ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2021 SPORTS 15 Lightning ‘raise’ championship banner for fans, top Predators

Panarin returns as Rangers down

TAMPA, Florida, March 14, (AP): Playing in front of their home fans for the first time this season, the Tampa Bay Light- Baylor center Queen Egbo (25) blocks a ning raised their 2020 Stanley shot by Texas guard Audrey Warren (31) Cup banner and beat the Nash- during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinal round of ville Predators 6-3. the Big 12 Conference tournament in Kan- Tyler Johnson and Blake Coleman each sas City, Mo, on March 13. (AP) had a goal and an assist for the Lightning. Alex Killorn, Brayden Point, Mathieu Hornets bag SWAC title Joseph and Anthony Cirelli also scored. Erik Cernak and Ondrej Palat had two as- Baylor women topple sists apiece. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots to earn his NHL-leading 17th win. Texas in Big 12 semis Erik Haula, Alexandre Carrier and Yakov KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 14, (AP): Na- Trenin scored for the Predators, who fell to Lyssa Smith had 21 points and 14 rebounds, 1-5-1 in their past seven games. and No. 6 Baylor topped Texas 66-55 in the made 21 saves. Big 12 Tournament semifinals. Rangers 4, Bruins 0 After trailing by 14 in the fourth quarter, the In Boston, Chris Kreider scored his team- Longhorns (18-9) got within five. But Smith leading 14th goal, Artemi Panarin had an assist drilled a 3-pointer in the closing minute to help in his fi rst game back since leaving the team, the Lady Bears hold on. and the Rangers halted a three-game losing Maryland 104, Iowa 84 streak. In Indianapolis, Chloe Bibby scored 21 Panarin left Feb. 22 after a Russian tabloid points and Mimi Collins had 17, leading Mary- printed allegations from a former coach that he land to a second consecutive Big Ten Tourna- attacked a woman in Latvia almost a decade ment championship. ago, which he denies. His return clearly pro- The Terrapins (24-2) shot 51% from the vided a lift for New York. field in their 13th straight win. Diamond Mill- Keith Kinkaid stopped 18 shots for his fi rst er had 15 points and seven assists, and Katie since 2018. Ryan Strome, Pavel Bu- Benzan finished with 14 points and six assists. chnevich and K’Andre Miller also scored for New York, which lost 4-0 in Boston on Thurs- W. Virginia 59, Okla. State 50 day. In Kansas City, Mo., Esmery Martinez had 19 points and 15 rebounds, powering West Capitals 5, Flyers 4 Virginia into the Big 12 Tournament final. In Philadelphia, Alex Ovechkin scored and Kysre Gondrezick scored 17 points for West Carl Hagelin had a goal and an assist, leading Virginia (21-5). Kirsten Deans had 11. the Capitals to their fourth straight win. goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) and teammate Barclay Goodrow (19) defend against Nashville Predators’ Ben Harpur Nick Jensen, Daniel Sprong and Nic Dowd during the first period of an NHL hockey game, on March 13, in Tampa, Florida. (AP) Jackson St 67, Alabama St 66 also scored for Washington, which has won In Birmingham, Ala., Cherelle Jones made eight of nine. two free throws with 13.9 seconds left and top- Nolan Patrick, James van Riemsdyk, Shayne seeded Jackson State earned its first NCAA Gostisbehere and Claude Giroux scored for NHL Results/Standings Georgia Tech claims 1st ACC crown Tournament in 13 years with a win over sec- the Flyers, who have lost four of fi ve and were ond seed Alabama State in the championship swept in three home games against Washing- game of the Southwestern Athletic Conference ton this week. Tournament. WASHINGTON, March 14, (AP): Results Texas beats Oklahoma St for and standings from the NHL games on Sat- Rogan led the Tigers (18-5) to their fifth