WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Paige Bueckers scored 24 points and Azzi Fudd added 13 to help No. 3 UConn beat 22nd-ranked Creighton 70-50 to win the Big East championship. It’s the 23rd Big East title and fifth consecutive one for the Huskies since they returned to the conference in 2021. This was Creighton’s first time in the championship game since 2016, when the Bluejays lost to St. John’s. Sarah Strong had 13 points, 11 rebounds and six steals for the Huskies, who scored the game’s first 11 points. Lauren Jensen scored 13 points to lead Creighton.
In the America East tournament, on the women’s side:
Albany 49 Maine 41
Vermont 62 Bryant 45
The UAlbany Great Danes face the Bryant Bulldogs tonight at 9, while the Vermont Catamounts take on the Maine Black Bears in the America East Tournament tonight at 7. It’s the third meeting of the season between the two teams. The Catamounts won the previous matchup 65-61. Vermont is 14-3 against the America East, and Maine is 11-6 against the America East.
On the men’s side, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament begins tonight, with Rider facing Siena at 6.
NFL
A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that the New York Jets and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields have agreed to a two-year contract worth $40 million. Fields would step in as New York’s starter in place of Aaron Rodgers, who the Jets announced last month they are moving forward without after two seasons. The deal for Fields includes $30 million guaranteed, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement wasn’t announced by the team. The Jets also agreed to terms with former Baltimore cornerback Brandon Stephens and former Jacksonville safety Andre Cisco.
The NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles are losing two of their defensive disruptors who pressured Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. Defensive tackle Milton Williams agreed to a deal with New England worth $26 million annually and edge rusher Josh Sweat is heading to the Arizona Cardinals on a four-year, $76.4 million contract, people with knowledge of the terms told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, New England has already agreed to terms with cornerback Carlton Davis, linebacker Robert Spillane, and offensive tackle Morgan Moses. The Patriots also agreed to a free agent deal with pass-rusher Harold Landry on Sunday.
The New Orleans Saints and defensive end Chase Young have agreed on a three-year extension worth up to $57 million. A person familiar with the agreement confirmed it to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the extension has not been announced. Young is a former Ohio State star who was drafted second overall in 2020 by Washington. He played in all 17 games last season, his first with New Orleans, and had 5 1/2 sacks. The extension came on the same day the Saints agreed to send a 2026 late-round draft choice to New England in exchange for defensive tackle and former LSU player Davon Godchaux.
Quarterback Sam Darnold has agreed on a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because teams can’t sign free agents until Wednesday. Darnold had his best season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, leading them to 14 wins. He replaces Geno Smith, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders last week.
The NFL's 52-hour legal tampering period arrived with a slew of stars receiving big contracts to either stay put or join a new team retooling its roster. Over the weekend, the Bills and NFL MVP Josh Allen agreed to an extension that includes a league-record $250 million guaranteed and Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett agreed to stay in Cleveland on a deal that makes him the highest-compensated non-quarterback in NFL history with $40 million in annual salary. Among the headliners Monday were Milton Williams and Josh Sweat, who both parlayed their Super Bowl heroics into bigger bucks elsewhere.
NBA
New York 133 Sacramento 104
LeBron James was frustrated by his own play and angry at the officiating after the Lakers lost 111-108 to the Brooklyn Nets without LeBron James. The Lakers dropped their second straight after winning eight in a row before falling at Boston on Saturday. James strained his left groin in the fourth quarter of that game. The Lakers have not said how long they expect the All-Star forward to be sidelined, and coach JJ Redick said James was still being evaluated to determine the severity of the injury.
Sam Hauser made nine 3-pointers — seven in the third quarter — and finished with a career-high 33 points to lead the short-handed Boston Celtics past the Utah Jazz 114-108. Hauser became the fourth Celtics player to make nine 3s in a game this season, joining Jayson Tatum, Payton Pritchard and Derrick White — the first time in NBA history that four teammates have done that in a season. Boston has won five straight. John Collins scored 28 points and Collin Sexton had 16 for the Jazz, who lost their sixth in a row.
