AP National Sports

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer SEATTLE (AP) — Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks stood at the stop of the ladder about to trim the final strands from the net when the familiar thumping beat started blaring through the speakers of the arena. The Hokies’ first Final Four berth deserved a little Metallica and a

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nicolas Batum got all of his season-high 24 points on eight 3-pointers, and Eric Gordon added 22 points in the Los Angeles Clippers’ comfortable 124-112 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Kawhi Leonard scored 22 as the Clippers rebounded from an embarrassing loss to New Orleans

By MATTHEW COLES Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Devin Booker scored 24 points and Phoenix reserves sparked the decisive run for the Suns in a 117-103 win over the fading Utah Jazz. Deandre Ayton had 14 points after missing four games with a bruised hip. But a trio off the bench was pivotal

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Sergio Romo retired as a San Francisco Giant just as he wanted to do. The entertaining reliever and three-time World Series champion called it a career Monday night when he pitched against another of his former clubs — the Oakland A’s — in the seventh inning of the exhibition finale for

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist in his 700th NHL game and the Colorado Avalanche won their third straight game, defeating the Anaheim Ducks 5-1. Bowen Byram, also had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who are one point behind Dallas

By JOSH DUBOW AP Sports Writer SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jaden McDaniels scored 20 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves spoiled Sacramento’s hopes for a clinching party by beating the Kings 119-115. The Kings were hoping to end the longest playoff drought in NBA history in front of their fans, but sent them home unhappy. The

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 29 points and the New Orleans Pelicans routed the depleted Portland Trail Blazers 124-90 for their fifth straight victory. CJ McCollum, who played nine seasons with the Blazers before he was traded to the Pelicans last season, added 17 points. Jonas

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Third-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at the Miami Open, the Greek’s first on-court match after a bye and walkover in the opening rounds. In women’s competition, 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu of Canada left the court in a wheelchair due to a lower

By The Associated Press The battle for the national championship in women’s basketball is on. Defending champion South Carolina will face Iowa in the second national semifinal after an 86-75 win over Maryland. LSU will face Virginia Tech in the first game after the Hokies defeated Ohio State 84-74. The Final Four is in Dallas

By JEFFREY BERNSTEIN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Immanuel Quickley scored a career-high 40 points and Julius Randle had 26 as the New York Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 137-115 victory over the Houston Rockets. RJ Barrett added 19 points, Obi Toppin had 15 and Quinten Grimes scored 14 for the

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Matt Boldy had his second hat trick in the last five games, Marc-Andre Fleury made 35 saves, and the surging Minnesota Wild beat the Seattle Kraken 5-1. Jake Middleton and Ryan Hartman also had goals and Jared Spurgeon, Marcus Johansson and Joel Eriksson Ek

By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Aliyah Boston had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Zia Cooke scored 18 points and top-seeded South Carolina used its smothering defense to outlast second-seeded Maryland 86-75 to reach its third straight Final Four. The Gamecocks improved to 36-0 on the season with their 42nd straight

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Ricardo Pepi scored on his first touch of the match in the 62nd minute, and the United States beat El Salvador 1-0 to reach the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals. The 13th-ranked U.S. extended its unbeaten streak against No. 32 El Salvador to 22 matches since 1992, including 17 wins. The Americans

By ALLAN KREDA Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Palmieri had two goals and an assist, Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves and the New York Islanders beat the New Jersey Devils 5-1. Pierre Engvall, Bo Horvat and Zach Parise also scored for the Islanders, who stopped a two-game losing streak and moved three points

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Luka Doncic finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists just hours after his most recent technical foul and one-game suspension were rescinded and led the Dallas Mavericks past the Indiana Pacers 127-104. The Mavericks snapped a four-game losing streak and moved a half-game behind

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Khris Middleton scored 34 points against the team that drafted him, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 126-117 without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee improved to an NBA-best 54-21 despite the absences of Antetokounmpo and Jae Crowder. Goran Dragic made his Bucks debut after signing with the

By JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writer BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Michael Pezzetta scored the decisive shootout goal and the Montreal Canadiens avoided playoff elimination by rallying to a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Brendan Gallagher forced overtime by scoring his 200th career goal in capping a 3-on-2 rush with a shot from the right

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer Cleveland Guardians starter Triston McKenzie could be sidelined for two months with a shoulder strain, an early blow to the defending AL Central champions. The team said an MRI in Goodyear, Arizona, revealed a strain of his right teres major muscle. He’ll be shut down from throwing for two

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer SEATTLE (AP) — An undefeated South Carolina team led by star Aliyah Boston and guided by vaunted Dawn Staley, an Iowa squad that features high-scoring Caitlin Clark and the return of LSU and flashy coach Kim Mulkey headline the women’s Final Four this weekend. Virginia Tech is the newcomer

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams re-signed defensive lineman Marquise Copeland. The move temporarily halts their wholesale roster exodus after the team’s first losing season in six years. Copeland spent most of his first 2 1/2 NFL seasons on the Rams’ practice squad before the team