March 21, 2022 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – Second-seeded Auburn is returning home without advancing to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. No. 10 Miami is in the regional semifinals for the first time in six years following a 79-61 stifling of the Tigers. Isaiah Wong scored 21 points and Kameron McGusty had 20 as the Hurricanes humbled a team that spent three weeks atop The Associated Press men’s basketball poll. Jabari Smith had just 10 points on 3 of 16 shooting for Auburn, while Walker Kessler was held to two points.
Later on, top seed Arizona was taken to overtime before disposing of TCU, 85-80. Bennedict Mathurin made a 3-pointer to force overtime and scored six more points in the extra session to finish with 30. Christian Koloko shot 12 of 13 from the field and scored 28, including a putback dunk that slammed the door on the Horned Frogs with 9 seconds left.
In other second-round action:
– Duke star freshman Paolo Banchero scored 19 points and muscled in the go-ahead drive through contact with 2:05 left, putting the Blue Devils ahead in an 85-76 victory over Michigan State. Duke reached the Sweet 16 for the 26th time under Mike Krzyzewski, who earned his record-extending 1,200th win.
– Collin Gillespie scored 20 points and second-seeded Villanova advanced to the Sweet 16 for the eighth time under Jay Wright by holding off Ohio State, 71-61. Gillespie scored 10 consecutive points on a pair of free throws, two 3-pointers and a steal and layup as Villanova needed less than eight minutes to build a double-digit lead on its way to a 39-28 halftime lead. The Wildcats saw a 15-point lead trimmed to two before they closed on an 11-3 run, keyed by Eric Dixon’s 3-pointer.
– Jaden Ivey made a critical 3-pointer with 1:01 left and finished with 18 points to carry Purdue past Texas, 81-71. Trevion Williams scored 22 points to lead the Boilermakers, who capitalized on a major disparity at the free-throw line to reach the Sweet 16. Purdue had 46 attempts, making 33, while the Longhorns went 7 of 12 on free throws.
– Houston was a 68-53 winner over Illinois to reach the Sweet 16 for the third straight year. Taze Moore scored 21 points and Jamal Shead had 18 last year’s semifinalists, who lost their two best players to season-ending injuries. Kyler Edwards added 15 points and helped Houston pull away after leading by four at halftime.
– Gabe Kalscheur scored 22 points and 11th-seeded Iowa State surprised Wisconsin in the Badgers’ backyard, advancing to the Sweet 16 with a 54-49 victory. Kalscheur went 10 for 19 from the field, while the rest of the Cyclones combined for 10 made field goals. Izaiah Brockington added 10 points as the gritty Cyclones used their tough defense to hold the Badgers under 30% shooting.
– Kevin McCullar made an emphatic dunk with 15 seconds left, capping a 10-1 closing run for No. 3 seed Texas Tech in a 59-53 victory over Notre Dame. Kevin Obanor had 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Red Raiders, while McCullar and Bryson Williams each scored 14. Dane Goodwin scored 14 points for 11th-seeded Irish, who led 52-49 with just over two minutes left.
March 21, 2022 3:56 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Red Sox have reportedly agreed to terms with Rockies All-Star shortstop Trevor Story on a six-year, $140 million contract that would bring him to Boston to play second base.
The deal gives the Red Sox a long-term answer at second. The position has been in flux since former AL MVP Dustin Pedroia (peh-DROY’-ah) was first injured in 2017.
In other baseball news:
– Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies have finalized their $79 million, four-year contract. The 29-year-old slugging outfielder split last season with Washington and Boston, hitting .266 with 32 home runs. Philadelphia also has a pending $100 million, five-year contract with free-agent slugger Nick Castellanos.
– Mariners manager Scott Servais says right-hander Casey Sadler needs season-ending surgery on his injured right shoulder. The 31-year-old had an 0.67 ERA in 42 games last season, including a franchise-record run of 29 consecutive scoreless appearances.
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.
