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UCLA storms past South Carolina to claim its 1st NCAA women’s basketball title
PHOENIX (AP) — Gabriela Jaquez scored 21 points, Lauren Betts added 16 and UCLA routed South Carolina 79-51 Sunday to win its first NCAA championship in women’s basketball. The near-record lopsided victory completed the Bruins’ journey through this year’s March Madness that started following a loss to UConn in last season’s Final Four. The Bruins ran through their opponents this season with their only loss coming in November, to Texas in a Thanksgiving tournament. UCLA (37-1) was led by Betts and her fellow seniors and graduate students, like Jaquez _ who played all four years with the Bruins. She also had 10 rebounds and five assists in front of her brother Jaime, who plays for the Miami Heat and flew in to attend the game to watch his alma mater win.
UConn must overcome Michigan’s dominance to establish a basketball dynasty in national title game
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — There’s a dynasty brewing in college basketball. And UConn can cement that status by overcoming a Michigan powerhouse that is racking up historically impressive numbers, hoping itself to go down as one of the sport’s greatest teams. Those are the stakes in Monday night’s title game between the Huskies and Wolverines. UConn is trying to become the first program since John Wooden’s UCLA behemoth of the 1960s and ’70s to win three championships over a four-season span, while Michigan is trying to cap off a March Madness string of dominance, the likes of which were last seen by the very UConn program that won the title in 2023 and ’24.
Islanders fire coach Patrick Roy after losing 4 in a row, name Peter DeBoer his replacement
NEW YORK (AP) — Patrick Roy has been fired as coach of the New York Islanders. First-year general manager Mathieu Darche announced the abrupt decision Sunday after the team lost four in a row and seven of its past 10 games. The Islanders were comfortably in a playoff spot until this late-season tailspin put their chances in danger with four games left to play. Peter DeBoer was named as Roy’s replacement and not just on an interim basis. He has taken two teams to the Stanley Cup Final and most recently coached the Dallas Stars to three consecutive trips to the Western Conference final before being fired last spring following their latest exit.
After getting ‘smacked’ again in title game, South Carolina’s Staley plots program’s next moves
PHOENIX (AP) — South Carolina’s quest to win a fourth national title ended in ugly fashion for a second straight season when the Gamecocks lost to UCLA 79-51 in the NCAA women’s basketball title game. Even so, the monster program that Dawn Staley has built over the past 15 years doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere. South Carolina should be one of the top contenders to make a seventh straight Final Four in 2027 and it will have plenty of motivation after Sunday’s debacle. The Gamecocks shot just 29% from the field and the 28-point margin was among the biggest in championship game history.
AP national player of the year Cameron Boozer is recovering physically, emotionally from UConn loss
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Duke star and Associated Press men’s national player of the year Cameron Boozer is still healing physically and emotionally after the Blue Devils’ devastating March Madness loss to UConn. Boozer said Sunday he sustained “a couple of fractures” to his face in the Elite Eight loss. Boozer was at the Final Four for Sunday’s award presentation for the AP national honor along with another from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Boozer took a blow to the face in the first half against UConn that caused his eye to swell noticeably. He played through it and finished with 27 points.
J.J. Spaun rallies to win Texas Open for first title since US Open
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — J.J. Spaun delivered two crucial shots to secure a win at the Valero Texas Open. He finished with a 5-under 67, marking his first title since last summer’s U.S. Open. Spaun’s victory at TPC San Antonio was his second, but unlike four years ago, he already has a spot at Augusta National. This win was significant as he hadn’t finished in the top 20 in seven starts this year. Robert MacIntyre led much of the tournament but finished second. Spaun’s birdie and eagle on the 16th and 17th holes were key to his victory.
Lauren Betts used lessons learned to lead UCLA to its 1st NCAA national championship
PHOENIX (AP) — UCLA has won its first NCAA national championship with its 79-51 blowout of South Carolina. Lauren Betts was the catalyst at both ends of the floor, as she’s been throughout her career. The 6-foot-7 senior finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots, altering and preventing even the thought of several others at the rim to give UCLA its first national championship since a 1978 AIAW title. Betts had a similar impact in UCLA’s 51-44 shutdown of Texas in the national semifinals, a 16-point, 11-rebound, three-block performance that set the stage for her to win Final Four most outstanding player.
Mullins family shifts longtime allegiance from Michigan to UConn for national championship game
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Even though he hails from a state where Peyton Manning ruled the sports world, the Fab Five and Tom Brady turned Indiana native Josh Mullins into a dedicated Michigan fan. Just how big of a Wolverines fan? He named his oldest son after star Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards. Now, UConn’s breakout star, Braylon Mullins, will try to take down the family’s favorite program with the national title on the line Monday night. But dad says he’ll be rooting for UConn all the way when the Huskies take on the Wolverines.
UCLA great Ann Meyers Drysdale filled with pride watching Bruins win NCAA title
PHOENIX (AP) — Ann Meyers Drysdale will always be a Bruin. She won a title with UCLA nearly 50 years ago in the now dissolved AIAW. That was the postseason tournament for women’s college basketball before the NCAA took over in 1982. She was filled with the same joy watching UCLA defeat South Carolina for its first NCAA-era title on Sunday. A lot has changed besides the sport’s governing body in the five decades since she and her teammates hoisted that trophy, but Meyers Drysdale’s presence within the Bruins program has remained the same.
Leeds beats West Ham in penalty shootout to reach FA Cup semifinals for first time since 1987
LONDON (AP) — Leeds throws away a two-goal lead in second-half injury time and has a double scare in extra time before going on to beat West Ham in a penalty shootout and reach the FA Cup semifinals for the first time since 1987. Mateus Fernandes and Axel Disasi struck in the 93rd and 96th minutes as West Ham leveled the score at 2-2 at London Stadium and forced extra time where two goals for West Ham were chalked off for offside before Leeds won the shootout 4-2. Stoppage time, extra time and the shootout were played in front of a half-empty stadium after the exodus of home fans. Leeds plays Chelsea in the semifinals and second-tier Southampton takes on Manchester City.
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