INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL STATE FINALS (SATURDAY)
CLASS A: LUTHERAN VS. SOUTHWOOD, 10:30 A.M.
CLASS 2A: FW BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN VS. LINTON-STOCKTON, 12:45 P.M.
CLASS 3A: GUERIN CATHOLIC VS. NORTHWOOD, 6 P.M.
CLASS 4A: BEN DAVIS VS. KOKOMO, 8:15 P.M.
TOP CENTRAL INDIANA SOFTBALL TEAMS
RONCALLI (33-0, 4A STATE CHAMPION)
Pitcher Keagan Rothrock (Florida)
Lyla Blackwell (Virginia Tech)
Lauren Marsicek (Indiana State)
Abbey Hofmann (Marian)
Kaitlyn Leister (IU Southeast)
Ann Marie Meek
Carley Keller
TRI-WEST (29-3, 3A RUNNER-UP)
Pitcher Audrey Lowry (Oklahoma)
Ava Sullivan
Nicole Matthews
Kendall Williams
Laney Price
Sophia Athans
McKenzie Walters
CENTER GROVE (18-9)
Pitcher Riley Henson (Indiana State)
Hannah Haberstroh
Riley Janda
Ashlynn Wolf
Payton Shimansky
Mae Munson
Sam Bruce
SHELBYVILLE (24-6, SEMISTATE RUNNER-UP)
Shortstop Kylee Edwards (Mississippi State)
Addison Stieneker
Hailey Pogue
Cheyenne Eads
MOORESVILLE (28-4)
Shortstop Alex Cooper (Indiana)
Pitcher Josi Hair (DePauw)
Kendall Lowry
Zoey Kugelman
Madison Poulson
Cydney Newton
Reagan Bauer
Liv Morris
EASTERN HANCOCK (21-5-1, REGIONAL CHAMPS)
Sammie Bolding
Brooklyn Willis
Emma Bolding
Kaylee Kline
Grace Stapleton
Alina Alford
Emily Hodges
Madison Stephens
NOBLESVILLE (15-13, SECTIONAL CHAMPS)
Emme Yee
Lulu Van Beek
Claire Cullen (Taylor)
Erin Clark (Butler)
Gabby Fowler (East Carolina)
Reis Sjoholm (Toledo)
Taylor Thompson (Central Missouri)
Bella Schatko (Earlham).
CATHEDRAL (20-10, REGIONAL CHAMPS)
Jade Slone
Anna Moore
Mary Hughes
Maddy Liter
Angie Valentine
Emmerie Stump
Aubrie Wright
Ashley Sylvia
NEW PALESTINE (23-4-1)
Aglaia Rudd (Purdue Fort Wayne)
Allie Blum (Kentucky)
Katie Hirschy
Paige Ernstes
Sydney Oliver
Maddie Engle
LAWRENCE NORTH (16-9)
Kate Dowden (Northwestern)
Anna Mauck (Kentucky)
Destiny Loeb
Natalie Bozinovski
Kaci Kirkpatrick
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (15-11)
Payton Fox (Ball State)
Jenna Chase
Lani Wyrick (Elon)
Alex Kiemeyer
Sage Ladig (Grace)
Morgan Hicks (Valparaiso)
CASCADE (24-5, SECTIONAL CHAMPS)
Gracelynn Gray
Tara Gruca
Megan Walker
Ruby Gray
Ava Allen
PENDLETON HEIGHTS (25-7)
Bo Shelton
Kiah Hubble
Kaitlin Goodwin
Sydney Clark
Eliza Findlay
BROWNSBURG (11-12)
Addy Neal
Izzy Neal
Hailey Thompson
Ava-Grace Pogue
CARMEL (16-10)
Sophie Esposito (Indiana State)
Hope McDonald
Lucy Broughton
Paxton Law
AVON (28-7, SECTIONAL CHAMPS)
Mandy Lauth (George Washington)
Hannah Sutton (Murray State)
FISHERS (9-15)
Kate Murray
Sophie Schoch (Ball State)
GREENFIELD-CENTRAL (16-8)
Madysen Herbert
Olivia Roberts (Butler)
Josie White
Faith Butler (Earlham)
LUTHERAN (11-15, SECTIONAL CHAMPS)
Mystic Means
Ellie DeChristophe
Kayla Burns
Brooklyn Barger
MT. VERNON (13-9)
Amya Gary
Emma Jenkins
Graci Hines
Tori Jenson
Shelby Rakosky
Easton Wampler
WHITELAND (24-3, SECTIONAL CHAMPS)
Emma Piercy (Indianapolis)
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL- NCAA TOURNAMENT
NO. 3 XAVIER 84, NO. 11 PITT 73
NO. 3 KANSAS STATE 75, NO. 6 KENTUCKY 69
NO. 7 MICHIGAN STATE 69, NO. 2 MARQUETTE 60
NO. 4 UCONN 70, NO. 5 SAINT MARY’S 55
NO. 6 CREIGHTON 85, NO. 3 BAYLOR 76
NO. 9 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 78, NO. 16 FDU 70
NO. 5 MIAMI (FLA.) 83, NO. 4 INDIANA 69…POST GAME PRESSER: MIAMI AND INDIANA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjWPoNrmyfM
NO. 3 GONZAGA 84, NO. 6 TCU 81
THURSDAY, MARCH 23 (SWEET 16)
NO. 3 KANSAS STATE VS. NO. 7 MICHIGAN STATE | 6:30 P.M. | TBS
NO. 4 UCONN VS. NO. 8 ARKANSAS | 7:15 P.M. | CBS
NO. 4 TENNESSEE VS. NO. 9 FLORIDA ATLANTIC | 9 P.M. | TBS
NO. 2 UCLA VS. NO. 3 GONZAGA | 9:45 P.M. | CBS
FRIDAY, MARCH 24 (SWEET 16)
NO. 1 ALABAMA VS. NO. 5 SAN DIEGO STATE | 6:30 P.M. | TBS
NO. 1 HOUSTON VS. NO. 4 MIAMI | 7:15 P.M. | CBS
NO. 6 CREIGHTON VS. NO. 15 PRINCETON | 9 P.M. | TBS
NO. 2 TEXAS VS. NO. 3 XAVIER | 9:45 P.M. | CBS
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 76, NO. 8 SOUTH FLORIDA 45
NO. 2 IOWA 74, NO. 10 GEORGIA 66
NO. 3 NOTRE DAME 53, NO. 11 MISSISSIPPI STATE 48
NO. 1 VIRGINIA TECH 72, NO. 9 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 60
NO. 2 MARYLAND 77, NO. 7 ARIZONA 64
NO. 2 UTAH 63, NO. 10 PRINCETON 56
NO. 3 LSU 66, NO. 6 MICHIGAN 42
NO. 8 OLE MISS 54, NO. 1 STANFORD 49
MONDAY, MARCH 20 — SECOND ROUND
NO. 3 OHIO STATE VS. NO. 6 NORTH CAROLINA | 4 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 4 TENNESSEE VS. NO. 12 TOLEDO | 6 P.M. | ESPN2
NO. 4 TEXAS VS. NO. 5 LOUISVILLE | 7 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 4 VILLANOVA VS. NO. 12 FLORIDA GULF COAST | 7 P.M. | ESPNU
NO. 1 INDIANA VS. NO. 9 MIAMI | 8 P.M. | ESPN2
NO. 3 DUKE VS. NO. 6 COLORADO | 9 P.M. | ESPNU
NO. 2 UCONN VS. NO. 7 BAYLOR | 9 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 4 UCLA VS. NO. 5 OKLAHOMA | 10 P.M. | ESPN2
NBA SCOREBOARD
SPURS 126, HAWKS 118
LAKERS 111, MAGIC 105
THUNDER 124, SUNS 120
NUGGETS 108, NETS 102
HEAT 112, PISTONS 100
PELICANS 117, ROCKETS 107
BUCKS 118, RAPTORS 111
CLIPPERS 117, TRAIL BLAZERS 102
BOX SCORES: http://hosted.stats.com/nba/scoreboard.asp
NHL SCOREBOARD
RANGERS 7, PREDATORS 0
BRUINS 7, SABRES 0
WILD 5, CAPITALS 3
GOLDEN KNIGHTS 7, BLUE JACKETS 2
BLUES 3, JETS 0
DEVILS 5, LIGHTNING 2
CANUCKS 2, DUCKS 1
BOX SCORES: http://hosted.stats.com/nhl/scoreboard.asp
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
BRAVES 5, TWINS 0
ORIOLES 5, YANKEES 3
MARLINS 5, ASTROS 4
CARDINALS 8, METS 7
RED SOX 9, PHILLIES 5
RAYS 1, BLUE JAYS 0
ORIOLES 8, PIRATES 0
NATIONALS 2, TIGERS 1
GUARDIANS 3, ROCKIES 1
RANGERS 2, MARINERS 1
CUBS 5, PADRES 2
ATHLETICS 6, DODGERS 3
GIANTS 9, ANGELS 6
BREWERS 4, REDS 3
WHITE SOX 6, MARINERS 2
DIAMONDBACKS 13, ROYALS (SPLIT SQUAD) 2
ROCKIES 7, ROYALS (SPLIT SQUAD) 0 (SIX INNINGS)
BOX SCORES: http://hosted.stats.com/mlb/scoreboard.asp
TOP INDIANA (RELEASES)
CARLISLE WILL COACH ALL-STARS
Ben Davis Coach Don Carlisle will be the next Indiana All-Star coach this summer. Carliesle is in his fifth season at Ben Davis with a 96-41 record, leads the Class 4A top-ranked Giants (31-0) into the Class 4A state finals Saturday against Kokomo. He is 142-66 overall in eight seasons, starting with three years at Arlington.
The Indiana All-Stars roster will be announced following the season. The All-Stars will play a girls-boys doubleheader against the Kentucky All-Stars June 9 in Owensboro, Ky., and June 10 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
INDIANA’S SEASON ENDS IN SECOND ROUND
ALBANY, N.Y. — A career to remember ended with a walk no player wants to make.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, as dominant a player as the Big Ten has seen in more than a generation, couldn’t change Sunday night’s 85-69 second-round NCAA tourney loss to Miami. He joined his Indiana teammates in congratulating the Hurricanes before heading to an emotional locker room for the last time as a Hoosier.
The consensus All-America totaled 23 points, eight rebounds, and five blocks. He ended his career with program records of 1,143 rebounds and 270 blocks. He finished third in career scoring with 2,258 points behind Calbert Cheaney (2,613) and Steve Alford (2,438), and third in career double-doubles with 50 behind Walt Bellamy (59) and Archie Dees (56).
Forward Race Thompson, in his final college game, had 11 points and seven rebounds. Forward Miller Kopp’s last IU game produced eight points, two rebounds and two steals.
“It was an emotional locker room, a lot of tears,” associate head coach Kenya Hunter told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer on the post-game radio show. “Those guys gave a lot. They didn’t have to come back. They did. They got us in this position.
“It’s very hard. I’m proud of those guys. They gave what they could.”
Fifth-seeded Miami (27-7), an Elite Eight team a year ago and rated among top nation’s top scoring squads, unleashed a full-throttle offensive and defensive attack No. 5-seeded IU (23-12) couldn’t contain.
“They came out and established themselves early with being more aggressive, getting rebounds, and getting to the basket,” Hunter told Fischer.
“That’s not how we like to come out. We like to establish ourselves defensively and we didn’t set the tone early.”
Miami dominated in rebounding (48-31), points in the paint (46-28) and second-chance points (29-11) to advance to a Sweet Sixteen opportunity against No. 1 seed Houston in Kansas City.
“Rebounding was one of the things we emphasized,” Hunter told Fischer. “Credit Miami. They were aggressive getting offensive rebounds.
“Trayce is our rim protector. He went to block some shots and that put him out of rebound position, but some of those we had to get.”
After falling behind by as many as 13 points in the first half, Indiana gave itself a chance with a 13-0 run to end the first half and start the second. Miami turned it back with a 16-2 run midway through the second half to take control it never lost.
“In the second half, they continued to get to the basket, make some shots, offensive rebound,” Hunter told Fischer. “When we got stops, we didn’t complete the possession. That was disappointing.”
Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino had 19 points, five rebounds and three assists. Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 27 points and eight rebounds.
Miami rocked IU early. A quick 10-point Hurricane lead forced head coach Mike Woodson to call a timeout and deliver an emphatic message — quit complaining and play.
They did.
After falling behind 28-15, Jackson-Davis scored seven straight points. Trey Galloway followed with a three-pointer to complete the 10-0 run.
Miami responded with a 10-3 run. Kopp scored the final five points of half to pull IU within five at 40-35.
The Hoosiers needed just 50 seconds into the second half to tie the score at 40-40 on a Galloway three-pointer and a Thompson basket. Jackson-Davis powered in a basket to give IU its first lead at 42-40. It led 49-47 on a Hood-Schifino jumper when Miami went on a 16-2 run to go ahead 63-51.
The Hoosiers inched back to within seven at 65-58 with six minutes left. Miami responded with a 10-2 run capped by consecutive three-pointers for a 15-point lead with 3:15 left.
Hood-Schifino hit three straight three-pointers, but it wasn’t enough.
“It was a great season for our guys,” Hunter told Fischer. “We wanted to make a run and go to the Sweet Sixteen and maybe a little further. It’s very disappointing.”
INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
NCAA SECOND ROUND ACTION IN BLOOMINGTON SET FOR MONDAY NIGHT
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A trip to the Greenville regional is on the line when top seed Indiana faces 9 seed Miami (FL) in NCAA second round action on Monday night inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game is set for an 8 p.m. ET tip.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES
Miami advances to the round of 32 for the second-straight year as it overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat Oklahoma State on Saturday. They finished sixth in the ACC this season and are led by senior Haley Cavinder leads the Canes with 12.8 points per outing. Miami averages 70.5 points per game and shoot 43.4 percent from the floor.
SERIES HISTORY
Indiana leads 3-2
LAST MEETING
11/21/21 – W, 53-51 (Nassau, Bahamas)
NOTES
Indiana holds an overall 9-8 record in eight all-time tournament appearances. The Hoosiers have now made four consecutive tournaments dating back to 2018-19. Ninth year head coach Teri Moren is 8-4 all-time in the Big Dance.
