NCAA:
In the America East Tournament, the UAlbany men will take on Vermont in the finals Saturday at 11 a.m. The UAlbany women will face Maine today at 4:30 p.m.
Matt Mobley scored 19 points, Jaylen Adams had 17 plus six assists and St. Bonaventure defeated Massachusetts 73-60 Thursday in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. David Andoh added 12 points and Josh Ayeni 10 for the fifth-seeded Bonnies, who will play Number 4 seed Rhode Island in a Friday quarterfinal.
University of Massachusetts men’s basketball head coach Derek Kellogg has been relieved of his duties according to the Director of Athletics. At the helm of the program for nine seasons, Kellogg compiled an overall record of 155-137 with a record of 15-18 in 2016-17. Kellogg’s UMass teams were 67-83 in Atlantic 10 play during his tenure.
Tierney Lawlor began her college basketball career at UConn as an unknown walk-on and has a chance to end it as one of the most successful players in the history of college basketball. Should the Huskies win out, Lawlor and fellow senior Saniya Chong will leave the school with an unprecedented record of 154-1 and four national titles.
TCU pulled off a stunner in the Big 12 quarterfinals by upsetting top-ranked Kansas on Thursday. Desmond Bane capped his 16-point performance by nailing three free throws with 2.5 seconds left to give the Horned Frogs an 85-82 win over the Jayhawks. The Horned Frogs blew an 11-point halftime lead and trailed 80-76 before closing the game on a 9-2 run.
Rodney Purvis scored a career-high 30 points and UConn beat South Florida 77-66 Thursday night in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Amida Brimah added 13 points and Christian Vital had 11 for the Huskies.
Sixth-ranked North Carolina will face No. 14 Duke in the ACC semifinals on Friday. The Tar Heels crushed Miami, 78-53 as Isaiah Hicks contributed 19 points and Justin Jackson added 12. Jayson Tatum finished with 25 points and No. 14 Duke overcame a 12-point deficit in the final 13 minutes of an 81-77 triumph over 10th-rated Louisville.
Second-ranked Villanova coasted into the Big East semifinals as Donte DiVincenzo had a career-high 25 points and Kris Jenkins added 24 in a 108-67 pounding of St. John's. Dillon Brooks contributed 22 points and Tyler Dorsey had 21 to lead fifth-ranked Oregon's 80-57 dismantling of Arizona State in the Pac-12 quarterfinals. Lauri Markkanen dropped in 20 points and Allonzo Trier finished with 19 to lead seventh-ranked Arizona past Colorado, 92-78.
In men's college hockey, Union will take on Princeton tonight in the second round of the ECAC tournament this weekend.
NBA:
In the NBA, Portland topped Philadelphia in overtime 114-108, Oklahoma City beat San Antonio 102-92, the Clippers won against Memphis 114-98, Detroit bested Cleveland 106-101, and it was the Lakers over Phoenix 122-110.
Russell Westbrook registered his 31st triple-double of the season as the Thunder halted a four-game skid, 102-92 over the Spurs. Westbrook had 23 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists to match Wilt Chamberlain's 1967-68 campaign for the second-most triple-doubles in a season. The Spurs ended a nine-game winning streak and dropped two games behind Golden State for the NBA's best record.
The NBA has fined New Orleans Pelicans big man DeMarcus Cousins $50,000 for "directing inappropriate language" toward fans. League Executive Vice President Kiki VanDeWeghe says the incidents occurred during the Pelicans' victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles on Sunday and at the end of New Orleans' loss to the Jazz in Utah the next night. The league also fined Jared Dudley of the Suns and Brandon Jennings of the Wizards $35,000 apiece for their roles in an altercation during a game Tuesday night in Phoenix.
NHL:
In the NHL, the Islanders beat Vancouver in overtime 4-3, Carolina topped the Rangers 4-3, Colordao edged New Jersey 3-2, Calgary blanked Montreal 5-0, the Kings slid past Nashville in overtime 3-2, Ottawa skated past Arizona in overtime 3-2, Anaheim shut out Chicago 1-0, Toronto doubled up Philadelphia 4-2, Tampa Bay won against Minnesota 4-1, and it was San Jose over Washington 4-2.
The Minnesota Wild still tops the NHL's Western Conference standings by one point over the Chicago Blackhawks. Nikita Kucherov scored twice and had an assist in Tampa Bay's 4-1 verdict over Minnesota. Jonathan Bernier stopped 43 shots and Corey Perry scored in the second period as the Ducks snapped the Blackhawks' seven-game winning streak, 1-0.
Penguins forward Tom Sestito was suspended for four games without pay by the NHL for boarding Jets defenseman Toby Enstrom on Wednesday. Sestito was assessed a major penalty for checking from behind and a game misconduct in Pittsburgh's 7-4 victory in Winnipeg.
