U.S./World Sports category, Page 181
William Byron wins wild NASCAR race at remodeled AtlantaVideo
HAMPTON, Ga. — William Byron had a freight train in his rearview mirror. A sitting duck, it seemed. Fortunately for him, all those challengers started jostling against each other rather than working together to take down the leader. While Byron cruised to the checkered flag for the third victory of...
Gabe Kalscheur, No. 11 Iowa State upset Wisconsin to reach Sweet 16Video
MILWAUKEE — Gabe Kalscheur scored 22 points, and 11th-seeded Iowa State surprised Wisconsin in the Badgers’ backyard, advancing to the Sweet 16 with a 54-49 victory Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Penn State transfer Izaiah Brockington added 10 points as the gritty Cyclones used their tough...
Rafael Nadal’s 20-match win streak ends in loss to Taylor FritzVideo
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — American Taylor Fritz upset Rafael Nadel 6-3, 7-6 (5) Sunday to win the BNP Paribas Open and snap the 21-time major champion’s 20-match winning streak this year. Nadal fought off a match point on his serve with a forehand winner to tie the second set 5-all....
Coach K’s Duke beats Tom Izzo’s Michigan State as final ride continuesVideo
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Duke survived some tense moments in the closing minutes against Michigan State and extended Mike Krzyzewski’s final NCAA Tournament run, beating Tom Izzo’s Spartans, 85-76, on Sunday in the Hall of Fame coaches’ bittersweet final tussle. Star freshman Paolo Banchero scored 19 points and muscled in the...
Sam Burns repeat winner at PGA’s Valspar Championship after playoffVideo
PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Sam Burns is a winner again in the Valspar Championship, this time with a lot more stress and plenty of more emotion. Burns holed a birdie putt from just over 30 feet on the 16th hole to beat Davis Riley on the second playoff hole, giving...
Josef Newgarden wins IndyCar race in Texas on final turnVideo
FORT WORTH, Texas — Roger Penske met Josef Newgarden in victory lane with six crisp hundred dollar bills to gift the race winner. He’s got another $300,000 in bonuses for the 300 employees back at Team Penske. The Captain sure knows how to celebrate a monumental victory. Newgarden used the...
Villanova eliminates Ohio State in NCAA Tournament with 2nd-round victory
Eric Dixon has spent too many hours in Villanova’s practice gym — some with teammates shouting and defending, some by himself when the only sound was the bounce of the basketball off hardwood — to have any doubt. He is one of the Wildcats’ least likely candidates to shoot a...
No. 5 Houston ousts No. 4 Illinois to reach NCAA Sweet 16
Houston just kept on dancing Sunday, long after the Cougars saw an opening and pounced. And just like that, they’re headed to their third consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. Taze Moore scored 21 points, and fifth-seeded Houston capitalized on a controversial technical foul call against No. 4 Illinois in the second...
Former Arizona coach, Pitt guard Sean Miller returning to XavierVideo
CINCINNATI — Former Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller returned to Xavier on Saturday, less than a year after the Wildcats fired him amid an ongoing NCAA investigation that’s stretched nearly five years. Miller replaces Travis Steele, his former assistant who was fired Wednesday after four seasons. “Xavier is thrilled to...
Saint Peter’s is 3rd 15 seed in Sweet 16, beats Murray StateVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Saint Peter’s broke the hearts of Kentuckians yet again, getting 17 points from KC Ndefo to beat Murray State, 70-60, on Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and complete its rise from obscurity into the Sweet 16. Two days after tossing eight-time national champion...
Penn State wins 9th NCAA wrestling team title in 11 yearsVideo
DETROIT — Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson successfully defended his heavyweight title in his final college match, Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis became a three-time champion and Penn State completed a dominating run through the NCAA tournament Saturday night. Penn State wrapped up its ninth team title in 11 years hours before...
Well-traveled Sampson leads Houston into 2nd-round matchup against Illinois
When the fourth and final game of a long day of first-round NCAA Tournament action ended Friday at PPG Paints Arena, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson went through all the mandated postgame rigmarole, gathered his belongings and headed back to the team hotel with his players. It already was Saturday morning...
