With the 76ers down by eight with less than five minutes remaining, fans started their long walk back to the parking lot.
But those who remained in place witnessed the Sixers battle back to make it a one-point game with less than two minutes to play.
Sixers rookie V.J. Edgecombe sparked the comeback with a crucial bucket with two and a half minutes remaining to cut the lead to one, causing fans to erupt.
With under 20 seconds remaining, Tyrese Maxey found Quentin Grimes, who hit a three that helped the Sixers take a 122-119 lead with just 14 seconds left. After a timeout, Edgecombe walked onto the court and waved for the crowd to get loud.
They did just that as they watched the Sixers improve to 2-0 on the season, the first time Philly opened with consecutive wins since the 2020-21 season.
“I’m optimistic about this season,” said 68-year-old South Philly native John Ruggiano. “I think this season is going to be a turnaround for us.”
The team is already off to a better start than last year, when they opened with two straight losses and dropped 12 of their first 14 games before finishing with one of the league’s worst records. Fans are hopeful entering this season despite that slow start. Some are even already thinking about playoffs.
“For this upcoming season, I want the whole thing,” said 40-year-old Philly native Bob Balmores. “I want a championship. That’s all I’m looking for. But if not, at least a playoff appearance from them. And then maybe next year, expect a championship. We got a new squad, new players. Let’s see if they can gel and Nick Nurse can bring them all together.”
With less than nine minutes on the clock in the first quarter, Edgecombe drained a corner three for his first points of the night in front of the hometown crowd inside Xfinity Mobile Arena. The rookie’s bucket was followed by a massive cheer as fans rose to their feet.
After his stellar 34-point debut performance against the Boston Celtics, the 6-foot-5,195 pound guard has already become a favorite among Sixers fans — sparking excitement for a team that came into the year with low expectations.
Ahead of the game, fans were looking forward to seeing the Baylor product on home court, including 22-year-old Sixers fan Aidan Escuta.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe celebrates with teammate Quentin Grimes in the Sixers’ win against Charlotte on Saturday.
“I watched Wednesday’s game against the Celtics and was really happy with what I saw,” Escuta said. “I really like V.J. [Edgecombe] and I’m excited to see him play tonight. I think it’s going to be a great season. I love his tenacity. I think he’s a very committed player and he’s very athletic. I like the way he plays basketball.”
That anticipation leading up to Edgecombe’s home debut was felt throughout the arena during the team’s opening introductions. After a hype video to welcome fans to the regular season, the announcer introduced Edgecombe to his new home.
At 6-foot-5 from Baylor, Number 77, V.J. Edgecombe.
Although Edgecombe didn’t find quick start as his debut, when the No. 3 pick finished with 14 points in the first quarter, he did produce 15 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.
Embiid’s promising performance
After a questionable season debut performance from Joel Embiid, the former league MVP quickly got things started for the Sixers. Embiid opened the night with a three ball, his first of three.
From that moment, the crowd was locked in.
Sixers center Joel Embiid gets fouled by Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton (right). Still nursing his offseason knee surgery, Embiid finished with 20 points and two rebounds.
Embiid followed up with 20 points, four assists, and two steals during his 20 minutes on the court. Still on a minutes restrictions, Embiid is working his way back from a knee injury that made him miss most of the 2024-25 season.
Hornets head coach Charles Lee said the team prepared to compete against the peak version of the seven-time All Star.
“He’s a force,” Lee said. “Obviously, that’s how he won MVP of the league and he does it in a lot of different ways, but I think we have some really good individual defenders who are willing to embrace that challenge.”
The Sixers’ next challenge will be against the Orlando Magic at home on Monday.
Quentin Grimes’ clutch three-pointer with 14 seconds left led the Sixers to a 125-121 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.
It was the most clutch point in a 24-point night for Grimes. Tyrese Maxey scored 28 to lead the Sixers, who improved to 2-0. Joel Embiid, who scored 20 points and added two rebounds before departing due to minute restrictions. . VJ Edgecombe had 15 points coming off of a record-setting 34-point performance in the opener against Boston.
LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 27 points and Collin Sexton had 21.
The Hornets lost Brandon Miller in the first half to left shoulder soreness. Miller grabbed his shoulder in pain and ran to the locker room after he was hurt on a play in the second quarter. He scored four points in nine minutes.
The Hornets led by 10 points at the end of the third quarter and blew the lead even with Embiid out of the game in the final frame. Embiid is still on his minutes restriction as he returns from knee surgery. He used up his 20 allotted minutes by the end of the third quarter.
Embiid scored four points on 1-of-9 shooting against Boston and did not play the final 9-plus minutes as Maxey and Edgecombe led them to victory. The 2023 NBA MVP and a two-time league scoring champion, Embiid was limited to 19 games last season because of a sprained left foot, a sinus fracture and arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
Against the Hornets, Embiid hit a trio of three-pointers and scored 16 points in the first half and showed — while his return to true All-Star form may take time — he’s still going to be the difference-maker for a Sixers team that has never been close to as good without him as they are with the 7-footer.
Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula dislocated his left ankle and will have an MRI exam Sunday, coach Eli Drinkwitz said Saturday after the No. 15-ranked Tigers’ 17-10 loss to No. 10 Vanderbilt.
Following the injury, the Tigers turned to freshman Matt Zollers. Zollers entered the game having completed all six of his pass attempts for a total of just 40 yards and a touchdown. He also has a rushing touchdown this season.
The former Spring-Ford standout gave Missouri a chance until time expired, throwing a 6-yard TD pass to Jude James, tying the game at 10-10 early in the fourth quarter. Zoller moved the Tigers down the field and connected with Kevin Coleman Jr. for a 36-yard pass as time expired, only to have the receiver ruled on review short of the goal line.
Zollers would finish 14 of 23 for 138 yards passing.
As for Pribula, the former Penn State quarterback, Drinkwitz said he didn’t have any broken bones but needed his ankle popped back into joint.
“Don’t have a timetable for his return, but it could be a while,” Drinkwitz said.
Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula is driven off the field after being injured during the second half of the Tigers’ game against Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Pribula was hurt early in the third quarter, running out of the shotgun on fourth-and-goal at the Vanderbilt 2. Miles Capers and Bryan Longwell stopped Pribula after a 1-yard gain with 11 minutes, 15 seconds left in the third quarter. One defender landed on Pribula’s ankle as he was folded backward from defenders coming the other direction.
The quarterback didn’t get up, and trainers quickly brought a bag out and placed an air cast over his left ankle. Then he was put on a cart and taken for further treatment.
“He’s a guy that’s been such a playmaker for them, and outside of defending him was so much fun to watch on film,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. ”And so we just hope for the best prognosis, and speedy recovery.”
Temple and Tulsa spent three quarters locked in an offensive shootout.
So when Saturday’s game went into overtime, it came down to which defense could get a stop. The visiting Owls would finally get the stop they needed, as a failed two-point conversion attempt by Tulsa secured a 38-37 overtime win.
Temple improved to 5-3 (3-1 American) and is just a win away from being bowl eligible for the first time since the 2019 season. Tulsa fell to 2-6, 0-5.
The Owls got the ball first in overtime and needed just two Evan Simon passes to score: a 24-yarder to Colin Chase and a 1-yarder to Kajiya Hollawayne. The Golden Hurricane responded with a touchdown on fourth down to get within a point, but decided to go for two and the win. A jump pass was knocked down and Temple escaped with the victory.
Simon completed 24 of his 35 passes for 265 yards and five touchdowns. Three of those touchdowns went to wide receiver Hollawayne. Simon now has 21 touchdown passes and no interceptions this season as the Owls are one win away from bowl eligibility.
First-half secondary struggles
Tulsa quarterback Baylor Hayes picked apart Temple’s secondary in the first half as he went 11-of-15 for 203 yards and a touchdown.
The redshirt freshman singlehandedly kept the Golden Hurricane in the game during the second quarter. Hayes had 109 passing yards and he led Tulsa on a 99-yard touchdown drive at the end of the second quarter to give it a 17-14 halftime lead. Hayes had completions of 38 and 22 yards before throwing a perfect ball to Brody Foley in the back of the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown.
Temple’s corners struggled to keep up with Tulsa’s wide receivers and Foley proved to be a difficult matchup for anyone on the Owls’ defense. The Owls’ secondary trio of Ben Osueke, Avery Powell, and Jaylen Castleberry routinely got beaten downfield for big gains as Hayes completed seven passes of at least 20 yards.
However, Temple’s defense contained Hayes for much of the second half. The defensive front started to get more pressure on Hayes, forcing him out of the pocket and making him throw the ball away multiple times. Hayes went just 8-of-16 for 93 yards in the second half and Temple’s defense, which struggled for much of the first half, was crucial in getting the win.
Explosive offensive plays
While Temple’s defense was struggling to slow down Tulsa, its offense did everything it could to keep up.
The Owls’ offense struggled a little in the first half as it was outgained by more than 100 yards. However, Simon started pushing the ball downfield in the second half and Temple relied on explosive plays to keep pace with Tulsa.
Temple tight end Peter Clarke, seen here in a game earlier this season, had a 50-yard catch-and-run on Temple’s first drive of the third quarter that set up a touchdown pass.
Simon connected with tight end Peter Clarke for a catch-and-run of 50 yards on Temple’s first drive of the third quarter that set up a 13-yard touchdown pass to running back Jay Ducker to give the Owls a 21-17 lead. Simon completed another 50-yard pass on the next offensive drive, this time to wide receiver JoJo Bermudez. That completion set up another Temple touchdown on a 6-yard pass to Hollawayne to take a 28-24 lead.
Temple finished the game with 447 total yards of offense: 267 passing and 180 rushing.
Hollawayne has only been playing wide receiver for a couple of seasons after transitioning from quarterback, but he has developed into Simon’s favorite target. Hollawayne entered the game as Temple’s leading receiver with 341 yards and was Simon’s go-to-guy against Tulsa.
