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Shohei Ohtani homers, but Japan eliminated by Venezuela

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 14: Ezequiel Tovar #14 of Team Venezuela reacts after hitting a double in the eighth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Quarterfinals game presented by Capital One between Team Venezuela and Team Japan at loanDepot park on Saturday, March 14, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

For the first time in the history of the World Baseball Classic, Japan won’t be in the semifinals. They were out-slugged by Venezuela 8-5 on Saturday night at loanDepot Park in Miami. Venezuela is into the semifinals of the WBC for the first time since 2009, and with the win clinched a berth into the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Maikel Garcia hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, and Wilyer Abreu hit the go-ahead three-run shot in the sixth to give Venezuela the lead for good. Of the 17 total hits in the game, 10 were for extra bases, including five home runs.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto struggled at the start, needing 57 pitches to record his first nine outs. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit the second pitch of the night out for a leadoff home run, but Shohei Ohtani answered the call in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff blast of his own.

Sarah Langs at MLB.com noted that no major league game has ever featured two former league MVPs each hitting a leadoff home run, which made this WBC quarterfinal quite the rarity.

Venezuela hit consecutive doubles for another run in the second inning, driven in by Ezequiel Tovar, who has Yamamoto’s number at this point. The Rockies shortstop has eight hits in 12 at-bats against Yamamoto, with two home runs and two doubles. But lukily for Yamamoto, one of those outs was a strikeout to end the third inning, when Venezuela stranded a leadoff double.

With three doubles and a home run on Saturday, Yamamoto allowed four extra-base hits in a start for just the second time in 60 starts since joining the Dodgers prior to the 2024 season. The other time came last June 13 against the Giants at Dodger Stadium.

But after Japan scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning, including a three-run home run by Shota Morishita for a 5-2 lead, Yamamoto remained in and pitched a perfect fourth inning, retiring his final six batters faced. Yamamoto allowed those two early runs but nothing else in his four innings, with five strikeouts and a walk in his 69-pitch effort.

Japan did not score after the third inning, at one point held hitless for 13 straight at-bats by Emmanuel De Jesus, José Buttó, Angel Zerpa, and Andrés Machado, including two strikeouts of Ohtani. Those were the only times Ohtani struck out in five games in this tournament. In all, he had six hits, including three home runs and a double, in 12 at-bats plus five walks, three of them intentional, hitting .500/.647/1.333 with six runs scored and seven RBI.

Japan reached the semifinal round in the first five World Baseball Classics, including tournament wins in 2006, 2009, and 2023.

Earlier in Saturday quarterfinals action in Houston, Italy remained undefeated, this time holding on to beat Puerto Rico 8-6.

Edwin Díaz hit a batter, walked another, and threw a wild pitch, but pitched a scoreless ninth inning, with two strikeouts. In three appearances during the WBC, the Dodgers right-hander pitched three scoreless innings with one hit, one walk, one hit batter, and allowed two steals, but also struck out seven of his 12 batters faced.

Catcher Will Smith is the only Dodgers player still active in the World Baseball Classic.

Remaining WBC schedule
  • Sunday semifinal: USA vs. Dominican Republic, 5 p.m. PT (FS1)
  • Monday semifinal: Italy vs. Venezuela, 5 p.m. (FS1)
  • Tuesday championship game, 5 p.m. (Fox)
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Carlos Alcaraz stays positive after winning streak ended by Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells

  • Spanish world No 1 falls to first defeat of tennis season

  • Medvedev wins 6-3, 7-6(3) to set up final against Jannik Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz said he was finding it tough to constantly have a target on his back and was surprised by the level of performance from Daniil Medvedev after the Russian handed him his first defeat of the season at Indian Wells.

Medvedev’s 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over the world No 1 in the semi-finals ended the Spaniard’s 16-match winning run to start the season. World No 11 Medvedev will play Jannik Sinner in the final on Sunday.

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Dejan Joveljić haunts former team, Lasse Johnson shines in debut as Sporting KC edges Galaxy 2-1

CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Dejan Joveljić had a goal and an assist against his former team, Lasse Johnsen had a goal and an assist in his league debut and Sporting Kansas City beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 on Saturday night.

Neither team found the net until Joveljić used assists from Manu García and Johnsen to score two minutes into stoppage time for a 1-0 lead at halftime. García earned his first assist after tallying nine as a rookie last season.

Joveljić, along with Stephen Afrifa, set up an insurance goal by Johnsen in the 74th minute for a 2-0 advantage. Afrifa's helper was first this season and his second in 39 appearances.

That proved necessary for the victory after Marco Reus used his head for an unassisted score in the 82nd minute to cut the Galaxy's deficit to a goal. Reus scored for the first time this season and the seventh time in 31 career matches.

