MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 12: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of Team Japan warms up during a World Baseball Classic workout day at loanDepot park on March 12, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Gene Wang - Capture At Media/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes his final start of the World Baseball Classic on Saturday night in Miami, trying to get Japan past Venezuela and into the semifinals. The winner of this game takes on Italy on Monday night.
Shohei Ohtani bats leadoff as the designated hitter, per usual, this time facing Ranger Suárez to start.
DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 13: Max Christie #00 of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket against James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at American Airlines Center on March 13, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. 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 GettyImages License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks (22-45) complete their season series with the Cleveland Cavaliers (41-26) Sunday with an early 2:30pm CST tipoff at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The two teams met Friday with Cleveland routing the Mavericks at American Airlines Center, 138-105. Cavs center Evan Mobley led all scorers with 29 points on 12-15 shooting, while the Mavericks were led by Cooper Flagg’s 25, as he emerged from an injury-related slump with a monster third quarter.
For the Mavericks, Friday’s game ended a one-game winning streak that was scarcely 24 hours old as they beat Memphis the night before, 120-112, ending an eight-game skid. For Cleveland, a won Sunday would equal their longest win streak since Feb. 20, as a tough run of the schedule including the Thunder, Celtics, Knicks, Pistons, Magic, and 76ers ended a win streak that reached seven games as the team brought aboard guard James Harden in a trade Feb. 3. While the team hasn’t yet replicated the wins from that honeymoon period, Harden’s time meshing with his new teammates looks promising as Cleveland gears for a deep playoff run.
The Cavaliers, who treated much of Friday’s matchup in Dallas as a tune-up game as they determine their playoff rotation and build chemistry with Harden, will bring a deeper roster to Sunday’s game as center Jarrett Allen and wing Max Strus plan to return from knee and foot injuries.
Game of inches
The Mavericks, for whom perimeter defense is already a nightly liability, were also without much size Friday to counter the Cavs’ relentless attacks at the rim. Forward PJ Washington and centers Daniel Gafford and Moussa Cisse were all unavailable, as frontcourts anchored by Marvin Bagley III and Dwight Powell got torched for 72 paint points achieved through a dazzling array of methods. Guard Donovan Mitchell got to his spots at will, making 10 of 12 two-pointers, while Harden and Mobley seemingly found a breakthrough building the pick-and-roll rapport that has proven elusive in their six weeks so far as teammates. Against the Mavericks, Harden and Mobley each seemed to speed things up with Harden attacking earlier off screens and Mobley rolling much harder to the basket, and the yield was lobs, pocket passes, and finishes with an easy rhythm as Harden was able to get Mobley switched onto guards and strike.
Allen, a more conventional kind of screener and roller than Mobley, is already a match for Harden’s style of play, with the 21.5 points per game he has averaged playing with Harden (not counting the game Allen left with injury against Detroit March 3) raising his season scoring average to 15.3. If the Mavericks offer the kind of resistance at the rim that was on display Friday (Washington, Gafford, and Cisse are all day-to-day), expect Harden to use this game as a laboratory to synthesize Allen’s and Mobley’s natural abilities, waiting a beat longer to accelerate around Allen’s hard screens, and finding the versatile Mobley further from the basket more often.
Welcome wagon
Max Strus also returns for Cleveland against the Mavericks; on Feb, 27, 2024 he caught fire late against a very different Mavericks club, connecting on five three-pointers in the game’s final five minutes, including the game-winner- a 60’ heave on a last-second inbounds that closed it with the Cavs up 121-119. Strus, a starter in 37 of the 50 games he has played this year, joins a wing core that had things humming against the Mavericks Friday, as Keon Ellis hit three of his five three-pointers in his first start for Cleveland and Plano native Jaylon Tyson made two of his three. The team was nearly as effective shooting beyond the arc, making 18 of 38, as it was in the paint.