Hollawayne got the Owls on the board with a 24-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter, but truly made his impact felt in the second half.
Simon found Hollawayne eight times in the second half for 58 yards. He reeled in his second touchdown of the day late in the third quarter, which gave Temple a 28-24 lead. Hollawayne routinely made himself available as a safety blanket for Simon while also being a deep threat with his size. Hollawayne came up clutch one more time with the overtime touchdown.
Hollawayne finished as Temple’s leading receiver with 10 catches for 85 yards and three touchdowns.
Up next
Temple returns to Lincoln Financial Field next week to host East Carolina (4-3, 2-1) on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+).
A Lower Gwynedd man has been charged with the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer after authorities say he struck a Plymouth Township police officer with his car multiple times before fleeing the scene.
Dalton Lee Janiczek, 21, faces multiple felony charges, including attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.
Around 10:19 a.m. on Friday, Janiczek fled in a white Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon from an attempted traffic stop by Springfield Township police officers, according to police. The officers did not pursue but instead broadcast information about the incident to neighboring police departments.
Around noon, Sgt. Jon Bleuit of the Whitpain Township Police Department was out on patrol when he heard a radio transmission about the attempted stop, police said.
Earlier that day, Bleuit had received information that Janiczek had been involved in an incident in Chester County where he “threatened to blow up a police department,” police said. Bleuit and the Whitpain Township Police Department were “familiar with Janiczek” and his SUV, according to police. There was no warrant out for Janiczek’s arrest at the time.
Several minutes after Bleuit heard the radio transmission, he saw Janiczek driving and attempted to stop him for a traffic violation, police said. Janiczek allegedly drove over a center concrete median barrier and drove off again. Bleuit did not attempt to follow Janiczek and also relayed the information to neighboring departments.
At 12:39 p.m., a Plymouth Township police officer, whom police did not identify, responded to the Doubletree Hotel in the township, where he saw the Mercedes G-Wagon driven by Janiczek, police said.
The officer turned on his emergency lights. Within seconds, police said, Janiczek reversed his SUV, hitting the police officer’s car several times. The officer got out of his car, drew his firearm, and started yelling at Janiczek to stop the car and show his hands.
In response, Janiczek allegedly accelerated directly at the officer, trying to strike him. The officer discharged his firearm at least five times toward the front windshield of Janiczek’s car, police said. Janiczek struck the officer, causing him to fall to the ground and start bleeding out of his leg, police said. Janiczek then drove away briefly before allegedly striking the officer three more times as the officer lay on his back attempting to apply a tourniquet.
The officer was airlifted to a hospital in Philadelphia with severe leg injuries. As of Saturday afternoon, he was in intensive care and would require multiple surgeries for his injuries, police said.
The incident was captured by bodycam footage and video taken by a bystander at the hotel, police said.
After leaving the Doubletree lot, officials say, Janiczek fled the area and began traveling southbound on Walton Road. A Plymouth Township police car with its emergency lights on approached northbound on Walton Road. Janiczek allegedly crossed the double yellow line, striking the police car and causing it to strike another police car. Janiczek continued to travel southbound in the northbound lane, where he struck a stopped Plymouth police car head-on, injuring a Plymouth Township police sergeant.
The sergeant, who was not identified, was taken to a local hospital for injuries to his legs. Both injured officers are in stable condition, according to a news release from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
Janiczek was taken into custody after striking the sergeant’s car. According to police, Plymouth Township Officer Mike Watts said he heard Janiczek say, “Put me in the car or I will kill you,” as officers took him into custody. Janiczek was treated at Jefferson Abington Hospital for injuries, including a graze wound to his head.
Janiczek was arraigned on Saturday by Judge Thomas P. Murt, who denied bail. A preliminary hearing before Judge Jodi L. Griffis is scheduled for Nov. 4.
Before Friday’s incident, Janiczek had been charged with driving violations multiple times in both Pennsylvania and Arizona, including careless driving, driving without a license, and driving an unregistered vehicle. Authorities say Janiczek had been involved in several traffic incidents within the last week where he had fled from police.
A second-half surge propelled Villanova to a 29-16 homecoming weekend defeat against Albany.
The Wildcats’ win against Albany marked their 20th consecutive victory at Villanova Stadium and the fifth straight win this season. Villanova (6-2, 5-1 Coastal Athletic Association) had a slow first half offensively, settling for two field goals in the red zone. Villanova’s defense held Albany (1-7, 0-4) at bay despite allowing a touchdown on the first Great Dane drive.
“If I had the answer to that one, I would bottle it up and take it on the road with us,” Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said when asked about the home win streak. “It’s great. These guys love playing at home. The environment today was great. The Wildcat Walk was probably the best one we’ve had so far this year, with everyone in the back there. Whatever the record is or the streak is, it is what it is.”
Villanova wide receiver Luke Colella (1) scores one of his two touchdowns against Albany on Saturday.
David Avit had five consecutive rushes on a second-quarter drive, with the final run for Villanova’s running back resulting in a touchdown. Avit finished the game with 89 rushing yards on 20 attempts.
