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March Madness 2022: Francesca Belibi dunk highlights No. 1 Stanford rout of Montana State

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Stanford’s freshmen have been becoming a member of all people else in begging Francesca Belibi to dunk all season, insisting they got here to highschool right here simply to see her do it.

Belibi obliged eventually on the large March Insanity stage, blocking a shot on the 3-point line then driving the size of the ground to slam the ball house with one hand for her third profession dunk. The play thrilled her teammates and the awestruck house crowd within the second quarter of top-seeded Stanford’s 78-37 win in opposition to Sixteenth-seeded Montana State on Friday evening within the first spherical of the NCAA Event.

“It’s actually humorous as a result of I dunk on a regular basis and once I look again at footage everybody continues to be simply as excited as if it’s their first time seeing it,” Belibi stated. “So it’s actually cool to see that on their faces. They’ve been getting on me all 12 months about not dunking to this point. The freshmen have been like, ‘We got here right here for this so the place is it?’ So it was actually cool to get it and make it occur and simply get engulfed. I felt actually beloved.”

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Montana State ahead Taylor Janssen (24) battles for a rebound in opposition to Stanford guard Haley Jones, proper, throughout the first half of a first-round recreation within the NCAA ladies’s faculty basketball event Friday, March 18, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. 
(AP Photograph/Tony Avelar)

Belibi’s dunk was the primary by a girl within the NCAA Event since Brittney Griner did it in 2013 and simply the third general together with Candace Parker’s feat in 2006. A 6-foot-1 junior who routinely dunks in warmups and follow, Belibi had a pair of slams final season — on Dec. 13, 2020, at rival California in Berkeley and every week later at UCLA.

This stage is just a little totally different and much greater, with the Cardinal again on their acquainted house flooring within the event’s early rounds for the primary time in three years. Belibi’s teammates went loopy and the delighted followers gave her a roaring standing ovation throughout a timeout shortly afterward. She completed with 12 factors, 13 rebounds and two blocks in 14 minutes.

“Tremendous pleased with Fran, I do know we have been tremendous hyped for her,” Hull stated.

Corridor of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer had one concern afterward: Belibi didn’t get again quick sufficient and her defensive task scored a layup.

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“I’m actually glad for her and the workforce was loopy within the locker room for her,” VanDerveer stated. “… I’m glad Fran offered a spark for us.”

In comparable trend — simply with out the above-the-rim theatrics — Cameron Brink started the sport with two blocked pictures that led to her personal layups on the opposite finish, and the sophomore star completed with 11 factors, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Stanford started a frightening title protection by profitable its twenty first consecutive recreation; its final defeat was 65-61 to No. 1 South Carolina on Dec. 21. The Cardinal (29-3) will play Sunday in opposition to No. 8 seed Kansas (21-9), a 77-58 winner in opposition to ninth-seeded Georgia Tech in Friday’s first recreation.

Brink had 5 factors, three blocks and 5 rebounds earlier than the Bobcats (22-13) even received on the board with their first factors early within the second quarter as Stanford went on to its third-largest event victory margin in program historical past.

Lexie Hull had 13 factors and 5 assists and Hannah Soar scored 15 for a balanced Cardinal workforce that went 16-0 via the Pac-12 common season and gained the convention event.

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Taylor Janssen scored 12 for the Huge Sky Convention Event champions, who got here into the sport averaging 70 factors per recreation however confronted a Stanford squad that hasn’t allowed any opponent to attain greater than 77 because the finish of the 2019-20 season.

“That was a primary,” Janssen stated of Belibi’s highlight-reel transfer. “I’ve by no means been a recreation the place somebody dunked, that was actually cool.”

Montana State missed its preliminary 21 pictures spanning the primary two quarters and trailed 23-0 earlier than Janssen’s layup on the 9:15 mark of the second.

“For those who’re a No. 1 seed and let a workforce hold round something can occur,” VanDerveer stated. “You possibly can’t let a workforce hold round so soar proper on them.”

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GETTING DEFENSIVE

The scoreless first quarter by Stanford’s protection is the primary within the Cardinal’s storied historical past for any interval and simply the second ever within the NCAA Event.

South Carolina did it in opposition to Texas within the 2021 event.

“I believe in the course of the quarter not essentially one thing, ‘Oh, we are able to do that this quarter’ however taking each possession significantly,” Hull stated of the defensive focus.

