Sports

By ERIC TUCKER and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Russian counterpart, in a rare phone since the Ukraine war, to immediately release a Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained last week as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan, the State Department said Sunday. In

HYDERABAD, India (AP) — Rajasthan Royals showed plenty of batting muscle at the top of the order while Yuzvendra Chahal grabbed 4-17 in a resounding 72-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening Indian Premier game on Sunday. Jos Buttler plundered 54 off 22 balls inside the batting powerplay while his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal

By The Associated Press One of the craziest March Madness tournaments will conclude with the women’s final between Iowa and LSU on Sunday. WHO’S FAVORED TO WIN THE TITLE? Iowa is a minus-160 favorite against LSU, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Someone would need to bet $160 to win $100. WHAT’S THE SPREAD DIFFERENCE? Iowa is

LEICESTER, England (AP) — Relegation-threatened Leicester has fired manager Brendan Rodgers in a late-season move to preserve its Premier League status. Rodgers has been in charge for four years. He leaves with the team having dropped to third-to-last place with 10 league matches remaining. Leicester secured back-to-back Europa League qualifications under Rodgers and won its

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Anthony Joshua’s rebuild plan was to have three or four fights to gain momentum for another crack at a world heavyweight title. He’s now happy to take a short cut. An all-British fight with WBC champion Tyson Fury could be back on the cards after Joshua beat Jermaine Franklin

By COURTNEY WALSH Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Beaten by a rival other than Red Bull for the first time this season at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso believes Formula One is about to become far more competitive. The veteran finished on the podium for the third time in

By The Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — Led by Caitlin Clark, The Associated Press women’s basketball Player of the Year, Iowa will play in its first national championship game Sunday against LSU. That will be the Clark’s 100th game with the Hawkeyes. A look at her Iowa career so far for the 6-foot guard who

By COURTNEY WALSH Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has claimed his first Australian Grand Prix in remarkable circumstances in a chaotic Formula 1 race filled with drama from the green light to the checkered flag. Although Red Bull’s first triumph in Melbourne since 2011 was expected, the carnage that unfolded

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Leon Draisaitl scored three goals to reach 50 for the season, Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-0 to clinch their fourth straight playoff berth. Zach Hyman also had a goal and an assist, and Darnell Nurse also scored, and Mattias

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 36 points, bringing fans to their feet with an array of clutch, mid-range jump shots, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Los Angeles Clippers 122-114. Jonas Valanciunas had 23 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans, which won for the seventh

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Cristian Espinoza scored twice on penalty kicks to lead the San Jose Earthquakes to a 2-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo. Espinoza’s first PK goal came in the seventh minute and the San Jose (3-2-1) lead stood until Amine Bassi scored on a penalty kick in the 42nd minute for

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Simon Becher scored two goals and added an assist to power the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 5-0 victory over CF Montreal. Becher got the start against Montreal after becoming the first Whitecap to sub in and score in his first two appearances in the previous two matches. Brian White opened

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Connecticut guard Jordan Hawkins says he had no doubt he was going to play in Saturday night’s 72-59 win against Miami in the Final Four despite battling a stomach illness. The Huskies’ No. 2 scorer missed Friday’s practice and said he spent most of the day

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Basketball Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Lamont Butler hit the biggest shot in San Diego State history, putting the Aztecs in the national championship game for the first time. The next step, in Monday’s title game, will be a difficult one. UConn has been the dominant team all through the bracket, delivering