Sports
UCF erases late 8-point deficit to edge Cincinnati in Big 12
Mar 11, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; UCF Knights center John Bol (7) reacts at the end of the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images Riley Kugel scored 15 points that included two baskets that helped send the game into overtime and John Bol added four huge free throws in the extra period as UCF outlasted Cincinnati, 66-65, in a Big 12 tournament second-round game on Wednesday afternoon in Kansas City.
The eighth-seeded Knights (21-10) advanced to the quarterfinals and a matchup with top-seeded Arizona on Thursday afternoon. Cincinnati (18-15), which took an 8-point lead with 2:17 left in regulation, suffered a crushing blow to its NCAA Tournament hopes.
Jamichael Stillwell led the Knights with 17 points and 15 rebounds while Bol added 13 points.
Moustapha Thiam paced Cincinnati with 18 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks. Day Day Thomas added 15 points, Jalen Celestine scored 11 and Keyshuan Tillery hit for 10.
Cincinnati led by 12 midway through the second half, but Kugel’s layup cut the margin to 53-50 with 2:57 play. Celestine canned a 3-pointer and Thomas added a pair of free throws with 2:17 to go to build the Bearcats’ advantage back to eight points.
But UCF ruled the final stretch, scoring the final eight points as the Bearcats committed three consecutive turnovers. Kugel forged a 58-58 tie with his driving layup with 1:02 to go.
Cincinnati missed two shots in the final minute, including Thomas’ 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Bol canned his four free throws over the first 3:02 of the overtime, with the final pair giving the Knights a 66-62 lead. Thomas responded with a ringing 3-pointer to cut the margin to 66-65, but the Bearcats were doomed by a turnover (their 19th of the game) with 40 seconds to play as UCF held on.
Cincinnati used an early 11-0 run, capped by Thomas’ jumper at the 15:22 mark, to seize an 11-2 lead. The Bearcats expanded their advantage to 19-9 after a jumper by Tillery with 8:34 remaining in the half.
UCF reeled off 13 of the next 15 points to take a 22-21 lead when Stillwell converted a layup with 4:12 to play until halftime. Thiam’s 3-pointer with 2:55 remaining leapfrogged the Bearcats to the top again, then Thiam’s 3-point play helped Cincinnati carry a 27-26 edge intto the break.
Thiam led all scorers with 11 points before halftime while Bol’s seven points paced the Knights.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Playoff field finalized for PGL Wallachia Season 7
Dota 2 competitors at the 2025 Esports World Cup. Vici Gaming, BetBoom Team and Tundra Esports secured the final three spots in the PGL Wallachia Season 7 playoffs on Wednesday in Bucharest, Romania.
The double-elimination playoffs for the $1 million Dota 2 tournament begin Thursday. All matches are best-of-three until Sunday’s best-of-five grand final, with the winning team taking home $300,000.
The 16-team group stage concluded with Wednesday’s win-or-go-home matches between 2-2 teams.
Vici Gaming eliminated Xtreme Gaming with a 2-1 win, sandwiching 22- and 51- minute wins on green around XG’s 41-minute victory on green.
BetBoom Team swept Natus Vincere out of the event with 33- and 34-minute victories, both on green.
Tundra Esports rallied to knock out PARIVISION with a 2-1 win. After PARIVISION opened with a 49-minute win on red, Tundra answered with a 55-minute victory on red and a 48-minute triumph on green.
