Sports
Dylan Andrews' hot shooting lifts UCLA to a Pac-12 tournament win over Oregon State
For half a season, he was disparaged as not being a true point guard.
Find somebody else to run UCLA’s offense, the criticism went. Get busy in the transfer portal.
Dylan Andrews offered his rebuttal with feathery jumpers and precise passes, even if it wasn’t enough to satisfy some observers. Left off the Pac-12’s first and second teams, Andrews continued to make his case for being perhaps the conference’s most overlooked player Wednesday afternoon.
The sophomore was a sight to behold every time the fifth-seeded Bruins needed him during a 67-57 victory over 12th-seeded Oregon State at T-Mobile Arena.
Burying one big shot after another, Andrews finished with a career-high 31 points while adding to his late-season haul of highlights. He made 11 of 15 shots, including seven of nine three-pointers, every one of them needed on a day that fellow starters Lazar Stefanovic and Sebastian Mack combined for only six points.
“It was good to have the offense come,” Andrews said, ‘but our main focus was stopping Jordan Pope and [Tyler] Bilodeau.”
The Bruins prevailed in that category as well. Pope scored 16 points but made only six of 16 shots, and Bilodeau scored most of his 13 points as part of a futile comeback after being a nonfactor in the first half with foul trouble.
UCLA (16-16) advanced to face fourth-seeded Oregon in a quarterfinal on Thursday afternoon. The teams split their two meetings in the regular season, each winning on its home court.
The Bruins would be headed home were it not for Andrews.
With UCLA teetering midway through the second half, a onetime 15-point lead down to seven, Oregon State had the ball and a chance to make things even tighter. That’s when Andrews came up with a steal that he followed with a three-pointer that restored the Bruins’ advantage to double figures.
Later, after the Beavers had pulled to within 46-42 on back-to-back three-pointers, Andrews countered with one of his own.
Center Adem Bona added 17 points and six rebounds for the Bruins while also freeing Andrews for open jumpers as the focus of an Oregon State defense that fouled him 10 times.
Defense was the big issue in the final Pac-12 game for Oregon State (13-19), which is bound for the West Coast Conference alongside Washington State next season. The Beavers allowed the Bruins to make 52.2% of their shots, including nine of 15 three-pointers (60%).
UCLA coach Mick Cronin credited Andrews for persevering during his first season as the team’s full-time point guard after playing sparingly behind Tyger Campbell as a freshman. Cronin also lamented his inability to surround Andrews with a veteran transfer who could have lessened the need for him to log a heavy workload as he did against the Beavers, when Andrews played 39 minutes.
“He and I have been on a journey all year to replace Tyger and figure out how he can be him instead of Tyger — and just getting used to playing a lot of minutes,” Cronin said. “And he’s gotten really comfortable in the last month, outside of the USC game [when Andrews was held scoreless].”
Said Andrews of the challenges he’s faced: “It’s different being the point guard at UCLA. You’re going to go through adversity. But Coach trusts me, my teammates trust me, and I trust them.”
UCLA is trying to fashion a different ending on the court where not much has gone right. About the only highlight here was a victory over Ohio State during the Lonzo Ball season, the rest of the memories not bound for any scrapbook. The Bruins have not won a Pac-12 tournament title here while also logging losses to North Carolina, Illinois and Baylor.
There was also a dreary blowout against Gonzaga in November 2021 before the heartbreaker against the Bulldogs during the Sweet 16 last year.
The first half was a study in contrasts for Bona, who committed five turnovers while struggling against the Beavers’ 2-3 zone. Bona was so frustrated after dribbling off his body for his fifth turnover that he placed both hands on his head before doubling over in anguish. Stefanovic came over to console him with a pat on the back going into a timeout.
But Bona also flashed dual dominance by driving past Oregon State counterpart Michael Rataj for a dunk and forcing a five-second violation with relentless defense on Dexter Akanno.
Andrews also continued to be a two-way force, making five of seven shots on the way to 13 points by halftime while also holding Pope to five points on two-for-seven shooting.
His best was yet to come for a team that needed every bit of it.
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As expected, the Washington Wizards have begun the 2026 NBA Draft by selecting BYU’s AJ Dybantsa with the first overall pick.
In a draft class loaded with “cant-miss prospects,” Dybantsa stood out above the rest, as the 6-foot-9, 217-pound forward put on a show with the Cougars in his one and only collegiate season.
Dybantsa averaged 25.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 51% from the field for BYU. He became the fifth Division-1 player in the last 40 seasons to average at least 25 points while shooting 50% from the field in a single season.
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MINNEAPOLIS — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is planning for right fielder Kyle Tucker to be out for the rest of the series against the Minnesota Twins, after he left Monday’s game with low back spasms.
