KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jaliya Davis recorded a double-double and No. 11-seed Kansas beat 14th-seeded UCF 56-35 in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament on Wednesday night.
Davis scored 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting and collected 11 rebounds — her third career double-double for the Jayhawks (19-12). They will go on to play sixth-seed Colorado on Thursday.
The Jayhawks broke the game open with a 15-0 run spanning the first and second quarters to jump ahead 24-10, which featured two layups from Davis and back-to-back 3-pointers from Brittany Harshaw and Sania Copeland.
The Knights (11-19) were led in scoring by Jacorriah Bracey, with 10. UCF didn't scored in the final 5:50, and shot 25% (14 of 57) including 11% (2 of 19) from 3-point range.
Up next
UCF: Season over.
Kansas: will play No. 6 seed Colorado on Thursday.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Ace Austin scored all of her 14 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday night and Alabama beat Missouri 65-48 in the first round of the SEC Tournament and extend the Tigers' skid.
Alabama (22-9), which had lost back-to-back games and five of six, won its first conference tournament game since 2022. The Crimson Tide plays No. 6 seed Tennessee on Thursday.
Austin hit four 3s in a 12-2 run to open fourth that made it 14-point game with 6:39 remaining and the Tigers got no closer.
Diana Collins scored 13, Ta’Mia Scott finished with 12 points and three blocks, and Essence Cody added 10 points for Alabama. Karly Weathers scored just four points on 1-of-9 shooting, 1 of 8 from 3-point range, but finished with a career-high 16 rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block.
Missouri (16-16) has lost six games in a row. Jordana Reisma led the Tigers with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting while Grace Slaughter had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Tigers hit just 25% and had more turnovers (eight) than made field goals (seven) before the intermission in their lowest-scoring half this season. Alabama made 11 of 34 (32%) from the field and had 10 assists before the break and took a 31-20 lead into halftime.
Then-No. 21 Crimson Tide won 74-63 at Missouri on Jan. 12 and Alabama leads the series 12-9, 2-1 at neutral sites.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jrue Holiday had 35 points and 11 assists, and Jerami Grant added 30 points as the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a two-game skid with a 122-114 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
Portland (30-33), making a push to qualify for the postseason, used a 24-19 scoring edge over the final nine minutes to seal the win. The Trail Blazers had lost three of their last four and four of their last six games entering Wednesday.
Robert Williams III had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Portland. Matisse Thybulle contributed three rebounds, an assist and a steal on his 29th birthday.
The Grizzlies got double-figure scoring from seven players, but it wasn't enough against Portland as they lost their second straight and for the ninth time in 12 games. Memphis was playing the second game of a back to back after falling to Minnesota 117-110 on Tuesday.
Jaylen Wells led the way with 24 points, and GG Jackson added 20 for Memphis. Forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who earlier in the day signed a multi-year contract, had 17 points and nine rebounds in his eighth start for the Grizzlies. Jahmai Mashack came off the bench to score 13 points, Cam Spencer scored all 12 of his points in the first half and added seven rebounds and seven assists, while Walter Clayton Jr. added 12 points and Javon Small 11.
Ja Morant missed his 18th straight game for Memphis due to a left elbow injury, and Zach Edey is out for the rest of the year after having surgery on his left ankle earlier in the week.
Up next
Trail Blazers: At the Houston Rockets on Friday.
Grizzlies: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Katie Fiso scored 20 points, Ehis Etute had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Oregon defeated Purdue 82-64 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday night.
Mia Jacobs had 14 points and nine rebounds for 11th-seeded Oregon (21-11).
Lana McCarthy had 14 points and nine rebounds before fouling out, and Hila Karsh and Tara Daye each scored 11 points for Purdue (13-17), the 14th seed.
Etute scored eight points in the first quarter and the Ducks led 21-12 after one.
In the second, the Boilermakers had a seven-minute stretch in which they missed all 10 of their shots. Oregon’s lead ballooned to 47-24 at halftime.
After shooting 24% and scoring only 24 points in the first half, Purdue shot 73% in the third quarter and scored 25 points. The Ducks shot only 25% in the third quarter but still led 64-49 heading to the fourth.
