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AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:58 p.m. EDT

By The Associated Press
Updated: March 31, 2025 - 4:09 AM
Published: March 30, 2025 - 4:00 AM

Auburn completes sweep of No. 1 seeds into Final Four, beating Michigan State 70-64

ATLANTA (AP) — Johni Broome had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Auburn took command with 17 unanswered points in the first half to beat Michigan State 70-64 and complete a sweep of No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four. Auburn earned its second Final Four trip. Michigan State fell short in its bid to send coach Tom Izzo to his ninth national semifinal. Auburn’s only previous Final Four appearance came in 2019, also under coach Bruce Pearl. The South Region champion Tigers are the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. They became the last of the No. 1 seeds to advance to the Final Four — joining Florida, Duke and Houston.

Houston’s defense carries Cougars into 7th Final Four with 69-50 March Madness win over Tennessee

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Houston’s relentless defense confused and harassed Tennessee and carried the Cougars into their seventh Final Four and first since 2021, with L.J. Cryer scoring 17 points in a 69-50 victory. Emanuel Sharp scored 14 of his 16 points after halftime for top-seeded Houston, which extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 17 games. The Cougars had been eliminated as a No. 1 seed in the Sweet 16 in each of the past two years, but this time coach Kelvin Sampson’s team has a shot at the program’s first national title. The Cougars will face Cooper Flagg and five-time national champ Duke Saturday in San Antonio.

Lauren Betts and UCLA reach first Final Four of women’s NCAA Tournament, beating LSU 72-65

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Lauren Betts had 17 points and seven rebounds despite spending the entire second quarter on the bench, and top overall seed UCLA reached its first Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament with a 72-65 victory over LSU. The 6-foot-7 Betts added six blocks for the Bruins, who will face the winner of Monday’s game between Southern California and UConn. The Final four is Friday night in Tampa, Florida. Gabriela Jaquez added 18 points for the Bruins and Timea Gardiner finished with 15, helping to pick up the slack went Betts went to the bench after committing two first-quarter fouls.

Defending champion South Carolina returns to Final Four, beating Duke 54-50 in March Madness

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Chloe Kitts scored 14 points and defending national champion South Carolina reached the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight year, beating Duke 54-50. The top-seeded Gamecocks are two wins away from becoming the first team to repeat as champions since UConn won four straight from 2013-16. South Carolina will play the winner of the Texas-TCU game that takes place Monday night. The Final Four is in Tampa, Florida, on Friday night. Second-seeded Duke was looking to get to its first national semifinals since 2006. The Blue Devils women were also looking to join the men’s program in the Final Four.

Torpedo-shaped bats draw attention after Yankees hit team-record 9 homers in rout of Brewers

NEW YORK (AP) — New torpedo bats drew attention when the New York Yankees hit a team-record nine homers that traveled a combined 3,695 feet. Using a strikingly different model in which wood is moved lower down the barrel after the label and shapes the end a little like a bowling pin, Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered in New York’s 20-9 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. The bats are allowed under Major League Baseball’s rules.

Suns star Kevin Durant helped off court after injuring left leg

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Suns All-Star Kevin Durant was helped to the locker room with 6:57 left in the third quarter against Houston on Sunday night after falling to the floor in a collision with Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. Smith was called for a foul under the Phoenix basket as Durant fell to the floor. The 6-foot-10 forward eventually got to his feet, but could not put any weight on his left leg. He appeared to step on Smith’s foot when he fell. Durant played 23 minutes, scoring 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Earlier this season, he moved into eighth place on the NBA career scoring list.

Jakub Mensik prevents Djokovic from his 100th title, wins Miami Open for first ATP trophy

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jakub Mensik outdueled Novak Djokovic in two tiebreakers 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) to win the Miami Open for his first ATP title. Ranked 54th entering the tournament, the Czech Republic teenager plowed through Djokovic with poise and a stellar 130 mph serve. He collected 14 aces and got broken only once. Mensik bashed a service winner on match point and fell on his back. Mensik’s victory spoiled the party for Djokovic, who was seeking his 100th career title and a record seventh in the Miami Open.

Min Woo Lee holds off Scheffler and Woodland to win Houston Open for first PGA Tour title

HOUSTON (AP) — Min Woo Lee is finally a winner on the PGA Tour and it he had to sweat it out at the Houston Open. Lee had a five-shot lead at one point on the back nine. And then Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland put together sensational charges. Lee hit a tee shot in the water. And suddenly his lead was down to one shot. Lee hit the best lag of his life from 55 feet just off the 18th green. It stopped inches away for a par and a 67 to win by one. Scheffler shot 63 and Woodland had a 62.

Denny Hamlin ends 10-year win drought at Martinsville Speedway

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Denny Hamlin ended an agonizing 10-year winless streak at Martinsville Speedway, holding off teammate Christopher Bell in his home state to secure a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The Joe Gibbs Racing star, from the Richmond suburb of Chesterfield, leads active Cup drivers with six victories at Martinsville. But Sunday was his first on the 0.526-mile oval since March 29, 2015. Hamlin was a frequent contender during his 19-race drought at Martinsville, posting 10 top fives and leading 226 laps. Bell, who leads the Cup Series with three wins this season, was second, followed by Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. With the 55th victory of his career, Hamlin also snapped a 31-race winless streak since last April at Dover.

Alex Ovechkin scores his 890th career goal to move 5 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s NHL record

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin is now five goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record after scoring the 890th of his career in the Washington Capitals’ game Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres. Ovechkin beat James Reimer on a deflection in front. The 39-year-old is now back on pace to pass Gretzky’s mark of 894 that long seemed unapproachable this spring. He has 37 this season and is on track to reach 40 for a 14th time, also the most in league history, despite missing 16 games because of a broken left fibula.