April 3, 2024 5:02 am
(AP) – Caitlin Clark can claim another record — the most-watched women’s college basketball game in history. Iowa’s 94-87 victory over LSU averaged 12.3 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen. Clark scored 41 points as the Hawkeyes avenged last year’s loss to the Tigers in the national championship game. It was one of the most-viewed games in any sport other than NFL football over the past year. Iowa-LSU outdrew all but of the five games in last year’s NBA Finals, along with the clinching game of last year’s World Series. The previous biggest audience for women’s college basketball was the 1983 national title game between Southern California and Louisiana Tech.
April 2, 2024 4:39 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates are 5-0 for the first time since 1983. They beat the Washington Nationals 8-4 on Monday with two run-scoring hits from Connor Joe, including a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning. Michael A. Taylor, a former member of the Nationals, had three hits, and Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen, Alika Williams and Henry Davis delivered two apiece. Reynolds stretched his on-base streak to 33 consecutive games dating to last season and tacked on a two-run double in the ninth. Pittsburgh remained unbeaten in 2024, all on the road, following a four-game sweep at Miami to begin the season. Washington’s Riley Adams made it 3-all with a two-run homer in the seventh.
April 2, 2024 4:37 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Sidney Crosby had two goals and an assist and Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat New York 5-2, snapping the Rangers’ five-game winning streak. Bryan Rust also scored twice and Emil Bemstrom added a goal for Pittsburgh, which ended a four-game losing streak in New York and improved to 14-9-3 in its last 26 games against Rangers. The Penguins lost both previous games this season at home against the first-place Rangers and were making their lone appearance at Madison Square Garden. Kaapo Kakko and Jack Roslovic scored goals for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin finished with 16 saves.
April 2, 2024 4:41 am
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Caitlin Clark made nine 3-pointers and finished with 41 points and 12 assists in a sensational performance as Iowa knocked defending national champion LSU out of the women’s NCAA Tournament with a 94-87 victory, advancing the Hawkeyes to their second straight Final Four. Top-seeded Iowa will play UConn in the national semifinals Friday night in Cleveland. Monday’s highly anticipated matchup was a rematch of last year’s national championship game won by LSU, which drew a record 9.9 million viewers. With the game tied at 45 after an entertaining first half, Clark took over in the third quarter. She hit four 3-pointers in the period. Meanwhile, after being a spectator a year ago, Paige Bueckers is headed back to the Final Four after scoring 28 points and lifting UConn to a 80-73 win over Southern California in the women’s NCAA Tournament. Bueckers outdueled fabulous USC freshman All-American JuJu Watkins, sparking a decisive run over the final five minutes that sent third-seeded UConn to its 23rd Final Four, the most of any school. Leading 65-64, the Huskies scored 11 straight points, including seven from Bueckers and a three-point play from Aaliyah Edwards to finally put away the top-seeded Trojans. Edwards finished with 24 points. Watkins scored 29 points for USC.
April 2, 2024 12:01 am
Section play opened last week for a handful of area baseball and softball teams. This week brings a full slate of games starting Tuesday, weather permitting. Wash High and West Greene baseball have bye weeks along with the Little Prexies softball squad. Here’s a snapshot of records following the opening week:
Baseball: McGuffey (2-0) & Waynesburg (1-0) lead 3A Section 4. Wash High (2-0), Burgettstown (1-0) lead 2A Section 1, with Beth-Center (1-1), Charleroi (0-1) and Bentworth (0-2) following. Carmichaels (2-0), California (2-0) and Avella (1-0) won their first-week games. Jeff-Morgan (0-2), Mapletown (0-2) and West Greene (0-1) trail the leaders in 1A Section 1. Canon-McMillan (6A), Peters Township & Trinity (5A), Ringgold (4A), Chartiers-Houston (2A) and Fort Cherry (1A) open section play this week.
Softball: Canon-McMillan (1-1) split opening-week games in 6A Section 1. Charleroi (1-0) and Bentworth (1-0) won their 2A Section 3 openers. Burgettstown (1-1) split its first-week games. Fort Cherry (0-1) and Wash High (0-1) trail the leaders. Mapletown (1-0) topped California (0-1) in the only 1A Section 2 game last week. Peters Township & Trinity (5A), Ringgold (4A), McGuffey & Waynesburg (3A), Beth-Center (2A), Avella, Carmichaels, Chartiers-Houston, Jeff-Morgan and West Greene (1A) have openers this week.
