win on Sunday, Mahomes and Andy Reid will have the most wins by any quarterback-coach duo in stadium history.

That’s thanks in large part to the Raiders going through four coaches in their four seasons in Las Vegas and changing quarterbacks this season.

The Raiders have three duos with four wins at Allegiant Stadium with Derek Carr doing it with Jon Gruden and Josh McDaniels, and Aidan O’Connell doing it this past season with Antonio Pierce.

This Super Bowl will come down to the other side of the ball.

Defense wins the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.

Kansas City is seeking to become the NFL’s first repeat champion in 19 years. San Francisco is aiming for a record-tying sixth Super Bowl title.

Mahomes, Travis Kelce and coach Andy Reid get most of the attention on the Chiefs (14-6), but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit deserves plenty of credit for carrying the team during various points of the season when the offense was inconsistent and out of sync.

All-Pros Chris Jones and Trent McDuffie along with George Karlaftis, L’Jarius Sneed and others stepped up, giving the Chiefs their best defense of Mahomes’ era.

They’ll need to do it for one more game against a versatile, dynamic offense.

The 49ers (14-5) also have a formidable defense led by Nick Bosa, All-Pro Fred Warner, Javon Hargrave and Charvarius Ward. They’ve struggled in the postseason, especially making third-down stops.

They have to be better against Mahomes and the Chiefs to have a shot to win.

WHEN THE 49ERS HAVE THE BALL

The 49ers had the league’s third-ranked rushing attack behind McCaffrey and fourth-ranked passing offense behind Purdy. The Chiefs gave up the second-fewest points (17.3), were fourth against the pass and 18th against the run.

McCaffrey, tight end Kittle, left tackle Trent Williams and fullback Kyle Juszczyk were All-Pros. Brandon Aiyuk was a second-team All-Pro. Samuel is a versatile, do-everything player.

The 49ers have plenty of weapons, and coach Kyle Shanahan is known for finding innovative ways to use them and keep defenses off balance. He’s facing a master tactician in Spagnuolo.

It’ll be a chess match.

Spagnuolo has a penchant for blitzing. Purdy excelled against it.

The 49ers have to block Jones, who can be a game-wrecker. McDuffie is a shutdown slot cornerback and Sneed allowed only one receiver all season to have more than 50 yards receiving in a game so Purdy has a tough task.

He led the NFL with a 113.0 passer rating on 4,280 yards, 31 TDs, 11 picks and a 69.4% completion rate.

McCaffrey led the NFL with 1,459 yards rushing and had 14 rushing TDs for San Francisco. He also had 564 yards receiving for seven scores.

Kittle had 65 catches for 1,020 yards and six TDs. Aiyuk led the way with 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven scores. Samuel had 1,117 yards from scrimmage.

A wild card for San Francisco’s offense is Purdy’s surprising mobility. His scrambling was a major factor as he led comeback wins against the Lions and Packers in the playoffs.

The Chiefs shut down two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, the best running QB in the NFL, so they’ll be ready for Purdy.

WHEN THE CHIEFS HAVE THE BALL

The Chiefs had the league’s sixth-ranked passing offense behind Mahomes and 19th-ranked rushing attack.

The 49ers were 14th against the pass and third against the run, but they have allowed 13 of 25 third-down conversions in the playoffs.

Mahomes is a brilliant playmaker who finds unique ways to make big plays when it seems nothing is available. The two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP threw for 4,183 yards with 27 touchdowns, a career-high 14 interceptions and career-low 92.6 passer rating. His receivers dropped 44 passes, the most in the league.

The Chiefs’ offense runs through Mahomes and Kelce. Without a deep threat – Tyreek Hill was traded to Miami two years ago – Reid has turned the passing offense into a shorter, carve-up attack.

Rashee Rice has the ability to turn screens into big plays and veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling has averaged 21.6 yards per catch in the playoffs.

Kelce had 93 catches for 984 yards and five TDs in the regular season and he has taken his game to another level in the playoffs, with 23 catches for 262 yards and three scores in three games. Rice had 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven TDs in the regular season.

