Sports
Women's Top 25 roundup: Paige Bueckers hurt in No. 7 UConn's win
UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) makes a move on Marquette guard Halle Vice (22) during the first half of their game Wednesday, January 1, 2025 at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Paige Bueckers scored 15 points before leaving the game with a knee injury in the third quarter as visiting No. 7 UConn routed Big East Conference rival Villanova 83-52 on Sunday.
Bueckers dove for a loose ball along with the Wildcats’ Jasmine Bascoe, who rolled into her left leg. Bueckers, the projected No. 1 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, returned to the bench later in the game with an ice pack on her knee. Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said he’s optimistic that Bueckers isn’t seriously injured.
Sarah Strong scored a game-high 21-points for UConn (13-2, 4-0), while Villanova (7-8, 1-2) was paced by Bascoe’s 12 points.
No. 2 South Carolina 95, Mississippi State 68
Tessa Johnson came off the bench for 22 points as the Gamecocks shrugged off a slow start to earn a Southeastern Conference rout of the Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.
Chloe Kitts added 17 points and 10 rebounds for South Carolina (14-1, 2-0), which trailed 22-13 after a quarter before outscoring Mississippi State 55-23 in the middle two quarters.
Jerkaila Jordan scored a game-high 24 points for the Bulldogs (13-3, 0-2).
No. 3 Notre Dame 76, No. 17 North Carolina 66
Hannah Hidalgo scored 24 points and dished out five assists as the Fighting Irish notched an Atlantic Coast Conference win over the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Olivia Miles added 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Notre Dame (12-2, 3-0), while Liatu King tallied 15 rebounds to go with eight points.
North Carolina (13-3, 1-2) got 16 points and nine rebounds from Maria Gakdeng.
No. 5 Texas 90, Arkansas 56
Six players scored in double figures as the Longhorns rolled to an SEC rout of the Razorbacks in Austin, Texas.
Aaliyah Moore scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Texas (15-1, 2-0), which earned a 46-27 advantage on the boards and forced 25 turnovers.
Arkansas (7-10, 0-2) got a game-high 23 points from Izzy Higginbottom.
No. 6 LSU 73, Auburn 63
A 27-8 second quarter burst was the difference as LSU stayed unbeaten by winning the matchup of SEC Tigers in Baton Rouge, La.
Aneesah Morrow scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for LSU (17-0, 2-0), while Kailyn Gilbert added 17 on 8-of-10 shooting off the bench.
Auburn (9-6, 0-2) got 19 points off the bench from Audia Young.
No. 9 Oklahoma 87, No. 15 Tennessee 86
The Sooners built a 16-point lead after three quarters and hung on to hand the Lady Vols their first loss in an SEC thriller in Knoxville, Tenn.
Payton Verhulst scored 16 points for Oklahoma (13-2, 1-1), including two foul shots with 50 seconds left that proved to be the difference. Raegan Beers added 13 points and eight rebounds.
Jewel Spear fired in a game-high 28 for Tennessee (13-1, 1-1), which had a chance to win but saw Sara Puckett miss a 3-pointer in the last five seconds.
No. 10 Ohio State 92, Northwestern 62
The Buckeyes raced to a 77-43 lead after three quarters en route to an easy Big Ten Conference win over the Wildcats in Columbus, Ohio.
Jaloni Cambridge scored a game-high 20 points for Ohio State (14-0, 3-0), which led by 39 at one point in the fourth quarter. Cotie McMahon had 16 points as five Buckeyes scored in double figures.
Kyla Jones tallied 15 points for Northwestern (7-8, 0-4), which has lost three in a row.
No. 14 Duke 69, Pitt 31
The Blue Devils forced 29 turnovers and allowed the punchless Panthers to hit just 11 of 45 field goal attempts in posting an easy ACC victory in Durham, N.C.
Reigan Richardson scored 13 points for Duke (12-3, 3-0), reaching the 1,000-point mark for her career.
Khadija Faye tallied a game-high 17 points for Pitt (8-8, 0-3), which had just four other players score.
No. 16 Kentucky 96, Vanderbilt 78
Georgia Amoore finished with 24 points and nine assists as the Wildcats bombed in 15 3-pointers and scored 31 first-quarter points in an SEC win over the Commodores in Nashville, Tenn.
Amelia Hassett added 20 points (six 3-pointers), nine rebounds and five assists as five players scored in double figures for Kentucky (13-1, 2-0).
Vanderbilt (14-2, 1-1) got 24 points out of Mikayla Blakes.
No. 19 Alabama 68, Missouri 49
Zaay Green scored a game-high 23 points and the Crimson Tide started SEC play 2-0 for the first time in 21 seasons by drilling the Tigers in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Aaliyah Nye added 11 for Alabama (15-1, 2-0), which held Missouri to 34 percent field goal shooting and forced 20 turnovers.
Angelique Ngalakulondi and Nyah Wilson each scored nine points for Missouri (11-6, 0-2).
No. 22 North Carolina State 91, Boston College 52
The Wolfpack jumped out to a 28-9 first-quarter lead and never looked back in an easy ACC rout of the Eagles in Raleigh, N.C.
Saniya Rivers scored 23 points and added 11 rebounds for NC State (11-3, 3-0), while Zoe Brooks chipped in 11 points and 11 boards.
T’yana Todd scored 20 points to pace Boston College (10-7, 1-3).
Texas A&M 60, No. 25 Ole Miss 58
Sole Williams scored a game-high 18 points and the Aggies outscored the Rebels 20-6 in the fourth quarter to earn an SEC win in College Station, Texas.
Jada Malone shot a perfect 7-for-7 to post 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Texas A&M (8-6, 1-1).
Ole Miss (10-4, 1-1), which made only 19 of 53 shots from the field, was led by Madison Scott’s 14 points.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Twins ace Joe Ryan leaves after nine pitches Sunday
Apr 6, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan (41) delivers a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins removed right-hander Joe Ryan after just nine pitches due to right elbow soreness during Sunday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Ryan fanned leadoff man Yohendrick Pinango on three pitches, then walked Kazuma Okamoto. After Ryan’s full-count fastball to Okamoto finished above the zone, he waved for manager Derek Shelton and trainer Nick Paparesta to come out to the mound.
After a brief conversation, Ryan headed to the dugout.
The Twins’ Opening Day starter was making his eighth start of the season. While he carried a 2-3 record and 3.76 ERA into Sunday’s game, he owned a 1.043 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings.
Ryan dealt with lower back issues during spring training, which included the need for an MRI exam, but did not miss any turns this season.
Minnesota already has three starting pitchers on the injured list: Pablo Lopez (elbow), David Festa (shoulder) and Mick Abel (elbow). Lopez tore his ACL during spring training and underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery.
Abel posted a 1-2 record and a 3.98 ERA in four appearances (three starts) before being shelved in mid-April, but he’s expected back relatively soon.
Ryan, who made his major league debut in 2021, has fashioned a 48-39 record and a 3.79 ERA in 123 appearances (122 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cherie DeVaux Makes History with Kentucky Derby Win at Churchill Downs
Cherie DeVaux made history on Saturday by becoming the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. However, with a horde of media surrounding her at her backside stable Sunday morning, she was quick to give the credit to jockey Jose Ortiz.
“It’s almost as if he could script it,” she said.
With an entry that’s known for being a closer, DeVaux said she did not mind Golden Tempo drawing an outside post. He got the 19th gate in the draw, but after scratches, he moved into the 16th. While a ways away from the rail, it helped the colt avoid much of the bumping between horses at the start as they work to get inside position.
DeVaux said she’s not one to give her riders many instructions before a race. She kept it simple: “Don’t overthink it. If you can get out, just get a clear path and make a run.”
Mission accomplished, even if the horse doesn’t quite live up to his name.
“Golden Tempo doesn’t really give Jose any help by just falling back so far,” she added.
While the early front-runners posted blazing quarter times, Golden Tempo ran last in the field for the first three-quarters of a mile. However, as the speed faded, Ortiz had an easy route to the outside, and down the final stretch, he chased down Renegade, the bettors’ second choice, to win by a neck.
Another issue that may have been in Golden Tempo’s favor was not having to load into the gate a second time. That’s something several horses had to do after racing officials scratched Great White at the last minute for dumping jockey Alex Achard and falling over backward while being led to the gate.
“It was a rough trip, everybody was all over the place,” said Luis Saez, who rode seventh-place finisher Commandment. “He ran pretty well and made a nice move, but it was just a tough race.”
Commandment, one of two Derby horses trained by Brad Cox, was the co-second choice in the morning line. At post time, he ended up being the fourth choice at 6-1. Cox’s other horse, Further Ado, ended up the slight favorite over Renegade, with both breaking at 5-1.
Renegade was the morning-line favorite, despite drawing the inside post – a position that had not produced a winner in 40 years. However, the Todd Pletcher-trained colt and Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose’s brother, did everything they could to make some history of their own.
“He got a little roughed and got pushed out of his position,” Pletcher said. “But he kept on going and made his run. He just didn’t get there today.”
With the Kentucky Derby having the largest field of any U.S. thoroughbred race, longshots often find their way to the winner’s circle. Since 2019, the lowest payout for a $2 win ticket was Sovereignty last year, and his bettors still won $17.96.
One of the other big surprises Saturday was the bettors’ interest in So Happy. While he and jockey Mike Smith won the Santa Anita Derby, the colt was given morning line odds of 15-1. That was due primarily to his being sired by Runhappy, who was an excellent sprinter.
Bettors made him the third choice at 5-1.
So Happy stayed among the front pack for the first mile but faded down the stretch to finish ninth.
“He just did too much early on, and we went too fast,” Smith said.
Sports
Wild D Jonas Brodin out for Game 1, F Joel Eriksson Ek also ailing
Apr 7, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Tyler Johnson (90) moves the puck away from Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin (25) and center Joel Eriksson Ek (14) during the second period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin didn’t travel with the team to Denver and will miss Sunday night’s playoff series opener against the Colorado Avalanche.
Forward Joel Eriksson Ek is listed as questionable to play in Game 1 of the Western Conference second-round series.
Brodin, 32, sustained a lower-body injury during Game 5 of Minnesota’s first-round series against the Dallas Stars. He was hurt while blocking a shot by Dallas’ Mikko Rantanen during the second period.
Brodin missed the clinching Game 6 victory on Thursday. He had one assist in the series.
In the regular season, Brodin had four goals and 18 points in 62 games.
Eriksson Ek was hurt in Game 6 when his right leg smacked into the wall. He didn’t practice on Saturday.
Minnesota coach John Hynes was debating what to do about Ek’s spot with his status unclear.
“I’m kind of going through that a little bit right now,” Hynes said. “So, now you kind of go down that decision-making process of what would we do if he’s not ready.”
Ek, 29, had three goals and five points in the Dallas series. In the regular season, he had 19 goals and 51 points in 70 games.
–Field Level Media
Twins ace Joe Ryan leaves after nine pitches Sunday
Netflix Has Emma Stone's New Rated-R Sci-Fi Movie, It'll Turn You Inside Out
