COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Penn State has earned its second NIT championship since 2009.
Lamar Stevens scored 28 points and Josh Reaves had 18 in leading the Nittany Lions to an 82-66 win over Utah at Madison Square Garden. Tony Carr had 15 points and 14 assists to help Penn State finish 28-13. Sedrick Barefield hit six 3s and scored 22 points for the Utes, who end up 23-12.
Also In College Basketball
Joe Cremo and backcourt partner David Nichols are leaving UAlbany. They each confirmed their departures in separate telephone interviews with the Daily Gazette Thursday. The duo made up what America East coaches often described as the league’s best backcourt this past season. Cremo's and Nichols' departure from UAlbany came a day after head coach Will Brown confirmed that reserves Xavier Cochran and Matt Conway were leaving. The four players plus the team’s four seniors leaving UAlbany means only five scholarship players will return for next season. Thursday night a UAlbany spokesman told the Gazette that Cremo and Nichols “are currently still on our roster. We have no further comment at this time.”
Wichita State guard Landry Shamet has declared for the NBA draft and intends to hire an agent, effectively ending his college career with two seasons of eligibility left. The 21-year-old Shamet averaged 14.9 points and 5.2 assists last season for the Shockers.
UCLA guard Jaylen Hands will put his name in the NBA draft without hiring an agent, allowing the freshman to change his mind and return to school. Hands averaged 9.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists, starting 15 of the 31 games he played.
Tennessee forward Admiral Schofield has decided to enter his name into the NBA draft without hiring an agent. The 6-foot-5, 238-pound Schofield averaged 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds this season while helping Tennessee go 26-9.
Villanova guard Jalen Brunson is The Associated Press men's college basketball player of the year, finishing ahead of Oklahoma freshman Trae Young. Brunson is averaging 19.2 points and shooting nearly 53 percent entering Saturday's national semifinal against Kansas. He's the first Villanova player to win the AP award.
Virginia's Tony Bennett is the runaway winner of The Associated Press men's college basketball coach of the year, receiving 50 of 65 votes. The Cavaliers set a program single-season record for wins, dominated the Atlantic Coast Conference and reached No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the Ralph Sampson era.
A'ja Wilson of South Carolina is The Associated Press women's college basketball player of the year. Wilson helped the Gamecocks to their first title last year and averaged 22.6 points and 11.8 rebounds for the team this season before reaching the Elite Eight.
Notre Dame's Muffet McGraw is The Associated Press women's college basketball Coach of the Year for the fourth time. This might be McGraw's best coaching job. She lost four players over the course of the season to ACL injuries and still managed to go 32-3.
On The Court This Weekend:
In the women’s NCAA Tournament, UConn faces off against Notre Dame and Mississippi State goes against Louisville Friday. All four teams are top seeds, marking the fourth time in tournament history that four No. 1 seeds made it to the national semifinals.
In the men’s NCAA Tournament, top seeds Villanova and Kansas State will face off Saturday. No. 3 Michigan will go against 11th-seeded Loyola, also Saturday.
MLB
Miami Marlins ace Jose Urena threw the first pitch of the 2018 major league season. Ian Happ promptly crushed it over the fence before the Chicago Cubs hit two more homers in an 8-4 win over the Marlins.
Happ became the first person to homer on the first pitch of the season since Boston's Dwight Evans against Jack Morris in Detroit 32 years ago.
Anthony Rizzo belted an emotional home run into the upper deck in an unscripted tribute to the victims of last month's shooting at his former high school in Parkland, Florida.
Kyle Schwarber also homered for the Cubs, who overcame two errors and a rough outing by Jon Lester.
Checking out the other season-opening finals:
Ty Blach outpitched Clayton Kershaw by allowing three hits over five scoreless innings of the Giants' 1-0 win over the Dodgers. Kershaw blanked San Francisco until Joe Panik slammed a homer in the fifth inning to help the Giants beat the defending National League champs.
The White Sox doubled up the Royals 14-7 as Matt Davidson became the fourth player in major league history to homer three times on opening day. Tim Anderson also homered twice and Jose Abreu went deep for Chicago.
George Springer hit a leadoff homer in the Astros' opener for the second straight year and Justin Verlander scattered four singles over six shutout innings of Houston's 4-1 win at Texas. Jake Marisnick also homered to help the defending World Series champs win with just six hits.
Giancarlo Stanton made an auspicious debut with the Yankees by going 3-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs scored in a 6-1 win at Toronto. Stanton. Luis Severino struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings before three relievers completed the two-hitter.
Boston blew a 4-0 lead in its season opener as Tampa Bay put together a six-run eighth to beat the Red Sox, 6-4. Denard Span supplied the big hit, a go-ahead, three-run triple as the Bosox's bullpen wasted a strong start by Chris Sale, who struck out nine and limited the Rays to one hit in six innings.
