Sports
Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 1 UCLA puts away No. 24 Michigan
Dec 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close during the first quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. The Bruins won 91-54 for Close’s 300 career win. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images Kiki Rice and Lauren Betts led five scorers in double digits as No. 1 UCLA stayed unbeaten by keeping No. 24 Michigan at arm’s length 86-70 in a Big Ten matchup on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Rice posted 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and added 10 assists and three steals. Betts followed with 13 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals as the Bruins (14-0, 3-0 Big Ten) used a 9-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to push their lead to 16. Another 9-0 run a few minutes later sealed the win.
Londynn Jones tallied 13 points and Gabriel Jaquez and Angela Dugalic 12 apiece for UCLA, which shot 55.6 percent from the field.
Freshman Syla Swords scored a career-high 30 points on 11-of-25 shooting for Michigan (10-4, 1-2), which has lost three of its last four games. Olivia Olson contributed 17 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks, and Jordan Hobbs chipped in 10 points.
No. 4 Southern California 75, Nebraska 55
JuJu Watkins poured in 26 points, 11 in the third quarter, as the Trojans pulled away to defeat the Cornhuskers in the Big Ten contest in Los Angeles.
Watkins, who began the day third in Division I by averaging 25.2 points per game, went 7 of 15 from the field and 11 of 12 from the free-throw line. She made 9 of 10 from the line in the third quarter, as USC (13-1, 3-0 Big Ten) outscored Nebraska 20-11 to extend its lead to double digits.
Kiki Iriafen added 14 points, and Rayah Marshall chipped in eight points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals for USC, which extended its winning streak to nine games.
Logan Nissley led the Cornhuskers (10-4, 1-2) with 14 points, and teammate Britt Prince followed with 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
No. 7 UConn 77, Marquette 45
Sarah Strong led four scorers in double digits with 15 points, and the Huskies used a strong second quarter to defeat the host Golden Eagles in a Big East game in Milwaukee.
KK Arnold added 13 points and seven assists off the bench for UConn (12-2, 3-0 Big East). Paige Bueckers entered averaging 20.9 points per game but managed just 12 against Marquette on 4-of-12 shooting. Jana EL Alfy chipped in 10 points, and Strong added seven rebounds and four assists.
Skylar Forbes netted 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting for the Golden Eagles (9-4, 1-1). None of her teammates managed more than six points, and they combined to shoot 26.2 percent from the field. UConn’s Kaitlyn Chen tallied all seven of her points in the second quarter, as the Huskies outscored the Golden Eagles 21-8 to take control of the game.
No. 12 Kansas State 74, Houston 55
The Wildcats saw a double-digit lead slip away in the third quarter but roared back in the fourth to put away the host Cougars for their ninth consecutive victory in the Big 12 clash.
Ayoka Lee, Temira Poindexter and Jaelyn Glenn all scored 15 points for Kansas State (14-1, 2-0 Big 12), with Lee adding nine rebounds and four blocks. Teammate Serena Sundell chipped in with 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Trailing by one point with one minute gone in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats ran off 21 points to blow the game open. Poindexter had eight points in that spurt.
Eylia Love led Houston (4-9, 0-2) with 16 points and Laila Blair added 12 points and three steals.
No. 18 West Virginia 80, UCF 58
Ja’Naiya Quinerly scored 17 of her season-high 31 points in the first quarter as the Mountaineers built a big lead and coasted past the Big 12 opponent Knights in Morgantown, W.Va.
Syndey Shaw added 19 points and Jordan Harrison contributed 12 points, six rebounds and six assists for West Virginia (11-2, 1-1 Big 12). The Mountaineers led by six midway through the first quarter, but finished on a 17-1 burst, with Quinerly scoring eight and Harrison four.
Khyala Ngodu paced UCF with 14 points and seven rebounds. Kaitlin Peterson was right behind with 13 points, Nevaeh Brown added 12 and Emely Rodriguez 11. The Knights (7-5, 0-2) lost their third straight game.
No. 21 Michigan State 77, Purdue 59
Jocelyn Tate posted a season-high 19 points and added 11 rebounds and three steals, and she led a big second quarter as the Spartans turned back the Boilermakers in East Lansing, Mich.
Grace VanSlooten finished with 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals for Michigan State (12-2, 2-1 Big 10), which ended a two-game losing streak. Ines Sotelo added 16 points and six boards, and Julia Ayrault supplied 11 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Tate netted 10 points in the second quarter as Michigan State (12-2, 2-1 Big 10) outscored Purdue 18-3.
Destini Lombard and Lana McCarthy scored 10 points apiece to pace Purdue (7-7, 0-3), which has lost two games in a row and four of six. Lombard also had four steals and two blocks.
No. 23 Iowa 80, Penn State 68
Taylor McCabe scored 17 points, Addison O’Grady netted 16 and Hannah Stuelke posted a double-double as the Hawkeyes used a late 9-0 run to defeat the Lady Lions in the Big Ten matchup in University Park, Pa.
Stuelke finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists as Iowa (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) won its third straight game. The Hawkeyes shot 52.5 percent from the floor and dominated in bench points (33-10) and paint points (46-26).
Gabby Elliott led Penn State with career highs of 32 points and seven 3-pointers, including two treys early in the fourth quarter as the Lady Lions (9-5, 0-3) were within 63-61 with 7:04 left. A layup by O’Grady and Teagan Mallegni’s three-point play began Iowa’s burst, which pushed the lead to 11 with 4:12 to play.
Lucy Olsen added 11 points for the Hawkeyes, and Gracie Merkle notched 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Lady Lions. Elliott was 12 of 22 from the field, including 7 of 11 from deep.
–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