The Chiefs have to use running back Isiah Pacheco to balance the offense. He ran for 935 yards and seven TDs in the regular season, and he has 254 yards and three scores in the playoffs.

Reid is one of the NFL’s most creative coaches, and he’s willing to add new wrinkles in the biggest games.

Kansas City again won’t have All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney and the offensive line has a big challenge protecting Mahomes from Bosa, Hargrave and the rest of San Francisco’s pass rush.

Warner and Dre Greenlaw can control of the middle of the field and limit some of Kelce’s opportunities, forcing the Chiefs to attack outside.

Mahomes can always make plays with his legs. He scrambled for 26 first downs in the regular season.

Playing on an injured ankle in last year’s Super Bowl, he had a big scramble on Kansas City’s go-ahead drive in a comeback win over Philadelphia.

If the 49ers bring the heat and turn up the pressure like Tampa Bay did against Mahomes in the Super Bowl three years ago, that could be trouble for the Chiefs.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Niners rookie kicker Jake Moody was 21 of 25 on field goals in the regular season, but he’s looked shaky in the playoffs, with two misses in five tries. His longest field goal was 57 yards.

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made 33 of 35 field goals in the regular season, including all five from beyond 50 yards. He hasn’t missed in the playoffs, making seven field goals and seven extra points. Butker’s 27-yard field goal with 8 seconds left gave the Chiefs a 38-35 win over Philadelphia in last season’s Super Bowl.San Francisco punter Mitch Wishnowsky had a 42.7-yard net average. Kansas City’s Tommy Townsend had a 41.9-yard net average.

The Chiefs use Mecole Hardman and Richie James for returns. Hardman had the longest punt return at 50 yards and James had the longest kick return at 31.

The 49ers will sometimes use Samuel on kick returns, with Ray-Ray McCloud getting most of the returns on punts and kicks.

COACHING

Shanahan is 8-3 in the playoffs and 0-2 in Super Bowls, including one as an assistant. His 49ers blew a lead against the Chiefs in this game four years ago and he was offensive coordinator for Atlanta when the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead against Tom Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl 51.

Reid is a likely future Hall of Famer. He already has two Super Bowl rings and is the winningest coach in the history of the Chiefs and Eagles.

INTANGIBLES

The 49ers initially were 2½-point favorites, but the line dropped to 1½ on Saturday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. They’ve been favored in every game this season. The Chiefs have embraced the underdog role in the playoffs, going on the road to beat Buffalo and Baltimore.

Reid and Mahomes are chasing Bill Belichick and Brady. They’ve got to win four more Super Bowls to match them.

LOS ANGELES — The UCLA women’s basketball team got a career effort from a reserve on a night when a key player returned to the lineup.

Gabriela Jaquez had 21 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, Kiki Rice scored 20 points and the ninth-ranked Bruins defeated Arizona, 66-58, on Friday night at Pauley Pavilion as Lauren Betts returned to the lineup after a four-game absence.

Rice shot 9 for 12 from the field and scored 10 of her points in the first quarter, while Jaquez scored 10 points in the third quarter. Rice shot 75% but UCLA’s four other starters were a combined 4 for 24. Jaquez was 8 for 15 shooting off the bench.

UCLA (18-4 overall, 7-4 Pac-12) led 31-28 at halftime and 48-43 after three quarters and always seemed to have an answer for Arizona (12-11, 4-7).

“We were doing good taking advantage of what was given to us,” Rice said. “I think we had really good ball movement and we recognized who the hot hand was and our defense was leading to offense. And a lot of that was getting those easy reads and lead to points.”

The Bruins went on a 9-0 run in the third quarter to take a 40-32 lead. When Arizona pulled within three points at 52-49 in the fourth, the Bruins went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 59-49.

Betts returned to the lineup after missing time for an undisclosed medical reason. The Bruins were 2-2 without the 6-foot-7 center, who didn’t start Friday but entered the game in the first quarter.

Betts, who has the nation’s best field-goal percentage at 68.3% and was averaging more than 15 points per game, scored her first basket in her return on a 6-footer off the glass in the second quarter and finished with six points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots in 27 minutes.