urday. NCAA Tournament with 25 points. Jones NY Rangers 4 Boston 0 scored 13, going 7 of 9 from the foul line, and Columbus 4 Dallas OT 3 NY Islanders 3 New Jersey 2 first ‘Big 12 Tournament’ title grabbed nine rebounds. Williams added 11 Ovechkin pulled within one of tying Phil Washington 5 Philadelphia 4 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks. Esposito for sixth on the NHL’s career goals Pittsburgh 3 Buffalo 0 KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 14, (AP): Matt tournament trophy since winning the old South- list when he scored on the power play to make Calgary 3 Montreal 1 C. Michigan 77, Bowling Green 72 Tampa Bay 6 Nashville 3 Coleman scored a career-high 30 points, Jericho west Conference title in 1995. In Cleveland, Micaela Kelly scored 29 it 4-2 with 6:50 left in the second. It was the Florida 4 Chicago 2 Simms added a career-best 21 and No. 13 Texas Cade Cunningham had 29 points for the fi fth- points, Molly Davis added 23 and second- 716th goal for Ovechkin. Winnipeg 5 Toronto 2 was poised at the foul line down the stretch in seeded Cowboys (20-8), including a pair of Vegas 5 St Louis 1 beating No. 12 Oklahoma State 91-86 to give the 3-pointers in the fi nal minute, the last getting seeded Central Michigan edged top-seeded Islanders 3, Devils 2 San Jose 3 Anaheim 1 Bowling Green for the Mid-American Confer- In Newark, N.J., Kieffer Bellows scored his Vancouver 2 Edmonton 1 Longhorns their fi rst Big 12 Tournament title. them within 89-86 with 6 seconds to go. ence Tournament championship and the Chip- fi rst two goals of the season early in the third East Division Kai Jones and Andrew Jones added 13 points GP W L OT Pts GF GA Georgia Tech 80, FSU 75 pewas’ sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament. period, and the Islanders earned their eighth apiece for third-seeded Texas (19-7), which In Greensboro, N.C., Jose Alvarado couldn’t NY Islanders 28 18 6 4 40 83 62 edged No. 20 Texas Tech in the quarterfi nals be- straight victory. Washington 27 17 6 4 38 94 87 contain his emotions as the horn sounded, col- BASKETBALL Oliver Wahlstrom also scored and Semyon Pittsburgh 27 17 9 1 35 89 79 fore advancing to the fi nals when Kansas had to lapsing in disbelief as his Georgia Tech team- Varlamov made 26 saves to help the East-lead- Boston 25 14 7 4 32 70 60 withdraw due to a positive COVID-19 test. mates mobbed each other near midcourt. Philadelphia 25 13 9 3 29 83 83 The title was the fi rst for the Longhorns in ing Islanders extend their points streak to 11 NY Rangers 26 11 12 3 25 72 71 He quickly ran to the celebration that included Maddy Watters added 11 points for the games at 10-0-1. New Jersey 24 8 13 3 19 60 79 seven frustrating appearances in the Big 12 coach Josh Pastner - still sporting that can’t- Chippewas (18-8), who last went to the NCAA The winning streak is the longest for the Is- Buffalo 26 6 16 4 16 58 88 championship game, and their fi rst conference Central Division miss-it clear face shield. Tournament in 2019 after the previous team landers since they won 10 in a row last season. GP W L OT Pts GF GA The Yellow Jackets have their fi rst Atlantic made the Sweet 16 when Kelly and Watters The team record is 15 in early 1982. Tampa Bay 26 19 5 2 40 97 60 Coast Conference Tournament title in nearly were freshmen. Florida 27 18 5 4 40 93 78 two decades after beating No. 15 Florida State Panthers 4, Blackhawks 2 Carolina 26 19 6 1 39 93 67 Cal Baptist 78, GCU 60 In Sunrise, Florida, Aleksander Barkov had Chicago 29 14 10 5 33 89 92 championship game. Just as importantly, they’ve In Las Vegas, Tiena Neale scored 21 points two goals and an assist, and Florida earned its Columbus 29 11 12 6 28 79 97 secured an automatic NCAA Tournament berth Nashville 28 11 16 1 23 67 96 