The Hoosiers are coming off a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2021-22 and an Elite Eight berth in 2020-21. Indiana has advanced to the round of 32 in each of Teri Moren’s five appearances in the postseason tournament.
They advance to the second round after a decisive win over 16-seed Tennessee Tech on Saturday, 77-47. Junior guard Sydney Parrish scored 19 points and graduate student guard Grace Berger added 17 points as the Hoosiers shot 58 percent from the floor in the win.
The 30-point victory was the largest by an IU team in an NCAA Tournament game and marked the second-largest margin of victory over a tournament foe
Holmes and Berger are making their third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance together, holding a 6-2 overall record in the Big Dance. Between the two all-time, they have combined for 261 career games played, including 201 career starts. They have each reached the 1,800-career point mark, combining for 3,645 points in their careers.
UP NEXT
Monday’s winner advances to the regional semifinal in Greenville, SC which is set for Friday, March 24 with time and TV designations to be determined.
PURDUE BASEBALL
2-RUN HOMERS DOOM PURDUE AS RALLY COMES UP SHORT
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Ty Gill’s pinch-hit, two-run double highlighted a ninth-inning rally that saw Purdue baseball put the tying run in scoring position, but Evansville closed out a 6-4 final, winning thanks to a pair of two-run homers Sunday.
The Purple Aces (12-7) won their fifth straight game and eighth straight at home, improving to 12-2 since an 0-5 start. The Boilermakers (9-9) lost for the fifth time in the last six games, all five defeats coming on the road.
Evansville’s Donovan Schultz struck out eight over six shutout innings of four-hit ball, all singles. He did not issue a walk, extending his streak to 19 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. Purdue scored four times over three innings against the UE bullpen, capitalizing on four walks, a hit batsman and two balls in play dropped by outfielders that went for hits.
Eric Roberts and Kip Fougerousse connected for the two-run homers. Fougerousse’s two-run shot to center field in the eighth inning – after a sun ball dropped safely in the outfield to begin the inning – proved to be the difference in the game. Roberts went deep with two outs in the bottom of the third.
The Boilermakers loaded the bases via free passes with two outs in the ninth inning. Gill was sent up to pinch hit and delivered an opposite-field line drive that hit the foul line down the left field line. The big hit cut Purdue’s deficit in half and put Gill on second base representing the tying run. But Nate Hardman was able to retire Evan Albrecht on a fly ball to center field to end the game.
Jake Jarvis ignited a pair of rallies and came around to score both times. He connected for a pinch-hit triple to the warning track in center field in the seventh inning, scoring on an RBI ground out from Jake Parr. Connor Caskenette delivered a two-out RBI single later in the inning. Caskenette had two hits and a walk Sunday. He’s reached base safely in 13 of his last 20 plate appearances since March 5.
Jarvis, Caskenette and Mike Bolton Jr. all reached base in front of Gill’s double in the ninth inning.
Jonathan Blackwell struck out seven over five innings of three-run ball. Like Schultz (3-1), he did not issue a walk. Blackwell (2-1) has struck out at least seven in three of his last four starts. The lefty fanned four his first time through the lineup and also registered Purdue’s 10th pickoff of the season, erasing a two-out single in the second inning.
Kyle Iwinski went through UE’s 3-4-5 hitters in 1-2-3 fashion in the sixth inning and escaped a bases-loaded jam to limit the Aces to a single run the following frame. Blackwell and Iwinski issued only one walk Sunday after the Boilermakers had a season-high 10 walks in Friday’s loss.
Albrecht singled in the sixth and eighth innings to extend his on-base streak to 21 consecutive games dating back to the end of last season. Trailing 4-2 in the top of the eighth, Purdue had two on with one out, but UE reliever Jakob Meyer rolled up an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play ball to post a zero.
Paul Toetz and Bolton extended their on-base streaks to 10 consecutive games each.
The Boilermakers will host Evansville April 4 at Alexander Field to conclude the season series. Purdue is back in action Tuesday when it hosts UIC for a 4 p.m. ET first pitch.
BUTLER BASEBALL
NORTHWESTERN DEFEATS BUTLER 5-1
INDIANAPOLIS – Northwestern scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning to break a 1-1 tie and move forward to defeat Butler 5-1 on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs had one more hit than the Wildcats, but a costly error would extend the eighth inning and allow the Wildcats to take the win.
Butler scored first with a Quentin Markle RBI single that scored Lukas Galdoni. The 1-0 BU lead would last until the fourth inning when Northwestern hit a solo home run to tie the game.
The eighth inning was the difference as Northwestern pulled away. A fielding error allowed the game-winning run to score and a two-RBI double to deep center gave the Wildcats some breathing room. Kevin Ferrer was responsible for the solo home run and Trent Liolios delivered the extra-base hit in crunch time.
Six different Bulldogs were responsible for the team’s six hits on the day. Cory Bosecker toed the rubber for BU. He struck out nine in five innings and would leave with no decision. Clay Holzworth and Aaron Barokas were the other ‘Dawgs to enter the game out of the bullpen. Each player had two strikeouts.
The win went to Matt McClure (1-3). He struck out four over seven innings and limited BU to just one run off five hits. Ben Grable finished the game by tossing the final two innings. He also had two strikeouts.
These two teams will meet again at Bulldog Park for a rare Monday afternoon game. First pitch is set for 1 PM.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
BALL STATE SWEEPS TOLEDO IN MAC SHOWDOWN
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team returned to the friendly confines of the Ball Diamond at First Merchants Ballpark on Sunday for a Mid-American Conference doubleheader with Toledo. Decker Scheffler, Hunter Dobbins, and Matthew Rivera all homered for the Cardinals as BSU completed the sweep of UT.
The Cardinals improved to 13-6 overall and 5-1 in MAC play, while the Rockets fell to 9-9 overall and 3-3 in league games.
Game One – Ball State 19, Toledo 16
The Rockets jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after a two-run first inning.
Justin Conant led off the bottom of the first and was hit by a pitch. Adam Tellier followed with single through the right side. Ryan Peltier loaded the bases with a single down the right field line. Andrew Wilhite tied the game with a single to right center as Conant and Tellier both scored. Scheffler put the Cardinals on top 5-2 with a three-run homer to right center.
Toledo answered with four runs in the top of the second and regained the lead, 6-5.
Conant drew a seven-pitch walk to get things started in the bottom of the second. He then stole second. Peltier showed off his wheels as he hustled down the line and beat the first baseman to the bag for an infield hit. Rivera hit a missile of a line drive just off the outstretched glove of the third baseman for a single, which allowed Conant to score from third. The Cardinals tied the game at 6-6 after two innings.
The Rockets added three runs on a three-run home run off the bat of Owen Jackson and took a 9-6 lead.
Peltier notched a two-out single up the middle in the bottom of the fourth. Rivera followed with a two-run blast to left field. BSU cut the deficit to 9-8 after four innings.
Toledo scored two runs in the top of the sixth and followed that with three runs in the top of the seventh. UT held a 14-8 lead after 6.5 innings.
Wilhite drew a walk with one out to start the bottom of the seventh. Dobbins followed with a two-run homer to left field. Ball State cut the Toledo lead to 14-10 after seven innings of play.
The Rockets added two runs in the top of the eighth and took a 16-10 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
Wilhite led off the home half of the ninth with a five-pitch walk. Scheffler singled through the right side and advanced Wilhite to second. Blake Bevis doubled to left center and drove in both Wilhite and Scheffler. Nick Gregory doubled down the left field line and scored Bevis from second. Conant was hit by a pitch. Adam Tellier reached on an error by the center fielder, which allowed Gregory to score. Peltier reached on an error by the second baseman to load the bases. Wilhite singled to second base on high fly ball that fell in the middle of three defenders. Conant and Tellier scored to tie the game at 16-16.
Gregory led off the bottom of the 13th by being hit by a pitch. Conant placed a perfect sac bunt down the first base line and moved Gregory to second. Tellier singled to the second baseman. Rivera ended the game with a three-run blast to right center on the first pitch he saw to give the Cardinals a 19-16 victory.
Logan Schulfer got the start on the mound for the Cardinals. He went 1 1/3 in the no decision. He surrendered four earned runs on three hits. Tanner Knapp went 4 1/3 innings in relief and game up seven earned runs on nine hits with two strikeouts. Ty Weatherly added 3 1/3 innings of relief. He struck out five batters and gave up five runs, four earned. Sam Klein picked up his first win of the season in four shutout innings of relief. He struck out five batters and gave up just one hit.
Jack Walker got the start for Toledo and went four innings. He gave up eight earned runs and stuck out eight batters. Brenan McCune added three innings of relief. He gave up two earned runs with three strikeouts. Cal McAninch went 1 1/3 innings and gave up six runs, three earned, with two strikeouts. Camryn Szynski got the loss in 4 1/3 innings of relief. He struck out four batters and surrendered three earned runs.
Game Two – Ball State 7, Toledo 4
Gregory led off the bottom of the first with double to left center. Tellier triple off the center field wall and scored Gregory from second. BSU held a 1-0 lead after one inning.
Conant led off the bottom of the third with a hard liner off the third baseman. Gregory dropped down a perfect bunt for a single. Tellier followed with a bunt single to load the bases. Peltier recorded a ground-rule double down the right field line that scored Conant and Gregory. Wilhite followed with a sac fly to left as Tellier scored. Scheffler notched an RBI single to center field to score Peltier. Ball State took a 5-0 lead into the top of the fourth.
Bevis led off the bottom of the fourth with a double to right center. Conant singled up the middle to score Bevis from second. The Cardinals held a 6-0 advantage into the fifth inning.
The Rockets score three runs in the top of the fifth.
Wilhite led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to center field. He advanced to second on a wild pitch. Scheffler grounded out to first but moved Wilhite to third. Bevis doubled to left center and drove in Wilhite. BSU took a 7-3 lead into the top of the sixth.
Toledo scored one run in the top of the sixth with one out, before the game was called due to darkness.
Jacob Hartlaub picked up the win with 4 1/3 innings of work. He struck out three batters and surrendered three earned runs. He improved to 3-2 on the season. Casey Bargo picked up the save with one inning of relief. He gave up one run.
Matt LeLito got the loss for the Rockets and fell to 1-1 on the season. He struck out five batters and surrendered five earned runs. Kyle Pijaszek tossed two innings in relief. He struck out two and gave up two earned runs.
Ball State remains at home as Butler makes the trip to Muncie on Wednesday, March 22. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
WBB COMPETES AT MEMPHIS IN THE SECOND ROUND OF THE WNIT MONDAY
Ball State (26-8) vs. Memphis (21-10)
Women’s National InvitationTournament (WNIT)
March 20, 2023 >>Elma Roane Fieldhouse>>Memphis, Tenn.
Opening Tip:
– Ball State will be making its eighth WNIT appearance under Ball State 11th-year head coach Brady Sallee and 11th overall (all since 2002). The Cardinals are 7-10 all-time in the WNIT and have advanced to the second round of the WNIT four times under Sallee (2013, 2016, 2018 & 2023).
– Ball State enters the WNIT with a 26-8 overall record. The Cardinals went 14-4 in Mid-American Conference play and made it to the semifinal game of the 2023 Mid-American Conference Tournament for the second-straight season which was also under Sallee. The 20-win season marks the sixth time within the last eight campaigns he has reach the 20-win plateau.
– Brady Sallee, is the only head coach in program history to take the Cardinals to eight WNITs. He is also the program’s winningest coach with 209 victories.
– The Ball State women’s basketball team advanced to the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) with its 101-86 victory over Belmont (23-12) Thursday night in Worthen Arena.
– This is the first-ever meeting between Memphis and Ball State.
– Memphis (21-10) is coming off a 79-68 win over Jackson State in the opening round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. In front of a record-setting crowd inside the Fieldhouse, the Tigers would never give up their lead after Jamirah Shutes poured in a season-high 24 points while Madison Griggs and Emani Jefferson added in a combined 29 points.
– A Cardinal win will advance Ball State to the third round of the WNIT for the first time since the 2013 season when BSU defeated Northern Iowa, 53-48, in Worthen Arena on March 24.
Record Breaking Performance:
This is the first time since 2018 that Ball State has advanced to the second round of the WNIT. That year the Cardinals defeated Middle Tennessee, 69-60.
Thursday’s game saw four Cardinals in double figures with three having 20+ points. Leading the way was redshirt senior Anna Clephane with a career high 31 points. Behind Clephane, was sophomore Madelyn Bischoff with a personal best 23 points. Graduate senior Thelma Dis Agustsdottir dropped in 20 points while firing off six 3-pointers. Agustsdottir now has 104 3-pointers which is a single-season program record passing current assistant coach Moriah Monaco (2016-17).
Rounding out the double-digit scoring was sophomore Marie Kiefer who ended the night with 10.
Also, the Cardinals’ 26 wins ties the program record for most wins in a season which was 26-9 in 2008-09 under the direction of former head coach Kelly Packard.
Ally Becki dished our a personal best 13 assists against Belmont.
Fast Facts:
– Redshirt senior Anna Clephane has 1,315 points for her career and became the 10th player under Brady Sallee to reach the 1,000 point milestone against Miami (1/14/23). Clephane is first on the team in scoring averaging 15.8 points per game.
– Sophomore Marie Kiefer has proven to be a great defender for the Cardinals. She currently sits in thirrd place all-time in blocked shots with 98 and so far has 51 total this season. Kiefer averages 1.4 blocks per contest. Kiefer with her 50 blocks this season ranks third all-time in a single-season in the Ball State record books and she is fourth all-time with 99 in program history. Kiefer needs five to move into second all-time for career blocks with former Cardinal Renee Bennett (2013-17) with 104.
– Graduate senior Thelma Dis Agustsdottir has found her rhythm behind the arc again as she currently leads the team with 104 three’s so far this season. Agustsdottir has 322 total 3-pointers for her career and sits in second place all-time. She needs two more to take the top spot which is currently being held by former Cardinal and current associate head coach Audrey Spencer (2006-10) with 323 3-pointers. She enters the second round of the WNIT ranked third in the nation in made 3-pointers (104), 8th in 3-pointers per game (3.06), and 13th in 3-point field goal attempts (244).
