Sports Express | November 1, 2026 Valkyries beat Dream 68-63 to win first WNBA title

1. Valkyries beat Dream 68-63 to win first WNBA title in second season

Source: BBC

The Golden State Valkyries won the WNBA championship on Saturday, beating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 at Chase Center in San Francisco to take the franchise's first title in only its second season. It was the first Game Seven in WNBA Finals history, after the Dream levelled the seven-game series on Thursday.

Gabby Williams scored 30 points and was named Finals MVP, with 28 of those points coming in the second half. She hit a three-pointer with just over two minutes remaining to put the Valkyries ahead 60-57, before free throws from Tiffany Hayes and Veronica Burton closed out the win.

"It's easy when the energy is this good and positive," Williams said. "All it took was good people. We have winners, we have people who are ready to put their bodies on the floor to win a game." The Valkyries were formed in 2024 and won in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 18,000 fans. It is the fourth time the Dream have lost the Finals in their 18-year history.

Source

2. Canelo Alvarez beats Christian Mbilli by unanimous decision in Riyadh

Source: MMA Fighting

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez defeated WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli by unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The judges scored the fight 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110.

Alvarez came in at 63-3-2 with 39 knockouts, having lost a unanimous decision to Bud Crawford that cost him the WBC, IBF, WBO and Ring super middleweight titles. Mbilli came in at 29-0-1 with 24 knockouts and was elevated to WBC champion after Crawford retired.

Mbilli had a point deducted in the eighth round for punching Alvarez to the back of the head. "It's so difficult to explain. It's something unbelievable. It feels like my first title," Alvarez said. Oleksandr Usyk climbed into the ring to celebrate with him.

Source

3. Hamilton takes Mexico City pole as Ferrari ends 30-race drought

Source: TSN

Lewis Hamilton, 41, beat Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc to pole position in Saturday's qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix, the 105th pole of his career. "I feel great, that feels good, I am at a loss of words," Hamilton said. "We did a pretty good job with the setup in the weekend. It feels special for me in Mexico, my first pole for Ferrari here."

It was Ferrari's first pole since last year's Hungarian Grand Prix, 30 races ago. Hamilton became the fifth-oldest driver to take an F1 pole and the oldest since Mario Andretti in 1982 at the age of 42. He had retired from Friday's second practice with a loss of power.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified fifth and can become F1's youngest world champion on Sunday by finishing ninth or better, beating Sebastian Vettel's record set at 23. Mercedes can also clinch the constructors' title on Sunday for the first time since 2021. Fernando Alonso was eliminated in the first part of qualifying after four laps when he was told to stop the car.

Source

4. B.C. Lions rally past Roughriders 33-26 to reach West final

Source: Global News

The B.C. Lions overcame a 14-point deficit to beat the defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders 33-26 in Saturday's West Division semifinal in Vancouver. Trailing 17-13 at halftime, the Lions tied the game at 20-20 in the third quarter when Jevon Cottoy took a short pass and ran 70 yards for a touchdown.

Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 21 of 32 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns. "I think with what we've been through this year, I think this isn't uncharted territory for us," Rourke said. "We know that when things aren't going our way, that we're capable of climbing out the hole." The Lions started the season 1-5 and won nine of their next 10 games to reach the playoffs.

B.C. travels to face the Edmonton Elks (13-5) in the West final on Nov. 7. Earlier Saturday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers beat the Toronto Argonauts 25-22 in the East semifinal and will visit the Montreal Alouettes in the East final on Nov. 7. Calgary hosts the Grey Cup on Nov. 15.

Source

5. Matthews, Nylander lead Maple Leafs past Canucks 4-2

Source: TSN

Auston Matthews scored his team-leading 11th goal of the season as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 in Vancouver on Saturday to snap a two-game skid. William Nylander and Teddy Blueger each had a goal and an assist, and Zack MacEwen also scored for Toronto (8-6-2), which finished a four-game road trip with two wins and two losses.

