Madsen earns an extension at Cal after big turnaround
Cal has signed coach Mark Madsen to a two-year extension after he led an impressive turnaround in his first season as the Golden Bears' men's basketball coach.
Athletic director Jim Knowlton announced the deal on Tuesday that will run through the 2029-30 season, saying Madsen has made an “incredible difference” in his brief tenure at Cal.
Madsen, a former Stanford star, took over a program that went 3-29 under Mark Fox last season and led the Bears to a 13-18 mark heading into the first round of the Pac12 Tournament on Wednesday night against Stanford.
Cal went 9-11 in regular-season play in the conference to finish tied for sixth. That was the school's best finish since 2016-17.
The Bears won six of their final eight games at Haas Pavilion as Madsen created excitement that helped deliver several big home crowds.
“I'm grateful to Jim Knowlton and our administration for their ongoing confidence in what we're building in Berkeley,” Madsen said in a statement. “Our goal is to win championships and pursue greatness ... and we're just getting started.”
The Bears will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference next season.
Women's college basketball
PORTLAND SHOCKS GONZAGA, WINS WCC TITLE >>
Kennedy Dickie scored 16 points and Portland shocked No. 14 Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Tournament title game for a second-straight year, this time ending the Bulldogs' school-record 24game winning streak with a 67-66 victory in Las Vegas.
The win, earning Portland its seventh berth into the NCAA Tournament, came 13 days after the Pilots lost 90-40 at Gonzaga in a regularseason finale. The Pilots won last year's championship game 64-60.
The question now is if this cost Gonzaga (30-3) a top-four seed and the right to host the tournament.
Maisie Burnham had 15 points and three steals for third-seeded Portland (21-12), which had rallied from 16 down to win their semifinal game over Santa Clara.
NHL
RANGERS' SHESTERKIN GETS 2ND CONSECUTIVE SHUTOUT >>
Igor Shesterkin made 28 saves for his second consecutive shutout, and the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0 in a road matchup of the top teams in the Metropolitan Division.
Adam Fox scored late in the first period, and that goal held up through Carolina using an extra skater for the final two minutes.
BYRAM SCORES TWO IN BUFFALO'S ROUT OF DETROIT >> Newly acquired defenseman Bowen Byram scored twice and Zach Benson had a goal and two assists in the Buffalo Sabres' 7-3 rout over the Detroit Red Wings, who dropped their sixth straight game.
The win and the Red Wings' sudden slump opened a glimmer of light for Buffalo and other Eastern Conference teams attempting to climb into playoff contention. The Sabres vaulted ahead of idle New Jersey into 11th place, and within five points of Detroit, which began the day holding the eighth and final playoff spot. FLAMES RENOUNCE RIGHTS TO RONNI >> The Calgary Flames renounced their rights to draft pick Topi Ronni after the 19-year-old was sentenced in his native Finland for a rape that occurred when he was a minor.
Ronni was given a one-year suspended prison sentence by the District Court of Helsinki, his Finnish Elite League team announced. The team, Tappara Tampere, said it has terminated his contract.
The Flames, who drafted Ronni 59th overall in the 2022 NHL draft, announced later they had dropped him.
The 19-year-old Ronni apologized in a statement on Tappara Tampere's website.
Ronni was charged in October. His Finnish team said then he would step away from team activities during the investigation.
Tennis
ALCARAZ MAKES QUARTERFINALS AT INDIAN WELLS >>
Second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz avenged a previous loss to Fabian Marozsan, winning 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open as the top remaining seed in the men's draw.
A day after “lucky loser” Luca Nardi stunned No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the third round at Indian Wells, Alcaraz advanced easily over the Hungarian who ousted him from the Italian Open in May.
Stefanos Tsitsipas wasn't so lucky, losing to Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 6-4.