Scouting Memphis:
– Following their first WNIT win in a decade, Katrina Merriweather and the Memphis Tiger women’s basketball team will play host to the Cardinals of Ball State on Monday night inside the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
– Memphis (21-10) is coming off a 79-68 win over Jackson State in the opening round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. In front of a record-setting crowd inside the Fieldhouse, the Tigers would never give up their lead after Jamirah Shutes poured in a season-high 24 points while Madison Griggs and Emani Jefferson added in a combined 29 points.
– For the season, Memphis had been dominating on the boards, outrebounding their opponents by more than 240 rebounds this season and ranking in the top-10 in Division I in offensive rebounds per game (6th) and rebounds per game (8th).
– The TIgers secured the AAC’s automatic qualifying bid after falling in the semifinal round of the AAC Championship.
– Prior to their loss in the semifinals at the American Athletic Conference Championships, Memphis had been on an eight-game win streak.
– Katrina Merriweather is in her second season at Memphis after having a successful five years at Wright State. She also was an assistant coach at Purdue from 2003-06. Merriweather is from Indianapolis where she was a 1997 Indiana-All-Star at Cathedral High School.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
‘THE RESILIENCE IS UNBELIEVABLE’: IRISH HEADED TO SWEET 16
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — For the second consecutive year, Notre Dame is headed to the Sweet 16.
On Sunday, the third-seeded Irish (27-5) downed 14th-seeded Mississippi State (22-11), 53-48. It was a relatively ugly game from a shooting perspective, but a suffocating Irish defense stopped the Bulldogs’ upset bid in its path.
“I’m almost at a loss for words,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey said after the game. “I’m so emotional, happy. This is beyond a dream come true. The resilience and toughness of this team is unbelievable.”
Lauren Ebo had her fifth double-double of the season plus 5 blocks, and her 18 rebounds set a Notre Dame NCAA Tournament record. The mark was previously 16 and held by Katryna Gaither from 1997. Ebo also tied the Purcell Pavilion record.
“I really wanted to win, so I think that was it,” Ebo said when asked about the performance. “Keeping them off the board was important for us and somewhere that we struggled in the past month, so I just wanted to go out there and help us make the Sweet 16.”
Maddy Westbeld added 15 rebounds of her own, a season-high. Westbeld and Ebo each had 10 rebounds apiece by the break.
For the seventh time this year, the Irish held an opponent under 50 points. Kourtney Weber came off the bench and led Mississippi State with 14 points, but no other player broke 8. Center Jessika Carter was just 3-for-8 from the floor.
“Ebo knew that Mississippi State’s offense went through Carter,” Ivey said. “That was something we focused on. I talked about getting the stops and protecting the paint. I could tell that [Ebo] knew this was her opportunity to step up.”
The offense was not firing on all cylinders, but Sonia Citron led the group with 14 points and 10 made free throws. It was the fourth time this season that she has sunk at least 10 from the charity stripe. Citron also tied her season-high with 4 steals.
Notre Dame will hop on a flight to Greenville later this week for the Sweet 16. The Irish will face Maryland, setting up a rematch of the Dec. 1 buzzer-beating loss. It is Notre Dame’s 19th Sweet 16 appearance. The program is 10-8.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
IRISH DOWN NO. 4 WAKE FOREST ON THE ROAD
WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the No. 4 Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the final game of the three-game series on Sunday, March 19 at the David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, NC. Wake Forest was undefeated 14-0 at home so far this season until Notre Dame took game three by a score of 3-1. The Irish are now 9-8 on the season and 2-3 in conference as they head into their home opener on Tuesday against Valpo.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both the Irish and Demon Deacons went three up, three down in the first inning as Jack Findlay started the day with two strikeouts in the bottom of the first.
The Irish offense sparked in the top of the second with a double to right center from Carter Putz, who scored after Jack Zyska hit a single to left field. The Irish posted an early 1-0 lead, while Findlay continued to shut down the Demon Deacons from the mound as he closed the first two innings with three strikeouts.
DM Jefferson started the third with a lead-off single to center field and advanced to second on a passed ball with TJ Williams up to bat. Jefferson was able to score and tack on another run for the Irish as an RBI single from Brooks Coetzee brought Jefferson home for the 2-0 lead. It was another three up, three down for Wake Forest as Findlay recorded another two strikeouts in the bottom of the third.
It was a scoreless fourth and fifth for both the Irish and the Demon Deacons, but Notre Dame would go on to score another run in the top of the sixth. Coetzee led off the inning with a double to right center field, which was followed by a walk from Putz. With runners on first and second and Jack Penney up to bat, Coetzee was able to steal third on a wild pitch. Penney reached on a fielder’s choice, recording an RBI as Coetzee ran home to give the Irish a 3-0 edge heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Findlay recorded his 10th strikeout of the day before he was relieved by Blake Hely with two outs in the sixth. Findlay absolutely dominated from the mound, throwing 10 strikes across 5.2 innings and allowing just two hits and no runs. Hely finished the inning with a full count strikeout to close the sixth as the Irish held the Demon Deacons scoreless 3-0.
After a scoreless seventh, Wake Forest would score their first and only run of the day after a double to left field was followed by an advancement to third on an Irish error from centerfield. The Demon Deacons would finally come home on a passed ball to make it a 3-1 ball game after eight. Both the Irish and Demon Deacons would go three up, three down in the ninth as Will Mercer closed on the mound with the final strikeout of the day for the Irish to take home the 3-1 win.
UP NEXT
The Irish open up at home at Frank Eck Stadium on Tuesday, March 21 against Valpo. The Irish will resume conference play as they host No. 2 Louisville for a three-game series starting Friday, March 24.
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TOP NATIONAL NEWS
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: NO. 6 CREIGHTON OUSTS NO. 3 BAYLOR
Sophomore Ryan Nembhard poured in a career-high 30 points and No. 6 seed Creighton converted all 22 of its free throw attempts to earn an 85-76 victory over third-seeded Baylor in South Regional second-round play Sunday night in Denver.
Trey Alexander posted 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Arthur Kaluma added 11 points for the Bluejays (23-12), who claimed their second Sweet 16 berth in three years.
“It’s been a different person every night,” said Creighton coach Greg McDermott. “And our guys’ unselfishness to understand if somebody has got it going, let’s figure out a way to get him the basketball and get out of his way.
Creighton will face No. 15 seed Princeton Friday night in Louisville. The Bluejays and Tigers have met once previously — a 63-54 Creighton home win on Dec. 29, 1961. LJ Cryer recorded a career-high 30 points to pace Baylor (23-11) while Adam Flagler added 15 and Jalen Bridges scored 12.
East
NO. 7 MICHIGAN STATE 69, NO. 2 MARQUETTE 60
Tyson Walker scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the second half as the Spartans eliminated the Golden Eagles in their second-round game in Columbus, Ohio.
With Michigan State nursing a 56-55 lead, Walker launched a 10-0 run by beating the shot clock on a left-handed layup over Oso Ighodaro with 3:06 left. His two free throws with 48.2 seconds remaining put the Spartans up 64-55, and his steal and dunk moments later all but sealed Michigan State’s first trip back to the Sweet 16 since advancing to the Final Four in 2019.
Joey Hauser had 14 points and 10 rebounds and A.J. Hoggard added 13 points for the Spartans (21-12). Olivier-Maxence Prosper had 16 points and Kam Jones added 14 for Marquette (29-7), the Big East regular-season and tournament champion.
NO. 9 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 78, NO. 16 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 70
Johnell Davis scored 29 points and hauled in 12 rebounds to help the Owls end the Cinderella run of the Knights in their second-round game.
Florida Atlantic (33-3) advances to play No. 4 seed Tennessee on Thursday in an East Regional semifinal at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Demetre Roberts had 20 points for Fairleigh Dickinson (21-16), which shocked Purdue 63-58 on Friday to become just the second No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed.
NO. 3 KANSAS STATE 75, NO. 6 KENTUCKY 69
Markquis Nowell recorded 27 points, nine assists and three steals and Ismael Massoud drained the go-ahead 3-pointer as Kansas State eliminated Kentucky in the second round in Greensboro, N.C.
Keyontae Johnson added 13 points for Kansas State (25-9), which advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018. Nae’Qwan Tomlin had 12 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots and Desi Sills also had 12 points as Kansas State prevailed in the battle between two schools that go by Wildcats.
Oscar Tshiebwe had a big outing with 25 points and 18 rebounds for Kentucky (22-12). Cason Wallace had 21 points and nine rebounds before fouling out, and Chris Livingston added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Midwest
NO. 3 XAVIER 84, NO. 11 PITT 73
Jack Nunge led six Musketeers players in double figures with 18 points as they eased past the Panthers in Greensboro, N.C.
Xavier (27-9) advanced to its first Sweet 16 since 2017 and will face second-seeded Texas (28-8) this week in Kansas City, Mo.
Adam Kunkel went 5-for-5 on 3-pointers in the first half to score his 15 points, while Souley Boum tallied 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Xavier. Pitt (24-12) was led by Blake Hinson’s 18 points. Jamarius Burton added 16, and Guillermo Diaz Graham had 11 points and eight rebounds.
NO. 5 MIAMI 85, NO. 4 INDIANA 69
Isaiah Wong scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Miami to a victory over Indiana in a second-round game of the Midwest Region at Albany, N.Y.
Jordan Miller collected 19 points, five rebounds and two blocks for fifth-seeded Miami (27-7) and delivered an emphatic dunk on another fast break score in the closing seconds to punctuate the win.
Fourth-seeded Indiana (23-12) came up short in its bid to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016 despite 23 points, eight rebounds and five blocks from All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis.
West
NO. 3 GONZAGA 84, NO. 6 TCU 81
Drew Timme recorded 28 points and eight rebounds and the Bulldogs reached the Sweet 16 for the eighth consecutive time by edging the Horned Frogs in West Region play at Denver.
Rasir Bolton added 17 points for Gonzaga (30-5), which will face second-seeded UCLA (31-5) on Thursday in Las Vegas. Malachi Smith scored 11 points and Julian Strawther had 10 points and nine rebounds for Gonzaga.
Mike Miles Jr. scored 24 points for TCU (22-13). Damion Baugh registered 15 points and eight rebounds, and Emanuel Miller scored 14 points. Both teams shot 44.8 percent from the field. Gonzaga was 8 of 25 from 3-point range, compared to 9 of 25 for TCU.
NO. 4 UCONN 70, NO. 5 SAINT MARY’S 55
Adama Sanogo collected 24 points and eight rebounds to lift the Huskies over the Gaels in a second-round game in Albany, N.Y.
Tristen Newton scored 13 points and Jordan Hawkins drained four 3-pointers after intermission to finish with 12 points for UConn (27-8). The Huskies advanced past the second round for the first time since their national title run in 2014.
Aidan Mahaney answered a zero-point performance in the first round by joining Logan Johnson with nine points for the Gaels (27-8). Saint Mary’s guard Alex Ducas scored eight points before sustaining a back injury with 4:52 remaining in the first half. He did not return.
OLE MISS STUNS STANFORD, REACHES FIRST SWEET 16 IN 16 YEARS
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) Sobbing as she received hugs from friends, family and administrators, Mississippi coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin tried to grasp the magnitude of her team’s stunning win against top-seeded Stanford when someone reminded her there’s more basketball to be played.
Her two young daughters danced for joy on the floor.
Her proud father provided a shoutout to everybody back home in The Bahamas.
Her team posed at midcourt and shouted, “Seattle!” That’s where the Rebels are headed next.
Madison Scott hit a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left that gave Mississippi the lead for good, Angel Baker scored 13 points, and the Rebels delivered on their declaration to get defensive, stunning top-seeded Stanford 54-49 on Sunday night to reach the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the first time in 16 years.
“First of all just incredibly grateful. I have a lot of mentors in my life and one of my mentors would always say to me that the person with the experience is at the mercy of the one with the anointing,” the 40-year-old McPhee-McCuin said in reference to Hall of Famer and winningest women’s coach Tara VanDerveer. “He spoke that over my life maybe 10 years ago. And so to be in this situation right now, to take down an historical program like Stanford, a coach and a woman that I admire I have watched is incredible.”
Behind the entire game and never with a lead, Stanford called timeout with 28 seconds left then Hannah Jump turned the ball over and Scott converted. Haley Jones lost the ball out of bounds on the Cardinal’s last possession with a chance to tie then again in the waning moments.
Marquesha Davis hit a pair of free throws with 15.4 seconds to play as Ole Miss overcame not making a field goal over the final 5:47, going 0 for 8.
“This is such a big accomplishment. A lot of us came here to make history and that’s what we’re doing,” freshman Ayanna Thompson said.
These upstart Rebels (25-8) advance to the Seattle Regional semifinal next weekend, while VanDerveer’s Stanford team (29-6) is eliminated far earlier than this group envisioned – the season ending on the Cardinal’s home floor. Jones fought tears after her final game, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds but five turnovers.
“Some of the things we did were self-inflicted. The turnovers really hurt us,” VanDerveer said. “They’re really a tough team, they’re a lot better than (No.) 8 teams we’ve played before. Sometimes you don’t have a really good matchup.”
Only four No. 1 seeds had lost before the Sweet 16 since 1994, with Duke the last one in 2009. Stanford did so once before, falling to 16th-seeded Harvard in the first round of the 1998 tournament.
The Cardinal had reached 14 straight Sweet 16s and hadn’t lost in the first or second rounds since No. 10 seed Florida State shocked the fifth-seeded Cardinal 68-61 at Maples Pavilion in the second round exactly 16 years ago to the day before on March 19, 2007.
Cameron Brink came back from a one-game absence because of a stomach bug to finish with 20 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots, but Stanford never led and tried to come from behind all night. The program’s career blocks leader, the junior star finished with 118 on the season and has 297 total.
“Cam wasn’t 100% today but I thought she really battled,” VanDerveer said.
