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FINAL FOUR-SEMIFINALS
Kentucky, UConn advance
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Aaron Harrison is making a habit of bailing out the Kentucky Wildcats.
The Wildcats are in Monday's NCAA title game near Dallas after Harrison drained a three-pointer with 5.7 seconds left in a 74-73 win over No. 2 Wisconsin. Harrison scored just five points before taking a pass from his brother, Andrew, and hitting a shot in the same area where he canned game-winners in the Wildcats' previous two wins.
Harrison hit a go-ahead three in the final minute of Kentucky's win over Louisville in the regional semifinals, two days before draining a trey with 2.3 seconds left to beat Michigan.
Harrison's latest game-winner came shortly after Traevon (TRAY'-vahn) Jackson hit two of three free throws after he was fouled behind the arc by Andrew Harrison with one second left on the shot clock. Jackson had another chance to win it for the Badgers, but he missed a jumper as time expired.
James Young scored a game-high 17 points for the Wildcats, while Julius Randle added 16.
Sam Dekker and Ben Brust each had 15 points for the Badgers, but Frank Kaminsky finished with just eight after scoring 27 in the regional finals.
The outcome sets up a final pitting the No. 8 Wildcats against No. 7 Connecticut, the highest combined seed total for a national championship game since seeding began in 1979.
Deandre Daniels scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds in the Huskies' 63-53 win over No. 1 Florida. Ryan Boatwright added 13 points for UConn, which trailed 16-4 before outscoring the Gators by 22 the rest of the way. Shabazz Napier had 12 points and six rebounds for Connecticut.
Patric Young scored a team-high 19 points for the Gators, but Scottie Wilbekin (WIHL'-beh-kihn) was held to just four points on 2 of 9 shooting.
The Gators also ended a school-record 30-game winning streak that began after a 65-64 loss to Connecticut on Dec. 5.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Bulls silence Wizards
UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago Bulls are a little closer to securing home-court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
D.J. Augustin (AW'-gus-teen) went 6 of 8 from 3-point range while scoring 25 points as the Bulls silenced the Wizards 96-78 in Washington. Joakim (JOH'-keem) Noah had 21 points and 12 rebounds to help the Bulls pick up their fifth consecutive win.
The Wizards never threatened after falling behind 54-26 at halftime.
Toronto beat Milwaukee 102-98 to remain tied for the third seed in the East and maintain a 2 1/2-game lead over Brooklyn in the Atlantic Division. DeMar DeRozan scored 15 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, and Grevis Vasquez tied a season high with 26 points in the Raptors' third straight win.
In other NBA action:
— The Charlotte Bobcats beat Cleveland 96-94 in overtime to clinch just the second playoff berth in their 10-game year history. Al Jefferson scored seven of his 24 points in the extra session to help the Bobcats overcome Kyrie Irvin's career-high 44 points for the Cavaliers.
— Kevin Garnett scored 10 points in his first game in more than five weeks to help Brooklyn beat the 76ers 105-101 in Philadelphia. Deron Williams had 19 points for the Nets, who went 14-5 while Garnett sat out because of back spasms.
— Orlando topped Minnesota 100-92 as Arron Afflalo (af-LAH'-loh) scored 18 points and Tobias Harris and Maurice Harkless each added 17.
— Rodney Stuckey came off the bench to score 26 points and Detroit rallied from 19 down to beat Boston 115-111.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Big win for Gardenhire
UNDATED (AP) — Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is in some select company, joining a group of five active skippers who have racked up 1,000 wins. The milestone win came in Cleveland as Minnesota beat the Indians 7-3. Kyle Gibson got the win while Carlos Carrasco took the loss. Gibson allowed three hits in five-plus innings as the Twins snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Indians.
Also in the majors:
— Torii Hunter homered and drove in five runs before Detroit withstood a five-run ninth inning by Baltimore to beat the Orioles 7-6. Winning pitcher Rick Porcello allowed a run and three hits in 6 2-3 innings in his first start of the season as the Tigers remained baseball's only undefeated team at 4-0.
— Salvador Perez hit a go-ahead RBI double with two outs in the eighth inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3. Alex Gordon doubled off left-hander Scott Downs before Perez hit the ball down the left-field line.
— R.A. Dickey and three relievers combined for a shutout and Jose Bautista (boh-TEE'-stah) and Melky Cabrera homered as the Blue Jays beat the Yankees 4-0. The Yankees were denied the tying run in the third on a play the umpires reviewed to decide if baseball's new rules against blocking home plate applied.
— Tampa Bay beat Texas 5-4 on James Loney's two-run double in the bottom of the eighth. Yunel (YOO'-nehl) Escobar and Matt Joyce homered for the Rays.
— Josh Hamilton hit a two-run home run and Tyler Skaggs went eight innings to lead the Angels past the Astros 5-1 in Houston. Skaggs gave up an unearned run and just four hits while striking out five in his Angels debut.
