NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT
The third-seeded Michigan Wolverines and No. 1 Villanova will meet Monday night for the NCAA men's basketball championship. The Wildcats will play for their second title in three years. Michigan was in the title game in 2013 but was beaten by Louisville. Villanova beat Kansas in the semi-final Saturday while Michigan ended Loyola-Chicago's dream run through the tournament.
Villanova had little trouble with Kansas as the Wildcats set a Final Four record with 18 3-pointers in a 95-78 rout of the Jayhawks. Eric Paschall led the offensive assault by hitting four 3s and scoring 24 points.
AP national player of the year Jalen Brunson finished with 18 points, while Omari Spellman and Donte DiVincenzo each had 15.
The only time Kansas led was when Udoka Azubuike hit a jumper on the first shot of the game. The Wildcats then scored 11 straight points and eventually led 22-4.
Devonte Graham had a team-high 23 points for Kansas.
The Wolverines ended Loyola-Chicago's improbable run in the tournament by storming back from a 10-point, second-half hole to beat the Ramblers, 69-57. It was Michigan's biggest deficit in the tournament since trailing 10-0 in its first-round game against Montana.
Moe Wagner sparked the Wolverines to victory by delivering 24 points, 15 rebounds and three steals. Charles Matthews had 17 points for Michigan, which will carry a 33-7 record and a 14-game winning streak into Monday's title game.
Freshman center Cameron Krutwig had 17 points and Clayton Custer 15 for Loyola, which led 32-22 early in the second half before finishing the season 32-6.
Michigan's last championship game appearance was in 2013, when the Wolverines lost to Louisville. Villanova took the championship two years ago.
NCAA WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT
Notre Dame has provided a thrilling end to a wild NCAA women's basketball tournament.
Arike Ogunbowale nailed a 3-pointer from the corner with one-tenth of a second remaining to give the Irish a 61-58 triumph over Mississippi State in the title game at Columbus. It was the second straight game that the junior guard hit a shot in the final second to carry the Irish, two days after she ended UConn's bid for an unbeaten season.
The Irish pulled off the biggest comeback in title game history, rallying from a 15-point deficit in the third quarter and a five-point deficit in the final 1:58. Marina Mabrey hit a 3-pointer from the wing and then Jackie Young had a shot in the lane to tie it.
Ogunbowale scored 14 of her 18 points in the second half and earned most outstanding player honors for the tournament.
Notre Dame's only other NCAA national championship in women's basketball came in 2001.
NBA
The San Antonio Spurs continue to hold onto the fourth spot in the NBA's Western Conference after ending the Rockets' 11-game winning streak.
LaMarcus Aldridge had a double-double and the Spurs held the Rockets to a season-low point total in a 100-83 victory at San Antonio. Aldridge contributed 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs, who also received 21 points by Rudy Gay.
San Antonio opened the fourth quarter on a 19-8 run to take a 20-point lead with five minutes remaining.
James Harden led the Rockets with 25 points on 8-for-19 shooting but battled foul trouble all afternoon.
Houston's league-best record is 62-15.
Checking out Sunday's other NBA action:
The Warriors were 117-107 winners over the Suns behind Kevin Durant's 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Klay Thompson scored 23 points and Quinn Cook had 19 as Golden State handed Phoenix its team-record 15th consecutive loss.
Damian Lillard had 27 points and nine assists to help the Trail Blazers dump the Grizzlies, 113-98. CJ McCollum added 20 points and another nine assists for Portland, which is still three games ahead of the fourth-place Spurs in the West with five games remaining.
LeBron James posted his 17th triple-double of the season by contributing 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists to the Cavaliers' 98-87 win over the Mavericks. Jordan Clarkson finished with 16 points and J.R. Smith added 15 in a reserve role to help Cleveland stay a half-game ahead of Philadelphia for the third seed in the East.
The 76ers earned their 10th straight win as Ben Simmons provided 20 points and 15 assists in a 119-102 trouncing of the Hornets. Former Hornet Marco Belinelli scored 22 points off the bench and J.J. Redick had 20 for the Sixers, who continue to challenge for the third seed in the East.
