Malique Ewin finished with team highs of 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the Florida State Seminoles to a 92-59 victory over the Massachusetts Minutemen in each team's final game of the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off on Sunday afternoon in Uncasville, Conn. The Seminoles (6-1) won their third consecutive game and went 2-0 in the event as they pulled away in the second half, leading by as many as 36 points. It's Florida State's best start since the 2019-20 season when it went 7-1. UMass (1-5) dropped its fifth in a row following a season-opening win over New Hampshire despite a strong game on Sunday from Jaylen Curry, who scored 17 points. Curry, with six free throws, helped propel the Minutemen on a 10-0 run over a four-plus minute span in the first half to take a 24-23 lead with 4:22 left. FSU closed the half on a 13-3 run to lead 37-27 at halftime. A 15-4 surge to open the second half helped the Seminoles break the game open. Florida State's defense frustrated UMass shooters throughout the contest, especially on the perimeter, limiting the Minutemen to 3-for-24 shooting (12.5 percent) from 3-point range and 18-for-58 (31 percent) overall. The Seminoles finished with 22 points off 17 UMass turnovers. On the flipside, Florida State had one of its best shooting games of the season. The Seminoles moved the ball well throughout the game and finished with 25 assists while only turning the ball over 10 times. The Seminoles shot 33 for 58 (57 percent) from the field and made 9 of 18 three-pointers to put together a season-high scoring output. Once again, Florida State shined thanks to its depth as 10 players scored and four scored in double figures. The Seminoles were able to have 16 players participate in the game as well. Jamir Watkins finished with 14 points while Jerry Deng and Justin Thomas each had 10 points. For UMass, Daniel Rivera finished with 12 points and six rebounds while Nate Guerengomba had 10 points. Daniel Hankins-Sanford collected a game-high 13 rebounds. --Field Level Media

The search and rescue organization for Metro Vancouver’s North Shore mountains is warning people to do their research after two international visitors became stranded while relying on hiking apps to plan their routes. Allan McMordie with North Shore Rescue managed the Sunday night rescue of a man from Goat Ridge, a backcountry area behind Grouse Mountain. He said the man told rescuers he had not been expecting snow, despite two of the local ski hills opening with fresh powder last month. “All you had to do was look at the top of the mountains from Vancouver and know there’s snow up there,” he said in an interview. “To be in running shoes and not even expecting any snow was pretty naive.” The man from France had set out on a marked route, then decided to make his way through very rough, steep terrain to a separate trail at significantly higher elevation. “This is rugged backcountry,” McMordie said. “It’s almost impassable.” McMordie could not confirm which apps the hikers in both recent rescues were using, but said a lack of any marked route or trail reports is a good indication not to use the application. In any case, he said trip planning should involve multiple sources for information. If the man from France had done any research, McMordie said he would have discovered the backcountry area where he was rescued is closed for the winter. In both recent cases, he said there are signs at each trailhead with maps showing trails and topography, along with reminders about key steps in trip planning, he said. Both men were lucky to have been able to make 911 calls, McMordie added, as service is patchy in the area and their phone batteries had nearly run out. Above all, he said hikers should tell someone else where they’re going and when they expect to return, so that person can alert local authorities if necessary. “Absolutely nobody knew where this person was and what he was doing that day,” McMordie said of the man from France. “If he had not been able to get that (911) call out, he would still be there.” Sunday’s rescue on Goat Ridge came three days after a similar call, when another man”seriously underestimated the difficulty” of a route marked in an online hiking app, North Shore Rescue said in a statement posted to social media. The group said there is “barely a trail” in the summer and “nothing whatsoever” in the winter, making for “full mountaineering conditions” at this time of year. The man called for help after hiking for eight hours that left him “tired, soaked (and) hypothermic” as the sun was setting,” it said. It’s doubtful the man would have survived the night in the Mount Seymour backcountry if he hadn’t been able to make the call, the rescue group added. The man had been staying in a short-term accommodation and had taken an Uber to the trailhead. Only his girlfriend in Norway knew where he was, and he was not wearing or carrying adequate gear for the conditions, McMordie said. Vancouver-based Stephen Hui, the author of several B.C. hiking guidebooks, said the rough, mountainous terrain steps away from urban Metro Vancouver and the extent of the snowpack in winter is a surprise for many visiting hikers. Hui said online apps can be helpful and often provide commentary about trail conditions from other hikers, but it’s crucial to look at additional sources of information, including complete maps and provincial and national park websites. He said local authorities and outdoor groups have some responsibility for people heading into the backcountry, and there is room for more signage and education. Ultimately, though, he said people must be responsible for themselves. “We can’t handhold everybody,” he said. “There’s always going to be dangers in hiking.”Milwaukee 69, St. Thomas (MN) 65

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Anas Sarwar may have won politician of the year, but real test lies ahead for Scots LabourThe Social Security Administration (SSA) has been working hard to ensure that their beneficiaries receive the best possible attention, but soon their efforts could be thwarted by Congress, as House Republicans refused to increase necessary funding for the SSA in the continuing resolution passed in September. This refusal forced the agency to implement a hiring freeze last month, plunging the agency into the worst staffing crisis in 50 years with a record number of beneficiaries to serve. This will mean increased wait times on the phone or online when trying to resolve problems, which could lead to a lot of problems down the line. The SSA released a statement addressing the issue “If SSA does not receive increased appropriation through March, over 2,000 additional employees will be lost through attrition in the next three months, including experienced staff. Customer service will decline as wait times in our field offices and on the 800 Number increase, backlogs grow, and customers experience further delays in waiting for their claims to be processed.” The Administration, which was doing well under the direction of former Commissioner Martin O’Malley made a valient effort to make do with the existing budget, but the situation is unsustainable, especially if there are more cuts. As an SSA spokesperson established, “Under the existing Continuing Resolution (which did not include the Administration’s requested anomaly) the Social Security Administration was forced to institute a hiring freeze on Nov. 21. Many of the gains we’ve experienced will be lost under continued flat funding.” And the SSA is not the only agency experiencing these cuts negatively, the IRS and the Federal Aviation Administration, both key players have also started their countdown until their hiring freezes because of lack of allocated funds. The impact of the lack of funding on Social Security Should the funding crisis not be averted, agency employees would likely face up to 10 days of furlough, closing offices and tanking service levels. The SSA spokesperson continued “This means our field offices, card centers, and the national 800 number would have reduced levels of service and further delay critical services that the public depends on.” But it is not just SSA employees that are concerned, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee also issued a warning over the program’s lack of funding and its impact on beneficiaries “The Senate Appropriations bill provided a bump-up. The House Appropriations bill cut them quite a bit. It would be terrible if they have to furlough staff. We should not be cutting the Social Security budget. It just makes it harder for Americans to get their benefits. It means that customer service goes way down. I don’t know why anybody would support that”. The lack of funding, which would be to $401 million below its fiscal 2024 operating level and $1.6 billion below President Biden’s request for increased funds, would cripple services, but Republicans do not seem to care very much. They argue that the Biden request is “unsustainable and could lead to significant reductions in other non-defense discretionary areas.” One Republican Senator blamed the issue on the agency’s employees are working from home, by refusing to hear any other reason. He is not alone, many House Republicans point out that only 39 percent of SSA officials in Washington report to the office at least three days a week. A Republican aid stated that “They have the resources and should responsibly use the increase they’ve already been given” but it may not be that simple. As the Trump transition team and congressional Republicans advance plans for a new “ Department of Government Efficiency “, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the initiative aims to streamline federal operations, with Musk proposing $2 trillion in budget cuts. The two held initial meetings with Republicans on Capitol Hill to discuss their vision.

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