Update on the latest sports
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-BIG 12 TOURNAMENT
Longhorns finally get B12 title
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Texas finally has a Big 12 title in men’s basketball.
Matt Coleman scored a career-high 30 points and Jericho Simms added a career-best 21 as the 13th-ranked Longhorns held off No. 12 Oklahoma, 91-86.
No. 13 Texas was poised at the foul line down the stretch in beating No. 12 Oklahoma State 91-86 on Saturday night to give the Longhorns their first Big 12 Tournament title.
Kai Jones and Andrew Jones added 13 points apiece for third-seeded Texas, which had gone 0-6 in its previous Big 12 title game appearances.
Cade Cunningham’s 29-point performance included a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, the last getting OSU within 89-86.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
Hoyas reach NCAA tourney
NEW YORK (AP) — Georgetown entered the Big East tournament with a 9-12 record. The Hoyas leave as tournament champs following a stunning 73-48 rout of No. 17 Creighton.
The Hoyas closed the first half on a 23-2 run that put them up 18 at the break against the second-seeded Bluejays. Georgetown later reeled off a 16-3 spurt that made it 52-21 with 14:58 remaining.
Chudier Bile matched a season high with 19 points and Jahvon Blair had 18 and went 4 for 7 from 3-point range for Georgetown.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
Ohio State, Illinois to play for B10 title
UNDATED (AP) — It will be third-ranked Illinois against No. 9 Ohio State for the Big Ten tournament title on Sunday.
Kofi Cockburn scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half before the Illini finished off an 82-71 win against No. 5 Iowa. Ayo Dosunmu contributed 18 points for Illinois, and reserve guard Andre Curbelo finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in Illinois’ sixth straight win.
Luka Garza had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawkeyes.
Duane Washington Jr. scored 24 points and E.J. Liddell added 18 for the Buckeyes in a 68-67 win over fourth-ranked Michigan. Ohio State started pulling away when Washington made two 3s and Liddell and C.J. Walker each completed three-point plays during a crucial 14-2 run that made it 56-45 with 8:17 left.
Freshman center Hunter Dickinson had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Wolverines, who managed to cut a 13-point deficit to one in the final 4 1/2 minutes.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-SEC TOURNAMENT
Tigers surprise Razorbacks to earn meeting with Alabama
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — LSU and Alabama will try to end lengthy SEC tournament title droughts on Sunday.
LSU has reached the conference title game for the first time in 28 years by upsetting eighth-ranked Arkansas, 78-71. Cameron Thomas dropped in 21 points and the Tigers went on a 12-0 run after the Razorbacks tied the game at 52. Marcus Moody had 28 points for Arkansas, which had won 12 straight SEC games.
In the opener of the semifinals, Herb Jones delivered 21 points and sixth-ranked Alabama stormed back from a 15-point deficit to beat Tennessee, 73-68. Jahvon Quinerly added 19 points, including two free throws with 15.5 seconds left, keeping the Crimson Tide in line for their first SEC title since 1991.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-TOURNAMENT
UNDATED (AP) — The Big 12, ACC and Big East weren’t the only conferences to settle their automatic bids into the NCAA tournament.
Matt Mitchell scored 14 points to lead No. 19 San Diego State to a 68-57 victory over Utah State in the Mountain West Tournament championship game.
The Aztecs also won the regular-season championship but had lost six of their previous seven title game appearances, the last two to the Aggies.
With the league’s automatic bid, the Aztecs return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.
Asante Gist scored 18 points and coach Rick Pitino took his record-tying fifth school to the NCAA Tournament with Iona’s 60-51 victory over Fairfield in the MAAC (mak) championship.
Austin Williams scored 20 points with eight rebounds and three steals, and Hartford earned an automatic bid to its first NCAA Tournament by downing UMass Lowell 64-50 in the America East championship.
Joe Bryant scored 17 points and Kashaun Hicks added 14, including a pair of clinching dunks, as Norfolk State defeated Morgan State 71-63 in the MEAC (MEE’-ak) championship game.
Karl Nicholas scored 16 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as Texas Southern upset top-seeded Prairie View A&M 80-61 in the Southwest Athletic Conference championship game.
