Update on the latest sports

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-MEN’S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

Baylor takes title, slams Gonzaga

UNDATED (AP) — The Baylor men’s basketball program was in shambles when Scott Drew took over 18 years ago, ridden with scandal following the murder of a player by a teammate. On Monday, Drew was cutting down the nets after the Bears earned the first NCAA championship in program history.

Baylor opened with an 11-1 run and led 29-10 midway through the first half before celebrating an 86-70 pounding of previously-unbeaten Gonzaga. Jared Butler poured in 22 points and had seven assists for the Bears, who shot 10-for-23 from 3-point range and outrebounded the Bulldogs, 38-22. Mark Vital led Baylor’s board dominance by grabbing 11.

MaCio Teague (MAY’-see-oh) Teague chipped in 19 points and Davion (DAY’-vee-ahn) Mitchell added 15 while trying to keep Jalen Suggs in check.

The Zags were attempting to become the first team since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers to go undefeated in Division I men’s hoops. Instead, they are the first team to end a perfect run in a title game since Larry Bird’s Indiana State team against Magic Johnson and Michigan State in 1979.

Suggs had a team-high 22 points for the Bulldogs, but Drew Timme (TIH’-mee) scored just two of his 12 points after halftime. Corey Kispert also had a quiet night with 12 points.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-COACH HIRINGS

Ex-Heel Davis takes over UNC program

UNDATED (AP) — North Carolina has reached an agreement with assistant coach Hubert Davis to take over the storied men’s basketball program.

The 50-year-old Davis played for the Tar Heels under Dean Smith before a long NBA career, and he had spent the past nine seasons working under Roy Williams. The Hall of Fame coach retired last week after 18 seasons at his alma mater, ending a career that also included 15 years at Kansas, 903 overall victories and three national championships with the Tar Heels.

In other coaching news around men’s college basketball:

— Loyola Chicago has promoted assistant Drew Valentine to head coach, hoping he can build on the success the Ramblers experienced under Porter Moser. The 29-year-old Valentine helped Loyola make two deep NCAA Tournament runs in four seasons as an assistant under Moser, who left to take over Oklahoma’s program. The Ramblers went 99-36 overall and 56-16 in the Missouri Valley Conference the past four years, winning three regular-season league championships.

— Texas Tech is promoting top assistant and school alumnus Mark Adams to replace Chris Beard as head coach. Adams was the associate head coach under Beard all five of those seasons at Lubbock, including a loss in the national championship game in overtime to Virginia two years ago after going to the Elite Eight in 2018.

NBA-SCHEDULE

Mavs end Jazz win streak

UNDATED (AP) — The Utah Jazz have fallen just short of their second double-digit winning streak of the season.

Luka Doncic (DAHN’-chihch) scored 31 points and Dorian Finney-Smith added a season-high 23 as the Dallas Mavericks stopped Utah’s nine-game run, 111-103. Jalen Brunson scored 20 points and the Mavs led by as many as 18 in their season-high fifth win in a row.

Mike Conley scored 28 points to lead the Jazz, who fell to an NBA-best 38-12.

Checking out Monday’s other NBA action:

— Devin Booker scored 18 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter of the Suns’ 133-130 victory over the Rockets. Deandre Ayton matched a season high with 27 points as Phoenix won its sixth in a row. Mikal Bridges had 20 points, and Chris Paul finished with 19 points and 11 assists in the win.

— Kyrie Irving scored 40 points and Jeff Green made two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to send the Nets past the Knicks, 114-112. Green scored 23 points and Joe Harris added 16 for the Nets, who won their eighth straight at home despite playing the last three quarters without James Harden due to his nagging hamstring. Harden had missed Brooklyn’s previous two games and played just four minutes in this one.

— The Cavaliers knocked off the Spurs, 125-121 behind Darius Garland’s career-high 37 points. Collin Sexton added 22 points as Cleveland ended a five-game skid. San Antonio finished the longest homestand in franchise history at 2-7, dropping from seventh to ninth in the Western Conference.

— Gary Trent Jr. beat the buzzer with a long 3-pointer and the Raptors rallied from a 19-point, second-half deficit to beat the Wizards, 103-101. Pascal Siakam had a team-high 22 points for Toronto, which won consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 19-21. Washington lost its fourth in a row despite Russell Westbrook’s 23 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.

— Jerami Grant scored 21 points against his former team to lead the Pistons’ 132-108 rout of the Thunder. Grant made 7 of 15 shots and added five rebounds and five assists in just 23 minutes. Frank Jackson and Sekou Doumbouya scored 14 points apiece for Detroit, which was coming off a 125-81 home loss to the Knicks on Saturday.

— The Timberwolves earned a 116-106 win over the Kings as D’Angelo Russell scored 25 points in his return from knee surgery. Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 13 rebounds to help Minnesota hand Sacramento its fourth loss in a row. Anthony Edwards scored 19 points for Minnesota and started the Timberwolves’ push in the fourth.

OLYMPICS-NORTH KOREA

North Korea to skip Olympics

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A North Korean website says the country won’t participate in the Tokyo Olympics because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Sports in DPR Korea website said the decision was made during a national Olympic Committee meeting on March 25 where members prioritized protecting athletes from the “world public health crisis caused by COVID-19.”

MLB-ALL-STAR GAME

Denver getting ASG

NEW YORK (AP) — The major league All-Star game is coming back to Coors Field.

A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that MLB will relocate the All-Star Game to Denver’s Coors Field after pulling the Midsummer Classic from Atlanta over objections to sweeping changes to Georgia’s voting laws. The league is expected to announce Tuesday that the Rockies will host the game.

Coors Field last hosted the All-Star Game in 1998, the fourth season for the stadium and sixth for the Rockies franchise.

MLB-SCHEDULE

Rangers fall as Gov. boycotts game

UNDATED (AP) — An announced crowd of over 38,000 attended the Texas Rangers’ home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. The governor was not among them.

The Rangers were the first team to approach capacity with their stadium since the coronavirus shutdown of sports more than a year ago. All 40,518 seats at Globe Life Field were for sale, and the game was played under an open roof. Infectious disease experts are mixed on the view of the club’s decision.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott opted not to throw the ceremonial first pitch, announcing the decision hours before gametime. The Republican governor said he made his decision after Major League Baseball moved the MLB All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to Georgia’s sweeping new voting laws.

As for the game, Marcus Semien and Cavan Biggio (KA’-van BIH’-zhee-oh) hit back-to-back homers as the Blue Jays posted a 6-2 win over the Rangers.

Steven Matz was sharp in his Toronto debut, striking out nine while limiting Texas to a run and two hits over 6 1/3 innings.

Also around the majors on Monday:

— Giancarlo Stanton hit a 471-foot grand slam over the visitors’ bullpen in leading the Yankees over the Orioles, 7-0. Aaron Judge also homered and Jordan Montgomery allowed four hits in six innings as New York handed Baltimore its first loss.

— Pinch-hitter Mike Yastrzemski (ya-STREHM’-skee) hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning to send the Giants past the Padres, 3-2. Darin Ruf and Evan Longoria also went deep against San Diego, which lost star shortstop Fernando Tatis (tah-TEES’) Jr. to a partially dislocated left shoulder.

— Corey Seager and Zach McKinstry drove in three runs apiece and Will Smith homered off the left field foul pole as the Dodgers pounded the winless Athletics, 10-3. Justin Turner also went deep as the defending World Series champions provided plenty of support for starter Dustin May, who struck out eight and allowed just two hits over six shutout innings.

— Yermín Mercedes continued his early season tear with three hits and Carlos Rodon (roh-DAHN’) struck out nine as the White Sox three-hit the Mariners, 6-0. Mercedes is the first player since at least 1900 to collect 12 hits in his first four career starts, doing it since the season opener on Thursday.