How not to repeat history
While Flagg’s brilliant second half and Naji Marshall’s return to form Friday gave Mavericks fans something to cheer for besides the team’s draft lottery chances, there were not many other bright spots, as jumping out to an early two-bucket lead in the game’s opening minutes doesn’t qualify as a bright spot given what followed. In the game’s second quarter, in which the Mavericks actually played the Cavs to a 29-29 tie, eight Maverick turnovers led to 13 Cleveland points. Dallas went on to cough it up 17 times in the game overall, and although Ryan Nembhard’s 9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio counts as a bright spot, the undersized Mavs backcourt’s inability to stop Harden and Mitchell made for bright spots for quite a few folks wearing wine and gold.
While the Mavericks will probably run some different lineups at the Cavs, the most likely result will be another early night on the bench for Harden, Mitchell, and Co., while the Mavericks get another long look at forwards Thomas Bryant and Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who combined to go seven-for-seven on two-point attempts. Winning is still the objective for this hard-playing Mavericks team, but its fans can be forgiven for quietly rooting for another strong Coop performance and no lost ground in the “other” standings if things go sideways as rapidly as they did Friday.
How to watch/listen
You can watch the game on NBA TV, KFAA Channel 29, or MAVS TV (streaming), or listen at 97.1FM KEGL (English), and 99.1FM KFZO (español).
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Hany Mukhtar scored four minutes into second-half stoppage time — the 25,000th goal in MLS history — and Brian Schwake earned his second clean sheet in his fourth MLS start as Nashville SC beat the Columbus Crew 1-0 on Saturday night.
Mukhtar subbed in to begin the second half for Nashville (3-0-1) before scoring for the second time this season. It was his 84th goal in 183 career appearances with the club.
The 34-year-old Schwake saved two shots for the shutout.
Cristian Espinoza collected his second assist of the season on Mukhtar's goal and defender Andy Nájar notched his first. Espinoza, in his first season with Nashville, had 70 assists in 218 appearances for the San Jose Earthquakes dating to 2019. Nájar had a career-high 10 assists with Nashville last season, his first with the club.
Patrick Schulte totaled three saves in goal for the Crew (0-2-2), who were also shut out at home last week in a scoreless draw with the Chicago Fire.
Nashville had three players receive first-half yellow cards — Jack Maher, Ahmed Qasem and Woobens Pacius. Sam Surridge and Mukhtar replaced Qasem and Pacius after halftime.
Twenty-year-old Taha Habroune had his first goal of the season and the second of his career waived off for Nashville in the 18th minute when Max Arfsten was caught offside after a video review.
Nashville played to a 2-2 draw in Columbus last season and beat the Crew 3-0 at home.
The Mets lost to the Houston Astros, 8-2, on Saturday night in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Freddy Peralta made the 45-minute trip down south to make his third start of the spring against the Astros and looked sharp as he has all camp with four innings of one-run ball. The lone run allowed by the right-hander came in the first inning after Yordan Alvarez singled home Taylor Trammell who walked to lead off the game before stealing second base.
From there it was smooth sailing for Peralta who ended the first inning by getting Carlos Correa to ground into a double play and then retired the next nine batters in a row. He finished with five strikeouts to one walk and threw 56 pitches (39 strikes), 11 more pitches than his previous outing on March 8 against the Yankees.
New York's Opening Day starter will likely have one more start this spring before gearing up for the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 26 at Citi Field.
-- With most of the Mets' projected starters staying behind, the offense was hard to come by, particularly against Ryan Weiss who went the first 4.1 innings and outdueled Peralta by allowing no runs on two hits and a walk. A.J. Ewing got New York's first hit with a single in the fourth and finished 1-for-2 with a walk in the leadoff spot. The youngster raised his batting average to .381 and has been one of the more impressive players in Mets camp.
-- Speaking of impressive young players, Carson Benge also had a productive day at the plate, going 1-for-3 batting third. His single in the sixth came with runners on first and second but the runners were only able to move up a base. New York squandered the bases loaded and one out opportunity with two consecutive strikeouts.
