Sports
Behind Darius Acuff, Arkansas ends High Point's dreams
Mar 21, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) defends High Point Panthers forward Cam’ron Fletcher (11) in the second half during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images PORTLAND, Ore. — Darius Acuff Jr. had 36 points, Meleek Thomas added 19, and fourth-seeded Arkansas burst 12th-seeded High Point’s tournament bubble, pulling away late for a 94-88 victory over the Panthers in the NCAA Tournament West Region on Saturday.
Acuff scored nine of the Razorbacks’ last 11 points as they broke from a tie at 83-83 in the final three minutes to overcome a 30-point performance from High Point guard Rob Martin.
Acuff had two layups and a 3-pointer in the next two minutes for a 90-83 lead, and High Point never was closer than four.
Billy Richmond III had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Malique Ewin had 14 points and 12 boards for the Razorbacks (28-8), who have won seven in a row and nine of 10. Ewin’s two free throws with 44.4 seconds made it 92-85.
Cam’Ron Fletcher had 25 points and was two rebounds short of a third straight double-double and Terry Anderson had 15 points for High Point (31-5), which had a 15-game winning streak broken after posting the first NCAA Tournament win in school history Thursday.
Panthers Game 1 hero Chase Johnston, whose layup beat Wisconsin, had nine points on 3 of 8 shooting from distance.
Acuff was 11 of 22 from the field and made 11 of 13 free throws. He had six assists.
The Razorbacks, who have advanced to the Sweet 16 in each of coach John Calipari’s two seasons, will meet the winner of Sunday’s Arizona-Utah State game in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday.
Martin was one short of his career scoring high and had five assists before fouling out late.
Martin, Fletcher and Johnston had three 3-pointers apiece. Johnston has made 72 field goals this season, 71 of them 3s.
Johnston turned down a layup and drifted outside for his second three of the first half to give High Point a short-lived 42-41 lead with 17 seconds left half. Acuff followed with two free throws for a 43-42 edge at the half.
Fletcher had 14 points and Martin 12 at halftime for High Point. Acuff led the Razorbacks with 13 points before intermisson.
–Jack Magruder, Field Level Media
Sports
LAFC continue unbeaten start with scoreless draw at Austin
Mar 21, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; LAFC forward Son Heung-Min (7) drives the ball against Austin FC defender Brendan Hines-Ike (4) during the first half at Q2 Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images Los Angeles FC continued its unbeaten and unscored-upon streak to begin the season as it played host Austin FC to a scoreless draw on Saturday.
Both goalkeepers earned clean sheets while saving a combined three shots. LAFC’s Hugo Lloris (two saves) earned his fifth shutout of the campaign and extended his stretch without allowing a goal to 450 minutes while Austin’s Brad Stuver (one save) posted his second clean sheet of the year and the 40th of his MLS career.
LAFC (4-0-1, 13 points) have outscored their opponents 8-0 while earning points in their first five matches of the season and continuing the best start to a season in team history.
Austin FC (1-2-2, 5 points) heads to the year’s first international break on a three-game winless streak.
Los Angeles had the best scoring chances of the game, two of which came in the final minutes. First, Mark Delgado ripped a shot from well outside the box past Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver in the 85th minute that clanged off the crossbar and then out of harm’s way.
A minute later, LAFC’s Son Heung-Min sprinted down the pitch and into the goal mouth before Austin defender Brendan Hines-Ike literally stole the ball off his right foot as Son attempted his shot.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Los Angeles forced Stuver into his only save when Denis Bouanga ripped a shot on net.
Myrto Uzuni had Austin’s final shot on goal four minutes into second-half stoppage time, testing Lloris with a high, twisting shot four minutes which he was forced to leap to bat away. Lloris has now stopped all 16 shots he’s faced this season
LAFC was playing their third game in eight days and was worse for wear, going the entire first half without producing a shot on target while being out-possessed 58%-42% and finishing the opening 45 minutes with a 200-pass discrepancy (368-168).
