Washington had the open shooter it wanted, and much like those fourth-quarter attempts, it was just a tad off line. Incredible game by the Huskies, pushing the No. 3 seed TCU to the very edge. Easily one of the best games of the tournament so far.
Minnesota
NCAA women’s tournament takeaways, Day 3: Minnesota drains buzzer-beater as LSU, Texas dominate again
The Sweet 16 field is halfway filled as the first weekend of the NCAA tournament starts to wrap up. There weren’t a ton of surprises on Sunday for the start of the second round, but we did get our first buzzer-beater.
Minnesota reaches Sweet 16 on buzzer-beater
After a buzzer-beater was called off on Saturday, we finally got one.
Advertisement
Amaya Battle got her game-winner to fall on Sunday afternoon, which lifted Minnesota to what is its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2005. Battle, with less than a second left on the clock, drilled a contested jumper from the short corner to push the Gophers past Ole Miss 65-63. Naturally, that sparked a massive celebration on their home court.
Minnesota had trailed entering the fourth quarter but tied it back up with just 1:17 left to set up the eventual game-winner.
The shot came after what was almost an incredible buzzer-beater to lift Clemson past USC on Saturday. That shot, however, was called off just barely in brutal fashion. The Trojans eventually pushed past the Tigers in overtime.
Advertisement
Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season
The Gophers will now advance to take on either No. 1 UCLA or No. 8 Oklahoma State in the Sweet 16 in Sacramento next weekend. If it’s UCLA, it’ll be a rematch between the Bruins and Gophers in Big Ten play, but the Bruins cruised to a dominant 76-58 win in Minneapolis. That was part of a 25-game win streak that gave UCLA both the regular season and conference tournament titles.
While that’s undoubtedly going to be a tough task, Battle has lifted the Gophers to a place they haven’t been in decades.
LSU keeps dominating
Flau’jae Johnson and the Tigers have had absolutely no issues so far this March. Sunday’s win over Texas Tech set a new NCAA record, too.
Advertisement
The Tigers cruised to a blowout 101-47 win over the Red Raiders at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Johnson and Mikaylah Williams each dropped 24 points in the win, and the Tigers shot 56% from the field.
The win was LSU’s 16th game with at least 100 points this season. That set a new NCAA Division I record, snapping the mark that Long Beach State had during the 1986-87 campaign. LSU beat Jacksonville 116-58 in the opening round of the tournament, and entered the event averaging a nation-best 95.1 points per game.
LSU will now take on No. 3 Duke in the Sweet 16, which marks the program’s fifth straight trip to the second weekend of the tournament. The Blue Devils beat No. 6 Baylor 69-46 on Sunday to secure their spot in the Sacramento region.
While the Blue Devils are undoubtedly a very talented group — they ran the table and won both ACC titles, after all — stopping the Tigers has proven to be a nearly impossible task so far this season. It’s going to take a tremendous defensive effort, and likely then some, to pull off that upset win.
Madison Booker dropped a career-high 40 points on Sunday night. (AP/Eric Gay)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Madison Booker drops 40
Texas was never in any trouble on Sunday, thanks largely to a massive effort from Madison Booker.
Advertisement
Booker dropped a career-high 40 points to lead the Longhorns to a 100-58 blowout win over No. 8 Oregon. She shot 14-of-21 from the field and had eight rebounds and five assists to go with her 40-piece. It marked the highest-scoring game from anyone in the NCAA tournament so far, men’s or women’s.
The Longhorns are now coming off of back-to-back blowout wins at home to reach what is now their third straight Sweet 16. They beat Missouri State by 42 points on Friday in their first-round matchup, too.
Texas was again the only No. 1 seed in action on Sunday. The other three schools will square off against their respective opponents on Monday to wrap up the first round.
The Longhorns will now await the winner of the matchup between Kentucky and West Virginia in the Sweet 16, which they’ll get to play in Fort Worth. That’s a little less than 200 miles from Austin, which should be a big advantage for them.