-- Ben Rortvedt, who replaced Austin Barnes at catcher in the bottom of the sixth, had the best night for the Mets with his 2-for-2 performance. He scored both of New York's runs and had the Mets' only extra-base hit with his leadoff double in the ninth.
-- Cristian Pache, still vying for a spot on the Opening Day roster, also had a solid night at the plate by going 2-for-4 with an RBI. He's hitting .440 this spring and is an option to make the roster as the team's fourth outfielder.
-- Mitch Voit, New York's 2025 first-round pick, made his first start of spring training and got his first hit as well in the nine hole while playing second base.
-- Mark Vientos' rough spring continued with an 0-for-4 night. He's now batting .048.
-- The Mets allowed the Astros to steal three bases, including one of home in the seventh inning.
Game MVP: Yordan Alvarez
Alvarez finished 2-for-3 with a three-run home run.
Highlights
Four strikeouts through three innings for Freddy Peralta! 🔥
The Mets return home for a Sunday matinee against the Toronto Blue Jays as they continue their spring training schedule. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.
PORT SAINT LUCIE, FLORIDA - MARCH 8: Freddy Peralta #51 of the New York Mets pitches in the first inning during the game against the New York Yankees during a Spring Training game at Clover Park on March 8, 2026 in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mets fell to the Astros 8-2 at CACTI Park of The Palm Beaches. The loss dropped New York to 10-8 in Grapefruit League action, with one tie.
Freddy Peralta started for the Mets and was terrific, holding Houston to just one hit and one earned run over four innings of work. He walked one batter and struck out five. He allowed his lone run in the first inning on a Yordan Alvarez run-scoring single. With the outing, he lowered his spring ERA to 2.70.
Luis García pitched a scoreless fifth for the Mets to keep New York within a run.
The Mets trailed by one run until the sixth, when Alvarez hit a three-run home run against Saul Garcia, who allowed three earned runs on one hit and two walks. He also struck out two batters.
The Mets broke through in the seventh with a run on a Jose Ramos, which drove home Ben Rortvedt. The run cut the Astros’ lead to three runs.
Houston plated three more runs in the seventh against Jordan Gerber, who ended up pitching 1 1/3 innings for the Mets and surrendering three earned runs on three hits, with one walk and two strikeouts.
Colton Cosper took over for Gerber in the eighth and allowed an unearned run on two hits. He walked a batter and did not record a strikeout.
The Mets picked up a run in the ninth on a Cristian Pache single, which drove in Rortvedt.
Rortvedt and Pache each picked up two hits for the Mets. Seven other Mets collected a hit apiece.
Mets’ top prospects Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing each had a hit. Benge’s average now stands at .367 and his OPS is .839 on the spring, while Ewing raised his average to .381 and his OPS to 1.090.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — MJ Collins Jr. scored 20 points to lead No. 1 seed Utah State past No. 2 seed San Diego State 73-62 on Saturday to win the Mountain West Championship.
Collins was 8-of-15 shooting and 4 of 10 behind the arc with three steals for the Aggies (28-6). Mason Falslev, who was named Mountain West Player of the Year, had 16 points — 10 in the second half — and six assists. Drake Allen added 13 points and six rebounds.
The Aggies led by one point with 7:40 to go before going on a 12-2 run over the next three minutes, led by a pair of 3-pointers from Collins. The Aztecs (22-11) never got closer than eight points after that.
Reese Dixon-Waters led the Aztecs with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. BJ Davis scored 14 and Magoon Gwath had 12 to go with eight rebounds.
It's the final Mountain West Conference game for both teams. They'll head to the Pac-12 after this season. The Aztecs' 46 Mountain West tournament wins are the most in conference history.
The Aggies have punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament, while the Aztecs will have to wait to see their fate on Sunday.
MONTREAL (AP) — Igor Chernyshov's return to the San Jose Sharks lasted less than 30 seconds.
The 20-year-old rookie took a hit from Montreal's Mike Matheson in the neutral zone just after the start of Saturday night's game. Chernyshov slid across the ice, then twice got up onto his skates only to fall back down. He was eventually helped up and left the game. The Sharks later announced he wouldn't return.