The Bulls roughed up the Wizards, 113-94 as rookie Lauri Markkanen shot 5-for-8 from 3-point range while scoring 23 points. Bobby Portis had 18 points and hit 4 of 5 from long range, and Sean Kilpatrick added 14 points.
The Pacers have a five-game winning streak after Victor Oladipo delivered 30 points and Myles Turner added 24 in a 111-104 win over the Clippers. Tobias Harris had 21 points and Lou Williams added 20, but Los Angeles moved a step closer to elimination from the playoff race.
Russell Westbrook recorded a triple double with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists as the Thunder topped the Pelicans, 109-104 to end a three-game skid. Paul George scored Oklahoma City's first 11 points in the second quarter and finished with 27.
Ricky Rubio hit five of his six 3-point attempts while scoring 23 points as the Jazz hammered the Timberwolves, 121-97. Donovan Mitchell added 21 points for Utah, which moved a half-game ahead of Minnesota for sixth in the West and kept the Wolves one game ahead of New Orleans.
Nikola Jokic had 35 points and 13 rebounds and Jamal Murray delivered 18 of his 27 points after the third quarter as the Nuggets rallied to beat the Bucks, 128-125. Paul Millsap had 26 points and 13 rebounds for Denver, which trailed by eight in the final minute of regulation before pulling within a game of New Orleans for the last Western Conference playoff slot.
Reggie Jackson scored 29 points and Stanley Johnson had 17 to help the Pistons win their fifth in a row, 108-96 over the Nets. Andre Drummond added 13 points and 14 rebounds as Detroit kept is postseason hopes alive.
Buddy Hield scored 19 points to help the Kings snap their four-game losing streak with a 84-83 victory over the Lakers. Bodgan Bodganovic had 15 points, while Willie Cauley-Stein added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Kings.
Tyler Dorsey hit a pair of big baskets down the stretch and finished with 19 points as the Hawks won a matchup of the two worst teams in the East, 94-88 against the Magic. Dewayne Dedmon had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
Golden State Warriors guard Patrick McCaw has been released from a hospital after preliminary tests showed no structural damage or problems with his nervous system. Golden State announced that X-rays, a CT scan and an MRI "were all clear," one day after his terrifying fall to the floor during Saturday's game at Sacramento.
McCaw is scheduled to be re-examined by a specialist on Thursday and his injury will be listed as a bruised lumbar spine unless the doctor finds anything else related to the impact of the fall.
NHL
The Nashville Predators moved a little closer to clinching the NHL's Presidents' Trophy and allowed the Boston Bruins to stay atop the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference standings.
Filip Forsberg scored twice and had an assist in the Predators' 4-1 win at Tampa. Forsberg returned to the Predators' lineup after being held out of Saturday's stunning loss to Buffalo for maintenance.
Craig Smith and Ryan Johansen also scored to back Soros, who finished with 29 saves.
Ondrej Palat scored for the Lightning, who are 5-6 in their last 11 games to fall two points behind Boston.
The Bruins dropped a 4-3 decision to the Flyers in overtime as Claude Giroux notched his second goal of the afternoon at 3:39 of the extra session. Travis Konecny had a goal and an assist as Philadelphia moved eight points clear of Florida for a playoff berth. The Panthers have five games remaining to catch the Flyers and Devils.
In Sunday's other NHL finals:
Philipp Grubauer turned away 36 shots and the Capitals stretched their lead in the Metropolitan Division to five points by beating the second-place Penguins, 3-1. Goals by T.J. Oshie, Dmitri Orlov and Tom Wilson put Washington ahead 3-0 before Pittsburgh finally got a goal from Patric Hornqvist to get within 3-1 with 3:45 to play.
Third-period goals by Nino Hischier and Taylor Hall gave the Devils a 2-1 win at Montreal. Hall's short-handed goal with 4:07 remaining puts New Jersey one point out of third place in the Metropolitan Division and seven points ahead of the Panthers for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth.
Ondrej Kase scored 94 seconds into overtime to give the Ducks a 4-3 victory over the Avalanche. Adam Henrique and Ryan Kesler scored 1:36 apart in the third period to tie the game before Kase put Anaheim one point ahead of the Kings for third place in the Pacific Division.