The passing game found its rhythm in the second half. Pat McQuaide finished the game with 203 passing yards and a touchdown as the Wildcats’ quarterback completed 15 of his 22 passing attempts (68%).
Villanova totaled 256 yards of total offense. Graduate Luke Colella led all receivers with 107 receiving yards, hauling in six passes and two touchdowns.
Defense wins games
Villanova’s defense has been rolling through the last four games, and on Saturday held Albany to a season-low 154 yards of total offense.
Despite allowing Albany to score on its opening drive, the Great Danes did not find the end zone again. It was one of Albany’s two trips to the red zone.
“I think that after that first drive, you know, a lot of times it takes a little bit of settling in,” graduate linebacker Shane Hartzell said. “Some of these offenses have scripted drives and stuff and whatnot. So I think it just takes a little bit to get a feel of what we’re going up against. And after that, we were able to settle in there.”
Hartzell totaled a team-high eight tackles, two sacks, and two pass breakups. He currently leads Villanova this season with 49 total tackles (30 solo) and 4.5 sacks.
In the first half, the Wildcats limited the Great Danes to three first downs and 55 yards of total offense.
Over Villanova’s last four games, the defense has allowed just 976 yards of total offense and 58 total points.
Villanova defensive lineman Ayden Howard (91) falls on an Albany fumble in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game.
The duo keeps rolling
The connection between Villanova quarterback and receiver Luke Colella continued against Albany.
Colella hauled in two touchdown passes from McQuaide. One was off a 37-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to stretch Villanova’s lead to double digits. Like clockwork, Colella was wide open as he neared the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown pass from McQuaide in the fourth quarter.
McQuaide has connected with Colella on 35% of his total completions.
“We all live right in the same hallway,” Colella said. “So spending time with them every day is awesome. And making this connection has been super fun so far.”
Colella now has five games with 100-plus receiving yards. He has totalled 737 receiving yards and five touchdowns on the season, averaging 91 yards per game.
In the first half, Villanova was 1-for-7 on third downs and 1-of-3 on fourth down conversions.
The Wildcats managed to get on the board with a touchdown, but settled for field goals on two red zone trips. Villanova entered the half with 111 total offensive yards.
“It looked like [Albany’s] D-line was pinning their ears back and kind of beating us off the ball a little bit,” Ferrante said. “And they were bringing a lot of pressure. They were bringing linebackers and safeties. They were loading the box to stop the run, which they did a pretty good job at. We’ve just got to play more consistently.”
Villanova scored touchdowns on two second-half drives that lasted a total of four plays.
Villanova heads into a bye week before a return to action on the road against Towson (3-5, 1-3) on Nov. 8 (1 p.m., FloSports). Last season, the Wildcats defeated the Tigers, 14-13, at home and currently hold a 12-7 all-time series lead.
Penn’s offense sputtered and stalled in New Haven, Conn., and with it went the Quakers’ unbeaten Ivy League run.
A pair of turnovers and missed chances doomed Penn in a 35-13 loss to Yale on Saturday, the team’s first conference defeat of the season.
Penn (4-2, 2-1 Ivy) repeatedly hurt itself with penalties and failed conversions and struggled to finish drives despite controlling the ball for more than 36 minutes. The Quakers scored fewer than 24 points for the first time this season.
Yale (4-2, 2-1 Ivy) capitalized on nearly every opportunity. Quarterback Dante Reno threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Josh Pitsenberger powered the Bulldogs’ ground game with 149 yards and a score as they cruised to their third straight win.
Penn quarterback Liam O’Brien threw for 220 yards and a touchdown.
“We had too many undisciplined problems with the penalties,” Penn coach Ray Priore said. “It’s just some missed things that our kids wouldn’t have normally done.”
Self-inflicted wounds
The Quakers entered the game second in the Ivy League in penalties committed, and their mistakes finally caught up to them, starting from their first offensive drive.
Following a recovered fumble by linebacker John Lista to give Penn possession in the red zone, an illegal formation penalty killed the momentum and forced a field goal.
“We got to convert that,” Priore said. “That’s got to be seven points. That’s one of our mottos.”
Yale responded with a 10-yard touchdown run by Nico Brown to close the first quarter, then took control after two second-quarter fumbles by O’Brien. The first was recovered and returned for a score by Yale defensive end Abu Kamara, an Interboro High School graduate.
The Quakers trailed, 28-10, at halftime and continued to struggle.
They finished with two turnovers, 110 penalty yards, and just one scoring drive, despite the defense forcing two turnovers and multiple three-and-outs.
“We put our defense in tough situations early,” Priore said. “ … When you win, you win as a team, when you lose, you lose as a team.”
Missing the ‘Juice’
Julien “Juice” Stokes, Penn’s leading rusher and the national leader in punt return yards, could be out for the season after suffering a broken fibula against Columbia, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Looking to make up for Stokes’ absence, offensive coordinator Greg Chimera relied on O’Brien, who finished with 22 rushing attempts for 45 yards.