This was Chernyshov's 16th NHL game and his first since he was recalled from San Jose of the AHL earlier in the week. He was slotted onto the top line alongside Macklin Celebrini.
The Buffalo Sabres are having a fantastic 2025-26 season and have a very good chance of making the playoffs for the first time since 2011. Yet, as great as the vibes are for the Sabres right now, things are also looking promising for their future.
The Sabres have some very good prospects in their system, and two of them have now landed some serious praise.
Mrtka was given the No. 23 spot on Button's rankings. The 2025 ninth-overall pick has shown good promise this season in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Seattle Thunderbirds, as he has recorded 32 points in 39 games. The 6-foot-6 defenseman also played in four AHL games with the Rochester Americans earlier this season, where he had one assist and seven penalty minutes.
As for Helenius, he was given the No. 25 spot on Button's rankings. The 2024 first-round pick has taken a noticeable step forward this season with Rochester, as he has 15 goals and 45 points in 48 games. Due to this, the skilled prospect has also played in his first nine NHL games this season, where he has recorded one goal, four points, and a plus-1 rating.
Mrtka and Helenius both have the potential to be big parts of the Sabres' roster in the future.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 14: Neemias Queta #88 of the Boston Celtics blocks a layup attempt by Will Riley #27 of the Washington Wizards in the first half at TD Garden on March 14, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Boston Celtics won their 44th game of the season and the team’s 11th consecutive game against the Washington Wizards with a 111-100 showing on Saturday at TD Garden.
After two tough losses to the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder over the past week, Boston could have been at risk of suffering the team’s first three-game losing streak since going 0-3 to start the season.
Luckily, the Celtics were gifted with a matchup against the lowly 16-49 Wizards, the loser of 10 straight heading into the game.
Washington has not won a game against Boston since March 28, 2023, when Kristaps Porziņģis torched the C’s with 32 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 stocks — a game that might have inspired Brad Stevens to trade for the lengthy Latvian.
The Wizards had no such savior on Sunday, as Neemias Queta feasted on Washington’s porous post defense to the tune of 24 points and 10 rebounds, leading Boston to a 3-0 sweep of the season series.
Boston started Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta. Nikola Vučević, who is not expected to return until early April, was the team’s only inactive player.
Washington started Trae Young, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly, Will Riley and Alex Sarr. Anthony Davis, Kyshawn George, D’Angelo Russell and Cam Whitmore were all inactive.
Neemias Queta got the Celtics started strong by scoring 8 of Boston’s first 10 points. He finished the first quarter with 13 points on 6 makes — his highest-scoring quarter of the season so far — and 3 rebounds over the frame.
While Queta dominated, the rest of the team struggled in the first quarter, especially from the perimeter, where Boston only hit 2 shots. Jaylen Brown was the only other Celtic to make multiple field goal attempts, with 3 makes. Derrick White and Baylor Scheierman each chipped in one three-point make.
Jayson Tatum started the game 0-4 from the field, with one good-looking layup attempt roll off the rim, and 0-2 from three-point range.
On the other end, the Celtics had a hard time stopping the Wizards’ perimeter attack. Washington made 7-16 of its three-point attempts during the quarter, outnumbering Boston’s made threes by five.
Despite the shooting deficit and a missed buzzer beater attempt by Payton Pritchard, the Celtics ended the quarter up 29-27.
The second quarter began with a pair of high effort plays by Luka Garza, who scored Boston’s first two field goals of the quarter and 6 points over the frame’s first three minutes.
The lid also came off the basket a few minutes into the quarter for Sam Hauser. He hit his first three-point shot of the night early in the quarter, then his second less than a minute later.
Behind Garza’s effort, Hauser’s three-point makes, and some beautiful defense, the Celtics went on a 17-2 run over the first half of the second quarter that gave Boston the first big lead of the evening.
Queta also came back in with about 7 minutes left to go in the second quarter and immediately looked as dominant as he did in the first.
