Vegas opens WNBA title defense with lopsided win
Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum both scored 23 points, and the Las Vegas Aces opened defense of their WNBA championship with a 105-64 win over the Seattle Storm on Saturday.
The rematch of last year's WNBA semifinal series won by the Aces in four games on their way to the title featured several changes and absences from that playoff series.
Most notable, Las Vegas was without head coach Becky Hammon following her two-game suspension by the league earlier this week following an investigation into former Aces player Dearica Hamby saying she had been bullied and manipulated for being pregnant.
Hammon denied that Hamby was bullied for being pregnant, saying any ill feelings between the two came from Hamby being traded.
But the Aces didn't miss a beat without their head coach on the sideline. Acting head coach Tyler Marsh just had to decide which combinations of the Aces star-studded roster to call upon, all under the watchful and approving eye of owner Mark Davis looking on from his baseline seat.
Six Aces players finished in double figures. A'ja Wilson had 13 points and 13 rebound, Chelsea Gray from Hayward scored 14 points and Alysha Clark added 10 off the bench.
Then there was two-time MVP Candace Parker. In her debut with the Aces, Parker added 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks. OGUNBOWALE LEADS DALLAS WIN OVER ATLANTA >> Arike Ogunbowale scored 20 of her 27 points as Dallas built a 17-point halftime lead and the Wings beat the Dream 85-78.
Satou Sabally added 25 points and Natasha Howard had 20 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks for Dallas. Howard, a three-time WNBA champion and the league's 2019 defensive player of the year, was acquired in a trade in January.
Rhyne Howard had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Dream, but made just 8 of 24 from the field. Former Stanford star Haley Jones, a firstround pick by Atlanta, went scoreless in six minutes.
Tennis RYBAKINA WINS ITALIAN OPEN TITLE >>
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina was dominating 21-9 with winners when Ukrainian opponent Anhelina Kalinina retired due to a left thigh injury early in the second set of the rain-delayed Italian Open final.
On Monday, Rybakina will move up to a career-high No. 4 in the rankings and will be a contender at the French Open, which starts next weekend.
Rybakina was leading 6-4, 1-0, 15-0 when Kalinina called for a
trainer and grasped her left leg as she teared up. She then decided she couldn't continue.
The final began at almost 11 p.m. on Saturday and Rybakina lifted the trophy after midnight on Sunday.
Holger Rune will face Daniil Medvedev in the men's final today.
The 20-year-old Rune rallied past Casper Ruud 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-2 and Medvedev performed a little celebratory dance after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 7-5 in a semifinal that was suspended twice in the first set for a total of nearly 4½ hours due to rain.
Rome is the last big tournament before the French Open starts next weekend, and Rune and Ruud are shaping up as contenders.
The seventh-ranked Rune was coming off a win over six-time Rome champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals — his second victory against him in little more than six months.
College softball STANFORD ROLLS INTO REGIONAL TITLE GAME >>
Freshman pitcher NiJaree Canady fired a two-hit shutout and catcher Aly Kaneshiro hit a two-run homer as the Cardinal beat Florida 8-0 in the NCAA Division I softball tournament to advance to today's regional title game at Stanford.
The Cardinal will face the winner of Saturday's late losers-bracket game with a shot to advance to the super regionals.
In the Norman, Okla., regional, Acacia Anders hit one of four homers as Cal beat Hofstra 7-0 to stay alive. Cal played Missouri in another elimination game late Saturday.
Motorsports CHEVROLET, MCLAREN SOAR IN INDY 500 QUALIFYING >>
Arrow McLaren Racing pushed defending Indianapolis 500 winning team Ganassi aside on the first day of Indy 500 qualifying.
Felix Rosenqvist, a former Chip Ganassi Racing driver, no less, led the McLaren charge Saturday by posting the fastest four-lap average. His late afternoon run of 233.947 mph was the third fastest four-lap qualifying effort in race history.
He bumped new teammate Alexander Rossi from the top spot — a position he'd held nearly six hours.
When the gun fired to signal the end of the day, all four McLaren drivers were inside the top 12 and advanced into today's shootout for the pole. Ganassi also landed all four of its drivers inside the top 12, but as the clock ticked down, defending race winner Marcus Ericsson stood on pit lane unsure if he should make another qualifying attempt.
He was 10th at the time but stuck in a long line of traffic as drivers not inside the top 12 debated pulling their times and taking another shot at logging four fast laps around the historic 2.5-mile oval.
Conversely, Team Penske struggled mightily and only reigning IndyCar champion Will Power advanced into the top 12.
Hockey CANADA LOSES, U.S. STAYS PERFECT AT WORLDS >>
Switzerland rallied from a goal behind to top Canada 3-2 in a clash of two undefeated teams at the ice hockey world championship in Riga, Latvia.
Tyler Toffoli put Canada ahead midway through the second period on a power play but the Swiss answered with goals by Nico Hischier and Dario Simon in the period.
Andres Ambuhl stretched the advantage to two in the final period, then Michael Carcone deflected in a slap shot by Brad Hunt for Canada to reduce the lead to one with 3:38 to go.
Canada pulled goaltender Samuel Montembeault for an extra attacker but the Swiss held firm.
The United States shut out Denmark 3-0 in Tampere to stay perfect.
Alex Tuch scored one goal and added two assists to earn the U.S. a fifth victory in five games.
The Americans lead Group A with 15 points and have secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
Soccer U.S. UNDER-20 TEAM DEFEATS ECUADOR >>
An injury-time blast gave the United States a 1-0 win against Ecuador in one of the opening matches of the Under-20 World Cup in San Juan, Argentina.
Left back Jonathan Gomez shot from the edge of the box one minute before the final whistle to beat goalkeeper Gilmar Napa.
ANOTHER TITLE FOR MANCHESTER CITY >>
Manchester City clinched a third successive English Premier League title — and a ninth topflight crown in its 143-year history — thanks to another slip-up by second-placed Arsenal. Arsenal losing at Nottingham Forest 1-0 capped an end-of-season meltdown for the once long-time leader and left City with an unassailable four-point lead.