John Pulskamp finished with four saves to help Sporting KC (1-2-1) earn its first victory of the season while putting an end to a seven-match losing streak on the road dating to last season.

Novak Micovic saved two shots for the Galaxy (1-2-1).

Joveljić totaled 34 goals and 11 assists in 106 starts with LA from 2021-24. He had 15 goals and six assists during the Galaxy's championship run in 2024 when he scored the second goal in a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bullls. His third goal this season gives him 21 along with three assists in 36 matches with Sporting KC.

Los Angeles played without Gabriel Pec, who was suspended for the match after receiving a red card in a 4-1 road loss to the Colorado Rapids last week. Joseph Paintsil was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

The Galaxy have a slim lead in the all-time series 29-28-18, including a 19-9-9 record at home.

Both teams posted home victories in two matchups last season.

Up next

Sporting KC: Hosts Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

Los Angeles: At Portland Timbers on Sunday.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

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Hardaway, Rowe set pace as UTSA defense swarms in 54-40 win over Rice for American Conference title

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Ereauna Hardaway and Cheyenne Rowe each scored 13 points and UTSA held Rice to a season-low score beating the Owls 54-40 on Saturday in the American Conference title game on Saturday.

Idara Udo added 11 points for No. 6 seed UTSA (18-15) which clinched its first championship — and NCAA Tournament berth —since joining the American.

Hailey Adams was the only player for top-seeded Rice (28-5) in double figures with 12 points.

UTSA led 20-13 at halftime as the two squads recorded the lowest scoring half in the history of American Conference tournament play. The Owls drew within 24-20 to start the third quarter, but UTSA went on a 10-0 run in which Udo scored half the points and the Roadrunners stayed up by double digits for the remainder. Damara Allen's basket with 5:04 left made it 48-30.

Rice's only regular season conference defeat occurred when it hosted UTSA in a 61-52 loss on March 7.

UTSA knocked off second-seeded East Carolina 54-44 on Friday night and also held the Pirates to their lowest scoring total of the season.

UTSA last reached the NCAA Tournament in the 2009 season as a member of the Southland Conference. It was the program’s sixth conference championship appearance overall, and the Roadrunners now have an even record in conference championship play.

UTSA won consecutive titles in the Southland in 2008 and 2009. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

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Luka Doncic hits game-winner with 0.5 seconds remaining in overtime as Lakers beat Nuggets 127-125

Luka Doncic made a fall-away jumper with 0.5 seconds remaining in overtime and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 127-125 on Saturday night.

Austin Reaves forced overtime when he rebounded his intentionally missed free throw and made a floater with 1.9 seconds remaining in regulation.

Doncic created enough distance from Spencer Jones to make the 17-foot shot, finishing with 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds as he continued his spectacular play during Los Angeles’ five-game winning streak. Doncic then blocked Tim Hardaway Jr.’s desperation heave following a Denver timeout.

Reaves finished with 32 points, making the first free throw and then perfectly executing his missed second attempt off the front of the rim after the Nuggets fouled him to prevent a tying 3-point attempt leading 118-115 with 5.2 seconds left.

Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists for his 27th triple-double of the season. Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets with 27 points and Hardaway finished with 20.

Jamal Murray fouled out 31 seconds into overtime, finishing with five points, six rebounds and six assists on a miserable 1-for-14 night.

Houston, the Lakers, Denver and Minnesota all came into Saturday with 41 wins as they jockey to be as high as the third seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets already held tiebreakers over the Rockets and Timberwolves by virtue of having won the season series against both teams, but the Lakers denied them a clean sweep in the crowded middle.

Deandre Ayton had four of his nine points in overtime and Marcus Smart hit a 3-pointer to put Los Angeles up with 30 seconds left, only for Jokic to score a driving layup up off the glass over Ayton to tie it with 15.1 to go.

Up next

Nuggets: Host the 76ers on Tuesday.

Lakers: Visit the Rockets on Monday.

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Doncic drills a buzzer-beating OT jumper as Lakers beat Nuggets

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic made a fall-away jumper with 0.5 seconds remaining in overtime and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 127-125 on Saturday night.

Austin Reaves forced overtime when he rebounded his intentionally missed free throw and made a floater with 1.9 seconds remaining in regulation.

Doncic created enough distance from Spencer Jones to make the 17-foot shot, finishing with 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds as he continued his spectacular play during Los Angeles’ five-game winning streak. Doncic then blocked Tim Hardaway Jr.’s desperation heave following a Denver timeout.

Reaves finished with 32 points, making the first free throw and then perfectly executing his missed second attempt off the front of the rim after the Nuggets fouled him to prevent a tying 3-point attempt leading 118-115 with 5.2 seconds left.

Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists for his 27th triple-double of the season. Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets with 27 points and Hardaway finished with 20.