He followed his 13-point first quarter with a 9-point second quarter, as he continued to feast on a defense that seemingly refused to guard him. He finished the half with 22 points on 10-12 (83.3%) shooting from the field, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block.
Much like Hauser, Tatum came alive in the second quarter. He scored his first points on a pair of free throws with 3 minutes left to go in the half. Tatum then hit a three-point shot less than a minute later, and a slick midrange shot a minute after that.
Despite poor efficiency, Tatum finished the half on pace for a triple-double, with 7 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, as well as 1 steal.
The Celtics went into the half up 64-41 after winning the second quarter 35-14.
Tatum followed up his strong finish to the second quarter with a couple of early makes in the third quarter, and had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds with more than 20 minutes left to go in the game. He continued to attack the Wizards’ defense and racked up 11 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist over the quarter.
Queta, Boston’s MVP of the first half, did not attempt a single shot throughout the quarter, but continued to keep Washington’s offense in check during his time on the court.
The Celtics went up by 30 with 4 minutes to go in the third quarter, but finished the frame with a 93-72 lead over the Wizards.
The game was all but over by the time the fourth quarter began, but Washington did not give up.
The Wizards went on a 7-0 run to start the final frame against Derrick and the Whites (Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, and Luka Garza) in a late attempt to narrow the lead.
Garza hit a pair of free throws and a three-point shot, but was subbed out alongside Hauser in favor of Queta and Jaylen Brown with about 8 minutes to go in the game.
Brown immediately scored on a driving layup, but Washington scored the game’s next three field goals to chip the lead down to 14.
The Celtics took a timeout and got Jayson Tatum back on the court, but the Wizards continued to hit shots. With less than 5 minutes to go, Washington was only down by 12.
Nevertheless, a Tatum layup and a fourth Hauser three-pointer brought the lead back up to 17 with 2:31 to go in the game. The starting crew was then subbed out with about 1:33 to go, and the bench was able to finish the game.
Queta finished the game as Boston’s top scorer, with 24 points on 11-13 (84.6%) shooting from the field, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks.
Tatum finished with the second-most points on the team, with 20 points on 8-19 (42.1%) shooting from the field, 14 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals.
Overall, the Celtics shot less efficiently than the Wizards, hitting 44.1% from the field and 26.1% from three-point range, while Washington shot 44% from the field and 38.5% from the perimeter.
Nevertheless, Boston won the battle of the boards, with 62 total rebounds to Washington’s 47, and won the math game, taking 9 more shot attempts than the Wizards.
The Celtics’ next game will be against the Phoenix Suns at 7:30 p.m. EST on Monday, March 16, at the TD Garden.
Freddy Peralta was sharp again making his third spring outing Saturday.
The righty took the ball in the Mets’ meeting with the Astros and delivered four more high-quality innings of work.
Houston did make him pay for walking the first batter of the game.
Taylor Trammell stole second following the free pass, then scored on Yordan Alvarez’s single, but Peralta used a double play ball to help him get out of the inning.
He then retired the next nine batters he faced, picking up four strikeouts along the way.
Peralta closed his night with just the one run allowed, a pair of baserunners, five punchouts, and 11 whiffs in his second-to-last spring tune-up.
“I felt pretty good,” he said afterwards. “Everything is getting in the position I want it to be -- I can’t wait to start the regular season and to get some wins.”
The righty stretched out to 56 pitches, then went and threw another nine in the bullpen.
He plans on adding 20 more onto his count his next time out, then will be set for a full workload when he takes the Citi Field mound against the Pirates on Opening Day.
Peralta’s fastball velo (93.2) was down a couple of ticks from last season (94.8) and his last spring outing (94.2), but it’s nothing he’s concerned about.
“It’s normal,” he said. “I know myself, I know how I work. I know whenever I get to the season and I feel the intensity that’s when I am who I really am -- I know what to do during the spring, so I don’t worry about the velocity much.”