Advertisement
TCU survives in OT
Perhaps the best game of the day came at the very end.
No. 6 Washington took TCU to the very end on Sunday night, and nearly knocked Olivia Miles and the Horned Frogs out of the tournament early. The Huskies forced overtime after Miles missed a potential game-winner, and then they rallied back within a single point after the Horned Frogs opened the extra period on a 7-0 burst.
But in the end, TCU held on and forced a late stop to secure the 62-59 win. That kept the Horned Frogs’ 44-game home win streak alive and sent them into a second straight Sweet 16. Miles had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and was just two assists shy from another triple-double. They’ll now get to take on either Iowa or Virginia in the Sweet 16 in Sacramento.
Advertisement
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest news, highlights and upsets from the women’s NCAA tournament:
-
Cassandra Negley
-
Phew, that one was close. Sayvia Sellers missed the 3-pointer with seconds to go, and the Horned Frogs hold on to extend their home win streak to 44 and go to their second straight Sweet 16.
-
Cassandra Negley
Donovyn Hunter was largely a non-factor for TCU until that layup. Put the Horned Frogs up three. Taylor Bigby made a fastbreak layup on the Miles rebound that pushed it to 62-57.
-
TCU is up five points, but the pace has been so quick in this overtime period, anything can happen here.
-
Cassandra Negley
Thought Olivia Miles should have gotten to the rim on the final possession, instead of taking that deep of a 3 that early. She’s better when she draws attention and can use her shiftiness to cut through the lanes.
Seems like she knew it at the time, and is making up for it here with an assist and a tough bucket. TCU is in control on a 7-0 OT run.
-
Olivia Miles’ passing has been incredible in the back half of this game. She’s got seven assists, and just threw up a layup to put TCU up by seven with 3:21 to play.
-
Cassandra Negley
WE’RE IN TRUE PAC-12* AFTER DARK TERRITORY
*RIP
-
Olivia Miles missed a step-back 3 as time ticked off the clock, and we’re headed to overtime in Fort Worth. Who will punch their ticket to the Sweet 16?
-
Cassandra Negley
These Washington shots rimming in and out are heartbreaking. They’ve missed 7 of their last 8 in a one-possession game.
-
Cassandra Negley
That is NASTY work by Olivia Miles. With two defenders on her, she hits the baseline flip-back pass to a wide-open Marta Suarez to tie the game. They last led in the first quarter. It’s the only tie of the game.
-
OK, now Olivia Miles is doing Olivia Miles things. She’s got 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
-
-
Cassandra Negley
Sayvia Sellers, my word! Back-to-back 3-pointers from the top keeps the cushion for Washington. Shoutout to Alaskan hoopers.
-
They’re up seven with six minutes to go, and just keep hitting huge shots.
-
Cassandra Negley
TCU is on pace for a season-low 48 points.
The Horned Frogs scored fewer than 60 only three times. All were against West Virginia: a 51-50 win in January, 62-53 loss in the Big 12 champ game; and a 59-50 win in February.
-
This one’s getting chippy as TCU comes clawing back. Can the Horned Frogs keep up their streak of 43 straight wins at home?
-
Cassandra Negley
There is a lot of emotion, a lot on the line and a lot falling on officials here. Everyone on both TCU and Washington needs to be careful given the close nature of this game they’re not drawing a technical in these final 10ish minutes.
-
Here comes Olivia Miles. TCU pulls within four as Miles scored her 10th point. But Marta Suarez just picked up her fourth foul, which is bad news for the Horned Frogs.
-
Halfway through the third period, Washington still leads, by eight points. Olivia Miles hasn’t been a huge factor yet, with just eight points on 4-of-14 shooting.
-
It’s been a low-scoring affair in the first half of this one, and the Huskies are looking for the upset. But TCU seemed to find some momentum toward the end of the first half; can they carry it forward?
Minnesota
Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com
Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who are the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. Wallstedt made 27 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and Zuccarello had three assists.
