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No. 3 Illinois outlasts conference rival Iowa to head back to Final Four

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament Elite Eight-South Regional-Iowa at IllinoisMar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) and guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) and forward Ben Humrichous (3) and guard Keaton Wagler (23) react in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

HOUSTON — Freshman Keaton Wagler scored a game-high 25 points, Andrej Stojakovic added 17 off the bench, and third-seeded Illinois secured its first Final Four berth in 21 years with a 71-59 victory over Big Ten rival Iowa on Saturday in the South Region final of the NCAA Tournament.

Illinois (28-8) seized control of a back-and-forth second half with a 10-1 run that yielded a 60-52 lead with 4:06 left. The ninth-seeded Hawkeyes (24-13) and Illinois combined for 13 lead changes and seven ties in the second half until the Fighting Illini took control, first with consecutive post baskets from Tomislav Ivisic. Then, Wagler and Stojakovic finished the job.

Stojakovic completed a three-point play with 3:16 left to answer a 3-pointer from Isaia Howard and extend the Illinois lead to 63-55. After Stojakovic added a baseline layup, Wagler converted a pair of free throws with 1:12 remaining to build the lead to 67-59. Stojakovic added five rebounds to his ledger while Wagler finished 7 of 7 from the line and added three assists.

David Mirkovic posted nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Illinois finished with a 38-21 rebounding advantage and turned 16 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points.

Bennett Stirtz paced the Hawkeyes with 24 points while Sage chipped in 10. Iowa shot just 23.1% in the second half after making 12 of 21 shots before the intermission.

Stojakovic and Wagler helped the Illini overcome a ragged start that resulted in an early double-digit deficit. While Illinois missed its first four shots, Iowa started 5 of 6 and seized a 12-2 lead by the 15:56 mark of the first half, with Combs and Stirtz scoring five points apiece.

But Stojakovic got the Illini going with a second-chance basket, a steal and transition layup through a foul that sliced the deficit to 12-11. Stirtz stalled Illinois’ 9-0 spurt with a pull-up jumper and, after a lengthy delay when the horn stuck with 7:43 left in the half, Stirtz pushed Iowa to a 27-20 lead with consecutive baskets.

When Illinois clawed back to within 27-26, Sage drilled a 3-pointer that extended the Iowa lead to four, an advantage the Hawkeyes held at the intermission. The Illini shot just 37% in the first half but turned 10 offensive rebounds into 11 second-chance points to offset the Hawkeyes’ 57.1% shooting, including 6 of 12 from behind the arc.

–MK Bower, Field Level Media

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Rangers blow lead, rebound to beat Phillies in 10

MLB: Texas Rangers at Philadelphia PhilliesMar 28, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Texas Rangers infielder Corey Seager (5) hits a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Andrew McCutchen and the Texas Rangers rebounded after a late collapse to post a 5-4, 10-inning victory over the host Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.

Corey Seager and Jake Burger hit early home runs for Texas, which lost Thursday’s season opener 5-3 but rallied in this one to give Skip Schumaker his first win as Rangers manager.

Brandon Marsh notched the game-tying hit in the ninth for Philadelphia, which then had an opportunity to win it in the 10th after allowing two runs in the top half of the frame.

Texas reliever Tyler Alexander hit Otto Kemp to open the 10th, putting runners on first and second. With two outs, Bryce Harper’s single made it 5-4 and brought the winning run to the plate. But Alexander got Alec Bohm to pop out to end it.

With Philadelphia trailing 3-0, Bohm singled with two outs in the ninth against Robert Garcia, who then walked Edmundo Sosa to bring the tying run to the plate.

Chris Martin (1-0) came on and appeared to have retired Adolis Garcia, but Burger dropped a wind-swept foul ball that would have ended it. Two pitches later, Garcia flared a double into left to score Bohm.

The next batter was Marsh, who lined a hit into right-center to tie it at 3-3.

The Rangers promptly bounced back against Jhoan Duran (0-1) in the 10th, scoring the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and then tacking on an insurance run on McCutchen’s two-out base hit.

Phillies starter Aaron Nola gave up three runs and five hits over five innings, walking two and striking out seven. He allowed a solo homer to Seager in the first inning and a two-run shot to Burger in the third.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia did not manage a hit against spot starter Jacob Latz, who got the nod because Jacob deGrom woke up Saturday with a stiff neck. Latz allowed just two baserunners – an error and a walk – and struck out three in four scoreless innings.