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 14: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics defends against Trae Young #3 of the Washington Wizards in the first half at TD Garden on March 14, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Washington Wizards traveled to Boston to face the Celtics on Saturday in the final game of a three-game road trip. Behind a sluggish second quarter and poor interior defense, the Wizards fell, 111-100.
Boston opened a 20-11 lead thanks to a flurry of Neemias Queta layups. But Tristan Vukcevic answered with a trio of 3-pointers in less than two minutes to tie the game at 20. Washington’s bench outscored Boston’s bench 16-3 in the opening frame to enter the second quarter trailing 29-27.
The second quarter was dominated by the Celtics, who opened on a 19-2 scoring run to take a 19-point lead. Washington scored just two points over the first 7:28 of the frame as Boston locked in on the defensive end. Trae Young added a few late buckets, but the Wizards entered halftime trailing 64-41.
Young connected with Bilal Coulibaly on a half-court lob and Will Riley added a few baskets in the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough to trim the deficit. Boston opened a 30-point lead halfway through the frame and looked poised for a dominant win.
Jaden Hardy scored 12 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting to pull the Wizards within 12 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Celtics pulled away.
The loss marked Washington’s 11th straight defeat and dropped the team to 16-50. Young finished with 11 points and six assists. Vukcevic led all Wizards with a season-high 22 points.
ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — Fadima Tall scored 20 points and Olivia Hutcherson sparked a late surge to help No. 23 Princeton beat Harvard 63-53 on Saturday to win the Ivy League Tournament.
Top-seeded Princeton (26-3) avenged last season’s tournament semifinal loss Harvard. The Crimson beat Columbia 74-71 in last season's title game.
The Tigers have won six of the eight championships in the tournament’s history, and will make their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament trip and 13th appearance since 2010.
Harvard used a 20-8 run between the third and fourth quarters to knot it 51-all with 4:01 to play. But the Tigers answered with Hutcherson, who scored eight points in a 12-2 run to end it.
Tall shot 8 of 12 from the floor and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to go with four steals and three assists. Ashley Chea added 13 points for the Tigers and Hutcherson finished with 12.
Karlee White scored 15 points and Olivia Jones added 13 for No. 3 seed Harvard (18-11).
Princeton shot 49% from the field compared to Harvard's 39%. The Tigers made 18 of 22 free-throws attempts while the Crimson hit 8 of 11.
Harvard beat Columbia 67-65 in overtime to reach the title game. Columbia beat Princeton in both regular-season matchups.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Kaemyn Bekemeier scored 16 points, Lainie Douglas had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Missouri State shut down Louisiana Tech 43-38 in the championship game of the Conference USA Tournament on Saturday.
Sixth-seeded Missouri State (22-12) allowed just 12 points in the second half and won despite suffering through a nine-minute scoreless stretch in the fourth quarter.
Maiesha Washington’s layup with 9:25 remaining gave the Bears a 39-31 lead. It was their last made basket and they held on to the win despite missing their last nine shot attempts.
Each team managed two points in the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter, then a 3-pointer from Paris Bradley got the Lady Techsters within 39-36 with 33 seconds remaining.
Missouri State's Bekemeier and Maycee James made two free throws each sandwiched around a layup by LaTech's Averi Aaron to finish the scoring.
Bradley scored 14 points and Aaron 12 for top-seeded Louisiana Tech (26-6), which had won 19 straight. The Lady Techsters missed 15 of 16 shots during one stretch of the second half.
The Bears scored the first six points of the third quarter to take a 29-26 lead.
The score was 31-31 with three minutes left when Douglas and Kendal Brueggen scored on consecutive possessions for a 35-31 lead. Bekemeier finished the quarter with a jumper in the final minute for a 37-31 advantage.
Missouri State will be playing in the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time.
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Erin Condron scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and UC San Diego took control in the second and beat Hawaii 60-48 in the Big West Conference championship on Saturday.
Makayla Rose scored 17 points for the second-seeded Tritons (24-8), who clinched the Big West's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
It’s the fifth conference title for the Tritons during their 14-year tenure under head coach Heidi Vanderveer.
