Update on the latest sports
APCOLLEGE BASKETBALL-NCAA TOURNAMENT
March Madness begins
UNDATED (AP) — It didn’t very long for the NCAA Tournament to provide its first major upset, this one involving a No. 2 seed.
No. 15 Oral Roberts has played itself into the second round with a 75-72 overtime win against Big Ten power Ohio State. Kevin Obanor scored seven of Oral Roberts’ 11 points in overtime, including two free throws with 13 seconds left. Obanor finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds, while Max Abmas had 29 points.
There were a few other surprises as the top 64 got underway:
— Javion Hamlet scored 24 points and Thomas Bell had 16, along with some game-changing defense in overtime to lead 13th seed North Texas to a 78-69 win over No. 4 Purdue. Hamlet did most of his damage during a pair of 8-0 personal runs in the second half, each of which stopped the Boilermakers’ momentum in its tracks.
— Roman Silva scored 16 points and No. 12 Oregon State took advantage of Tennessee’s icy perimeter shooting to beat the fifth-seeded Vols, 70-56. The 7-foot-1 Silva bulled his way through the Vols for an 8-for-8 night after struggling in the Pac-12 Tournament. Oregon State hit seven 3s in the second half to win their first NCAA Tournament game since reaching the 1982 Elite Eight.
— Buddy Boeheim hit seven 3-pointers and finished with 30 points as No. 11 Syracuse handled San Diego State, 78-62. Boeheim finished 7 of 10 from beyond the arc and 11 of 15 from the field. Marek Dolezaj added 11 points for the Orange, who held the Aztecs without a basket for a stretch of about 10 minutes.
In other Friday action:
— Kofi (KOH’-fee) Cockburn muscled his way to 18 points as top seed Illinois cruised past Drexel, 78-49. Cockburn got loose for 10 straight Illinois points, capping his personal run with a slam off a flip from Ayo Dosunmu (doh-SOO’-moo). Dosunmu had 17 points for the Illini, who closed the first half on a 31-13 run.
— MaCio Teague (MAY’-see-oh teeg) scored 22 point and top-seeded Baylor shook off a slow-as-molasses start to roll to a 79-55 victory over Hartford. Jared Butler chipped in 13 points, nine assists and four boards for the Bears, who were coming off a loss in the Big 12 semifinals. Davion Mitchell and Adam Flagler each had 12 points to help Baylor advance.
— No. 5 Villanova pulled out a 73-63 win over Winthrop as Jeremiah Robinson-Earl delivered 22 points and 12 rebounds. Robinson-Earl delivered when the Wildcats needed him, making four free throws that launched a 9-0 run to give Villanova its biggest lead at 60-47. Villanova (17-6) had lost both games since senior point guard and Big East co-player of the year Connor Gillespie tore a ligament in his left knee during the Wildcats’ victory over then-No. 14 Creighton on March 3.
— Mac McClung scored 16 points in his first career NCAA Tournament game and Kyler Edwards added 12 to help sixth-seeded Texas Tech pull away from Utah State, 65-53. Terrence Shannon Jr. changed the game by scoring eight of his 10 points during the decisive 13-0 run early in the second half to make it 38-31 for the Red Raiders.
— Rutgers earned its first NCAA Tournament victory in 38 years as Geo Baker scored 13 points, including the decisive layup with 10 seconds left to push the 10th-seeded Scarlet Knights past No. 7 Clemson 60-56. Baker scored the final five points after Rutgers wasted much of an 11-point lead. Jacob Young and Caleb McConnell both added 13 points and Ron Harper Jr. added 10 points.
— Miles McBride scored 18 of his 30 points after halftime to help third seed West Virginia pull away in an 84-67 victory against Morehead State. The 6-foot-2 sophomore finished 11 for 17 from the floor with six rebounds and six assists, helping coach Bob Huggins post his 900th career victory.
— Tre Mann hit a step-back 3-pointer with 23 seconds left in overtime to help No. 7 Florida hold off Virginia Tech, 75-70. Colin Castleton scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Gators, and Mann finished with 14 points.
— Lucas Williamson scored 21 points in a dynamic performance by the defensive whiz, guiding eighth-seeded Loyola Chicago to a 71-60 decision over Georgia Tech. Keith Clemons hit a 3-pointer that gave the Missouri Valley champs a 62-54 lead with 3 1/2 minutes to go, and Buddy Norris added another from the top of the key to make it 67-56 with just over 2 minutes left.
— Justin Smith had 29 points and 13 rebounds for 10th-ranked Arkansas in an 85-68 win against Colgate. The Razorbacks scored 19 straight points spanning halftime and collected 34 points off Colgate’s 22 turnovers.
— Brad Davison scored 29 points and Wisconsin negated North Carolina’s size advantage by draining 13 of 27 3-pointers in an 85-62 thumping of the Tar Heels. D’Mitrik Trice scored 21 points for the Badgers, who handed coach Roy Williams his first opening-round loss in 30 NCAA Tournament appearances.
— Avery Anderson III had a team-high 21 points and Cade Cunningham was productive down the stretch as fourth seed Oklahoma State pulled out a 69-60 decision over Liberty. Cunningham scored nine of his 15 points in the final minutes to help the Cowboys win its first tournament game since 2009. Anderson shot 8 of 14, including a three-point play with 10:25 remaining for a 50-44 lead.
— Quentin Grimes provided 18 points and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson tied John Wooden for 38th on the career victories list as No. 2 hammered 15th-seeded Cleveland State, 87-56. Sampson earned his 664th win in his first game at Assembly Hall since resigning as Indiana’s coach in February 2008. Tramon Mark added 15 points in place of DeJon Jarreau, who suffered a right hip injury early in the first half.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-MARQUETTE-WOJCIECHOWSKI
Golden Eagles fire Wojo
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Marquette will have a new men’s basketball coach next season.
Steve Wojciechowski (woh-jah-HOW’-skee) has been dismissed after seven seasons in which he posted no NCAA Tournament victories. The Golden Eagles just finished 13-14 for their first losing season since 2014-15, Wojciechowski’s debut year.
Wojciechowski went 128-95 overall and 59-68 in Big East competition at Marquette. The Golden Eagles earned two NCAA Tournament appearances in his seven seasons.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Magic stop Nets’ streak
UNDATED (AP) — The Orlando Magic were able to end a nine-game losing streak by topping the NBA’s hottest team.
The Nets had won six straight and 14 of 15 before Aaron Gordon scored a season-best 38 points, Evan Fournier added 31 in Orlando’s 121-113 victory over Brooklyn. Orlando led 103-84 at the end of the third quarter, but the Nets opened the fourth with a 16-1 run to get back in the game.
The Magic overcame Kyrie Irving’s season-best 43 points.
Checking out Friday’s other NBA action:
— Donovan Mitchell scored eight of his 31 points in the final minute and a half to lead the Jazz to a 115-112 victory over the Raptors. Joe Ingles came off the bench with 19 points for Utah, which avoided losing on consecutive nights for the first time since Jan. 5-6.
— The Nuggets won for the eighth time in nine games by fending off the Bulls, 131-127. Jamal Murray contributed 34 points, including a tying 3-pointer in the final second of regulation and a crucial jumper in the final seconds of OT. Nikola Jokic had 34 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists for Denver.
— CJ McCollum furnished 32 points, Damian Lillard had 31 and the Trail Blazers beat the Mavericks, 125-119. The Mavericks led by as many as eight in the fourth quarter, but Rodney Hood’s 3-pointer cut Portland’s deficit to 110-109 with 4:26 left. Luka Doncic (DAHN’-chich) provided 38 points, nine rebounds, eight assists for Dallas, but Kristaps Porzingis (KRIHS’-tahps pohr-ZIHN’-gihz) was held to just 11 points.
— Chris Paul scored 20 points and Devin Booker added 16 as the Suns bounced back from a loss to the Timberwolves the night before by beating them, 113-101. Mikal Bridges scored 17 points and Langston Galloway added 14 off the bench for the Suns, who improved to 27-13 and have won 16 of their last 20 games.
— Andrew Wiggins scored a season-high 40 points and Damion Lee added a season-best 21 for the short-handed Warriors in a 116-103 win against the Grizzlies. Jordan Poole added 25 while starting in place of injured Stephen Curry, helping Golden State to win for the third time in four games despite missing several key players.
— Richaun Holmes had 25 points, 11 rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals as the Kings held on to beat the Celtics, 107-96 for their first season sweep of Boston since 2007. De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points, Buddy Hield (heeld) had 22 and Harrison Barnes had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Sacramento, which has won consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 6-7.
— The Pacers knocked off the Heat as Malcolm Brogdon scored 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting in Indiana’s 137-110 rout. Domantas Sabonis (doh-MAHN’-tahs sah-BOH’-nihs) had 13 points and 15 rebounds and T.J. McConnell finished with 16 points and 15 assists as the Pacers won for just the third time in 11 games.
— The Spurs were 116-110 winners over the Cavaliers as Keldon Johnson scored 23 points and grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds. Dejounte Murray had 22 points and Johnson shot 9-for-19 while hauling in 11 offensive boards.
— The Rockets’ franchise-record losing streak has grown to 19 games after Frank Jackson had a season-high 23 points in the Pistons’ 113-100 victory against Houston. Jackson was 5 of 5 from beyond the arc and 7 of 10 overall for Detroit, which hit 14 of its 29 3-point attempts.
NBA-NEWS
Bucks get Tucker
UNDATED (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks have announced the acquisitions of P.J Tucker as well as guard Rodions Kurucs from the Houston Rockets for D.J. Augustin and D.J. Wilson.
As part of the trade, the Bucks gave up their 2021 and 2023 first-round picks and got back their own 2022 first-round pick and the Rockets’ 2021 second-round selection.
Tucker gives the Bucks a solid defender and quality 3-point shooter as they try to chase down the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Also around the NBA:
— Clippers star Paul George was fined $35,000 for saying conversations with referees are “just a bunch of lies” while questioning why more fouls weren’t called against Dallas in LA’s 105-89 loss to the Mavericks. George said after Wednesday’s game that it was “insane” the Clippers weren’t getting to the free throw line more on drives to the basket.
NFL-NEWS
More lawsuits filed against Watson
UNDATED (AP) — Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been sued by four more women who accuse him of sexual assault and harassments.
The lawsuits were filed Thursday night, hours after the NFL said it was investigating earlier allegations by three massage therapists who said the quarterback sexually assaulted them during massages.
Watson has broadly denied that he acted inappropriately and said in a Tuesday statement that he looks forward to clearing his name. His attorney and agent have not responded to subsequent requests for comment.
In other NFL news:
— Free-agent wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster surprisingly has opted to return to the Steelers, just days after strongly hinting that his departure on the open market was imminent. The deal coincides with what could be quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s (RAWTH’-lihs-bur-gurz) final season. Smith-Schuster became a sure-handed option in Pittsburgh’s short-passing game last season, hauling in 97 passes for 831 yards and nine scores.
— Justin Simmons became the highest-paid safety in the NFL when he agreed to a four-year, $61 million contract with the Broncos, who had franchised him for a second consecutive season. The deal includes $35 million in guarantees and averages $15.25 million, making Simmons the first safety to break the $15 million mark.
— Linebacker Anthony Walker has agreed to sign a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Browns, who have improved their secondary, pass rush and linebacking group this week in free agency. The 25-year-old Walker started 46 games at inside linebacker over the past three seasons with the Colts. He had 92 tackles and an interception last season.
— David Andrews says he’s staying in New England, confirming on social media that he is returning to the only NFL team he’s played for. The NFL Network says he took a four-year deal from the Patriots.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Ovi gets 2 more to stretch Caps’ win streak
UNDATED (AP) — Alex Ovechkin has extended the Washington Capitals’ winning streak and vaulted them into undisputed possession of first place in the NHL’s East Division.
Ovechkin scored twice in the final seven minutes to rally the Caps to their seventh consecutive win, 2-1 over the Rangers. The left wing tied it on a rebound with 6:42 left and put the Capitals ahead on a nearly identical play with 3:33 remaining. He has scored in five consecutive games and has seven goals in the past seven.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— William Karlsson had the winning goal, Max Pacioretty (patch-uh-REH’-tee) scored twice and the Golden Knights doubled up the Kings, 4-1. Robin Lehner made 23 saves as Vegas won its fifth in a row.
— The Blues’ five-tame skid is over after Vladimir Tarasenko scored the decisive goal in a shootout to give them a 2-1 verdict over the Sharks. Tyler Bozak scored a short-handed goal on his 35th birthday to tie the game in the third period.
— Mark Giordano broke a tie midway through the second period and Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves as the Flames handed the Maple Leafs their sixth loss in seven games, 4-3. Matthew Tkachuk, Derek Ryan and Christopher Tanev also scored, and Rasmus Andersson had two assists.
— J.T. Miller scored at 2:01 of overtime to give the Canucks their fourth straight victory, 3-2 over the Canadiens. Nick Suzuki forced overtime with a power-play goal with 57 seconds left in overtime with Montreal on a two-man advantage.
NHL-NEWS
Bruins season halted by COVID
UNDATED (AP) — The NHL has paused the Boston Bruins after four more players entered the league’s COVID protocol.
Bruins games Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres and Tuesday against the New York Islanders have been postponed. Team facilities are closed until at least Wednesday.
They’re the 36th and 37th games to be postponed this season for virus-related reasons.
Boston’s David Pastrnak (PAHS’-tur-nahk), Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci (KRAY’-chee) and Craig Smith joined Sean Kuraly (kuh-RAL’-ee), who entered the protocol a day earlier.
In other virus-related NHL news:
— The Penguins say center Evgeni Malkin is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. The team placed the Russian star on injured reserve Thursday, two days after Malkin appeared to hurt his right knee in a loss to the Boston Bruins. Head coach Mike Sullivan described Malkin as “week to week.”
PGA-HONDA CLASSIC
Wise on top through 36
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Wise shot his second straight 6-under 64 to take a three-stroke lead into the weekend at the Honda Classic. The 128 total is the lowest 36-hole score at PGA National since the tournament moved there 15 years ago and marks the first 36-hole lead of Wise’s PGA Tour career. Brandon Hagy fired a 62 to move into a second-place tie with first-round leader Matt Jones.