UCLA had a short bench with Angela Dugalic and Lina Sontag playing in the women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Brazil this weekend. Dugalic is playing for Serbia and Sontag for Germany.

“It’s huge,” UCLA coach Cori Close said of Betts’ return. “Obviously even more huge because we’re missing Lina and Angela.

“I think more than that is her spirit. Everyone was talking about that in practice yesterday. It’s not that she’s just a really good player, it’s her energy and spirit for the sake of the team and that was really missed. We’re thrilled to have her back.”

The Bruins, who are third in the country in offensive rebound percentage, had 18 offensive rebounds with Betts grabbing four of them.

Esmery Martinez scored 15 points for Arizona, which was without four players. Kailyn Gilbert added 14 points.

The Wildcats had 20 turnovers.

“Offensive rebounds and turnovers really hurt us,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes said. “We had a lot of turnovers in the third quarter that led to transition baskets and those are daggers.”

BIG PICTURE

Arizona: The Wildcats are hanging tough in the middle of the pack in the top-heavy Pac-12. If they can make the NCAA Tournament – and the conference will undoubtedly send many teams – the high level of competition should prove beneficial.

UCLA: The outlook looks bright with Betts back.

UP NEXT

UCLA hosts Arizona State on Sunday at noon.

LOS ANGELES — USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb used some pre-game inspiration from “Ted Lasso,” challenging the 10th-ranked Trojans to get out of their comfort zone.

It worked.

JuJu Watkins scored 25 of her 31 points over the final two quarters and the Trojans routed Arizona State, 81-63, on Friday night at the Galen Center.

Playing her first home game since scoring a career-high 51 points in an upset of Stanford last week, Watkins started slowly. She had just six points on 3-of-12 shooting at halftime, including two airballs in the first quarter.

She also finished with seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and went 8 for 9 at the free-throw line as the Trojans (17-4 overall, 7-4 Pac-12) won their third in a row.

After being held to just nine points in the first quarter, Arizona State closed to 38-31 on Trayanna Crisp’s 3-pointer to open the third.

But the Trojans answered, going on a 12-2 run to extend their lead to 50-33. Watkins scored six and McKenzie Forbes had four, including a steal and layup. Forbes finished with 18 points.

“Our energy was really good,” Gottlieb said. “We established ourselves inside the paint.”

Watkins scored USC’s final five points of the third for a 59-45 lead in front of “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis. She put on a show, battling in the paint and snaking through defenders to score.

“I’m totally starstruck,” Gottlieb said. “I was excited to see him here tonight.”

Watkins and Forbes combined to score the Trojans’ first 13 points of the fourth for a 72-50 lead. USC stretched its lead to 81-56 on Watkins’ layup before she sat down for good after playing 37 minutes.

“We just found another gear,” Gottlieb said. “We know we have an interior athletic presence and talented bigs and we challenged them to assert themselves.”

The Sun Devils (10-13, 2-9) have dropped nine of their last 11 games and remain mired in last place in the league. They were led by Jalyn Brown with 24 points. Crisp added 17. Crisp, Jaddan Simmons and Journey Thompson each had four fouls as ASU had just seven players available.

The Trojans led by 19 in the second quarter until they were outscored 14-5 over the final minutes to go into halftime leading 38-28.

BIG PICTURE

Arizona State: The Sun Devils couldn’t keep up with the bigger Trojans and got outscored 46-30 in the paint.

USC: The Trojans’ defense forced 13 turnovers, had six blocked shots and outrebounded ASU 42-28, led by Rayah Marshall with 16 boards. She added 13 points. “I came out in the first quarter and it was tough to get my feel for offense,” Marshall said. “My teammates told me to keep shooting the ball.”

UP NEXT

USC hosts Arizona on Monday at 6 p.m.

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday slammed the report by a Justice Department special counsel into Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents that raised questions about the president’s memory, calling it “politically motivated” and “gratuitous.”

