March 20, 2022 9:18 am
Defending champion Baylor is 1st top seed to fall
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA men’s basketball tournament continues without the defending champs.
Top-seeded Baylor erased a 25-point deficit in the second half to force overtime before North Carolina regrouped to beat the Bears, 93-86 in the second round. RJ Davis poured in a career-high 30 points and Brady Manek added a season-high 26 before being ejected for a flagrant foul. Baylor’s comeback started minutes after Manek drained a 3-pointer that gave the Tar Heels a 67-42 lead. Armando Bacot had 15 points and 16 rebounds for the 26-9 Tar Heels. Adam Flagler had 27 points for Baylor, which finishes 27-7.
Two other No. 1 seeds struggled before reaching the Sweet 16.
Top overall seed Gonzaga rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat No. 9 Memphis, 82-78. Drew Timme scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half to help the Bulldogs avoid an early ouster. Andrew Nembhard added 23 points for the Bulldogs. who trailed at halftime for only the fourth time this season.
Remy Martin led Kansas in scoring for the second straight game, providing 20 points in a 79-72 victory against Creighton. Ochai Agbaji furnished 13 of his 15 points in the second half, putting the Jayhawks ahead for good with his first basket shortly after intermission.
Meanwhile, the glass slipper still fits Saint Peter’s as the Peacocks became the third No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16. KC Ndefo dropped in 17 points as Saint Peters’ beat Murray State, 70-60.
Doug Edert came off the bench to score 13 points for the Peacocks, including some big baskets late. Saint Peter’s built a 13-point lead early in the second half and never trailed, but Murray State still made it tense got within two before the Peacocks closed on an 11-3 run.
In other second-round action:
— No. 11 Michigan booked the most surprising of its five straight trips to the Sweet 16 by beating third seed Tennessee, 76-68. Eli Brooks put Michigan ahead for good with a three-point play and delivered four critical points in the final minute. Brooks finished with 23 points and Hunter Dickinson had 27 with 10 rebounds, grabbing two boards in the closing seconds.
— Tyger Campbell scored 16 points and fourth-seeded UCLA advanced to the regional semifinals for the second straight year by beating fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s, 72-56. The Bruins lost star Jaime Jacquez Jr. to a right ankle injury with 6:58 left in the game after he scored 15 points, all in the first half. Johnny Juzang made three consecutive jumpers that put the Bruins up 54-44 with 9:41 left.
— Noah Horchler scored 16 points and No. 4 Providence moved into the Sweet 16 for the first time in 25 years by pounding Richmond, 79-51. The Friars had their best 3-point shooting performance of the season, hitting 54.5% from downtown on 12 of 22. Providence controlled the game from the start and went up 21 on the Spiders less than two minutes into the second half.
— Fourth-seeded Arkansas is in the Sweet 16 for a second consecutive year following a 53-48 win over No. 12 New Mexico State. JD Notae scored 18 points before fouling out with 1:22 left and Jaylin Williams had 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Razorbacks
March 20, 2022 9:20 am
CINCINNATI (AP) — Former Arizona men’s basketball coach Sean Miller has returned to Xavier, less than a year after being fired by Arizona amid an ongoing NCAA investigation that’s stretched nearly four years. Miller went 120-47 at Xavier from 2004-09, leading the Musketeers to four NCAA Tournaments before being hired at Arizona. Miller and the Wildcats have been in the NCAA’s crosshairs since being ensnared in a 2017 FBI investigation into shady recruiting practices.
March 20, 2022 7:46 am
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Evgeni Malkin is starting to get his game back, which means trouble for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ opponents. Malkin broke a tie with 7:24 remaining and Sidney Crosby added a pair of goals in the Penguins’ 4-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. Malkin was stopped on a drive to the net against Scott Wedgewood, but finally corralled the puck and chipped it in. He was especially excited, as were the many Penguins fans among the 14,507 for the matinee game. Crosby picked up a rebound off Jake Guentzel’s shot to score with 3:37 left and added an empty-net goal with 1:50 to play, giving him 22 goals for the season. The Penguins outshot the Coyotes 48-21 for the game but had trouble finding the net. That included a two-man advantage around the second intermission; Barrett Hayton was called for hooking with 59 seconds to play in the second and, with 26 seconds to go, Keller was sent off for tripping. But the Penguins got little going, especially at the beginning of the third period. Kasperi Kapanen also scored for Pittsburgh. Clayton Keller scored for Arizona. Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry picked up his 31st victory of the season. Pittsburgh heads home after a three-game trip. The Penguins lost at Nashville and beat St. Louis on Thursday in a shootout.
