MON SIX

Darryn Peterson scored 16 of his 24 points after halftime to help No. 14 Kansas survive with a hard-fought 78-73 win over TCU in the final Big 12 tournament quarterfinal Thursday in Kansas City, Mo.

Peterson was an inefficient 5-for-17 from the floor but made up for it by making 13 of 16 free throws in 37 minutes of action. He added eight rebounds and three steals for third-seeded Kansas (23-9), which will face second-seeded and fifth-ranked Houston in the late semifinal on Friday.

Flory Bidunga contributed 13 points, 10 boards and three blocks, and Elmarko Jackson and Bryson Tiller chipped in 13 apiece to help Kansas win consecutive games for the first time in more than a month.

David Punch led sixth-seeded TCU (22-11) with 24 points -- 18 of which came in the second half -- and 10 rebounds. Liutauras Lelevicius added 14 points and Jayden Pierre tallied 11 with a team-high three 3-pointers for the Horned Frogs, whose six-game winning streak was snapped.

After a closely contested second half in which neither team led by more than six points, Kansas scored six straight points capped by a Tiller dunk to take a 70-63 lead with 3:22 left.

A 2:41 Kansas scoring drought followed, but TCU was unable to take advantage, missing four straight shots and turning it over five times in the final 4:20. The Horned Frogs finished with 14 turnovers, 11 of which came after halftime.

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TCU's Micah Robinson made a 3-pointer with seven seconds left, and Punch sank another after two Kansas free throws to get the Horned Frogs within 76-73. Jackson iced the game with two more free throws, finishing 10-for-10 from the stripe.

Kansas shot just 37.9% from the floor overall and 23.5% (4 of 17) from 3-point range. The Jayhawks scored 26 of their 47 second-half points at the free-throw line, where they shot 81.1% overall (30 of 37).

Despite trailing 9-0 in the opening minutes, TCU took a 34-31 lead into halftime thanks to a Pierre 3-pointer with 13 seconds left. The Horned Frogs overcame a 12-0 Kansas run midway through the half.

TCU turned it over just three times in the half but shot 39.4% from the floor and 38.5% (5 of 13) from outside the arc.

Lelevicius was the lone exception to that lesser shooting, making 4 of 5 field-goal attempts and both 3-point tries on the way to a game-high 11 first-half points.

Peterson led the Jayhawks with eight first-half points, helping them overcome Bidunga's early foul trouble. Bidunga picked up a pair of fouls in the first 10 minutes of the game.

--Field Level Media

Nick Davidson posted 17 points and 11 rebounds as fifth-seeded Clemson held on to upset No. 4 seed North Carolina 80-79 in the ACC tournament on Thursday night in Charlotte, N.C.

The Tar Heels (24-8), ranked No. 19, turn their attention to Selection Sunday to see their NCAA Tournament fate, while the Tigers (24-9) move on to face the top seed, No. 1 Duke, in Friday's semifinals.

Derek Dixon's 3-pointer on a Seth Trimble dish trimmed Clemson's lead to one with 2.9 seconds to play, capping the Tar Heels' late 21-7 late surge. North Carolina had a chance to win on the game's final possession, but Jarin Stevenson's heave from halfcourt was short.

Davidson was one of six Clemson players to score in double figures. Dillon Hunter scored 14 points, RJ Godfrey tallied 13, Ace Buckner notched 11 and Butta Johnson and Jestin Porter each had 10 points apiece.

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In their second straight loss since freshman phenom Caleb Wilson was ruled out for the season with a hand injury, the Tar Heels were carried by Henri Veesaar's career-high 28 points and 17 rebounds. Diixon scored 16 points, Jarin Stevenson added 12 and Trimble chipped in 13 points and eight assists. UNC shot 47.5% from the field and 36.7% from 3-point range.

Clemson led by as many as 18 and overtook the Tar Heels in the first half with a 19-5 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Buckner from the left wing on an assist from Godfrey. The Tigers had an eight-point advantage at the break and grew their lead with a 12-4 run, a surge punctuated by a deep 3-pointer from Davidson on a dime from Porter.

The Tigers managed without second-leading scorer and top rebounder Carter Welling, who tore his right ACL in Wednesday's win over Wake Forest. He had been averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Clemson shot 49.1% from the floor, 47.4% from 3-point land and turned the ball over just seven times.

--Field Level Media

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic doesn't need an excuse to pile on points, so when Chicago guard Matas Buzelis started jawing with him Thursday night, it became the fuel for his first 50-point game with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bulls Lakers Basketball

Doncic turned what he called unprovoked trash talk from Buzelis into 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in theLakers' 142-130 victory.

"It always feels special," Doncic said after his eighth career 50-point game. "I obviously haven't had a 50-point game in a year, so it was very special. I mean, in the second quarter, I kind of felt it. You know, somebody started talking to me, so that woke me up."

Doncic would not disclose what was said by Buzelis, a second-year forward, because, "I would say that I would definitely get a tech."

