Sports
No. 3 Michigan needs to hurdle No. 18 Purdue to repeat at Big Ten champ
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) celebrates a 3-pointer against Wisconsin with guard Nimari Burnett (4)during the second half of Big Ten Tournament semifinal at United Center in Chicago on Saturday, March 14, 2026. With hopes for a shot at another Big Ten tournament title needing a final-minute game-winner, No. 3 Michigan turned to its top scorer to keep winning in the Windy City.
Yaxel Lendeborg and the top-seeded Wolverines will look to repeat as conference tournament champions and lock down a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament when they meet No. 18 Purdue in the championship game Sunday afternoon in Chicago.
On the road last month, Michigan (now 31-2) defeated the No. 7 seed Boilermakers 91-80 behind 17 points from Elliot Cadeau, but Sunday’s matchup came about largely by big shots from Lendeborg.
The 6-foot-9 senior produced two key moments in Saturday’s 68-65 semifinal win over No. 5 seed Wisconsin, the most obvious being a tiebreaking 3-pointer off a pass from Cadeau from the right corner. He buried a 24-footer with 0.4 seconds left in the rematch of last season’s tournament title game.
“(My teammates) strive for me to make plays like that, and I’ve always dreamed of hitting a shot like that,” said Lendeborg, the squad’s leading scorer who totaled 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. “Today was my moment to finally come through, and I did.”
While Lendeborg was crucial at the end, he said his team’s composure was equally important, especially in a first half when the Wolverines made just eight of 30 shots, including his trey at the end of the half to knot it 28-all.
“It’s all about composure, and we talk about how unselfish this team is,” said Lendeborg, the Big Ten Player of the Year. “We all love each other and all play for each other. And Aday (Mara) really got it going, so we decided to play through him, and everybody fell in line.”
Mara produced 16 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and two assists as Michigan survived Wisconsin’s three-quarter-court heave to advance to Sunday’s game.
A win Sunday over the Boilermakers (26-8) would allow the Wolverines to cut down the nets for a fifth time to end the Big Ten tournament, though the 1998 title was vacated due to NCAA sanctions.
Following a 73-66 win over banged up UCLA in the second semifinal, Purdue is a team brimming with confidence over the three tourney games, according to coach Matt Painter.
“(This run) is just building some confidence more than anything,” Painter said of his club, which went 2-4 to close out the regular season dating back to the Michigan setback. “Just trying to execute offensively and be efficient and be better on the basketball from a defensive standpoint.
“When we’re better on the basketball, it really helps us.”
Big man Oscar Cluff has been on the basketball, being the first to come up with it most of the time after missed shots.
He produced his eighth double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday’s win, owning the paint against the Bruins with nine offensive boards.
The 6-foot-11 bearded Australian had eight points in the final 3:41 as Purdue pulled away for the win.
“He’s had some games like that,” Painter said. “He had 10 offensive rebounds against Nebraska in the regular season. He’s been a horse for us, just being physical down there posting up and getting every rebound.”
A win over Michigan would give the Boilermakers their third conference tournament title and first since 2023.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lakers top Nuggets in OT Luka Doncic's last-second shot
Mar 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) controls the ball while under pressure from Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images Luka Doncic hit a baseline jumper with 0.5 seconds left, and the host Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the Denver Nuggets 127-125 in overtime on Saturday night.
Doncic finished with 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his 11th triple-double of the season. With its fifth straight win, Los Angeles clinched the season series against Denver.
Austin Reaves had 32 points, including a bucket in the final seconds of the fourth to send it to overtime. Marcus Smart added 21 points and LeBron James scored 17 for the Lakers.
Smart’s fifth 3-pointer of the night gave Los Angeles a 125-123 lead with 30 seconds left in overtime. Nikola Jokic tied it with 15.1 seconds left but Doncic’s 17-foot fadeaway won it for the hosts.
Jokic had 24 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists for his 27th triple-double of the season and fifth in his last six games. Aaron Gordon finished with 27 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed 20, Cam Johnson scored 18 and Bruce Brown and Christian Braun had 12 apiece for the Nuggets.
Both teams struggled to hit shots in the overtime before Deandre Ayton’s floater gave the Lakers a 122-120 lead. Gordon hit Denver’s first field goal, a 3-pointer with 46 seconds left, to make it 123-122, setting up the final moments.
Hardaway’s 3-pointer to open the fourth gave the Nuggets a 90-87 lead, their first since the opening minutes of the game, and then went ahead 106-98 with 5:13 left.