BIG PICTURE

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Montana State: The Bobcats, taking part in of their third ever NCAA Event, missed their first 12 3-point tries and went 4 for twenty-four from deep general. … Montana State Seventeenth-year coach Tricia Binford notched her fifteenth straight profitable season. She referred to as it a terrific week for her workforce “getting higher.”

Stanford: Lacie Hull had 4 of Stanford’s 16 steals. … The Cardinal held a 56-33 rebounding benefit. … Stanford scored seven factors off Montana State’s 5 first-quarter turnovers and compelled 17 in all whereas committing 16. … The Cardinal improved to 15-1 at house this season.

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Phillies manager Rob Thomson's screaming match with umpire leads to ejection in bizarre scene

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Phillies manager Rob Thomson's screaming match with umpire leads to ejection in bizarre scene

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Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson and umpire Mike Estabrook got into a wild screaming match that resulted in an ejection on Father’s Day against the Baltimore Orioles. 

The Phillies weren’t doing well in the top of the sixth inning as the O’s held an 8-2 lead at their home, Camden Yards, and it didn’t help matters when Estabrook reversed a call initially ruled a hit-by-pitch on the Phillies’ Garrett Stubbs. He did so after conversing with his fellow umpires on the field.

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Before Estabrook reversed the call and brought Stubbs back to home plate, Thomson was already fuming about his strike zone behind home plate on the day. 

Home plate umpire Mike Estabrook ejects Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports)

When Thomson emerged from the dugout and wanted an explanation from Estabrook, that’s when things got heated. The tipping point came when Thomson, who was clearly barking at Estabrook, pointed his finger at him and just missed poking him in the chest as he yelled. 

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That resulted in Estabrook turning around fast and tossing Thomson from the game, which sent the veteran manager into a frenzy. 

But what we normally see in these moments is the manager letting off steam and the umpire simply taking it. Estabrook thought differently as he started to give it right back to Thomson in a wild scene.

Mike Estabrook throws out Rob Thomson

Home plate umpire Mike Estabrook ejects Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports)

Umpire Laz Diaz let the argument unfold a bit before stepping in and sending Thomson to the clubhouse.

After things settled down, the play was brought to a replay review, and Estabrook bringing Stubbs back to hit was the right call because the ball did not hit him.

The Phillies went on to lose, 8-3, which marked their fourth loss in the last six games.

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Rob Thomson and Mike Estabrook yell

Home plate umpire Mike Estabrook argues with Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports)

Still, the Phillies own the best record in the National League even with the loss. They’re 47-24 on the season, though they’ve been worse on the road than at home, owning a 20-14 record in away games. 

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Mookie Betts to miss several weeks after sustaining hand fracture in Dodgers' win

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Mookie Betts to miss several weeks after sustaining hand fracture in Dodgers' win

The good vibes derived from Tyler Glasnow’s dominant seven-inning start and Shohei Ohtani’s two-homer game were shattered in the seventh inning on Sunday when a 98-mph fastball struck the back of the left hand of Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who writhed on the ground for a few minutes before coming out of the game.

The Dodgers went on to defeat the Kansas City Royals 3-0 in front of a sellout crowd of 52,789 at Dodger Stadium, but they lost their dynamic leadoff man in the process — X-rays showed that Betts suffered a broken bone in his left hand, and though he won’t need surgery, he will be sidelined for several weeks, if not months.

“It’s a big blow, it is,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I feel really bad for Mookie. He was having an MVP season. It’s very unfortunate, but you’ve got to move on, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to be fine. We have really good players.”

Mookie Betts is hit by a pitch during the seventh inning Sunday against the Royals at Dodger Stadium.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Mookie Betts, left, writhes on the ground after being hit by a pitch as manager Dave Roberts and a team trainer tend to him.

Mookie Betts, left, writhes on the ground after being hit by a pitch as manager Dave Roberts and a team trainer tend to him during the seventh inning Sunday.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Betts, who is batting .304 with an .893 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 10 homers, 16 doubles, 40 RBIs and 50 runs, had a 1-and-2 count when he could not get out of the way of Royals reliever Dan Altavilla’s up-and-in heater. The ball hit Betts on the back of the left hand, which Betts clutched as he fell to the ground.

“I think that’s the first time I got hit in the hand, so I wasn’t sure [how bad it was],” Betts said after the game, his left hand wrapped. “I just went numb, and it hurt. Unfortunately, it’s broken. There’s nothing we can really do now.”