to end an 11-year drought. and California Baptist, the nation’s lone unde- third straight win. Dallas 23 8 9 6 22 67 63 feated Division-I women’s team, beat Grand Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and an assist Detroit 28 8 16 4 20 63 95 Oregon St 70, Colorado 68 Canyon in the Western Athletic Conference for the Panthers. Frank Vatrano also scored, West Division In Las Vegas, Maurice Calloo gave Oregon Tournament title game - but its Utah Valley GP W L OT Pts GF GA and Anthony Duclair had two assists in his fi rst Vegas 25 18 6 1 37 83 56 State an unexpected lift with 15 points and the that is headed for the NCAAs for the first time. game since Feb. 27. Minnesota 25 16 8 1 33 79 63 Beavers won their fi rst conference tournament Sydney Palma added 15 points and Caitlyn Brandon Hagel and Adam Boqvist scored St Louis 28 14 9 5 33 88 92 title, holding off No. 23 Colorado in the Pac-12 Harper 10 points with nine rebounds while for the Blackhawks, which lost to the Panthers Colorado 25 15 8 2 32 74 59 Los Angeles 26 11 9 6 28 78 74 championship game. Britney Thomas grabbed 12 rebounds to go for the third time this season. Arizona 27 12 11 4 28 69 81 Needing three wins in three days to end a four- with eight points for California Baptist. had 31 saves. San Jose 25 11 11 3 25 75 89 year NCAA Tournament drought, the Beavers Anaheim 29 8 15 6 22 63 95 NC A&T 59, Howard 57 Penguins 3, Sabres 0 North Division (17-12) built confi dence with each step along In Norfolk, Va., Deja Winters hit a 3-point- In Buffalo, N.Y., Casey DeSmith stopped GP W L OT Pts GF GA The Strip. er from the left corner with 3 seconds to play, 24 shots, and Pittsburgh handed Buffalo its Toronto 29 19 8 2 40 99 75 Winnipeg 27 17 8 2 36 91 78 San Diego St. 68, Utah St. 57 lifting North Carolina A&M into the NCAA 10th straight loss. Edmonton 30 18 12 0 36 100 87 In Las Vegas, Matt Mitchell scored 14 points Tournament with a win over Howard in the Jake Guentzel scored the go-ahead goal by bat- Montreal 27 12 8 7 31 86 74 to lead No. 19 San Diego State to a victory over Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion- ting in his own rebound with 3:23 remaining in Calgary 28 13 12 3 29 76 82 Utah State in the Mountain West Tournament Vancouver 31 13 16 2 28 86 100 ship game. the second period. The power-play goal was set Ottawa 30 9 20 1 19 79 121 championship game. Jayla Jones-Pack scored 16 points and Win- up by Evgeni Malkin, who has three goals and Note: Two points for a win one point for The Aggies had beaten San Diego State in ters 15 for North Carolina A&T (14-2), which seven assists in a seven-game point streak. loss. The top four teams in each Abilene Christian forward Joe Pleasant, each of the last two tournament championship won the MEAC South and claimed its first The Sabres dropped to 0-8-2 in their past 10. division will qualify for playoffs under this season’s temporary realignment. (left), and Nicholls State forward Najee games. The Aztecs, who also won the regular- NCAA bid since 2018. Scott had 12 points and The winless streak matches the fourth-worst in Garvin, (right), go for a rebound during the season championship, had lost six of their previ- 11 rebounds. team history. second half of an NCAA college basketball ous seven title game appearances. Marist 69, Saint Peter’s 30 Blue Jackets 4, Stars 3, OT Golden Knights 5, Blues 1 game for the Southland Conference men’s Buckeyes 68, Michigan 67 In Atlanta City, N.J., Willow Duffell scored In Columbus, Ohio, Zach Werenski In St. Louis, Mark Stone scored twice for tournament championship, on March 13, in Katy, Texas. (AP) In Indianapolis, Duane Washington Jr. scored 20 points with 13 rebounds and a career-high scored 4:55 into overtime and Elvis Merz- Vegas, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 34 saves. 