Sports
Big Ten title on the line as No. 2 UCLA, No. 4 USC collide
Dec 30, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) keeps the ball from UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images When No. 2 UCLA and No. 4 Southern California meet Saturday in Los Angeles, the Bruins will be in pursuit of payback for their only loss of the season. And as they take their home floor, UCLA knows success will start with containing JuJu Watkins, USC’s standout sophomore.
UCLA (28-1, 16-1 Big Ten Conference) gave up 38 points to the National Player of the Year front-runner Watkins when the teams met at USC on Feb. 13 in a 71-60 win by the Trojans. Watkins shot 6 of 9 from 3-point range, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked a career-high eight shots in what was perhaps the best individual performance of her two sensational seasons as a Trojan.
However, it is more than the outstanding Watkins who has USC (25-2, 15-1) on a six-game winning streak and visiting UCLA with designs on a Big Ten regular-season championship.
The Trojans set up Saturday’s matchup with a 76-66 win over then-No. 25 Illinois on Feb. 23 that showcased USC’s balance. Kiki Iriafen matched Watkins’ team-high with 22 points, and Rayah Marshall had 12 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
The veterans Marshall and Iriafen are averaging 8.7 and 8.2 rebounds per game to lead the Trojans. Iriafen’s 18.2 points per game supplement Watkins’ 24.2, while Marshall helps key a defense holding opponents to just 58 points per game with her team-leading 55 blocks. Watkins has 54.
“A mark of really good seniors is that other people really like them and really feed off them,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “This is what we call ‘Juicy Rayah’ … Really the catalyst for getting us going. And I think Kiki, over the last couple weeks, has hit her stride with confidence.”
Although the Trojans and Bruins are crosstown rivals, they share remarkably similar make-up. UCLA’s 79.2-point per game offense — which is not far off the USC average of 81.9 points per contest — starts with Lauren Betts, one of the most prolific scorers in the Big Ten.
But behind Betts’ 20 points per game, a variety of Bruins have proved capable of chipping in, including Kiki Rice at 12.8 points per game. UCLA also features dangerous 3-point shooters in Londynn Jones, who has made 55 for the season, and Timea Gardiner, who has hit 46 from beyond the arc.
Connecting from the outside with consistency is a crucial weapon for UCLA’s offense to free up Betts’ prolific interior scoring, Bruins coach Cori Close said following a 67-65 win at Iowa on Sunday.
“The bottom line is, it doesn’t matter (who is defending Betts), they’re bringing two, three, four people in there,” Close said of opposing defenses collapsing on Betts. “When we can get one-on-ones, we’ve got to find her, and do it right away.”
Meanwhile, the Bruins are also one of the stingiest defenses in the nation, holding opponents to 56.4 points per game. In the past three outings in its four-game winning streak since losing at USC, UCLA held opponents Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin to 34.5, 36.7 and 38.3 percent shooting from the floor, respectively.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Chris Sale dominant as Braves keep Phillies in a funk
Apr 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Chris Sale worked seven strong innings and Mauricio Dubon provided a two-run single to lift the visiting Atlanta Braves to a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.
Sale (4-1) struck out seven and walked only one, giving up just one run and five hits. Austin Riley, Jonah Heim and Ozzie Albies each had two hits as Atlanta won for the eighth time in 10 games.
The Braves will look to complete a three-game sweep Sunday in the finale with the scuffling Phillies, who have dropped eight of 10. Philadelphia ace Cristopher Sanchez (2-2) gave up three unearned runs in six innings, yielding eight hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.
The game began in exciting fashion, as Ronald Acuna Jr. sent a blast to deep center, only to watch Brandon Marsh leap at the wall to rob a home run.
In the second, Philadelphia’s Felix Reyes launched Sale’s 2-0 fastball over the wall in right field for a home run in his first major league at-bat. However, that was the only offensive highlight for the hosts.
Atlanta promptly bounced back with two runs in the third. Sanchez struck out the first two batters of the frame before the next three hitters reached, including Albies on an error by second baseman Edmundo Sosa.
Riley’s infield hit tied the game, then Dubon’s bloop increased the lead to 3-1.
Sale sat down the Phillies with minimal stress in the third, fourth and fifth innings. He then went through the heart of the Philadelphia order in the sixth, getting Kyle Schwarber on a comebacker to the mound, striking out Bryce Harper and inducing a popup by Adolis Garcia.
Sale struck out two more in the seventh before exiting after 101 pitches.
Dylan Lee took care of the eighth for Atlanta before Robert Suarez logged a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save.