Oregon shot 47% in the first half and held on despite shooting only 33% after halftime.
The Ducks and Boilermakers met barely a week ago, on Feb. 25, with Oregon winning 71-65 at Purdue.
Up next
Oregon plays No. 6-seed Maryland on Thursday with the winner moving on to play third-seeded Michigan in the quarterfinals.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Reserve Braeden Carrington scored 18 points, John Blackwell scored 14 points and Wisconsin poured it on in the second half to dismantle Maryland 78-45 on Wednesday night.
Nick Boyd scored 13 points and reserve Austin Rapp scored 11 points for Wisconsin (21-9, 13-6 Big Ten), which had 11 players enter the scoring column.
The Badgers' Andrew Rohde passed out six of Wisconsin's 15 assists and didn't commit a turnover. Wisconsin turned it over only three times.
Andre Mills scored 14 points and Elijah Saunders scored 11 points for Maryland.
Wisconsin turned an already commanding 34-21 first-half stranglehold into a 21-point lead 5 1/2 minutes into the second half. The Badgers shot 48% (27 of 56) and made 42% (13 of 31) from 3-point range. The Badgers scored 44 second-half points.
It was the fewest point Maryland (11-19, 4-15) has ever posted against Wisconsin in the shot-clock era. It was also Maryland'd lowest point total of the season.
Wisconsin has won five of its last seven. Maryland has lost five of its last six.
Up next
Maryland wraps up the regular season hosting 11th-ranked Illinois on Saturday.
Wisconsin ends the regular season at No. 15 Purdue on Saturday.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Paul Cotter and Jesper Bratt scored in the shootout, Connor Brown forced overtime with a tying goal with 2:21 left in the third period and the New Jersey Devils beat Toronto 4-3 on Wednesday night, sending the Maple Leafs to their fifth straight loss.
Timo Meier and and Arseny Gritsyuk also scored in regulation for the Devils, who have won three in a row and improved to 25-8-1 when scoring at least three goals. Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves.
William Nylander, Matias Maccelli and Matthew Knies had goals for the Maple Leafs, who haven't won since beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 on Feb. 3 — their last game before the Olympic break. Anthony Stolarz made 44 saves.
Cotter put a backhander past Stolarz to start the shootout for the Devils. After Nylander's wrister was stopped, Bratt also scored on a backhander to put New Jersey up 2-0 in the shootout. Auston Matthews' wrist shot was then stopped by Markstrom, giving the Devils the victory.
With the game tied at 2 in the third period, Knies batted in the rebound of John Tavares' shot past Markstrom to put Toronto ahead with 6:10 left.
Brown took a pass from Gritsyuk on a rush toward the net and roofed a quick shot in tight past Stolarz to tie it at 3 with 2:21 remaining.
The Devils outshot the Maple Leafs 47 to 27 in regulation.
New Jersey was without defenseman Brett Pesce, who suffered a lower-body injury against Florida on Tuesday night.
Up next
Maple Leafs: Play at New York Rangers on Thursday night.
ATLANTA (AP) — Dai Dai Ames scored 18 points and Lee Dort scored 16 points and California beat Georgia Tech 79-65 on Wednesday night for the Bears' fourth win in the last five games.
John Camden added 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Chris Bell scored 10 for Cal. The Bears overcame 21% shooting (5 of 24) from 3-point range with the help of a 57.5% (23 of 40) inside the arc.
Kowacie Reeves Jr. scored 19 points on the strength of 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc, Akai Fleming scored 16 points and Jaeden Mustaf 10 for the Yellow Jackets (11-19, 2-15 Atlantic Coast Conference). Lamar Washington distributed 10 assists with just a single turnover and had three steals for Georgia Tech.
Cal outscored the Yellow Jackets 20-7 between 15:40 remaining in the game to 8:46 left and led 62-48. Georgia Tech led 36-32 at halftime.
The last time the Bears (21-9, 9-8) posted a 20-win regular season was 2015-16, when the Bears won 22 games before postseason play. That was also the last time the Bears earned an NCAA Tournament berth in a season which Cal finished 23-6 overall.