Roberts hopes to write Tucker into the lineup Friday, when the Dodgers open a three-game series in San Diego, after three days off, plus most of the game Monday.
“Hopefully he [can take] advantage of this, obviously to get right, but also kind of a mental reset,” Roberts said. “Hopefully the four days will suffice.”
Tucker, who said he felt a little better Tuesday but still sore, especially when rotating, is “pretty confident” that he’ll be able to avoid the injured list. And if he can take swings on Wednesday, he’ll probably be on track for that Friday return.
“But if he doesn’t, then we’ll have probably a tougher decision on Friday,” Roberts said.
Tucker, who has a .707 on-base-plus-slugging-percentage this season, has had a slow offensive start to his Dodgers’ tenure. He wasn’t ready to make any declarations about the potential benefits of time off to reset.
“Maybe,” he said. “We’ll see after I get back. We’ll see how that goes.”
The news on catcher Dalton Rushing, who exited Monday’s game to rule out a concussion, was more straightforward.
Rushing hadn’t yet gone through the second round of concussion testing needed to clear him to play when Roberts addressed the media Tuesday afternoon. But Rushing had told Roberts he was ready to play.
“That doesn’t carry too much weight until I hear from the medical staff,” Roberts said. “But it is good to know that he said he’s good to go. My hope is that he’ll be available off the bench in some capacity.”
As a downpour hammered the tarped field early Tuesday evening, it was unclear when exactly the Dodgers would be playing. But despite plenty of rain in the forecast Tuesday evening, the teams and Major League Baseball identified a window for the game.
The Twins announced an estimated 5:05 p.m. PDT first pitch, representing a 25-minute rain delay.
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Wyndham Clark reflected on winning what was his second U.S. Open with an emotional message filled with appreciation.
Clark went wire-to-wire at Shinnecock Hills to become the 24th player to win at least two U.S. Opens in their career after beating fellow American Sam Burns by one shot. The 32-year-old’s first U.S. Open title came in 2023 at Los Angeles Country Club, another one-shot victory, where he got the best of runner-up Rory McIlroy.
“I’m not sure I’ve found the words yet. If I’m being honest, last year wasn’t filled with many highs. There were a lot more questions than answers, a lot more frustration than celebration, and plenty of moments that tested my belief in myself,” Clark’s note on X began.
Wyndham Clark of the United States looks on after winning the 126th U.S. OPEN at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 21, 2026, in Southampton, New York. (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
WYNDHAM CLARK DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LOVED, BUT HE DOES HAVE TO BE RESPECTED AFTER US OPEN TRIUMPH AT SHINNECOCK
“This game can be incredibly humbling. It doesn’t owe you anything, and sometimes the only thing you can do is keep showing up and trust that the work will eventually pay off. That’s why this week means so much. To the fans, thank you for making this championship what it is. New York crowds are passionate, honest, and demanding. Whether you were pulling for me or not, you created an atmosphere I’ll never forget and pushed all of us to compete at our best.
“Thank you to the USGA, the members of Shinnecock Hills, the volunteers, and every person behind the scenes who made this week so special. This place is everything a U.S. Open should be, and I’m incredibly honored to have my name connected to it forever.
“To my team, family, friends, and sponsors, thank you for staying in my corner through the difficult stretches. Thank you for believing in me on the days when believing wasn’t easy. This trophy means more because of the road it took to get here. The setbacks, the doubts, and the hard days all make this moment that much sweeter. I’ll never forget this week, this place, and what it feels like to stand here as a two-time U.S. Open Champion. Forever grateful.”
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NEW YORK GOLF FANS DESERVE TO BE CALLED OUT, SAM BURNS HAS A GOOD CRY, WYNDHAM CLARK’S BEST SHOT AT SHINNECOCK
Wyndham Clark celebrates with his caddie, David Pelekoudas, on the 18th green during the final round of the 126th U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 21, 2026, in Southampton, New York. (Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
Clark was far from the fan favorite during Sunday’s final round at Shinnecock. The majority of fans on the Long Island, New York property appeared to be pulling against the Colorado native with countless shouts for his golf ball to find bunkers and minor roars after each of his five bogeys during the final round.
Wyndham Clark celebrates with his girlfriend Emily Tanner after winning the 126th U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. (Tracy Wilcox/PGA Tour)
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Clark made a pair of public mistakes during the 2025 PGA Tour season. During the final round of the 2025 PGA Championship, he threw his driver through an advertisement sign behind a tee box. A month later, after missing the cut at Oakmont in the 2025 U.S. Open, he ripped apart two lockers inside the clubhouse and was barred by the historic club in the following days.
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