Sports
USC falls apart at end and loses to Washington State
Boogie Ellis walked stiffly into the postgame interview room, dragging his left leg behind him the same way the fifth-year senior is trying to drag an underachieving USC team into the postseason picture.
Ellis fought through a lingering hamstring injury to score 18 points with five rebounds, but lacked his usual explosiveness to make key shots down the stretch in USC’s 72-64 loss to Washington State on Wednesday at Galen Center. After taking a one-point lead off a three-pointer from Harrison Hornery, the Trojans (8-8, 2-3 Pac-12) went scoreless during the final 2 minutes 16 seconds as Washington State (11-5, 2-3 ) finished the game with nine unanswered points.
USC, which started the season ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll, squandered an opportunity for its first three-game winning streak and fell deeper into a muddled Pac-12 Conference. Saddled with home losses to Big West opponents UC Irvine and Long Beach State and a struggling conference that has few opportunities for marquee wins, USC may already have to resort to targeting a Pac-12 tournament championship as its best hope for an NCAA tournament bid.
But Ellis isn’t buying the pressure less than a month into the conference season.
“In my eyes, pressure is always fake,” Ellis said. “At the end of the day, it’s basketball, you gotta go do what you gotta do. You gotta go get wins. Just gotta go win and we’re capable of that. I believe in my teammates, I believe in the guys in the locker room, I know what we’re capable of. I’ve seen us at our best and we have everybody in the locker room. I feel like we have the talent, we just gotta put it together.”
In a normal circumstance, the coaching staff would have tried to get the guard extra rest Wednesday. Ellis is operating at about 60%, coach Andy Enfield said.
But starting point guard Isaiah Collier suffered a right hand contusion with 12:12 remaining after he scored 12 points with three rebounds, one assist and four turnovers. Leading post defender Joshua Morgan already was out because of an upper respiratory infection. So Ellis was forced to gut out the end of the game after practicing minimally all week. He missed the first free throw of a one-and-one with 1:08 left and a three-pointer with 31 seconds remaining as USC was down by four points.
The Trojans had their second-worst shooting night of the season at 37.9%, trailing only the 28.8% stinker against UC Irvine.
Enfield acknowledged the offensive struggles may have seeped over to defense, where the Trojans struggled without Morgan. The redshirt senior’s absence was “the biggest key in my eyes,” Enfield said. The 6-foot-11 forward leads the Pac-12 in blocked shots with 2.33 per game.
Washington State outscored USC 34-28 in the paint, led by 26 points off the bench from Isaac Jones, who was seven for 10 from the field and 12 for 15 from the free-throw line with 11 rebounds.
“To be honest, no one could stop Jones,” said transfer forward DJ Rodman, who scored eight points with eight rebounds and three steals against his former team. “Having rim protection, we take that for granted so much. When Josh is there I’m not worried about if I get blown by, I know he’ll block the shot.”
Enfield did not have a timeline for when Morgan might return and he wasn’t seated on USC’s bench. The Trojans turned to Vincent Iwuchukwu in Morgan’s place, but the sophomore got bullied by Washington State’s post players. Freshman Rueben Chinyelu made consecutive hook shots over Iwuchuwku early in the second half and as he ran back on defense, Washington State‘s 6-11 center signaled the 7-1 Iwuchukwu was too small by holding his hand close to the court.
The Trojans enabled a fourth consecutive team to shoot better than 50% during the second half as Enfield’s once-stout defense has failed to materialize for an inexperienced team. Teams are shooting 43.6% from the field, the highest percentage since 2017-18, when USC settled for the NIT in Enfield’s fifth season.
The coach has lamented USC’s defensive struggles for weeks, and when asked what the team is working on in practice to address the issues, Enfield paused. A lot of the same drills as before, he conceded.
“Some teams grasp the concepts and are able to do it when the game’s going,” Enfield said. “It’s different when you do it in practice. When you get to the game, things are moving fast, different players, it’s not your own team. You have to adjust to other good players and at times we’ve been pretty good, but that is our biggest deficiency this year.”
Sports
Becky Lynch enters exclusive WWE club with Women’s Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 42
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LAS VEGAS – Becky Lynch entered an atmosphere no other WWE women’s superstar has ever reached as she won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship over AJ Lee on Saturday night at WrestleMania 42.
Lynch became the first person to hold the Women’s Intercontinental Championship three times after she pinned Lee. She first won the title against Lyra Valkyria in June 2025 and then again against Maxxine Dupri in November.