March 19, 2022 10:12 pm
Chartiers Valley took the lead with just over three minutes left in the first half, pushed the margin to nine at intermission, then held McKeesport at arms’ length through the second half to claim a third straight spot in the state championship game as the Colts downed the Tigers, 59-50, Saturday afternoon. Aislin Malcolm led CV with 22 points including 7-of-10 at the foul line in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Hallie Cowan added 15 points, hitting a trio of treys in the third. Helene Cowan and Perri Page scored 10 apiece for the Colts’ 26 playoff win over the past four season. Rachael Manfredo led McKeesport with 16 before fouling out in the final minutes. Brooke Evans added 10 points for the Tigers who had their best season in nearly 25 years. Chartiers Valley will face defending PIAA champion Cardinal O’Hara in the state final next Friday. Cardinal O’Hara dominated last year’s championship game, beating CV 51-27.
Ashleigh Connor scored 29 point including an old-fashioned three-point play midway through the fourth quarter leading Mt. Lebanon to a 41-35 win over District 3 champion Central Dauphin Friday night. Connor slashed through the CD defense, hit the shot and was knocked to the floor. Her free throw gave the Blue Devils a six-point lead and some breathing room through the final minutes. The win puts Mt. Lebanon back in the state championship game for the first time since winning three consecutive titles from 2009-2011. The Blue Devils will face unbeaten Plymouth-Whitemarsh (30-0), the District 1 champion. Click for PIAA brackets
PIAA Basketball Championships, Giant Center, Hershey
Friday, March 25
5A Girls Chartiers Valley vs. Cardinal O’Hara, 4:45 pm — WJPA-FM (95.3) or Listen Here
Saturday, March 26
6A Girls Mt. Lebanon vs. Plymouth-Whitemarsh, 4:45 pm — WJPA-FM (95.3) or Listen Here
March 19, 2022 10:35 pm
SEATTLE (AP) – Longtime NFL journalist John Clayton died Friday following a short illness. He was 67. The Seattle Seahawks announced the death for Clayton’s family in a statement. Clayton worked for the team in recent years as a sideline reporter on radio broadcasts. Nicknamed “The Professor,” Clayton spent more than two decades covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for the The Pittsburgh Press and the Seattle Seahawks for The News Tribune in Tacoma. Clayton moved to ESPN in 1995, becoming one of the lead NFL writers for the company. Clayton appeared on TV and radio for ESPN and worked at the company for more than 20 years.
March 19, 2022 3:37 am
(AP) – Deshaun Watson is coming to Cleveland after all. A person familiar with the decision tells the AP that the quarterback has decided to waive his no-trade clause and accept a move to the Browns. Watson rejected the trade on Thursday, but the source says he had a change of heart and called the team on Friday. The Texans are receiving three first-round picks, along with a third- and fifth-rounder. Watson didn’t play last season amid legal troubles. The three-time Pro Bowler became a target of the Browns after a grand jury declined to indict him on sexual misconduct claims made by 22 women. The Browns’ public pursuit of Watson angered incumbent starter Baker Mayfield, who requested a trade.
March 19, 2022 3:23 am
(WPXI) – After four years as a Pittsburgh Steeler, wide-receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster announced he’s heading to Kansas City. In a tweet posted on Friday, JuJu said his goodbyes to Steelers fans. AND – Just a few moments later, he announced that he’s becoming a Kansas City Chief. JuJu was drafted by the Steelers in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He’s scored 26 touchdowns, and had 323 total receptions for 3,855 yards as a Steeler.
March 18, 2022 3:49 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Bryan Rust scored the deciding goal in a shootout and goalie Tristan Jarry picked up his 30th victory in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. The fourth shooter for the Penguins, Rust snapped a wrist shot from the slot past goalie Ville Husso. Jarry improved to 30-12-6, thwarting all four St. Louis shooters in the tiebreaker. He made 23 saves in regulation and overtime. Mike Matheson and Chad Ruhwedel scored in regulation for Pittsburgh. Ivan Barbashev and David Perron scored for St. Louis, and Husso made 43 saves.
March 18, 2022 3:53 am
UNDATED (AP) – Top seeds Gonzaga and Baylor have advanced to the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament on a day a No. 2 seed was dispatched. That second seed was Kentucky, which suffered an 85-79 overtime loss to St. Peter’s. Darryl Banks poured in 27 points as the Peacocks became the 10th No. 15 seed to win a first-round game since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. St. Peter’s also handed Kentucky its first opening-round loss under coach John Calipari. Banks’ two free throws with 1:45 left in overtime gave Saint Peter’s the lead for good. Gonzaga struggled to shake No. 16 seed Georgia State for 30 minutes before going on a 24-1 run in a 93-72 victory. Drew Timme scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half and finished with 13 rebounds. Matthew Mayer scored a career-high 22 points and Baylor improved to 27-6 by ripping Norfolk State, 85-49. Freshman standout Jeremy Sochan added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Bears, who are trying to become the first repeat champion since Florida in 2007.