It was a seven-point Denver lead when Doncic hit a 3-pointer and drained three free throws with 1:57 left to tie it at 109. Gordon hit a corner 3-pointer, Reaves made a driving layup and Smart had a steal and layup to give the Lakers a 113-112 lead with 47 seconds left.
Hardaway hit a corner 3-pointer to put the Nuggets back in front, and Gordon split a pair of free throws to make it 116-113. It was 118-115 when Reaves was fouled with 5.6 seconds left. He made the first, intentionally missed the second, got the rebound and scored to send it to overtime.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lasse Johnsen's debut goal helps Kansas City earn 1st win at Galaxy
Mar 14, 2026; Carson, California, USA; Sporting Kansas City defender Jayden Reid (99) handles the ball while LA Galaxy midfielder Marco Reus (18) defends during the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images Dejan Joveljic scored a goal against his former team and Lasse Johnsen also scored in his MLS debut as Sporting Kansas City earned a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy for their first win of the season Saturday at Carson, Calif.
John Pulskamp made four saves as Sporting KC (1-2-1, 4 points) doubled its goal total on the season after they were shut out twice over the first three weeks. It was the first victory with Sporting KC for new head coach Raphael Wicky.
Marco Reus scored a late goal and Novak Micovic had two saves for the Galaxy (1-2-1, 4 points), who lost their second consecutive MLS match after starting the season with a draw and a win.
Los Angeles played without midfielder Gabriel Pec, who was given a red card in last Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids. Pec scored three goals in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match Wednesday.
Joveljic, who scored 34 goals with the Galaxy from 2021-24, delivered his third of the season just before halftime when he moved into the penalty area, made his way around a Los Angeles defender and scored with his right foot past Micovic.
Johnsen, who was acquired in February from Malmo FF in Sweden, had his debut delayed by visa issues but made the wait worthwhile when he scored in the 74th minute. His score came off a touch pass from Joveljic.
Johnsen’s goal proved pivotal when the Galaxy finally got on the scoreboard in the 82nd minute after an offensive flurry when Pulskamp made a diving save and saw two subsequent shots hit off the right post before Reus was finally able to deliver his first of the season on a header.
Los Angeles forward Joao Klauss was replaced by a substitute in the 63rd minute and held without a goal for the first time in four regular-season games with his new club. Klauss was acquired from St. Louis City FC in a January transfer.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Stijn Spierings lifts RSL with late goal in debut
Mar 14, 2026; Sandy, Utah, USA; Real Salt Lake forward Morgan Guilavogui (9) reacts to a missed shot on goal during the first half against the Austin FC at America First Field. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images Stijn Spierings scored on a swerving, long-range effort in the 88th minute — just six minutes after entering his MLS debut — and Real Salt Lake rallied to a 2-1 victory over visiting Austin FC on Saturday night in Sandy, Utah.
The 30-year-old Dutchman, signed in late January from Denmark’s Brondby IF, is the first player above age 23 to score for Salt Lake (3-1-0, 9 points) this season and the only one in Saturday’s victory, RSL’s third straight.
The Claret-and-Cobalt’s earlier tally was an own goal, created by pressure from Noel Caliskan down the left flank about midway through the first half.
Jon Bell scored early for Austin (1-2-1, 4 points), which lost its third straight match in Salt Lake and fifth out of six since the Verde joined MLS in 2021.
Brad Stuver made seven saves in an exceptional performance, but could not keep Spierings’ effort from knuckling into the bottom-left corner.
Diego Luna, RSL’s 2025 leading scorer and an American World Cup hopeful, made his season debut off the bench in the 70th minute after missing the first three games with a knee injury.
Luna nearly broke the tie in the 87th minute on a strong RSL attack down the left, his effort blocked off the line by defender Brendan Hines-Ike.
But Spierings sprung to life a minute later, taking a throughball from center back Justen Glad in stride, turning his hips and immediately firing toward the target from beyond the penalty area before sighting the goal.
Bell put Austin in front at 18 minutes from a set piece. Facundo Torres provided the in-swinging ball on a free kick from the left flank about 12 yards beyond the penalty area.
Bell rose above Sergi Solans near the far post and powered a header back across the goal, bouncing off the turf before it nestled inside the left post.
The advantage lasted only six minutes before Caliskan’s pressure resulted in an equalizer.
After playing a give-and-go with Juan Manuel Sanabria down the left, Caliskan drove in a menacing left-footed cross.
Defender Oleksandr Svatok tried to volley it clear of the area while retreating toward his line. Instead, he hammered it past Stuver into his own net from close range.
–Field Level Media