April 2, 2024 4:43 am
HOUSTON (AP) — Ronel Blanco of the Houston Astros threw the first no-hitter in the major leagues this season, blanking the Toronto Blue Jays 10-0. The right-hander struck out seven and walked two. He walked George Springer to start the game and again with two outs in the ninth. When Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounded out to end it, Blanco smiled broadly before raising his arms above his head just before being mobbed by teammates. It was the 17th no-hitter in Astros history and the first in the majors since Philadelphia’s Michael Lorenzen threw one against the Washington Nationals on Aug. 9 of last year.
April 2, 2024 2:00 am
WJPA-AM (1450) is your home for all the exciting moments of March Madness with live coverage of the Women’s Sweet 16, Men’s & Women’s Elite 8, both Final Fours and National Championship games.
Monday — Women’s Elite 8
#1 Iowa 94, #3 LSU 87
#3 UConn 80, #1 USC 73
Saturday — Women’s Sweet 16
#3 LSU 78, #2 UCLA 69
#1 Iowa 89, #5 Colorado 68
#1 USC 74, #5 Baylor 70
#3 UConn 53, #7 Duke 45
Men’s Elite 8
#1 UConn 77, #3 Illinois 52
#4 Alabama 89, #6 Clemson 82
Sunday — Men’s Elite 8
#1 Purdue 72, #2 Tennessee 66
#11 North Carolina St. 76, #4 Duke 64
Women’s Elite 8
#1 South Carolina 50, #3 Oregon St. 58
#3 North Carolina St. 76, #1 Texas 66
April 2, 2024 2:43 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers signed a quartet of free agents on Monday to give the team needed depth along the defensive line and at several offensive skill positions. The Steelers signed veteran defensive tackle Dean Lowry to a two-year deal. Lowry has spent seven of his eight seasons in the NFL with Green Bay. Lowry, 29, has 15 1/2 sacks and five fumble recoveries in 120 games with the Packers and Minnesota Vikings. He joins a group that includes longtime captain Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton. Pittsburgh and running back/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson agreed to a two-year deal. Patterson, whose nine kickoff returns for a touchdown are an NFL record, spent the past three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. A four-time All-Pro, Patterson gives the Steelers a veteran to help them adjust to the league’s new kickoff rules designed to produce more returns. The Steelers signed wide receiver Quez Watkins to a one-year deal. Watkins, who spent his first four seasons in the NFL with Philadelphia, has 98 career receptions for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns.
April 1, 2024 4:41 am
MIAMI (AP) — Oneil Cruz raced home on Jason Delay’s bunt in the 10th inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 9-7 for a four-game sweep of their season-opening series. Cruz opened the 10th on second as a pinch runner for Rowdy Tellez. He advanced to third when reliever Tanner Scott committed an error on Alika Williams’ sacrifice attempt. Delay then sent another bunt toward first and Cruz beat first baseman Jake Burger’s throw to the plate. Ke’Bryan Hayes reached on a two-out infield single and Michael A. Taylor gave Pittsburgh a 9-7 lead with a bases-loaded walk.
April 1, 2024 4:45 am
DALLAS (AP) — Bruising big man DJ Burns Jr. scored a season-high 29 points, DJ Horne had 20 and 11th-seeded North Carolina State reached its first Final Four in four decades, beating Atlantic Coast Conference rival Duke 76-64 in the South Region final. N.C. State is back in the national semifinals for the first time since the late Jim Valvano was sprinting around the court looking for someone to hug after winning the 1983 national title. The Wolfpack will play Zach Edey and Purdue in the national semifinals. Jared McCain scored 32 points for Duke, which fell short of its second Final Four in three seasons. Meanwhile, in Detroit Purdue big man Zach Edey went for a career-high 40 points along with 16 rebounds and one big block to muscle the Boilermakers into the program’s first Final Four since 1980 with a 72-66 victory over Tennessee. The 7-foot-4 center and the Boilermakers eked out a back-and-forth thriller between the country’s top two players, edging out Tennessee’s All-American, Dalton Knecht, who finished with 37 points. Top-seeded Purdue set aside last year’s grand disappointment — a first-round loss as a No. 1 seed — to book the trip to Glendale, Arizona. N.C State and Purdue Meet Saturday in a national semifinal. Alabama and UConn will meet in the other semifinal.