— Felix Hernandez took a shutout into the ninth inning and Seattle homered twice in a 3-1 win at Oakland. Dustin Ackley and Abraham Almonte went deep to back Hernandez, who struck out eight while holding the Athletics to a run and six hits over 8 1/3.
— Khris Davis and Logan Schafer both doubled in the 11th inning to bring home the winning run in Milwaukee's 7-6 victory in Boston. Carlos Gomez and Mark Reynolds hit solo homers in the second inning, and Davis had four of the Brewers' 19 hits.
— Madison Bumgarner struck out 10 while working into the seventh inning of San Francisco's 7-2 rout of the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Michael Morse, Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey homered for the Giants, who've outscored the Dodgers 15-6 in the first two games of the series.
— Julio Teheran went 2-for-4 and allowed just three hits over seven innings of Atlanta's 6-2 win at Washington. Dan Uggla (UG'-lah) poked a two-run single off Stephen Strasburg, who was tagged for six runs and eight hits in just 4 1/3 innings.
— Nolan Arenado homered twice, Charlie Blackmon went 3-for-4 and Colorado rallied from a 4-0 deficit to beat Arizona 9-4. Blackmon is 9-for-12 in the Rockies' first two games against the Diamondbacks, who at 1-7 are off to the worst eight-game start in team history.
— Chase Utley homered for the second straight day and was 3-for-3 in Philadelphia's 2-0 win over the Cubs in Chicago. Cliff Lee tossed seven scoreless innings despite yielding 10 hits.
— The New York Mets pulled out a 6-3 victory over Cincinnati when pinch-hitter Ike Davis belted a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. Curtis Granderson's two-run blast put the Mets up 2-1, but the Reds regained the lead on a two-run homer by Brandon Phillips in the eighth.
— Miami is 5-1 after Giancarlo Stanton drove in two runs and Jose Fernandez struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings to carry the Marlins past San Diego 5-0. The Marlins didn't pick up their 21st win last season until their 21st game.
— Yadier Molina (YAH'-dee-ehr moh-LEE'-nuh) smacked a solo homer and Jhonny Peralta (JAH'-nee peh-RAHL'-tah) added a late two-run shot in the Cardinals' 6-1 verdict over the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Joe Kelly limited the Bucs to one run despite surrendering six hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings.
MLB-RAYS
Escobar lands a new deal
UNDATED (AP) — Toronto shortstop Yunel (yoo-NEHL') Escobar has agreed to a $13 million, two-year contract extension through 2016, with a club option for 2017.
The 31-year Escobar played in a career-high 153 games for the Rays last season, hitting .256 with nine homers and 56 RBIs before being named a Gold Glove finalist.
Also in the majors on Saturday:
— The Yankees have placed first baseman Mark Teixeira (teh-SHEHR'-uh) on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. Teixeira left Friday's game in the second inning after he was injured while trying to field a foul grounder.
— The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed general manager Neal Huntington and manager Clint Hurdle through the 2017 season, with a club option for 2018. The Pirates had the worst record in the majors in 2010 but have improved in each of Hurdle's three seasons at the helm, winning a National League wild-card berth last season.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Bruins wrap up East
UNDATED (AP) — The Boston Bruins will have home ice for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Johnny Boychuk scored the tiebreaking goal with 6:06 left in the third period and Milan Lucic (LOO'-cheech) had two goals as the Bruins downed Philadelphia 5-2. Patrice Bergeron (pah-TREES' BEHR'-zhehr-ahn) extended his consecutive point streak to 11 games, setting up Boychuk's go-ahead score.
The Flyers have dropped three straight as they try to catch the Rangers for second place in the Metropolitan Division.
Boston now leads the overall standings by two points over St. Louis. The Blues were unable to pad their lead in the Western Conference, falling to Colorado 4-0.
Paul Stastny (STAS'-nee) had a goal and two assists for the Avalanche, who've won six straight and are within five points of the Blues. Semyon Varlamov (SEHM-yahn vahr-LAH'-mahv) picked up his second shutout of the season and his league-high 40th win, tying a team record set by his current head coach, Patrick Roy (wah).
The Blues top the conference by three points over Anaheim and four over San Jose.
Nashville prevented the Sharks from passing Anaheim for the Pacific Division lead as Patric Hornqvist collected two goals and an assist in the second period of the Predators' 3-0 victory at San Jose. Carter Hutton turned back 32 shots for his first career shutout.
Also on ice:
— Brian Gionta (jee-AHN'-tah) had two goals and Carey Price stopped 34 shots as Montreal beat Detroit 4-3. The Canadiens blew a 3-0 lead before Gionta snapped a 3-3 tie with 6:47 remaining.
— Robin Lehner made 41 saves and Jason Spezza (SPET'-suh) notched his 20th goal to lead Ottawa's 3-2 win over the New York Rangers. The Blueshirts remain four points ahead of the Flyers for second place in the Metropolitan Division.
