Wooden goes out on top with a title

It was 45 years ago today that John Wooden coached his last game for UCLA, and the Bruins punctuated the moment by capturing their 10th NCAA title under him with a 92-85 victory over Kentucky.

Richard Washington scored 28 points and David Meyers added 24 for UCLA. Wooden finished 620-147 in 27 seasons leading the Bruins, and when the game was over the crowd of 15,153 at the San Diego Sports Arena gave the coach a four-minute standing ovation.

Before the coronavirus outbreak, the Kings were slated to play the San Jose Sharks at Staples Center on Tuesday night. The game would have been the fourth of the season between the two, with the Sharks holding a 2-1 advantage.

In baseball, the Dodgers would have faced the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, while the Angels were set to start a three-game series against the Rangers in Texas.

Here is a look at memorable games and outstanding sports performances on this date:

1923 — The Ottawa Senators of the NHL complete a two-game sweep of the Western Canada Hockey League’s Edmonton Eskimos with a 1-0 victory to capture the Stanley Cup, their third in four seasons.

1961 — The Pacific Coast League’s proposal to use a designated hitter for the pitcher is rejected by the Professional Baseball Rules Committee by a vote of 8-1.

1973 — The Philadelphia Flyers tie an NHL record for most goals in one period, scoring eight during the second 20 minutes of a 10-2 rout of the New York Islanders.

1973 — Ken Norton uses a jerky motion, tricky defense and an effective left jab to score an upset win over Muhammad Ali in a 12-round split-decision in San Diego. Norton, a 5-1 underdog, wins the North American Boxing Federation heavyweight title and breaks Ali’s jaw.

1986 — Freshman center Pervis Ellison makes two free throws with 27 seconds left to seal Louisville’s 72-69 victory over Duke in the NCAA championship game.

1991 — Brett Hull scores his 86th goal to give him the third-best single-season total in NHL history as the St. Louis Blues beat the Minnesota North Stars 2-1.

1991 — Amy Alcott wins the Nabisco Dinah Shore at Rancho Mirage with a record eight-stroke victory over Dottie Mochrie. It is Alcott’s third win at Mission Hills Country Club and her last on the LPGA Tour.

1997 — Martina Hingis becomes the youngest No. 1 player ever in tennis. The 16-year-old from Switzerland, who won her fifth title of 1997 at the Lipton Championships on March 29 in Key Biscayne, Fla., replaces Steffi Graf atop the WTA Tour rankings. She wins major singles titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and nearly has the Grand Slam fourth at the French Open but loses to Iva Majoli in the final.

2013 — In a major NCAA women’s tournament upset, fifth-seeded Louisville edges defending champion Baylor in the regional semifinals 82-81. It’s the end of a stellar college career for the Bears’ Brittney Griner, a record-setting 6-foot-8 post player.

2013 — Pete Weber ties Earl Anthony by winning his 10th major Professional Bowlers Assn. title with a 224-179 victory over Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte in the Tournament of Champions in Indianapolis.