The report from Robert Hur, the former Maryland U.S. Attorney selected by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Biden found evidence that Biden willfully held onto and shared with a ghostwriter highly classified information, but laid out why he did not believe the evidence met the standard for criminal charges, including a high probability that the Justice Department would not be able to prove Biden’s intent beyond a reasonable doubt.

The report described the 81-year-old Democrat’s memory as “hazy,” “fuzzy,” “faulty,” “poor” and having “significant limitations.” It noted that Biden could not recall defining milestones in his own life such as when his son Beau died or when he served as vice president.

Taking a question from a reporter at the conclusion of a gun violence prevention event at the White House, Harris said that as a former prosecutor, she considered Hur’s comments “gratuitous, inaccurate, and inappropriate.”

She noted that Biden’s two-day sit-down with Hur occurred just after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, where more than 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage — including many Americans.

“It was an intense moment for the commander in chief of the United States of America,” Harris said, saying she spent countless hours with Biden and other officials in the days that followed and he was “on top of it all.”

She added that “the way that the president’s demeanor in that report was characterized could not be more wrong on the facts and clearly politically motivated, gratuitous.”

Harris concluded saying a special counsel should have a “higher level of integrity than what we saw.”

Her comments came a day after Biden insisted that his “memory is fine.” and grew visibly angry at the White House, as he denied forgetting when his son died. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015 at the age of 46.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Friday that he will run for U.S. Senate, giving Republicans a prominent candidate who is well-positioned to run a competitive campaign for the GOP in a state that hasn’t had a Republican U.S. senator in 37 years.

The decision marks a surprise turnaround for Hogan, a moderate who had considered a presidential bid. During Hogan’s tenure as governor, he became a national figure as one of the rare Republicans willing to criticize Donald Trump. Last month, Hogan stepped down from the leadership of the third-party movement No Labels.

“My fellow Marylanders: you know me,” Hogan begins in a video released by his Senate campaign. “For eight years, we proved that the toxic politics that divide our nation need not divide our state.”

The former governor added that he made the decision to run for Senate “not to serve one party, but to try to be part of the solution: to fix our nation’s broken politics and fight for Maryland.”

“That is what I did as your governor and it’s exactly how I’ll serve you in the United States Senate,” Hogan said.

GOP leaders are eager to pick up the seat as they try to wrest control of the Senate from Democrats, who hold a slim majority and are defending more seats than Republicans in 2024.

In 2022, Hogan rebuffed an aggressive push from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans to run against Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen.

When he announced his decision not to run for Senate two years ago, Hogan expressed confidence he could win. “But just because you can win a race, doesn’t mean that’s the job you should do if your heart’s not in it. And I just didn’t see myself being a U.S. senator,” he said then.

The former two-term governor who left office early last year will be running for an open seat due to the retirement of Sen. Ben Cardin. Hogan made his Senate bid known just hours before Maryland’s filing deadline.

Hogan announced in March that he would not challenge Trump for the GOP’s White House nomination. Last month, he squelched speculation of a third-party presidential run and endorsed former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for the Republican nomination for president.

The rarely open Maryland Senate seat already has drawn U.S. Rep. David Trone into the Democratic primary, as well as Angela Alsobrooks, the county executive of Prince George’s County in the suburbs of the nation’s capital. Trone, the wealthy founder of a chain of liquor stores called Total Wine & More, has poured $23 million of his own money into his campaign so far.

Seven Republicans have filed to enter the GOP primary, but none is as well known as the former governor. Hogan was only the second Republican governor to ever win reelection in Maryland, a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1.

He won his first term as governor in 2014 in an upset, using public campaign financing against a better-funded candidate. Running on fiscal concerns as a moderate Republican businessman, Hogan tapped into voter frustration over a series of tax and fee increases to defeat then-Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown.

Hogan, who had never held elected office before, focused on pocketbook issues from the outset. He lowered tolls, an action he could take without approval from the General Assembly, long controlled by Democrats. But he also faced challenges, including unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody in 2015. Hogan sent the National Guard to help restore order.

In June of that year, Hogan was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma but continued working while receiving treatment. He has been in remission since November 2015.

