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Boston, MA
AJ Dybantsa shines, but future NBA star’s Boston homecoming spoiled by UConn
Boston Celtics
“That’s as high a level of shot-making as you’re going to see in college basketball.”
Saturday might have been an anticipated return to the Commonwealth for Brockton native AJ Dybantsa.
But the BYU star and projected top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft didn’t exactly receive the warmest welcome on the parquet floor at TD Garden.
The Massachusetts product might have had plenty of family and friends at TD Garden for the 18-year-old forward’s first game back on Causeway Street since his days playing for St. Sebastian’s.
But in a game against the No. 3-ranked UConn Huskies, Dybantsa and the No. 7 BYU Cougars were entering into enemy territory — with a majority of the Garden crowd donning Huskies gear.
“Just coming in as a freshman — it’s like a new environment,” Dybantsa said. “I mean, I’ve played in NBA arenas before, but I haven’t played in one feeling like this. And obviously they brought a lot of fans and everything like that. So I just had to stay calm, stay poised.”
Be it a hostile crowd, initial jitters in his return to Massachusetts, or a daunting matchup against an imposing UConn roster, Dybantsa labored out of the gate in Saturday’s heavyweight bout in the Hall of Fame series.
But not for long.
After posting four points in the first half, Dybantsa helped turn a potential blowout for the Cougars into a nailbiter — finishing with 21 points over the final 20 minutes of play en route to an eventual 86-84 Huskies win.
“That’s as high a level of shot-making as you’re going to see in college basketball,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said of Dybantsa, who closed the game with a game-high 25 points, six rebounds, and two steals. “I mean, that guy with the threes — he hasn’t been making threes at least to start the year, he’s been a rim guy. But he had the whole bag going tonight.”
Despite Dybantsa’s heroics down the stretch, it wasn’t enough to topple a UConn squad that built an early lead and did not relinquish it — despite several attempts from the Cougars to claw back.
For all of the talk of Dybantsa’s return to Massachusetts, it was also a welcome homecoming for Huskies redshirt senior Alex Karaban — with the Southborough native standing as one of three UConn players to post 21 points to go along with three rebounds, two steals, and a block.
“I loved it,” Karaban said of playing at TD Garden. “I mean, I definitely had this game circled. … It was special. Some of my favorite games of my UConn career were the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games when we came here two years ago. So just being blessed to have the opportunity to come back here, play with another UConn squad was awesome. I loved every second of it.”
“I mean, AJ deserves it,” Karaban added of the hype around Dybantsa. “He’s one hell of a player, just what he’s done for Boston. … He deserved the homecoming too.”
That praise wasn’t necessarily shared by a boisterous UConn crowd, especially during the opening 20 minutes of action.
As his offensive game labored in the first half, Dybantsa was subject to jeers of “overrated!” as his shots continued to clang off the rim.
All it took was a couple of successful jumpers early in the second half to help the explosive forward start settling into a rhythm. Once Dybantsa’s shots from both midrange and beyond the arc started to fall, what was once a 20-point lead for the Huskies started to drain as Dybantsa’s confidence grew.
Even though he didn’t shred UConn in transition, Dybantsa used his strong frame to drive to the rim in crunch time — drawing fouls and finishing through contact.
With Celtics Jaylen Brown and Derrick White in attendance, Dybantsa and the Cougars cut the lead all the way down to two points with under 30 seconds to go.
But when handed a chance to take the lead, BYU’s Robert Wright III lost the handle on the ball — with UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. recovering the turnover to snuff out any hope of a Cougars comeback.
Despite the setback for Dybantsa and BYU, Hurley doled out plenty of praise for the future NBA star — whose stock should continue to soar as this season continues.
“Just the growth and his approach,” Hurley said of what has stood out about Dybantsa. “Sometimes you watch these kids, they come into college, these high draft picks, and it’s been over the course of years and years and years. You can see on film — the entitlement, the spoiled entitlement, the not guarding, the not being about the team. … I’m watching [his] evolution from game to game to tonight.
“I mean, this guy’s out there guarding, he’s on the backboard, he’s communicating with his teammates, and he’s playing with a level of desperation to win the game.
“For a guy that’s going to be maybe the number one pick — it’s a little refreshing to see this guy and the mental toughness. I mean, his first half was a mess, and for him to be able to put that behind him back home and putting that second-half performance on was as good as you’ll see from a freshman.”
Investigators identified Tyler Brown of Boston as the man who allegedly opened fire on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, leaving two victims with life-threatening injuries.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said Brown fired 50 to 60 shots on the busy road shortly after 1 p.m. Monday.