NFL:
Jimmy Garoppolo is leaving the New England Patriots. According to the quarterback’s Instagram page, Garoppolo won’t be returning to the Pats, saying “So grateful for my time in New England. Peace out Boston.”
Starting safety Aaron Williams' career in Buffalo is over after two season-ending neck injuries, and the Bills opened the NFL's free-agency signing period by signing Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Aside from releasing Williams, a six-year starter, Buffalo lost starting cornerback Stephon Gilmore in free agency before the Patriots picked him up.
A person with direct knowledge of the decision has confirmed to The Associated Press that the Buffalo Bills have agreed to sign offensive lineman Vladimir Ducasse to a three-year contract. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the Bills have not announced the deal reached before the NFL's free-agent signing period opens on Thursday.
The Buffalo Bills began addressing their needs at safety by signing free agents Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Hyde is the key addition and agreed to sign a five-year deal worth about $30 million, with about $14 million in guarantees, a person with direct knowledge of the contract told The Associated Press. The person spoke to The AP on the condition of anonymity because the Bills have not announced the contract's details.
A person with direct knowledge of the deal says the New York Jets are re-signing linebacker and special teams ace Josh Martin to a two-year contract worth $4.3 million. Martin, signed in 2015 off Indianapolis' practice squad, led the Jets last season with 14 special teams tackles. ESPN first reported the signing of Martin.
In other NFL transactions:
— A person familiar with the trade says the Browns have acquired quarterback Brock Osweiler from the Texans for a fourth-round selection, a 2018 second-round pick and a sixth rounder. Osweiler went 8-6 in 14 starts for Houston last season.
— The Steelers have re-signed Landry Jones to a two-year deal that will keep him as the primary backup behind quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
— The Redskins signed defensive tackle Terrell McClain and safety D.J. Swearinger. They lost receiver DeSean Jackson and defensive end Chris Baker to the Buccaneers and receiver Pierre Garcon to the 49ers.
— The Niners have reached a two-year contract with quarterback Brian Hoyer, a five-year deal with linebacker Malcolm Smith, a four-year package with fullback Kyle Juszczyk and two-year deals with kicker Robbie Gould and receiver Marquise Goodwin. San Francisco also worked out a one-year contract with tight end Logan Paulsen.
— The Browns have agreed to terms with free agent wide receiver Kenny Britt on a four-year, $32.5 million contract.
— A person familiar with the deal says the Jaguars have agreed to terms on a five-year, $67.5 million contract with Houston cornerback A.J. Bouye.
— Torrey Smith agreed to a three-year deal with Philadelphia, less than a week after he was released by the San Francisco 49ers. The Eagles cleared cap space earlier in the day by releasing defensive end Connor Barwin, saving $7.75 million.
— The Rams have addressed their two biggest needs by agreeing to terms with offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth and receiver Robert Woods.
— The Ravens have reached agreement with free agent safety Tony Jefferson and running back Danny Woodhead. Baltimore also agreed in principle to a five-year contract with nose tackle Brandon Williams, who was drafted by the Ravens in 2013.
— The Miami Dolphins have placed a $3.9 million first-round tender on linebacker Kiko Alonso, making it likely he'll remain with the team in 2017.
NASCAR:
The general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway is urging fans and small businesses to give him time to fill in the gaps now that one of its two NASCAR races is moving to Las Vegas. Las Vegas officials approved a sponsorship agreement with Speedway Motorsports on Wednesday to shift the NASCAR Cup Series race to Nevada in 2018. The race traditionally has been held in September in New Hampshire, which also hosts a July race.
Olympics:
Two people with knowledge of the decision say Dawn Staley will be the next U.S. women's basketball Olympic coach. The South Carolina head coach helped the U.S. win gold medals as a player in 1996, 2000 and 2004. Staley also was an assistant coach on the 2008 and 2016 teams that won golds at the Olympics.
MLB:
In baseball’s spring training, the Yankees won against Atlanta 8-7 and Detroit tied the Mets 5-5.
Oakland Athletics ace Sonny Gray will begin the season on the disabled list with a lat strain. Gray has been shut down from throwing for the next three weeks. General manager David Forst said there's no timetable for the right-hander beyond the preliminary stretch. Gray landed on the disabled list twice last season and was just 5-11 with a 5.69 ERA following back-to-back 14-win campaigns.
In other spring training injury news:
— Rangers starter Andrew Cashner has been shut down from throwing for the second time this spring because of soreness in his right upper biceps.
— Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani could make his spring training debut next Monday after missing a couple of weeks with a sore elbow.
PGA:
Jim Herman was the clubhouse leader when the first round of the PGA's Valspar Championship was suspended by darkness at Palm Harbor, Fla. Herman missed the course record by one stroke, firing an 8-under 62 that leaves him two shots ahead of British Open champion Henrik Stenson and Russell Henley. Herman has only one top 10 finish since his victory in Houston last year and has slipped to No. 89 in the world.
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