Connect with us

Sports

UConn and Texas prevail in Elite 8 matchups to advance to women’s Final Four

Published

on



CNN
 — 

The UConn Huskies and Texas Longhorns are headed to Tampa, Florida, and the Final Four of the women’s NCAA basketball tournament after each emerged victorious from their Elite Eight contests Monday night.

The Huskies and Longhorns join the South Carolina Gamecocks and UCLA Bruins, who each advanced to college basketball’s biggest stage with wins on Sunday.

In the evening’s nightcap in Spokane, Washington, the No. 2 seed UConn Huskies took down the No. 1 seed University of Southern California Trojans 78-64.

With USC dedicated to trying to slow down UConn’s national player of the year finalist Paige Bueckers, the Huskies turned to freshman forward Sarah Strong, who scored a impressive 15 points in the first half.

After holding Bueckers in check much of the first half, the star senior hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute of the half to bring her total to 13 points as the Big East champs took a 39-25 advantage into the intermission.

UConn looked to have the game in hand, leading by as many at 19 points in the third quarter, but USC ended the 3rd quarter on an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to five points with the score 51-46.

The Huskies’ offense woke back up in the fourth quarter and re-established a comfortable lead with some timely shooting from from Bueckers and senior guard Azzi Fudd, who had eight points in the game, all coming in the final quarter.

Bueckers finished with a game-high 31 points, followed by teammate Strong with 22. Strong also pulled down 17 rebounds in the game.

“It’s a team win, a team victory,” Bueckers told ESPN after the game. “The coaches do a really good job preparing us for this moment and we stepped up.”

Bueckers continued: “Throughout the adversity, through everything we’ve just come together and remained a team, remained connected, remained unaffected by everything that’s going on. We just stayed together, and that’s how we got it done.”

Southern Cal was competing without their own national player of the year finalist JuJu Watkins, who suffered a season-ending injury in the Trojans’ Sweet 16 win over Mississippi State a week ago.

Women’s college hoops’ unquestioned dynasty UConn will be making its record-extending 24th Final Four appearance, all coming under head coach Geno Auriemma, who is in his 40th season at the helm at UConn.

“These guys have learned how to play so hard together. They’ve learned to trust each other,” Auriemma told ESPN after advancing to his eighth Final Four in the last nine NCAA tournaments.

“We’ve got guys that make big plays exactly when we need them. … It’s a Connecticut thing, I hope, that when we get in these situations, we know how to win. And I’m really proud of that.”

The Huskies will continue their quest for their 12th national championship as they face the No. 1 overall seed Bruins in the semifinals on Friday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Earlier in the evening, the Texas Longhorns booked a ticket to the Final Four for the fourth time in program history and first since 2003.

No. 1 seed Texas topped No. 2 seed Texas Christian University 58-47 in the Elite Eight on Monday in Birmingham, Alabama. The Longhorns never trailed in the Lone Star State showdown at Legacy Arena.

The Texas Longhorns celebrate during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs in Birmingham, Alabama.

It was a defensive battle in the first half. Texas led 23-21 at the half as it held TCU to its lowest-scoring first half this season. The Horned Frogs committed 11 first-half turnovers.

The Longhorns kept TCU’s big three in check.

Senior guard Hailey Van Lith finished with 17 points on 3-of-15 shooting. Senior center Sedona Prince fouled out in the fourth period after scoring just four points and senior guard Madison Conner had 9 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

Sophomore forward Madison Booker led the way for Texas with 18 points, six rebounds and two steals. Senior guard Rori Harmon added 13 points and five assists.

The Longhorns are the third No. 1 seed to advance to the Final Four after the reigning national champion Gamecocks and top-overall seed Bruins held serve Sunday.

Texas will face South Carolina on Friday in Tampa in a semifinal clash.

The Longhorns were 1-1 against the Gamecocks in the regular season, losing 67-50 on January 12 in Columbia, South Carolina, and winning 66-62 on February 9 in Austin, Texas.

Texas lost to South Carolina 64-45 in the SEC tournament final on March 9.



Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray end coaching partnership after six months

Published

on



CNN
 — 

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have ended their coaching relationship after six months as the 24-time grand slam singles champion continues to struggle for form in 2025.

“Thank you, coach Andy, for all the hard work, fun & support over last six months on & off the court,” Djokovic wrote on his social media channels. “I really enjoyed deepening our friendship together.”

The longtime rivals, who faced off in several all-time classic encounters on the court, announced in November that Murray would be joining Djokovic’s coaching team.

The partnership got off to a promising start as Djokovic reached the semifinals of January’s Australian Open after beating Carlos Alcaraz in a four-set epic in the quarterfinals, only for an injury to cut his last-four match against Alexander Zverev short.

However, Djokovic and Murray have failed to rekindle anything close to that kind of form in the months since.

“Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months,” Murray said in a statement. “I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”

Djokovic’s best performance this year came in reaching the final of the Miami Open, where he lost to unseeded teenager Jakub Menšík. The 24-time grand slam champion lost in the first round at the Qatar Open and Indian Wells before Miami, and in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters and Madrid Open since.