— Mike Trout hit his first home run of the season and Shohei Ohtani (SHOH’-hay oh-TAH’-nee) came off the bench to score the go-ahead run during an eighth-inning rally that sent the Angels past the Astros, 7-6. Los Angeles scored four times in the eighth to hand Houston its first loss of the year following a four-game sweep at rival Oakland.

— Xander Bogaerts (BOH’-gahts) provided four of the Red Sox’s 16 hits in their first win of the season, an 11-2 thumping of the Rays. Boston scored two more in the sixth and four in the eighth, when J.D. Martinez banged a three-run homer halfway up the Pesky Pole.

— The Phillies are 4-0 after erupting for five runs in the eighth inning of a 5-3 victory over the Mets. A throwing error by Mets third baseman Luis Guillorme (gee-OHR’-may) allowed the go-ahead runs to score after Jacob deGrom blanked Philadelphia on three hits over six innings and 77 pitches.

— Mike Moustaskas (moos-TAH’-kahs) smacked a tying homer and Nick Castellanos (kas-tee-AH’-noh) followed with the go-ahead blast as the Reds topped the Pirates, 5-3. Jose De Leon tied a career high with nine strikeouts and allowed two runs, three hits and two walks over five innings to help the Reds secure a third straight win.

— Willson Contreras, Javier Báez and David Bote (BOH’-tee) homered during a four-run fourth that sent the Cubs past the Brewers, 5-3. Trevor Williams pitched perfectly until Omar Narváez singled leading off the sixth, one inning before hitting a three-run homer and two days after breaking up a no-hitter in the eighth inning.

— Yadier Molina laced a two-run double while the Cardinals scored three times in the first inning of a 4-1 victory against the Marlins. Daniel Ponce de Leon allowed one run and three hits in five innings for St. Louis.

— Whit Merrifield drove in Kansas City’s runs with a homer and a sacrifice fly in a 3-0 win over the Indians. Danny Duffy Duffy threw two-hit ball over six innings to beat the Indians for the third time in four starts.

— Nelson Cruz hit a grand slam, a solo homer and a double for the Minnesota Twins in a 15-6 pounding of the Tigers in Detroit. Winning pitcher Matt Shoemaker held the Tigers hitless until Wilson Ramos homered with two out in the fifth.

OUTBREAK-BASEBALL

Nationals, Braves to make up Monday game

UNDATED (AP) — The Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves will play a doubleheader Wednesday to make up Monday’s series opener that was postponed because of Washington’s coronavirus outbreak.

Four players on the Nationals have tested positive for COVID-19 and seven more have been placed under quarantine after contact tracing determined they potentially were exposed. The Nats had their season-opening series against the Mets postponed entirely.

In other virus-related developments in baseball:

— Some Mets players have hesitated to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, causing the team to set up education efforts. Players on several teams started to get the vaccine last week during the final week of spring training, when they became eligible.

— The Brewers say the team received the COVID-19 vaccine over the weekend but wouldn’t disclose what percentage of players and staffers participated. Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns

MLB-NEWS

Castellanos gets 2-game ban

UNDATED (AP) — Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos (kas-tee-AH’-nohs) has been suspended for two games and fined for his role in an on-field brawl during the season’s opening weekend.

Castellanos was hit by a pitch from Jake Woodford on Saturday and offered to toss the ball back to the St. Louis pitcher. Castellanos later made contact with Woodford at the plate after scoring on a wild pitch, touching off a benches-clearing incident.

Castellanos appealed the penalty and won’t serve the suspension while the appeal is pending.

In other MLB news:

— The Braves have brought back relievers Carl Edwards Jr. and Jesse Biddle on minor league contracts. They also signed former Gold Glove-winning infielder Yolmer Sanchez to a minor league deal.

NFL-JETS PANTHERS-DARNOLD TRADE

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Jets have traded quarterback Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers.

It ends a stint in New York for Darnold that was marked by a few flashes of brilliance, inconsistent play and unfortunate injuries. And with the Jets holding the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, they’re moving on to another young signal-caller who might deliver the team back to respectability. New York announced acquired a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft and second- and fourth-round picks in the 2022 draft.

