Sports category, Page 693
Alabama knocks off top-seeded North Carolina to reach Elite Eight for 2nd time
LOS ANGELES — Grant Nelson converted a go-ahead three-point play with 38 seconds remaining, and Alabama beat top-seeded North Carolina, 89-87, on Thursday night to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history. Nelson finished with a season-high 24 points, 19 in the...
Purdue ends Duquesne’s season in Women’s NIT round of 16
Abbey Ellis had 15 points, six rebounds and four assists to lead Purdue to a 71-50 victory over Duquesne on Thursday night, ending the Dukes’ season in the final 16 of the Women’s NIT. Sophomore Jerni Kiaku led Duquesne with 19 points. Chartiers Valley grad Megan McConnell recorded the 10th...
Penn State advances to semifinals of inaugural WBIT
Ashley Owusu scored 24 points and Peters Township grad Makenna Marisa added 22 as Penn State advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament with a 92-87 win over Mississippi State on Thursday night. Penn State (22-12) will meet Villanova at 2:30 p.m. Monday at Hinkle Fieldhouse...
Top-seeded Houston preps for Duke in Sweet 16 matchup
DALLAS — Houston is home in the Lone Star State, playing as a No. 1 seed in the South Region and in the Sweet 16 for the fifth NCAA Tournament in a row. With All-America point guard Jamal Shead, big man J’Wan Roberts and coach Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars are...
For Gonzaga, Sweet 16 means guarding Purdue’s Zach Edey — again
DETROIT — For most teams, facing a 7-foot-4, 300-pound force of nature like Zach Edey is uncharted territory. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Edey is no mystery to them. Twice over the past 16 months, the Zags have faced Edey and Purdue, and twice they have lost...
Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin draws inspiration from parents’ 1st visit to PPG Paints Arena in yearsVideo
Many could relate to the warm feeling that comes from performing well during a sporting event in front of one’s parents. That’s something athletes of all ages cherish. Evgeni Malkin did just that Thursday evening at PPG Paints Arena as the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets, putting on...
Top-seeded UConn blows through another opponent, beating San Diego State to reach Elite EightVideo
BOSTON — Stephon Castle had 16 points and 11 rebounds for top-seeded UConn, and the defending NCAA champion advanced to the Elite Eight with another double-digit victory, beating San Diego State, 82-52, on Thursday night in a rematch of last year’s title game. Cam Spencer scored 18 points, and Tristen...
Clemson upsets No. 2 Arizona, reaches Elite Eight for 1st time since 1980Video
LOS ANGELES — When Clemson has encountered rough stretches this season, coach Brad Brownell has told his team, “We’re built for this, we can handle this.” In their biggest game of the season Thursday night, the Tigers proved their coach correct. Chase Hunter scored 18 points, and Clemson advanced to...
Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby power Penguins past Blue Jackets again
Be it denial or delusion, forward Sidney Crosby hasn’t given up on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2023-24 season. But he’s realistic. “With the position we’re in, I think we just got to take care of ourselves,” Crosby said in Cranberry on Wednesday. “With the amount of teams that are bunched together,...
Jared Triolo delivers winning RBI in 12th, Jose Hernandez earns save as Pirates win opener
The Pittsburgh Pirates got an extra-inning win on Opening Day thanks to a hit by a player in his first season opener and a save by a pitcher who wasn’t even supposed to be on the active roster. Jared Triolo singled in the winning run in the top of the...
Kade Bell shepherding Pitt offense through spring’s ‘growing pains’
Long past anyone else’s 7½-hour work day, Kade Bell is typically still in his office, evaluating another piece of video, working on the next day’s Pitt practice schedule or just formulating new ways to move the football. Finally, it’s time to go home, but sometimes when Bell is leaving the...
Nationals place Stephen Strasburg on 60-day injured listVideo
CINCINNATI — Pitcher Stephen Strasburg was put on the 60-day injured list by the Washington Nationals ahead of Thursday’s opener at Cincinnati. The 2019 World Series MVP has not pitched since June 2022 because of injuries that have derailed his career. He still has three seasons left a $245 million,...