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto exited due to lower back tightness. Rafael Marchan replaced Realmuto in the top of the seventh.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sei Young Kim rides ups, downs to hold lead at LA Championship
Aug 27, 2023; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Sei Young Kim hits out of bunker on the fifteenth green during the final round of the CPKC Women’s Open golf tournament at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images South Korea’s Sei Young Kim endured a rough back nine with four consecutive bogeys on Saturday but retained her lead after three rounds at the JM Eagle LA Championship in Tarzana, Calif.
Ranked No. 10 in the world, Kim had a one-shot lead entering the day and expanded that to two strokes with a 1-under-par 71 to move to 15-under 201 at El Caballero Country Club.
“Oh, wow, it’s feel like, yeah, roller coaster,” Kim said of her round. “I didn’t know still two-shot lead until the last hole. Yeah, after finish I look at the scoreboard and I still (hold a) two-shot lead. OK, one more day. Yeah, I’m going better tomorrow.”
Four players are tied for second at 13 under: Australia’s Hannah Green (5-under 67 on Saturday), Thailand’s Suvichaya Vinijchaitham (67), South Korea’s Ina Yoon (71) and Jessica Porvasnik (68).
Kim shot a blistering 31 on the front nine with five birdies (Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9) and four pars to get to 19 under for the tournament. The back nine, however, was a different story with four pars followed by bogeys at Nos. 14, 15, 16 and 17 before a par on No. 18 for 40.
Kim had carded one bogey in a first-round 65 and followed with a bogey-free 65 on Friday.
She hit seven of 14 fairways on Saturday and 13 of 18 greens in regulation while totaling 28 putts.
“I don’t know forget about (the third round) because I want to keep thinking and then I want to why, why, why, why. I don’t want to make (it) happen again,” Kim said. “But it’s golf. It can be happen again. It’s learn and then learn and learn. Mistake and then learn, yeah. Hopefully, success (at the) end of the day tomorrow.”
Green’s adventurous 67 featured seven birdies and two bogeys. Vinijchaitham made eagle on the par-5 16th hole, and also have five birdies and two bogeys.
Yoon recorded four birdies and three bogeys, while Porvasnik carded seven birdies — including each of the last three holes — to counter a double bogey on the par-3 No. 9 and a bogey at the par-3 No. 15.
“I felt like I was playing pretty well,” Porvasnik said. “Had a hiccup on nine and just kind of kept grinding. Knew that just stay patient out there. It’s playing tough. To have the three birdies to close was just really nice.”
Kim, 33, owns 13 career LPGA victories, but just one in the past six years, at the BMW Ladies Championship last October.
Japan’s Chizzy Iwai had led after a course-record-tying 63 on Thursday, then carded a 68 on Friday to get to 13 under. She carded a 3-over 75 on Saturday to fall to 10 under and a tie for 10th.
Iwai made just one birdie, at the par-4 No. 13, and lost ground with bogeys at Nos. 2, 7, 17 and 18.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cedric Mullins, Rays outlast rain, Pirates in 13-inning win
Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Cedric Mullins’ two-run leadoff home run in the top of the 13th inning made the difference in an 8-7 victory for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Pirates to end a marathon game in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
The four-hour, 12-minute game was the longest of the season in terms of innings played. It was extended by a two-hour, 27-minute weather delay.
Mullins had two hits and three RBIs and Jonny DeLuca had two hits and two RBIs to help the Rays rally from a 4-0 deficit before the delay and win for the seventh time in their past eight games. Mullins’ 403-foot homer to right field came off Yohan Ramirez (2-1).
The Pirates cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the 13th when Konnor Griffin singled home Jake Mangum. But Yoendrys Gomez recovered by striking out Joey Bart with runners on second and third to pick up his second career save and first of the season.
Chandler Simpson, Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda also had two hits each for Tampa Bay, which used seven relievers, capped by Griffin Jax (1-2) and Gomez.
Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna each hit two-run home runs off Rays starter Drew Rasmussen with two outs in the first and fourth innings, respectively, to give the Pirates a 4-0 lead. The game was halted by rain during the ensuing at-bat by Spencer Horwitz.
When play resumed, Cam Sanders took over for Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who threw four scoreless innings, allowed three hits and struck out five on 64 pitches.
The Rays scored five runs in the top of the fifth to take a 5-4 lead.
Sanders walked Hunter Feduccia to open the inning, but appeared ready to get through it unscathed after striking out Taylor Walls and Simpson.
Caminero roped a double to left that scored Feduccia to put the Rays on the board. It was the first of five consecutive hits for Tampa Bay as Aranda drove home Caminero with a single. Two batters later, Aranda and Yandy Diaz scored on a double by DeLuca off reliever Evan Sisk to tie the game at 4. Mullins then drove in the go-ahead run with a single.
–Field Level Media
Chris Sale dominant as Braves keep Phillies in a funk
Sei Young Kim rides ups, downs to hold lead at LA Championship