Felix Hernandez pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning and Nelson Cruz hit a two-run home run in the first as the Mariners outlasted the Indians, 2-1. Ichiro Suzuki played left field and went 0 for 2 in his first game with Seattle since being traded to the Yankees in 2012.
The Diamondbacks roughed up the Rockies, 8-2 as Jake Lamb supplied a two-run double and a two-run single. Patrick Corbin struck out eight and allowed seven hits over 5 2/3 innings, including homers by Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu.
The Orioles pulled out a 3-2 win over the Twins on Adam Jones' homer in the bottom of the 11th. Minnesota lefty Zach Duke notched four strikeouts in the seventh inning, but he also threw two wild pitches and yielded a two-run triple to Caleb Joseph.
Orlando Arcia singled home Ji-Man Choi with two outs in the 12th inning to lift the Brewers past the Padres, 2-1. Milwaukee's Chase Anderson allowed one hit in six innings in his first opening day start.
Yoenis Cespedes drove in three runs and Noah Syndergaard struck out 10 over six innings of the Mets' 9-4 rout of the Cardinals. Adrian Gonzalez doubled home the go-ahead run and reached base four times with two hits and a pair of walks in his Mets debut, helping New York improve to 37-12 in openers since 1970.
Nick Markakis launched a three-run, walk-off homer with two out in the ninth inning to complete the Braves' rally from a 5-0 deficit in an 8-5 win over the Phillies. Freddie Freeman smacked a two-run homer and Ozzie Albies added a solo shot after Aaron Nola limited Atlanta to three hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Marcus Semien's RBI single gave the Athletics a 6-5, 11-inning win over the Angels. Khris Davis hit a three-run homer in the fifth and a tying single in the seventh to help Oakland come back from 4-0 and 5-4 deficits.
The Nationals and Reds were postponed in Cincinnati, as were the Pirates and Tigers in Detroit. Both games will be made up on Friday.
Elsewhere in the MLB:
A study by The Associated Press determined the average major league salary on opening day dropped slightly following an offseason of slashed contracts for many free agents and the decisions to start three highly paid players in the minor leagues.
The $4.41 million average Thursday fell 0.9 percent from last year's starting figure of $4.45 million, according to the AP's calculations. It was only the second drop since the end of the 1994-95 strike, after a 2.7 decrease in 2004.
However, the number was determined after Philadelphia pitcher Jake Arrieta and Baltimore hurler Alex Cobb were optioned to the minors to get more preparation for the season after signing free-agent contracts recent. If they had remained in the majors, the average would have been down just $1,380.
In other MLB news:
The Reds placed Raisel Iglesias on the 3-day paternity list, leaving Cincinnati without its closer to start the season against the Washington Nationals.
The Orioles have placed designated hitter Mark Trumbo and pitcher Gabriel Ynoa on the 10-day disabled list. Trumbo has a right quadriceps strain and Ynoa has a shin injury.
The Royals have placed All-Star catcher Salvador Perez, right-hander Nate Karns and two others on the disabled list in a series of roster moves ahead of their opener against the White Sox.
Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has been put on the 60-day disabled list because of bone spurs in his right heel. Tulowitzki suffered a season-ending ankle injury last July 28 and has not played since.
A person familiar with the deal says All-Star closer Greg Holland and the Cardinals have agreed to a $14 million, one-year contract pending a physical. Holland was a free agent after leading the National League with 41 saves last season for Colorado.
Houston first baseman Yuli Gurriel has started the season on baseball's restricted list to serve his five-game suspension from the World Series rather than on the disabled list after hand surgery last month. Gurriel was suspended after making an inappropriate gesture during the World Series.
Giants closer Mark Melancon was put on the 10-day disabled list with a right elbow flexor strain before Thursday's opener, joining starters Madison Bumgarner and starter Jeff Samardzija on the sidelines.
Former major league outfielder Rusty Staub has died at age 73 following an illness. The six-time All-Star posted a .279 average with 2,716 hits in a 23-year career that included two stops with the Mets and Expos, along with time spent with the Colt 45s and Astros, Tigers and Rangers. He is the only player to collect 500 hits with four different ballclubs.
NBA
The San Antonio Spurs are back in position to open the NBA's Western Conference quarterfinals at home.
LaMarcus Aldridge had a double-double and the Spurs moved into fourth in the West by beating the fifth-place Thunder, 103-99 at San Antonio. Aldridge scored 21 of his 25 points by halftime and finished with 11 rebounds as the Spurs ended a two-game slide. The All-Star forward also drove past Steven Adams for a dunk and a three-point lead with 52 seconds left.
Paul George had 26 points and six assists for the Thunder, who are in a virtual tie with the Spurs and a half-game ahead of the sixth-place Pelicans.