Despite mixing in star receiver Jared Richardson in the backfield alongside backup running back Donte West, Penn’s rushing attack never found traction, averaging just 2.8 yards on 33 carries, though it outrushed Yale, 202-92.
“I think we know we can play a lot better football than that,” Priore said regarding the run game. “We have to learn from this, take every game as a learning experience.”
On special teams, Stokes was equally missed.
Cornerback Jayden Drayton took over kickoff and punt returns but couldn’t match Stokes’ production and fumbled to start the third quarter.
Around the league
Harvard (6-0, 3-0) dominated Princeton (3-3, 2-1), 35-14, to take sole possession of first place in the Ivy League through three games.
The Crimson were ranked 17th in the FCS entering Saturday’s matchup and led the Ivy League in total offense, total defense, scoring offense, and scoring defense.
Penn finds is a four-way tie for second place.
Up next
Penn will host Brown (3-3, 0-3), which lost to Cornell (2-4, 1-2) in overtime, 30-24, on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN+) at Franklin Field.
On the first day of early in-person voting in New Jersey, and with U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, showing a slim polling edge over her Republican opponent, Democrats called in the popular governor from neighboring Pennsylvania to drum up some enthusiasm among Garden State voters.
Gov. Josh Shapiro stumped for Sherrill at a senior center auditorium and an African Methodist Episcopal church, targeting two groups seen as necessary for Sherrill to beat Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
“Thank you for getting off the sidelines,” Shapiro said to the crowd at the senior center, several of whom said they either voted by mail already or were on their way to the polls. “Thank you for doing your part. Thank you for being in this game. I am grateful.”
Outside the Monroe Township senior center, Shapiro was a big draw among the crowd that lined up early Saturday to get through security.
“He’s very well liked,” said Connie Hamlin, 71, of Monroe Township, who sipped coffee to stay warm “Number one, he’s handsome. He’s young. That’s very important.”
Equally important, she said, is that Shapiro is “for democracy” and “a decent person,” two traits she said President Donald Trump lacks.
Gov. Josh Shapiro on the campaign trail for NJ gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill (left) Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025.
At the two campaign stops, Sherrill ripped into Trump, saying that while the prices of consumer goods like coffee have skyrocketed, “Trump and his family are making billions.”
Sherrill said her opponent would rubber-stamp Trump administration policies that are unpopular with many in New Jersey — such as his cancellation of $16 billion in funding to build two new rail tunnels under the Hudson River.
“It’s about opportunity and affordability,” Sherrill said. “We’re fighting for our kids, to make sure they have a better future.”
Ciattarelli hit the campaign trail as well Saturday, stopping in Passaic, Bergen, and Morris Counties with a message of “a stronger, safer, and more affordable New Jersey,” according to Facebook posts.
Friday evening, Trump held a tele-rally for Ciattarelli, in which he said Sherrill would “be a travesty as the governor of New Jersey” and urged Republicans to take part in early voting.
“You got to make sure the votes are counted, because New Jersey has a little bit of a rough reputation, I must be honest,” Trump said.
There is no evidence of mass voter fraud in New Jersey or anywhere else in recent elections, but Trump still claims the 2020 election was rigged against him and has appointed a notorious Pennsylvania election denier to a federal position monitoring elections. On Friday, the Department of Justice said it will send federal observers to monitor elections in New Jersey and California.
At a news conference Saturday, Sherrill said she is proud that New Jersey’s elections have been “open, transparent, and free.”
“And we’re going to continue to do that, and ensure we don’t have any voter intimidation,” Sherrill said.
At the senior center, Hamlin said she supports Sherrill’s plan to lower energy costs, likes that she’s a woman, and feels it’s important that the next governor is a Democrat. “She’s soft-spoken, but she has meaningful things to say,” Hamlin said.
Shapiro spoke about how he was raised and how his faith teaches him that “no one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it.”
The message wasn’t lost on Steve Riback, who said Trump has given antisemites and other extremists “license to come out of the woodwork.” Riback, who is Jewish, said that Shapiro would be his top choice for president in 2028, above Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
Shapiro urged voters frustrated with Trump to send a message to the rest of the country “that here in Jersey, we value our freedom, we cherish our democracy, and we love our country.”
And Shapiro held up Sherrill as someone who would get things done in New Jersey. Sherrill has cited Pennsylvania as an example of a state with more efficient business licensure rules and better-managed energy costs.
Shapiro, who has not officially announced his reelection campaign, has long been floated as a presidential hopeful by Democratic insiders and national pundits. Shapiro’s soon-to-be-released memoir will likely add to speculation about his 2026 intentions.
After the senior center visit, Shapiro and Sherrill hit the turnpike up to New Brunswick, where a packed Mount Zion A.M.E. Church — congregants had come in on buses from around the state — was waiting for him.
Shapiro said it was up to Democrats to keep, and build upon, what the founders created. “We are those people, and this is a moment where we have to do this work. We’ve got to stand up for our rights,” he said. “We’ve got to keep perfecting our union.”