Two male victims were hit in vehicles, Ryan said. They are in critical condition and fighting for their lives.
A Massachusetts State Police trooper and a civilian with a license to carry a firearm went toward the gunman and fired their weapons at him. Officers treated Brown at the scene, and he was brought to a Boston hospital, where he is in intensive care, according to the district attorney.
This video shared with NBC10 Boston appears to show a man opening fire at cars on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Monday, May 11, 2026.
Authorities have, so far, shared limited information about the suspect.
“Mr. Brown is from Boston, and apparently was in the process of moving here. We understand that Mr. Brown was under the supervision of either the Massachusetts Probation Department or Department of Parole,” Ryan said.
She did not elaborate on why Brown may have been on probation or parole.
“We will address Mr. Brown’s criminal record, if any, at the arraignment,” she said.
Ryan added that she did not know enough about Brown’s condition to say whether he would be arraigned in court or in a hospital bed. The timing was also not clear.
He will face two counts of armed assault with intent to murder and firearms charges, and “a variety of other charges as we unfold what took place, exactly, and we have a chance to speak to the many, many people who were out there,” Ryan said.
Boston, MA
Portion of Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road will close nightly through August – The Boston Globe
An inbound stretch of Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road will be closed each night through August for tunnel repairs, officials announced.
Starting Monday, the closures will begin at 8 p.m. and last until 5 a.m., state officials said.
Road closures begin at North Harvard Street in Allston and stretch along the Charles River Esplanade to Mugar Way in Boston, near the Hatch Memorial Shell, officials said.
Traffic will be detoured into Cambridge over the Anderson Bridge, along Memorial Drive, and then be routed into Boston over the Longfellow Bridge.
The closures will allow ongoing repairs to the Storrow Drive Tunnel in the Back Bay. The work is the first phase of a two-stage project to extend the lifespan of the tunnel, which carries roughly 50,000 drivers to and from downtown Boston daily.
The outbound portion of the tunnel and accompanying roadways will not be affected.
State transportation officials said changes to the work schedule will be made when necessary to minimize impacts during major local events at TD Garden, Fenway Park, or during the FIFA World Cup and 250th anniversary celebrations scheduled for this summer.
Additional changes may be made without notice due to weather.
Transportation officials have not specified when the closures will end.
Bryan Hecht can be reached at bryan.hecht@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @bhechtjournalism.
This story has been updated with new information
OXFORD — Ole Miss softball is back in the NCAA Tournament after making the Women’s College World Series a season ago.
The Rebels (34-24) will play Boston (46-13) on May 15 (1 p.m. CT, ESPNU) in the Lubbock Regional. Ole Miss is the No. 2 seed in the regional, and Boston is the No. 3.
Texas Tech (52-6), the No. 11 overall seed and regional host, will face No. 4 Marist (37-19).
The Rebels went 6-18 in SEC play this season, and have a largely new-look roster from the team that made the WCWS last season.
Ole Miss beat South Carolina and Tennessee in the SEC Tournament to improve its seed.
Freshman Madi George has burst onto the scene in the SEC. The first-year infielder leads Ole Miss with a .385 batting average. She has a team-high 21 home runs and 58 RBIs.
Seniors Emilee Boyer (3.86 ERA), Kyra Aycock (3.97 ERA) and junior Lily Whitten (3.04 ERA) are the primary options in the circle for coach Jamie Trachsel.
Trachsel is in her sixth season leading the Ole Miss program. She led the Rebels to their first WCWS appearance in program history in 2025.
What to know about Boston, Texas Tech and Marist in Lubbock Regional
Boston entered the Patriot League Tournament as the top seed and the Terriers delivered. Boston beat No. 2 Colgate 12-1, becoming the second team in Patriot League history to four-peat as conference champions. Boston is on a 12-game winning streak. Kylie Doherty leads the team with a .396 batting average and 26 home runs.
Texas Tech made the 2025 WCWS championship series, losing to Texas in three games.
Texas Tech lost just three Big 12 games this season but lost in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. The Red Raiders are a strong threat to get to the WCWS again. There are four Texas Tech batters hitting over .400. Star pitcher NiJaree Canady leads the Red Raiders with a 1.24 ERA. She has 209 strikeouts.
Marist plays in the MAAC and won the conference tournament. Marist split a two-game series against South Carolina early in the season. Ava Metzger (12-3, 2.51 ERA) and Peyton Pusey (.404 batting average) lead the team.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
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