Up Next
California: Ends the regular season at Wake Forest on Saturday.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets concludes the regular season at Clemson on Saturday.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) — John Mobley Jr. scored 28 points and Bruce Thornton added 18 in Ohio State's 94-62 win over Penn State on Wednesday night.
Three other Buckeye scorers were in double digits— Devin Royal and Amare Bynum both finished with 14 and Christoph Tilly with 10.
Ohio State (19-11, 11-8 Big Ten) never trailed, scoring the first points of the game and extending their lead with a 13-0 run in the first half to double digits. The Buckeyes shot 62% (18 of 29) in the first half and took a 45-21 lead heading into halftime. They finished the game shooting 67% from the field (34 of 51) and 70% from 3-point range (16 of 23).
Penn State (12-18, 3-16) was led in scoring by Freddie Dilione V and Ivan Juric, with 15 each. Dominick Stewart added 11.
Up next
Ohio State: Hosts Indiana for the final game of the regular season on Saturday.
Penn State: Visits Rutgers for the final game of the regular season on Sunday.
Kyshawn George — one of the few bright spots in a rough Washington season — will miss at least three weeks with a partial tear of the UCL in his left elbow, the team announced Wednesday.
The injury appeared to happen in the third quarter on Monday against Houston, when George left the game not to return (although he did return to the bench for the end). With the Wizards focused more on the draft than winning games (despite the return of Trae Young this week), expect them to be cautious in bringing George back.
George, picked 24th in the 2024 NBA Draft, is averaging 14.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 38.1% from beyond the arc.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Heloisa Carrera scored 16 points, including the go-ahead jumper late in the fourth quarter, and Arizona State held off Arizona 54-51 in a first-round matchup at the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday.
The Sun Devils, 2-0 against their in-state rival in the regular season and six games better in the Big 12 standings, never led by more than four points in the second half.
The 15th-seeded Wildcats took their last lead at 51-50 when Blessing Adebanjo nailed a jumper with 2:51 remaining. The No. 10-seed Sun Devils (23-9) scored on their next two possessions when first Carrera then Last-Tear Poa knocked down mid-range jumpers, giving Arizona State its 54-51 lead. Neither team scored again.
Daniah Trammell and Sumayah Sugapong each scored 12 points and Noelani Cornfield added 10 for the Wildcats (12-18).
Arizona State led 18-17 after one quarter and 29-28 at halftime.
There were three lead changes and three ties in the first five-plus minutes of the third quarter. Neither team scored in the next 2 1/2 minutes, then Arizona State went ahead 44-42 at the end of the quarter.
Up next
Arizona State faces No. 7-seed Iowa State on Thursday, with the winner moving on to play second-seeded West Virginia in the quarterfinals.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ally Sentnor scored in the 55th minute and the United States beat Canada 1-0 on Wednesday in the SheBelieves Cup tournament, the Americans' seventh straight shutout.
Sentnor scored her seventh international goal off a corner from Rose Lavelle, gathering the ball on a bounce before punching it past two defenders and Canada goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan.
The U.S. hasn't allowed a goal since a 3-1 win over Portugal last October, a stretch of 714 minutes.
“Honestly, our goal was just to win the game,” Sentnor said. “I think going into a rivalry game, we knew what was going to happen. It was going to be on the line and Canada gave us an incredible performance, and we really had to work for this win.”
The United States sat atop the SheBelieves table with two wins, ahead of Canada and Colombia with one each. The Colombians defeated Argentina 1-0 in the early match Wednesday at ScottsMiracle-Gro Stadium.
The United States is 55-4-9 against Canada since their first meeting in 1986. The U.S. won the last meeting 3-0 in July.
The Canadians' last win in the series came at the Tokyo Olympics. Jessie Fleming converted a penalty in a 1-0 semifinal victory. Canada went on to win the gold medal.
U.S. coach Emma Hayes included Trinity Rodman in the starting lineup despite Rodman taking a hit in the back late in Sunday's 2-0 SheBelieves victory over Argentina in Nashville. Rodman struggled with a nagging back injury last year.