Jamal Murray fouled out 31 seconds into overtime, finishing with five points, six rebounds and six assists on a miserable 1-for-14 night.

76ERS 104, NETS 97

PHILADELHPIA (AP) — Quentin Grimes scored a season-high 28 points and Philadelphia held on for a victory over Brooklyn.

Grimes had eight rebounds for the short-handed 76ers, who were missing Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr., among other players. Justin Edwards scored 19 points while adding three steals.

Danny Wolf had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who lost their third straight game. Josh Minott added 14 points.

The 76ers entered halftime up 53-31. Adem Bona’s free throw with 3:02 left in the fourth quarter gave Philadelphia the lead for good at 88-87.

HAWKS 122, BUCKS 99

ATLANTA (AP) — CJ McCollum scored 30 points, Jalen Johnson had his 12th triple-double of the season and Atlanta beat Milwaukee Bucks for its ninth straight victory.

Johnson finished with 23 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds as Atlanta extended the longest current winning streak in the NBA. McCollum made seven 3-pointers and moved ahead of Paul Pierce into 16th place on the career list with 2,147.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points for the Hawks, who led 60-52 after a first half with six lead changes and four ties. The Hawks then broke it open in the third quarter by outscoring Milwaukee 35-26, with McCollum scoring 11.

Ryan Rollins scored 22 points for the Bucks, who were without Giannis Antetokounmpo after he sprained his left ankle during Milwaukee’s 112-105 loss to Miami on Thursday. Kevin Porter Jr. added 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

SPURS 115, HORNETS 102

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 32 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks in his return from a one-game absence, leading San Antonio to a victory over Charlotte.

Miles Bridges had 22 points and Kon Knueppel added 20 for Charlotte, which had won two straight and eight of 10.

The Spurs have won 17 of 19 to tighten their grip on second in the Western Conference. San Antonio (49-18) is 7 1/2 games ahead of No. 3 Houston (41-25) and three games behind Oklahoma City (52-15) for first.

The Spurs closed their longest homestand 5-1, with their only loss coming as Wembanyama watched from the bench because of a sore right calf in a 136-131 loss to Denver on Thursday that snapped a five-game winning streak.

Wembanyama had an immediate impact with 18 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals in the first half.

CELTICS 111, WIZARDS 100

BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 20 points and 14 rebounds in a season-high 32 minutes, Neemias Queta had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Boston withstood a late charge to beat Washington for its 11th straight loss.

Tatum had his second double-double since making his season debut earlier this month. Jaylen Brown added 16 points to help the Celtics snap a two-game skid.

Boston’s lead grew to 30 points in the third quarter, but Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla kept Tatum on the court to allow him to reach a high for minutes in the four games he’s played in since his return from Achilles tendon surgery. He had been capped at 27 minutes in his previous three games.

Washington, which was coming off erasing a 17-point deficit to force overtime in a loss at Orlando on Thursday, chopped Boston’s lead to 12 in the fourth quarter. But the Celtics got a layup from Tatum and 3-pointer by Sam Hauser to help them close it out.

Tristan Vukcevic had 22 points to lead the Wizards.

MAGIC 121, HEAT 117

MIAMI (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 27 points, Desmond Bane added 21 and Orlando beat Miami, becoming the second team in the last 30 years to beat the same opponent five times in one season.

Wendell Carter Jr. scored 15 for the Magic, who won their seventh straight and snapped Miami’s season-best, seven-game winning streak.

Orlando led by as many as 22, before Miami twice got within two in the final 18.5 seconds.

Orlando (38-28) moved a game clear of Miami (38-30) in the race for fifth in the Eastern Conference, plus is 10 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2023-24 season.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 22, while Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell each had 20 for Miami, which hadn’t gone 0-5 against one team since doing so against New York — then coached by now-Heat President Pat Riley — in 1992-93.

The only other instance in the last three decades: New Orleans went 5-0 against Sacramento in 2023-24.

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Yankees news: Kyle Carr among four spring training cuts

TAMPA, FL - MARCH 9: Kyle Carr #66 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 9, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images

NJ.com | Randy Miller: The Yankees reassigned four pitchers from spring training camp Saturday morning. The four non-roster invitees — Michael Arias, Kyle Carr, Dylan Coleman, and Dom Hamel — will continue to ramp up at the team’s minor-league complex. Carr, MLB Pipeline’s No. 11 Yankees prospect, is the most touted of the bunch and allowed one run in four innings while punching out four in big-league camp. The transaction leaves the club with 54 players on their spring training roster, not including 11-year veteran Rafael Montero, a non-roster invitee who has been unable to join camp due to visa issues.

MLB.com | Paul Casella: Carlos Rodón threw 30 pitches against live batters Saturday morning, an encouraging sign as he works back from elbow surgery. “I feel like I had more, like I could have gone more, but obviously can’t do that yet,” he said after the session.