In other first-round action Thursday:
– Jacob Gilyard scored 24 points and 12th-seeded Richmond leaned on its graduate senior-experienced lineup to defeat Big Ten champion Iowa, 67-63. Tyler Burton scored 18 points and had 11 rebounds for the Atlantic 10-champion Spiders, who improved their tournament record against fifth-seeded teams to 4-0.
– Teddy Allen scored 37 points and New Mexico State won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in almost three decades, 70-63 over No. 5 Connecticut. The game was tied at 58 until Allen delivered a 3-pointer and a 3-point play on consecutive possessions.
– Tyger Campbell bailed out UCLA by scoring eight straight points late in the second half of the Bruins’ 57-53 win over No. 13 seed Akron. Campbell finished with 16 points and Jaime Jaquez added 15 for the fourth-seeded Bruins.
– Logan Johnson scored 20 points and fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s rolled to an 82-53 pounding of Indiana. Tommy Kuhse added 19 points and six assists for the Gaels, the only team to beat Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference this season.
– Trey Alexander converted a go-ahead, three-point play late in overtime to carry Creighton to a 72-69 victory over San Diego State. Alexander scored 18 points for the Bluejays and Ryan Kalkbrenner had 16 points and 10 rebounds before leaving with an apparent left leg injury in OT.
– Brady Manek scored 28 points and Caleb Love had 21 of his 23 before halftime of North Carolina’s 95-63 rout of Marquette. Love made six 3-pointers, all in the first 19 minutes, to tie Carolina’s single-game tournament record as the Tar Heels built a 28-point lead.
– Al Durham had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Providence in a 66-57 win over South Dakota State. Jared Bynum made three free throws with 29.9 seconds left as fourth-seeded Providence snapped the longest winning streak in college basketball.
– Santiago Vescovi scored 18 points and Tennessee pounded Longwood 88-56, showing exactly why it felt it deserved better than a No. 3 seed. The Volunteers shot 60% from the field and had four players score in double figures.
– Stanley Umude scored 21 points and JD Notae provided all 17 of his in the second half as fourth seed Arkansas escaped with a 75-71 victory over 13th-seeded Vermont. Jaylin Williams scored 13 points and had 10 rebounds for the Razorbacks.
– DeAndre Williams had 14 points and Memphis held off a second-half Boise State rally for a 64-53 victory. The ninth-seeded Memphis advanced in the West Region to play Gonzaga.
– Freshman Frankie Collins scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds off the bench to help 11th-seeded Michigan overcome a shaky start to beat sixth-seeded Colorado State 75-63. The Wolverines committed nine turnovers in the first 12 1/2 minutes and trailed 28-13, causing coach Juwan Howard to send out Collins from the bench.
March 16, 2022 10:42 pm
Chartiers Valley was held to a season low 39 points by Gettysburg but took the lead for good, late in the third quarter and made it stand up as the Colts downed the Warriors, 39-35. With a one-point lead early in the fourth, the Colts held the ball at midcourt for nearly four minutes, then turned it over. Gettysburg turned it right back over and the Colts came out of the media timeout with a drive and dish bucket by Perri Page, the Colts’ leading scorer with 11 points. With the win, CV moves to the semifinals, a round they’ve reached each year since 2019 (except for the cancelled 2020 brackets). The Colts face McKeesport, a 58-52 winner over Moon.
Tuesday, Mt. Lebanon’s relentless pressure forced multiple turnovers in the first half, helping the Blue Devils to a 23-point halftime lead that was never challenged. Mt. Lebanon used a pair of 11-point runs in the first 16 minutes to take control of the game. The Blue Devils are in the state semifinals Friday for the first time since winning four straight semis and three consecutive championships a decade back. Easton won two state playoff games in one year for the first time ever. Click for PIAA brackets
PIAA Basketball Semifinals
Friday, March 18
6A Girls Mt. Lebanon vs. Central Dauphin, 5:45 pm at Altoona Area HS — WJPA-FM (95.3) or Listen Here
Saturday, March 19
5A Girls Chartiers Valley vs. McKeesport, 11:45 am at Peters Township HS — WJPA-FM (95.3) or Listen Here