Dyson Daniels scored 25 points, and the surging Atlanta Hawks beat the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers 132-123. Atlanta shot 54.1% from the field and had six players score in double figures. Zaccharie Risacher had 22 points, including 20 in the first half, and Terance Mann added a season-high 19. The 31-34 Hawks have won three straight and four of five overall. Quentin Grimes scored 35 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, for the 22-42 76ers.
A.J. Lawson and his hometown team in Toronto became the rebounding Raptors on a record-setting night. Lawson scored a career-high 32 points and had 12 rebounds while being one of four Toronto players with double-doubles Monday night in a 119-104 win over Washington. The Raptors had never before had a quartet of players with at least 10 rebounds in the same game. They set a single-game franchise record with 73 rebounds, the most by any team in the NBA this season, and the most by any team in a regulation game since they joined the league 30 years ago.
Miles Bridges scored 35 points, Mark Williams added 24 points and 10 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets got their first divisional win of the season by beating the reeling Miami Heat 105-102 on Monday night. It was the third time in March alone that Miami lost a game after leading by at least 17 points — all those collapses coming at home. The Heat led New York by 19 on March 2, led Chicago by 17 on Saturday and led the Hornets by 17 in the first half.
Josh Giddey had a season-high 29 points along with 10 rebounds before leaving midway through the fourth quarter with a right ankle injury, and the Chicago Bulls won their third straight game, 121-103 over the Indiana Pacers. Coby White also scored 29 points for the Bulls, who hold the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference. Myles Turner scored 15 points to lead the Pacers, who have lost three straight — all of them with point guard Tyrese Haliburton sidelined by a hip issue. Chicago held Indiana to 39.6 percent shooting from the field.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, two of the favorites for the NBA’s MVP award, showed why in a pair of exciting games on back-to-back days in Oklahoma City. Neither emerged as a clear favorite to claim the hardware. Jokic had 24 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in a 127-103 loss to the Thunder on Sunday, then had 35 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists in a 140-127 win on Monday that moved Denver into second place in the conference. Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA scoring leader, posted 40 points on Sunday and 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting on Monday.
Jabari Smith Jr. had 20 points and tied a career high with five 3-pointers, helping the Houston Rockets beat the Orlando Magic 97-84 for their third consecutive victory. Alperen Sengun had 14 points and 14 rebounds for Houston, and Steven Adams finished with 11 points and 17 boards. Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 25 points. Franz Wagner had 15 points, and Wendell Carter Jr. grabbed 12 rebounds.
Ja Morant had 29 points and 12 assists, and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied from an early 16-point deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 120-118. Cam Spencer, a rookie on a two-way contract, added a career-high 16 points for Memphis, including a pair of free throws with 14.4 seconds left that sealed the Grizzlies’ third straight win. Kevin Durant scored 35 points and Devin Booker added 26 for the Suns, who jumped out to a 25-9 lead that evaporated before halftime. The game was close throughout the fourth quarter and Durant missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 28 points, and the Dallas Mavericks stopped a five-game slide by edging the San Antonio Spurs 133-129. Klay Thompson had 26 points for Dallas in its first win since Feb. 27. Naji Marshall scored 24 points, and Kessler Edwards finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds. San Antonio dropped its third consecutive game. Harrison Barnes scored 29 points for the Spurs, and Keldon Johnson had 28. Devin Vassell finished with 24 points. There were 12 players out with injury, including All-Stars Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio and Dallas’ Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.
Stephen Curry scored 24 points and moved within two 3-pointers of becoming the first player in NBA history with 4,000, Jimmy Butler had a triple-double, and the surging Golden State Warriors won their fifth straight game by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 130-120. Butler contributed 13 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds and Golden State improved to 12-2 since Butler made his debut Feb. 8 and 12-1 in games he played. Gary Payton II scored a career-high 26 points for Golden State.