— Dainus Zubrus (DY'-nuhs ZOO'-bruhs) scored twice and Travis Zajac (ZAY'-jak) notched the go-ahead goal as New Jersey won 3-1 at Carolina. The Devils are 4-0-3 in their last seven games, putting them just one point behind Columbus for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth.
— Evgeny Kuznetsov (kooz-NET'-sahf) scored the lone shootout goal and the Washington Capitals picked up a much-needed victory by rallying to beat the New York Islanders 4-3. The Isles led until Nicklas Backstrom and Joel Ward scored 2:16 apart late in the second period, helping the Caps get within two points of the Blue Jackets for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth.
— Toronto remains a point behind the Jackets after Jacob Trouba (TROO'-bah) snapped a 2-2 tie late in the second period of Winnipeg's 4-2 win over the Maple Leafs. Andrew Ladd, Blake Wheeler and Michael Frolik (froh-LEEK') each had two assists for the Jets, who were eliminated from playoff contention when Dallas beat Tampa Bay.
— Jamie Benn scored twice and assisted on Tyler Seguin's (SAY'-gihnz) game-winner, all in the first period of the Stars' 5-2 win over the Lightning. The win allowed the Stars to move one point ahead of Phoenix for the final Western Conference playoff berth.
— Ilya Bryzgalov (EEL'-yah brihz-GAH'-lahv) handled 20 shots and Cody McCormack had a goal and an assist as Minnesota blanked Pittsburgh 4-0. The Wild opened a five-point lead over Dallas for seventh in the West.
— Vancouver beat Los Angeles 2-1 on Brad Richardson's goal with 1:23 remaining. Kings netminder Jonathan Quick made 38 saves while his team was outshot 40-26.
NASCAR-DUCK COMMANDER 500
Stewart grabs pole
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Tony Stewart has the pole for Sunday's Duck Commander 500 Sprint Cup race. He grabbed the top spot with a lap of 195.454 miles per hour, slightly faster than Brad Keselowski. The pole is the 15th in Stewart's career and first since Atlanta in 2012.
PGA-HOUSTON OPEN
Kuchar stands in front
HUMBLE, Texas (AP) — Matt Kuchar (KOO'-chur) has a four-shot lead over second-round leader Sergio Garcia and Cameron Tringale through three rounds of the Houston Open. Kuchar took the lead with a 4-under-68 in the third round to finish play at 15-under-par. Garcia had a 1-over-73 while Tringale was 3-under for the day.
Phil Mickelson is six shots back of the leader.
LPGA-KRAFT NABISCO
Thompson, Wie share Nabisco lead
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) — Americans Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie (wee) are co-leaders through three rounds of the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Wie fired a 4-under 68 to catch Thompson, who followed Friday's 64 with a 3-under 69. England's Charley Hull and Se Ri Pak (say ree pahk) of South Korea are two shots back and two ahead of Christie Kerr and Catriona (kah-TREE'-nah) Matthew.
WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Stewart named AP Player of the Year
Connecticut's Breanna Stewart has been selected as The Associated Press women's college basketball player of the year. Stewart averaged 19.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks this season to help unbeaten UConn reach the Final Four for a seventh straight year.
Notre Dame's Muffet McGraw has been selected as The Associated Press women's college basketball coach of the year for the second straight year. The Fighting Irish entered the NCAA tournament at 32-0 and as a No. 1 seed.
TENNIS-ITALY-BRITAIN
Italy levels tie against Britain in Davis Cup
NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Fabio Fognini (FAH'-bee-oh fohn-YEE'-nee) pulled off a surprise straight sets victory over two-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray as Italy leveled the Davis Cup quarterfinal against Britain 2-2 on Sunday.
Fognini triumphed 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in the clash between the countries' top players to keep alive Italy's bid to reach the semifinals for the first time in 16 years.
The final break came in the final game. The eighth-ranked Murray rescued two match points but hit a third into the net.
James Ward now faces Andrea Seppi in the decisive fifth rubber, with Britain looking to reach the semifinals for the first time since 1981.
Italy has not lost at home to Britain since 1926, but that record looked in danger when Murray broke Fognini's serve in the first game.
TENNIS-JAPAN-CZECH REPUBLIC
Czech Republic overpowers Japan in Davis Cup
TOKYO (AP) — Lukas Rosol and Jiri Vesely won their reverse singles on Sunday as the Czech Republic completed a 5-0 sweep of Japan in the Davis Cup quarterfinals.
Rosol beat Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 and Vesely overpowered Taro Daniel 6-4, 6-4 to complete the one-sided tie.
The Czech team secured a berth in the semifinals on Saturday, beating Japan in the doubles match to give the defending champions an insurmountable 3-0 lead.
Both teams were without their top players. Tomas Berdych sat out the tie following two tough tournaments in the United States, while Kei Nishikori was sidelined after hurting his groin in the Sony Open in Miami last week.
The Czech Republic plays the winner of the quarterfinal match between France and Germany in the last four in September.
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