Brock Boeser scored on the power play and Max Sasson also scored for Vancouver (3-12-1), which has one win in its last 13 games. Canucks goaltender Leevi Merilainen made 24 saves, while Anthony Stolarz stopped 26 shots for Toronto and also earned an assist on Blueger's empty-net goal.

Source

6. Anderson scores twice as Canadiens beat Penguins for fifth straight win

Source: Sportsnet

Josh Anderson scored twice and added an assist as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 on Saturday night for their fifth straight win. Chris Kreider had a goal and an assist, Oliver Kapanen and Alexandre Texier also scored, and Lane Hutson had two assists for Montreal (9-3-2), which returned home from an undefeated four-game road trip.

Rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler made 25 saves and became the third Canadiens rookie goalie in the past 40 years to win seven consecutive games. Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson each had a goal and two assists, while Tommy Novak and Rickard Rakell had a goal and an assist apiece for Pittsburgh (5-7-2).

Crosby's assist on the opening goal was the 1,112th of his career, passing Ray Bourque for the most with one franchise in NHL history, and the 39-year-old tied Marcel Dionne for sixth on the all-time scoring list with 1,771 points. Captain Nick Suzuki missed his fifth straight game with a hand injury but joined the team's optional morning skate.

Source

7. Whitecaps clinch first place in the West without playing

Source: Sportsnet

The Vancouver Whitecaps made franchise history on Saturday without taking the field. Vancouver clinched first place in the Western Conference after second-place Dallas FC played to a 1-1 draw with Sporting KC.

It is the first time in franchise history that the Whitecaps have finished first in the West. Finishing first guarantees home-field advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs and also books a place in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.

The Whitecaps open the MLS playoffs on Nov. 23 at BC Place against whichever team advances from the single-elimination wild-card round. Vancouver closes out the regular season on Sunday in Seattle against the Sounders.

Source

8. Pereira, Michaud lead pairs event at Skate Canada International

Source: CBC

Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud lead the pairs competition at Skate Canada International in Kelowna, B.C., after scoring 77.06 points in Friday night's short program. Pereira is from Milton, Ont., and Michaud from Brantford, Ont.

Winnipeg's Ava Kemp and Yohnatan Elizarov sit third with 64.94 points. In the men's short program, Japan's Rio Nakata led the 12-skater field with 92.64 points, while David Bondar of Richmond Hill, Ont., was the top Canadian in seventh at 77.48.

Skate Canada is the second stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit, the top series in figure skating.

Source

9. Fernandez beats Rakhimova to reach Japan Open final

Source: CBC

Canada's Leylah Fernandez defeated Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova 7-5, 6-3 in Saturday's semifinal at the Japan Open in Tokyo, needing one hour 54 minutes. Fernandez, from Laval, Que., will face Diana Shnaider in Sunday's final. The Russian beat Slovakia's Mia Pohankova 6-4, 7-6 (7) in the other semifinal.

Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski will also play a final on Sunday alongside Brazil's Luisa Stefani. The top-seeded pair beat Australia's Storm Hunter and Maya Joint 5-7, 6-4, 10-3 and will face Italy's Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.

Meanwhile, Canada's Bianca Andreescu beat Spain's Alicia Herrero Linana 6-1, 6-1 in Friday's quarterfinal at the Queretaro Open in Mexico, needing just 55 minutes for her ninth straight win.

Source

10. NFL to review additional allegations against Packers RB Jacobs

Source: TSN

The NFL said Saturday it will review additional allegations of physical and verbal abuse by Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs that were revealed in a public records release from the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department. The allegations, released Friday night, show that three women told police about abuse by Jacobs in incidents dating back to April 2021; they came forward after learning of his arrest in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident in May.

"We will review these allegations as part of the investigation which has remained open," the NFL said in a statement. Police also released investigation reports and body camera and dash camera footage from the arrest. Jacobs pleaded no contest to misdemeanor counts of battery and criminal damage to property.

Jacobs' attorneys said in a statement Saturday that the allegations were "uncorroborated, old, and previously unreported," and that the district attorney had determined only two misdemeanor charges were warranted before entering a plea agreement. The 129-page report was in part heavily redacted.

Source