Canada, which defeated Colombia 4-1 in the tournament opener, was without captain Fleming because of an illness.
The game was scoreless after the first half despite the United States dominating possession by nearly 70%.
Sentnor, who plays professionally for the Kansas City Current, broke the stalemate with her third goal of the year. The 22-year-old was named U.S. Soccer's young player of the year in 2024.
Canada coach Casey Stoney felt her team showed “huge progress” from the last time the Canadians faced the United States, but was disappointed about conceding on a set piece.
“I think we were competitive throughout the game. I think we kept our distances better, we had good discipline,” Stoney said. “I think we had moments in their box where we can have a little bit more composure."
Colombia will play the United States on Saturday in the tournament finale in Harrison, New Jersey. Canada plays Argentina in the early game.
It is the 11th annual SheBelieves Cup hosted by the United States. Canada was making its fourth appearance in the tournament.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Wizards announced Wednesday that forward Kyshawn George partially tore the UCL in his left elbow Monday against Houston.
The team says the 22-year-old George will be re-evaluated in three weeks.
George, a first-round draft pick in 2024, has started all 48 games he has appeared in this season. He's averaging 14.8 points and shooting 38% from 3-point range.
The Wizards host Utah on Thursday night in what is expected to be newly acquired point guard Trae Young's debut with Washington after he was traded from Atlanta in January.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 14: JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the second half of a game against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center on December 14, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
All season long, the Lakers have proven that if they are leading entering the fourth quarter, they will finish the game strong and win.
This year, Los Angeles is 27-1 when in front entering the final period, by far the best winning percentage in the Western Conference.
But what about when they are trailing as the game enters the last 12 minutes? In that category, the Lakers are a woeful 9-22.
So, the Lakers finding a way to come back and beat the Pelicans on Tuesday was a nice change of pace. Sure, the deficit was just one point as the fourth began, but they won with some great team defense and it was the type of victory that could galvanize LA, helping them to go on a run.
After the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick talked about what made this win unique.
“Frankly, that’s not a win we’ve had since probably November, where we’re down late,” Redick said. “A lot of those early wins when we started 15-4, we had a number of double-digit deficits in the second half and just stuck with it and kept playing. It was a good win for our group to be able to do that again.”
The Lakers had a couple of these kinds of wins early on that met Redick’s criteria.
Constantly winning in the NBA is hard. And to win when you aren’t playing your best and trailing late in a game is even harder. As Luka Dončić said postgame, the Lakers played an ugly game against New Orleans, but good teams find ways to win those contests as well.
If the Lakers keep stacking wins and finding ways to win when losing seems like the most likely outcome, then they should begin to rise in the Western Conference standings.
And if they can accomplish that, then this season still has the potential to be something special.
For now, it’s just good to see that the Lakers can win in multiple ways and that they still have the opportunity to play their best basketball during this final stretch of the season.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Sam Alexis scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half to help Indiana jump out early and cruise past Minnesota 77-47 on Wednesday night that ended the Hoosiers' four-game losing streak.
Lamar Wilkerson added 16 points for Indiana (18-12, 9-10 Big Ten). Tucker DeVries chipped in with 13 points and Nick Dorn scored 11. The three combined for 10 of the Hoosiers' 24 3-point attempts.
Indiana held a double-digit lead the entire second half. The Hoosiers shot 57% (31 of 54) overall. Alexis and DeVries each grabbed nine of their 37 rebounds.
Cade Tyson scored 21 points and Isaac Asuma added 13 for Minnesota (14-16, 7-12). The Golden Gophers shot 26% (6 of 23) in the second half and 32% overall.
Indiana built a double-digit lead early before Minnesota pulled within three points midway through the first half. The Hoosiers ended the half on a 10-2 surge that included Wilkerson's 100th 3-pointer of the season, followed by a DeVries 3-pointer and dunk for a 43-28 lead at the break.
With 11:23 to play, Indiana began a 14-0 run that lasted about five minutes to turn it into a rout. Dorn and DeVries each hit a 3 during the stretch.
Up next
Minnesota hosts Northwestern in a regular-season finale on Saturday.
Indiana ends its regular season at Ohio State on Saturday.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 3: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs handles the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 3, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Spurs are back to their winning ways after a stumble in New York. They demolished the shorthanded 76ers in a 40-point blowout that saw eight players finish with 10 points or more.
Among those 8 players, Victor Wembanyama was the closest to not reaching double digits. The big man only took five shots in 25 minutes, yet the Spurs outscored Philadelphia by 41 points with him on the floor, the highest numbers on the team. As J.R. Wilco and I previously discussed, Wemby is dominating games without having to score, which is a fantastic development.
A blowout win is not the best data point, but the win against the Pistons also showed this dynamic. Wembanyama had five points in six shots in the first quarter. He took 10 shots the rest of the way and racked up his points from the free throw line and by scoring late against a scrambling Detroit defense. Wembanyama was a monster on the boards, finishing with 17. He blocked six shots and walled off the paint, and he dished out four assists. He had a usage in the mid-20s, and he passed the ball on a two thirds of his total touches. He didn’t force things or hold on to the ball.
Let’s compare it with the loss to the Knicks. Wembanyama led the team in scoring and field goal attempts and had seven turnovers. He took seven three-pointers and made just one. His usage was in the low 30s while no one else got more than the very low 20s, and he passed the ball in about half of his touches. The final stat line is not that dissimilar. Against Detroit, Wemby finished with 21 points on 16 shots and four assists to three turnovers. Against New York, he finished with 25 points on 17 shots and four assists to seven turnovers. The main difference is how much more in the flow of the offense he played in the Pistons game and some recent others.
Now, Wembanyama being the clear first option on offense is not a bad thing in itself. There are also different ways he’s guarded, some of which only work if he’s passive. By no means is the suggestion here that The Alien needs to be a defense-only role player instead of using his impressive offensive tools. The main point is that Wemby, despite occasionally falling into old habits, seems to be doing a better job of reading what the defense is giving him and recognizing when others might have a better matchup. He only took five shots against the 76ers because he only had to take five shots for the team to win in a blowout.
You can see the new approach in action when you watch him. The Spurs don’t have the most sophisticated offensive playbook, so they stick to a few plays to get Wemby a good look, usually involving an off-ball screen or having him as a screener. When those plays are executed well and the defender doesn’t stick closely to Victor, he can act as a finisher. Then you have the isolations at the mid-post or the elbow, and the inverted pick-and-rolls that turn him into a shot creator. Finally, there are the threes that Wemby has the green light to attempt whenever he wants.
There are games when he simply doesn’t get good looks off those plays, mostly because the defense sells out to stop him, but he tries to make something happen anyway, to normally bad results.
The drives that end in turnovers, the fadeaway twos out of balance, the rushed threes, the pleas for a call as he falls won’t ever be fully eliminated from his game, because he’ll never be perfect. But they can be limited. When Wemby has a center sticking on him, he can simply screen or space the floor and let the guards drive into an open paint. When he has a big wing on him to match his agility or is single-covered, he can hunt switches that will lead to doubles or rotations and just move the ball.
The offense can and should revolve around him most of the time he’s on the court, but he doesn’t have to make tough buckets and get crazy assists to be useful on that end. We’ve seen it, and he’s realizing it.
What makes Wembanyama special is that he can be Rudy Gobert 2.0 on defense but also bring the scoring, spacing, and connective passing of offensively gifted bigs. He can drop 40 if the defense doesn’t have the personnel to stop him or when his shot is going in. But some days, he can just dominate so thoroughly defensively that playing a less central role on offense is the best way for him to contribute to winning. It may seem counterintuitive, but playing the decoy to give an opportunity to the rest of the Spurs’ offensive weapons, might just be what’s necessary to open things up for him to score more.
The fully realized version of Wemby will likely be unstoppable on offense, but for now, he can be an elite finisher and an opportunistic creator who picks his spots. It’s what he’s done in some of the recent wins, and it bodes well for the upcoming playoff run and the near future, when San Antonio’s already impressive guards progress to the point of needing more touches, just like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili did back in the day.
