Carolina edges St. John’s in women’s tourney
Deja Kelly had a go-ahead threepoint play with 2 seconds left and No. 6 seed North Carolina hung on for a 61-59 win over 11th-seeded St. John’s in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
The Tar Heels faced their first deficit of the game when Danielle Patterson sank a 3-pointer with 6:39 left to play.
The Red Storm led for the next four-plus minutes until Paulina Paris was fouled in transition and made the ensuing free throw to tie the game at 54.
The score tied twice in the final minute as Mimi Reid made a layup with 6 seconds left to knot the game at 58.
Kelly drove the left lane and made the free throw to complete the game-winning score. Patterson then was fouled after a timeout shooting a 3-pointer with just over a second left that gave the Red Storm one last chance.
She missed the first two free throws and then inexplicably made third one ending any chance the Red Storm had to tie the game.
Aaliyah Edwards scored a career-high 28 points, Dorka Juhasz added a double-double and UConn routed Vermont, 95-52, giving the Huskies a 29th straight win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Storrs.
Juhasz scored 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, the Hungarian’s 13th double-double this season for the sixth-ranked Huskies.
Jordan Horston scored 21 points and Rickea Jackson added 18 as Tennessee remained perfect when opening the NCAA Tournament on their home court, routing Saint Louis, 95-50.
Jordan Walker added 11 points and Tess Darby had 10 for the Lady Vols (24-11). They will try to advance to a second straight Sweet 16 in the Seattle 3 region. Cotie McMahon scored 18 points to help Ohio State pull away for an 80-66 win over James Madison in Columbus, Ohio.
McMahon made her team’s first 3-pointer with 5:18 left in the third quarter to give Ohio State (26-7) a 44-43 lead, and the Buckeyes didn’t give up the advantage from there on out. They trailed by as many as 16 in the first half before going on a 12-0 run.
Haley Cavinder scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half and made what proved to be the decisive free throw with 8.9 seconds left to pull off a 17-point second half rally Saturday that gave ninth-seeded
Miami a 62-61 victory over eighth-seeded Oklahoma State.
The comeback was tied for the fifth-largest comeback in tourney history. But it wasn’t over until Naomie Alnatas’ 10-footer rolled off the rim at the buzzer following a 5-second call on the Hurricanes.
Miami (20-12) will play top-seeded Indiana on its home court Monday night with a ticket to the Sweet 16 at stake.
Sydney Parrish scored 19 points and had eight rebounds to lead Indiana past Tennessee Tech, 77-47, in Bloomington.
All-American center Mackenzie Holmes cheered on her Indiana teammates from the bench while resting a sore knee. Grace Berger had 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks and Lilly Meister added seven points and three blocks in her first career start.
Maddie Antenucci’s 3-pointer bounced four times before going through the net as part of her game-changing spree from beyond the arc that sent Florida Gulf Coast into the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 74-63 win over Washington State at Villanova, Pa.
JAGS RE-SIGN HERNDON
The Jacksonville Jaguars are bringing back cornerback Tre
Herndon and defensive lineman Adam Gotsis, the latest moves to keep the bulk of last year’s AFC South champions intact.
Both players are expected to sign deals next week.
Herndon agreed to a one-year, $2.6 million deal that’s full guaranteed, according to a person familiar with negotiations. Gotsis’ deal is for two years.
SCHENK LEADS VALSPAR
Adam Schenk looked as though he and everyone else would get passed by Jordan Spieth at the Valspar Championship. When a wild and windy round finished, Schenk was still the player everyone was chasing.
Schenk hit his approach to the 18th hole to 5 feet and made the birdie putt for a 1-under 70, giving him a one-shot lead over Spieth and Tommy Fleetwood as he goes after his first victory on the PGA Tour.
MEDVEDEV REACHES FINAL
Daniil Medvedev defeated Frances Tiafoe 7-5, 7-6 (4) for his 19th consecutive match victory of the year and a berth in the BNP Paribas Open final at Indian Wells.
Medvedev will play for the title Sunday against the winner of the other semifinal between top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz or No. 11 seed Jannik Sinner.