Month: March 2022

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Public prosecutors in Abu Dhabi are calling for the arrest of “all rioters” after a soccer game in the United Arab Emirates erupted into violent scuffles between angry fans of opposing teams. It was a rare scene of chaos in the business-friendly, tourism-focused Gulf Arab sheikhdom. Authorities warned on

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer College basketball fans hungering for a return to normal this March should feel happy. Gonzaga is the tournament’s top seed. Kansas and Arizona are No. 1s and so is Baylor, the defending national champion. Duke and Kentucky are right up there as No. 2 seeds. All that sameness feels

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Sports Writer College sports leaders are working to transform the top tier of NCAA athletics, from how Division I should be governed to what should be required of schools to compete at the highest level. Changing the NCAA could lead to changes in its crown jewel event: the Division

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Ross Colton and Victor Hedman scored in the game’s first six minutes, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made the early goals stand in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks that snapped a three-game skid. Vasilevskiy stopped 35 shots for Tampa Bay, which was coming off a 4-1 loss

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kings’ goaltender Jonathan Quick was playing in his 700th game and stopped Anthony Duclair’s shot during the fifth round of the shootout to give Los Angeles a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. Trevor Moore scored in the fifth round for the Kings. It is

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Auto Racing Writer Eight years after emailing Toto Wolff as an audacious teenager keen to showcase his driving talent George Russell has a chance to show the head of the Mercedes F1 team exactly what he can do on the track. Russell’s opportunity comes next Sunday when the Formula One season

By BEN WALKER AP Baseball Writer A person with direct knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that free agent designated hitter Nelson Cruz and the Washington Nationals have agreed to a one-year contract. Cruz is returning for an 18th major league season at age 41. He hit .265 with 32 home runs and

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez is expected to play for the first time since the season opener Monday night when the defending champions visit the Utah Jazz. Lopez has been out with a back injury that caused him to undergo surgery on Dec. 2. The 7-footer played 70 games for the Bucks

By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark are back in the women’s basketball NCAA Tournament after taking center stage last year in one of the most anticipated women’s Sweet 16 games. Bueckers and UConn are a No. 2 seed in this year’s field. Clark has Iowa back

By ERIC OLSON AP Sports Writer Casual college basketball fans are about to be introduced to one of 2022′s great love him-or-hate him guys. Peter Kiss of Bryant not only has a great name but is the nation’s leading scorer. His team meets Wright State in a play-in game in Dayton, Ohio, Wednesday. Kiss is

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jonas Valanciunas had 32 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans emphatically snapped a four-game skid with a 130-105 victory over the Houston Rockets. Jaxson Hayes scored 21 points for New Orleans and mixed in a pair of 3-pointers with his usual inside

By JUSTIN MARTINEZ Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 21 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies fended off a late push by the Oklahoma City Thunder to earn a 125-118 win. Memphis trailed for a total of 25 seconds. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 18 and Ja Morant had 17 for Memphis. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees have acquired former AL MVP Josh Donaldson and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and backup catcher Ben Rortvedt from the Minnesota Twins for catcher Gary Sánchez and third baseman Gio Urshela. The trade remakes the left side of the Yankees infield and rids

By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, Darcy Kuemper stopped a career-best 46 shots for his fourth shutout of the season and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Calgary Flames 3-0. MacKinnon scored on a power play in the first period and added another goal in the third. Mikko Rantanen

By The Associated Press Dayton, Oklahoma, SMU and Texas A&M have earned top seeds in the National Invitation Tournament. The field also includes Virginia, which won its first national title in 2019. The Cavaliers are hosting Mississippi State in what could be the last game for Bulldogs coach Ben Howland. He’s 134-97 in seven seasons

By ALLAN KREDA Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Palmieri scored twice, Ilya Sorokin made 39 saves and the New York Islanders capped a six-game homestand by beating the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 for their third straight win. Zach Parise had the other goal for the Islanders. Sorokin made 11 saves in the first period,

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Roman Josi scored twice to establish a career high with 17 goals for Nashville. He led the Predators past Minnesota 6-2 to spoil the start of a franchise-record nine-game homestand for the Wild. Filip Forsberg had two goals and an assist, Philip Tomasino added