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Betts did not travel with the team to Denver on Sunday night. He will be examined by Dr. Steven Shin, a hand specialist, on Monday.

“What’s next? I’m honestly not sure,” Betts said. “Obviously, I’ll be watching the boys, cheering them on, but other than that, it’s just rest, maybe use it as a mental break, be ready to go whenever it heals up.”

Betts moved from right field to second base over the winter and from second base to shortstop because of Gavin Lux’s throwing woes in early March.

The Dodgers have an excellent defensive option at shortstop in Miguel Rojas, but Rojas is nowhere near the hitter Betts is, and he has been slowed this season by leg injuries that prevent him from playing every day.

Shohei Ohtani hits a solo home run off Royals pitcher Brady Singer in the third inning Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

Shohei Ohtani hits a solo home run off Royals pitcher Brady Singer in the third inning Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Roberts said utility man Kiké Hernández will also be used at shortstop. The team will recall left fielder Miguel Vargas from triple-A Oklahoma City to replace Betts on the roster. Ohtani will likely be moved to the leadoff spot in the order.

“It’s very tough to see as a teammate,” Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said of Betts. “He’s obviously a very important part of the team. If he’s out for some time, it’s really up to the rest of the team to pick him up.”

The Betts injury, which came on the same day the Dodgers put pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the 15-day injured list because of a rotator-cuff strain, put a damper on an otherwise successful afternoon for the Dodgers.

Glasnow allowed three hits, striking out nine and walking one, over seven scoreless innings, and Ohtani and Freddie Freeman powered the offense with solo home runs.

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Setup man Daniel Hudson struck out two of three batters in a scoreless eighth inning, and closer Evan Phillips threw a scoreless ninth for his 10th save.

Glasnow gave the Dodgers much-needed length after the team employed a “bullpen game” on Thursday night against the Texas Rangers and were forced into another bullpen game when Yamamoto left Saturday night’s start against the Royals after two innings because of injury.

“I definitely knew I had to be efficient and try to fill up the zone,” said Glasnow, who improved to 7-5 with a 3.00 ERA in 15 starts. “I just tried to get ahead, mix up my pitches a bit more, not be so heavily reliant on the fastball, mix in the two-seamer, and it worked out today.”

Glasnow’s only real trouble came in the fourth, when Bobby Witt Jr. reached on a one-out infield single and Vinnie Pasquantino walked. He escaped the jam by striking out Salvador Perez with an 83-mph curve in the dirt and getting Adam Frazier to ground out to Betts, who ranged to the second-base side of the bag for Frazier’s grounder.

Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers during the first inning Sunday.

Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers during the first inning Sunday.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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“He was absolutely fantastic,” Ohtani said of Glasnow. “Really, no threats throughout the game.”

Glasnow needed only 85 pitches, 62 of them strikes, to complete seven innings. He leaned heavily on his four-seam fastball, which averaged 96.0 mph, and an 83-mph curve that he used to induce eight of his 15 swinging strikes. He also got five called strikes with the curve.

“I’ve been able to land it for strikes the last couple of starts,” Glasnow said of his big breaking ball. “I’ve made some mechanical adjustments to try to keep it in the zone as opposed to just always trying to strike out guys with it.”

Glasnow’s third pitch is usually an 89-mph slider that he threw 15 times on Sunday, but he also threw a 96.8-mph two-seam sinker 15 times on Sunday after throwing it only 64 times in his first 14 starts.

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“It’s basically just a heater, so it’s not like you have to learn a new pitch, and I think it gets me behind my four-seamer, too,” Glasnow said. “I’ve been a lot more comfortable throwing it kind of up and in to righties, and today to a lefty. I’m just trying to mix it in a little bit more to not be so predictable.”

Ohtani gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead when he “used the big part of the field,” as Roberts likes to say, crushing a 451-foot solo home run — his second-longest of the season — to left-center field off Royals right-hander Brady Singer in the third inning.

Ohtani had been “getting a little too rotational” in his swing over the past week, Roberts said, causing him to pull off pitches early and hit too many ground balls to the right side, but he stayed on Singer’s 93-mph sinker for his 18th homer of the season, a laser that left his bat at 114.3 mph.

“That swing he took for that homer to left-center, that’s as good a swing as I’ve ever seen,” Roberts said. “When he does things the right way, gets his pitch, uses the big part of the field, it’s pretty special.”