Pheobie Thomas, an A.M.E. member who traveled from Trenton for church, said Shapiro and Sherrill offered promising signs that they support “equitable access for all people, including Black people.”
Thomas, 48, said there is a long history of Democratic politicians courting Black churches for votes, and for good reason.
“The Black church is extremely important,” Thomas said. “We do go to the polls. We do show up.”
As for Shapiro, she said he was speaking to New Jersey — but at the same time, he hinted that he was speaking to a broader audience.
“You just know that there’s that potential of, you know, ‘I may come back again to ask for your vote.’”
Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.
Benita Valente, 91, a revered lyric soprano whose voice thrilled listeners with its purity and seeming effortlessness, died Friday night at home in Philadelphia, said her son, Pete Checchia. In a remarkable four-decade career, she appeared on the opera stage, in chamber music, and with orchestras.
In the intimate genre of lieder — especially songs by Schubert and Brahms — she was considered one of America’s great recitalists.
Even during an era of towering, individualistic voices, Ms. Valente stood out as something special. With pinpoint-precise technique, she deployed no vocal cheats or affectations. Her recognizable sound and honest approach were adored by aficionados.
“She is as gifted a singer as we have today, worldwide,” wrote John Rockwell in the New York Times in 1983.
Her voice had a natural quality, said pianist Richard Goode, who recalled that it was Ms. Valente who introduced him to the lieder repertoire. “There was an extraordinary distinctive sweetness of the timbre. Very clear pitch. Very focused,” said Goode, who recorded with her. ”And a kind of natural charm that came through in everything that she sang.”
Pianist Rudolf Serkin with soprano Benita Valente at Marlboro Music, 1960s.
A longtime resident of Rittenhouse Square, Ms. Valente sang in the opera houses of San Francisco, Santa Fe, N.M., Germany, and Italy, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. She appeared with the Metropolitan Opera more than 70 times between 1960 and 1992 — as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Almirena in Handel’s Rinaldo, Gilda in Rigoletto, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, and others.
With the Juilliard String Quartet, she gave the world premiere of Ginastera’s String Quartet No. 3 in 1974, and was the voice for the Juilliard’s recording of Schoenberg’s String Quartet No. 2 in a collection that won a 1978 Grammy Award.
In 1999, she became the first vocalist to win Chamber Music America’s Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award.
Critics pronounced her voice “incomparable” and “almost miraculously lovely.”
She had something more: “that special projection of personality that distinguishes the great artist,” the Times wrote.
The artist had her beginnings as a self-described shy tomboy growing up on her uncle’s farm in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Ms. Valente was born Oct. 19, 1934, in Delano, Calif., the daughter of an Italian father and a Swiss mother. A high school teacher noticed her gifts and recommended her to Lotte Lehmann, and as a teenager she traveled from home to Santa Barbara to study with the celebrated soprano and Lehmann’s brother, vocal coach Fritz Lehmann.
“She didn’t know what to do with me,” Ms. Valente told The Inquirer. “I’d sing something she thought was very touching, and then there were lapses where I was as green as all get-out. She finally said, ‘I have contacts in Hollywood, I could get you to a screen test. I think you’d do very well.’ But I wanted to go into opera.”
Benita Valente with her husband, Anthony P. Checchia, at the Marlboro Music Festival.
It was Fritz Lehmann who suggested that she audition for the Curtis Institute of Music with Mozart, and she got in. Ms. Valente attended Curtis from 1955 to 1960, where her primary teacher was French baritone Martial Singher, and later studied with Wagnerian soprano/mezzo-soprano Margaret Harshaw. She was still a student when she won a Philadelphia Orchestra student competition that brought a 1958 debut with the orchestra.
The next year she married Anthony P. Checchia, a bassoonist she met at the Marlboro Music Festival who would go on to lead both Marlboro and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. They became one of classical music’s power couples, and had a special understanding because of their modest backgrounds — he from Tacony, she from a farm — said their son. “I remember my dad pulling over on Lombard Street once when she was on the radio. He was more nervous than she was,” Pete Checchia said. Anthony Checchia died in 2024.
Ms. Valente became a regular soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, appearing with the ensemble 60 times — in core repertoire of Mozart and Beethoven, but also in contemporary works. She gave the world premiere in 1981 of David del Tredici’s All in the Golden Afternoon from Child Alice, Part II, with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphians.
The work was in an ecstatic, neo-romantic musical language, thickly orchestrated with amplified soprano. Ms. Valente’s performance was “an essay in vocal purity,” wrote Inquirer music critic Daniel Webster.
For the Academy of Music 130th Anniversary Concert in 1987, she sang an evening of Puccini arias with the Philadelphia Orchestra led by legendary conductor Klaus Tennstedt. ‘’O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi seemed an ideal choice, Webster wrote, “in which her sun-filled voice illuminated the joyous text.”
American soprano singer Benita Valente, Germany, 1970s.
Ms. Valente was soloist the previous season for one of the orchestra’s most notorious programs. She was Mélisande in a concert version of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande at which an unusual number of listeners, apparently unimpressed with one of Western civilization’s great achievements, walked out. One man in the Academy of Music’s second row stretched out a newspaper and was asked to leave, she recalled.
“It has too much mystery, that Pelléas,” Ms. Valente told The Inquirer years later, pointing out that the audience seemed similarly disenchanted with the work at a Metropolitan Opera performance she attended.
Ms. Valente was never a household name, which often confounded critics. Some put it down to her lack of diva-ness. But it was perhaps more the fact that Ms. Valente was never a careerist. She was known to turn down prestigious opportunities — like a chance to sing Berg’s Altenberglieder with the Boston Symphony Orchestra — when she felt the part was not right for her voice.
She retired from singing in 2000 and was awarded an honorary degree from Curtis in 2001.
Benita Valente with soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon in 2021.
Ms. Valente taught and mentored young singers.
“She was so meticulous about connecting the vowels and would listen in between the notes to how you got from one note to the next,” said soprano Sarah Shafer, who studied with Ms. Valente at Marlboro and in Philadelphia. “That trained my ear and my voice to pay attention to those things and brought me to a different level of detail.”
Her knowledge of the repertoire was vast, said pianist Lydia Brown, with whom Ms. Valente worked in vocal coachings at Marlboro and the Met. “Every rehearsal she came to was a piece she had sung many times, or she commissioned it or premiered it. There were so few pieces that Benita didn’t have active performing knowledge of.”
In recordings she is particularly renowned for a collection of Handel and Mozart duets with soprano Tatiana Troyanos; Haydn’s The Seven Last Words of Christ with the Juilliard String Quartet; and two discs in Bridge Records’ “Great Singers of the 20th Century” series, including a classic recording of Schubert’s “The Shepherd on the Rock” with pianist Rudolf Serkin and clarinetist Harold Wright.
“She was in the old-school style of singing, where the singer is just a vessel for the music. Not selfish, not about herself, she was just delivering the music in as clear and undistorted a way as possible,” said Shafer, who learned “The Shepherd on the Rock” from Ms. Valente and has made it a calling card of her own.
”The result is this sparkly, silver jewel of her voice that you hear in these recordings. There’s just no singing like it now.”
In addition to her son, the Philadelphia photographer Pete Checchia, Ms. Valente is survived by her “daughter by choice,” Eliza Batlle, Checchia said. A memorial concert is planned for a later date.
It was a New York State of Mind for the hometown team on Saturday.
Backed by a pair of goals from New York native Trevor Zegras, who also scored a shootout goal, the Flyers clawed back and skated away with a 4-3 win against the visiting New York Islanders.
Matvei Michkov beat countryman Ilya Sorokin in the shootout, and Sam Ersson stopped Anthony Duclair to give the Orange and Black their fourth win in the past six games.
Big Shot
Trailing 2-0, the third line of Christian Dvorak, Zegras, and Michkov single-handedly tied things for Philly.
Dvorak made it 2-1 with his second of the season with 9 minutes, 31 seconds left in the second period. Michkov and the center twice had a give-and-go, first in the neutral zone and then once again when the blue line was gained.
Michkov got the puck right up against the left boards and, as Dvorak sneaked behind the Islanders’ defense, the Russian winger fed Zegras across the ice at the right point. Zegras waited to hit Dvorak as he cut across the crease, and the center scored on the backhand.
And then came the big moment: Zegras’ first goal with the Flyers.
Dvorak carried the puck into the offensive zone, and although Islanders defenseman Marshall Warren poke checked him, it went up and off the arm of Dvorak, who corralled the puck at the goal line.
While doing so, he also drew two Islanders with him, Warren and former Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo, giving Zegras the time to accept the pass, pause, and beat Sorokin top corner.
Dvorak said he had seen Zegras out of the corner of his eye but also heard him yell for the puck.
“I always call for the puck,” Zegras said, jokingly. “I might not even be open, but I probably scream for it. Just happy he found me on that one though.”
The Flyers have two power-play units. But is the one with Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Cam York, and Zegras the second unit? Or is it the one with Michkov, Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Jamie Drysdale, and Owen Tippett?
“I’m not sure who is first or second right now,” coach Rick Tocchet said postgame. “You can say two, but I don’t know yet. It’s one and one right now.”
That’s a fair assessment, considering how much better the Cates unit has looked. While the other unit started the first two-man advantages, the Cates unit started the third power play of the day — and it worked.
Zegras got his second goal of the game — his first multigoal game since Jan. 7, 2024, when he was with Anaheim — as he put a rebound shot on Sorokin. Bobby Brink had turned and fired off a good shot from the right face-off circle that the Islanders’ goalie stopped before Zegras’ shot led to a mad scramble in front.
It took a few seconds, but the puck crossed the goal line with Cates giving it an extra push after it was in to confirm it tied the game at 3.
As Tocchet said, they took the information assistant coaches Jaroslav “Yogi” Svejkovský and Jay Varady provided before they went out and applied it.
“They do apply a lot of stuff that we say,” he said of the Cates line.
