Timbers play 70 minutes short-handed, still earn 1-1 draw with Galaxy behind James Pantemis
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland’s Kristoffer Velde scored in the 13th minute and Timbers defender Kamal Miller picked up a red card seven minutes later, but James Pantemis surrendered only a João Klauss goal to help them hold on for a 1-1 draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday. Velde scored for the second time this season to give Portland (1-3-1) a 1-0 lead early. But things became difficult from the 20th minute on when Miller received his card for a foul on Klauss. Klauss came up with the equalizer in the 30th minute with assists from Marco Reus and Gabriel Pec. Pantemis finished with six saves, four in the first half.
Defending champion Florida eliminated from March Madness by tougher, more physical Iowa team
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A dominant frontcourt helped Florida earn another No. 1 seed and positioned the defending national champion Gators for a chance at a repeat. They ran into a more physical team. Ninth-seeded Iowa played tougher inside the pain and across the court, knocking No. 1 seed Florida out of the NCAA Tournament with a 73-72 victory on Sunday in the second round. Tavion Banks, who led Iowa with 20 points, said he knew the Hawkeyes could pull off an upset after reviewing Florida’s games.
Kansas’ Bill Self says he hasn’t decided whether to continue his Hall of Fame coaching career
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Bill Self says he hasn’t decided whether he will continue his Hall of Fame coaching career after the Kansas Jayhawks’ season ended with a heartbreaking loss to St. John’s in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 63-year-old Self has won two national championships and built a powerhouse during his 23 seasons in charge of the Jayhawks, but he has missed several games over the past few seasons due to heart issues and other health concerns. Self most recently missed a game at Colorado in January after taking a precautionary trip to the hospital.
Dylan Darling hits driving layup at buzzer, St. John’s beats Kansas 67-65 in March Madness thriller
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Dylan Darling hit a driving layup as time expired for his only bucket of the game, and St. John’s blew a 13-point lead in the final minutes before advancing to its first Sweet 16 since 1999 with a 67-65 victory over Kansas. Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins scored 18 points apiece for the fifth-seeded Red Storm (30-6), who have roared back to college basketball prominence in just three seasons under coach Rick Pitino. Darling coolly won it after Kansas erased its 58-45 deficit with 7 1/2 minutes to play, making a furious 20-7 run capped by Darryn Peterson’s two free throws to tie it with 13.1 seconds left.
Well, it was fun while it lasted. No perfect men’s March Madness brackets left after Tennessee win
No perfect men’s NCAA Tournament brackets remain among the millions of entries in the ESPN bracket challenge and in contests tracked on the NCAA’s official website. The end came when No. 6 Tennessee beat No. 3 seed Virginia 79-72 in the 44th game of the tournament. The day started with two perfect brackets left in the ESPN contest and four on the NCAA’s official website, which tracks the ESPN challenge along with six contests run by other outlets. ESPN had 26.5 million entries and 36 million were tracked by the NCAA website. Hundreds of perfect brackets remained in the women’s tournament.
Lakers star Luka Doncic clear to play at Detroit after the NBA rescinds his 16th technical foul
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is clear to play Monday night at Detroit after the NBA rescinded his 16th technical foul of the season. Doncic and Magic center Goga Bitadze each received a technical foul with 1:19 left in the third quarter of Los Angeles’ 105-104 win at Orlando on Saturday night. The players exchanged words while Doncic was at the free-throw line, and appeared to continue the conversation on the way down the court. The NBA has announced that the technical on each player had been rescinded. A 16th technical foul triggers a one-game suspension. The Lakers have won nine in a row going into the matchup with the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons.
Battle’s winner for Minnesota gives women’s March Madness a shining moment in closest game yet
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Amaya Battle gave the women’s NCAA Tournament a true shining moment with her last-second shot that gave Minnesota the lead in a second round victory over Mississippi. Battle’s jumper with 0.7 seconds left sent the Gophers to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 21 years. The No. 4 seed Gophers were more than happy to have their senior point guard on a team with plenty of capable shooters take the crucial final shot. Battle also drew a charge on Rebels star Cotie McMahon that fouled her out with 4:22 left.
Fitzpatrick goes from disappointment to winning at Valspar Championship
PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — One week after his disappointment from a runner-up finish at Sawgrass, Matt Fitzpatrick has put it behind him with a win at the Valspar Championship. The 2022 U.S. Open champion played bogey-free on a tough Copperhead course at Innisbrook. He made a birdie putt from just inside 15 feet on the final hole for a 68 and a one-shot victory over David Lipsky. Sungjae Im had a three-shot lead at the start of the day but shot 40 on the front nine. Brandt Snedeker was tied for the lead at the turn and shot 40 on the back nine.
Tyler Reddick wins at Darlington in 4th NASCAR win this season for Michael Jordan’s team
DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Overcoming a malfunctioning alternator and cool suit, Tyler Reddick chased down Brad Keselowski and led the final 28 laps at Darlington Raceway for his fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory this season. Reddick, who drives for the 23XI Racing team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA great Michael Jordan, started from the pole position and led 77 laps in his No. 45 Toyota to win by 5.847 seconds over Keselowski. Ryan Blaney finished third, followed by Carson Hocevar and Austin Cindric.
Minnesota Wild reporter Jessi Pierce and her 3 children found dead in house fire, league says
The National Hockey League says it is morning the death of longtime Minnesota Wild reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children in a weekend house fire. An NHL statement on Sunday said the team is devastated at the loss of 37-year-old reporter Jessi Pierce and her children. Fire crews said they responded Saturday to 911 calls of a house on fire in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. They said an adult and three children were found dead in the home. Pierce covered the Wild for NHL.com for the past decade. The cause of the fire is under investigation.