NHL-SCHEDULE

Flyers finally top Bruins

UNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers are a little closer to the Boston Bruins as they battle for the final playoff berth in the NHL’s East Division.

The Flyers had dropped their previous five meetings with Boston before Travis Sanheim scored 3:08 into overtime to give Philly a 3-2 victory over the Bruins.

Travis Konecny (kah-NEHK’-nee) and Sean Couturier (koo-TOOR’-ee-ay) each scored and Brian Elliott stopped 27 shots as the Flyers won for just the third time in their last nine games.

Boston is three points ahead of Philadelphia.

Elsewhere on NHL ice:

— The Avalanche have extended their point streak to 15 games at 13-0-2 by scoring four unanswered goals in the second period to beat the Wild, 5-4. Nathan MacKinnon, Andre Burakovsky (bur-ah-KAHV’-skee), Brandon Saad (sahd) and J.T. Compher provided the second-period goals, the first two coming in a 71-second span and the second two coming 2:04 apart. Gabriel Landeskog (LAN’-dehs-kahg) also scored, and Philipp Grubauer stopped 21 shots for the West-leading Avs.

— Alec Martinez and William Carrier highlighted the Golden Knights’ 6-1 rout of the Blues in St. Louis. Martinez scored twice and Carrier added a goal and an assist as Vegas ended an 0-2-1 skid. The Blues have scored just eight goals in their last seven games, going 0-6-1 to fall into fifth place in the West.

— The Coyotes have a three-game winning streak after Michael Bunting scored three times in a 5-2 verdict over the Kings. Bunting had two of Arizona’s season-high three power-play goals. Derick Brassard and Christian Dvorak also scored and Adin (AY’-dihn) Hill made 36 saves to improve to 6-1-0 as a starter.

— Pierre-Luc Dubois (doo-BWAH’) scored twice to lead the Jets to a 4-3 victory over the Senators. Adam Lowry and Kyle Connor also scored for the Jets, who had dropped three of four.

— The Maple Leafs knocked off the Flames, 5-3 as NHL goal leader Auston Matthews scored twice and Jack Campbell made 26 saves to tie a franchise record with his ninth straight win. John Tavares furnished a goal and an assist in Toronto’s fourth straight win and seventh in eight games.

— Eric Staal scored in overtime in his Montreal debut, giving the Canadiens a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Oilers. Edmonton led, 2-0 until Josh Anderson and Tomas Tatar scored for the Habs in their third-period comeback.

NHL-COVID-CANUCKS

NHL official says league expects Canucks to finish season

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — National Hockey League deputy commissioner Bill Daly says the COVID-19 outbreak on the Vancouver Canucks is concerning from a health standpoint. However, he says in an email to The Canadian Press the league believes the Canucks will return and conclude their 56-game schedule. Daly also says the league will not change its COVID protocols in the aftermath of the Canucks’ situation.

Seventeen of the 22 players on the team’s active roster were on the NHL’s protocol list as of Monday.

So far, the Canucks have had four games postponed because of the virus. Their next scheduled game is Thursday in Calgary against the Flames.

Boston Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak (YAH’-roh-slahv hah-LAHK’) also entered the protocol, Dallas goalie Anton Khudobin (koo-DOH’-bihn) was cleared after one day and Los Angeles forward Brendan Lemieux was also cleared after a seven-day stint.

MIRACLE ON ICE-PAVELICH DEATH

Death of ‘Miracle on Ice’ standout Pavelich ruled suicide

ANOKA, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota medical examiner says last month’s death of “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey player Mark Pavelich was ruled a suicide.

The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Anoka County says the 63-year-old Pavelich died of asphyxia. His body was found March 3 at the Eagle’s Healing Nest in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Pavelich was undergoing treatment there as part of a civil commitment for assaulting his neighbor in August 2019.

Pavelich assisted on Mike Eruzione’s winning goal against the heavily favored Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics. That U.S. team went on to win the gold medal.