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Tight end Zach Ertz re-signed with the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, agreeing to a three-year contract. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The 31-year-old Ertz had 56 catches for 574 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games with the Cardinals last season following an October trade with Philadelphia. Ertz tied the

By AARON BRACY Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cole Caufield scored 2:10 into overtime to give the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night in a matchup of last-place clubs. Rem Pitlick tied it for Montreal with 42.1 seconds left in regulation with a short-handed goal.  Montreal snapped a

By STEVE OVERBEY Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Pierre Luc-Dubois scored in overtime and Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves in the Winnipeg Jets’ 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night. The Jets broke a two-game losing streak and have won 10 of their last 12 games in St. Louis. The Blues

Arizona earned the No. 1 seed in the South Region and will open against the winner of the play-in game between Wright State and Bryant. The second-ranked Wildcats have won 15 of 16. Villanova, Tennessee and Illinois round out the top four seedings. 

By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer Last season’s NCAA Tournament ultimately unfolded in familiar fashion. Upsets early, then the powerhouses eventually took over. By the time the championship game rolled around, undefeated Gonzaga and twice-beaten Baylor were playing for the title. This year, it’s Gonzaga and Arizona who appear to be a cut above the

By MITCH STACY AP Sports Writer COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Eighteen-year-old rookie Cole Sillinger recorded the first hat trick of his NHL career, Elvis Merzlikins made 23 saves and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Vegas Golden Knights 6-4. Sillinger scored once in the first period and twice in the second and Oliver Bjorkstrand assisted

HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — Luis Amarilla scored an all-important goal while Dayne St. Clair stopped the six shots he faced as Minnesota United earned a 1-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls. United improved to 1-0-2 following the victory and the Red Bulls dropped to 2-1-0.

By GEORGE HENRY AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young scored 33 of his 47 points in the first half, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers 131-128. Atlanta had seven players score in double figures and shot 54.8% from the field. Danilo Gallinari and De’Andre Hunter had 15 points apiece, and Kevin

By DICK SCANLON Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Joel Embiid had 35 points and 16 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers kept rallying, finally beating the Orlando Magic 116-114 in overtime. Down by 17 points in the first half and trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter, the Sixers were behind 113-109 with 1:25 left

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer First-year Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd has the Wildcats’ rapid rise to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats were unranked to start the year and weren’t expected to contend for the Pac-12 title. Lloyd took over a program trying to emerge from the shadow of a

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Pro Football Writer Two people with knowledge of the deal say the Dallas Cowboys have agreed on a long-term contract with receiver Michael Gallup a day after trading Amari Cooper to Cleveland. Gallup is returning on a $62.5 million, five-year contract. The Cowboys are sending Cooper to the Browns to save

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Andrey Rublev beat Dominik Koepfer 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open. The Russian’s record improved to 15-2 this year with his 10th straight victory. Rublev trails only Rafael Nadal’s mark of 16-0 on the season, having won titles in Dubai and Marseille. The seventh-seeded Russian

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer Dawn Staley and South Carolina are once again a No. 1 seed in the women’s basketball NCAA Tournament — a familiar role for the Gamecocks. South Carolina earned the the top overall seed in this year’s tournament field, which was announced Sunday night. The Gamecocks have been No. 1

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics retired Kevin Garnett’s No. 5 in a postgame ceremony after a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Garnett let out a couple of curses and even a few tears as he became the 24th Celtic with a retired number. Former teammate and fellow Hall

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brad Boxberger will be back in the Milwaukee Brewers’ bullpen this season. The Brewers have agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year deal with the right-hander. Boxberger gets a $1.75 million salary this year, and the deal includes a $3 million club option for 2023 with a $750,000 buyout. He had become a

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Three-time Funny Car season champion Matt Hagan gave Tony Stewart Racing its first NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series victory Sunday, racing to his first career win at the historic Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. In the final round, Hagan powered his Dodge Charger Hellcat SRT to a run of 3.910-seconds at

ATLANTA (AP) — Jake Mulraney scored the game-winning goal in Atlanta United’s 2-1 win over Charlotte FC. United improved to 2-1-0 after the victory and Charlotte dropped to 0-3-0.