Maryland’s last Republican U.S. senator was Charles Mathias, who served in the Senate from 1969 to 1987. Mathias was known as a liberal Republican who often clashed with his party over issues such as the Vietnam War and civil rights.

TOKYO — Seiji Ozawa, the Japanese conductor who amazed audiences with the lithe physicality of his performances during more than four decades at the helm of the San Francisco Symphony, Boston Symphony and other orchestras, has died, his management office said Friday. He was 88.

The internationally acclaimed maestro, with his trademark mop of salt-and-pepper hair, led the San Francisco Symphony from 1970-76, but was likely best known as the director of the Boston Symphony for more than 30 years until departing in 2002. From 2002 to 2010, he was the music director of the Vienna State Opera.

He died of heart failure Tuesday at his home in Tokyo, according to his office, Veroza, Japan.

He remained active in his later years, particularly in his native land. He was the artistic director and founder of the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, a music and opera festival in Japan. He and the Saito Kinen Orchestra, which he co-founded in 1984, won the Grammy for best opera recording in 2016 for Ravel’s “L’Enfant et Les Sortileges (The Child and the Spells.)”

In 2022, he conducted his Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival for the first time in three years to mark its 30th anniversary. That turned out to be his last public performance.

“Music can link the hearts of people — transcending words, borders, religion, and politics. It is my hope that through music, we can be reminded that we are all of the same human race living on the same planet. And that we are united,” Ozawa said in a statement.

“It is with great sadness that I share the news of Seiji Ozawa’s passing earlier this week at the age of 88,” said San Francisco Symphony CEO Matt Spivey, who said the conductor left an “indelible mark” on both the orchestra and the city.

“Ozawa’s tenure ushered in an exciting new era at the San Francisco Symphony. He brought a modern sensibility to the organization and captivated audiences in San Francisco through his expert conducting and charismatic presence.”

At Boston, he was credited with helping the BSO become the biggest-budget orchestra in the world, with an endowment that grew from less than $10 million in the early 1970s to more than $200 million in 2002.

Ozawa was born Sept. 1, 1935, to Japanese parents in Manchuria, China, while it was under Japanese occupation.

After his family returned to Japan in 1944, he studied music under Hideo Saito, a cellist and conductor credited with popularizing Western music in Japan. Ozawa revered him and formed the Saito Kinen (Saito Memorial) Orchestra in 1984 and eight years later founded the Saito Kinen Festival — renamed the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival in 2015.

Ozawa first arrived in the United States in 1960 and was quickly hailed by critics as a brilliant young talent. He attended the Tanglewood Music Center and was noticed by Leonard Bernstein, who appointed him assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic for the 1961-62 season. After his New York debut with the Philharmonic at age 25, The New York Times said “the music came brilliantly alive under his direction.”

He led the San Francisco Symphony from 1970 to 1976, splitting his time between San Francisco and Boston for part of his tenure in the Bay Area.

“Ozawa’s legacy includes the San Francisco Symphony’s first European tour in 1973, highlighted by a memorable appearance in Soviet Moscow alongside the legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich,” Spivey said. “Other significant milestones of Ozawa’s tenure included the establishment of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus in 1973 and a string of adventurous recordings, notably a popular release of William Russo’s Blues Symphony.”

He came to prominence at a time there were few nonwhite musicians on the international scene. Ozawa embraced the challenge and it became his lifelong passion to help Japanese performers demonstrate they could be first-class musicians. In his 1967 book “The Great Conductors,” critic Harold C. Schonberg noted the changing ranks of younger conductors, writing that Ozawa and Indian-born Zubin Mehta were the first Asian conductors “to impress one as altogether major talents.”

Ozawa is largely credited with elevating the Tanglewood Music Center, a music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, to international prominence. In 1994, a 1,200-seat, $12 million music hall at the center was named for him.

As Spivey noted, Ozawa’s impact extended far beyond Boston and San Francisco. “He created several international academies for young musicians and was also deeply involved in the musical landscape of his native Japan, founding the Saito Kinen Orchestra.”

Ozawa was one of five honorees at the annual Kennedy Center Honors in 2015 for contributing to American culture through the arts.

In later years, Ozawa’s health deteriorated. He canceled some appearances in 2015-16 for health reasons, including what would have been his first return to the Tanglewood music festival — the summer home of the Boston symphony — in a decade.

His passing drew notes of sadness from around the world. Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Chairman Daniel Froschauer said in his comment posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Ozawa “has left a great artistic legacy with the Vienna Philharmonic. We will sorely miss Seiji Ozawa as a friend and musical partner. Our thoughts are with his family.”

Ozawa’s management office said his funeral was attended only by close relatives as his family wished to have a quiet farewell.

LAS VEGAS — Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award in a landslide announced at NFL Honors on Thursday night.

The Rancho Cucamonga alumnus received 48 of 50 first-place votes with Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua getting the other two.

The No. 2 overall pick, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, five interceptions and had a passer rating of 100.8, third-best by a rookie. He helped the Texans go from worst to first place in the AFC South and led them to a playoff win in the wild-card round.

“I’m the type of person who wonders what’s next and what I can do better but reflecting on the season, being my first, it’s special just to be in the NFL let alone on a winning team,” Stroud said.

Defensive end Will Anderson Jr., Stroud’s Houston teammate, won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award, outgaining both Jalen Carter and Kobie Turner by two first-place votes.

Anderson and Stroud are the fourth teammates to win the offensive and defensive rookie awards in the same season. Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner swept the awards last year for the New York Jets.

“It means the absolute world,” Anderson said about him and Stroud winning. “Just watching how he comes to work every day, the preparation he put in and rebuilding the culture and being captains our rookie year, it’s special.”

Accepting the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award in person was bittersweet for Lamar Jackson.

Jackson was a near-unanimous choice for his second MVP award but the quarterback’s Baltimore Ravens fell one win short of playing in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

“I’d rather send in a video to win the award,” Jackson said. “To be here for the award, it’s an honor but I’d rather be in the Super Bowl accepting this award.”

The All-Pro QB received 49 of 50 first-place votes from a nationwide panel of voters that includes media members who regularly cover the NFL, former players and coaches.

Jackson led the Ravens (14-5) to the NFL’s best record in the regular season, but they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game. The 27-year-old Jackson is the fourth player to win his second MVP before turning 28, joining Patrick Mahomes (27), Brett Favre (27) and Jim Brown (22).

“It’s an honor. I guess I’m in elite company,” Jackson said.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey ran away with the AP Offensive Player of the Year award. He’ll try to add a Super Bowl ring to his trophy case when the 49ers take on the Chiefs on Sunday.

Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett beat out T.J. Watt for AP Defensive Player of the Year.

The Browns took home four awards.

Quarterback Joe Flacco, who came off the couch to lead Cleveland to the playoffs, was named AP Comeback Player of the Year. Kevin Stefanski edged Houston’s DeMeco Ryans for AP Coach of the Year honors by one first-place vote. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz won the AP Assistant Coach of the Year award after guiding the league’s No. 1 ranked unit.

“It was a special year for a special team,” Garrett said about the Browns. “I think next year is going to be our year.”

Despite his disappointment over losing the AFC title game, it was also a special year for Jackson.

The one first-place MVP vote he didn’t receive went to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Jackson threw for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 821 yards and five scores while leading Baltimore to a record 10 wins over teams that finished with a winning record. He helped the Ravens rout Houston in the divisional round but struggled in a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC title game.

McCaffrey, San Francisco’s All-Pro running back, received 39 of 50 first-place votes for OPOY, outpacing Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. A unanimous choice for All-Pro, McCaffrey led the NFL with 1,459 yards rushing and had 14 rushing TDs. He also had 564 yards receiving for seven scores.

“I feel so fortunate to be part of the best organization on the planet so thank you for believing in me,” McCaffrey said.

Garrett was equally as dominant on the other side of the ball. He received 23 first-place votes and 165 points to beat out Watt for DPOY. Despite constant double-teams, Garrett had 14 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, 17 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and forced offensive coordinators to avoid his side of the field.