MLB
Justin Smoak and the Toronto Blue Jays were able to come away with a split of their season-opening, four-game series after dropping the first two to the New York Yankees.
Smoak was 3-for-4 with a pair of homers, a walk and six RBIs as the Jays rallied to beat the Yanks, 7-4. Smoak had already delivered a two-run shot when he belted his second career grand slam in the eighth inning to wipe out New York's 4-3 lead.
Brandon Drury homered for the Yankees, who are 0-6-2 in their last eight series in Toronto since August 2015.
Elsewhere in the majors:
Rich Hill worked six shutout innings and Cody Bellinger slammed the Dodgers' first homer of the season in a 9-0 drubbing of the Giants. Yasiel Puig had an RBI double and two singles for the defending NL champions, who also got a two-run double by Enrique Hernandez.
Jose Berrios has tossed the first complete-game shutout of the season to help Minnesota take the rubber match of their series with the Orioles, 7-0. Brian Dozier homered twice for the Twins, who also got longballs from Miguel Sano and Eduardo Escobar in support of Berrios' first career complete game.
Gerrit Cole won his Astros debut by striking out 11 while yielding just two hits over seven innings of an 8-2 pounding of the Rangers. Evan Gattis drove in three runs, Carlos Correa laced a two-run double and AL MVP Jose Altuve had three hits to finish 9 of 16 in the series.
Hector Velazquez gave up a run and five hits in 5 2/3 innings and Rafael Devers singled home the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning as the Red Sox beat the Rays for the third time in four games, 2-1. The Elias Sports Bureau says it's the first time Boston starters have allowed one run or fewer in each of the first four games of a season.
Homers by Dee Gordon and Mitch Haniger helped the Mariners overcome Edwin Encarnacion's two home runs in a 5-4 victory against the Indians. Mike Leake spotted Cleveland a 2-0 lead but allowed just five hits over seven innings to get the win.
Shohei Ohtani won his major league pitching debut by throwing three-hit ball over six innings of the Angels' 7-4 win at Oakland. Ohtani struck out six and retired 14 of his final 15 batters, settling in after Matt Chapman's three-run homer.
Trevor Williams pitched six no-hit innings before Pittsburgh's bullpen completed a combined two-hitter in a 1-0 victory at Detroit in Game 1 of a doubleheader. Williams was pulled after tossing 84 pitches and issuing five walks. The no-hitter ended when Nicholas Castellanos hit a one-out double in the seventh.
The Pirates completed a sweep of the twinbill and the three-game series by getting homers by Josh Harrison, Starling Marte and David Freese in an 8-6 decision over the Tigers. Chad Kuhl get the win despite yielding four runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.
The Marlins earned a four-game split with the Cubs as Dillon Peters worked six innings and Brian Anderson provided a three-run double in Miami's 6-0 shutout of Chicago. Jose Quintana carried a no-hitter into the fifth before yielding five runs in the inning.
Bryce Harper homered twice and Gio Gonzalez gave up one run over six-plus innings as the Nationals beat the Reds, 6-5 to complete a three-game sweep. Adam Eaton and Anthony Rendon supplied two-run shots, with Eaton finishing the series 8 for 13 with two doubles, two homers, five RBIs and six runs scored.
Paul DeJong homered twice and Marcell Ozuna went 3-for-4 with two RBIs as the Cardinals beat the Mets, 5-1 to avoid a three-game sweep. Luke Weaver limited New York to one run in five innings after the Mets scored 15 runs in the first two games of the series.
The White Sox and Royals were snowed out in Kansas City, creating a day-night doubleheader slated for April 28.
PGA
Ian Poulter has earned a spot in the Masters by earning his third PGA Tour victory.
Poulter sank a par putt on the first hole of regulation to beat tour rookie Beau Hossler and take the Houston Open. Hossler ran off four straight birdies on the back nine to take a one-shot lead, but Poulter forced the playoff with a 20-foot birdie putt on 18.
Poulter and Hossler each shot 5-under 67s for a 19-under total, three shots better than Jordan Spieth and Emiliano Grillo.
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