Becky Lynch celebrates with the belt after defeating AJ Lee during their women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
She dropped the belt to Lee at the Elimination Chamber, sparking a monthslong feud with her.
Lee gave Lynch the chance at the title in the weeks prior to WrestleMania 42. But it appeared Lee played right into Lynch’s plans. Despite arguing with referee Jessica Carr for most of the match, Lynch was able to tactfully tear down a rope buckle and use it to her advantage.
Lynch hit Lee with a Manhandle Slam and pinned her for the win.
WWE STARS REVEAL WHAT MAKES WRESTLEMANIA SO SPECIAL: ‘IT’S THE SUPER BOWL OF PRO WRESTLING’
AJ Lee reacts after losing to Becky Lynch in their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
It’s the second straight year Lynch will leave Las Vegas as champion. She returned to WWE at WrestleMania 41, teaming with Valkyria, to win the women’s tag titles. She will now leave Allegiant Stadium as the women’s intercontinental champion.
Lynch is now a seven-time women’s champion, three-time women’s intercontinental champion and two-time tag team champion.
Becky Lynch withstands AJ Lee during their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Lee’s reign as champion ended really before it could really begin. WrestleMania 42 was her first appearance at the event in 11 years. It’s unclear where Lee will go from here.
The Clippers’ season has come to an end but better than anyone expected. No consolation but a great job by head coach Tyronn Lue for guiding the Clippers from a disastrous 6-21 start and finishing with more than 40 wins.
Coach Lue led the team, overcoming major obstacles throughout the season with a player investigation, injuries, internal strife and major roster changes at the trade deadline. As usual for Clipper fans, wait till next year.
Wayne Muramatsu
Cerritos
The Clippers are the NBA’s version of Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You.” Yes, they have had 15 straight seasons of playing .500 or better, and owner Steve Ballmer has brought them respectability, but for their entire 56-year existence — which has contained many clowns and jokers — they still have never [attained] their goal of winning (or even reaching) the NBA Finals.
Ken Feldman
Tarzana
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LAS VEGAS – Paul Walter Hauser is an actor who has been in “The Naked Gun,” “Blackbird,” and “Richard Jewell.” But on Friday night at Maple Leaf Pro’s first U.S. event, MLP Multiverse, there was no acting going on.
Hauser squared off against QT Marshall in a sin city street fight at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. It was the final show of Slam Fest. The two pro wrestlers pulled out all the stops and left the ring in complete disarray.
Paul Walter Hauser competed against QT Marshall at Maple Leaf Pro Multiverse on April 18, 2026 in Las Vegas. (Fox News Digital)
It was a rematch of their brawl at Ring of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor event. Marshall went on the attack first, throwing in all kinds of foreign objects into the ring, including a piece of wood wrapped with barbed wire, a table, a cane, chairs and even a door was brought into the match.
Hauser was able to regain momentum in the match. He set up the barbed-wire object in the corner. Marshall countered and was trying to whip Hauser into the barbed wire. However, Hauser stopped himself. As Marshall tried to take Hauser by surprise, the movie star avoided Marshall and tossed him into the barbed wire.
Marshall was busted open, but wasn’t done. Hauser was trying to inflict more pain. He set up a table near one corner of the ring and poured thumbtacks on top of it. Marshall was able to powerbomb Hauser through the tacked table.
Paul Walter Hauser is pictured on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. (Nathan Congleton/NBC)
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Hauser was left with thumbtacks in his back and one in his head. He managed to power through and put Marshall into a sharpshooter. Marshall tapped out. Hauser picked up the victory.
Hauser got his start in pro wrestling in 2023 at Pro Wrestling Revolver. He worked his way through appearances at All Elite Wrestling before he signed with Major League Wrestling in 2024.
He’s currently Progress Wrestling’s Progress proteus champion.
Elsewhere, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) world heavyweight champion Hechicero defended his championship against Jonathan Gresham, Maple Leaf Pro Canadian women’s champion Gisele Shaw fended off Shotzi Blackheart, Persephone and surprise entrant Killer Kelly to keep the title.
Mistico, Mascara Dorada and Amazing Red defeated The Rascalz at Maple Leaf Pro Multiverse on April 18, 2026 in Las Vegas. (Fox News Digital)
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The show started with Subculture, the tag team duo of Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster, defeated Vaughn Vertigo and Guy Cool. The Demand’s Ricochet, Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona defeated Sidney Akeem, Michael Oku and Rich Swaan, Steve Borden defeated Kiran Gray and Mistico, Mascara Dorada, Amazing Red defeated The Rascalz – Desmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz and Myron Reed.
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