Bailey Flavell scored 13 points for fourth-seeded Hawaii (22-11).
After losing its first three games in conference play, the Rainbow Wahine went on a tear and entered Saturday's game having won 16 of 17 games, including nine straight.
Down 28-20 at halftime, the Tritons outscored Hawaii 20-9 in the third and took a 40-37 lead with 16 seconds left in the quarter and led for the remainder. UC San Diego pulled away on 10-for-15 shooting in the fourth quarter.
Hawaii used a 7-0 run in the final 1:44 of the first quarter to go up 13-6 at the end of one. In the second, UC San Diego scored five straight to get within 17-16 before Hawaii closed the quarter outscoring the Tritons 11-4.
Hawaii led 26-16 with 2 1/2 minutes left before the break having shot 11 fewer attempts than the Tritons who were (19%) 6-of-32 shooting. But despite having outshot UC San Diego 43% to 23%., Hawaii led only 28-20.
Dalton Rushing (right) has attempted the most challenges among the Dodgers’ catchers, going 2 for 6 on his attempts from behind the plate. AP
Overall, the team won just five of the 27 pitch calls they’d challenged entering play Saturday. Among hitters, their 15% success rate (2 for 11) is six points worse than any other team. Among pitchers and catchers, their 21% success rate (3 for 11) isn’t even half as good as the next closest club.
While the Dodgers have downplayed their concern over the early numbers, manager Dave Roberts said they are “going to do an organization forum on Tuesday to get our guys, our hitting coaches, our players to talk about some things, maybe some strategies.”
Roberts also acknowledged that, while many of the Dodgers’ failed challenges have been “borderline” misses, the team’s “idea of the strike zone individually, collectively just hasn’t been great.”
“I honestly don’t know the answer right now,” Roberts added, when asked about the root cause of such pronounced struggles.
With Opening Day less than two weeks away, the team will have to find some better answers quickly.
Granted, the Dodgers have approached the ABS system with a more exploratory mindset in camp. Strategy has not been a priority. Getting calibrated to the exact dimensions of the zone has.
“Even if we’re wrong, we need to use it just to figure out the tops and bottoms of the zone,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said earlier this spring. “A lot of us are still trying to learn it … Spring training is the time to figure it out, figure out your zone and see if you have a better idea of it [before the start of the season].”
Still, their grand total of five successful challenges this spring has felt somewhat jarring. Every other club has at least 12 overturned calls. The Yankees are setting the pace with 37.
“We’ve just got to get that education,” Roberts said. “We’ll be better. I’m certain of that.”
Individually, sample sizes have been minuscule for most of the players expected to be on the Dodgers’ MLB roster. Alex Call and Dalton Rushing are the only ones who have attempted more than one challenge, with Call 1 for 2 and Rushing 0 for 2. Rushing has attempted the most challenges among the team’s catchers, going 2 for 6 on his attempts from behind the plate.
Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing received some redemption Saturday when he challenged a ball that ABS showed had clipped the corner of the strike zone. Diamond Images/Getty Images
Their biggest lesson so far: Just how fine the margins between a ball and a strike can be.
Earlier this week, Rushing challenged a called ball while catching that was upheld –– with the ABS system showing it missed the zone by less than 1/10th of an inch.
“I would’ve bet my whole life that baseball was touching the zone,” Rushing joked with SportsNet LA afterward. “But that’s what spring training is for.”
On Saturday, Rushing got redemption when he challenged a ball that ABS showed had clipped the corner of the strike zone. As a scoreboard graphic at Camelback Ranch confirmed the successful challenge, Rushing playfully gave thanks by looking toward the sky.
It also remains unclear just how pivotal the ABS system will be when real games start. Teams are only allowed two missed calls before they run out of challenges. Most nights, overturned balls and strikes figure to have only a marginal impact on the outcome of games.
Nonetheless, it is one area the two-time defending champions are focused on improving before Opening Day on March 26.
“At the end of the day, we want to get it right,” Roberts said.
For now, they have nowhere to go but up.
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