24 points and E.J. Liddell added 18 and No. 9 six blocks as top seed Marist beat third-seeded likins made 27 saves, leading Columbus to Shea Theodore, Max Pacioretty and Alex Ohio State fended off a frantic fi nish from No. 4 Saint Peter’s to win the Metro Atlantic Athlet- the victory. Tuch also scored for Vegas, which had not of the third period, leading Winnipeg to the win. Michigan for a victory and a chance to play for ic Conference Tournament championship and Werenski scored his fi rst goal since Jan. 23. beaten St. Louis in regulation in their previous Lowry added an assist, and Mark Scheifele the Big Ten Tournament title. advance to the NCAA Tournament. Max Domi added a goal and an assist as Co- 11 meetings dating to 2017. and Mason Appleton also each had a goal and an Caitlin Weimar added 12 points and nine lumbus snapped a three-game losing streak. Fleury made his 15th start in Vegas’ last 16 assist to help the Jets take the three-game series BASKETBALL rebounds and combined with Duffell to shoot Cam Atkinson and Nick Foligno also scored, games. 2-1. Paul Stastny and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored, 15 of 25, neither taking a shot beyond the arc, and Jack Roslovic fi nished with three assists. and Laurent Brossoit made 20 saves. as Marist dominated on the boards 41-32 and Andrew Cogliano, Andrej Sekera and Denis Jets 5, Maple Leafs 2 William Nylander and Jake Muzzin scored for The Buckeyes (21-8) will play their fourth points in the paint 42-10. Gurianov scored for Dallas. In Toronto, Adam Lowry broke a tie at 7:39 North-leading Toronto, and Frederik Andersen game in four days against either No. 3 Illinois or made 27 saves. No. 5 Iowa on Sunday. Ohio State has won four Prairie View A&M holds off Grambling State 17-10 Flames 3, Canadiens 1 tourney crowns, its most recent coming in 2013. In Calgary, Alberta, scored Michigan (20-4) was led by Hunter Dickinson twice, Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves and the with 21 points and eight rebounds and managed Flames beat the Canadiens to sweep the two- to cut a 13-point defi cit to one in the fi nal 4 1/2 Barriere throws 5 TDs, rallies Eagles past Bengals game series. minutes. But after a third consecutive Buckeyes Darryl Sutter coached his second game for the turnover in the fi nal 90 seconds, Mike Smith’s POCATELLO, Idaho, March 14, (AP): Eric Bar- Northwestern State. Cam Miller capped a 13-play, 84-yard drive Flames after returning to the team when Geoff long jumper with 2 seconds left bounced off the riere threw a career-high fi ve touchdowns and his Quarterback Cole Kelly had an 8-yard touch- with a 6-yard scramble for a touchdown to Ward was fi red March 4. back of the rim and time expired in the scramble 6-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Boston with down reception on a reverse-pass from Terrell clinch North Dakota State’s win over Illi- Monahan scored his 200th and 201st goals. for the loose ball. 25 seconds left capped Eastern Washington’s 46- Carter, threw a 9-yard TD pass to Matt DeBlaiso, nois State. Mikael Backlund also scored for Calgary. The Alabama 73, Tennessee 68 42 comeback win over Idaho State. and scored on a 1-yard run to trim Southeastern Miller fi nished 5 of 7 for 61 yards with 11 Flames improved to 13-12-3, winning consecu- In Nashville, Tenn., Herbert Jones had 21 Barriere also set a career high with 455 Louisiana’s defi cit to 24-21 early in the fourth rushes for a team-high 57 yards. tive games for the fi rst time in a month. points and No. 6 Alabama rallied from a 15-point yards passing in 34 completions. Boston quarter. CJ Turner had nine receptions for 127 The Redbirds (0-3, 0-3) got back in the defi cit in the second half to beat Tennessee in caught 10 of those passes for 143 yards and yards, including back-to-back catches of 18 and game on a Bryce Jefferson 4-yard pass to Tan- Sharks 3, Ducks 1 In Anaheim, California, Evander Kane scored the Southeastern Conference Tournament semi- had two touchdowns. 