Sports
Top 25 roundup: Dayton hands No. 2 UConn 3rd straight loss
Nov 26, 2024; Lahaina, Hawaii, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts to play as his team takes on the Colorado Buffaloes during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images Enoch Cheeks scored eight of his 20 points during a critical stretch late in the second half on Wednesday as Dayton sent two-time defending national champion and second-ranked UConn to an 0-3 finish at the Maui Invitational with an 85-67 romp in the seventh-place game at Lahaina, Hawaii.
The Flyers (6-2) went on a 7-0 run, capped when Javon Bennett found Cheeks open in transition for a 3-pointer that extended Dayton’s lead to 69-57 with 4:27 to go. Cheeks’ jumper with three minutes to play made it 77-61 and put the game away.
The win was Dayton’s first at the tournament, after losses by two points to No. 12 North Carolina and five points to No. 5 Iowa State during their previous two games.
UConn (4-3) entered the event with a 17-game winning streak but came up short by two points in overtime against Memphis and by one point against Colorado. The three losses in Maui equal the total number of defeats the Huskies took in the 2023-24 season.
West Virginia 86, No. 3 Gonzaga 78 (OT)
Javon Small scored 31 points to rally the Mountaineers past the Bulldogs in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, in Nassau, Bahamas.
Amani Hansberry added a career-high 19 points and eight rebounds for West Virginia (4-1), which advances to the semifinals Thursday against another surprise first-round winner, Louisville, which stunned No. 14 Indiana.
Braden Huff scored 19 points and Khalif Battle added 16 points for Gonzaga (5-1), which settles for a consolation-round game Thursday against Indiana.
No. 4 Auburn 90, Memphis 76
Johni Broome posted 21 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots to lead Auburn over Memphis in a battle of Tigers to win the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Dylan Cardwell made each of his eight field-goal attempts and finished with a career-high 18 points for Auburn, which never trailed. Auburn (7-0) shot 56.7 percent from the field as a team.
PJ Haggerty was 11 of 20 from the field and led Memphis (6-1) with 27 points and nine rebounds. Colby Rogers and Dain Dainja each finished with 15 for Memphis.
No. 5 Iowa State 99, Colorado 71
Milan Momcilovic scored 18 of his career-high 24 points in the first half and the Cyclones rolled to a victory over the Buffaloes in the fifth-place game of the Maui Invitational at Lahaina, Hawaii.
Curtis Jones scored 19 points and Keshon Gilbert had 15 with six assists as the Cyclones (5-1) rebounded to win consecutive games after a heartbreaking defeat to No. 4 Auburn in the first round. Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Dishon Jackson each scored 10 points.
Julian Hammond III scored 20 points and Andrej Jakimovski added 18 for the Buffaloes (5-2), who were coming off a victory over No. 2 UConn in the second round of the tournament Tuesday.
No. 7 Tennessee 78, UT-Martin 35
The Volunteers outscored the Skyhawks by 28 points in the second half to rout visiting UT-Martin in Knoxville, Tenn.
Chaz Lanier scored a game-high 18 points for the Volunteers (7-0), who expanded on a 35-20 halftime lead with a 43-15 second half. Felix Okpara had 10 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, helping Tennessee command the paint along with Igor Milicic Jr., who added nine points and 13 rebounds. Zakai Zeigler nearly had a double-double with 11 points and nine assists.
UT Martin (2-5) was cold coming out of the locker room after halftime, missing its first eight shots. For the game, guard Josu Grullon led UT Martin with 15 points. The leading scorer in the Ohio Valley Conference entering Friday at 18.2 points per game, Grullon has not started any game for head coach Jeremy Shulman.
No. 9 Alabama 95, Rutgers 90
Mark Sears scored 24 points and the Crimson Tide hung on to top the Scarlet Knights at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
Alabama (6-1) survived a career-high 37 points from Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper and advanced to face Oregon in the championship game on Saturday. Rutgers (5-2) will play a to-be-determined opponent on Saturday.
The Crimson Tide’s Grant Nelson added 17 points and nine rebounds along with a key defensive stop on Harper down the stretch as Alabama saw its lead whittled to one multiple times but held on.
No. 10 Marquette 94, Stonehill 59
David Joplin scored 27 points and Kam Jones and Damarius Owens added 14 apiece as the Golden Eagles rolled past the Skyhawks in Milwaukee.
Marquette (7-0) gained control with a 17-7 run to end the first half for a 51-31 lead at the break, a season high for first-half points.
Amir Nesbitt had 14 points and Hermann Koffi added 13 for Stonehill (4-5), which was without leading scorer Josh Morgan (15.4 points per game). Morgan had been playing through a foot injury but was held out against Marquette, the team announced.