With a host of other pitching options in spring camp, the Yankees plan to slow-play the Rodón’s recovery, ensuring he has plenty of time to ramp up. Luis Gil, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Ryan Weathers appear poised to open the season behind ace Max Fried in the rotation, with swingman Ryan Yarbrough and prospects Elmer Rodríguez, Carlos Lagrange, and Ben Hess waiting in the wings.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: With Rodón and Gerrit Cole slated to begin the season on the IL, Fried is leaning into his role as the unquestioned ace of the Yankees’ staff. “He loves the craft of pitching,” said Aaron Boone. “He loves all that being on a team is about. He’s similar to [Aaron Judge] in that way, where it’s team above him, is how he kind of embodies it. Super accountable. Demands a lot of himself and his teammates.”

The four-time Gold Glover has been hands-on this spring, including helping provide focus to a bunt defense drill. “He drives a lot of the conversation, too,” Boone said. “A lot of the drill stuff that we’ve done, fundamental stuff, he’s a big voice and is pushing guys and is asking questions. He’s kind of setting the tone and setting the standard.” 

SNY | SNY Newsdesk: Several Yankees continued to leave their mark on the world stage during World Baseball Classic quarterfinal action the past couple days. Aaron Judge notched a double and a walk for Team USA in its victory over Canada, with his teammate David Bednar working out of a two-on, no-out jam in the seventh. Austin Wells hit a three-run homer off the bench for Team Dominican Republic, staking the team to a three-run lead that walked off Korea via mercy rule.

There weren’t as many Yankees in action yesterday for Puerto Rico vs. Italy and Japan vs. Venezuela. Fernando Cruz went four-up/four-down with a pair of strikeouts in relief, but Puerto Rico’s WBC run came to an end against old friend Francisco Cervelli’s Italy club. So Cruz will soon return to Yankees camp, as will pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez, who threw three scoreless innings of one-hit ball against Cuba in pool play.

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Penguins/Mammoth Recap: It’s not pretty for Pens, but it’s a beautiful win over Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 14: Noel Acciari #55 of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores a third-period goal during a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Utah Mammoth at Delta Center on March 14, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Eli Rehmer/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Pregame

The Penguins don’t make any lineup changes from last game besides giving Stuart Skinner his turn in net.

They faceoff against the Utah Mammoth, who have this lineup.

First period

Sloppy start for the Penguins, Blake Lizotte can’t handle a pass out of the zone and passes it back under pressure, turns out to be a bad idea that Dylan Guenther jumps on and snaps a low shot by Skinner. 1-0 Utah early.

There’s a scrum in front of the Pittsburgh net, Anthony Mantha escalates things by going after a Utah player and Mantha takes a penalty for it. Utah capitalizes on the power play, a shot bounces off the end wall and Barrett Hayton smacks at it. The Pens lunge to pull the puck off the goal-line but Guenter comes crashing into the crease and knocks the puck in for his second goal of the game.

Parker Wotherspoon holds onto a puck to let his teammates complete a line change and creates an opportunity when he gets slashed to earn the first Pittsburgh power play. They get some zone time out of it but not much more.

Pittsburgh plays a little better in the second half of the period compared to the first, not that it’s saying much considering how poor they were early on. Shots end up 12-8 Utah after 20 minutes with them also carrying a 2-0 lead.

Second period

A few penalties go for the early part, Ilya Solovyov stops moving his legs and uses his stick to latch onto a Mammoth player to take a penalty but then Hayton slashes a Penguin to make it 4v4. That leads to a tough development for Logan Cooley, who crashes into the post with his leg in a similar way to an injury he suffered last season.

Penalties cycle through, amazingly Cooley is able to return to the game after the nasty collision with the post.

Later on, the Pens get another power play, then Rickard Rakell gets upended and Pittsburgh gets 1:27 of a 5v3 power play with 5:48 to go in the period. The moment is big, Dan Muse uses his timeout to rest his top players and gameplan something for the opportunity. It works, Mantha finds space on the right side and fires a shot up and over Karel Vejmelka on the short-side to make it a 2-1 game.

The Pens keep surging, the Ben Kindel line produces a great shift to tilt the ice, Tommy Novak’s line is out next. Novak goes low-to-high with a pass to Wotherspoon at the point, Wotherspoon puts it on net. The puck gets jammed into the mess of bodies and pops back to Novak who flips a fluttering puck into the net. 2-2.

Bryan Rust sets Rakell up for a goal in front of the net, Ian Cole has to hook Rakell to stop the goal, the Pens to a power play with 15 seconds left.

It wasn’t a pretty period, but it was effective and badly needed for the Pens to score two goals and tie the game. They didn’t have much going on until the 5v3 seemed to invigorate them and they found a way to pull themselves back into a game that they weren’t looking very competitive in for the first 35 minutes or so.