26 yards to set up Rengifo’s winner. ner Taula midway through the third quarter. fi nals. Tyler Vander Waal threw for a career-high Then Tyler Pennington capped an 80-yard for the third straight game, Martin Jones stopped Southern Utah 34, Cal Poly 24 26 shots and San Jose won its third straight for Jahvon Quinerly added 19 points, including 409 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two In San Luis Obispo, drive with a 1-yard plunge but the PAT was two free throws with 15.5 seconds left, to help blocked by Spencer Waege. the fi rst time this season, more for Idaho State. Calif., Justin Miller com- Kevin Labanc and Dylan Gambrell also the Crimson Tide hang on. Eastern Washington (2-1, 2-1 Big Sky Confer- pleted 21-of-28 passes scored for the Sharks. Their win streak includes Top-seeded Alabama (23-6) faces the LSU-Ar- ence) now has won 12 straight over the Bengals for 241 yards and three FOOTBALL victories on consecutive nights during which kansas winner in Sunday’s championship in search (1-2, 1-2) and owns a 30-9 all-time series lead. touchdowns, and South- they have outscored the Ducks 9-1. of its fi rst SEC Tournament title since 1991. The Eagles moved their record to 32-30 all- ern Utah scored 24 unan- time when playing in a dome stadium. Lafayette 24, Colgate 10 Canucks 2, Oilers 1 LSU 78, Arkansas 71 swered points in the fi rst In Easton, Pa., Steven Stilianos caught two In Vancouver, British Columbia, Tyler Myers In Nashville, Tenn., Cameron Thomas scored Prairie View 17, Grambling St 10 half to cruise past Cal touchdown passes, Jaden Sutton ran for a score scored midway through the third period, leading 21 points and third-seeded LSU upset eighth- In Arlington, Texas, Chris Johnson had Poly for its fi rst win of and Lafayette beat Colgate in the season open- Vancouver to its fi fth win in seven games. ranked Arkansas to reach the Southeastern Con- three catches for 108 yards and a touchdown the spring season. er for both teams. Bo Horvat also scored for the Canucks, shov- ference Tournament championship for the fi rst and Prairie View A&M held off a late drive to Southern Utah (1-2, Cole Northrup’s 12-yard touchdown pass to eling the puck in on a power play in the second time since 1993. beat Grambling State in the State Fair Classic. 1-2 Big Sky Conference) Barriere Stilianos capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive drive period. Thatcher Demko stopped 34 shots. The Tigers (18-8) will play No. 6 Alabama, a SE Louisiana 27, Northwestern St. 24 spoiled coach Beau Bald- that stretched the lead to 21-10 with 6:44 re- Leon Draisaitl scored for the for the Oilers for 73-68 winner over Tennessee in the other semi- In Hammond, La., Felando Jordan had two win’s debut with Cal Poly, after he spent three maining. On the ensuing Colgate possession, his 16th goal of the season. Mikko Koskinen had fi nal, on Sunday looking to improve their NCAA of Southeastern Louisiana’s three blocked seasons as the offensive coordinator at California. DaRon Gilbert picked off a Grant Breneman 26 saves for Edmonton, which snapped a four- Tournament seeding even more by knocking off fi eld goals, Mateo Rengifo made a 21-yarder ND State 21, Illinois State 13 pass and Jeffrey Kordenbrock kicked a 25- game winning streak and slipped to third place the SEC’s regular-season champ. LSU has won with two seconds to play and the Lions beat In Fargo, N.D., freshman quarterback yard fi eld goal four plays later. in the North Division. this tournament only once - back in 1980.