Buzelis was asked if learned any lessons from his exchange with Doncic.

"Probably not to talk to him," Buzelis said.

It wasn't like Doncic needed any extra inspiration, either. The NBA scoring leader got off to a strong start with 12 points in the first quarter and had another 12 in the second by making 5 of 6 shots from the field once Buzelis decided to get garrulous.

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Doncic ripped off 17 points in the third quarter before notching 10 points on just four field goal attempts in the fourth. He finished 17 of 31 from the field, going 9 of 14 from 3, and 8 for 9 on free throws.

Lakers coach JJ Redick described Doncic's ability to direct the unsporting words or deeds of opponents into his own game as a "unique trait.

"It's not just the fact that he response to a rough play or trash talking, it's that he can channel it, and he can channel it while still doing all the other things that needs to be done," Redick said. "That's obviously reflective of, you know, his defensive rebounding, his assists, his steals. Again, another game where he gets a high assist number with low turnovers."

Buzelis picked an especially bad time to challenge Doncic, who had averaged 39.5 points per game during the Lakers' previous three wins with LeBron James out because of right hip contusion and arthritis in his left foot. That included Doncic scoring 44 points against Indiana on Friday.

Doncic has 13 40-point games in 82 regular-season appearances for Los Angeles, moving into ninth in franchise history. Eleven of those have come this season.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The '80s had a very specific kind of energy. Big hair, neon colors, cassette tapes in your Walkman – somehow it all made sense at the time.

This quiz is a little trip back to that decade. There are 30 questions here, covering music, movies, fashion, tech, and a few random bits of pop culture you might not have thought about in years.

Let's see how much of the '80s you still remember!🕺

🚀 💡 Want more or looking for something else? Head over to theBored Panda Quizzesand explore our full collection of quizzes and trivia designed to test your knowledge, reveal hidden insights, and spark your curiosity.💡 🚀

Image credits:Swapnil Sharma

Which film featured a teenager traveling through time in a DeLorean?

◯ Weird Science◯ The Last Starfighter◯ Short Circuit◯ Back to the Future

Fill in the gap: The portable music player that became a cultural icon in the '80s was the Sony ______.

◯ Walkman◯ Discman◯ Soundman◯ MusicBox

Which singer was famously known as the "King of Pop" during the 1980s?

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True or false: MTV originally launched in the 1980s playing mostly music videos.

◯ True◯ False

Which hairstyle was especially popular among men in the 1980s?

Which 1980s film featured this catchphrase?

◯ Dirty Dancing◯ Footloose◯ Flashdance◯ Pretty in Pink

Fill in the gap: The 1980s fitness trend led by _________ encouraged people to work out with aerobic exercise videos.

◯ Cindy Crawford◯ Jane Fonda◯ Olivia Newton-John◯ Madonna

What city do the Golden Girls live in?

◯ Los Angeles◯ Chicago◯ Miami◯ New York

🧠 Curious to see the rest? Take the full quiz here 🧠

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A Sydney business consultant was convicted Friday of breaking Australia'sforeign interference lawsby providing reports to two people he should have suspected were Chinese spies.

Alexander Csergo, 59, is only the second person to be convicted under Australian laws against covert interference and espionage thatangered Chinawhen they were legislated in 2018.

The jury that heard the trial in New South Wales District Court in Sydney found Csergo should have suspected that a man and woman he knew only as Ken and Evelyn were working for China's ministry of state security.

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He was found guilty of the charge of reckless foreign interference and was released on bail for the weekend to return to court Monday, when prosecutors will argue for him to be placed in custody. He faces a potential prison term of up to 15 years when he is sentenced.

Csergo's lawyers argued he used open-source information as research. He also lied to the suspected spies about interviewing several individuals includingKevin Rudd, the former prime minister who is currently Australia's ambassador to the U.S.

Csergo was working in Shanghai as a communications and technology consultant in 2021 when he was approached through the professional network platform LinkedIn by Evelyn, who said she was from a Chinese think tank.

He provided handwritten reports to Evelyn and Ken in return for cash on topics including defense, security, politics and mining. Subjects included theAUKUStrilateral partnership in which Britain will help provide Australia with a fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology.

By Felix Light and Mariya Gordeyeva

ALMATY, March 13 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan holds a referendum on Sunday on a new constitution that some critics say could allow President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to ‌remain in charge of Central Asia's largest economy beyond his current term limit of 2029.

Tokayev, ‌a former diplomat who has maintained good relations with Russia, the U.S. and China, has called the referendum "a truly historic moment" ​that moves Kazakhstan, an energy and minerals giant, away from a "super-presidential" system towards a greater separation of powers.

But some analysts say the draft retains an excessively powerful presidency.

"[It] significantly increases the powers of the head of state and does not create a system of checks and balances," said political analyst Dosym Satpayev.

The proposal merges ‌parliament's two chambers into one and ⁠restores the post of vice-president, abolished in 1996, who would be picked by the president.