Third period

Much of the carryover power play looks disjointed for the Penguins, who struggle with keeping the puck in the zone. Finally, the luck turns and the puck clicks off a pair of Mammoth players and lands within reach of Bryan Rust. Rust fires it into the net. Pittsburgh takes their first lead of the night, 3-2.

That lead doesn’t last long, Rust toepicks and coughs up a puck, Utah finds Ian Cole as a trailing player on the rush, the defense is out of sorts and Cole scores on a wrist shot. 3-3.

The Pens keep at it, Noel Acciari wins a puck back from John Marino down low and passes to the point. Wotherspoon does his thing and gets the puck to the net. Acciari’s stick is tied up but he wills his way to tapping the puck into the net with it anyways. 4-3 Pittsburgh back in front.

With power plays on the night at 6-2 PIT and Utah down on the scoreboard, wouldn’t ya know it’s the Pens who take a penalty with 8:41 to play. The Pens survive.

Michael Carcone flies the zone and gets a breakaway with about 2:30 left, puck goes off the crossbar and out of play.

The Mammoth pull their goalie soon after and then take their timeout with 1:25 to go. Utah keeps winning faceoffs and pumping shots Skinner’s way, he’s able to battle the way his team has all night. Fittingly, it’s not the prettiest or smoothest sequence with some rebounds left around but he gets the job done well enough until time runs out to secure the victory.

Some thoughts

  • “Playing connected” is an en vogue catchphrase these days for NHL teams to describe how they aspire to play cohesively as a unit in smooth, fluid control with one another as a group. The Penguins have not been playing connected lately and the trouble is it’s applying up and down the board. When a player as typically reliable as Blake Lizotte is creating trouble with a decision or Anthony Mantha is taking an unnecessary post-whistle penalty, it’s a tough watch right now. There’s a lot to figure out in terms of decision making right now all across the lineup.
  • For the faults, weaknesses and mistakes, the Penguins never really go away or stop trying though. Gotta give them that if nothing else. They’ll keep battling and working to attempt to atone for the mistakes and go after the next one. This night wasn’t a one-off considering the recent comeback efforts against Boston and Carolina earlier this week, that certain spirit and ability to soldier on has been working.
  • Falling behind early has been a big problem on this road trip, this was the third game on it and it was the third time the Pens fell down 1-0 somewhat early in the first period. This game and last game against Vegas it was 2-0. That’s not a way to live in the NHL being in a hole and playing from behind. The Pens have been one of the best first period and score first teams in the league this season but the starts have been another area on the fritz lately.
  • Things didn’t get much better in the second, the Pens only managed two shots on goal in the first 15 minutes of the second period prior to Anthony Mantha’s 5v3 goal. They started scoring after that but still never really played very consistently or in a textbook manner. At this point, however, the style points don’t matter, only the results.
  • Effective night for Wotherspoon, the scoresheet recorded both his shot attempts as officially being ‘blocked’, yet both times the puck ended up in the net due to a teammate in close putting in the loose puck. It’s simple yet proved effective to get bodies to the net and then send the puck in to see what could come out of any chaos created….And now the official scorer has taken away one of the shot attempts.
  • Unfriendly night across the league for the Pens; the Bruins, Islanders and Blue Jackets all won their respective games and the Red Wings picked up a point with an OT loss. This was one that the Pens badly needed to keep the pace with all those teams in the playoff chase (where one will be left out) and in a bottom line business, they did. Wasn’t the cleanest game or most pleasing way to go about it, but at this point in the year and given the lineup – a win is a win is a win.

The Pens up their record to 1-1-1 on the road trip to keep hanging around. They’ll have one Hall of Fame center back for Monday against Colorado with Evgeni Malkin returning from suspension. Hopefully soon they’ll add a second one too as Sidney Crosby continues his rehab from his Olympic injury.

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Watch Wilyer Abreu's bat flip, epic celebration after WBC homer vs Japan

Venezuela and Japan are battling it out in a high-scoring World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game.

Japan had a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth inning, before Wilyer Abreu hit a 3-run home run to right field to give Venezuela a 7-5 lead.

Abreu did not hide his emotions, throwing his bat high in the air after the home run. Abreu’s teammates shared in his excitement, streaming out of the dugout to celebrate.

Venezuela carried the 7-5 lead into the eighth inning, tacking on another run.

Check out Abreu's epic home run, bat flip and the Venezuela celebration:

Watch Wilyer Abreu bat flip, celebration

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch Wilyer Abreu bat flip, celebration after WBC homer vs Japan

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Stijn Spierings scores a goal in his MLS debut, Real Salt Lake beats Austin 2-1

SANDY, Utah (AP) — Stijn Spierings scored a goal in his MLS debut to help Real Salt Lake beat Austin FC 2-1 on Saturday night.