Duke’s Coach K, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo set for final meeting in NCAA TournamentVideo
GREENVILLE, S.C. — In a sport where the only lasting stars are the coaches, few are more recognizable than Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo. Both have spent decades at the top of their profession, with national titles, Final Fours and enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. They’ve...
North Carolina survives, knocks off defending champion BaylorVideo
FORT WORTH, Texas — So much for the idea North Carolina is soft against top-tier competition. These Tar Heels are going to the Sweet 16 after knocking off the defending champions. No, it wasn’t easy. The Tar Heels blew a 25-point second-half lead after Brady Manek was ejected for a...
Ohio State meets Villanova in Pittsburgh with Sweet 16 berth on the line
After two victories at the outset of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, Chris Holtmann and his Butler players were on their way to the school’s first Sweet 16 berth in six years. His phone was buzzing, as victors’ phones often do after a big win. A text message caught his eye...
‘Full-blown chaos:’ NASCAR preps for wild racing at AtlantaVideo
HAMPTON, Ga. — Atlanta Motor Speedway billed its striking changes as a “reimagining” of the venerable track. During a 40-minute practice session, the drivers dealt with the reality of what they’ll be facing Sunday in the NASCAR Cup race. “Full-blown chaos,” Christopher Bell said, sounding like he was finally able...
Houston knocks off UAB, marches into NCAA Tournament 2nd round
There was plenty for Houston coach Kelvin Sampson to like Friday night when his Cougars rolled to an 82-68 victory against UAB in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. • There was the 18-point lead (34-16) in the first half that got everything started. UAB rallied to within nine...
NCAA Tournament roundup: Coach K guides Duke to no-fuss win over Cal State FullertonVideo
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Duke began retiring Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski’s final NCAA Tournament with minimal stress, beating Cal State Fullerton, 78-61, on Friday night. Freshman Paolo Banchero scored 17 points to lead the Blue Devils (29-6), who jumped to a double-digit lead in the first 4 1/2 minutes and...
No. 4 Illinois avoids upset, rallies past No. 13 Chattanooga for thrilling 1st-round victory
Illinois coach Brad Underwood was in disbelief Friday night at PPG Paints Arena following the fourth-seeded Illini’s 54-53 victory over No. 13 Chattanooga in an NCAA Tournament South Region first-round game. Believe it, coach. In the end, the final score is all that matters. “We live to play another day,”...
NeSmith ties course records at Innisbrook for 2-shot lead at Valspar Championship
PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Matthew NeSmith has been working so hard and getting so little out of his game that he tried to get out of his own way. He wound up in the record book Friday at the Valspar Championship. No more worrying about whether his drives would find...
No. 2 Villanova ousts No. 15 Delaware in NCAA Tournament
Delaware gave fans at PPG Paints Arena an early thrill Friday afternoon, but Villanova’s talent, experience and pinpoint perimeter shooting proved too much to overcome. The No. 2-seeded Wildcats used a strong inside-outside game to finish the first half and were solid at both ends of the floor in the...
Ohio State smothers Loyola, advances in NCAA Tournament
Humbled and hobbled, Ohio State walked inside PPG Paints Arena on Friday morning determined to defeat Loyola Chicago, quiet its critics and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Under one condition, however. The Buckeyes wanted to do it on their terms. And so they did, decisively, with...
Penn’s Thomas becomes 1st transgender woman to win NCAAs
ATLANTA — Lia Thomas took control in the final 100 yards of the 500-yard freestyle to make history Thursday as the first transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming championship. Thomas, the University of Pennsylvania senior who entered the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships as the top seed, had...
Brackets busted: Tiny Saint Peter’s shocks No. 2 seed Kentucky in OTVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Saint Peter’s acted like it had been there before. After the 15th-seeded Peacocks bounced storied Kentucky from the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night, they calmly exchanged handshakes with the Wildcats before heading over to the opposite sideline to celebrate with a small contingent of true believers. The tiny...
Russian media: Detention of WNBA’s Brittney Griner extended to May 19Video
Russian media reported that the detention of WNBA star Brittney Griner was extended until May 19, a development that could see the two-time Olympic champion being held for at least three months before her case is resolved. The case of the 31-year-old Griner, one of the most recognizable players in...