Kazakh presidents would remain limited to a single term of seven years, a ⁠change Tokayev himself introduced in 2022.

Tokayev, 72, has said he will step down in 2029, but some observers say a new constitution could reset his term limit, a tactic used by the leaders of several other ex-Soviet ​republics, ​including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

RETURN TO THE UN?

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Referring to ​a rumour widespread in Kazakhstan that Tokayev ‌may run for the post of United Nations secretary-general this year, Satpayev said the vice-presidency would allow Tokayev to anoint a successor before leaving office early.

A Kazakh diplomatic source told Reuters that Tokayev, who headed the UN's Geneva office in 2011-2013, is considering both being a candidate for secretary-general and seeking a possible second presidential term.

Tokayev has said he does not want to return to the UN.

State-approved pollsters say ‌a large majority backs the new constitution, while public opposition ​to it has been subdued.

The vote comes at a fraught ​time for Kazakhstan, whose economy is closely intertwined ​with Russia's, and which has suffered from the Ukraine war fallout.

Economic growth has ‌accelerated but so has inflation, hitting 11.7% in ​February, while interest rates ​are at 18%, a record high. A tranche of tax rises has deepened discontent.

Asya Tuligenova, who sells horsemeat, a Kazakh delicacy, at a bazaar in the commercial capital Almaty, said traders ​were shouldering rising costs to avoid ‌passing them on to consumers.

"We're kind of afraid. If we raise prices, it will be ​difficult for our regular customers."

She did not say whether she would vote on Sunday.

(Reporting ​by Felix Light and Mariya GordeyevaEditing by Gareth Jones)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S. military says a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting operations against Irancrashed in western Iraqand rescue operations are underway.

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TheU.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in "friendly airspace," and that the other plane landed safely.

Here's what is known so far about the tanker, which is the fourth publicly acknowledged U.S. aircraft to crash during the war against Iran:

The KC-135 is a long-serving tanker plane

The KC-135 Stratotanker is a U.S. Air Force aircraft used to refuel other planes in midair, allowing them to travel longer distances and maintain operations longer without landing. The plane is also used to transport wounded personnel during medical evacuations or conduct surveillance missions, according to military experts.

Based on the same design as the Boeing 707 passenger plane, the tanker has been in service for more than 60 years, supporting the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps as well as allied aircraft, according to an Air Force description. The aging plane is set to be phased out as the air force receives a full complement of next-generation KC-46A Pegasus tankers.

Despite upgrades over the years, the KC-135s' age has fueled concern about their reliability and durability.

"The last of these planes were produced in the 1960s," said Yang Uk, a security expert at South Korea's Asan Institute for Policy Studies. He added that the transition to the KC-46A has progressed more slowly than expected.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the Air Force last year had 376 KC-135s, including 151 on active duty, 163 in the Air National Guard and 62 in the Air Force Reserve.

A basic KC-135 crew has three people: a pilot, co-pilot and boom operator. Nurses and medical technicians are added in aeromedical evacuation missions.

Refueling typically happens at the back of the plane, where the boom operator is located. A fuel boom is lowered to connect with fighters, bombers or other aircraft. On many of the planes, the boom operator works lying face down while looking out of a window on the underside of the plane.

Some KC-135s can also refuel planes from pods on their wings. The tankers also have room above the fuel stores to carry cargo or passengers if needed.

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Refueling tankers could play an increasingly important role if the Iran war drags on, as U.S. aircraft may need to fly longer missions to pursue Iranian forces retreating deeper into the country, said Yang.

Cause of crash and condition of crew not immediately known

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties from the crash in Iraq. A U.S. official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation, said the plane was carrying at least five crew members.

A second U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the other plane involved in the incident was also a KC-135. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., wrote on X that the other plane landed safely in Israel.

The U.S. Central Command did not elaborate on the circumstances of the crash, but said it "was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire."

Yang said it would be rare for a refueling tanker to be downed by enemy fire because such operations are usually conducted in the rear of combat zones.

The crash came after three U.S. F-15E fighter jets were mistakenly downed last weekby friendly Kuwaiti fire.

Past accidents

KC-135s have been involved in several fatal accidents. The most recent happened on May 3, 2013, when a KC-135R crashed after takeoff south of Chaldovar, Kyrgyzstan while taking part in the war in Afghanistan.

In that crash, the crew experienced problems with the plane's rudder, according to a U.S. Air Force investigation. While they struggled to stabilize the plane, the tail section broke away and the plane exploded midair, killing all three crewmembers onboard.

The most serious mid-air collision involving the plane happened in 1966, when a B-52 bomber carrying nuclear bombs struck a tanker near Palomares, Spain.

The accident caused the tanker to crash, killing four onboard. The disaster led to an extensive decontamination effort to clean up nuclear material dispersed when conventional explosives in the hydrogen bombs detonated after hitting the ground.

Schreck reported from Bangkok. AP writers Ben Finley and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed.