Texas Tech beats Texas to snap skid
Texas Tech coach Chris Beard liked the feeling he got about the last game before March for his No. 18 Red Raiders.
A lot of players contributing in different ways, solid defense and a 68-59 win over No. 14 Texas on Saturday to end a three-game losing streak.
“Two teams trying really hard, felt like a last day of February-type game from our perspective,” Beard said. “For the first time in a while, we felt like we played stretches of Texas Tech basketball. We get the five guys in double figures scoring, the balance offensively. We had another low turnover game today .... and then our defense showed up the second half when we needed it most.”
Mac McClung had 16 points to lead the Red Raiders (15-8, 7-7 Big 12), and was one of six different players who scored scored in a 19-6 run to open the second half after the game was tied at the half. That spurt came over a nearly nine-minute span when the Longhorns got all of their points on free throws while missing 11 shots in a row. Terrence Shannon Jr. had 11 points for the Red Raiders, while Santos-Silva, Kyler Edwards and Kevin McCullar each had 10. Santos-Silva had nine rebounds as Tech won for the first time since Feb. 6 at Kansas State, a threeweek span when they also had games postponed because of COVID-19 issues.
Wolverines maul Hoosiers: The thirdranked Wolverines blew out Indiana, 73-57, in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday afternoon at Assembly Hall, and drew one game closer to winning their first conference title since the 2014. Michigan can secure the title by winning one of its three remaining games.
Tigers top Vols: Allen Flanigan scored a season-high 23 points and had seven rebounds to lead Auburn to a 77-72 victory over No. 25 Tennessee on Saturday. The Tigers (12-13, 6-10 Southeastern Conference) snapped a three-game losing streak even without freshman point guard Sharife Cooper, out for the second straight game with a left ankle injury.
Smith leads Arkansas by LSU: Justin Smith had 19 points and 10 rebounds, helping No. 20 Arkansas beat Cameron Thomas and LSU 83-75 on Saturday.
The Razorbacks (19-5, 11-4 Southeastern Conference) had four players score in double figures in their sixth straight win. Moses Moody had 18 points on 3-for14 shooting, and reserve J.D. Notae also scored 18.
No Ayo, no problem: Kofi Cockburn scored 19 points and No. 5 Illinois topped No. 23 Wisconsin 74-69 on Saturday, completing its first sweep of the regular-season series since 2005.
Illinois (18-6, 15-4) played without All-American candidate Ayo Dosunmu, who missed a second straight game after breaking his nose.
Cunningham drops 40: Freshman star Cade Cunningham scored 10 of his season-high 40 points in overtime and Oklahoma State defeated No. 7 Oklahoma 94-90 on Saturday.
Cunningham’s previous scoring high was 29 points. In his first Bedlam rivalry game, he made 12 of 21 field goals and 13 of 14 free throws. He also finished with 11 rebounds three steals and two blocks.
Bryce Williams and Avery Anderson III each scored 15 for the Sooners (16-6, 9-6 Big 12), who won their fourth straight.
Aztecs make it 10 in a row: Matt Mitchell hit two free throws with 3.3 seconds left and fellow senior Jordan Schakel made four free throws in the final 8.7 seconds for San Diego State, which beat Boise State 62-58 Saturday for its 10th straight victory. Schakel finished with 17 points, and Mitchell had eight points, eight rebounds and four steals.
When will Albert Pujols retire?
It’s a question the 41-year-old Angels first baseman didn’t have an answer to on Saturday, saying in his first media availability of the spring that his “mind is not even there” entering his 21st MLB season.
“I think that decision will come at the end of the year,” he said, adding, “My mind is staying focused [on staying] healthy and help this ball club try to win this year.”
Pujols’ wife, Deidre, initially appeared to indicate in an Instagram post on Monday that this would be the last season for Pujols, a three-time MVP and 10-time All-Star. After the post set off a wave of speculation on the internet, she edited the wording to reflect that 2021 is the last season of Pujols’ contract with the Angels and that she was simply trying to send her husband “blessings” going into this season. She clarified that it was not an official retirement announcement.
Pujols said the original post was simply misinterpreted.
“It’s the same thing that she’s always done, sending me every year with a blessing,” Pujols said. “If she had just [originally] said, ‘the last year on my contract with the Angels,’ it would have been different. But I told her, ‘You don’t need to apologize. I know what you mean.’”
College football: Javon Williams Jr. and Romeir Elliott each had a pair of touchdown runs, and Southern Illinois beat top-ranked North Dakota State 38-14 on Saturday that ended the Bison’s 39-game winning streak. North Dakota State (2-1, 1-1 Missouri Valley), which has won three straight FCS championships, last lost on Nov. 4, 2017.
Golf: PGA champion Collin Morikawa made seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch Saturday and made it look as though no one could catch him. All it took was two bad holes to turn the Workday Open into a chase. Morikawa shot a 5-under 67 at the Concession Golf Club, a reasonable score except for what it could have been. When he drove to the front of the green on the 316-yard 12th hole and made an 8-foot birdie, he was at 17-under par and no one else was closer than five shots. He wound up leading by two shots over Brooks Koepka, who got his mistakes out the way early and shot 70, and Billy Horschel. who had a 69 . ... Nelly Korda surged into the lead Saturday in the Gainbridge LPGA with a 4-under 68 that left her in position to make it consecutive wins for the Korda family to start the season. Korda, whose older sister Jessica won the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions last month to start the new LPGA Tour season, dropped only one shot on a breezy day at Lake Nona to lead by one over Patty Tavatanakit.
NHL: Juuso Valimakiscored four minutes into the game as a three-goal first period staked the Flames to a 6-3 victory over the Senators. Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm had the other early goals for the Flames, who ended the Senators’ threegame win streak. Sean Monahan, Andrew Mangiapane and Matthew Tkachuk also scored for Calgary . ... Mattias Ekholm scored a pair of second-period goals to lead the Predators to a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jackets on Saturday. Juuse Saros made 29 saves for Nashville, a winner of three of the last four games. Saros earned his first victory since Jan. 27.
Morgan State 66, Coppin State 59: The host Bears (10-3) put together a 24-16 run in the fourth quarter to beat the Eagles (2-11). Coppin State led 27-25 at the half and 43-42 heading into the fourth quarter.
Delaware 80, Towson 54: The visiting Tigers (12-6, 7-4 Colonial Athletic Association) hung with the Blue Hens (18-3, 15-2) bucket for bucket in the first quarter, but quickly fell behind. Kionna Jeter scored 17 points and Aleah Nelson (McDonogh) had 14 points for Towson, which will play host Delaware again Sunday at 1 p.m.
Lafayette 47, Loyola Maryland 35: Isabella Therien scored 12 points, but the visiting Greyhounds (0-11, 0-6 Patriot League) fell to the Leopards (4-7, 1-5). Loyola trailed 14-9 in the first quarter. The Saturday and Sunday games between the Greyhounds and Navy were canceled.