Jason Preston scored 22 points and Ohio dominated from the start to win its first Mid-American Conference Tournament championship since 2012, an 84-69 victory over Buffalo.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Greek Freak helps Bucks stay hot
UNDATED (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks continue to inch closer to the Eastern Conference lead.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) notched his sixth triple-double of the season and Jrue Holiday scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Bucks got past the Wizards, 125-119.
Antetokounmpo provided 33 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds for Milwaukee, which has won eight of nine to get within two games of the conference-leading 76ers.
Russell Westbrook registered his league-high 11th triple-double with 42 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Westbrook scored 18 of the Wizards’ final 18, but Washington suffered its third loss in a row.
Checking out Saturday’s other NBA action:
— James Harden recorded another triple-double and the Nets won for the 12th time in 13 games by downing the Pistons, 100-95. Harden scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help Brooklyn improve to 26-13. Harden also had 10 rebounds and 10 assists in his 55th career triple-double.
— RJ Barrett poured in 32 points and the Knicks shook off a slow start to clobber the Thunder, 119-97. Julius Randle had 26 points for the Knicks, who trailed by nine thru one quarter after Oklahoma City shot 71% from the floor. New York forced 18 turnovers and grabbed seven more offensive rebounds than the Thunder.
— Trae Young scored 17 of 28 points in the third quarter, Clint Capela had 18 of his 24 in the first half, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Sacramento Kings 121-106. The Hawks improved to 4-0 under interim coach Nate McMillan, using a 24-2 run in the first half to overcome a 14-point deficit. Capela’s 25th double-double included 14 boards for the NBA’s rebounding leader.
— LaMelo Ball had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Hornets, a 114-104 decision over the Raptors. Devonte Graham and Terry Rozier each added 17 points in the Hornets’ first home game since fans were allowed in the building. Charlotte jumped out to a 25-4 lead and set a franchise record with 11 3-pointers in the first quarter in building a 44-24 lead.
NBA-76ERS-EMBIID INJURED
AP source: Embiid sidelined with bone bruise in left knee
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid (joh-EHL’ ehm-BEED’) has a bone bruise on his left knee and could miss at least two weeks, according to a person with knowledge of the injury.
The person says Embiid apparently did not suffer structural damage to his knee and will be evaluated again in two weeks. Embiid was injured in the Sixers’ win Friday over Washington.
Embiid is averaging 29.9 points and 11.5 rebounds in 31 games.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Bolts, Cats still tied after victories
UNDATED (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers remain in a virtual first-place tie in the NHL’s Central Division, with the Bolts owning a game in hand.
The Lightning welcomed the return of fans at Amelie Arena and raised the 2021 Stanley Cup banner before whipping the Nashville Predators 6-3. Tyler Johnson had a goal and an assist for the Lightning. Alex Killorn, Brayden Point, Blake Coleman and Mathieu Joseph also scored, and Erik Cernak finished with two assists.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots to earn his NHL-leading 17th win.
Aleksander Barkov had two goals and an assist as the Panthers doubled up the Blackhawks, 4-2. Carter Verhaeghe added a goal and an assist in Florida’s third straight win and first over Chicago this season. Frank Vatrano also scored, and Anthony Duclair had two assists in his first game back since Feb. 27.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— The Islanders ran their winning streak to eight games by getting two goals from Kiefer Bellows in the third period of a 3-2 comeback against the Devils. New York trailed 2-1 until Bellows tallied twice in a 3:11 span early in the third period, his first two goals since last season. Oliver Wahlstrom also scored and Semyon Varlamov stopped 26 shots as the Islanders extended their point streak to 11 games while staying two points ahead of Washington for the East Division lead.
— Alex Ovechkin netted his 716th carer goal and Carl Hagelin added a goal and an assist in the Capitals’ fourth straight win, 5-4 at Philadelphia. Ovechkin pulled within one of tying Phil Esposito for sixth on the NHL’s career goals list when he fired a wrist shot from just above the circle past Carter Hart’s blocker side on the power play to make it 4-2 with 6:50 left in the second. Nick Jensen, Daniel Sprong and Nic Dowd also scored for Washington, which has won eight of nine.
— The Rangers earned a 4-0 win at Boston as Keith Kincaid stopped 18 shots in his first NHL shutout since 2018. Chris Kreider scored his team-high 14th goal to help the Blueshirts halt a three-game skid, two days after Boston blanked New York.
— Buffalo absorbed its 10th straight loss as Casey DeSmith stopped 24 shots in the Penguins’ 3-0 shutout of the Sabres. Jake Guentzel scored the go-ahead goal by batting in his own rebound with 3:23 remaining in the second period. The power-play goal was set up by Evgeni Malkin, who has three goals and seven assists in a seven-game point streak.
— Zach Werenski scored with 4.5 seconds showing on the clock in overtime to give the Blue Jackets their first victory in four games, 4-3 versus Dallas. Werenski’s first goal since Jan. 23 made a winner out of Elvis Merzlikins, who turned back 28 shots. Max Domi added a goal and an assist in the victory.
— Adam Lowry broke a tie at 7:39 of the third period and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. Lowry, Mark Scheifele (SHYF’-lee) and Mason Appleton each finished with a goal and an assist to help the Jets take the three-game series 2-1. Paul Stastny also scored, and Laurent Brossoit made 20 saves.
— Sean Monahan scored twice, Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves and the Calgary Flames beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 to sweep the two-game series. Mikael Backlund also scored for the Flames, who improved to 13-12-3, winning consecutive games for the first time in a month. Jeff Petry scored for Montreal, and Carey Price stopped 33 shots.
NHL-SABRES-EICHEL
Eichel out for `foreseeable future’
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres will be without captain Jack Eichel (EYE’-kul) for what coach Ralph Krueger called “the foreseeable future,” delivering another blow to a team in the midst of a nine-game skid.
Eichel traveled to see a specialist over the past two days to further determine the severity of his upper-body injury. Under the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol rules, Eichel is required to spend seven days in quarantine as a result of the trip, meaning he will miss at least Buffalo’s next four games.
MLB-ROCKIES-OBERG
Oberg progressing after blood clot sidelined reliever in ’20
UNDATED (AP) — Colorado Rockies right-handed reliever Scott Oberg is steadily making his way back to the mound after sitting out last season due to a blood clot in his pitching arm. It was the third time over his career a clot has surfaced.
Oberg underwent thoracic outlet surgery in September. He anticipates being on the opening day roster when the Rockies start the season on April 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt got hit with quite a double-whammy that derailed his offseason. First, in January, he contracted the coronavirus. Then, he immediately became ill again with mononucleosis. Belt says he isn’t sure he will be ready for opening day which he had hoped to do after working back from surgery on his right heel in October to remove a bone spur.
NFL-NEWS
Normalcy inches back to NFL with draft room gatherings OK’d
UNDATED (AP) — The NFL has informed teams they can gather in person for the draft, unlike last year when they had to connect via videoconference from their homes because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Every team must submit their draft plan by March 26 for review and approval by the NFL’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills.
Clubs also will be permitted to use off-site facilities for their draft rooms if they choose.
In other NFL news:
— Casey Hayward Jr. was released by the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday which gives the team a salary cap savings of $9.5 million. The cornerback, who was a team captain, spent five seasons with the franchise after signing as a free agent in 2016.
BOXING-HAGLER OBIT
Boxing great Hagler dies
UNDATED (AP) — Marvin Hagler, the middleweight boxing great whose title reign and career ended with a split-decision loss to “Sugar” Ray Leonard in 1987, died Saturday. He was 66.
Wife Kay G. Hagler confirmed the death on Facebook on the verified Marvelous Marvin Hagler Fan Club page.
Hagler was 62-3-2 with 52 knockouts from 1973 to 1987. He was the undisputed middleweight champion from 1980 until his loss to Leonard on April 6, 1987.
The fierce left-hander had two of his biggest victories at Caesars Palace, unanimously outpointing Roberto Duran in 1983 and knocking out Thomas Hearns in the third round in 1985.
PGA-PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Westwood-DeChambeau II on tap
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Lee Westwood gets another shot at winning The Players Championship, and another crack at Bryson DeChambeau.
Westwood made a 25-foot birdie putt on the island-green 17th hole, and he closed out a 4-under 68 with a 5-footer for par to extend his bogey-free streak at the TPC Sawgrass to 44 holes.
It also gave him a two-shot lead over DeChambeau and set up a rematch from last week in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
They were in the final group at Bay Hill, where Westwood took a one-shot lead into the final round only for DeChambeau to make a 5-foot par on the final hole to beat him by one.