Michigan State 94, No. 12 North Carolina 91 (OT)
Xavier Booker scored four of his 12 points in a critical stretch of overtime and the Spartans outlasted the Tar Heels in the third-place game at the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Tre Holloman’s 19 points led Michigan State (6-2). He also dished seven assists. Fears added six assists to go with his 13 points, and Jaden Akins scored 14 points before fouling out. Booker was part of a three-man contingent off the bench to step up, joining Coen Carr (14 points) and Frankie Fidler (13).
Drake Powell came off the bench to lead North Carolina (4-3) with 18 points. He shot 4 of 6 from beyond the 3-point arc, leading the Tar Heels to an 11-of-23 performance shooting from deep.
Louisville 89, No. 14 Indiana 61
Chucky Hepburn posted his first career double-double to lead the Cardinals past the Hoosiers in the quarterfinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis at Nassau, Bahamas.
The senior guard, who transferred from Wisconsin, scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and added career highs of 10 assists and seven steals. He was one of four to score in double figures for the Cardinals (4-1).
Malik Reneau led the Hoosiers (4-1) with 21 points. However, Indiana’s two leading scorers struggled. Mackenzie Mgbako had just eight points on 2-of-7 shooting, and Myles Rice made only 1 of 11 from the field to finish with three.
No. 16 Cincinnati 77, Alabama State 59
Led by four double-figure scorers, the Bearcats posted a pair of 10-point runs in the first half in a win over the visiting Hornets.
Simas Lukosius had 16 points on four 3-pointers and dished out four assists for the Bearcats (6-0), who led by as many as 27 but shot below 50 percent (44.9) for the first time all season. Jizzle James (13 points, eight rebounds, five assists), Dillon Mitchell (10 points, eight rebounds) and Aziz Bandaogo (10 points, nine rebounds) rounded out Cincinnati’s high-scoring group.
Amarr Knox led Alabama State (3-4) with a game-high 24 points and added five rebounds. He was held to only seven second-half points as the Hornets shot 6-for-28 from the field after the intermission.
No. 17 Baylor 91, New Orleans 60
Jayden Nunn scored 23 points and the Bears delivered a 3-point shooting spectacle while never trailing against the Privateers in a nonconference game in Waco, Texas.
Nunn made seven 3-pointers and the Bears (5-2) made 15 of their 37 tries from 3-point range. Robert Wright scored 18 and Norchad Omier added 12 points and 13 rebounds as Baylor took advantage of the outmanned Privateers (2-5) to bounce back from a 77-62 loss to Tennessee on Friday.
Dae Dae Hunter scored 18 points to lead the Privateers, who committed 16 turnovers to the Bears’ six, leading to a 16-point disparity in points off turnovers.
No. 20 Texas A&M 77, No. 21 Creighton 73
Wade Taylor IV hit for 18 points and Henry Coleman III had a key dunk and a free throw in the final seconds as the Aggies came from behind to beat the Bluejays in pool play at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
Texas A&M (5-2) trailed by four points at halftime but took the lead little more than two minutes into the second half, then played a back-and-forth contest the rest of the way, with Solomon Washington’s second-chance layup and free throw with 35 seconds left giving the Aggies the lead for good.
The Bluejays (4-3) drew within a point with 22 seconds to play, but Texas A&M stoked its advantage to three on a ringing dunk by Coleman with 16 seconds to play and put it away with his free throw with nine seconds left.
Michigan 78, No. 22 Xavier 53
Danny Wolf scored a season-high 20 points as the Wolverines had big scoring runs in both halves to top the Musketeers in the championship game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Florida.
Vladislav Goldin scored 18 points and Tre Donaldson added 13 points to boost Michigan (6-1), which geared up for the start of Big Ten Conference play next week.
Ryan Conwell had 19 points and Zach Freemantle chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds to pace Xavier (6-1). The Musketeers shot 34.5 percent and committed 19 turnovers.
No. 24 Arizona 104, Davidson 71
Anthony Dell’Orso had 21 points as Arizona topped Davidson in a matchup of Wildcats in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Caleb Love finished with 20 points as Arizona (3-2) snapped the first two-game losing skid in Tommy Lloyd’s first four years as head coach. Arizona will play Oklahoma, which beat Providence 79-77, in a semifinal game on Thursday.
Davidson (4-1) was led by Connor Kochera’s 20 points. Bobby Durkin added 15 in the loss.
–Field Level Media
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.
Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.
It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.
“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”
While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.
“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.
“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”
Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”
As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.
“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”
When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.
“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.
But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.
Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.
“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”
Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.
The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.
“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”
Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.
The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.
Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.
Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.
Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.
Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.
“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”
New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.
Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.
Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement
Aug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.
Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.
Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.
The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.
Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.
–Field Level Media
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