“I was definitely nervous,” said Wallstedt, a rookie. “I think it shows that it means something to you. I like a little bit of nerves. I think it’s something good. There were definitely some nerves throughout the day and then a little bit extra rolling into the game. But after the national anthem was over and the first couple pucks started coming, you’re good.
“I wanted to play and I felt like I have been going good. I was a little surprised (to get the start). But I was very excited as soon as I got the news. I just wanted to make sure I was ready today.”
Jason Robertson scored, and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for the Stars, who are the No. 2 seed in the Central.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen said. “I think two power-play goals for them, two a little-bit bounces for them where we had guys in the right spot. Just even keel. Playoffs are like this. Sometimes you lose a game, you can feel like you’re done. But that’s the mentality you need to have, you’ve got to reset and learn from mistakes.
“First 30 minutes, we didn’t win enough battles. They were just that little bit stronger in the battles and that’s why they were able to make us defend more than we want to. Just got to be stronger.”
Game 2 is here on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Victory+, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).
“We prepped for a couple days coming into this one. Now, we will gather information from this game and continue to move forward,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “For me, it’s game to game and day to day. We want to continue to get better. We won and they [Dallas] lost. It’s not so much being satisfied where you’re at or that’s what it is. We need to continue to find ways to get better.”
Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period on the power play. He scored on a one-timer from the left hash marks to finish a tic-tac-toe passing play with Zuccarello and Boldy, who found an open Eriksson Ek with a pass from the goal line.
“I think every team in the playoffs talks about not getting too high or too low. Just enjoy every day and each game and then we will go from there,” Eriksson Ek said. “I think we played pretty good today. The next game is a new game, so we just have to do it over and over every game. We know they are probably not the happiest with that game, so I am sure it’s going to be hard next game.”
Minnesota
ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault accusing him of involvement in a February road-rage incident.
Trump administration ends Minnesota immigration operation
Border Czar Tom Homan announced the end of Minnesota’s immigration operation after fatal shootings heightened tension and community backlash.
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault, saying the agent was involved in a February road-rage incident during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to April 16 Hennepin County court records. He has a nationwide warrant for his arrest.
On Feb. 5, prosecutors said Morgan allegedly drove illegally on the shoulder of a congested Minnesota highway in an unmarked SUV and pointed his weapon at two people in another car.
Morgan is the first agent charged in Operation Metro Surge, the controversial Minneapolis-area federal immigration operation that resulted in two American citizens fatally shot by federal officials, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The charges “reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an April 16 video statement.
Second-degree assault with a gun has a presumptive sentence of 36 months in prison if convicted, she said.
“Mr. Morgan’s conduct was extremely dangerous,” she said, adding his actions could have led to “another disastrous incident” in the community.
Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to email requests for comment. A cell phone listed for Morgan, identified as a Maryland resident, didn’t immediately respond to a call or text message.
The incident came less than two weeks after two Customs and Border Protection officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, during a protest in Minneapolis. Pretti would be the second American killed during Metro Surge after an ICE agent in early January fatally shot Renee Good, 37, while she drove her SUV in Minneapolis near an immigration operation.
Later in February, the Trump administration drew down Metro Surge, which officials called the largest immigration operation in modern American history.
Investigators said they interviewed Morgan, who identified himself as the driver. Morgan told investigators he and the other ICE employee were returning from a surveillance shift. Morgan said he feared for his life and others’ safety, so he pulled up alongside the vehicle and drew his Glock 19 firearm. He said he identified himself as police.
State investigators said neither Morgan nor the other ICE agent reported the incident to an ICE supervisor.
The April 16 warrant, signed by District Court Judge Paul Scoggin, said there was a “substantial likelihood” Morgan would fail to respond to a summons, and officials couldn’t locate him.