Stanford had won 21 consecutive NCAA games on its home floor and is 41-5 all-time at Maples during March Madness.
Ole Miss led the entire first half on the way to a 29-20 advantage at the break at raucous Maples Pavilion, where the crowd went wild when Brink blocked three straight shots in the same sequence by Rita Igbokwe midway through the second quarter. About two minutes later, Igbokwe grabbed at her mouth after being hit.
The Rebels got a scare when senior guard Myah Taylor went down hard grabbing at her chest with 6:41 left in the third after colliding with Francesca Belibi while moving to defend Indya Nivar. After a short break to catch her breath, Taylor was back running the point.
The Rebels declared from Day 1 arriving in the Bay Area they were ready to play their tenacious defense to make a mark on the NCAA Tournament. Stanford’s layups regularly rolled out. The Cardinal got called for repeated offensive fouls. They made mistakes when it mattered most.
“It brought tears to my eyes,” said Gladstone McPhee, coach McPhee-McCuin’s father. “It’s beautiful. This is what you wait for.”
BIG PICTURE Ole Miss: Parents Gladstone and Daisy cheered on fifth-year coach McPhee-McCuin as her team reached the second round after last year’s first-round exit by South Dakota. Her daughters, 10-year-old Yasmine and Yuri, 5, rooted the team all the way, with Yasmine yelling, “That’s my mom!” when Ole Miss came out before tipoff. … The Rebels advanced to the Elite Eight in 2007. After grabbing 24 offensive rebounds in the win against Gonzaga, the Rebels crashed the boards again to create second chances with 20 more.
Stanford: The Cardinal also never led in the first half of 55-46 loss at USC on Jan. 15. … They had a 14-game home winning streak since a 76-71 overtime loss to No. 1 South Carolina on Nov. 20. … VanDerveer announced Jump plans to return for another year of eligibility. Jones will turn pro and Belibi has been accepted into a program at Harvard.
CLARK, CZINANO LEAD IOWA PAST GEORGIA IN MARCH MADNESS
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Catilin Clark admits she didn’t have her best game, but it was enough to get Iowa to the Sweet 16.
The unanimous AP All-American had 22 points and 12 assists to help the Hawkeyes defeat Georgia 74-66 in a second-round women’s NCAA Tournament game Sunday.
Clark was held scoreless for 13 minutes in the first half, but scored 14 second-half points as the Hawkeyes (28-6), the No. 2 seed in Seattle Regional 4, finally shook off the 10th-seeded Lady Bulldogs (22-12). She made just 6 of 17 shots, but either scored or assisted on 30 of Iowa’s 33 second-half points.
“I think any time you’re one of the 16 teams who get to keep playing basketball, it’s pretty special,” Clark said. “But it wasn’t a huge party or celebration in the locker room. This wasn’t our goal. It’s one of the steps for reaching our goal, but it’s not the end-all, be-all for us.”
Clark knew she could have hit more shots, but was happy with the win.
“I probably could have made a couple of more shots,” she said. “I thought I had at least open threes that usually go down for me. But sometimes that happens.”
Georgia coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson thought they did a good job containing Clark.
“She averages 27 points a game, that’s a lot. I think we did a great job on her,” Abrahamson-Henderson said.
Monika Czinano had 20 points, Gabbie Marshall added 15 points and McKenna Warnock had 14 for Iowa, which erased the memory of last season’s second-round home loss to No. 10 seed Creighton.
Georgia got within 68-66 on a 3-pointer from Audrey Warren with 2:17 left in the game, but the Lady Bulldogs would not score again, committing three straight turnovers and missing a layup.
“We made a lot of runs,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “I know everything is going to be about Iowa right now. But my team is really good. They are really good. We came in here, we fought like crazy, we were the underdogs, but there was no underdog here today.”
Iowa led by as much as 10 points in the first half behind Marshall and Warnock, who combined for five 3-pointers to open the second quarter. But a 14-3 run by the Lady Bulldogs gave them a 35-34 lead, and it took a late surge to give the Hawkeyes a 41-40 halftime lead.
Brittney Smith and Javyn Nicholson each had 12 points for Georgia.
Iowa plays the winner of Duke-Colorado.
STUELKE OUT
Iowa was without freshman forward Hannah Stuelke. Stuelke, the Big Ten’s Sixth Player of the Year, suffered an injured ankle in practice on Saturday.
“She literally hurt her ankle with about three minutes left in practice,” Bluder said.
Stuelke scored 14 points, making all five of her shots, in Friday’s 93-45 first-round win over Southeastern Louisiana. She averages 7 points and 4.2 rebounds.
Bluder said she expects Stuelke to be available next weekend in the regional semifinal.
BIG PICTURE
Georgia: The Lady Bulldogs fell short of their first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 2013, but they finished strong in Abrahamson-Henderson’s first season as head coach. Georgia had won nine of their 12 games coming into Sunday’s game. “We had two really really good teams on the floor today,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “And one of them was Georgia. For sure.”
Iowa: The Hawkeyes were held 13 points under their national-best average of 87.8 points, but came up with enough offense against Georgia’s zone defense, which forced 17 Iowa turnovers.
MARYLAND INTO WOMEN’S SWEET 16 AFTER 77-64 WIN OVER ARIZONA
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) Faith Masonius scored more than usual at a time when Maryland was struggling.
She also gave a star teammate a pep talk that was apparently pretty effective.
“I was just missing layups, and even Faith was like, ‘Come on Diamond, you’ve got to make that,’” said Diamond Miller, the Terrapins’ second-team All-American. “It was just like, ‘I do got to make that.’”
Miller made all six of her field goal attempts in the third, scoring 13 of her 24 points that quarter to help second-seeded Maryland to a 77-64 victory over seventh-seeded Arizona in the second around of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday night.
The Terrapins (27-6) advance to the Sweet 16 for a third straight year and the 11th time under coach Brenda Frese. Maryland trailed by a point after two quarters but ran past the Wildcats (22-10) in the second half.
Shyanne Sellers scored 15 points and Masonius gave the Terps a lift with 12.
Frese was coaching against her alma mater. She played at Arizona and graduated in 1993.
The Wildcats gave Maryland a tough battle for 20 minutes but couldn’t keep up offensively. Arizona was up 33-32 at the break but went almost half the third quarter without scoring. After being held to four points in the first half, Miller had five on one trip down the court – a layup while being fouled, followed by a 3-pointer after Arizona was unable to rebound her missed free throw. That put Maryland ahead 39-33.
“Looked like she was probably challenged at halftime and she came out and just was on fire,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes said. “Really hard for us to guard. I think that we kind of allowed her to get out in transition and had a lot of isolation moments. We know she loves to go left and she started going right and scored. She was hard to stop.”
By the time the quarter was over it was 61-42. The Terrapins shot 11 of 14 from the field in the third.
Maryland advances to face third-seeded Notre Dame in the regional semifinals Saturday. The Terps beat the Irish 74-72 at Notre Dame on Dec. 1 on a buzzer-beater by Miller.
Cate Reese led Arizona with 19 points.
“I think we got a little maybe too comfortable, I don’t know,” Reese said. “We just in that moment starting out in the third quarter, we just didn’t want it more and they took it to us and we just kind of fell back on our heels I feel like.”
BIG PICTURE
Arizona: The Wildcats exited in the second round for a second straight season after reaching the national title game in 2021.
Maryland: The 6-foot-1 Masonius gave Maryland an encouraging performance, finishing two points shy of her season high. Her ability around the basket could be important for a team without a great deal of size.
“Faith just emptied the tank and you saw that with the defensive effort she had to put on Reese, the toughness that displayed and then all of the sudden, at times we’re running her in the press break to bring the ball up to run our offense,” Frese said. “You saw she was exhausted. Like that’s what it looks like when you empty the tank and leave it all out there and why she is the winner that she is.”
BRIGHT SPOTS
Arizona had one fewer turnover (18) than Maryland, and the Wildcats finished with a 22-18 edge in fast break points. Not an easy task against the Terps’ pressure.
FOUL TROUBLE
Sellers was limited to 11:34 in the first half, having picked up two fouls.
“I was really itching to get back on the floor,” Sellers said. “Every time B walked past, I’m going, ‘I won’t foul.'”
UP NEXT
Miller scored 31 points in that December game against Notre Dame. Olivia Miles scored 14 points for the Irish, but she’s now out because of a knee injury.
REESE, LSU TOP MICHIGAN IN 2ND ROUND OF MARCH MADNESS
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) A bleeding upper lip with gauze stuffed under it and dislodged eyelash extension wasn’t exactly the look that the LSU sensation known as “Bayou Barbie” was going for.
Not that resembling a boxer was going to stop Angel Reese from delivering a ferocious, high-stakes performance that dismantled Michigan on both ends of the court.
“It’s always something,” said a smiling Reese, who earlier this season blocked a shot while holding one of her dislodged shoes in her other hand. “Either a lash, a contact – always got something going on – but I play through it.”
Reese had 25 points, 24 rebounds, six blocks, four assists and three steals to lead third-seeded LSU to a 66-42 victory over the No. 6 seed Wolverines on Sunday night in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
The 6-foot-3 All-America forward became the first player to have that many points and rebounds in the same NCAA Tournament game, and most of her production came after a shot to her mouth drew blood in the opening minutes.
“I knew my team needed me,” Reese said. “So, I did whatever it takes. A bloody lip and bloody mouth, I’ll figure it out.”
Alexis Morris scored 11 and LaDazhia Williams had 10 points and 10 rebounds for LSU (30-2), which never trailed and held Michigan (23-10) to its lowest point total this season.
In just their second season under coach Kim Mulkey, the Tigers advanced past the second round of the tournament for the first time since 2014 and will meet second seed Utah in the Greenville 2 regional semifinal.
“It’s not a championship, but it is definitely an accomplishment,” said Mulkey, who won three national titles as Baylor’s coach and last year coached LSU to the second round of the tournament.
“We have won one more (tournament) game than we won last year,” Mulkey continued. “And you better believe that that’s big for us in rebuilding this program.”
Laila Phelia scored 20 points for Michigan, which opened the second half with a 7-0 run to pull as close as eight points, but quickly went back down by double-digits for good after Reese’s layup and Kateri Poole’s 3.
Reese played with relentless determination, three times chasing driving Michigan players down the lane to swat their shots away from behind.
She was a menace to Michigan rebounders on both ends of the court. She grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. And after one, Emily Kiser was called for an intentional foul when she knocked Reese to the floor on a putback attempt.
LSU had 18 second-chance points to Michigan’s 2, and although both teams shot 35%, LSU got off 68 shots to Michigan’s 46.
“It was the offensive rebounding that really killed us,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “Emily is a little undersized and probably not nearly as strong as Angel, but she tried to get physical and then when she got physical, she got called for an intentional foul, which was something that she’s never gotten before in her career.”
ROUGH START
The first quarter was a defensive struggle in which both teams looked prepared to exert as much physical force as officials would permit. After Reese got hit, she intermittently rubbed her lip and looked at her finger tips to check for blood for much the quarter. Later, she lost one of her eyelash extensions while tangled up inside with Kiser and Leigha Brown.
“I knew she was mad about her eyelashes,” said Poole, who has known Reese since before college and said she also made a remark to Reese during the game about her lip. “She’s very funny and I told her she looked like a beaver.”
Reese delivered punishment, too, flattening Kiser on a drive down the lane. Kiser drew the charge, but stayed down for several moments, placing her hand on the part of her upper body that took the blow, before teammates helped her up.
“It was super physical,” Kiser said of her matchup with Reese. “Definitely going to feel that tomorrow morning. Wish I did a better job. But yeah, she’s a great player.”
BIG PICTURE
Michigan: After reaching the regional finals last season and and the regional semifinals in 2021, Michigan’s tournament ended in the second round for the first time since 2019. The Wolverines’ previous scoring low this season was 52 in a loss at Indiana on Feb. 16.LSU: Mulkey is now 3-0 against Barnes Arico in the NCAA Tournament, with each meeting coming since 2018 and two while Mulkey was at Baylor. Outrebounded Michigan 46-26.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: SPURS OVERCOME 24-POINT DEFICIT, DOWN HAWKS
Keldon Johnson had 29 points and 12 rebounds and Devin Vassell added 29 points as the San Antonio Spurs came back from 24 points down to beat the visiting Atlanta Hawks 126-118 on Sunday afternoon.
Atlanta led by 22 points at halftime but gave most of it back in a ragged third quarter, heading to the final period up just 103-100. The Hawks were still ahead at 114-108 until San Antonio forged a 16-0 run behind six points from Zach Collins and five from Blake Wesley to move to the front at 124-114 with 1:54 to play.
Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 22 points in his return to San Antonio after being traded by the Spurs in the offseason. Onyeka Okongwu added 17 points, with Clint Capela racking up 15 points and 12 rebounds. Trae Young had just nine points on 4-of-15 shooting from the floor for Atlanta.
Atlanta went into the break with a commanding 83-61 lead, but the Spurs roared back in the third quarter behind Vassell (14 points in the period) and Johnson (12) to pull within three.
LAKERS 111, MAGIC 105
Austin Reaves set a career high with 35 points and D’Angelo Russell added 18 as Los Angeles ended a two-game losing streak and helped its playoff chances with a victory over visiting Orlando.
Anthony Davis finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks as the Lakers pulled even with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz at the bottom of the play-in tournament chase in the Western Conference.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner each scored 21 points and Cole Anthony added 17 as the Magic were unable to pull off a weekend sweep at Los Angeles after defeating the Clippers 113-108 on Saturday.
THUNDER 124, SUNS 120
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points to lead host Oklahoma City to a victory over Phoenix.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance and the Thunder’s comeback overshadowed Devin Booker’s 46-point game. Chris Paul added 14 points and 13 assists in the loss. Phoenix led by 10 in the early moments of the fourth quarter before the Thunder turned up the heat defensively and converted at the other end.
The Thunder ripped off an 18-2 run to grab control, turning a 100-90 deficit into a 108-102 lead with 5:46 left to play. Luguentz Dort gave Oklahoma City its first lead since the game’s opening moments with his 3-pointer with just under seven minutes remaining, then Gilgeous-Alexander found Josh Giddey for an alley-oop on the next possession to keep the run going.
NUGGETS 108, NETS 102
Nikola Jokic totaled 22 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists for his league-leading 28th triple-double as Denver took control in the first quarter and led virtually the entire way in a victory over Brooklyn in New York.
Michael Porter Jr. led all scorers with 28 points to go along with nine boards, while Jamal Murray supplied 25 points for the Nuggets. Mikal Bridges scored a team-high 23 points for the Nets, who dropped their third straight and fell 2 1/2 games behind the fifth-place Knicks in the Eastern Conference.
After the Nets ripped off a 17-2 run to get within 100-93, Murray found Porter, who hit a corner 3-pointer when Cameron Johnson left him uncovered with 3:23 remaining. The Nets missed another chance at inching closer when Johnson missed an open triple with 2:16 to go, and Denver iced it when Aaron Gordon made a layup and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a trey.
HEAT 112, PISTONS 100
Jimmy Butler had 26 points and 10 assists, and visiting Miami used a late 12-0 run to down Detroit.
Bam Adebayo supplied 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks for Miami. Tyler Herro had 19 points and six rebounds, Caleb Martin tossed in 13 points and Kevin Love added 12 points and eight rebounds.
James Wiseman led Detroit with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Cory Joseph had 16 points, Rodney McGruder contributed 15 points and nine rebounds and Marvin Bagley III added 14 points after missing three games due to a sore ankle. Killian Hayes chipped in a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.
PELICANS 117, ROCKETS 107
CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram combined for 52 points as visiting New Orleans earned a much-needed victory over Houston.
McCollum finished with 26 points, six rebounds and five assists while making 4 of 7 3-pointers. Ingram paired 26 points with a team-high nine assists as the Pelicans snapped a skid of three losses in four games to remain in the chase for a spot in the West play-in tournament.
The Rockets’ starting backcourt of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. combined for 65 points on 18-of-37 shooting from the floor and 22-of-22 shooting from the free-throw line. Green had 40 points, his fourth 40-point game this season, but the Rockets did not have a third double-digit scorer until Tari Eason sank two free throws with 8:08 left.
BUCKS 118, RAPTORS 111
Giannis Antetokounmpo shot a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor and recorded a triple-double of 22 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists as Milwaukee dominated the fourth quarter en route to a come-from-behind victory over visiting Toronto.
Milwaukee’s defense proved overwhelming in the closing 12 minutes. The Bucks outscored the Raptors 29-16, regrouping from a third quarter in which they surrendered 39 points.
Brook Lopez scored a game-high 26 points for the Bucks. Fred VanVleet’s 23 points led four Raptors scoring at least 18. VanVleet also dished a game-high 11 assists.
CLIPPERS 117, TRAIL BLAZERS 102
Paul George recorded 29 points, nine rebounds and four steals and Kawhi Leonard added 24 points to lead Los Angeles past host Portland.
Eric Gordon had 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting off the bench and Ivica Zubac added 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Clippers won for the fifth time in six games. Los Angeles moved within a half-game of the fourth-place Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference.
Jusuf Nurkic registered 23 points and 11 rebounds for Portland, and Damian Lillard scored 21 points to top 20 for the 31st consecutive regular-season contest. Lillard also had nine assists and seven rebounds but was just 4 of 17 from the field.
NFL NEWS
COWBOYS ACQUIRE WR COOKS FROM TEXANS FOR 2 LATE-ROUND PICKS
FRISCO, Texas (AP) The Dallas Cowboys acquired receiver Brandin Cooks in a trade with the Houston Texans on Sunday, adding a speedy veteran to play alongside CeeDee Lamb.
Houston gets a fifth-round pick this year and a 2024 sixth-rounder in a deal reminiscent of a year ago when Dallas sent No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper to Cleveland for two late-round picks.
The difference in the trades is the Texans will pay $6 million of Cooks’ $18 million salary. The Browns absorbed the entire $20 million owed to Cooper.
It’s the fifth time Cooks has been traded, including a swap the day after he was taken 20th overall by Arizona in 2014. New Orleans acquired him for the 27th overall pick and a third-rounder that year.
Cooks later went to New England, the Los Angeles Rams and the Texans in trades.
The 29-year-old Cooks has six 1,000-yard seasons in nine years, with career highs of 1,204 yards with the Rams in 2018 and nine touchdowns with the Saints in 2015. He has 8,616 yards and 49 TDs.
The Cowboys waited until late in the 2022 season to put a speedy veteran alongside Lamb when they signed free agent T.Y. Hilton. Dallas is coming off consecutive 12-5 playoff seasons.
Lamb, who turns 24 next month, had career highs of 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns last season. The 2020 first-round pick had 10 100-yard games in his first three seasons, second in club history to Pro Football Hall of Famer Bob Hayes, who had 13.
Besides Lamb and Cooks, the Cowboys are hoping for a bounce-back season from Michael Gallup now that he’s more than a year removed from an ACL injury.
The 27-year-old Gallup sustained the injury in the 16th game of 2021 and missed the first three games last season before finishing with 39 catches for a career-low 424 yards.
PANTHERS SIGN ADAM THIELEN TO REPORTED 3-YEAR DEAL
The Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms with free-agent wide receiver Adam Thielen, the team announced Sunday.
It is expected to be a three-year contract, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The 32-year-old Thielen was released on March 10 after failing to come to a contract resolution with the Vikings, where he has been since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2013.
Thielen was scheduled to have a $19.9-million cap hit in 2023 before being released.
The two-time Pro-Bowler will provide stability to a Panthers wide receiver room that lost star wide-out D.J. Moore in a trade to the Chicago Bears. Terrace Marshall Jr., Shi Smith, and Laviska Shenault Jr. currently fill out the Panthers’ wide receiver depth chart.
Thielen has 534 catches for 6,682 receiving yards and 55 touchdowns in 135 career games.
REPORT: TEXANS SIGN TUNSIL TO 3-YEAR, $75M EXTENSION
The Houston Texans are signing left tackle Laremy Tunsil to a three-year, $75-million extension, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The deal includes $50 million fully guaranteed and $60 million in total guarantees, per Rapoport.
Tunsil is now the NFL’s highest-paid tackle by average annual value. Trent Williams previously held the top spot with a $23.01-million average.
The 6-foot-5 blocker voiced his desire to reset the tackle market in December, saying that this offseason was the “perfect opportunity” based on how he was performing.
Tunsil is widely regarded as one of the league’s best tackles, particularly in pass protection. He earned an elite 91.7 pass-blocking grade in 2022, per PFF.
The 28-year-old has made three Pro Bowls, all with the Texans, in his seven-year career.
Tunsil was selected 13th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He was traded to the Texans ahead of the 2019 campaign.
REPORTS: LIONS SIGNING SAFETY C.J. GARDNER-JOHNSON
The Detroit Lions are signing free-agent safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a one-year, $8 million deal, multiple media outlets reported Sunday night.
NFL Network reported that the deal includes $6.5 million fully guaranteed.
Gardner-Johnson, 25, recorded an NFL-best six interceptions and 67 tackles — both career highs — in 12 games (all starts) with the Eagles last season. ESPN reported that Philadelphia offered Gardner-Johnson a multi-year contract at the beginning of free agency, but he turned it down believing he had higher value.
Prior to his lone season with the Eagles, Gardner-Johnson was with the Saints from 2019-21 after being selected by New Orleans in the fourth round of the 2019 draft.
In 55 career games (43 starts), Gardner-Johnson had recorded 11 interceptions, 228 tackles, 36 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
REPORT: TITANS SIGNING LB AZEEZ AL-SHAAIR TO ONE-YEAR DEAL
The Tennessee Titans are signing linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to a one-year contract, NFL Network reported Sunday.
The $5 million deal includes a $3.17 million signing bonus and can rise to $6 million with incentives, per the report.
Al-Shaair, 25, recorded 44 tackles in 12 games (nine starts) with San Francisco in 2022. He has 199 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions in 56 games (31 starts) since signing with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
2023 COLLEGE FOOTBALL TRANSFER PORTAL:https://247sports.com/Season/2023-Football/TransferPortalTop/
BASEBALL NEWS
ASTROS’ JOSE ALTUVE HAS BROKEN RIGHT THUMB, NEEDS SURGERY
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) Houston Astros star Jose Altuve has a broken right thumb and needs surgery after getting hurt in Venezuela’s 9-7 quarterfinal loss to the United States at the World Baseball Classic.
The Astros said Sunday they will announce a prognosis for the second baseman after the operation.
The eight-time All-Star and the 2017 American League MVP fell after he was struck by a 95.9 mph sinker from Colorado reliever Daniel Bard in the fifth inning Saturday night. Altuve grimaced as he walked off with an athletic trainer.
Altuve’s injury occurred three days after New York Mets All-Star closer Edwin Díaz sustained a season-ending knee injury during the postgame celebration of Puerto Rico’s 5-2 win over the Dominican Republic. Díaz tore the patellar tendon in his right knee and had surgery on Thursday.
“It appears it could be a while,” Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters Sunday at spring training in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Altuve returned for a medical examination.
Utilityman Mauricio Dubon, who batted .208 games last season, is expected to move into the Astros’ lineup to replace Altuve.
TEAM USA SMOTHERS CUBA, ADVANCES TO WBC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
MIAMI — Trea Turner and Paul Goldschmidt combined to drive in eight runs, propelling the United States to a 14-2 win over Cuba in the World Baseball Classic semifinals on Sunday night.
Turner went 3-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs, while Goldschmidt went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs.
USA advanced to compete for the title on Tuesday night, playing the winner of Monday’s matchup between Mexico and Japan.
Team USA third baseman Nolan Arenado was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning, but X-rays on his right hand were negative.
American starter Adam Wainwright allowed just one run in four innings. He survived a poor start in which he allowed Cuba’s first four batters to reach base.
Cuban starter Roenis Elias took the loss, allowing three runs in two innings.
The game marked the end of a wild WBC ride for Cuba, which traveled more than 9,000 miles to Taiwan, lost its first two contests, won its next two and prevailed in a five-way tiebreaker. From there, Cuba beat Australia in Tokyo and flew more than 7,000 miles to Miami to play Team USA.
Cuba got off to a great start on Sunday with three straight infield hits and an RBI walk by Alfredo Despaigne. But Wainwright got the next three batters to escape further damage. The key play was a grounder to Arenado, who got the force at the plate for the inning’s first out.
“There was a lot of stuff going on. I had to step off the mound. I had to realize that they weren’t smacking me around,” Wainwright said of his mindset during the first inning. “I was getting myself into situations that I didn’t need to get myself into. I just needed to keep making pitches. I took a deep breath, and I reset.”
USA took a 2-1 lead three batters into the bottom of the first as Mookie Betts doubled and Goldschmidt drilled a one-out, 407-foot homer to left.
Turner went even deeper — 428 feet — with his homer that gave that U.S. a 3-1 lead in the second.
USA loaded the bases with one out in the third as Arenado singled, Kyle Schwarber was hit by a pitch and Will Smith walked. Pete Alonso made it 4-1 with an RBI single, and Tim Anderson added a sacrifice fly.
In the fourth, Goldschmidt drew a two-out walk and scored from first on Arenado’s triple. Arenado then scored on a Carlos Viera wild pitch to make it 7-1.
Cuba got to Team USA’s bullpen in the fifth as White Sox star Yoan Moncada doubled and scored on Andy Ibanez’s single.
But Goldschmidt’s two-run single in the bottom of the fifth gave USA a 9-2 lead, and the Americans cruised from there.
SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP: MAX FRIED STAYS UNBEATEN, BRAVES BLANK TWINS
Max Fried gave up only one hit in 6 1/3 innings to remain undefeated this spring, and Marcell Ozuna hit a three-run homer to lead the visiting Atlanta Braves past the Minnesota Twins 5-0 Sunday in Fort Myers, Fla.
Fried (3-0) walked two and struck out five and hasn’t given up an earned run in 11 1/3 innings his spring. He finished 14-7 with a 2.48 ERA last season.
Ozuna’s home run — his first of the spring — came in the third inning and completed the scoring.
Twins starter Kenta Maeda (0-1) gave up five runs (all earned) and five hits in four innings. Minnesota finished with just two hits.
ORIOLES 5, YANKEES 3
Anthony Bemboom hit a three-run homer in a four-run fifth inning that carried visiting Baltimore’s split squad to the victory over New York in Tampa, Fla.
The Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu went 2-for-3 to raise his spring average to .400. He also scored a run.
MARLINS 5, ASTROS 4
Victor Mesa Jr.’s leadoff homer off Brandon Bielak in the bottom of the ninth inning gave host Miami the victory over Houston in Sarasota, Fla.
Mesa finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs, and teammate Garrett Cooper drove in two runs. For the Astros, Corey Julks had two hits and three RBIs.
CARDINALS 8, METS 7
DJ Stewart went 4-for-4 for New York, hitting for the cycle, but it wasn’t enough as the host Mets fell to St. Louis in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Stewart finished with four RBIs, and his home run was a two-run shot in the seventh.
St. Louis overcame a five-run, first-inning deficit by scoring two runs in the fifth and six runs over the seventh and eighth innings. Nolan Gorman provided the Cardinals’ fifth-inning runs on a home run.
RED SOX 9, PHILLIES 5
Greg Allen hit a sixth-inning grand slam — his first home run of the spring — to help visiting Boston beat Philadelphia in Clearwater, Fla.
The Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins hit his third homer of the spring, a solo shot in the first inning.
RAYS 1, BLUE JAYS 0
Harold Ramirez’s RBI single in the third inning lifted host Tampa Bay over Toronto in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Rays starter Drew Rasmussen (2-0) surrendered only two hits in five innings, walking none and striking out two. For the Blue Jays, starter Alek Manoah (1-2) gave up one run and five hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out four.
ORIOLES 8, PIRATES 0
Adley Rutschman and Heston Kjerstad each hit two-run home runs, and starter Kyle Gibson pitched five innings of three-hit ball to lead Baltimore’s split squad to the triumph over Pittsburgh in Sarasota, Fla.
Gibson struck out seven and did not walk a batter, while Nomar Mazara added a two-run double for the Orioles. The Pirates were held to five hits.
NATIONALS 2, TIGERS 1
Jacob Young scored on an error by Detroit shortstop Corey Joyce on Franklin Barreto’s ground ball with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to give host Washington the victory in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Spencer Torkelson went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Tigers.
GUARDIANS 3, ROCKIES 1
Richie Palacios ripped a go-ahead two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift host Cleveland past Colorado in Goodyear, Ariz.
The Guardians scored all three of their runs in the seventh, as Roman Quinn was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded earlier in the inning. Jonathan Morales’ RBI double supplied the Rockies’ only run.
RANGERS 2, MARINERS 1
Jacob deGrom struck out four in three scoreless innings as Texas edged visiting Seattle in Surprise, Ariz.
deGrom didn’t issue a walk and only allowed two hits. Josh Jung homered for the Rangers, while Tanner Kirwer scored on a wild pitch for the Mariners.
CUBS 5, PADRES 2
Yan Gomes went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs to lift host Chicago over San Diego in Mesa, Ariz.
Cubs starter Justin Steele walked five in just three innings, but only allowed one run before turning things over to the bullpen. The Padres went up 1-0 in the first inning but didn’t score again until Brett Sullivan’s RBI triple in the eighth.
ATHLETICS 6, DODGERS 3
Shea Langeliers drilled a two-run home run to help visiting Oakland beat Los Angeles in Glendale, Ariz.
Dodgers starter Dustin May surrendered two runs on three hits in four innings while walking three and fanning three. David Freitas pulled Los Angeles within three with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, but the A’s managed to hold on.
GIANTS 9, ANGELS 6
Thairo Estrada and J.D. Davis had three hits apiece as host San Francisco edged Los Angeles in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Estrada also had a pair of RBIs and scored three runs, while Davis drove in one and scored twice. Jo Adell, Livan Soto and Hunter Renfroe went deep for the Angels.
BREWERS 4, REDS 3
Abraham Toro scored the winning run on an error in the bottom of the ninth as Milwaukee snuck by visiting Cincinnati in Phoenix.
Henry Ramos homered in the top half of the ninth to give the Reds a 3-2 lead, but Jon Singleton evened the score with an RBI single in the bottom of the frame before Toro gave the hosts the victory.
WHITE SOX 6, MARINERS 2
Dylan Cease struck out six in four innings to help visiting Chicago get by Seattle in Peoria, Ariz.
Cease surrendered one run on three hits while walking one. Seby Zavala hit a two-run homer and Oscar Colas added a solo shot for the White Sox, while Zach DeLoach laced an RBI double for the Mariners.
DIAMONDBACKS 13, ROYALS (SPLIT SQUAD) 2
Nick Ahmed homered and Ketel Marte and P.J. Higgins each had run-scoring doubles as part of a 10-run second inning that host Arizona used to dispatch Kansas City in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Nine of those 10 runs were charged to Royals starter Zack Greinke, who was touched up for eight hits in just 2 1/3 innings. Nick Loftin had an RBI double for Kansas City, which was outhit 14-8.
ROCKIES 7, ROYALS (SPLIT SQUAD) 0 (SIX INNINGS)
German Marquez tossed five shutout innings as visiting Colorado blanked Kansas City in Las Vegas.
Marquez allowed six hits, one walk and fanned four. Elehuris Montero and Michael Toglia went deep for the Rockies, while Matt Beaty doubled for the Royals’ only extra-base hit.
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
GALAXY, WHITECAPS PLAY TO 1-1 TIE
Kelvin Leerdam scored his first MLS goal since 2020 to help the LA Galaxy salvage a 1-1 draw against the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night.
Leerdam’s contribution from close range just before halftime of LA’s home opener canceled out Tristan Blackmon’s early header as both teams failed in their quest for their first win of the season.
The Suriname international’s offense was vital for the Galaxy (0-1-2, 2 points) on a night they were without injured striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and winger Douglas Costa.
Julian Gressel contributed his third assist of the season to set up Blackmon. He has now set up every goal for Vancouver (0-2-2, 2 points) this season save one, an own-goal off Dallas’ Paul Arriola.
Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond departed after 25 minutes with an apparent shoulder injury, and 18 minutes later, Vancouver attacker Sergio Cordova left with what looked like a knee issue.
Vancouver went in front in the 14th minute through a bit of trickery on a set piece. Ryan Gauld acted like he was considering a shot from about 25 yards out to the right of goal.
Then suddenly, Gressel approached the ball instead and sent in an out-swinging cross, which Blackmon met with a powerful header beyond Bond.
The Galaxy were on the front foot for the remainder of the half, and Riqui Puig had a goal disallowed in the 28th minute after a video review spotted that Dejan Joveljic had been offside.
But LA pulled level in first-half stoppage time.
After a combination down the left, Raheem Edwards sent in a cross toward the back post. Takaoka attempted to intervene but spilled it into the path of Leerdam, who outmuscled defender Javain Brown to guide it over the goal line.
Both teams had chances late.
Joveljic forced Takaoka into a fine save in the 53rd minute.
Vancouver’s Brian White sent his 1-on-1 effort wide of the target in the 75th minute after reaching Gauld’s throughball. Moments after that, Joveljic thought he’d put the Galaxy in front, only for a second LA goal to be disallowed after the ball appeared to hit the striker’s arm in the process of controlling and shooting.
Brown also struck the inside of the far post with a wayward 85th-minute cross.
LOONS TALLY LATE TO TOPPLE RAPIDS, 2-1
Miguel Tapias scored his first career MLS goal in the 82nd minute to break a tie and give Minnesota United a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday in Commerce City, Colo.
Tapias flicked a header from the center of the box into the bottom right corner of the net off Franco Fragapane’s free kick from outside the penalty box. It gave the Loons their first victory in franchise history in eight tries (1-5-2) at Colorado.
Luis Amarilla also scored for Minnesota United (2-0-1, 7 points), who moved into a three-way tie for second place in the Western Conference with the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Football Club. Dayne St. Clair finished with two saves.
Cole Bassett scored a goal for the Rapids (0-3-1, 1 point).
Colorado, blanked in each of its first three games, scored its first goal in 319 minutes of action in the 49th minute. Bassett drilled a left-footed shot from the left side of the box around a pair of United defenders that caromed off the far right post and into the net.
The Rapids’ first lead of the season was a brief one, however.
Defender Danny Wilson was whistled for a hand ball on a Hassani Dotson crossing pass from the right side of the box. Amarilla took the ensuing penalty kick and put a right-footed shot into the right corner of the net for his first goal of the season to tie it, 1-1, in the 54th minute.
Colorado had an excellent chance to regain the lead in the 67th minute. Wilson headed a Jack Price cross into the center of the box that St. Clair tipped off the crossbar and back into the middle of the box.
Anthony Markanich then blasted a right-footed shot over the top of the goal.
NASCAR NEWS
LOGANO PASSES KESELOWSKI ON LAST LAP, GIVES FORD ATLANTA WIN
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) Joey Logano dominated early and then passed Brad Keselowski on the final lap to win NASCAR’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and end the early season domination of Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports on Sunday.
Logano won the pole and led a strong showing of three straight Team Penske drivers in qualifying, but Keselowski looked like the Ford driver to beat late in the race. Keselowski had help from Corey LaJoie, but Logano got a push from Christopher Bell that proved decisive on the final lap.
Bell finished third in a Toyota and LaJoie finished a career-best fourth in a Chevrolet.
“The first win of the season always feels better,” said the reigning Cup champion, who led 141 of the 260 laps.
Logano’s win ended a streak of four consecutive victories by Chevrolet to open the NASCAR Cup season, including back-to-back wins by William Byron of Hendrick.
Pushed by his Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric, Logano passed Keselowski to regain the lead with 34 laps to go. Keselowski regained the lead to setup the last-lap drama.
After no cautions during the second stage, the competition – and crashes – picked up late in the race.
Kevin Harvick, who won in Atlanta in 2018 and 2020, was leading late when he was lost control while being pushed by Ross Chastain. Replays indicated Chastain’s Chevrolet didn’t hit Harvick’s Ford, but Harvick’s spin caused a major crash.
“I think he was just so close to me he caught me right in the corner,” Harvick said of Chastain. “The way he came from right to left took the car away from me.”
Byron called the wreck “just a part of racing.”
Another wreck involving the leaders followed 20 laps later when Aric Almirola blew a tire, causing a spin that also took out Kyle Larson and Daniel Suarez.
Hendrick Motorsports’ four drivers had fill-in crew chiefs following the largest combined fine on one team in series history for modifying air-deflecting pieces last weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Hendrick was issued a combined $400,000 in fines along with four-race suspensions for the crew chiefs.
ELLIOTT PLANS JULY HOMECOMING
Chase Elliott, the Georgia native who won last summer’s race at his home track, continues to recover in Colorado from a broken tibia suffered while snowboarding month.
Elliott posted regrets on his Twitter account for being unable to participate in Sunday’s race: “This is gonna be a tough one today not being in atl for obvious reasons, but I can’t wait to see everyone down there in July!”
When Hendrick Motorsports tweeted to Elliott “Not the same without you here,” Elliott replied with hopes he would return “hopefully sooner than later my friends.”
ODDS AND ENDS
Atlanta Motor Speedway announced a multi-year contract extension with Quaker State for its July 9 race. Quaker State also will be the primary sponsor for Daniel Suarez’s car in Atlanta’s summer race as well as in Richmond on April 2. … Tyler Reddick started 16th and finished fifth after pre-race concerns he was sick and might not be able to compete in his Toyota. Reddick was excused from the pre-race drivers’ meeting. John Hunter Nemechek, who finished eighth in Saturday night’s Xfinity race, was available to fill in if Reddick couldn’t complete the race.
UP NEXT
The NASCAR Cup series moves to Austin, Texas and the Circuit of the Americas next Sunday. Ross Chastain scored his first career Cup win on the road course last year.
GRAND PRIX
PEREZ WINS SAUDI ARABIAN GP, LEADS ANOTHER RED BULL 1-2
Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Sunday, leading the second 1-2 finish for Red Bull of the young season.
Teammate and reigning champion Max Verstappen placed second after starting from 15th on the grid due to engine failure in Saturday’s qualifying session.
While Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso crossed the line third, a post-race 10-second penalty dropped him to fourth. However, on appeal, Alonso had his podium finish – the 100th of his career – reinstated.
Alonso’s penalty was due to an incorrect starting position to begin the race. He served the penalty in the pits during the grand prix but was originally deemed to have served it incorrectly and was given a subsequent sanction. Upon review, the FIA restored the original order of the race finish.
Verstappen won the opening race of the season at Bahrain, while Perez placed second. Alonso also finished third at Bahrain.
This is the fifth race win of Perez’s career, with his first victory coming in 2020 at Sakhir while with Racing Point (now Aston Martin). “Checo” recorded his other wins with Red Bull.
Verstappen poached a point on the final lap, claiming the fastest lap. He now leads the drivers’ championship by one point with 44, while Perez has 43. Alonso is third with 30.
Alonso’s Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll suffered a DNF with engine trouble that caused a brief safety car on Lap 18. Williams’ Alex Albon also retired during the race with braking issues.
Seven-time champ Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, helping Mercedes move into a tie for second in the constructor standings with Aston.
The Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, which looked to have race pace in qualifying, finished sixth and seventh, respectively. They were followed by the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
Kevin Magnussen rounded out the points in 10th, earning the first points of the year for Haas.
The only constructors without points this year after two races are AlphaTauri and McLaren.
GOLF NEWS
MOORE CAPTURES MAIDEN WIN AFTER CHAOTIC FINISH AT VALSPAR
PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Taylor Moore delivered the clutch shots to move into contention, closed with a 4-under 67 and won the Valspar Championship on Sunday when he avoided the mistakes that cost Jordan Spieth and Adam Schenk.
In only his second year on the PGA Tour, the 29-year-old who grew up outside Oklahoma City is now headed to the Masters next month.
He was on the practice range preparing for a playoff and missed a wild finish on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook.
Spieth was tied for the lead when he sent his tee shot into the water on the 16th and managed to stay in the game by getting up-and-down from 163 yards to salvage bogey. On the par-3 17th, which yielded only two birdies all day, Spieth hit 4-iron to 6 feet — only to miss the birdie putt.
The real heartbreak belonged to Schenk, whose wife flew down to Florida for the final round a month before she is due with their first child. Schenk holed a 70-foot birdie putt on the 12th hole. He made tough par saves on the 16th and 17th holes to stay tied.
On the 18th, however, he pulled his tee shot to the left. It was roughly the same line as Moore had hit his tee shot earlier, only Schenk’s ball rolled through the gallery and stopped next to a pine tree.
His only shot was hitting an inverted gap wedge left-handed, and it was a dandy, shooting across the fairway into the rough. His third shot came up just short of a ridge and rolled onto the fringe 40 feet away. The par putt to force a playoff hit the hole, but had too much pace and hopped out.
Schenk, playing for the 10th consecutive week so he can take time off when his son is born, closed with a 70.
Spieth was entertaining as ever. He made a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-5 14th to regain a share of the lead with Schenk. But his worst swing of the day came at the worst time, the 16th hole with water down the right side.
Spieth made a 15-foot bogey putt, only to miss the great birdie chance on the next hole — no one hit it closer than his shot all day — and then his approach to the 18th missed by about a foot of getting to the top shelf for a good look at birdie. He missed a par putt on the 18th that was worth FedEx Cup points and money, signed for a 70 and tied for third with Tommy Fleetwood.
Fleetwood (70) also had a share of the lead on the back nine. His round came undone on the par-5 14th hole when he went for the green in two. He pulled it left and caught a brutal lie in the downslope of the sand. He could only advance that in the big bunker, blasted out to about 15 feet and missed the par putt. He never caught up again.
No one was paying all that much attention to Moore until the 29-year-old who played at Arkansas started hitting one quality shot after another. He stuffed his approach to 2 feet on No. 12 for a birdie.
He effectively won the tournament with one great swing and one great putt. On the par-3 15th, he took aim at the back right pin to 6 feet and made birdie to get within one shot of the lead. And then he holed a 25-foot birdie on No. 16 to join Schenk in the lead.
Moore got up-and-down for par with a long bunker shot on the 17th, and he two-putted from about 70 feet just off the green at the 18th to finish at 10-under 274.
And then he won while warming up on the range for a playoff that never happened.
The victory for Moore was worth $1,458,000 and moved him to No. 9 in the FedEx Cup standings. Along with a trip he might not have been expecting to the Masters, he gets in the PGA Championship. He moved from No. 103 to just inside the top 50 in the world.
SKIING NEWS
MIKAELA SHIFFRIN EXTENDS RECORD, SETS ANOTHER IN WORLD CUP FINALE
Mikaela Shiffrin concluded the World Cup season by setting another record in Andorra on Sunday.
Shiffrin, 28, won the giant slalom by six-hundredths of a second over Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund to record her 14th World Cup win of the season. It was the 88th win of her career, now two ahead of Ingemar Stenmark in the record books for the most victories by a World Cup alpine skier.
She broke the career record set 34 years ago by Stenmark last weekend in Are, Sweden.
Her win on Sunday also gives Shiffrin a record 21 World Cup wins in the giant slalom event.
Shiffrin recorded 17 wins in the 2018-19 season, her most ever.
SPORTS EXTRA
NBA STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 x-Milwaukee | 51 | 20 | .718 | — | 29-7 | 22-13 | 8-5 | 30-15 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 2 Philadelphia | 48 | 22 | .686 | 2.5 | 26-10 | 22-12 | 7-6 | 29-15 | 9-1 | 8 W | ||
| 3 x-Boston | 49 | 23 | .681 | 2.5 | 26-9 | 23-14 | 9-4 | 29-16 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 4 Cleveland | 45 | 28 | .616 | 7.0 | 29-8 | 16-20 | 12-3 | 29-15 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 5 New York | 42 | 30 | .583 | 9.5 | 20-16 | 22-14 | 8-8 | 28-17 | 7-3 | 3 W | ||
| 6 Brooklyn | 39 | 32 | .549 | 12.0 | 19-14 | 20-18 | 7-8 | 26-18 | 5-5 | 3 L | ||
| 7 Miami | 39 | 34 | .534 | 13.0 | 24-13 | 15-21 | 9-5 | 20-24 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 8 Atlanta | 35 | 36 | .493 | 16.0 | 19-15 | 16-21 | 7-8 | 21-23 | 4-6 | 1 L | ||
| 9 Toronto | 35 | 37 | .486 | 16.5 | 23-13 | 12-24 | 4-9 | 20-22 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 10 Chicago | 33 | 37 | .471 | 17.5 | 20-16 | 13-21 | 6-8 | 24-22 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 11 Indiana | 32 | 39 | .451 | 19.0 | 19-17 | 13-22 | 7-6 | 22-21 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 12 Washington | 32 | 39 | .451 | 19.0 | 16-18 | 16-21 | 7-5 | 19-25 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 13 Orlando | 29 | 43 | .403 | 22.5 | 16-19 | 13-24 | 5-8 | 15-28 | 3-7 | 1 L | ||
| 14 Charlotte | 22 | 50 | .306 | 29.5 | 11-24 | 11-26 | 7-9 | 13-34 | 3-7 | 4 L | ||
| 15 Detroit | 16 | 56 | .222 | 35.5 | 9-29 | 7-27 | 1-12 | 7-37 | 1-9 | 3 L | ||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 xy-Denver | 48 | 24 | .667 | — | 30-6 | 18-18 | 10-5 | 32-13 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 2 Sacramento | 43 | 27 | .614 | 4.0 | 21-14 | 22-13 | 8-6 | 27-14 | 8-2 | 3 W | ||
| 3 Memphis | 43 | 27 | .614 | 4.0 | 29-5 | 14-22 | 10-2 | 25-19 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 4 Phoenix | 38 | 33 | .535 | 9.5 | 23-12 | 15-21 | 9-3 | 24-18 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 5 LA Clippers | 38 | 34 | .528 | 10.0 | 19-16 | 19-18 | 7-7 | 22-21 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 6 Dallas | 36 | 35 | .507 | 11.5 | 22-14 | 14-21 | 9-5 | 27-21 | 4-6 | 2 W | ||
| 7 Golden State | 36 | 36 | .500 | 12.0 | 29-7 | 7-29 | 6-9 | 23-20 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 8 Oklahoma City | 35 | 36 | .493 | 12.5 | 22-15 | 13-21 | 7-7 | 21-23 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 9 Minnesota | 35 | 37 | .486 | 13.0 | 20-17 | 15-20 | 8-7 | 25-20 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 10 LA Lakers | 35 | 37 | .486 | 13.0 | 19-17 | 16-20 | 4-9 | 20-24 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 11 Utah | 34 | 36 | .486 | 13.0 | 21-13 | 13-23 | 5-8 | 21-22 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 12 New Orleans | 34 | 37 | .479 | 13.5 | 22-13 | 12-24 | 9-5 | 23-20 | 4-6 | 1 W | ||
| 13 Portland | 31 | 40 | .437 | 16.5 | 17-18 | 14-22 | 5-8 | 21-21 | 2-8 | 6 L | ||
| 14 San Antonio | 19 | 52 | .268 | 28.5 | 13-25 | 6-27 | 2-12 | 7-37 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 15 Houston | 18 | 53 | .254 | 29.5 | 12-25 | 6-28 | 4-10 | 11-36 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
Eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs.
X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Conference
NHL STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 x-Boston Bruins | 69 | 53 | 11 | 5 | 111 | 51 | 263 | 150 | 27-3-3 | 26-8-2 | 7-3-0 | |
| 2 Carolina Hurricanes | 68 | 45 | 15 | 8 | 98 | 41 | 229 | 177 | 24-8-2 | 21-7-6 | 6-4-0 | |
| 3 New Jersey Devils | 70 | 45 | 18 | 7 | 97 | 43 | 246 | 191 | 19-13-3 | 26-5-4 | 5-3-2 | |
| 4 Toronto Maple Leafs | 69 | 42 | 18 | 9 | 93 | 41 | 237 | 187 | 25-7-5 | 17-11-4 | 6-3-1 | |
| 5 New York Rangers | 70 | 41 | 19 | 10 | 92 | 37 | 239 | 191 | 21-11-4 | 20-8-6 | 7-2-1 | |
| 6 Tampa Bay Lightning | 71 | 42 | 23 | 6 | 90 | 39 | 248 | 218 | 25-7-5 | 17-16-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 7 New York Islanders | 71 | 36 | 27 | 8 | 80 | 36 | 208 | 196 | 20-12-3 | 16-15-5 | 6-3-1 | |
| 8 Pittsburgh Penguins | 69 | 34 | 25 | 10 | 78 | 33 | 223 | 226 | 19-10-5 | 15-15-5 | 5-4-1 | |
| 9 Florida Panthers | 69 | 35 | 27 | 7 | 77 | 33 | 242 | 233 | 21-10-4 | 14-17-3 | 7-2-1 | |
| 10 Washington Capitals | 71 | 33 | 31 | 7 | 73 | 31 | 221 | 219 | 16-14-4 | 17-17-3 | 4-5-1 | |
| 11 Buffalo Sabres | 69 | 33 | 30 | 6 | 72 | 32 | 248 | 256 | 13-19-3 | 20-11-3 | 2-6-2 | |
| 12 Ottawa Senators | 69 | 33 | 31 | 5 | 71 | 31 | 218 | 228 | 19-13-3 | 14-18-2 | 4-5-1 | |
| 13 Detroit Red Wings | 68 | 30 | 29 | 9 | 69 | 28 | 201 | 224 | 17-13-4 | 13-16-5 | 2-7-1 | |
| 14 Philadelphia Flyers | 69 | 25 | 32 | 12 | 62 | 24 | 181 | 229 | 13-16-5 | 12-16-7 | 2-6-2 | |
| 15 Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 27 | 37 | 6 | 60 | 23 | 198 | 262 | 14-17-3 | 13-20-3 | 1-7-2 | |
| 16 Columbus Blue Jackets | 69 | 21 | 41 | 7 | 49 | 20 | 182 | 267 | 13-20-2 | 8-21-5 | 2-6-2 | |
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Vegas Golden Knights | 70 | 43 | 21 | 6 | 92 | 39 | 231 | 197 | 22-14-1 | 21-7-5 | 8-2-0 | |
| 2 Dallas Stars | 70 | 38 | 19 | 13 | 89 | 35 | 243 | 194 | 17-9-8 | 21-10-5 | 7-3-0 | |
| 3 Los Angeles Kings | 70 | 40 | 20 | 10 | 90 | 34 | 239 | 227 | 22-9-4 | 18-11-6 | 7-1-2 | |
| 4 Minnesota Wild | 70 | 40 | 22 | 8 | 88 | 33 | 210 | 191 | 22-11-3 | 18-11-5 | 7-1-2 | |
| 5 Colorado Avalanche | 68 | 40 | 22 | 6 | 86 | 35 | 226 | 191 | 18-11-5 | 22-11-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 6 Edmonton Oilers | 70 | 39 | 23 | 8 | 86 | 39 | 274 | 235 | 18-12-5 | 21-11-3 | 7-3-0 | |
| 7 Seattle Kraken | 69 | 38 | 24 | 7 | 83 | 38 | 240 | 223 | 16-15-4 | 22-9-3 | 6-3-1 | |
| 8 Winnipeg Jets | 71 | 39 | 29 | 3 | 81 | 38 | 215 | 202 | 21-12-2 | 18-17-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 9 Calgary Flames | 70 | 31 | 24 | 15 | 77 | 29 | 221 | 216 | 16-14-4 | 15-10-11 | 4-3-3 | |
| 10 Nashville Predators | 68 | 34 | 26 | 8 | 76 | 30 | 191 | 202 | 17-12-4 | 17-14-4 | 5-3-2 | |
| 11 St. Louis Blues | 69 | 31 | 33 | 5 | 67 | 28 | 218 | 252 | 15-16-4 | 16-17-1 | 5-5-0 | |
| 12 Vancouver Canucks | 69 | 31 | 33 | 5 | 67 | 26 | 233 | 258 | 16-17-1 | 15-16-4 | 8-2-0 | |
| 13 Arizona Coyotes | 70 | 27 | 32 | 11 | 65 | 24 | 199 | 244 | 20-11-3 | 7-21-8 | 6-2-2 | |
| 14 Anaheim Ducks | 70 | 23 | 37 | 10 | 56 | 20 | 183 | 283 | 12-18-3 | 11-19-7 | 4-3-3 | |
| 15 Chicago Blackhawks | 69 | 24 | 39 | 6 | 54 | 22 | 175 | 244 | 14-18-3 | 10-21-3 | 3-6-1 | |
| 16 San Jose Sharks | 70 | 19 | 37 | 14 | 52 | 18 | 200 | 269 | 6-20-10 | 13-17-4 | 1-7-2 | |
Eight teams in each conference qualify for the divisional playoff format. The top three teams from each division make up the first six spots. The two remaining teams with the highest points, regardless of division, qualify for the final two wild card spots.
X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Conference
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1934 Babe Didrikson, a renowned female athlete, gives up no hits and walks only one Dodger when she pitches the first inning of the Philadelphia A’s spring training game at McCurdy Field in Frederick, Maryland. The founder of the LPGA and Olympic track and field Gold Medalist will also participate in exhibition contests with the Indians and Cardinals.
1937 In one of the most significant trades in Negro League history, the Homestead Grays obtain catcher Josh Gibson and third baseman Judy Johnson from the Pittsburgh Crawfords in exchange for $2,500 and two journeymen; backstop Lloyd’ Pepper’ Bassett and infielder Henry ‘Jake’ Spearman. The Baseball Hall of Fame will induct both players, with Gibson becoming a member in 1972 and Johnson, following three years later.
1953 Although the Department of Justice outlawed this practice in 1949, U.S. Senator Edwin C. Johnson proposes a bill banning the broadcast of major league games in minor league territories. The lawmaker, baseball executive Bob Howsam’s father-in-law, serves as the Class A Western League president and once played a significant role in constructing Mile High Stadium, formerly known as Bears Stadium.
1958 The Phillies purchase Joe Collins from the Yankees, but he decides to retire rather than report to the City of Brotherly Love. The 34-year-old first baseman, who spent his entire ten-year career with New York and appeared in seven World Series with the team, finishes with a lifetime .256 batting average.
1973 Four months after his death, the BBWAA selects (393-31 votes) the late Roberto Clemente to be a member of the Hall of Fame in a special election after its board of directors previously waived the mandatory five-year waiting period. The 37-year-old Pirates outfielder, the first Latin-American player chosen for induction at Cooperstown, died when a cargo plane crashes on New Year’s Eve, bringing supplies to the Nicaraguan earthquake victims.
1975 A rare spring training brawl occurs when Ranger second baseman Dave Nelson takes exception to the two brushback pitches thrown at him by Yankee southpaw Mike Wallace in the seventh inning of a Fort Lauderdale exhibition contest. The trouble begins early after Jim Bibby’s first pitch plunks leadoff hitter Elliot Maddox, who had angered Texas skipper Billy Martin when he told the local press that his former manager “has a habit of lying to his players.”
1979 In Puerto Rico, Willie Mays, in the second game of an annual exhibition series to benefit a youth sports program started by the late Roberto Clemente, pilots a mini-squad of the Mets to an 8-3 win over the Pirates. Last night, after a 5-3 victory in Game 1, New York manager Joe Torre and many players returned to Florida to play the Dodgers in a Grapefruit League contest.
1989 Outgoing baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth announces his office is investigating “serious allegations” concerning Pete Rose and gambling. Three days after his successor Bart Giamatti assumes the post on April 1, MLB retains John M. Dowd to investigate the charges against the Reds’ manager.
2002 The Commissioner’s office announces MLB will continue the practice that began after the September 11 attacks of singing ‘God Bless America’ during the seventh-inning stretch in each team’s first homestand. Also, an American flag patch will be worn on the jackets of 28 major league teams this season with distinctive logos for Opening Day, Memorial Day weekend, the Fourth of July, and Canadian versions designed for the Blue Jays and Expos.