Flacco beat out Bills safety Damar Hamlin and Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield for the comeback award. He received 13 first-place votes, 26 second-place votes and eight thirds to finish with 151 points.

Hamlin returned to the NFL this season after collapsing on the field and needing to be resuscitated following a cardiac arrest on Jan. 2, 2023. He played in five regular-season games. Hamlin received 21 first-place votes but appeared on 42 of 50 ballots while Flacco was on 47. He got seven second-place votes and 14 third-place votes for 140 points.

Flacco, the 39-year-old former Super Bowl MVP, was home in New Jersey with his family when Cleveland called him in November. He went 4-1 in five starts and passed for over 300 yards in four straight games with 13 touchdowns.

Stefanski led the Browns to their third playoff appearance since 1999 despite losing quarterback Deshaun Watson, star running back Nick Chubb and right tackle Jack Conklin to season-ending injuries and starting five QBs.

Cleveland’s Schwartz received 25 first-place votes and finished with 160 points, easily outpacing Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

LOS ANGELES — After a symbolic snub in Nevada’s primary, Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign headed Wednesday to California, where she faces another longshot bid against former President Donald Trump and again sought to tamp down any talk that she might leave the race.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m in this for the long haul,” Haley said to cheers during an indoor rally in Los Angeles’ historic Hollywood neighborhood, where she did not mention the embarrassing Nevada outcome.

With mail voting underway in California, supporters who turned out on a rainy night were eager for Haley to continue her one-on-one rivalry with Trump and shrugged off the Nevada setback as insignificant and soon to be forgotten.

“I hope she fights,” said Democratic voter Steven Whiddon, who works in film and TV production. Though he can’t vote in the state GOP primary, which is open only to registered Republican voters, he’s backing Haley because “she’s sane, she’s practical.”

The Nevada vote was “completely rigged by Trump supporters,” he said. Haley “didn’t lose a thing.”

As the GOP contest has winnowed to two major candidates, Haley has embraced the role of defiant Trump foil and self-styled establishment outsider. Another Trump term in the White House, she warns, would bring the nation “chaos.”

A day earlier, the former U.N. ambassador — the last major rival contesting Trump’s ascent to the nomination — was stung in Nevada, where GOP voters overwhelmingly chose a “none of these candidates” option on the ballot, bypassing Haley in what amounted to a public rebuke.

It was a token vote, however – the primary didn’t award any delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination and Haley did not campaign in Nevada after contending that Trump allies rigged the rules in his favor.

Haley supporter Sheldon Kay said she needs to change direction and try to engage Trump supporters on issues like immigration and the economy, rather than relentlessly criticize the former president. He said the friction with Trump supporters was behind her finish in Nevada.

She “needs to peel away some of the Trump loyalists,” said Kay, a retired psychologist. Her message “is falling on deaf ears with the people she needs to persuade.”

“She needs to do that to have any chance,” he added.

Wayne Watkins, who lives in Upland, east of Los Angeles, said he changed parties from independent to Republican to vote for Haley, drawn to her moderate brand of politics. He said he recognizes she faces long odds but worries that Trump’s legal problems could doom a general election campaign.

For Haley, “Quitting gets you nothing at this point,” said Watkins, who also is volunteering for the campaign. By staying in the race there is the “possibility of success.”

Her campaign says it raised $16.5 million in January and argues that she, not Trump, would be the stronger general election candidate.

Trump didn’t compete in the Nevada primary and instead focused on the state’s Thursday caucuses, where he is expected to claim all 26 of delegates in play.

Trump also is strongly favored in California, where the primary election concludes March 5 — so-called Super Tuesday, when the state will be among more than a dozen holding elections. It’s possible he could sweep the state’s trove of 169 delegates, the biggest prize in the nominating contest.

Heavily Democratic California probably will be an afterthought in November 2024 — the state’s lopsided electorate makes it a virtual lock for Democrats on Election Day. The last Republican presidential nominee to carry the state was George H.W. Bush in 1988.