Trump hosts NCAA champs

Indoors and out, the White House was overrun with school spirit Friday as President Donald

Trump welcomed college sports champions and declared them “great athletes.” Too many of them to fit in one room, the teams took up positions all around the mansion for separate photo ops with the president.

In all, 18 NCAA teams attended the event at the White House; South Carolina’s women’s basketball team declined the invitation.

Trump posed for photos with the players throughout the Rose Garden, South Lawn and inside the White House.

NBA

Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley is out indefinitely with a sore left heel and Achilles’ tendon, leaving Mario Chalmers to start in his place at least for now.

The Grizzlies have no timetable for Conley’s return, but Memphis coach David Fizdale said doctors think there’s a good chance the soreness can be healed in two weeks. Rose out longer: Derrick Rose, who was supposed to handle the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting point guard duties while Isaiah Thomas recovers from a hip injury, could miss three more weeks with a left ankle injury he suffered Oct. 20 at Milwaukee.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

The Houston Cougars bombarded the UW-Milwaukee women’s team in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Panthers by 21 points in the period en route to a 74-59 victory in a Preseason WNIT consolation semifinal on Friday night in New Orleans. Steph Kostowicz paced the Panthers (0-2) with 11 points and eight rebounds.

COLLEGE HOCKEY

The Wisconsin Badgers got goals from seven players as they blitzed the Michigan Wolverines, 7-3, at the Kohl Center.

Josh Ess was the first player to light the lamp for the Badgers (8-5-1, 3-2-0 Big Ten) as he scored just 33 seconds into the game and UW never trailed.

COLLEGE SOCCER

The Wisconsin women’s team bowed out of the second round of the NCAA tournament, falling to No. 1-seeded South Carolina, 1-0, in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina (17-2-1) took a 1-0 lead on Luciana Zullo’s 39th-minute goal against the Badgers (146-2).

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

Wisconsin got big matches from freshmen Sydney Hilley and Dana Rettke in a 20-25, 25-23, 2516, 25-20 victory over host Illinois.

Hilley finished with 57 assists and Rettke had 14 kills for the Badgers (18-8, 9-8 Big Ten), who also got 14 kills from Tionna Williams.