2006 At San Diego’s Petco Park, Japan, managed by all-time international home-run king Sadaharu Oh, captures the first World Baseball Classic crown, beating Cuba, 10-6. The 16-team tournament, planned to occur again in 2009, ends with just two major leaguers still in the game.
2006 In his first appearance in a Nationals uniform, Alfonso Soriano refuses to play the outfield in an exhibition game against the Dodgers. The All-Star second baseman, slated to start in left field, could be placed on the disqualified list for insubordination, preventing him from getting paid his $10 million salary and accruing service time, used to determine a player’s free-agent status.
2008 Behind the strong pitching of Brad Penny, the Dodgers make their Cactus League debut, beating the White Sox in Phoenix, 8-2. The outing, which takes place where he made his professional debut, earns the right-hander the Opening Day start against the Giants.
2014 The Angels trade first baseman Matt Scioscia, the son of manager Mike Scioscia, to the Cubs for outfielder Trevor Gretzky, the offspring of NHL’s Hall of Fame center Wayne Gretzky. The name-worth swap does not help either prospect, with each failing to make the big league club.
BASEBALL’S BEST
AL BARLICK
Al Barlick’s rise to becoming one of baseball’s most revered umpires began in a coal mine in Springfield, Ill.
In 1935, Barlick was helping his father in Springfield’s Peabody mine when a friend asked if he could fill in as an umpire for the local municipal league games. Five years later, Barlick debuted behind the plate in a doubleheader at Shibe Park, becoming one of the youngest umpires in major league history at age 25.
During the next 27 seasons as a National League umpire, Barlick would call seven All-Star Games and seven World Series.
Known as one of the loudest umpires in the game, Barlick was respected by peers and players alike for his hustle, stern demeanor and a strict-but-fair, interpretation of the rules. He called his first All-Star Game in just his second full major league season before serving in World War II with the United States Coast Guard from 1943-45.
When he returned to baseball, Barlick was a crew member for the 1946 World Series at age 31.
“The boy is a natural,” proclaimed Hall of Fame umpire Bill Klem. “If Barlick’s grandmother and his worst enemy were out there on opposite sides of a ball game, he would call everything the way he sees it, favoring neither side. He’s going to be the best umpire in history.”
Barlick was a part of many historic moments during his nearly three decades in baseball. He was the first base umpire and stood directly behind Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman Jackie Robinson when Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947. Barlick worked six no-hitters, along with the first games at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium, Houston’s Astrodome and Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium. He was also a crew member for the first National League Championship Series in 1969.
“I think the greatest testimony for [Barlick] was what is said about any good umpire: You never knew he was there,” said St. Louis Dispatch sports editor Bob Broeg.
In 1961, a poll conducted by the Sporting News determined that Barlick was the most respected umpire in the National League among managers and coaches. Displaying his characteristic humility, Barlick brushed off the distinction, stating, “The very idea of the ratings is unfair in that they place labels on hard-working officials who always try to do a good job.”
In September 1963, Barlick requested that he call the final game for Stan Musial, one of his favorite players. But true to his unbiased character, Barlick did Musial no favors once the game began, calling the future Hall of Famer out on strikes in his first at-bat.
“I think I earned the players’ respect – and that’s the ultimate in life, isn’t it?” Barlick would later say. “I didn’t care if they liked or disliked me, as long as I had their respect.”
Later in 1963, Barlick was instrumental in organizing the first umpires’ union. Throughout his career, Barlick was a vocal advocate for better pay and respect for game-callers.
“We umpires have to shoulder the too much blame,” Barlick said. “Yet all we do is enforce the rules. We don’t write the rules, just make certain none are violated.”
In 1971, his final year in baseball, Barlick was honored with an Umpire of the Year Award by his colleagues.
Barlick was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1989. He passed away on Dec. 27, 1995.
ED BARROW
Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Tony Lazzeri and Joe DiMaggio. Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez.
From the 1920s through the 1940s, these Hall of Fame names became synonymous with dominant dynasties for the New York Yankees.
But there was another common link between these players; the man who put all the pieces together: Ed Barrow.
An ambitious executive and excellent judge of talent, Barrow used wise trades, bold player purchases and a budding farm system to create baseball’s greatest dynasty in the Bronx. During his quarter-century in the Yankees’ front office, Barrow’s clubs captured 14 pennants and 10 World Series championships – including five Series sweeps.
“I say there has never been a smarter baseball man than Mr. Barrow,” Hall of Fame executive Branch Rickey once said. “He knows what a club needs to achieve balance, what a club needs to become a pennant winner. I, perhaps, can judge the part; but Mr. Barrow can judge the whole.”
Barrow was born in a covered wagon while his family sought pioneer settlements in the western territories. He began as a mail clerk for a Des Moines, Iowa, newspaper at age 16 and soon rose up the ranks to become head of circulation. His acumen for spotting baseball talent was already apparent when he discovered future Hall of Fame outfielder Fred Clarke among his newsboy staff.
Barrow began acquiring small baseball teams during the 1890s and honed his craft as a field manager outside the office. In a brief stint as team owner in Paterson, N.J., Barrow offered Honus Wagner his first professional baseball contract in 1896.
The following year, Barrow was appointed president of the upstart Atlantic League. He later purchased an Eastern League team in Toronto before being named manager of the American League’s Detroit Tigers in 1903.
Barrow resigned after just a season and a half in Detroit due to disagreements with management and he continued to purchase various minor league clubs before becoming president of the International League in 1911. After guiding the league after the United States entered World War I, Barrow accepted owner Harry Frazee’s offer to manage the Boston Red Sox in 1918.
Inheriting a talented roster, Barrow captured a World Series championship with the Red Sox in his debut season. Though he managed for only three seasons in Boston, Barrow made a decision that would forever change the complexion of professional baseball. At the suggestion of future Hall of Famer Harry Hooper, Barrow converted star pitcher George Herman Ruth into a full-time outfielder to take full advantage of Ruth’s hitting ability. It was a decision that would enable the Babe to become the most famous slugger in baseball history.
“At an exhibition game against the Giants at Tampa, Babe caught hold of a pitch and nudged the longest drive I have ever seen,” Barrow later told The Saturday Evening Post. “That strengthened my belief that my moundsman could do my Red Sox more good taking his cut at the plate daily.”
Financial troubles forced Red Sox owner Frazee to sell off major pieces of his 1918 championship team, much to the chagrin of Barrow. When Ruth was sold to the Yankees in 1920, Barrow soon followed his slugger to New York and became owner Jacob Ruppert’s chief executive.
Over the next two and a half decades, the combination of Ruppert and Barrow created some of the most talented roster the game had ever seen. Barrow’s desire to acquire the best possible players was complemented perfectly by Ruppert’s willingness to spend.
The executive delivered on his promise and the Yankees immediately delivered three American League pennants from 1921-23. Barrow began assembling the roster by trading and purchasing familiar players from the cash-strapped Red Sox. Later, he turned his attention toward developing a robust farm system.
Barrow was the man who offered a $25,000 contract to Joe DiMaggio, a talented young outfielder with a history of knee injuries, to lure DiMaggio away from the Pacific Coast League in 1936. DiMaggio’s arrival ensured another era of success after the departures of Ruth and then Gehrig in the late 1930s.
In addition to his talent in building rosters, Barrow implemented a number of innovations that are a fundamental part of today’s game. He was the first executive to add uniform numbers on a regular basis in 1929, and he made Lou Gehrig’s No. 4 the first retired uniform number in baseball in 1939. Barrow was also among the first executives who allowed fans to keep foul balls.
Barrow was also the driving force behind the completion of the original Yankee Stadium in 1923 and later boosted the team’s revenue by scheduling high-profile boxing matches and football games there.
Barrow retired as team president of the Yankees in 1946. He passed away on Dec. 15, 1953, after being elected to the Hall of Fame earlier that same year.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW
1917 AMERICAN LEAGUE
Off the field…
The United States officially declared war on Germany as imperial, territorial, and economic rivalries led to the “Great War” between the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey) and the Allies (U.S., Britain, France, Russia, Belgium, Serbia, Greece, Romania, Montenegro, Portugal, Italy, Japan). In the end, ten million combatants were killed and over twenty million were wounded.
American painter and illustrator James Montgomery Flagg designed over forty-five patriotic posters including the “I Want You” edition that featured Uncle Sam and attracted thousands of recruits to register for WWI military duty. Flagg also wrote for Life Magazine and Judge, and even acted in silent films. These were so well received that during World War One he was asked to write promotional films for both the Marines and the Red Cross. After the war, it was the magazines of America that were his gallery and nearly every major publisher featured his art at one time or another.
In the American League…
New York Yankees lefty George Mogridge tossed a 2-1 no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox on April 24th for the second of an American League record five no-hitters.
American League president Ban Johnson instructed all AL umpires not to tolerate unnecessary delays. His statement was in support of a complaint by Charles Comiskey that protested some managers and players who he felt were intentionally stretching games to two hours or more.
On September 15th, the Washington Senators’ Harry Harper and Walter Johnson tossed back-to-back shutouts (5-0, 4-0) during a double header against the Philadelphia Athletics.
In the National League…
In April, the Cincinnati Reds purchased Olympic icon Jim Thorpe from the Giants, but eventually sent him back to New York in August. Thorpe never experienced the same success on a baseball diamond that he had in the Olympics and retired after an undistinguished six-season career.
On May 26th, St. Louis Cardinals slugger Walton Cruise became the first player ever to hit a ball out of Braves Park. His four-hundred two foot blast landed in the twenty-five cent stands in right field (known as the “Jury Box”). Amazingly, the next ball hit out of the park also came off the bat of Cruise (1921) when he returned as a Boston Brave.
Hank Gowdy of the Boston Braves became the first Major League player to enlist in the armed forces after he registered with the Ohio National Guard. During the war, Gowdy saw considerable action in France and after he returned in 1919, he shared Boston’s catching duties before he was re-acquired by the New York Giants in 1923.
Around the League…
Organized Baseball officially terminated relations with the union, leaving the players without representation. Players Fraternity president, Dave Fultz, called off a strike in which the players were attempting to eliminate a ten-day clause, in which teams refused to pay any injured player after ten days.
America’s entry into WWI combined with an unusually wet spring to postpone forty-eight National League games in the first month. As a result, half of all Major League clubs showed losses for the year and eight of twenty Minor League teams folded before the end of the season. On a side note, the American League petitioned the United States Army to assign drill sergeants to each team for daily pre-game drills.
In June, 21,000 New York fans were treated to inter-league play as the Giants and Yankees met for the first Sunday game in the “Big Apple” (a war charity exhibition).
FOOTBALL HISTORY
March 20, 2020 – After 20 seasons in a New England Patriots uniform, six-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady officially agrees to move and play with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a 2-year $50m guaranteed deal. We look back at this now and know the results with the Bucs winning the Super Bowl with Brady at the helm but at the time it many believed it would be a disaster for both Brady and the Patriots when the QB was separated from the genius of Bill Belechik. Tom Brady was a sixth round pick, the 199th draftee overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. Hindsight makes it an unbelievable occurrence that there were 198 others taken before him in any Draft and maybe all the drafts put together! Brady has won more Super Bowl MVP awards that any other player as of 2021!
HOF BIRTHDAYS
March 20, 1906 – South Mill, Missouri – The awesome halfback from Tuskegee University in Alabama, “Big” Ben Stevenson was born.
March 20, 1909 – New Orleans, Louisiana – Marchy Schwartz the University of Notre Dame’s prolific halfback counted as his birthday. Marchy was the last great Fighting Irish running back that Knute Rockne coached before his untimely death per the FootballFoundation.org website. As a sophomore in 1929 the Irish went 9-0 and they did one better the next season winning ten games without a loss. The 1931 season was played under Rockne’s successor Hunk Anderson and the team posted a 6-2-1 record. Schwartz for his career put up 1,945 yards rushing for an average of 5.8 yards per carry. Not just a talented runner Marchy, in the 1931 game with Army, punted 15 times for 501 yards, a school record which remained unbroken well into the second half of the 20th century. The College Football Hall of Fame welcomed Marchy Schwartz into their museum of legends in 1974.
March 20, 1958 – Pahokee, Florida – The brilliant linebacker of the University of Pittsburgh, Rickey Jackson was born. Jackson was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the second round, 51st overall, in the 1981 NFL Draft. What a find he was because in just his Rookie Year he sacked opposing quarterbacks 8 times and led the team in total tackles! Rickey played 15 seasons in the NFL and was honoured as an All-Pro four times and played in 6 Pro Bowls per the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 13 of the seasons were with the Saints but he completed his final two years wearing the colors of the San Francisco 49ers, playing Defensive End. For his career he tallied 128 sacks (and that doesn’t even count his rookie season when they were not even an official stat), 8 interceptions and even caused one safety. Rickey Jackson in 2010 was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Intro to the New Football Rules of 1931
The 1931 season was a somewhat somber time in collegiate football, as learned in the last few editions of this series, as memorials to the late great Knute Rockne were reflected in the rule books themselves. The discussion in this edition will go slightly differently as we have access to Spalding’s Official Foot Ball Rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for the year 1931 and permission to use its content from the NCAA (as we thank them for that).
Illegal blocks in 1931
It is fascinating to look back at history just to see how far our game has evolved. It is a credit to the hard work and foresight that many of our fathers of football had to make the gridiron game what it is today.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
21 – 33 – 12
March 20, 1973 – Pittsburgh Pirates legendary right fielder, Number 21, Roberto Clemente was elected posthumously to enter into the Baseball Hall of Fame. A tragic plane crash had taken Clemente life just 11 weeks earlier.
March 20, 1990 – The Jersey Number 33 of one Kareem Abdul Jabbar is celebrated by the Los Angeles Lakers faithful as the organization honors the legend by retiring the number from further use.March 20, 2020 – Number 12, Tom Brady officially ends an era of the New England Patriots dynasty as he singed a two year contract with the Tampa bay Buccaneers. Brady had been at the helm of the pat’s offense for 20 seasons.