Rays’ Wander Franco placed on administrative leave through June 1 as sexual abuse probe continuesVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay All-Star shortstop Wander Franco was placed on administrative leave through June 1 under an agreement between Major League Baseball and the players’ association while the investigation continues into an alleged relationship with a minor. Administrative leave is not disciplinary under the sport’s joint domestic...
Yankees’ Gerrit Cole placed on 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammationVideo
HOUSTON — New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was placed on the 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammation ahead of Thursday’s opener at Houston. The earliest the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner can pitch in the major leagues is May 27. The team announced March 16 that the...
Star guard Tucker DeVries is transferring from Drake to join his dad at West Virginia
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — New West Virginia coach Darian DeVries brought some reinforcements from Drake. Tucker DeVries sat in the front row for his father’s introductory news conference Thursday as Darian announced that his son, a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, is joining him with the Mountaineers. That...
Duquesne names associate head coach Dru Joyce III as its next men’s basketball coach
In keeping with Keith Dambrot’s wishes — and his strong suggestion — Dru Joyce III was named Duquesne’s next men’s basketball coach Thursday. He replaces Dambrot, who is retiring after seven seasons at Duquesne and 26 as a collegiate head coach. Joyce, 39, has been Dambrot’s associate head coach since...
Former Penguin Alex Nylander, thriving with Columbus, reflects on time in Pittsburgh
Jake Guentzel’s return to Pittsburgh on Tuesday did not mark the end of former players coming back to PPG Paints Arena this week. Forward Alex Nylander, traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets back on Feb. 22, already faced his former team in Pittsburgh for the first time on March 5,...
Henry Davis earns Opening Day start at catcher for Pirates, Connor Joe to bat leadoff at Marlins
Henry Davis, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft, will make the first start behind the plate of his major league career Thursday for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day in Miami. Davis is one of two Pirates players, along with second baseman Jared Triolo, making their...
Aliquippa sues PIAA to prevent football team’s promotion to Class 5A
The school with the most wins in WPIAL football history is hoping its next big victory comes in a courtroom. Aliquippa has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the PIAA from moving its football team to a higher classification where opponents would have much larger enrollments. The lawsuit, which is...
Pirates DFA Canaan Smith-Njigba, 2 others to make Opening Day roster room for pitchers
In the span of a year, Canaan Smith-Njigba went from starting in right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day at Cincinnati to being designated for assignment to make room on the active roster. Smith-Njigba was one of three casualties to clear 40-man roster space before Thursday’s season opener...
Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic scheduled to start 3rd consecutive game
The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic for the third consecutive game in Thursday’s home contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Nedeljkovic’s status following an optional morning skate. Top goaltender Tristan Jarry has served as the backup for the...
Tim Benz: Going over on Pirates’ win total this year is a tough call — and that’s a good thing
Projecting a win total for the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates is difficult, because there is a significant amount of uncertainty over how good or bad this year’s version of the team will be. Strangely, that’s … encouraging? Actually, it really is. After all, in recent seasons, so little has been expected...
U mad, bro?: Still more on Kenny Pickett trade; venting about the state of Steelers, Penguins, Pirates
You didn’t think one week was enough for Pittsburgh to properly expel all of its emotions over the Kenny Pickett trade, did you? Plus, the Penguins are bad, and another season of expected failure for the Pirates is on the horizon. That’s what this week’s “U mad, bro?” is all...
First Call: Steelers projected as landing spot for Dak Prescott in 2025; UFA wide receiver target off the board
Wednesday’s “First Call” positions the Pittsburgh Steelers as a potential destination for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in 2025. Meanwhile, the franchise lost out on a possible acquisition in free agency, but is doing some homework on a Pitt defensive back. And the Penguins have a really good chance of...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Despite poor projections, Pirates plan to surprise people
For all of the focus on their shortcomings at the start of spring training, the Pittsburgh Pirates are out to prove something to their naysayers: They are going to surprise people this season. After back-to-back 100-loss campaigns, the Pirates stunned the baseball world by starting 2023 with the best record...
