North Carolina State assistant Adam Howard is the new head coach at Troy, the school announced Saturday night.

Howard replaces Scott Cross, who left after the NCAA Tournament to become head coach at Georgia Tech. Cross finished his seven-year tenure with five straight 20-win campaigns.

Troy went 22-12 this season and reached the NCAA tourney for the second straight season. The Trojans, seeded 13th, were routed 76-47 by Nebraska in the first round of this year’s tournament.

Howard will look to continue the success. He had a two-season stint as an assistant with Troy (2016-18) earlier in his career with the Trojans qualifying for the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Last season was Howard’s lone campaign at NC State, which went 20-14 and reached the NCAA Tournament before losing to the Texas in the First Four. Wolfpack coach Will Wade departed for LSU after the season.

Howard’s other stops as an assistant coach include Southern Miss (2012-14), Tennessee (2014), South Alabama (2018-22) and Nebraska (2022-25).

Howard resigned at Tennessee in November 2014, citing personal reasons, during a time when he and then-Volunteers coach Donnie Tyndall were being investigated by the NCAA for recruiting violations at Southern Miss, where Tyndall was previously the head coach.

–Field Level Media

The St. Louis Blues continued their dominant March with a 5-1 thumping of the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

The win marked St. Louis’ fourth in a row as they improved their March record to an NHL-best 10-1-2.

The Blues (31-30-11, 73 points) scored three in the third after Jake McCabe brought it back within one for the visitors. Dylan Holloway had a two-point game two nights after he scored the overtime winner against San Jose. Jake Neighbours, Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas also had multi-point games

Jordan Binnington stopped 12 of just 13 shots for the Blues while Joseph Woll turned away 33 of 38 shots for the Maple Leafs (31-30-13, 75 points).

Jimmy Snuggerud opened the scoring 5:21 into the second period, beating Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly to Cam Fowler’s slick feed through the slot. The goal boosted Snuggerud to second in rookie scoring since the new year. Former Leafs defenseman Justin Holl nabbed his first as a Blues player about five minutes later, tipping Kyrou’s point shot past Woll through a high screen to make it 2-0.

McCabe brought it back within one early in the third, flicking a seemingly innocent snap shot from the sideboards past an unsuspecting Binnington. The goal extended an unlikely point streak to three games for the stay-at-home defenseman.

The Leafs had some cause for excitement after Blues defenseman Theo Lindstein took a penalty for holding just over a minute later. Pius Suter was quick to disrupt their momentum with a short-handed goal off a feed from Thomas. Toronto was caught flat-footed on its own power play, with three Leafs opting to challenge Thomas in the corner instead of Suter in the high slot.

Kyrou recorded a second assist two-and-a-half minutes later, sliding a pass under the stick of Jacob Quillan and onto the tape of Holloway, who wristed it past Woll blocker side. Philip Broberg then made it 5-1 late on the power play.

The Maple Leafs were awarded a four-minute power play in the first period when Jack Finley was issued a double minor for high-sticking Quillan. Toronto failed to capitalize on the opportunity and only managed four shots through the first 20 minutes.

Toronto’s best chance of the opening frame came off the stick of Matias Maccelli after William Nylander stripped Pavel Buchnevich of the puck to spark a two-on-one. Binnington came across just in time to thwart Maccelli’s five-hole tuck.

–Field Level Media

Stewart Cink ended the Hoag Classic’s second day with as great a flourish as possible, scoring a two-shot albatross on the par-5 18th, giving him a two-shot lead at 14 under at Newport Beach (Calif.) Country Club.

“It was a heck of a walk-off,” Cink said.

Cink nailed a great drive, then sank a 205-yarder using his 6-iron. The veteran golfer said later he knew he hit his second shot well, but he wasn’t sure on location until the crowd reacted.

Cink then reacted himself, posing to flex his muscles to cap off his 9-under-par 62.

“That’s not something we practice. That’s a rare thing that happens,” Cink said of his celebration following the conclusion of his round. “We try not to let the results matter, but when you get a result like that especially at the end of the day, I don’t have to hit another shot, I can’t mess up the next hole.

“So, that’s a cool moment to have happen right there on the 18th hole with the crowd. This is a great crowd here.”

Cink’s big moment overshadowed a great day overall for the five-time Champions tourney winner. Cink also had seven birdies while suffering a single bogey.

That left Cink two shots ahead of the field.

Closest in pursuit are Sweden’s Freddie Jacobson and New Zealand’s Steven Alker, who shot matching 66’s and are tied for second at 12 under.

“I love the course and I also love the area. It’s beautiful,” Jacobson raved about his surroundings. “Tried to swing down by the ocean, we might be looking at hopefully some surfing on Monday. Try to sneak that in.”

South Africa’s Ernie Els and Tim Petrovic each carded a 65 to remain tied at 11 under in fourth place.

Four golfers are tied for sixth at 10 under: David Toms (66), Australia’s Cameron Percy (66), Bo Van Pelt (67) and Brian Gay (69).

Day 1 leader Paul Goydos had a rough day, weathering four bogeys while netting a solitary birdie to settle for a 3-over 74, dropping him into a tie for 21st.

Reigning champion Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain built off a 1-under 70 Friday to go 7 under on Saturday (64), lifting him into a tie for 12th at 8 under.

–Field Level Media