On April 18, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office, said there is no knowledge of Morgan being arrested yet.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
Minnesota
Reds Brandon Williamson beats Twins in first Minnesota homecoming
Reds’ Brandon Williamson talks Minnesota homecoming, beating Twins
Cincinnati Reds lefty Brandon Williamson pitched into the sixth inning to beat his home-state Minnesota Twins 2-1 in his first pro start in Minnesota.
MINNEAPOLIS – Brandon Williamson came to this ballpark as a kid, rooted for Joe Mauer and the Twins, maybe even dreamed a little of playing there one day.
“Oh, yeah. Joe Ma,” Williamson said. “That’s my guy.”
By the time that day came, Mauer had a statue outside the stadium, and Williamson had 29 career starts across three big-league seasons for the Cincinnati Reds.
And then the kid from tiny Trimont, Minnesota, came up big enough to beat the Twins in his first professional start in his home state – a 2-1 victory Friday in front of 200 or more personal friends and family from Trimont. And about 31,000 other people.
“It was awesome,” said Williamson, whose personal contingent at the game represented close to one-third of greater Trimont (pop. 705). “It was everything I thought it would be.”
The left-hander didn’t pitch especially deep into the game, getting two batters into the sixth. But on a night made for native Minnesotans, with a game-time temperature of 43 degrees, Williamson looked right at, well, home, pitching to the conditions and setting down the first six batters he faced – and eight of the first nine.
As one local press box wag quipped during the second inning, “These Minnesota boys know how to pitch in the cold.”
A pair of one-out runs in the fourth inning provided the scoring for a Reds team lineup still trying to break free from its early season woes – albeit with the twin obstacles of the weather and All-Star starter Joe Ryan’s presence on the mound for the Twins for the first six innings.
The only two hits off Ryan were doubles in the fourth by Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suárez, sandwiched around a throwing error by third baseman Ryan Kreidler. Suárez’s hit drove in two.
The only run against Williamson scored after he inexplicably followed four strong innings with three consecutive walks to open the fifth, including a four-pitch walk to No. 8 hitter Brooks Lee leading off the inning.
Austin Martin followed the three freebies with a sacrifice fly on a dying liner to the gap in right that Will Benson caught with a slide.
Williamson then rallied to get Luke Keaschall on an inning-ending, 5-4-3 double play started by Suárez, who got the rare start at third base.
“I thought he handled himself really good,” manager Terry Francona said. “He looked like he was having fun pitching. I know he didn’t like walking the bases loaded. But he looked like he was enjoying himself out there. I like that when guys are enjoying competing; then we’re OK.”
Williamson also left the bases loaded in the third after a hit batter and two-out single followed by a walk. He struck out Keaschall on a called third strike that was confirmed after Keaschall challenged.
“I could have kissed whoever was running the ABS,” Williamson said.
The Reds improved to 12-8 and remained tied for first place in the National League Central after their third win in four games – the second in that stretch by a 2-1 score.“That was cool,” said closer Emilio Pagán, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the save in his first outing since experiencing hamstring tightness Tuesday.
“I don’t have a team in my home state (of South Carolina),” Pagán said, “so I don’t know what that feels like. But to pitch against probably his favorite team growing up in front of that many friends and family had to be a surreal feeling. And he handled it great.”
-
Alabama2 minutes agoYMCA of South Alabama holds Healthy Kids Day in Spanish Fort
-
Alaska8 minutes ago
Bear injures two US soldiers during military training in Alaska | The Jerusalem Post
-
Arizona14 minutes agoNFL mock draft: 4-round projections for Arizona Cardinals
-
Arkansas20 minutes agoNo. 6 Arkansas ends top-ranked OU’s 31-game home winning streak with 3-2 decision
-
California26 minutes ago
Billionaire Steyer’s spending binge dwarfs rival campaigns in California governor’s race
-
Colorado32 minutes agoLandeskog – April 18 | Colorado Avalanche
-
Connecticut38 minutes agoOvernight Forecast for April 19
-
Delaware44 minutes agoState Police Arrest Dover Man for Assault and Aggravated Menacing in Dover – Delaware State Police – State of Delaware