The Verde didn’t have weariness as an excuse but also did not place a shot on goal in a sluggish first half.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Paxten Aaronson's brace leads Colorado to rout of Sporting KC
Mar 21, 2026; Kansas City, Kansas, USA; Colorado Rapids midfielder Paxten Aaronson (10) celebrates with team mates after scoring against Sporting Kansas City during the second half of the match at Children’s Mercy Park. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Paxten Aaronson scored a brace and Rafael Navarro added a goal and an assist to spark the Colorado Rapids to a 4-1 win over Sporting Kansas City in Kansas City, Kan., on Saturday.
Wayne Frederick scored the go-ahead goal in first-half stoppage time and Darren Yapi had an assist for the Rapids (3-2-0, 9 points).
Shapi Suleymanov found the back of the net on a Calvin Harris assist for Sporting KC (1-3-1, 4 points).
Just before halftime, Dante Sealy’s left-footed curling corner kick was turned away by SKC goalkeeper John Pulskamp’s punch save. But the SKC goalie fell off balance into the net and Frederick tapped in the rebound and Colorado took a 2-1 lead.
In the 12th minute, Aaronson chipped a Yapi pass over a diving Pulskamp as the Rapids took a 1-0.
Rapids’ goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who missed the previous two matches with a shoulder injury, was tested early when he made a kick save off a Dejan Joveljic shot from point-blank range in the 15th minute. In the 19th minute, the Rapids pulled Pulskamp out from the box but Yapi and Navarro had shots turned away.
Suleymanov netted the equalizer when he snuck a left footed shot inside the near post off a lead pass from Harris in the 44th minute.
Early in the second half, Steffen met another test when Suleymanov blasted a shot from just outside the box on a restart that the Colorado keeper turned away. Navarro’s sliding goal in the 71st minute extended the Colorado lead to 3-1.
Colorado poured it on when Navarro slipped a pass back to Aaronson for the brace in the 75th minute as the Rapids took a 4-1 lead .
The match got off to a chippy start, as Manu Garcia was issued a yellow card in the fifth minute as he lingered in front of a Colorado freekick. Even though the teams settled into a rhythm, each team was issued three yellow cards. Colorado racked up 21 fouls and SKC had 17. The Rapids held a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Darius Garland, Clippers win in OT, continue Mavericks' home woes
Mar 21, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; LA Clippers guard Darius Garland (10) looks to pass the ball over Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Daruis Garland scored 41 points with 11 assists and Kawhi Leonard added 34 points as the visiting Los Angeles Clippers ended a four-game losing streak with a 138-131 overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
Derrick Jones Jr. scored 15 points, including two 3-pointers in overtime, as the Clippers (35-36) shot 56.7% from the floor and went 21 of 42 from 3-point range to salvage the final game of a three-game road trip.
While Leonard (ankle) returned from a one-game absence, Los Angeles was without Bennedict Mathurin (toe) for a third consecutive game.
Naji Marshall scored 28 points and Cooper Flagg added 18 points with 10 rebounds and four blocked shots as the Mavericks (23-48) lost their 11th consecutive home game.
P.J. Washington scored 21 points, Marvin Bagley III added 17 and Ryan Nembhard had 13 points with nine assists as the Mavericks shot 47.1% from the floor, while losing their third consecutive game overall and falling to 2-12 since Feb. 26.
Los Angeles thought it had a six-point lead with 1:28 remaining in regulation but the basket from Jones was wiped away on replay because of offensive goaltending.
The Mavericks answered by tying the game 120-120 on a putback from Marshall with 33 seconds remaining. A Marshall steal led to a fastbreak dunk from Washington as Dallas took a 122-120 lead with 24 seconds left.
Leonard tied the game at 122 on a layup with 19 seconds remaining in regulation and the game went into overtime after Washington’s made basket was released after the regulation buzzer.
Jones’ two 3-pointers in overtime, along with one from Garland and a layup from Leonard gave the Clippers a 133-124 lead with 2:48 left in the extra period and they finished off the victory from there.
The Mavericks led by as many as 12 points and had a 72-63 advantage at halftime behind 15 points from Flagg. Garland had 18 points at the half for the Clippers who shot 53.5% over the first two quarters, while the Mavericks shot 51.0%.
–Field Level Media