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Ohtani then crushed an 80-mph first-pitch slider from Singer over the right-field wall to lead off the sixth inning for his 19th homer of the season and 18th multiple-homer game of his career, this shot leaving his bat at 110.7 mph and traveling 400 feet.

Freeman followed with his 10th homer of the season, driving a 2-and-0 slider from Singer 401 feet to right-center field for a 3-0 Dodgers lead.

“That last homer was a slider down below,” Roberts said of Ohtani, “and for him to hit it like that instead of pulling it foul or hitting on the ground speaks to him seeing the ball better.”

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Angel Reese defends hitting Caitlin Clark in head, resulting in flagrant foul: 'It's a basketball play'

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Angel Reese defends hitting Caitlin Clark in head, resulting in flagrant foul: 'It's a basketball play'

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The Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever rematch was a highly anticipated game Sunday afternoon with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese pitted against each other in another chapter of their WNBA journey. 

And things got a bit testy when Reese whacked Clark in the head on a block attempt in the third quarter of the Fever’s 91-83 victory, resulting in a flagrant foul.

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Reese was asked about the flagrant foul by a reporter after the game, and she cut him off quickly.

Angel Reese, left, of the Chicago Sky reacts after fouling Caitlin Clark, right, of the Indiana Fever during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse June 16, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

“A basketball play. It was a basketball play,” Reese said. “I can’t control the refs. They affected the game obviously a lot tonight.”

Reese was adamant officials were not calling the same game on both ends of the floor. The Sky were called for 21 personal fouls as a team, while the Fever were whistled for 17. Reese and fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso each had five fouls. 

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VIEW THE REESE BLOCK ATTEMPT ON X

“I think we went up really strong a lot of times, and we didn’t get a lot of calls,” Reese explained when asked about her and Cardoso’s performances. “Going back and looking at the film, I’ve seen a lot of calls that weren’t made. I guess some people got a special whistle. But just being able to play hard as best as we can.”

CAITLIN CLARK UNBOTHERED BY PEOPLE USING HER NAME IN CULTURE WARS: ‘BASKETBALL’S MY JOB’

It’s unclear who Reese was referring to when talking about the “special whistle.”

As for Clark’s thoughts on the flagrant foul, she didn’t have anything bad to say about Reese. She agreed the physicality wasn’t anything malicious. 

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Caitlin Clark drives to the basket

Caitlin Clark, left, of the Indiana Fever drives to the basket against Marina Mabrey, right, of the Chicago Sky during the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse June 16, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

“What’s going through my mind is, ‘I need to make these two free throws,’” Clark said when a reporter asked her thoughts immediately after the foul. “That’s all I’m thinking about. Just a part of basketball. It is what it is. Just trying to make a play on the ball and get the block. It happens.”

Clark continued by lauding Reese’s competitive spirit and using her platform to promote the game.

“I think it’s just the emotion and passion we play with,” Clark said. “I think people love to see that, and I think that’s maybe not something that was always appreciated in women’s sports. And it should be. That’s what makes it fun. We’re competitors. That’s the way the game should be. It’s going to get feisty, it’s going to get physical. But, at the end of the day, both of us are trying to win.

“I think what she’s done with her platform has been absolutely incredible, and she has an entire fan base that’s supported her for what she did at Maryland and LSU. Obviously, I played her a very long time, and she’s been a tremendous player. So, it’s getting to compete against [her], and I think it’s been really good for the game. And people love to see great matchups. 

“But, also, at the same time, people tune in for these matchups, but then they get to see how amazing these teams are, and they find new players to support. And continue to come back for them, too. So, I think that’s another benefit of it, honestly.”

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Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark side by side

Angel Reese defended her block attempt on Caitlin Clark, which resulted in a flagrant foul. (Getty Images)

Fever head coach Christie Sides also believed the “right call was made” by officials on the Reese flagrant. She also alluded to flagrant fouls not being called, which we’ve seen recently with the Chennedy Carter shove on Clark. It was later upgraded to a flagrant foul. But during their previous matchup, it was a common foul. 

“I was really proud of how they all kept their composure,” Sides said. “The right call was made in that moment — flagrant-1, two free throws and the ball. Just make the right call in those moments, and we can move forward. When we don’t make the right call in those moments, that’s when there’s a problem. 

“They made the right call tonight.”

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