NHL
Tage Thompson scored two goals and led the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night. Thompson’s goals upped his team-leading goal total to 33 and Alex Tuch also scored to help the Sabres end a six-game losing streak in which they went 0-5-1. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves. Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse scored, and Leon Draisaitl had two assists for the Oilers, who have lost seven of their last 10. Stuart Skinner made 19 saves. Draisaitl’s secondary assist on Nurse’s goal 1:35 into the second extended his point streak to 15 games. He has 11 goals and 12 assists during the streak.
Linus Ullmark demonstrated why the Ottawa Senators traded for him last year as the gifted netminder turned away 48 shots on Monday night in a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Ullmark, making his eighth consecutive start, was at his best in the second period when he stopped all 27 shots he faced, tying a franchise record. Dylan Cozens scored his first as a Senator, and David Perron also scored. Dylan Larkin beat Ullmark short side in the third period. Cam Talbot made 21 saves for the Red Wings.
Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas scored in the third period, Nathan MacKinnon topped 1,000 points for his career, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 on Monday night for their sixth straight win. Joel Kiviranta added an empty-netter in the final minute, and Scott Wedgewood stopped 20 shots for his eighth career shutout and second this season. The Avalanche finished a perfect 6-0-0 homestand. Spencer Knight finished with 18 saves as Chicago lost for the eighth time in 11 games (3-5-3). MacKinnon reached the milestone 31 seconds into the third on Lehkonen’s goal, and then got another assist nearly 3 minutes later when Necas made it 2-0.
Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon has reached the 1,000-point milestone. He earned a secondary assist on Artturi Lehkonen’s goal early in the third period against Chicago. MacKinnon dropped the puck off for Devon Toews at the blue line, and Toews’ shot was deflected in by Lehkonen. That broke a scoreless tie 31 seconds into the third. MacKinnon added an assist on Martin Necas’ goal about 3 minutes later. He nearly reached the milestone much earlier in the game. He appeared to have produced a first-period assist, but an offside challenge wiped out that goal by Necas and knocked MacKinnon back to 999 points.
Mitch Marner scored the deciding goal in the shootout and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Utah Hockey Club 4-3. William Nylander, Calle Jarnkrok and Steven Lorentz scored in regulation for Toronto, and Joseph Woll finished with 30 saves. The Maple Leafs had lost three straight (0-2-1). Nick Schmaltz, Barrett Hayton and Michael Carcone scored for Utah, which had won four of its previous six games. Karel Vejmelka had 23 saves. Auston Matthews also scored in the tiebreaker for Toronto, and Clayton Keller tied it for Utah.
Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended 20 games without pay for violating the NHL and NHL Players Association’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The league announced the ban Monday. The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers have 18 games left in the regular season. In a statement released through the NHLPA, Ekblad said the news that he had failed a random drug test shocked him, and he apologized for the error. He said he took something while recovering from injuries “without first checking with proper medical and team personnel.”
MLB
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will have season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Tuesday. The Yankees said the 34-year-old right-hander was examined Monday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. ElAttrache, the Dodgers’ head team physician, will operate. Cole experienced discomfort following his second spring training outing Thursday. New York also is missing another starting pitcher, AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, who will be sidelined for at least three months because of a strained lat muscle.
N.Y. Yankees 10 Detroit 2
N.Y. Mets 8 St. Louis 0
Philadelphia 4 Minnesota 1
Tampa Bay 4 Atlanta 3
Milwaukee 7 Seattle 5
Washington 9 Miami 9
Chicago Cubs 7 Cleveland 4
L.A. Angels 12 Colorado 3
Baltimore 6 Pittsburgh 3
Toronto 8 Houston 3
Cleveland 5 Kansas City 2
Chicago White Sox 10 Athletics 3
L.A. Dodgers 6 Arizona 2
San Francisco 8 Colorado 2
Cincinnati 9 San Diego 3
Miami 10 Washington 5
FORMULA ONE
Any hope Christian Horner had of leaving last year’s sordid season behind him ended at Formula 1’s splashy car launch last month when the Red Bull Racing leader was booed. Horner is officially F1’s villain as the season opens this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix. The latest season of “Drive to Survive” dropped one week before season-opening practice. It touches lightly on the position Horner was in just one year ago, when he was under investigation by Red Bull following an employee allegation of inappropriate behavior.
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