“Just kind of good for us to crash the net,” Cates added. “I think we want these pretty plays, but we see it day in and day out in the NHL, that you just get it to the net, get guys there, outnumber them, especially on the power play, it’s going to go in.”
On the flip side, the Couturier unit struggled again as the Islanders got better looks and a goal. Simon Holmström gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead with a short-handed tally 39 seconds into the Flyers’ first power play of the day.
Set up in the offensive zone, they had Drysdale at the point, Michkov in the right face-off circle, and Tippett in the slot as the bumper.
Tippett had some time in the bumper, and there was an open lane for a few seconds, but by the time Michkov tried, it was closed as two guys jumped on Tippett.
Matvei Michkov (stick raised in the right face-off circle) did have an open lane, but a small delay in his delivery to Owen Tippett — and thus giving away his plan — saw the lane close quickly.The lane closed as New York Islanders forwards Simon Holmström and Jean-Gabriel Pageau were able to check Tippett and create a turnover.
Holmström, who is a lefty, was easily able to knock the puck away from Tippett, a right-handed shot. It appeared the red-hot Tippett was looking to shoot instead of drawing two players in and bumping the puck back to Michkov to open even more space.
The Swedish winger got the puck and passed it to Jean-Gabriel Pageau, breaking out two-on-one. Drysdale overcommitted slightly to the puck carrier, Pageau, as Couturier tried to catch up with Holmström. Both Flyers went to Holmström after he got the puck back, but he was a stride ahead and beat his countryman, Ersson stick side.
On the Flyers’ second power play of the day — and with the Couturier unit on the ice — Adam Pelech rang one off the post after a Konecny giveaway in the Flyers’ zone.
The Flyers’ power play is now at 16% effectiveness, with four goals in 25 opportunities.
Making his third start of the season, and first appearance since Oct. 16, a 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, Ersson made 23 saves on 26 shots for his first win of the season.
“His attitude was unreal all week. Practicing hard. He’s with [goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh] and never complained,” Tocchet said. “You’ve got to give him credit. It was a [heck] of a save on Duclair at the end [in the shootout]. So, give him a lot of credit. Great attitude.”
In the first period, he faced just four, 13 in the middle frame, and five in the third. Not an easy task for a goalie who likes shots but hasn’t seen game action in a while.
“I’ve got to try to stay ready as best as I can; obviously, it’s hard sometimes,” Ersson said. “But I’m looking to stay involved in the game, play pucks, do something to stay attached to the game mentally. So, yeah, it’s just another challenge [and] you’ve got to find a way to deal with it.”
Ersson allowed one goal in each period, but the one in the second period, the Swede had no chance.
Defenseman Noah Juulsen tried to go D-to-D with Drysdale behind the net, but the puck hit the skate of the referee. Duclair tracked it down and tried to feed Anders Lee in front; however, he was tied up by two Flyers — one being Juulsen.
The puck sprung loose to Warren, a Long Island kid making his NHL debut, who put the puck through the crease to Duclair sitting wide open at the right post for the easy goal.
Warren then helped the Islanders take a 3-2 lead less than 3 minutes after Zegras’ tying goal, when his low point shot was deflected up and over Ersson by Maxim Tsyplakov for his first NHL goal.
Then Ersson locked things down.
With the game tied, Tippett was tugged off the puck by Bo Horvat, allowing him to skate in on a two-on-one with Drysdale the only Flyer back. Horvat fed Jonathan Drouin for the quick shot, and Ersson made a diving blocker save.
But, Ersson saved his best save of the night for overtime, robbing Horvat on a sure goal. After the puck was carried back in by the bodies of Horvat and Cam York, Drouin picked it, and the Islanders’ forwards had a short two-on-one as Horvat got past York. Drouin fed the former Vancouver Canuck — he crossed paths with Tocchet for a week — and was absolutely robbed by the glove of Ersson.
“He bailed us out a handful of times,” Dvorak said. “Played great, couple of big saves there in the third, and the overtime was unbelievable. We couldn’t believe he saved that on the bench there. So it was a big goal and got us a win.”
“Just, Erss is back,” a grinning Cates said when asked what he thought about watching that save. “When he’s confident, he’s so good, and that’s a huge game for him.”
Flyers prospect Spencer Gill suffered an upper-body injury and could miss 12-15 weeks. The Flyers are still trying to determine whether the defenseman needs surgery or if he can rehab the injury. … The only change among the skaters was swapping defenseman Adam Ginning in for Egor Zamula on the third pair. … Forward Garnet Hathaway had five hits and dropped the gloves with Scott Mayfield, leaving the Islander bloodied on his forehead. In the third period, Rodrigo Ābols also fought Kyle MacLean, the son of former New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers forward John MacLean, for his first NHL fight. The line of Ābols, Hathaway, and Nikita Grebenkin ended up in the box together, with the latter two getting coincidental minor penalties.
Up next
The Flyers are off on Sunday and will practice at 11:30 a.m. on Monday. They take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. It kicks off ESPN’s Frozen Frenzy triple header with puck drop at 6 p.m.
