Sports
No. 18 Purdue cruises to wire-to-wire win vs. Northwestern
Mar 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Jordan Clayton (11) defends Purdue Boilermakers center Oscar Cluff (45) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff each scored 19 points as it didn’t take long for No. 18 Purdue to end Northwestern’s dreams of a Cinderella run with an 81-68 win in the Big Ten Conference tournament on Thursday in Chicago.
Fletcher Loyer added 14 points and Cluff pulled down 10 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Boilermakers (24-8), who might have limped into the postseason with a 2-4 mark in their last six games, but overwhelmed the 15th-seeded Wildcats (15-19) with a bruising inside game.
Braden Smith scored five points but set a new Big Ten tournament single-game record with 16 assists. Purdue hammered Northwestern inside as it held a 38-18 advantage on points in the paint. The Boilermakers advanced to a quarterfinal showdown Friday with second-seeded Nebraska.
Nick Martinelli scored a game-high 25 points, Jayden Reid contributed 19 points and nine assists and Jordan Clayton chipped in 10 points for the Wildcats. Northwestern shot 42.9% (6 of 14) from three-point range despite not registering their first trey until the second half. The Boilermakers shot 34.8% (8 of 23) from behind the arc.
Purdue never trailed and scored eight of their first 11 points in the paint. The Boilermakers dominated the first half and headed into the locker room with a 24 point lead at 45-21.
A potent inside game gradually opened up space for the Boilermakers’ from three-point distance. Smith nailed a three in transition from the top of the key and moments later, Loyer hit a corner trey for a 19-9 Purdue lead.
But the next two Boilermakers’ buckets came inside for Kaufman-Renn as the Purdue lead stretched to 23-11 courtesy of a 12-4 scoring surge.
When Smith hit Harris in the corner for a three as part of a 10-0 rally – that also featured Kaufman-Renn and Cluff layups and an Omer Mayer trey – the Boilermakers surged to a 33-13 lead.
Martinelli’s three-point play with 16:02 remaining allowed the Wildcats to creep within 52-33. Back-to-back threes from Reid and Clayton highlighted a 16-5 Northwestern run that trimmed Purdue’s lead to 71-57 with 7:00 to play.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Flyers' Noah Cates (lower body) out for rest of series vs. Canes
Apr 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers left wing Noah Cates (27) watches for the puck drop on a third period face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins in game five of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Trailing the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Philadelphia Flyers will be without versatile two-way center Noah Cates for the remainder of the series due to a lower-body injury.
Cates, 27, has four points (one goal, three assists) in eight playoff games following the best offensive season of his career, when he posted 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 82 games.
“I mean, he’s been Mr. Consistency all year. Does a lot of things for us,” coach Rick Tocchet said Wednesday. “But like I said, it’s no different than other teams. Next man up. You’ve heard the drill before.”
Cates averages 16:15 in ice time and is one of the league’s top defensive forwards, as the Flyers averaged only 1.67 goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 during the regular season with him on the ice.
Despite losing Cates, Tocchet is confident in the Flyers’ centermen, including 20-year-old rookie Denver Barkey, who has received more time at the position. Trevor Zegras will return to center as a move “to get him going,” Tocchet said.
Veteran Sean Couturier is a reliable option at the position along with Christian Dvorak, who is expected to play in Game 3 despite an undisclosed injury.
With the Flyers limited to two goals over the first two games, Tocchet is encouraging his players to have a “shot-first mentality” to overcome the Hurricanes’ defensive aggressiveness.
“I think to help some guys out that are struggling against Carolina, they’ve got to have a shot-first mentality,” he said. You’ve got to be able to make a play around them. I think some guys are overpassing and that’s the one thing Carolina’s good at. They make you overpass. But if you throw pucks at the net, beat their aggressiveness, you’re going to get chances.”
The best-of-seven series resumes Thursday night with Game 3 in Philadelphia.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers RHP Tyler Glasnow (back) exits after one inning
May 6, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow (31) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow was removed after pitching one inning against the host Houston Astros on Wednesday with low back pain.
Glasnow allowed a first-inning home run to Brice Matthews and attempted to return in the second. After several warmup pitches, Glasnow, 32, motioned for trainers, who along with manager Dave Roberts removed him from the game.
Glasnow’s first-inning strikeout of Yordan Alvarez was the 1,000th of his career.
A 2024 All-Star with Los Angeles, Glasnow was 3-0 with a 2.56 ERA entering his seventh start this season. He signed a five-year, $136.5 million contract before the 2024 season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo to skip Preakness
Trainer Cherie DeVaux, in red jacket at left, helps lift the Kentucky Derby trophy with Daisy Phipps Pulito (representing Phipps Stable) and Vincent Viola (of St. Elias Stable) after Golden Tempo won the 2026 Kentucky Derby. May 2, 2026. For the second consecutive year, the Kentucky Derby winner will not run in the Preakness Stakes, as Golden Tempo trainer Cherie DeVaux announced Wednesday the horse will skip the second leg of the Triple Crown and compete in the Belmont Stakes next month.
“Golden gave us the race of a lifetime in the Kentucky Derby, and we believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort,” DeVaux wrote in a statement posted to X.
Golden Tempo was a 23-1 long shot on Saturday but made a late charge down the stretch to edge out favorite Renegade. The victory made DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.
Last year, Sovereignty passed on the Preakness, and many trainers feel is too close to the Kentucky Derby — two weeks apart — and makes it difficult to keep a horse healthy for big races in the summer and fall.
The Preakness will be held May 16 at Laurel Park south of Baltimore, due to Pimlico undergoing a grandstand renovation. Pimlico is scheduled to host the 2027 Preakness.
As of Wednesday afternoon, none of the 19 horses who participated in the Kentucky Derby have committed to compete in the Preakness.
The Belmont is slated for June 6 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., due to ongoing construction at the main Belmont Park facility on Long Island, N.Y.
–Field Level Media
Flyers' Noah Cates (lower body) out for rest of series vs. Canes
Dodgers RHP Tyler Glasnow (back) exits after one inning