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Pro Football Writer The Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins have agreed to a one-year contract extension. Cousins was scheduled to carry a salary cap charge of more than $45 million. That made it imperative for the Vikings to reduce that number either by trading him or extending him with a

By JACK THOMPSON Associated Press GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Luis Robert bounced back from a serious hip injury to enjoy a strong final two months as the Chicago White Sox rolled to a second straight playoff berth and an AL Central championship. After a quick exit at the hands of the Houston Astros, the White

By BILL WHITEHEAD Associated Press PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Steve Cohen heard that baseball’s new $290 million luxury tax level was named after him.“It’s better than a bridge being named after you,” the New York Mets owner said as spring training camp opened after a 25-day delay caused by Major League Baseball’s lockout.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Colorado State has amended the contract of basketball coach Niko Medved in a move that would keep him in charge of the Rams through the 2028-29 season. Medved’s new deal was announced just as the Rams found out they would be making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013. The

By JASON P. SKODA Associated Press MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Brent Honeywell Jr. made his anticipated big league debut with Tampa Bay last season, reaching the majors after years of injuries and rehab work. Now he wants more — with the Oakland Athletics. Honeywell, once considered a top pitching prospect, was traded to Oakland for

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer Baylor is the No. 1 seed in the East Region as the NCAA Tournament begins. The defending national champion Bears open their repeat bid against Norfolk State. The Bears open the tournament Thursday close to home in Fort Worth, Texas.  The path out of the region incudes potential games

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady’s retirement lasted 40 days. Brady said Sunday he’s returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his 23rd season in the NFL. The seven-time Super Bowl champion announced his decision on Twitter and Instagram, saying he has “unfinished business.” “These past two months

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer We finally have a March featuring NCAA Tournament games with no crowd restrictions at sites across the country. The notable upsets and buzzer-beating shots that highlighted conference tournaments this week offered just an appetizer of what to expect. The tournament begins with Indiana facing Wyoming and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

HAMILTON, Ontario (AP) — Vinnie Hinostroza had two goals and an assist, Peyton Krebs also scored twice and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 in the Heritage Classic outdoor game. Tage Thompson added an empty-net goal and Craig Anderson made 36 saves in the Sabres victory at a windy Tim Hortons Field,

NICE, France (AP) — Former Tour de France runner-up Primoz Roglic has won the Paris-Nice race for the first time while British rider Simon Yates clinched the eighth and final stage after a fierce attack. Yates accelerated up the Col d’Eze near Monaco and Roglic initially struggled before standout teammate Wout van Aert helped the

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Basketball Writer Top-ranked Gonzaga has earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. The Zags are No. 1 in a West Region that includes Duke in coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final NCAA Tournament, No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 4 Arkansas. Gonzaga reached the NCAA

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Basketball Writer LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas fought its way through arguably the toughest league in college basketball this season, ultimately sharing the Big 12 regular-season title with Baylor before romping past Texas Tech to win the conference tournament. Maybe it’s karma that the Jayhawks could have the easiest path of

By THERESA SMITH Associated Press GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Once he determined his left elbow was totally healthy, first-time free agent Clayton Kershaw narrowed down his choice: Stay with the Los Angeles Dodgers or remain home in Texas with the Rangers? The deciding factor, the longtime LA ace said, was the Dodgers’ championship caliber roster

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills addressed a key depth need at receiver days before the start of free agency by re-signing Isaiah McKenzie to a two-year contract. McKenzie returns for a fifth season in Buffalo, where his speed and versatility allowed him to create a play-making

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer The March Madness bracket is out. Gonzaga received the top overall seed, with Arizona, Kansas and defending champion Baylor joining the Zags as top seeds. Early round games in the 68-team tournament start Tuesday. The nets come down for the final time on April 4 at the Final Four

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer Georgia has hired Mike White from Florida to provide new leadership to its basketball program only three days after firing Tom Crean. White’s hiring was approved by Georgia’s athletic association’s executive board in a telephone meeting Sunday. White was 142-88 in seven seasons at Florida, including a 72-52 mark

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — Luka Doncic returned from a hamstring scare to hit a tying 3-pointer with a 1:21 left, Spencer Dinwiddie made the winner with nine seconds to play and the Dallas Mavericks spoiled Kevin Garnett’s special day by beating the Boston Celtics 95-92 on Sunday. With Garnett courtside