Thursday’s upper-bracket quarterfinals:
–HEROIC vs. BetBoom Team
–Team Spirit vs. Vici Gaming
–Aurora Gaming vs. Team Yandex
–Team Liquid vs. Tundra Esports
PGL Wallachia Season 7 final group-stage standings:
T1. Team Liquid, 3-0
T1. Team Spirit, 3-0
T3. HEROIC, 3-1
T3. Aurora Gaming, 3-1
T3. Team Yandex, 3-1
T6. BetBoom Team, 3-2
T6. Vici Gaming, 3-2
T6. Tundra Esports, 3-2
T9. Xtreme Gaming, 2-3
T9. Natus Vincere, 2-3
T9. PARIVISION, 2-3
T12. Team Falcons, 1-3
T12. OG, 1-3
T12. Yellow Submarine, 1-3
T15. MOUZ, 0-3
T15. Team Nemesis, 0-3
PGL Wallachia Season 7 prize pool:
1. $300,000
2. $175,000
3. $120,000
4. $80,000
5-6. $60,000
7-8. $40,000
9-11. $20,000 — Xtreme Gaming, Natus Vincere, PARIVISION
12-14. $15,000 — Team Falcons, Yellow Submarine, OG
15-16. $10,000 — Team Nemesis, MOUZ
–Field Level Media
Sports
Iowa rides Cooper Koch, 21-0 run to move past Maryland
Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Darius Adams (1) defends Iowa Hawkeyes guard Isaia Howard (23) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Iowa exploded past Maryland in the second half, capitalizing on turnovers and the tandem of Bennett Stirtz and Cooper Koch to advance to the third round of the Big Ten tournament on Wednesday afternoon in Chicago.
Koch wasn’t bothered by a bloody nose, as the freshman forward scored team-best and career-high 19 points, and Stirtz added 17 after a quiet first half. Stirtz also had eight assists and six rebounds.
Koch cashed his fifth 3 of the game in transition to put ninth-seeded Iowa up 59-47 with under seven minutes remaining.
Iowa (21-11) ended a three-game losing streak. The Hawkeyes are first on the court again Thursday with a noon ET against eighth-seeded Ohio State (20-11) at United Center. Iowa defeated the Buckeyes 74-57 on Feb. 25.
Maryland (12-21) had 16 turnovers and missed 14 of its 21 3-point tries.
Isaiah Watts had four 3s and finished with 12 points and Darius Adams scored a team-high 14 for the 17th-seeded Terrapins. Surging scorer Andre Mills was 1 of 13 from the field for Maryland, which trailed by double digits most of the second half.
Iowa took control with a 21-0 run and had Maryland coach Buzz Williams shaking his head with a second timeout in 80 seconds when Stirtz found Koch on the right wing for a 3 — his third of the second half — and buried the Terrapins in a 50-34 hole.
Maryland held Stirtz, the Big Ten’s third-leading scorer at 20.2 points per game, to four points in the first half. He ignited Iowa with back-to-back 3s as part of a the run that staked the Hawkeyes to a 42-34 lead with 14 minutes to play.
Streaky Maryland trailed early but turned to a 2-3 zone defense and knocked down open shots as part of a 15-0 run to build a double-digit, first-half lead, 21-10. Iowa cut it to 26-25 in the final minute of the half with an 11-2 run of its own thanks to Maryland’s eight turnovers in 33 first-half possession.
Maryland started the Big Ten schedule with a 1-10 record. The Terrapins picked up momentum with a close loss to No. 9 Illinois in the regular-season finale and led wire to wire in Tuesday’s tournament victory over Oregon.
–Field Level Media
Sports
KC Current acquire F Penelope Hocking from Bay FC
Nov 2, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Bay FC forward Penelope Hocking (55) dribbles the ball during the first half against Racing Louisville FC at Lynn Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: EM Dash-Imagn Images The Kansas City Current acquired forward Penelope Hocking from Bay FC on Wednesday.
The Current sent $350,000 in intra-league transfer funds to complete the deal for Hocking, 26.
“We are very excited to welcome Penelope to Kansas City,” general manager Ryan Dell said in a statement. “Penelope’s aptitude for scoring goals from anywhere on the field, combined with her ability to create chances for those around her, will only strengthen our attack. Above all, she is a great person and teammate who will positively impact our club on and off the pitch.”
Hocking recorded a team-high six goals and one assist in 18 regular-season matches (10 starts) last season with Bay FC. She scored seven goals with the Chicago Red Stars from 2023-24.
“I’m extremely excited to be joining the Kansas City Current,” Hocking, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, said in the team’s news release. “This is a club with high expectations and high standards, and I’m excited to bring my energy, compete every day and help the team win trophies.”
–Field Level Media
Playoff field finalized for PGL Wallachia Season 7
Iowa rides Cooper Koch, 21-0 run to move past Maryland