As recently as March, Djokovic said he hoped Murray would be his coach through the French Open and Wimbledon.

The 37-year-old pulled out of the ongoing Italian Open at the end of April, and this week accepted a wildcard into the Geneva Open which begins on May 18.



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Jayson Tatum: Boston loses star to leg injury as Knicks come up huge at home to take 3-1 lead over Celtics

Published

on



CNN
 — 

Jayson Tatum will have an MRI on the lower leg injury he suffered during the Boston Celtics’ 121-113 Game 4 defeat against the New York Knicks on Monday.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Celtics forward went down with an apparent non-contact injury as he tried to go after a loose ball. He quickly grabbed his right ankle and appeared to be in a lot of pain.

Tatum was helped off the court as he couldn’t put any pressure on his right leg and was taken through the tunnel in New York’s Madison Square Garden in a wheelchair.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the game Tatum suffered a “lower body injury” and will have the scan on Tuesday.

“You are always worried about someone’s health,” Mazzulla told reporters. “He’s the type of guy that gets right up. He didn’t and we’ll know tomorrow exactly what it is. It’s tough to watch a guy like him getting carried off like that.”

To make matters worse, Monday’s defeat means the Boston Celtics now trail 3-1 in the series and face elimination in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Trainers check on Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum after he was injured late in the fourth quarter.

Down by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, New York ended the period on a 12-2 run to take an 88-85 lead into the fourth.

With less than six minutes remaining in regulation of a tied 102-102 game, OG Anunoby drained a three-pointer to give the Knicks a 105-102 lead, which New York would not relinquish.

Four Knicks players scored at least 20 points with Jalen Brunson leading the way with 39 points, 12 assists and five rebounds. Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 23 points and Anunoby added 20.

After the victory, Brunson discussed the comeback win and extending the series lead.

“It means a lot. It’s a big game for us, just the way we responded, is what I’m most proud of, sticking together and making sure we are not quitting,” Brunson said at the postgame news conference.

“That’s a tough team over there. Obviously, we want to get off to better starts, but they got experience. They’re the defending champs for a reason.”

Tatum finished with a game-high 42 points, tying Celtics legends Larry Bird and John Havlicek for the most 40-point postseason games in franchise history. Tatum also had eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks in 40 minutes.

“That’s our brother, hate to see him go down. We know the type of guy he is. It’s tough to see him go down,” Celtics guard Derrick White, who scored 23 points in the loss, said after the game. “We just have to find a way to win Game 5.”

Boston guard Jaylen Brown, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, said it was “tough” seeing Tatum go down.

Tatum is set to undergo an MRI Tuesday.

“Tonight is tough. I think everybody is kind of at a loss of words just because, one losing a game, but obviously, the concern with JT. But we pick our heads back up tomorrow and go from there,” Brown said.

Brunson said he’s “praying for the best” for Tatum.

“We want to go out there and compete, but when a player of his caliber goes down and he’s rolling in pain like that, you know something is wrong, so that why I gave my thoughts and prayers because you never want to see something like that ever. ”

The Knicks will look to eliminate the defending NBA champion Celtics on Wednesday in Boston.



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Coco Gauff makes history with dominant victory over Emma Raducanu to advance to Italian Open quarterfinals

Published

on



CNN
 — 

American tennis star Coco Gauff put on a dominant display as she eased past Emma Raducanu on Monday to book her spot in the Italian Open quarterfinals.

The No. 4 seed dropped just three games in her convincing 6-1, 6-2 win over her British opponent in Rome, needing just 79 minutes to secure victory.

In reaching the quarterfinals, the 21-year-old becomes the youngest player to reach four quarterfinals in WTA 1000 clay tournaments since the top-level events were introduced in 2009.

Gauff will face world No. 7 Mirra Andreeva in the final eight on Wednesday after the 18-year-old came back to beat Clara Tauson in three sets.

Gauff is showing impressive form on clay at the right time with the French Open just around the corner.

The American has won eight of her last nine matches on the surface, with her only loss coming in the final of the Madrid Open to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Gauff revealed after her victory over Raducanu that she has been focusing on her footwork over the last two weeks in preparation for playing at Roland Garros, and highlighted her forehand – which has been inconsistent of late – as a key factor in her win on Monday.

“I think, today, (it) was the reason why I won the match,” Gauff told reporters. “Especially on this surface, I think I can do a lot with it.”

Gauff was in control from the outset against Raducanu on Campo Centrale and never let up. She won 39 of her 59 service points and broke Raducanu’s serve four times.

Gauff has now won both of her matches against Raducanu during her career.

She admitted that it has taken some time to get adjusted to playing on a different surface in Italy but feels good about where she is now.

“It still feels so slow compared to Madrid,” Gauff said, “but I’m getting used to it with each match. I feel really happy with how I played. I think I really was the one dictating the match for the most part.”

Elsewhere on Monday, Sabalenka held of a stiff challenge from Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk to book her spot in the quarterfinals, winning 6-1, 7-6 (8) in two hours and five minutes.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending