Oral Roberts scores first big upset of the tournament, knocking out Ohio State in overtime.
The 15th-seeded Golden Eagles pulled off the first major upset of the first NCAA Tournament in two years, holding off secondseeded Big Ten power Ohio State 75-72 in overtime on Friday.
Oral Roberts got poised, impeccable performances from its two star players, guard Max Abmas and forward Kevin Obanor, to become the ninth 15 seed to win a first-round game and the first since Middle Tennessee shocked Michigan State in 2016. Last year’s tournament was called off because of the pandemic.
Obanor scored seven of Oral Roberts’ 11 points in overtime, including two free throws with 13 seconds left, and finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds. Abmas, the nation’s leading scorer, had 29 points.
Ohio State could have tied it in the closing seconds of overtime, but Duane Washington Jr.’s open 3-pointer from straight away bounced off the side of the rim, and Oral Roberts celebrated its first tournament win since 1974.
NO. 12 OREGON STATE 70, NO. 5 TENNESSEE 56 >> Oregon State played up the underdog role all season and is now the latest No. 12 seed to win an opening-round NCAA Tournament game.
Roman Silva scored 16 points and the Beavers took advantage of Tennessee’s icy perimeter shooting to beat the fifth-seeded Vols 70-56 in the Midwest Region Friday night.
Oregon State (18-12) became the first Pac-10/12 school to win the conference tournament after being picked to finish last. The Beavers are the 51st 12thseed to take down a fifthseed since the NCAA Tournament bracket expanded in 1985.
The 7-foot-1 Silva bulled his way through the Vols for an 8-for-8 night after struggling in the Pac-12 Tournament. Oregon State hit seven 3s in the second half to win their first NCAA Tournament game since reaching the 1982 Elite Eight.
MLB
OAKLAND A’S TICKET SITE VICTIM OF CYBERATTACK ON FIRST DAY OF SALES >> Oakland A’s fans were able to redeem single-game ticket vouchers on Thursday morning. But they were met with a flurry of red error messages when the A’s ticket site prevented them from buying the tickets.
The A’s ticket site, run by Tickets.com, was victim to a cyberattack, team president Dave Kaval said. In essence, script overruns the site that generates a denial of service attack, which means no one trying to enter the ticket site can get access.
“Some people got through before, but Tickets.com said it’s one of the worst attacks they’ve seen,” Kaval said.
The “denial of service attack” is a script that overruns the site, which prevents people entering after the attack from having access to purchase tickets. The site is currently back up and running for fans with vouchers to buy tickets, but it still posed difficulties.
NFL
WR SMITH-SCHUSTER TO STAY IN PITTSBURGH >> Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster surprisingly opted to return to the Steelers just days after strongly hinting that his departure on the open market was imminent.
He reportedly gave the salary-cap-strapped Steelers a hometown deal, bypassing bigger offers to stay with the team that selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft. He will receive $8 million for the 2021 season, less than the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens offered, according to NFL Network.
CIVIL CLAIMS AGAINST DESHAUN WATSON UP TO SEVEN >> Seven women are now accusing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault or misconduct, based on civil lawsuits filed in a district court in Harris County, Texas.
Four more lawsuits were filed Thursday night and appeared in official court records on Friday. In a statement issued on social media Tuesday night after the first suit was filed, Watson denied the accusations.
The lawsuits all are linked to massage sessions last year.
Golf
WISE TAKES THREE-SHOT LEAD AT HONDA CLASSIC >> Aaron Wise is making PGA National look easy.
Wise shot his second straight 6-under 64 to take a three-stroke lead into the weekend at the Honda Classic. The 128 total is the lowest 36-hole score at PGA National since the tournament moved there 15 years ago — and marks the first 36-hole lead of Wise’s PGA Tour career.
He had a pair of eagles to highlight the day, his first two of 2021. Brandon Hagy (62) and first-round leader Matt Jones (70) were tied for second.
KOEPKA, ROSE AMONG 5 PLAYERS NOT COMPETING IN MATCH PLAY >> Brooks Koepka and past finalist Gary Woodland were among five players from the top 64 in the world who will not be playing in the Dell Technologies Match Play next week at Austin Country Club.
Koepka is recovering from a strain in his right leg. The Match Play, which starts Wednesday in Austin, Texas, will be the third straight tournament the four-time major champion has not been able to play.
Woodland, Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Tiger Woods are the others from the top 64 in the world ranking who will not play.
Soccer
EX-UCLA COACH GETS 8 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR ADMISSIONS SCAM >> A former University of California, Los Angeles men’s soccer coach was sentenced to eight months behind bars for pocketing $200,000 in bribes to help applicants get into the school as bogus athletic recruits.
Jorge Salcedo told the judge that he joined in the college admissions bribery scheme because he was desperate for cash after buying a house his family couldn’t afford. Salcedo said he takes complete responsibility for his actions that have destroyed the life he knew.
Salcedo’s is one of the longest sentences that have been handed down so far in the case dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues,” which in 2019 uncovered a scheme to get wealthy parents’ kids into elite universities with fake athletic credentials or bogus test scores.