Spierings, a 30-year-old former Netherlands youth international, ran onto a ball played ahead by Justen Glad and blasted a first-touch shot from well outside the area to give Real Salt Lake (3-1-0) its first lead of the game at 2-1 in the 88th minute.

Jon Bell scored for Austin (1-2-1) in the 18th minute.

Noel Caliskan played an entry pass from the left edge of the penalty box that was redirected into the net by Austin defender Oleksandr Svatok for an own goal that made it 1-1 in the 24th.

RSL had 59% possession and outshot Austin 24-10, 8-3 on target.

Diego Luna (knee) made his season debut for Real Salt Lake when he subbed on for 18-year-old Aiden Hezarkhani in the 71st minute.

Brad Stuver stopped seven shots for Austin.

Rafael Cabral had two saves for RSL.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves lift Lakers to thrilling overtime win over Nuggets

Lakers guard Austin Reaves celebrates after a 127-125 overtime win against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves celebrates after a 127-125 overtime win against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The Lakers entered a critical six-game stretch Saturday that could very well determine their playoff position in the competitive Western Conference postseason race.

Behind the heroics of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers defeated Denver in a 127-125 overtime thriller at Crypto.com Arena that secured a playoff seeding tiebreaker over the Nuggets.

Doncic made an 18-foot jumper with less than a second left in overtime to secure the win. While he'll get a lot of the credit for the outcome, the play of Austin Reaves, Deande Ayton and Marcus Smart in overtime also played a critical role.

Read more:LeBron James' adaptability a key in victory over the Bulls

Ayton scored four of his nine points in the overtime and Smart drilled an important three-pointer late as the Lakers (42-25) won their fifth straight game and moved back into third place in the West with 15 games remaining.

It was dueling triple-doubles between two stars, with Doncic putting up 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds and Nikola Jokic finishing with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists.

Reaves, who finished with 32 points, seven rebounds, six assists, forced overtime when he intentionally missed a free throw, got the rebound and scored on a floater to tie the score 118-118 with 1.9 seconds remaining. He made his first free throw with 5.2 seconds remaining.

In the overtime, Smart, who finished with 21 points, made a three-pointer off an assist from Doncic for a 125-123 lead, but Jokic responded by scoring over Ayton with 15.1 seconds left to tie the score.

With the Nuggets (41-27) on the verge of winning the season series, Doncic then scored with half a second left to give the Lakers their eighth win in nine games.

LeBron James finished with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists and Ayton grabbed nine rebounds in addition to his nine points.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Tai Baribo scores winner on PK in stoppage time to lift D.C. United to 2-1 victory over Fire

CHICAGO (AP) — Tai Baribo scored on a penalty kick in the fifth of 18 minutes of second-half stoppage time to rally D.C. United to a 2-1 victory over Chicago on Saturday night after Hugo Cuypers drilled a late PK to give the Fire a brief lead.

Neither team scored until the 81st minute when Cuypers sent a PK into the net after a foul on DC United midfielder Jackson Hopkins.

The lead last three minutes until defender Matti Peltola sent shot from the middle of the box through traffic and into the net. It was his first career goal in his 61st appearance.

Baribo's PK winner came after a foul on Fire defender Johnny Dean. It was his third goal in his first four matches with the club after netting 25 goals in 55 appearances over three seasons with the Philadelphia Union.

Sean Johnson saved one shot for DC United (2-2-0) in his first season with the club. It was his 435th career start.

Chris Brady finished with one save for the Fire (1-2-1). He was coming off back-to-back clean sheets.

Baribo had a goal waived off in the 43rd minute after Hopkins was caught offside.

DC United leads the all-time series 28-24-22.

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DC United: At Atlanta United on Saturday.

Chicago: At Philadelphia Union on Saturday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

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Petar Musa has hat trick for FC Dallas in 3-3 tie with San Diego

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Petar Musa scored three goals — his second career hat trick and second multi-goal game this season — Saturday night for FC Dallas in a 3-3 tie with San Diego FC.

Musa capped the scoring in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Bernard Kamungo intercepted a pass near midfield, raced down the left side and then tapped a pass to Musa for a first-touch finish from the left corner of the 6-yard box.

Onni Valakari scored two goals — his first multi-goal game in MLS — and Marcus Ingvartsen also scored a goal for San Diego (3-0-1).

Dallas (1-1-2) had just 40% possession but outshot San Diego 13-5, 8-4 on target.

Musa, who had two goals in a season-opening win over Toronto, put away the rebound of his own shot in the 41st minute — the first goal conceded by San Diego this season — and converted from the spot in the 54th.

Valakari and Ingvartsen made penalty kicks in the 21st and 31st minutes, respectively, to give San Diego a 2-0 lead.

