Sports
No. 20 Clemson's 23-1 first-half surge dooms Cal
Feb 7, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; Clemson Tigers guard Ace Buckner (21) lays the ball up between California Golden Bears defenders Mantas Kocanas (17) and Semetri (TT) Carr (3) during the first half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images RJ Godfrey and Ace Buckner each had 13 points to lead No. 20 Clemson to a 77-55 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over Cal on Saturday night at Berkeley, Cal.
The Tigers (20-4, 10-1 ACC) tied Duke at the top of the conference standings, won their fourth in a row and their 13th in their past 14 games. Clemson also extended its road winning streak to 14 in a row.
Cal (17-7, 5-6 ACC) was unable to pick up a Quad 2 victory that could have boosted its NCAA Tournament chances and had a two-game winning streak snapped.
The Tigers reached the 20-win mark for the fourth consecutive season.
Clemson seized control in the first half with a 23-1 run over a stretch of 12:40.
The Tigers defended well and took advantage of a terrible shooting stretch for Cal, which went scoreless from the field for 7:44 and scored their lone point on a Chris Bell free throw.
The Golden Bears shot 0 for 13 during that stretch and committed eight turnovers.
Cal led 13-9 following a Justin Pippen 3-pointer before the Tigers’ run began.
Clemson led 32-14 before Dai Dai Ames’ layup with 2:41 left in the first half snapped Cal’s shooting drought.
The Golden Bears made only 6 of 25 shots in the first half. Although it shot much better in the second half, going 13 for 23 (56.5%), Cal never pulled closer than 15.
Pippen led the Golden Bears with a game-high 19 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Bell had 13 points and Ames finished with 12.
For the Tigers, Jake Wahlin and Carter Welling also contributed 11 points each. Clemson shot 55.1% (27 for 49) from the field and made 12 of 26 from 3-point range.
Wahlin led Clemson on the boards with six while Buckner had four assists.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Amaka Agugua-Hamilton no longer coach at Virginia
Feb 22, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton calls out instructions during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images Virginia parted ways with Amaka Agugua-Hamilton as its head women’s basketball coach after four seasons.
The university announced the news Saturday about Agugua-Hamilton, who helped the Cavaliers become the initial First Four team to advance to the Sweet 16 of the Women’s NCAA Tournament after defeating seventh-seeded Georgia 82-73 in overtime in the first round, then upsetting second-seeded Iowa 83-75 in double overtime in the second round.
Virginia’s season came to an end after dropping a 79-69 decision to third-seeded TCU on March 28.
The Cavaliers, who finished 20-12 this season, posted a 70-58 record with a 29-42 mark in ACC play under Agugua-Hamilton.
The university issued a brief statement on Saturday, saying only that she will not return to the role and that a national search will begin immediately.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kelly Morrone named women's basketball coach at Albany
Dec 10, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Merrimack Warriors head coach Kelly Morrone at the end of the first quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images Albany announced the hiring of Kelly Morrone as the next women’s basketball head coach.
Morrone spent the past six seasons as the head coach at Merrimack, a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. She was named 2026 MAAC Coach of the Year after the Warriors finished 19-13 (15-5 MAAC) and was selected to the women’s NIT. Merrimack lost to NJIT in the first round.
“I am incredibly honored and excited to accept the position of head women’s basketball coach at the University at Albany,” she said Saturday in a statement. “I’ve long admired the tradition and pride of the Great Danes, and I am deeply grateful to be entrusted with this important opportunity. It is a privilege to lead a program with such strong institutional support and a clear commitment to excellence.”
Her record at Merrimack was 74-92. During her tenure, Merrimack made the transition from Division II to Division I.
She also won 117 games at John Carroll, a Division III program in University Heights, Ohio.
Morrone played at South Carolina and was a three-year captain, her career ending with a second-round loss in the Women’s NCAA Tournament in 2003. She began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Buffalo (2005-08), followed by stops at Davidson (2008-10), Rhode Island (2010-12) and William & Mary (2012-13) before John Carroll.
At Albany, she replaces Colleen Mullen, who recently accepted the same job at Rhode Island. Mullen led the Great Danes to one NCAA Tournament berth in eight seasons, but before her arrival, Albany was a consistent winner in the America East.
The Great Danes appeared in the NCAA Tournament six consecutive seasons between 2012-17.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cubs place RHP Cade Horton (forearm) on 15-day IL
Mar 28, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton (22) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images The Chicago Cubs placed right-handed starter Cade Horton on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a right forearm strain.
The move is retroactive to Saturday for Horton, who exited Friday’s start against the host Cleveland Guardians after one-plus inning and 17 pitches.
Horton retired the side in order in the first inning before walking Kyle Manzardo on five pitches to open the second. He left the game with the Cubs’ head trainer. The Guardians went on to win 4-1.
“I had some tightness in my wrist and as the game went on, it went into my forearm,” Horton said on Friday. “I wanted to err on the cautious side and not hurt anything else. I just wanted to be smart about it and make a smart decision.”
Horton lowered his ERA to 2.45 on Friday after he yielded two runs in 6 1/3 innings in the Cubs’ 10-2 win over the Washington Nationals on March 28. It is the 24-year-old’s second season in the major leagues.
He was 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA in his rookie season.
Also on Sunday, the Cubs recalled left-hander Riley Martin from Triple-A Iowa and tabbed right-hander Ethan Roberts as the 27th man for Sunday’s doubleheader against the Guardians.
Martin, 28, has yet to pitch in a major league game. He is 24-13 with a 3.76 ERA in 174 career appearances (three starts) in the minors.
–Field Level Media
Amaka Agugua-Hamilton no longer coach at Virginia
Kelly Morrone named women's basketball coach at Albany