Checking out Thursday's other NBA action:
The Rockets clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with the Warriors' third straight loss, 116-107 against the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and Khris Middleton had 23 as Milwaukee stayed five games ahead of Detroit for the last playoff spot in the East. Kevin Durant had 10 points, six assists and three rebounds before he was ejected after receiving two technical fouls.
Victor Oladipo scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining in the Pacers' 106-103 verdict over the Kings. Indiana remains percentage points behind fourth-place Philadelphia in the East.
The Wizards lost for the fourth time in five games as Andre Drummond's 24 points and 23 rebounds led the Pistons to a 103-92 victory over Washington in Detroit. Anthony Tolliver added 14 points while starting in place of Blake Griffin, who was a late scratch with an ankle contusion.
Washington's lead in the Southeast Division is down to a half-game after Josh Richardson scored 22 points and Goran Dragic added 17 to lead the second-place Heat to a 103-92 victory over the Bulls. Justise Winslow scored 13 points and Kelly Olynyk finished with 11 for Miami, which has won eight straight home games to get within one victory or a Detroit loss of clinching a playoff berth.
The Philadelphia 76ers don't know how long they'll be without Joel Embiid. The All-Star center has a concussion and needs surgery on an orbital fracture of his left eye. Teammate Markelle Fultz was driving toward the basket Wednesday against the Knicks when he appeared to accidentally head-butt Embiid.
The former Kansas star leads the Sixers with 22.9 points and 11 rebounds in 63 games, helping the team clinch its first playoff berth since 2012.
In other NBA news:
The Lakers say guard Isaiah Thomas will need four months to recover from Thursday's arthroscopic surgery on his right hip. The two-time All-Star guard averaged 15.6 points and 5.0 assists in 17 games with Los Angeles, which acquired him from Cleveland in February. Thomas will be a free agent by the time he recovers from the procedure, but he has expressed interest in staying with the Lakers.
NHL
There's a new leader in the NHL's Atlantic Division.
The Boston Bruins control the top spot and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs following a 4-2 win over the second-place Lightning. Patrice Bergeron scored the eventual game-winner midway through the third period and had two assists as the Bruins moved one point ahead of Tampa Bay with one game in hand.
David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand each added a goal and an assist in support of Tuuka Rask, who turned back 26 shots.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
The Predators have a team-record and league-leading 111 points after Ryan Ellis scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period of a 5-3 victory over the Sharks. Craig Smith and Viktor Arvidsson each had a goal and an assist as the Central Division leaders moved seven points ahead of the Jets and kept San Jose five points behind the Pacific-leading Golden Knights.
The Jets were 6-2 losers to the Blackhawks as emergency goaltender Scott Foster played the final 14 minutes after being pressed into service. The 36-year-old former goaltender at Western Michigan University stopped seven shots and received chants of "Foster! Foster!" along with other loud ovations.
Matt Dumba scored on a power play and had two assists while the Wild was netting three goals in the second period of a 5-2 verdict over the Stars. Devan Dubnyk stopped 29 shots for Minnesota, which is five points ahead of St. Louis for third place in the Central Division.
Sidney Crosby batted his own rebound out of the air and into the net 19 seconds into overtime to give the Penguins a 4-3 win at New Jersey, putting the Penguins five points behind the Metropolitan Division-leading Capitals. Crosby ran his goal-scoring streak to five games to help Pittsburgh cut the Devils' lead for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth to two points over Florida.
The Blue Jackets' 5-0 win at Calgary puts Columbus one point ahead of the Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Pierre-Luc Dubois registered a hat trick and Sergei Bobrovsky handled 38 shots in his sixth shutout of the season. The Jackets have won 12 of 13.
Jeff Carter completed a hat trick and broke a 2-2 tie with 4:25 remaining to lift the Kings over the Coyotes, 4-2. Backup goaltender Jack Campbell stopped 20 shots and Los Angeles moved two points ahead of Anaheim for third place in the Pacific.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored on a penalty shot 4:44 into overtime to give the Senators a 3-2 overtime win against the Panthers. Pageau notched a pair of goals and Craig Anderson stopped 24 shots as Ottawa dealt Florida its second straight loss.
Anthony Mantha scored his team-leading 24th goal and the Red Wings snapped an 11-game road losing streak by beating the last-place Sabres, 6-3.
The Canucks tripped the Oilers, 2-1 on Derrick Pouliot's goal early in the third period.
PGA
Lucas Glover and Kevin Tway are the clubhouse co-leaders in first-round action at the PGA's Houston Open.
Glover and Tway each fired 7-under 65s in the morning following a two-hour delay to the start of the tournament because of overnight rain.
PGA Tour rookie Sam Ryder was the overall leader when the round was halted by darkness, playing his first 15 holes at minus-8. Ryder holed an 8-foot birdie putt on 15.
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