COLLEGE BASKETBALL
DALLAS (AP) — Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers used a record-breaking offensive performance to defeat Caitlin Clark and Iowa 102-85 in the national championship game on Sunday to win the first basketball title in school history.
The win made Mulkey the first women’s coach to win national championships at two different schools. She won three at Baylor before leaving for LSU two years ago. Mulkey now has the third most wins of all time behind Geno Auriemma’s 11 and Pat Summitt’s eight. Mulkey has never lost in a championship game.
Clark, the Associated Press National Player of the Year, was unable to lead the Hokies to their first national title despite one of the best individual performances in NCAA Tournament history. The junior finished with 30 points. She scored 40 in the semifinals to knock off undefeated South Carolina in one game after posting the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA history at the Elite Eight.
The dazzling guard, who grew up in Iowa, set the NCAA record for points in a tournament, surpassing the 177 scored by Cheryl Swoopes in 1993 en route to leading Texas Tech to the title that year. Clark finished his tournament with 191.
The 102 points broke the previous championship mark, surpassing the 97 Texas scored against Southern California in 1986.
Jasmine Carson scored 22 points, Alexis Morris added 21 and Angel Reese had 15 points and 10 rebounds for LSU (34-2).
HOUSTON (AP) — UConn made it another drama-free basketball victory Saturday, getting 21 points and 10 rebounds from Adama Sanogo to beat Miami 72-59 and move one win away from the school’s fifth national title.
Jordan Hawkins overcame a stomach bug and scored 13 for the Huskies, who came into this most unexpected of Final Fours as the only team with any experience in the final weekend of college basketball and with the top seed of the four teams in Houston at No. 4.
Against fifth-seeded Miami, they were the best team on the court from start to finish. Starting with three straight 3-pointers – one jumper by Hawkins and two set shots by Sanogo – UConn quickly jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never trailed.
The Huskies will face San Diego State in the title game on Monday.
HOUSTON (AP) — Lamont Butler made a jumper at the buzzer, sending San Diego State to its first national championship game with a 72-71 victory over fellow mid-major Florida Atlantic in the Final Four on Saturday night.
The Aztecs (32-6) looked in trouble as the loose Owls (35-4) picked them apart as they built a 14-point lead. San Diego State got back into it, as always, with defense.
The Aztecs shut out FAU and pulled within one when Jaedon LeDee hit a short jumper with 36 seconds left. After FAU’s Jonnell Davis missed a contested layup, the Aztecs didn’t call a timeout and gave the ball to Butler.
With the clock ticking down, Butler dribbled to the baseline, found that break and circled back. He stepped back to create some space and hit a jumper that sent the Aztecs scrambling down the floor — and into Monday’s championship game.
NBA
ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young hit two free throws with 1.8 seconds left in overtime to give Atlanta the lead and the Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 132-130 on Sunday night to keep pace in the East. conference.
Young was fouled by Kyrie Irving, who scored 41 points, with the score tied at 130. Young said he accidentally stepped on the foot of Mavericks guard Josh Green before colliding with Irving.
After Young’s foul shots, Luka Doncic, who scored 22 points, missed a last-second 3-pointer.
The Hawks (39-39) are back in eighth place in the race to get in. Toronto and Chicago pressured the Hawks with wins before the Atlanta game. The Hawks have the tiebreaker advantage over Toronto.
The Hawks are just one ahead of the 10th-place Bulls for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot and play at Chicago on Tuesday night.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points, 14 rebounds and six assists and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 117-104 on Sunday night to move a step closer to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. .
The Bucks (56-22) have a two-game lead over Boston (54-24) with four games remaining. Boston won the season series with Milwaukee and has the tiebreaker. Philadelphia (51-27) is third in the East.
Brook Lopez scored 21 points, Khris Middleton had 19 and Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis each added 18 as the Bucks shot 57.5 percent. Middleton also had nine assists.
Tyrese Maxey had 29 points and Joel Embiid 28 for the 76ers.
The Bucks bounced back three nights from a 140-99 home loss to Boston that matched their lopsided loss of the season.
GOLF
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Corey Connors won the Valero Texas Open for the second time in five years Sunday for his second PGA Tour title, closing with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over rookie Sam Stevens.
Also a 2019 winner, Connors had a 15-under 273 total on the Oaks course at TPC San Antonio. The Canadian now heads to the Masters, where he finished sixth last year for his second consecutive top-10 finish at Augusta National.
A shot behind Patrick Rogers early in the game, Connors had a three-shot lead after hitting No. 15. Stevens birdied the 17th but missed a 9-foot putt on 18 that would have tied the game. Connors finished it off with a 3-footer on the 18th.
Stevens shot a 66. He was tied for third last week at the PGA Tour stop in the Dominican Republic.
Sam Ryder (66) and Matt Kuchar (68) followed at 13 under.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Brooks Koepka became the first multiple winner at LIV Golf when he closed with a 3-under 68, making a 4-foot putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory over Sebastian Munoz.
LIV Golf-Orlando came a week before Koepka and 17 other players from the Saudi-funded league head to Augusta National for the Masters.
Koepka finished at 15-under 198 at Orange County National.
Munoz tried to stay with Koepka down the back nine and didn’t pull away easily. He trailed by two shots when he sent a bunker shot flying over the green at the par-5 14th. And while he did well to fight for money, Koepka made a short birdie.
Munoz came back by chipping in for birdie on the 16th to cut the deficit to one. But on the par-5 17th, the easiest hole in Orange County, the Colombian again hit a bunker shot over the green. He made another par, and Koepka gave him hope by missing a 5-foot birdie.
PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif. (AP) — Ruoning Yin became the second Chinese winner in LPGA Tour history Sunday, beating Georgia Hall at the DIO Implant LA Open.
Yin, 20, closed with a rich event of 1-under 70 for a one-stroke victory over Hall, the Englishman whose 5-foot birdie attempt at the 18th to force a playoff slid off the right side. Recently retired Shanshan Feng is the only other Chinese champion to win 10 times on the LPGA Tour.
Yin finished at 15-under 269 at Palos Verdes Golf Club, making six birdies and five bogeys in the final round in his 20th tour start.
Hall closed with a 67, making four birdies in an unbeaten round.
Patty Tawatanakit of Thailand and Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea tied for third at 12 under, with Tawatanakit shooting a 65 and Kim a 71. Nelly Korda (67) and Carlotta Siganda (66) were 11 under.
CAR RACE
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Kyle Larson pulled away on a restart with 14 laps to go to easily win the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway on Sunday.
Larson started the final green-flag race with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Josh Berry on the outside and beat Berry into the first turn. Berry, filling in for the injured Chase Elliott, finished second, followed by Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell and Kevin Harvick.
It was the third win of the season for Hendrick’s four-car team and came less than a week after a 100-point penalty against each driver for using an illegal part was overturned by NASCAR’s appeals panel. He also came with a fill-in crew chief due to NASCAR penalties.
Chevrolet took the top three spots and won five of the seven races this season.