Valakari made it 3-1 in the 51st minute. Alex Mighten, at the left edge of the penalty box, played a low entry to Valakari for a first-touch finish from a few yards in front of the penalty spot. It was the 23-year-old Mighten's first career assists.

Michael Collodi had one save for Dallas.

Pablo Sisniega made his first start this season and finished with five saves for San Diego.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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No. 2 Arizona beats No. 5 Houston 79-74 behind 21 from Brayden Burries

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brayden Burries scored 21 points, including a pair of free throws with 8.3 seconds left, and second-ranked Arizona held off No. 5 Houston 79-74 on Saturday night in a rematch of last year’s Big 12 Tournament title game won by the Cougars.

Koa Peat also had 21 points and Jaden Bradley followed his semifinal game-winner against Iowa State with 13 for the No. 1 seed Wildcats (32-2), who head into the NCAA Tournament having won nine straight games — six against ranked opponents.

Joseph Tugler had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the second-seeded Cougars (28-6). Mercy Miller added 13 points.

Houston, which beat the Wildcats 72-64 in its title game debut a year ago, trailed 75-66 with just over a minute to go before Miller and Milos Uzan hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions.

But when Peat missed a jumper with 22 seconds to go, Arizona big man Motiejus Krivas gathered the rebound and was fouled under the bucket. The 7-foot-2 junior from Lithuania calmly made both free throws to extend the Wildcats’ lead.

Kingston Flemings and Miller missed layups at the other end for Houston, and by the time Miller was fouled and made two free throws, there was just 13.2 seconds to go. Burries was fouled on the inbound pass and put away the game.

NO. 1 DUKE 74, NO. 10 VIRGINIA 70

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Isaiah Evans scored 20 points, Cameron Boozer made two free throws with 3.9 seconds to seal the game and Duke defeated Virginia for its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship under coach Jon Scheyer and its third title in the past four years.

Cayden Boozer had 16 points, and Cameron Boozer finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Blue Devils (32-2) extended their winning streak to 11 games heading into the NCAA Tournament as the likely No. 1 overall seed.

Malik Thomas had 18 points and Sam Lewis had 17 for Virginia (29-5) in a game in which neither team led by more than seven points and featured 16 lead changes.

Ugonna Onyenso had nine blocks and finished with an ACC Tournament record with 20 over three games. Tim Duncan had the previous record of 14 in 1995.

The Cavaliers came into the game 1-32 all-time against No. 1-ranked opponents — and 0-17 against top-ranked Duke teams — and were blown out by the Blue Devils 77-51 two weeks ago at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

NO. 3 MICHIGAN 68, NO. 23 WISCONSIN 65

CHICAGO (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining, and Michigan beat Nick Boyd and Wisconsin to advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship.

Aday Mara scored 16 points and Elliot Cadeau had 15 as top-seeded Michigan (31-2) avenged its only conference loss from the regular season, a 91-88 setback against Wisconsin on Jan. 10. Mara also grabbed eight rebounds and blocked five shots.

Michigan is going for its second straight Big Ten Tournament title and fifth overall. It will play No. 18 Purdue on Sunday after the Boilermakers eliminated UCLA with a 73-66 win.

Lendeborg got off to another slow start after he had just six points in Friday’s quarterfinal victory over Ohio State. But the Big Ten player of the year began to assert himself right before halftime, and he connected on the biggest shot of the game.

Lendeborg grabbed an offensive rebound and passed to Cadeau for a 3 with 45 seconds left, giving Michigan a 65-62 lead. But Boyd responded with a tying 3 for Wisconsin.

With the United Center crowd standing in anticipation, Michigan tried to find Lendeborg inside on its last possession. But Lendeborg ended up coming back outside before getting a pass from Cadeau and drilling the winning 3.

NO. 22 VANDERBILT 91, NO. 4 FLORIDA 74

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tyler Tanner scored 20 points as Vanderbilt beat Florida, ending the defending national champion’s bid to win a second straight Southeastern Conference Tournament title and possibly hurt the Gators’ bid for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The fourth-seeded Commodores won their fourth straight game. Vanderbilt (26-7) will play No. 17 Arkansas on Sunday as it goes for its first tournament title since 2012.

Four other Vanderbilt players scored in double figures, with Jalen Washington adding 17, Duke Miles 15, Devin McGlockton 12 and AK Okereke 11. Six different Commodores made at least one 3-pointer, and everyone who played scored at least a bucket.

The Gators (26-7) saw their 12-game winning streak end. Thomas Haugh led them with 19 points, Boogie Fland had 15, Alex Condon 13 and Rueben Chinyelu 12.

Florida had been dominant during its streak, winning by an average of 21.7 points to end the regular season. On Saturday, it never led by more than 2 early on. The nation’s top rebounding team dominated the boards (38-23) again, but the Gators struggled to find the basket, missing 12 of 13 shots in the first half.

NO. 13 ST. JOHN'S 72, NO. 6 UCONN 52

NEW YORK (AP) — Zuby Ejiofor had seven blocks, nine rebounds and three steals to anchor a tenacious defensive performance that carried St. John’s to its second straight Big East Tournament championship with a blowout of UConn at Madison Square Garden.

Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins each scored 18 points for the top-seeded Red Storm (28-6), who became the first team to win consecutive Big East Tournament titles since Villanova took three in a row from 2017-19.

Adding to their resurgent rise under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, the Johnnies joined UConn in 1998 and ’99 as the only Big East programs to win both the regular-season and tournament crowns in back-to-back years.

Oziyah Sellers scored 14 points for St. John’s, which never trailed in the tournament and has won all six of its games in this event by double digits the past two years. The Johnnies opened a 17-point cushion in the first half and took two of three meetings this season between the conference powerhouses.

The second-seeded Huskies (29-5) were held nine points below their previous season low.

Tarris Reed Jr. scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half for UConn. Point guard Silas Demary Jr. was helped off the floor late with an apparent left ankle injury, which could be costly heading into the NCAA Tournament.

NO. 17 ARKANSAS 93, MISSISSIPPI 90, OT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darius Acuff Jr. scored five of his 24 points in overtime and Arkansas held off Mississippi to reach the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game for the first time since 2017.

The third-seeded Razorbacks (25-8) will play No. 22 Vanderbilt, which routed No. 4 Florida earlier Saturday.

Acuff, the SEC’s scoring leader and league’s player and freshman of the year, also had seven assists. Meleek Thomas led Arkansas with 29 points, Trevon Brazile had 16 points with 10 rebounds along with the final free throw and Malique Ewin added 14.

Ole Miss (15-20) ends its improbable run after the 15th-seeded Rebels became the second double-digit seed to win three games at this event, joining Auburn in 2015.

The Rebels, who held off a furious rally in stunning No. 15 Alabama on Friday night, forced overtime by outscoring the Razorbacks 8-1 with AJ Storr’s layup tying it at 79 with 1.1 seconds left.

Ewin put Arkansas ahead to stay with a dunk 10 seconds into overtime. Ole Miss had a chance to take the lead with 3 seconds left, but Storr’s 3 clanked off the front rim.

NO. 18 PURDUE 73, UCLA 66

CHICAGO (AP) — Oscar Cluff had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Purdue beat short-handed UCLA to advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship game.

Cluff scored eight points as Purdue (26-8) outscored UCLA (23-11) 11-4 over the final 3:41. Fletcher Loyer scored 14. Braden Smith contributed nine more assists, giving him 1,064 in his career. He needs 13 to break Bobby Hurley’s NCAA record of 1,076 for Duke from 1989-93.

Trey Kaufman-Ren added 12 points and 10 rebounds, helping Purdue advance to the conference final for the first time since winning the tournament in Chicago in 2023. The Boilermakers will meet No. 3 Michigan. The Wolverines, seeking a championship repeat, beat No. 23 Wisconsin 68-65 when Yaxel Lendeborg made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining.

Already missing star Tyler Bilodeau after he exited Friday’s win over No. 8 Michigan State with a right leg injury, UCLA had to get by in the second half without guard Donovan Dent. He tweaked something in his lower leg and was limited to two points in 10 minutes after scoring 23 and dishing out 12 assists against the Spartans.

Trent Perry led UCLA with 15 points. Xavier Booker scored 12, and Eric Dailey Jr. had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

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Harris, Taylor lead Kennesaw State 71-60 over Louisiana Tech for first Conference USA Championship

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Jaden Harris and Amir Taylor combined to score 35 points and No. 6 seed Kennesaw State defeated No. 4 seed Louisiana Tech to win their first Conference USA championship and clinch a berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Harris posted 18 on 4 of 6 from behind the arc. Taylor had 17, going 9 for 11 from the free-throw line, while tallying six rebounds and two steals. RJ Johnson added 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

The Owls (21-13) led 35-32 at the half, and used a 10-2 run starting with 8:42 left in the game to build up an 11-point lead inside the final four minutes.

This is the Owls’ second 20-win season in school history, and their first title game in the second year in the conference. They were the third-lowest seed to win the Conference USA tournament. It's their second trip ever to the NCAA Tournament.

The Bulldogs (20-14) were led by Avery Thomas II's 10-point, 10-rebound performance. Scooter Williams Jr. had 10 points. Kaden Cooper had 10 rebounds. AJ Bates had eight assists.

The Bulldogs were done in by 7% shooting from behind the arc (2 for 28). They shot 31% from the field (22 for 72). They entered Saturday's contest with a 35-year NCAA Tournament drought.

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