The Phillies got their first hit in the fifth when J.T. Realmuto reached on an infield single against reliever Cole Winn, but they didn’t manage another hit until there were two outs in the ninth.

–Field Level Media

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Nikolaj Ehlers leads Hurricanes to comfortable win vs. Devils

NHL: New Jersey Devils at Carolina HurricanesMar 28, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) and New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes (43) follow the puck during the third period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and an assist to lead the host Carolina Hurricanes to a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

Jackson Blake, captain Jordan Staal, defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Seth Jarvis also connected for the Hurricanes (46-20-6, 98 points), who have won four of their last five and kept pace with the Tampa Bay Lightning (96 points) for first overall in the Eastern Conference. Taylor Hall had two assists and Brandon Bussi stopped 17 shots.

Timo Meier and Evgenii Dadonov scored for the Devils (37-33-2, 76 points), who had won five of their last six. Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves.

Carolina scored three goals in the second period to take a 3-1 lead.

Ehlers’ power-play goal with 9:50 left tied it 1-1. He scored on a wrist shot from the left circle. Blake then gave the Hurricanes the lead with 6:12 remaining in the middle period when he skated from deep in the left circle, back towards the blue line and then to the inside edge of the left circle and beat Markstrom.

Staal made it 3-1 with 4:47 left in the period on a one-handed tip of Ehlers’ pass.

Carolina had a 15-5 shots advantage in the second period.

Bussi made a big save on New Jersey captain Nico Hischier on a shot from the slot in the middle of the third period.

Gostisbehere scored with 4:35 left when he snapped in a shot from the high slot off the rush after a turnover by the Devils.

Jarvis got his 30th goal into an empty net and short-handed with 2:20 left and Dadonov recorded his first marker as a Devil with 24 seconds remaining.

Meier gave New Jersey a 1-0 lead with 2:54 left in the first period. Off the rush and from the bottom of the left circle,, he converted a cross-crease pass from Dawson Mercer. It was Meier’s third goal in three games and fourth in his last five.

Mercer played in his 400th consecutive contest.

–Field Level Media

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Reds come through in 11th, beat Red Sox for first win of season

Syndication: The EnquirerCincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) gestures after hitting solo home run in the fifth inning between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

Dane Myers singled home automatic runner TJ Friedl from second base with the winning run to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a wild 6-5 win over the Boston Red Sox in 11 innings on Saturday in Cincinnati.

Sal Stewart homered and drove in two, Elly De La Cruz belted his first homer of 2026 and Matt McLain had three hits to lead the Reds to their first win of the season, which was loaded with high drama and controversy.

Cincinnati reliever Connor Phillips (1-0) struck out three and retired all five batters faced in the 10th and 11th for the win. Trevor Story lined into a double play to end the top of the 11th. Right-hander Justin Slaten (0-1) surrendered the game-winning hit to take Boston’s first loss.

With the Red Sox just one out from defeat, Wilyer Abreu homered down the right field line off Cincinnati closer Emilio Pagan in the ninth to tie the game, 5-5.

It was a busy and rough day for home plate umpire CB Bucknor, who had six of his calls overturned by the new ABS system. The Red Sox challenged three through the first two innings and lost twice, losing it for the rest of the game. The Reds won all five of their challenges through seven innings.

Then, with runners on first and second in the eighth, the Red Sox’s Trevor Story was called out on a check-swing strike three by Bucknor with no appeal to the first base umpire. Story and Boston manager Alex Cora argued vehemently and Cora was ejected.

Pagan recorded the controversial final out of the eighth before allowing the game-tying homer with two outs in the ninth.

Former Cincinnati right-hander Sonny Gray made his first start for Boston since being acquired in an offseason trade with St. Louis. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits, striking out five and walking one in four innings. Reds starter Brady Singer also lasted just four innings, giving up three runs on five hits, striking out five and walking two while throwing 74 pitches.

After being blanked on four hits in Thursday’s season opener, the Reds wasted no time breaking through against their former right-hander. Gray labored through a 35-pitch first inning.

The Reds made it 3-0 on an unearned run in the second. Ke’Bryan Hayes reached on a wide throw from shortstop Trevor Story. With two outs, McLain doubled Hayes home. Story atoned with a solo homer to left in the third. Sal Stewart’s first homer of the season to center made it 4-1 Cincinnati.

–Field Level Media

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